tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228792052011-10-09T19:39:03.727-07:00Heraclitus-Diogenes-sfwilliesfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.comBlogger5941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-77457428588860809572011-10-09T08:22:00.001-07:002011-10-09T08:22:05.528-07:00

Last century my mom taught me that sales tax is regressive.  "That means it's good for rich people and bad for poor people," she explained. "Since poor people spend everything they earn every month, sales tax applies to their entire incomes." "Republicans, rich people, and right-wingers always favor sales taxes,"  she concluded.  "It's a way to identify them, like a trademark. Herman Cain,

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-31336977701251248112009-09-06T07:44:00.001-07:002009-09-06T07:44:20.459-07:00

Jesuit recruiting lit distinguishes between religious orders that are active and those that are contemplative--doing stuff versus , I guess, praying. The Jesuits bill themselves as both: they are "contemplatives in action." This distinction explains why the Johnny Mercer lyrics fail to support the beautiful tune. The words are nice enough until you get to the payoff couplet: And what did I

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-81168269562704767782009-08-25T09:09:00.001-07:002009-08-25T09:09:10.939-07:00

When you look at the morbidly obese person at the far right of the WaPo picture below, you understand why Obama's services as spokesmodel are needed. How did UBS Americas' President, Eric Whitacker, get so fat? Was it wining and dining his rich American Tax-Dodge customers? From the Washinton Post story: One of President Obama's golfing buddies Monday was a top donor to his campaign and

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-31056278950258089012009-08-23T09:13:00.001-07:002009-08-23T09:13:28.232-07:00

Sometimes a stupid headline can completely warn you off a story. The Onion specializes in stupid headlines, such as with this above-the-fold story in today's issue: Today, in a possibly related story, the Los Angeles Times on-line had this headline: Junk-food tax seen as way to fight obesity, fund healthcare Of course this headline is true.  All that is required for this headline to

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-32096456933531747942009-08-21T05:22:00.001-07:002009-08-21T05:22:08.879-07:00

We Intermediate Stage Band enrollees gathered in the hall outside the band room at SF City College waiting for the class before ours to clear out. I chatted a bit with a newcomer tuba player(!) who told a sad story. Maybe twenty years old, he seemed to be on the standard track of graduate high school at eighteen and graduate college at twenty-two. But, get this, he had transferred from San

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-29949266611230073702009-08-18T05:52:00.001-07:002009-08-18T05:52:27.467-07:00

Many of us have been scratching our heads over President Obama's insistence on so-called bipartisanship regarding healthcare reform legislation. The Democrats have the majority in both houses yet Obama seems to give Republican views equal weight. He makes concessions to GOP congresspeople who won't vote for the final bill under any circumstances. It makes no sense. It makes no sense if you

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-56585690515428231472009-08-17T09:32:00.001-07:002009-08-17T09:32:07.587-07:00

Food, I guess, as opposed to intravenous drip. Readers concerned about global food insecurity will want to read this Guardian UK story. San Franciscans, on the other hand, have a chance help solve the problem by, of all things, eating. Thanks to the great, new (to me), online news source, San Francisco Appeal, for covering an upcoming charity hot-dog tasting scheduled for the Acme Chop

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-82038095397645435712009-08-15T09:21:00.001-07:002009-08-15T09:21:28.868-07:00

G.M. Trevelyan came from the British upper crust. You can surmise this from these two sentences in his wikipedia entry: Trevelyan's parents used Welcombe as a winter resort after they inherited it in 1890. They looked upon Wallington Hall, the Trevelyan family estate in Northumberland as their real home. Trevelyan's views were considered liberal within the British aristocracy. Even so, in

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-90106593622211292832009-08-14T06:39:00.001-07:002009-08-14T06:39:40.619-07:00

At my age getting up to pee in the middle of the night is normal. For me it's only once per night, which is considered not that bad. [Email me for a full report on my recent prostate exam.] Sometimes, if wakeful after peeing, I'd flip on cable news. For a  while I was enjoying Morning Joe. But lately I just can't take the naked polemics and the diversionary debate topics. The knowing

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-7305828887937483322009-08-13T07:26:00.001-07:002009-08-13T07:26:05.787-07:00

I think of SF's urbanist bicycling movement as endemic to the eastern and northern parts of the City. These areas are bay-side and bay-level. A bicycle commute for a person who lives and works in those areas is hill-free. The rest of the City is hills, hills, hills. So I was surprised to see that Mayor Newsom's faux-Green, anti-auto, resume building program called Sunday Streets was

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-54703993526130425162009-08-11T06:18:00.001-07:002009-08-11T06:18:17.708-07:00

... with this amusing sfgate story about officials trying to shut down a so-called strip club in the City's adult entertainment district. "Heaven," is only one of many such establishments in San Francisco, but Unlike the other clubs on Columbus and Broadway, Heaven Mini Theatre refuses to pay off the police," attorney Gregory Walston wrote. "As a result, the police's planning enforcement

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-80877850502645816782009-08-10T12:09:00.001-07:002009-08-10T12:11:10.211-07:00

At the end of her tenure as Police Chief of a major U.S. city, Heather Fong made an admission that startled almost no one. "It's not just media shy, I'm kind of a shy person. I'm not an extrovert in a way that some people are. I'm different. Everyone is different. We all come from different cultures; we all come from different upbringings. In the end, we're all just people." sfgate story

