Desperate that no one lose sight of the dark cloud inside the silver lining, the internet's gloomiest-and-doomiest hyperliberals are trying hard to lift each other's spirits in the wake of Iraq's first real election in half a century.

The administration, press, and wingnut blogosphere is all atwitter over the "successful" Iraqi elections.

But the fact that 8 million Iraqis voted is not the measure of success. Just like catching Saddam wasn't, or occupying Baghdad, or transfering [sic] "sovereignty". Those events are miletones [sic] toward the ultimate outcome, but unpredictive whether that outcome is victory or defeat.

[ . . . ]

The war will continue unabated.

That's Kos, clearly relieved that the embattled Iraqis still have big hurdles to overcome in their struggle for freedom and peace. Meanwhile, over at Democratic Underground, some are trying to salve their wounds by conjuring up a "fraudulent" election, which means an election that didn't happen the way they wanted it to.

This election is an absolute fraud. It does NOT represent ALL the groups like the Sunni and the candidates are mostly US puppets. The people whi [sic] voted are either paid off or too stupid to be voting anyway. Sounds like a recent US election to me.

Communication throughout the decentralized blogosphere being not necessarily efficient, the Chicken Little memo failed to reach Joshua, who doesn't seem quite as emotionally dependent on Iraqi misery as some of his compatriots.

Disasters aren't turned around in a day; but this was a good day. Nobody should be surprised that people show up in large numbers in a country where elections have never or only seldom happened; that happens all the time. But I'm not sure I can think of a similar instance when voting has occurred amidst such immediate and credible threats of violence.

Is there hope that Joshua's optimism will spread? Not if Ted Kennedy has anything to say about it. Intent on making sure success in Iraq doesn't take hold, the ubiquitous and perpetually contrary Senator Ted is pushing for U.S. troop withdrawal quickly, no doubt so the insurgency can feel at least some measure of effectiveness and regroup for more intimidation after the infidels get out of Dodge.

Once Sunday's elections are behind us and the democratic transition is underway, President Bush should immediately announce his intention to negotiate a timetable for a drawdown of American combat forces with the Iraqi Government, to send a strong signal about our intentions and to ease the pervasive sense of occupation.

After all, the longer American forces stay in Iraq, the greater the chance of stability, for which Bush will be able to take credit. But a pullout sooner rather than later will compromise whatever stability the country now has, leading possibly to the long-awaited civil war that will lay the groundwork for Democratic victory in the 2008 elections.

Inquiring minds wanted to know, so I took this little quiz. My college friends and sorority sisters who were engineering (or physics or computer science) majors will never again acknowledge that they know me. Or perhaps it is I who should refuse to acknowledge them, as I'm sure many of them would score at least 50%. Not that the same couldn't be said for my father, my son, and three of the last four men I have dated. Should that concern me?

(For those of you who are wondering what the heck the post title means, it's a reference to a Happy Days episode in which Joannie has a crush on Potsie, whom everyone calls a nerd, and in her secret-admirer notes to him, she calls him "Dren," which she explains is "nerd" spelled backward. I have no idea why that just popped into my head.)

So a little more than a month ago, I found myself wondering if Canadian jazz saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, previously mentioned in this blog, might have any plans to venture south of the border, as he did several years ago when I first heard of him. The thought was prompted by research into domain names I might purchase for myself in the near future, and upon learning that kellyjefferson.net was already taken by said musician, went to the site to check it out. (Nice site, by the way.) Finding no mention of any such scheduled gigs, I decided to go straight to the source.

To: "Kelly Jefferson" <kelly@kellyjefferson.net>
From: "Kelly Jefferson" <kelly@jefferson.net>
Subject: U.S. dates?

Do you have any plans to play the U.S. (specifically Massachusetts) in the next year? I know you were in Worcester, Mass. a few years ago, but I didn't find out until after the show. I'd love to see my namesake live and in person, and I *love* jazz.

Merry Christmas,
(Ms.) Kelly Jefferson

That was the week before Christmas. Almost a week into the new year, I got this:

To: "Kelly Jefferson" <kelly@jefferson.net>
From: "Kelly Jefferson" <kelly@kellyjefferson.net>
Subject: RE: U.S. dates?

