Towse: views from the hill

October 21, 2008

I’ve voted. Have you?

Filed under: election2008,life,politics,San Francisco — Towse @ 6:12 am

“And it seems that the worse McCain is doing in the polls, the more his team is relying on the same gutter tactics. So over the next 15 days, look for the McCain campaign to become even uglier. That’s what happens when following Rovian politics is your only strategy — and Rovian politics isn’t working.”

Happy to be out of it. Glad my vote is winging its way to City Hall.

We had
(1) the Presidential election to vote on
(2) The US House of Reps (Cindy Sheehan or Nancy Pelosi? Hm.)
(3) Our local state assembly critter
(4) Our school board.
(5) Our college board.
(6) Our District 3 Supervisor to replace Aaron Peskin. (Nine candidates running. Ranked voting returns.)
(7) Superior Court judge
(8) Twelve state propositions, including Proposition 8.
VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 8!
(9) City-wide measures A-V (that would be um. a-b-c-d-…twenty-two city-wide measures) including Measure R (“Renaming the Oceanside Water Treatment Plant to the George W Bush Sewage Plant” Sophomoric? You betcha!) and Measure V. (“Policy Against Terminating Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Programs in Public High Schools” … Shall it be City policy to encourage the School Board to reverse its decision to terminate JROTC and to continue to offer JROTC in San Francisco public high schools?) and Measure E (“Changing the Number of Signatures Required to Recall City Officials”) and Measure K (“Shall the City: stop enforcing laws against prostitution; stop funding or supporting the First Offender Prostitution Program or any similar anti-prostitution program; enforce existing criminal laws that prohibit crimes such as battery, extortion and rape, regardless of the victim’s status as a sex worker; and fully disclose the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against sex workers?”)

Have I mentioned I think twelve state-wide propositions and twenty-two City measures seem to be public policy run amok? More thoughts on this in a later post.

October 19, 2008

SPUR VOTER GUIDE November 2008

Filed under: election2008,politics — Towse @ 2:32 am

SPUR VOTER GUIDE November 2008

I may not always agree with SPUR’s election picks, but they are thoughtful picks and the reasoning behind them is laid out for all to see.

Haven’t voted in the California and San Francisco elections yet? Check out the SPUR guide.

… and vote NO on Prop 8.

[SPUR doesn't give you an opinion on Prop 8. If the folks working on the Voter Guide decisions can't all wholeheartedly support one position, they don't cover that proposition.]

Vote for Hope

Filed under: election2008,politics,video — Towse @ 1:48 am


Obama ’08 – Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

This is the first presidential election with YouTube videos prepared by passionate supporters on both sides, the first presidential election with political blogs and political Web sites setup and maintained by supporters, the first presidential election that will be influenced, at times greatly, by the Web.

Sit back. Watch.

October 8, 2008

Laughing Squid has something for you.

Filed under: election2008,shopshopshop — Towse @ 4:31 am

Powazek has a t-shirt you might be interested in.

Off I go again.

Filed under: life,mystery,San Francisco,travel,writing — Towse @ 4:09 am

This time to Baltimore and Bouchercon.

Have to be at the airport by 5A, which means up by 4A in order to get some espresso in my system.

Walked down the hill tonight for a gathering to talk about our neighborhood community center, Tel-Hi. Our friend Donna is the development director. She spends her days raising money for the center. Another friend, Gail, is on the board and spoke tonight and sent e-mails to people she knew on the invite list, saying you must come, will I see you there.

Met some nice people. Bumped into some old friends. The hosts had a Dali on their wall, a portrait of the wife at age maybe eight twelve with her mother. A definite Dali, but no melting watches or weirdnesses. Wonderful place filled with interesting stuff.

Wonderful place. Genuine people. Good cause.

We — well, I — missed the debate. We walked down the hill and over to the gathering and I could hear Obama’s voice coming out of open windows as neighbors watched the debate we’d jettisoned in order to support a good cause. I’m sure I’ll be able to pick up on what happened at the debate some time between now and when the next debate happens.

See you ’round some time after I get back. I get back late Monday. Give me at least Tuesday to veg out on the couch and restore my social equilibrium.

His nibs will be home for Fleet Week and the Blue Angels, but I’ll miss all that. C’est la vie.

Baltimore here I come.

October 7, 2008

Today’s Electoral College Map

Filed under: election2008,maps,politics — Towse @ 7:50 pm

Today’s Electoral College Map

Another interesting map. This one shows the red/blue states with the state size distorted to reflect the state’s number of electoral votes.

Princeton Election Consortium, from whence this map comes, is another Election2008 Web site filled with tasty nuggets of data.

October 5, 2008

A toast to the late crime writer Jim Crumley

Filed under: books,mystery,news,writing — Towse @ 10:14 pm

A toast to the late crime writer Jim Crumley – Eddie Muller in today’s Chron

Late again, naturally.

Filed under: books,life,mystery,travel — Towse @ 9:50 pm

Just realized when checking the program schedule for Bouchercon that although I (rightly) booked Oct 8 – 13 for the hotel — and booked early enough this year to actually get in the convention hotel — my frequent-flyer tickets are for the 9th and I’m arriving late afternoon, so I’ll miss the first day. Don’t know how that mixup happened.

Drat.

Double drat because I’d already begun ratcheting up my “maybe I don’t want to go after all” “who really will I know” misgivings and this almost completely derailed me.

I’ve recovered. I’ll call the hotel and tell them I won’t be there until the 9th.

But drat anyway.

Update: His nibs, being the sweet feller he is, called Delta and asked how much it would cost to change my tickets from Thursday 7A to Wednesday and they said, $100. So, his nibs, being the sweet feller he is, changed the tickets. Bless his heart. Plane leaves at 6A Wednesday and xfers through Atlanta, then on to Baltimore.

Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker’s Library

Filed under: books,libraries — Towse @ 8:39 pm

Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library

Everything from an original Sputnik 1 satellite to a Kelmscott Chaucer.

Oh. My.

And feather canyons everywhere*

Filed under: photographs,ships — Tags: , , — Towse @ 7:31 pm
 

Posted by Picasa

Tom Perkins is out in Maltese Falcon, cruising around.

That’s a BIG yacht.

* “Both Sides Now” – Joni Mitchell

[Sour Grapes posted a beautiful cloud picture over at his place.]

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