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-48384874993167791482009-08-07T07:07:00.001-07:002009-08-07T07:07:34.506-07:00

At 9:00am every day of the year, weather permitting, "Rudy's Group" of mostly retirees gathers to play tennis at the Golden Gate Park Tennis Complex, the biggest (most courts) public tennis facility in these parts. We get some advance notice when a tournament is scheduled to take over the courts. Rudy's Group usually reschedules for 7:30 am and is able to finish before the tournament matches

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-33528154966765605062009-08-05T10:01:00.001-07:002009-08-05T10:01:27.510-07:00

Deserved or not, Supervisor Chris Daly is blamed (credited, per our pov) for the departure of three members of the San Francisco Arts Commission. [sfgate story here] One of the resigners is Dede Wilsey, who is largely responsible for the design of this building in Golden Gate Park. Its resemblance to an aircraft carrier (helicopters) is not for nothing.  It anticipates the day when Dede

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-37150949306035555132009-08-05T06:38:00.001-07:002009-08-05T06:38:45.505-07:00

Yesterday our Board of Supervisors unanimously certified (approved) an Environmental Impact Report regarding a Bike Plan that would increase dedicated bicycle lanes, and increase public transit accommodations for bicycles in San Francisco. (sfgate story here.) This despite the Report's findings that the plan would result in increased air pollution and decreased public transit efficiency.

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-39078838599717272012009-08-03T14:31:00.001-07:002009-08-03T14:31:47.039-07:00

It's an oft repeated factiod that a billion people go to bed hungry every night. Yet, there is no appreciable effort to control world population growth. But significant efforts are underway by the rich, to seize croplands in poor countries. It's a variant on a familiar saying: I stole a man's fish, he was hungry for one day.  I stole the man's fishing pole, he starved to death. The

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-68436397271995133742009-08-02T05:39:00.001-07:002009-08-02T05:39:02.829-07:00

We shouldn't blame Obama because everyone does it. What's that? The Brown Beast* calls it FALSE APPEAL TO COMMON KNOWLEDGE, or common consent, or common practice. Obama is quoted in this Raw Story story: ...the recession we faced when I took office was even deeper than anyone thought at the time. It told us how close we were to the edge, Obama said. There are two ways to refute this

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-48375584369163420912009-08-01T08:29:00.001-07:002009-08-01T08:29:13.470-07:00

So far Obama has continued prosecuting two wars of aggression, protected vile torture planners, and paid $Trillions to Wall Street extortionists. He has fired scores of Federal employees for being gay. He defends false arrest, as long as the cop is white and the victim is black. His use of preventive detention (disappearing people) turns the U.S. Constitution, not to mention the Magna Carta,

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-62109095827182320902009-07-31T09:40:00.001-07:002009-07-31T09:40:57.997-07:00

The Italian Drug Agency's approval of RU-486 for the early termination of pregnancies, even with restrictions, shows refreshing defiance of the Roman Catholic Church, which is currently led by, of all things, a Nazi Pope. Yep, the guy who is now pope once saluted this flag: According to this story on HuffPo, the Vatican is not amused about the "abortion pill": "Suppression of an embryo

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-47642826758566774982009-07-30T06:48:00.001-07:002009-07-30T06:48:01.707-07:00

A jazz flutist on Galway Flute Chat group includes this (new to me) Yogi Berra quote in his email signature: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is." My favorite remains, because it's sooo true: The place has gotten so crowded, no one goes there anymore. Re: I once used a baseball example to explain the difference between alcohol and

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-72723618453245502252009-07-30T06:44:00.001-07:002009-07-30T06:44:47.556-07:00

A notice of Bill Gaffney's death appeared in my high school alumni magazine. Bill was a fellow member of the honor class, the smartest 40 kids out of a graduating class of 280. Based on academic achievement as freshmen, we received a special curriculum, and stuck together, for the next three years. Within our honor class, kids were free to be as nerdy and weird as we pleased. SI was the

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-24091962479419096302009-07-29T13:18:00.001-07:002009-07-29T13:18:46.756-07:00

I have formed a new understanding of illegal immigration, with no thanks to any advocates for or against. My new view: The notion that poor people from Central America should respect U.S. borders is absurd. Any assertion that respect for national sovereignty is operative in the Western Hemisphere is disproved by history.  The United States has zero respect for any nation's sovereignty

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-41097971170133341362009-07-28T06:00:00.001-07:002009-07-28T06:00:04.008-07:00

Chris Daly's announced departure from San Francisco has his critics shouting "Carpetbagger!" Merriam Webster mentions private gain as the motive of carpetbaggers.  I'd expand that to include "pursuit of political agenda." 2: outsider ; especially : a nonresident or new resident who seeks private gain from an area often by meddling in its business or politics There's also the aspect of

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-79502386540943020592009-07-27T06:18:00.001-07:002009-07-27T06:18:23.959-07:00

We've been hearing numerous overseas reports of forceful worker resistance to management's offload of economic pain onto them. Workplace takeovers and manager hostage-taking have become almost commonplace in Europe. By comparison, American workers are wimps. According to this Guardian UK story, some Chinese workers are stepping it up. Thousands of angry Chinese steel workers clashed

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-63600229521630235952009-07-26T09:47:00.001-07:002009-07-26T09:47:22.534-07:00

Incoming U.S. presidents take an oath: to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. George Bush's response to threat (9/11 or whatever) was: Screw the Constitution, I'm gonna defend the PEOPLE of the United States. This is an applause line in most of America. While his rhetoric is way smoother, President Obama's policies regarding the constitution are