Hello Ms. Jefferson!

Wishing you a Happy New Year! No plans to be down your way any time soon, but one never knows, and I will be sure to let you know if it happens.

Thank you for getting in touch. I knew there was another Kelly Jefferson out there, but stranger still that you knew I was in Worcester with Maynard Ferguson! (I think it was at Berklee College of Music on a double bill with Arturo Sandoval in May of 2000) The world really is a small place!

Best Wishes,
Mr. Kelly Jefferson

He was right; the show in Worcester was indeed with Maynard Ferguson, but as Berklee College of Music is in Boston, he was mixing up his gigs. No matter. I wonder if other musicians remember such detail about their tours nearly five years later.

Anyway, since he was so nice to reply, I thought the least I could do was buy a CD and actually, you know, hear the guy's music. It took some hunting, but I eventually found jazzpromo.com, a great source for Canadian jazz, and settled on three recordings. They arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Good listening.

Joshua Rager Sextet

With a pianist (Rager) in combo with trumpet, trombone, sax, bass, and drums, this looked like it might be a fairly traditional collection of music. Nope. The instruments may be old standards, but the compositions are cutting edge. Rager eschews the familiar ensemble-solo-ensemble-solo-ensemble jazz formula, so what you hear is more of a tapestry of sounds. This is the kind of music that prompts non-jazz people to scratch their heads and say, "I don't get it." It makes me somewhat uncomfortable in a vaguely emotional way; I can see myself listening to this album in a dark room before a roaring fire, while trying to figure out the where to go from here.

Time Warp – Warp IX

The name was familiar, and although I couldn't remember from where or when, I was pretty sure I had never actually heard any of their stuff. Turns out the group has been around, in various incarnations, since 1982. On this album, 20 years into the band's existence, they welcomed "new band member Kelly Jefferson." The music has an edge to it, but not enough to repel the neophyte or confound the non-aficionado. The number 3 track, "Big Supper," was written by Kelly but doesn't get around to the sax solo until halfway in, after the trumpet. Gotta like a guy with talent and humility.

Daniel Barnes – Culmination

This is the "safest" of the three albums, the one you can play in the car with a few friends or in the background at a dinner party. Not that it's fluff; this is serious, high quality jazz. Barnes welcomes 13 other musicians here, but they are split into sub-ensembles, with Kelly playing on four of the eleven tracks with mostly the same core of six, give or take.

Talking about music is fine, but it has me wanting to do some more listening. Later.

Just two days before Iraq's non-rigged election, foreign and domestic terrorists led by Jordanian terrorist carpet-bagger Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are threatening to kill Iraqis who dare to vote. Zarqawi and his minions talk a big game about being against the American occupiers and infidels in Muslim lands, but really they're just against anyone who no longer wants them running the show. And they are willing to throw a gargantuan homicidal temper tantrum to try to get their way.

[A]l-Zarqawi's group posted a new Web message Friday warning Iraqis that they could get hit by shelling or other attacks if they approach polling stations, which it called "the centers of atheism and of vice."

"We have warned you, so don't blame us. You have only yourselves to blame," it said.

Sunni Arab extremists have vowed to disrupt Sunday's national elections, in which Iraqis will choose a 275-member National Assembly and provincial councils in the country's 18 provinces. Iraqis in the Kurdish-ruled north will chose a new regional parliament.

Such threats against those who don't fall into lock step with insecure Sunnis afraid of losing the disproportionate power they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein are nothing new; almost a week ago, Zarqawi explicitly declared war on democracy in an audio recording made available via the internet.

"We have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy and those who follow this wrong ideology," said the speaker, who identified himself as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of the al-Qaida affiliate in Iraq. "Anyone who tries to help set up this system is part of it."

The speaker said candidates running in the Jan. 30 elections are "demi-idols" and those who vote for them "are infidels."

Meanwhile, Iraqis (the brave, not the bullies) are ready and willing to vote, even at risk of their lives. Blogger Mohammed is one of them, and to say he is excited about this opportunity, dangerous though it is, is an understatement.

The terrorists have challenged the bravery of the Iraqi people but they messed with the wrong people. The people have accepted the challenge; democracy and elections are not a luxury for Iraqis, it's an issue of life or death. And the terror brutal campaign has only made the people more determined to go on with the change.

On Sunday, the sun will rise on the land of Mesopotamia. I can't wait, the dream is becoming true and I will stand in front of the box to put my heart in it.

Will the Iraqi elections produce a higher voter turnout than the typical American election where voting is a routine and safe proposition? Don't be surprised. People starved for the opportunity for self-determination will risk a lot to get it. Would I myself be as courageously committed to democracy if I were in Mohammed's position? Fortunately I live in a country where I don't have to find out. God be with the Iraqi people this weekend.

As George Santayana once said, "He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it." But what about those who deliberately refuse to learn from history because they don't like the lesson?

While the world observes the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Poland's Auschwitz concentration camp, one of Adolf Hitler's most active extermination camps, it is hard to believe that some people actually deny what Allied troops of many nationalities saw and what Nazi leaders subsequently tried at Nuremberg confessed: that there was indeed a systematic campaign designed to kill primarily Jews, and secondarily others perceived as a threat to Nazi power, including gypsies, homosexuals, priests, and physically and mentally disabled persons.

Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in the United States propagate Holocaust denial via the technology of the internet. Without linking to them and giving them free publicity, allow me to lift a few quotes, with spelling and grammar errors left intact. (E-mail me if you would like the specific citations.)

One member of a so-called "white nationalist" message board gives "50 reasons why the Holocaust didn't happen." He provides no documentation of his sources. A few examples:

1:[Arthur] Butz?s argument: At the end of the war they were still there.

Douglas reed also mentions this in his book "Far and wide". The United Nations figure for Jewish world population given in 1947 was the same as that given by the League of Nations in 1938.So not that many Jews died in the war, not millions anyway.

(The Den Mother's note: No reference is given for these figures.)

7:The state of Israel would not exist if the holocaust had happened. World Jewry would have been too weakened.

(DM: The author ignores the fact that the nation of Israel did not come about because of massive numbers of Jews, but because most non-Arab/Muslim nations were in favor of it and voted for its establishment. Although the Jewish 2000 population of Israel was just under 4.7 million, it had grown dramatically since the 1948 population of just 806,000, which included Jews who lived there even before Israel was declared.)

20: Much bigger crimes (and ones that actually occurred at that) are ignored, so there is something odd about the holocaust. The Holocaust lobby shot themselves in the foot, inadvertently damning themselves with overemphasis.

I remember as a child resenting that my history book called the killing of 6 million Jews 'the most terrible crime in history'. Why would it be? Are Jewish lives worth more or something?

And if we are westerners why should we give a damn?

Only bolshevised westerners would have any problem with Hitler gassing 6 million Jews anyway. The Jews celebrate those who kill for them such as Baruch Goldstein .

Why 500 films about it and none about gulags?

Something is rotten in Denmark!

That the fantastical 6 million are treated as if they were 200 million should trigger some awareness on some level.

(DM: This "reason" is really only the rantings of the author and reveals something about his mental status.)

A group of so-called "bible believers" perpetuates the notion that the Holocaust was an elaborate hoax, mostly through the use of specific (and sometimes accurate) charges that ignore the larger picture.

The structural integrity of these "gas chambers" is also extremely faulty. These rooms have ordinary doors and windows which are not hermetically sealed! There are large gaps between the floors and doors. If the Germans had attempted to gas anyone in these rooms, they would have died themselves, as the gas would have leaked and contaminated the entire area.

(DM: People have died of carbon monoxide poisoning in houses and autos that were not "hermetically sealed." Many lethal gases are only lethal in higher concentrations; being exposed to some that leaked out may not even make someone feel ill.)