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-56727011296724374532009-07-25T04:16:00.001-07:002009-07-25T04:16:15.854-07:00

A 2003 Chronicle story tells the chilling tale of the murder of SFPD Officer Lester Garnier.   The weird, foot-dragging investigation on the part of SFPD brass hints at some deeply sinister ju-ju. As the story noted: "The City didn't do right for Lester," said Mike Kemmitt, the department's former lieutenant of vice and Garnier's supervisor. "I always felt like we could have done more,

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-76050486796262257522009-07-24T06:41:00.001-07:002009-07-24T06:41:34.383-07:00

When a prominent person's departure sparks lavish praise, as with Michael Jackson or Walter Cronkite, I ask the eulogizer to name one good thing that person did. For instance, I challenge MJ's fans to name one of his songs  that will become a standard. Interesting to learn that Jackson's favorite song was "Smile," by Charlie Chaplin. "Smile," is definitely a standard. Chris Daly's recently

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-12344992891189076042009-07-22T06:32:00.001-07:002009-07-22T06:32:24.115-07:00

John Arivosis over at Americablog was pissed off about President Obama's White House meeting with Gay Leaders. His first sentence sets the tone. I'm so proud of our gay leaders today. Getting all spiffed up to go to the White House and "deliver our president a message." There may be some campaign promises on which President Coolbreeze has yet to renege, but he's definitely reneged on gay

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-43672580458706377012009-07-21T15:38:00.001-07:002009-07-21T15:45:26.761-07:00

Today I registered for two Fall semester classes at City College of San Francisco. Btw: The native has always understood CCSF to be the initials for City College, not for City and County.  Those who intend the later are sowing confusion and dissing City College. Anyway, what a bargain! In my woodwind class I spend an hour (or less) per week with popular pro jazzer Charlie McCarthy. Each week I

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-32587349343409931522009-07-21T10:35:00.001-07:002009-07-21T10:35:07.106-07:00

The behavior in question is Obama's "wanting to look forward," approach to investigating the crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration. [Obama calls Iraq a "war of choice," which is a soft synonym for "war of aggression." A war of aggression IS mass murder.] Obama's position amounts to a de facto blanket pardon.  Actually, for the criminals it's better than a pardon because it involves no

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-66173901113723638422009-07-18T09:29:00.001-07:002009-07-18T09:29:54.182-07:00

Despite pre-publicity to rival that of Generalissimo Franco's, Farrah Fawcett's death was lost in the dark shadow of Michael Jackson's murder. Farrah had many beautiful features, not least her blond shag haircut, which created a fashion trend among 1970's pretty boy actors. Leif Garrett... Philip McKeon... Shawn Cassidy... And most adorable as Oliver Twist, Mark Lester... So,

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-67429293925092045192009-07-18T08:55:00.001-07:002009-07-18T08:55:01.377-07:00

Am I the only one on earth who remembers Walter Cronkite as a lying sack of shit? Cronkite was the media lead-man in defending the Warren Commission coverup of the JFK assassination. He probably thought his lies were necessary to calm the nation, even to avoid World War III.  But he wound up defending the Johnson/Hoover coup de tat. [Youngsters:  There is/was no credible evidence that Lee

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-58075858225730028472009-07-18T07:50:00.001-07:002009-07-18T07:50:34.562-07:00

Good-looking and articulate are two qualities required for the job of "spokesmodel." Moral flexibility is a third. A spokesmodel explains the benefits of whatever his or her employer is selling, plus, demonstrates in his or her person the salutary effects of what the employer is selling. Good spokesmodels are hard to hire because qualified candidates have so much going for themselves that

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-3996813508194400572009-07-17T13:29:00.001-07:002009-07-17T13:29:55.418-07:00

Even as a fourth generation San Franciscan I'm still trying to determine what this city is "all about." I was on the verge of giving up and allowing that SF might be about many things, or about different things for different people. Nick o' time Larry Bain comes to the rescue in this sfgate story about Mayor Newsom's plan to rent out space in our City's parks to food vendors. The food

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-84121281863590847872009-07-17T07:18:00.001-07:002009-07-17T07:18:47.766-07:00

Yesterday President Obama addressed an NAACP gathering on the hundredth anniversary of that group's founding. Inspirational, but intellectually flabby, he beautifully cadenced his usual common-ground shtick: whatever we have suffered in the past, we are all Americans, facing the same (scary) future, with the same aspirations for our families and our nation. Back in January, in his inaugural

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-29198634390941643272009-07-16T05:25:00.001-07:002009-07-16T05:25:15.636-07:00

The Jesuits battered first semester freshmen with this horrendous word. It has to be the un-sexiest sex word, intended as verbal ice water for pubescent spontaneous erections. The Jesuits told us concupiscence is the tendency in humans to follow base, selfish motives, even when they conflict with what reason tells us is "the good." Main Entry: con·cu·pis·cence  Etymology:

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-86891759792946376072009-01-31T09:41:00.001-08:002009-01-31T09:41:19.364-08:00

Once maybe twice I've attended operas in which one of the principal singers had lost his voice. In neither case was there a substitute available to perform the role on stage. Instead, they found substitutes who could sing in the orchestra pit while the original performers would go through the motions on stage. I don't remember if the on-stage guy actually lip-synched, but only those closest to