Though six million Jews supposedly died in the gas chambers, not one body has ever been autopsied and found to have died of gas poisoning. We have been shown piles of bodies from World War II, but most of these persons died of typhus or starvation or Allied bombings and a great many of those were murdered Germans, not Jews. Roughly the equivalent of ten football fields should be packed full of gassed bodies to present as evidence, yet not one body has ever been discovered.

(DM: Neither allies nor Jews claim that "six million Jews" were gassed to death. Some were gassed, others were shot, others were worked or starved to death or died of exposure. Many of the bodies were incinerated, and as any funeral director will attest, cremains take significantly less space than corpses. And there are no references to substantiate the suggestion that many of the bodies were those of murdered Germans)

The Germans documented everything in meticulous detail from shrubbery to arbors, but no pre-war or wartime plans or documents exist that detail or even mention any gas chambers for reasons of genocide. All documents ever presented were drawn up AFTER the war.

(DM: Reference?)

Even The Diary of Anne Frank is a hoax. Portions of the diary were written with a ball point pen. These pens were not in use at the time Anne Frank lived.

(DM: Whoever supposedly examined the original diary is not identified, and his or her analysis not referenced.)

There is more where that came from, but you get the idea.

After Holocaust survivors and Jews in general, the group most likely to become enraged when they hear about Holocaust denial are the liberators, military troops who entered the camps to find barely living survivors, mass graves, and evidence of incineration of even more victims.

What besides blind hatred would motivate someone to deny the eye-witness accounts of victims and liberators alike? National pride might be a factor, as the loss of the war and the subsequent revelations of brutality by the German government would rightly shame any self-respecting German. Yet Germans are among the most contrite about their ancestors' role in the genocide, and non-Germans are among the more vocal and rabid deniers.

It is said that you can't reason with a true believer. For those whose very identity hinges on both the inferiority of others and their untruthfulness, no amount of evidence, no number of eyewitnesses, will convince them.

The news of Philip Johnson's death brings back many memories of my days as a student of architecture and my introduction to modern and post-modern architectural design... Johnson's style as influenced by the modern masters Mies and Corbu... the AT&T Building, or more specifically the pediment thereon, which was indeed controversial (I recall a full session of theory class that consisted solely of a discussion of that pediment and Johnson's other ideas for the building's top)... and my personal favorite, the Glass House, which I used to dream of inhabiting.

But what we didn't learn about or discuss in class was Johnson's personal life, which evidently was quite colorful and, in retrospect, contradictory. I did not know, for example, that he was both homosexual and also an early admirer of Adolf Hitler's political ideology. I wonder how he felt when he learned that under Hitler, he would likely have been sent to his death with other homosexuals.

None of which is relevant to his architectural reputation, however—unless you also consider the contradiction between his early modern approach to architecture ("form follows function" at its most fundamental) which he later abandoned in favor of architecture as art. I found this item in the CNN article to be particularly revealing:

Critics [in 1987] unearthed a quotation he had made at a conference a couple of years earlier: that "I am a whore and I am paid very well for high-rise buildings." Johnson said later his choice of words was unfortunate and he only meant that architects need to be able to compromise with developers if they want to see them built.

It sounds like the practicality of an old man who realized that an architect, unlike a painter or a sculptor, cannot create on his own. I imagine it must have hurt the first time he felt compelled to compromise, and if before his death he ever regretted it.

Since it appears that Chris is hiding from me with no intention of showing his face again, and I'm too old to wait around and find out for sure, I'm all set to hit the dating circuit again. Or maybe not, or at least not yet. Dating is fun, but it occurs to me that with the exception of the Hunk Hunk Sistahs (some of whom I will be connecting with at Spring Training in a very few weeks), my other girlfriends have been woefully absent from my life lately. Such a mistake; I miss them terribly.

One particular group of women, friends from two jobs ago, are of such varied interests that it's a challenge to find something we're all interested in doing. Not that we don't try hard. Maggie hates "chick flicks" but managed to tolerate the last such movie we saw, Bridget Jones' Diary. She absolutely gagged, though, the night we stayed in for pizza and watched Pretty Woman on cable. Mel, renaissance woman, has a membership to the art museum but also likes checking out the local hockey team, who are unfortunately abandoning us for icier pastures in Peoria at the end of this season. Monica can be relied on for the latest on the local music scene, which she regularly scopes out for her successful (and national award-winning) cable TV program. Marcella is pretty much up for whatever the rest of us decide, but I don't think I've seen her since we indulged ourselves in Italian desserts and hit the late show at a now-defunct downtown jazz club. Lori...well, we have to get Lori out; she is struggling with a debilitating illness but could probably be persuaded to ditch her houseful of men for a girls' night out. This might be the right time for me to make good on my threat to teach them all my grandmother's secret ravioli recipe.

Michelle (one job ago) is waiting with bated breath for the start of the Red Sox season, but I am looking forward to dragging her to our brand new (and as yet unnamed) Can-Am League baseball team. G-Ming and Zjon (current job, and not their real names; G is the one who tagged me the "Den Mother") are long overdue for an evening of Trivial Pursuit, which they hate playing with me because I always win so I'm open to alternatives. Then there is the church knitting group (don't laugh), a mix of young and old, married and single, who get together every month to work on prayer shawls for members of the community who are sick, bereaved, or undergoing life changes, both negative and positive. Marti, the group leader, keeps reminding me that I haven't been to the group since Hector was a pup.

Then there are the friends I don't see as often: Patty, with whom I hope to be staying in Florida, and who invites us every year to watch July fourth fireworks from her dock on Webster Lake; Suzie, my best high school friend, who now lives in Ohio but comes back to visit her family periodically; and of course my local sorority friends, who give me plenty of opportunities to join in the fun, even if I only avail myself of two or three of those chances each year. All these women and others are often out of sight, but never out of mind.

Which is not to slight my male friends, who are terrific too. I must head over to Dan and Matt's for the long-awaited dueling pianos. Maybe Joe will get his hands on the company's Sox tickets for a game or two this summer. It's been awhile since I saw Gary and family, and even longer since we have attended an RPI hockey game. Should I shock and surprise Nick, Henry, and gang by showing up to run camera at their next shoot?

They are all warm and wonderful men. But there really is something special about being a woman with a network of close women friends. I am fortunate.

The New England Patriots won the AFC championship last night by rolling over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that prompted one writer from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to comment thus:

It was a nightmarish end to a dream season.

The Steelers' crushing loss to the Patriots yesterday may rattle around the area's psyche for years.

For a team that had set a conference record for wins, for a city that had dreamed of celebrating its first trip to the Super Bowl in nine years and for a region that had hoped—and prayed—for a victory as a salve for years of depressing economic and civic news, yesterday's game was a rude slap.

Now they know what it was like to be a Red Sox fan for so many years.

Next, the Patriots will try to do what they did two of the last three years, and what said Red Sox did just a few short months ago: win another championship. The next two weeks will be one big pre-game show, so I will refrain from meandering on about it here before day of the actual game. For your fill of coverage, go here.

Tonight at 6:30, the New England Patriots will take their 14-2 regular season record, their 8-1 postseason head coach, and their two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, their 15-1 record, their 8-8 postseason head coach, and their rookie quarterback for the AFC championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. Now I am not a football expert, but as I understand it, when you boil down all the stats, the Steelers are a good team but they have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

I'm told that the Patriots are 3-point favorites over Pittsburgh, which I'm think only means that that's the way the bets average out. What I do know is that an informal survey of my work friends yielded a heavily pro-Pats outlook, not that they are biased or anything. Ed, who is much more of a baseball fan than a football fan (and who finally returned my 1975 World Series highlight video, thank you very much) believes New England will prevail because "that's what they do." Mike is also counting on the Pats, but not by any measley 3 points—when I told him that local radio commentator Jon Keller predicted the New England to prevail 24-10, Mike said, "Yeah, that's probably about right." Steve is a long-time Patriots season ticket holder who seldom makes predictions, but he seems to think that if anyone can beat the Steelers, it's the Patriots. The Boss is confident in Tommy, Tedy, Adam, Corey, et al., to get it done. The Boss' Boss could care less, as he is a Jets fan and his team are catching up on household repairs and re-introducing themselves to their kids this weekend. But at least they weren't humiliated last week like the Colts were.