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-30333175625106808672009-01-31T06:42:00.001-08:002009-01-31T06:42:58.261-08:00

Obama's a smart guy but, gosh darn it, how was he to know that Wall Street executives are thieves? His outrage, or his public demonstration of same, that Wall Street used $18 Billion of taxpayer bailout money to pay performance bonuses, was either disingenuous shtick, or else it indicates a scary naivete on the part of the leader of the free world. I'm going with the shtick thing. Obama is

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-35104157485431595472009-01-22T09:35:00.001-08:002009-01-22T09:35:13.922-08:00

Amazingly, my Stage Band instructor, who attended the inauguration on Tuesday, showed up on time for our Wednesday afternoon class, none the worse for wear. Lenny's enthusiasm still brimmed. He even said something about "a new era." And further cliche. Lenny told us, regarding the weather in Washington, "We in the Bay Area don't appreciate our great weather!" I'm thinking: I didn't go to

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-54254226149958712202009-01-19T21:32:00.001-08:002009-01-19T21:32:00.379-08:00

As one commentator in D.C. put it:  "It feels like Christmas Eve." This inauguration-eve I'm feeling like a parent with no illusions about Santa Claus who is warmed nonetheless to see the children's enthusiastic anticipation. Most of the exultation on the streets outside the White House comes  not from an irrational belief in Santa-Obama, but rather from the certainty of George Bush's long

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-86524094766567344642009-01-18T06:16:00.001-08:002009-01-18T06:16:27.384-08:00

Last Wednesday was the first meeting of my "Stage Band" class at City College and I felt the familiar trepidation of being unfamiliar. Like other performance classes, Stage Band can be repeated numerous times, so twelve of the sixteen "pupils" were returnees. The teacher, Lenny Carlson, explained the official requirements (not published in the catalog) which I would call "intermediate" skill

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-61285978977572145282009-01-10T10:40:00.001-08:002009-01-10T10:40:08.886-08:00

I never knew The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll was about a contemporaneous event.  I thought it might be old Baltimore folklore. The first two words of the song are, "William Zanzinger..." According to this NYT story, William Zantzinger died a week ago. I bet I'm not the only aging hippie who tears up before the harmonica intro is even halfway through.   ----- o -----

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-50474467360301134012009-01-10T08:04:00.001-08:002009-01-10T08:04:09.404-08:00

Here's the lead sentence in WaPo's  coverage of Larry Craig's legal efforts kaput [emphases mine]: After repeated attempts to clear his name, former senator Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) is giving up on his effort to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from his 2007 arrest in a Minneapolis airport bathroom in an undercover sex sting. The article says Craig might open a consulting firm with his

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-80845481578240978182009-01-06T11:06:00.001-08:002009-01-06T11:06:23.173-08:00

Those who think that change in Washington comes easy, consider your own or your friends' New Year's resolutions. On this feast of the Epiphany, the epiphany for most of us by now is that we're not going to keep our resolutions and we'll just forget about them until some future, more feasible starting point. Obviously any important and sincerely motivated behavior change should begin

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-6104870880986811672009-01-03T05:57:00.001-08:002009-01-03T05:57:53.279-08:00

My parents thought it stupid to spend much money on clothes for us kids. Through eighth grade I wore uniforms to parochial school: corduroy pants (one pair per year), short sleeved collared shirts (two per year) and a cotton sweater. But with high school and adolescence came standards of fashion to which my parents wouldn't let me aspire. In this sense I was different, almost like a poor kid.

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-49450209202646723902009-01-01T18:50:00.001-08:002009-01-01T18:50:11.968-08:00

When a guy says he's never done or said a particular thing, he's usually prepared to deal with one contrary example, with: Ok, one time I misspoke. And we're prepared to cut him a little slack. But three times, Rick? Thanks to ng1260 for putting this together. ----- o -----

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-3402432697970079652009-01-01T12:19:00.001-08:002009-01-01T12:19:03.336-08:00

In the deepest darkness the old year dies and the new year is born. We have a terrific new year's baby: Poor little Tripp has but two grandmothers, one the object of ridicule, the other the object of a drug bust. Three hundred thousand seems hardly enough. Thanks to Huffington Post for the fleeting juxtaposition snipped above. God bless us everyone. ----- o -----

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-78586639397357850802009-01-01T07:14:00.001-08:002009-01-01T07:14:10.332-08:00

According to the fabulous Judeo-Christian tradition, our one and only God has deployed  a reward/punishment system to regulate human behavior: Behave well and receive eternal pleasure (heaven). Behave badly and receive eternal pain (hell). I'm not making this stuff up! Christian preachers and artists have had much fun(?) enumerating and elucidating the multiform tortures of hell. If

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-84875725618181538582008-12-30T06:33:00.001-08:002008-12-30T06:33:53.770-08:00

This AP story through Yahoo news is about an upcoming Vanity Fair article, an insiders' oral history of the Bush administration. The headline is about the mortal blow to Bush's credibility dealt by the Katrina Kollapse, but there are three other equally interesting quotes: - Bush's knowledge of and interest in the world is similar to Sarah Palin's; - Cheney was firstest and bestest at

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-77413224182529125842008-12-28T07:07:00.001-08:002008-12-28T07:07:57.388-08:00

According to Wikipedia Monopoly is the most popular board game in the history of the world. It was created in 1935, in the middle of the American depression, and seems to model the effective, if not purported, American dream: The object of the game is to own every piece of property and drive the other players into bankruptcy. How else explain Bill Gates insouciance about being called