As for yours truly, I don't know enough to predict, but I am obviously pulling for The Boys in Blue (and Red and White and Silver) not merely because their uniforms are way cooler than those hideous Steeler duds, but also because I just can't see Tom Brady giving up his chance at another ring to a rookie QB. Yes, I realize that he was practically a rookie himself (does that one piece of one game he played in 2000 really count?) when he won his first Super Bowl, but but Tommy is special. I will be cheering on him and his crew from the comfortable confines of Mom and Dad's family room with, possibly, Son and his GF. Here's hoping they don't disappoint us.

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the decision of the United State Supreme Court in the case of Roe v. Wade. The decision struck down abortion laws nationwide. Tens of millions of abortions later, women still feel they have no choice but to abort their babies. Abortion apologists call this the foundation of women's rights. A more stable foundation would be a society in which imitation feminists didn't perpetuate the stereotype of parenting women as being tied down by and having to sacrifice their aspirations because of their children. Until they come to their senses, the best we women can hope for is the illusion of equality, the price for which is paid over and over again with the lives of our children.

The nice people at the National Weather Service office in Taunton, Massachusetts, have informed us that we're under a blizzard warning through 6:00pm Sunday. Up to three feet of snow are on the way. Yikes. Dad the amateur meteorologist forwarded the following to me earlier this afternoon:

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED

National Weather Service Taunton MA
1150 AM EST Sat Jan 22 2005

Update:

Hurricane force winds are possible Sun for Cape Cod and Nantucket along with a slower storm departure Sun

We continue to be in awe as we review each model run and evaluate upstream conditions. 12Z eta and gfs are now extremely close on their solutions, especially on the magnitude and track of the 500 mb and surface lows. Both models continue indicate strong height Falls with 500 mb low as it tracks just south of New England tonight and Sun. At the surface, this leads to explosive cyclogenesis off the New Jersey coast tonight, and continuing Sunday as surface low tracks over the benchmark (40N/70W).

Both 12z eta and gfs continuing to indicate a trend of the upper low trying to capture the surface low Sun, as surface pressure pattern shows lots of bagginess in the isobars extending westward from the surface low to the 500 mb circulation. This translates to a slower storm departure, with snow and wind persisting into much of the day Sun, even west portions. Thus, we will extend heavy snow warning and blizzard warning until midday Sun west (Hartford/Springfield) and will continue with 7 PM expiration east (Boston/Cape Cod/Nantucket).

Other change to forecast will be increase our wind forecast. Both 12z eta and gfs indicate hurricane force wind gusts are likely for Cape Cod and Nantucket Sunday, as surface low continues to bomb. definitely a player in the strong deepening rates are the arctic air over the ocean, well south of New England, and surface low tracking over northern wall of gulf stream. Thus, very low static stability aiding bombogenesis. Both eta and gfs indicate sustained winds Sun of 35 to 45 mph across Eastern MA, with hurricane force gusts to 75 mph possible over Cape Cod and Nantucket. Winds of this magnitude will likely result in widespread power outages and possible a life threatening situation for anyone traveling late tonight into Sun.

So, we will update our heavy snow warning and blizzard warning to address these changes. In addition, we will upgrade our storm warnings to a hurricane force wind warning for the waters south and east of Nantucket and Cape Cod. After a complete review of the 12z model data and upstream observations, will issue another update later this afternoon to address any other possible forecast changes. Previous discussion below.

Nocera/Thompson

Now here's what I got from that:

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED

National Weather Service Taunton MA
1150 AM EST Sat Jan 22 2005

Update:

Hurricane force winds are possible Sun for Cape Cod and Nantucket along with a slower storm departure Sun

We continue to be in awe blah blah blah. Blah blah, especially on the magnitude and track of the blah. Both models continue indicate blah blah as it tracks just south of New England tonight and Sun. At the surface, this leads to explosive superblah off the New Jersey coast tonight, and continuing Sunday as blah blah blah (40N/70W).

Blah blah blah continuing to indicate a trend of the blah blah, as blah blah shows lots of blah blah blah. This translates (Kelly's note: Thank you for translating) to a slower storm departure, with snow and wind persisting into much of the day Sun, even west portions. Thus, we will extend heavy snow warning and blizzard warning until midday Sun west (Hartford/Springfield) and will continue with 7 PM expiration east (Boston/Cape Cod/Nantucket).

Other change to forecast will be increase our wind forecast. Both blahs indicate hurricane force wind gusts are likely for Cape Cod and Nantucket Sunday, as blah blah. Blah blah arctic air over the ocean, well south of New England, and blah blah. Thus, blah blah bombogenesis (Kelly's note: OK, I actually have no idea what that means, but isn't it a cool word?). Both blahs indicate sustained winds Sun of 35 to 45 mph across Eastern MA, with hurricane force gusts to 75 mph possible over Cape Cod and Nantucket. Winds of this magnitude will likely result in widespread power outages and possible a life threatening situation for anyone traveling late tonight into Sun (Kelly's note: That got my attention).

So, we will update our heavy snow warning and blizzard warning to address these changes. In addition, we will upgrade our storm warnings to a hurricane force wind warning for the waters south and east of Nantucket and Cape Cod. After a complete review of the blah blah, will issue another update later this afternoon to address any other possible forecast changes. Previous discussion below.

Nocera/Thompson

So while I am usually sitting back laughing at people who get hysterical every time the forecast calls for more than six inches of snow, today I picked up a few accessories that I hope will be unnecessary, but just in case...

• D size batteries (for the flashlight)
• AA size batteries (for the portable CD player)
• A Rubbermaid bucket, which I filled with sand from the town highway department barrel at curb on the hill up the street (to keep in the trunk of my car, in case I get stuck somewhere)
• An old-fashioned trimline telephone (no electricity needed, just in case the power goes out)

I should point out that we have a municipally-owned electric company in my town, and if we should happen to lose power, our guys will be all over those downed lines like vultures on a carcass. I don't remember the last time the power was out for more than an hour, and I've lived in this town since 1968. God bless our electric department.

If you're interested in seeing the current radar loop (and even if you aren't) it can be found here. And remember kids, stay inside. I am still haunted by the memory of the man who pulled his car off the interstate just a couple miles away during the blizzard of 1978, then proceeded to freeze to death in his car. They found him when they dug out the exit ramp two days later. I'd rather that not happen again, especially to someone I know.

Did you hear about the inauguration day boycott designed to "shut the retail economy down?" I didn't think so. It's even less likely that you participated in it. But a couple Democratic activists from Cambridge, Massachusetts, figured they'd protest the Iraq war by shake the economy of the western world to its very roots, refusing to spend any money at all on George W. Bush's inauguration day. They couldn't settle on a name for their Big Idea (evidently it was a toss-up between Not One Red Cent and Not One Damn Dime) but that doesn't mean they didn't really, really believe in what they were doing, at least for a few hours.

[P]lease don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one red cent for gasoline. Not one red cent for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one red cent for anything for 24 hours.
[...] [P]lease boycott Walmart, KMart and Target. Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

And last but not least, please fill out their online survey demonstrating your support and adding your righteous comments, which naturally I did, with gusto.

You didn't by gasoline yesterday, but I'm guessing you drove your car. So the gas money you might have spent yesterday will be spent today instead.

Instead of eating lunch out yesterday, you probably brown-bagged it, eating food that you bought the day before instead of the day of the inauguration.

If you took 2 ibuprofen tablets for a headache, you will run out of ibuprofen two tablets sooner than you would have otherwise, thereby merely deferring your spending.

Did you turn up the heat in your house, or turn on a light? If so, then you spent money.

The "retail industry" doesn't care how much money you spend in any given day. That's not how retail success is measured. Obviously you have no knowledge or understanding of the basics of economics. Or of much else, I'm guessing.