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-52246392023778107982008-12-26T06:20:00.001-08:002008-12-26T06:20:23.289-08:00

In the mid 1970s I interacted with a young middle-manager in Bank of America's Cashier's Division.  I was an analyst-writer with a consulting firm engaged to write their Telegraph Procedures Manual and Beth was BofA's project manager. Beth was a little too principled for corporate bureaucracy and, at the time, she was bridling at orders to participate in the employee extortion scheme known as

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-43085059431192937642008-12-25T13:57:00.001-08:002008-12-25T13:57:14.815-08:00

At first I thought we were getting a Christmas present.  The sfgate headline said: S.F. police chief announces retirement But after opening the article we find only an IOU. Chief Fong promises to retire (phew!) but not until April (gdmf!). Fong has been a long despised lackey of the mayor and his Pacific Heights puppeteers. Above we see Chief Fong last Christmas stooging for the Zoo guy (

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-58987422349550584632008-12-24T09:51:00.001-08:002008-12-24T09:51:38.212-08:00

  "Gay marriage," is easier for our high paid pundits to enunciate than "Leviticus 20:13." But Leviticus 20:13 is the real issue regarding Rick Warren, not gay marriage. Ok, pundits, say it three times, you'll get the knack: Leviticus 20:13. Leviticus 20:13. Leviticus 20:13. Serial glutton Rick Warren is a professional Bible preacher and Bible teacher.  It's how he makes his living. It's

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-6396036636134346052008-12-23T06:09:00.001-08:002008-12-23T06:09:45.386-08:00

It's about Matthew Shepard. This morning we heard Mike Barnicle accuse gay people of being intolerant toward Rick Warren, Obama's choice for inaugural invocation giver. Like the other highly paid apologists for the billionaires they work for, Barnicle says that gays object to Warren because he opposes gay marriage. This an absurd lie.  Gays voted for Obama, and he opposes gay marriage. Rick

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-82120335499707768292008-12-22T09:26:00.001-08:002008-12-22T09:28:44.728-08:00

A Chinese New Year Spectacular is coming back to the Opera House in January. Two years ago sfmike at Civic Center blog did an amusing post about the connection between a show at the Opera House and the Chinese movement called Falun Gong. We've heard about Falun Gong mostly because of the Chinese government's reported efforts to suppress it. Included in Mike's post is one of the funniest

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-82379079309271115782008-12-21T08:32:00.001-08:002008-12-21T08:34:59.575-08:00

Throughout the "Pastor" Rick Warren controversy defenders of Obama's position point out that for the first time a gay contingent, a marching band complete with male twirlers, will appear in the parade. As if that counterbalances something. It's like, the straight white males will take care of the theology, gays can handle the entertainment. Youngsters won't know what I'm talking about but I

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-4907806378091940832008-12-19T10:24:00.001-08:002008-12-19T10:24:36.499-08:00

Of all the ministers in America who could have been chosen to give the inaugural invocation, Obama chose someone who thinks that gay people should be put in jail. This is unacceptable. No self respecting democrat, let alone gay person, would appear on the same stage as Rick Warren. This is not a matter of nuance. Rick Warren's unretracted public position is that gay sex (we're not talking

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-60774516850752229982008-12-18T19:49:00.001-08:002008-12-18T19:51:00.398-08:00

The last eight years, not to mention the sum total of human history, provide strong argument against hereditary power. Our current George Bush would be completely unknown except for his dad, who would have been completely unknown had he not been the son of Nazi-loving* Senator Prescott Bush. *According to wikipedia: Bush was a member of the Board of Directors of Union Banking Corp, whose

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-51040778493276341472008-12-17T07:23:00.001-08:002008-12-17T08:07:54.198-08:00

Yesterday was the final exam, actually a recital, for my City College woodwinds class. I had the usual nervousness about any performance. I was performing in three pieces, a cute Mozart minuet duet with a bass clarinet, a flute trio, and a flute quartet. Making me nervous was the fact that we had never actually played all the way through any of the pieces without stopping. But the

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-641897289925725862008-12-16T16:03:00.001-08:002008-12-16T16:03:44.741-08:00

So I'm sitting at my new Vista machine looking at the morning headlines on My Yahoo just the way a person is supposed to be able to do, and I see this AP thing: Explorer Security Hole Not Fixed: Microsoft. So I'm thinking, I got this new machine because my old machine got it's wazoo trojanized: Users of all current versions of MicrosoftCorp.'s Internet Explorer browser might be vulnerable to

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-77678228695445827462008-12-15T09:52:00.001-08:002008-12-15T13:58:21.075-08:00

A few weeks ago, in a discussion about corruption, a highly educated Philippine-American challenged my schoolboy sense of morality.When the Philippines were ruled by the Spanish (1565-1898), my friend explained, the laws and rules of the economy were simple:In such a situation, he asked, is it really corruption for the native Philippinos to disobey the law and engage in shadow economics?

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-28837945303667495112008-12-14T11:48:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:04:40.987-08:00

Early morning court conditions can be iffy.If it's pouring down rain I don't even get out of bed, but frequently I can't tell by looking out my window whether the courts in GGP might be playable.Sometimes, since I'm up anyway, I'll take the trip, even though the chances of playing seem slim, just to get out of the house and get the day going.One morning last week seemed impossible, but I went

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-69021287056833050892008-12-13T10:53:00.000-08:002008-12-13T11:11:42.490-08:00

One can’t expect perfection. At best one can avoid victimhood. With this mindset I suffered through twice- or thrice-daily autoupdates for McAfee’s security suite. While these updates are supposed to happen in the background, they made other programs so jerky that I’d just wait, and suffer till the updates completed.Despite this I got infected with a couple of Trojans, which pop-ups told me

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-20780321024212467332008-11-19T11:56:00.000-08:002008-11-19T12:09:47.391-08:00

Here’s an illustration of why I’m glad I’m gay.It was a collegiate women’s softball game maybe six months ago (or six years given my spongiform memory) that ended with a walk-off home run, or, at least the ball was hit over the fence.But, fluke of flukes, the batter-baserunner tripped rounding first base and broke her leg—she was unable to continue rounding the bases as required to actually score

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-45423072729426775712008-11-15T09:25:00.000-08:002008-11-15T09:29:05.602-08:00

I’ve been reading the Greek tragedies. This is my second time. One Christmas vacation during college I determined to read the complete Greek tragedies, which is less formidable than it sounds.There are only twenty-nine of them extant, and they average maybe 1300 lines. Back then I got bogged down in Euripides and left two or three of his unread. The same thing is happening this time.I told myself

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-86032413732277288962008-11-13T13:41:00.000-08:002008-11-13T13:56:21.280-08:00

Rudolpho Austria organizes tennis matches for old folks at Golden Gate Park every morning of the year. It’s referred to as “Rudy’s Group.” It’s strictly volunteer and there’s no money involved except standard court fees. [email me for more info on Rudy's Group.]Rudy, or “Rudolpho,” as he prefers, performs a service that we might expect of a playground director. Such services are called “programs.

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-22188143488057669742008-11-12T07:06:00.000-08:002008-11-12T07:38:19.041-08:00

Review: Island SongSynopsis: A-Gay takes vay-cay to Hawaii, screws the flower of the big island’s youth (male), and turns some native shamanic mumbo jumbo into a worldwide pop-religion whose adherents pilgrimage to the source (and overrun the island).Alan Chin's first novel, Island Song, (Zumaya Publications, 2008) is competently written, which puts it above Robert Ludlum and Cornell Woolrich

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-7069505431471725682008-11-12T05:17:00.000-08:002008-11-12T05:30:57.595-08:00

For me the most touching reports about Obama’s victorious campaign regard generational interactions. Who knows how true, but we heard many anecdotes of old folks voting for Obama because their kids were so adamant that they do.As Chris Matthews said, “The parents and grandparents sacrifice to send their kids to college, so they must think a college education is important. So when their kids, who

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-75419257815486585942008-11-04T15:17:00.000-08:002008-11-04T15:28:51.355-08:00

The little American boy asks the little French girl, “Would you like a ride in my new red wagon?”“Oui, oui,” the little French girl responds enthusiastically.“Not in my wagon you don’t,” the little boy says.Speaking of which. What kind of toilet facilities are provided for voters who must wait in hours-long lines? This is a horrible scandal.Polling officials cannot impose any additional

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-30133830093288080852008-11-03T21:18:00.000-08:002008-11-03T21:27:36.422-08:00

This morning Michelle Obama speaking to a crowd in Nevada issued the usual praise for the young volunteers with their tremendous enthusiasm.Then she addressed at length the “not so young” volunteers, praising their focus and determination. And tenacityMrs Obama said she’s never felt a grip stronger than that of a ninety year old who won’t let go her arm until she gets their picture snapped. She

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-73175450144782694542008-11-02T08:04:00.000-08:002008-11-02T08:14:40.840-08:00

Four years ago I was staying in Ventura, CA, providing homecare for my newly bedridden mother.The call had come ten days earlier that she was in the hospital with a condition that would kill her within a day or two. When I arrived at her bedside my mom was dictating her voting choices to my cousin, Barbara.Barbara was quite amused that my mom’s greatest concern was to get her absentee ballot

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-29340363379035449242008-08-24T07:29:00.000-07:002008-08-24T07:45:23.120-07:00

During the first meeting of an SF City College music class titled simply “Woodwinds,” the teacher asked us, “Does the flute have an octave-key?”The other two instruments to be taught are Sax and Clarinet, which do have special keys that facilitate movement between octaves (actually “registers”) but the flute simply doesn’t.The simple answer is No. But one of the students took the bait and

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-55538109497048305582008-08-17T09:26:00.000-07:002008-08-17T09:41:22.387-07:00

Early yesterday morning I saw workers setting up temporary chain link fencing in the west end of Golden Gate Park.Before I built a wall I'd ask to knowWhat I was walling in or walling out,And to whom I was like to give offence.Fencing within Golden Gate Park is erected for events that require paid tickets. Such events, in my small mind, are antithetical to the idea of public parks, but nobody

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-21849933329722604272008-08-09T08:55:00.000-07:002008-08-09T09:09:19.149-07:00

I resolved to report/comment on any good news as soon as I hear it.It may not be news to you, but I just found a source of cheap Nag Champa in Eureka Valley (“the Castro”).I thought the price was pretty standard, around $0.13/gram, a little more for the 15g box, less for the 40g box.Then, the Bead Store near the Castro Theater raised their price for the 15g box from $2.00 to $3.00.This is still

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-73405625975437984802008-06-30T17:33:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:43.253-08:00

In a dichotomized system, voters get only one more choice than they would under a totalitarian regime.Wikipedia, "Two Party System"In his Unity, NH, unity appearance with Hillary Clinton (who repeated her Goldwater-girl omission* yet again) Obama stated his Iraq policy as “responsible, gradual withdrawal.” These are obvious weasel words that carry no clear promise. These words actually endorse

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-53269819044975894202008-06-18T09:23:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:43.726-08:00

Floating in the smarmy effluence that is the Russert death coverage are attestations by Chris Matthews on MSNBC of the importance of the Catholic faith, which he shares with the deceased.Then we cut away to the public viewing at St Albans School (where Russert sent his only son). St Albans is a private Protestant prep school for the ruling class and for those eager to serve the ruling class. [

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-91464162777331761582008-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:44.313-08:00

HOW PATHETIC IS THIS! Not the fact that Muni Metro had an accident with itself (SFGate story). We’ve come to expect such. And with current operator-contract negotiations stalled we might expect more such.We keep reading about Muni deploying exotic rolling-stock (ancient restored streetcars, double decker buses) all in an effort to support and cement San Francisco's role as a tourist town.The

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-90172792532989044732008-06-15T07:35:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:44.510-08:00

Kamala Harris has been such a terrible District Attorney that it’s hard to imagine anything good coming out of her office.Most recently she failed to prosecute a cousin of Mayor Gavin Newsom for what looked like a tight DUI-drugs case. (Mayor Newsom, like DA Harris, gained his present office mostly through the influence of Willie Brown.)She herself is the subject of a Federal false claims

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-16348538494504721602008-06-13T08:33:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:44.776-08:00

Representative Eshoo (per SFGate) wants to regulate the sound volume of TV commercials.What will I do with my stains if I can’t Shout them out?When Eshoo succeeds with her volume campaign she can do something a little more serious, about misleading content. Recently a young man died near the Giants’ ballpark in an episode of violence that included just one punch. Not a long, sustained fist fight.

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-58137469659928636872008-06-04T13:58:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:45.132-08:00

Kamala Harris, San Francisco’s District Attorney, currently under Federal investigation for submitting millions of dollars in false claims for border-protection funds, was a prominent endorser of victorious Proposition G, which gives hundreds of acres of San Francisco property to Lennar Corporation in exchange for one dollar and some promises. In an apparently unrelated story reported this last

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-89781249759797733022008-05-30T13:56:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:45.429-08:00

Next Tuesday, June 3, will be my third of four elections this year: the special primary, the Lantos-replacement primary, this, uh, regular primary, and the general election in November.Regarding the ten propositions on this particular ballot, sfwillie’s blog provides a mechanically simple recommendation: YES on E and FNO on all the restYou can find E and F, right next to each other, mark them

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-49820467285446894102008-05-26T19:24:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:45.709-08:00

The first thing my parents taught me about politics was, Never cross a union picket line.The second thing they taught me was, Republicans support regressive taxes and Democrats favor progressive taxes.Yet, it seems that almost all SF opiners who call themselves “progressive” support Proposition A, a “special” parcel tax that supports general non-capital operating expenses for San Francisco’s

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-81790508979833346572008-05-24T09:38:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:45.823-08:00

The media consternation regarding Hillary’s RFK assassination comment is way out of proportion to their supposed interpretation of the remark. The pundits are afraid to say exactly what Hillary’s comment intended.Senator Clinton’s comment was clearly a request that one or more of her supporters assassinate Barack Obama.The only way, she suggests, to put her in the White House, and to keep a black

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-26641893036925651172008-05-22T11:19:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:46.115-08:00

Ted Kennedy has been a prominent feature of the US political landscape longer than most Americans have been alive. The possibility, as suggested by recent medical reports, that he will soon depart the scene caused an acute spike in cable news coverage.Old Bob Byrd, former Klansman who’s not afraid to waggle the Constitution at us, wept and declared his love for Teddy. Best friend Chris Dodd was

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-76048002183095015622008-05-11T08:33:00.000-07:002008-05-11T08:36:37.243-07:00

Lennar Corporation is sponsoring heavy TV advertising in favor of Proposition G, a redevelopment plan for Hunters Point and its mostly minority residents.The ad touts the benefits to San Francisco of this plan cooked up by City Powers. Of course, we have to filter these claims through the knowledge that Lennar Corporation has only one performance standard—profit. Organizations and residents of

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-21805782001933571492008-05-10T11:08:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:46.269-08:00

We assume that our mayor’s sojourn in Israel has more to do with his gubernatorial bid than with personal tourism preference.We assume that Newsom is doing what he does best—getting the support of rich people.There must be potential donors to Newsom’s campaign for whom pro-Zionism is a necessary condition.Thanks to the SF Bay Guardian for finding this egregious example of Newsom’s Zionist

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-4199867807435579572008-04-28T07:18:00.000-07:002008-04-28T07:23:07.994-07:00

Chris Floyd on Empire Burlesque quotes Barack Obama’s promise to continue America’s foreign policy of continued dominance. In a late March AP story, Obama says:"The truth is that my foreign policy is actually a return to the traditional bipartisan realistic policy of George Bush's father, of John F. Kennedy, of, in some ways, Ronald Reagan...."The rest of Floyd’s article is a bill of criminal

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-43609778405899058162008-04-25T11:36:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:46.453-08:00

True.Some psychologists assert that telling a successful lie is a key moment in childhood ego-development.I believe that there are no grown-ups who have never told a lie.Yet, it is considered serious business to call someone a liar. Like calling a man a fucker—how could that be an insult? Lies are more or less evil depending on contexts and outcomes.While everyone has told a lie, not everyone has

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-73550264941013675772008-04-23T06:59:00.001-07:002008-12-11T02:43:46.980-08:00

Mayor Newsom’s fiancée, Jennifer Siebel, is both beautiful and photogenic (independent qualities) and she looks great in couture.Not many local trophy wives, at least per SFLuxe, who have all three talents and Jennifer Siebel is one of them.Ms Siebel is a first-place trophy, at least in the looks department. [Click on picture for source.]And she has guts.Women with weaker stomachs might shy away

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-47998805237316295942008-04-15T07:33:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:47.193-08:00

One of the great scenes of the old Mary Tyler Moore show is when Mary invites her boss, Lou Grant (Ed Asner) to her apartment for dinner. Mary, of course, is nervous and wants everything to go right.She offers Lou a drink, he says “bourbon on the rocks,” and follows Mary into her little kitchen. Mary puts ice in a large glass, then pours some bourbon into a shot glass slow and careful because her

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-25418963390353161462008-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:47.912-08:00

When Barack Obama discusses ultra-sensitive topics he challenges the accepted wisdom that such issues are “off-limits.”We can’t talk about the historical crimes against democracy committed by the US government.We can’t suggest that black people in America tend to get a raw deal.And we can’t talk about the working class because we don’t have a working class.To raise these issues indicts corporate

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-13225661208319506422008-04-11T13:27:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:48.124-08:00

After her swearing-in yesterday, California Congressional District 12 term filler-outer Jackie Speier made a few comments which a sycophantic SFGate reported as a “fiery speech,” supposedly against the war, that caused “some” Republicans to “boo and walk out of the house chamber.”Some interpret this as a hopeful sign. I have to admit it’s preferable that my congressperson receive Republicans’

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-73370413234364700532008-04-07T16:59:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:48.393-08:00

As a long suffering resident of California’s Twelfth Congressional District, I get to vote tomorrow to replace dead Democratic hack, Tom Lantos. Mr Lantos had a compelling concentration camp story and a reliable party-line vote.Jackie Speier, famous for getting shot in the jungle and for being a good looking woman, is assumed to be Lantos’ replacement-for-life.She is so confident that she hasn’t

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-27424010240417295632008-04-04T08:31:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:48.574-08:00

As the media does its gee-whizzing on this fortieth anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, let us remember that the “lone nut” theory is the invention of “conspiracy deniers.”My firm conviction is that J. Edgar Hoover was criminally liable in the murder of Martin Luther King. J. Edgar Hoover was also criminally liable in the murders of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X., Robert Kennedy, and

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-88613256613997724692008-04-03T11:25:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:48.753-08:00

In his SFGate column this morning, converted sports writer C.W. Nevius tsk-tsks the Board of Supes torch-inspired condemnation of China’s ongoing rape of Tibet.Nevius’ dull comments are like those of the old white ladies I used to overhear on the L-Car.The only reason I read his column is because it google-alerted on Carmen Chu, the Mayor-appointed Supervisor representing my district. In the

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-73954035755035741802008-04-02T13:01:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:49.076-08:00

After much consultation Mayor Newsom has come out in favor of the First Amendment. This decision required careful consideration because the US Constitution is silent on the issue of sucking Chinese Communist ass.The Mayor has released the route of the San Francisco leg of the Torch Relay, in plenty of time for protest groups to incorporate specific geography in their planning. [Map from SFGate.]

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-436028880790995802008-04-02T10:35:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:49.482-08:00

The last time I actually showed up for jury duty it was a civil asbestos trial, and the defendant was Union Carbide.I didn’t know much about Union Carbide, except the nagging thought, Weren’t those the folks who gassed thousands in Bhopal, India?Union Carbide doesn’t exist anymore, it was purchased by some larger corporate entity. It’s India division had already been sold off. You can argue about

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-37128915111990987272008-03-29T11:43:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:49.661-08:00

In a recent blog post, The Age of the Anti-Cassandra, Paul Krugman bemoans the inclusion on Hillary Clinton’s proposed panel to solve the sub-prime crisis those who, like Alan Greenspan, architected the fucked-up mess in the first place.Same dynamic regarding Iraq.In his little rant, Krugman provides a 1931 utterance of John Maynard Keynes:A sound banker, alas, is not one who foresees danger and

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-46549665796850779662008-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:002008-03-29T10:07:11.903-07:00

Which presidential candidate said the following about education?[We] Spend so much time teaching students to use computers but we don't teach kids how to shop for their maximum health, safety, and economic well-being... what's the point of earning money if you're just going to lose it to corporate scams?Check your answer here.----- o -----

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22879205.post-49638994191724359812008-03-29T09:46:00.000-07:002008-12-11T02:43:49.955-08:00

Colleagues of mine in Rudy’s Group, (365/yr, 9:00am, tennis, GGP), include a very sophisticated, and low-profile (redundant?) couple, Nick and Betty Maffei. We were chatting one morning and blogging came up and we finally exchanged addresses and I looked at Nick Maffei’s San Francisco Photo Blog. I highly recommend it.As a native blahblah, I think I know plenty about the geography of San

sfwilliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16374352476617643661noreply@blogger.com2