I wasn't the only person who saw the absurdity of the effort. Since the Not One Red Cent/Damn Dime people were kind enough to publish the results on their web site, I was able to find several people in Massachusetts alone who thought this wasn't the best or brightest idea they had ever seen. Darlene of Middleboro, for example, tried to bring some context to the war being indirectly (very indirectly) protested:

I feel that by boycotting small businesses, not buying lunch, or dinner (most likely small family run establishments) you harm the people who should be the base of the democratic party. It was not Bush, but congress, that allowed action against Iraq. Step back a moment and remember the ten of thousands who feared for their lives (some of whom are my close friends) living under the dictator Saddam. An uncle had his ear cut off for just stating he disagreed with a recent action of Saddam's regime, countless fled their homes and country because of death threats, tens of thousands were found in mass graves, and the Kurds where systematically murdered. Do you support Saddam's type of government or the one that saw fit to stop the slaughter, take the right stance and not turn a blind eye to the long suffering of a nation? George W. Bush does have his faults but it is not freeing a nation from a brutal dictator! Support your local small businesses, buy local produce, and be thankful you live in a country that will allow you to disrespect the flag, the president, and the country without fear for your very lives. Your boycott is foolish and punishes the wrong people. This type of behavior (ranting boycotts, vote challenges, lies, micheal [sic] moore scale distortions of fact) is why I switched from being a Democrat to a moderate Republican. I will buy freely on January 20th and fly the flag with pride in a free nation. Shame on you all.

Kevin from Nahant was less verbose but just as direct:

This is a celebration of the American system, still the best in the world. Spend accordingly.

Vandy in Leverett was perplexed:

Don't quite get the point, and how, if we boycott local business, how that sends a message about Iraq.

Even "John Kerry" of Boston weighed in:

I am truly opposed to the nuances of this project. This is not what should happen in the America that I fought for in Vietnam, where I put myself in for three Purple Hearts. We should all celebrate the non-violent transfer of leadership that happens in our great country every four years. Sometimes our party needs to look inward to see if our parties [sic] "values" (tee, hee - snicker) truly reflect those of our great Democracy (yeah yeah, I know we are really a Constitutional Republic, but we now have the dumb-asses—er, I mean dumb masses, beleiving [sic] that the word Democracy actually appears in our Constitution) to see if we need to make some fundamental changes whether our message of hate, stagnation and regression is best for our country. Theresa and I will be boycotting this boycott by purchasing that new skiing village that we have had our eyes on in Colorado, and she will be buying a new Cadillac Escelade [sic], now that the 'fat lady has sung' ... so to speak. Regards, John

Sorry, I couldn't resist including that humorous entry. But there were, interestingly, several opponents of both Bush and the war in Iraq who also spoke up against the boycott idea, including Deborah from Whitinsville, a self-described "small business owner" and "very dedicated democrat":

Remember not spending money doesn't send any message or hurt bush at all..it hurts the millions of small business owners in this country..and also the ones that voted against the bush regime [...]

Then there was Martha in Mansfield, who started out sounding fairly reasonable before wandering off:

I have mixed feelings about this boycott because stopping buying on any kind of broad scale will have a chilling effect on the economy, and heaven knows, Bush has done quite enough to destroy it! In any case, I think that we would make a far greater impact by focusing on a specific year-round boycott of ALL corporations that supported Bush and the GOP! No more K-Mart, Wal-Mart, or Sam's Club. Buy brands that support Democrats, like Liz Claiborne and Estee Lauder. [...]

I doubt Martha realizes that the Democratic party's traditional constituency, blue-collar workers, shop at K-Mart and Wal-Mart, but are unlikely to be able to afford "brands that support Democrats," but that is a topic for another day.

Seriously, though, boycotts are a great idea, presuming they mean something and are actually done right. The famous Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56 was effective because it responded to a true injustice (as opposed to the imagined injustice of the legitimate inauguration of the popular and constitutional winner of an open election), targeted an active participant in the unjust action (rather than indiscriminately lashing out at non-participants in the perceived injustice), was well-organized (instead of being merely an effortless internet exercise), and was supported by average but committed individuals willing to make a real sacrifice for their beliefs (in contrast to the empty symbolism of a one-day refusal to buy a new pair of shoes or an overpriced mocha latte at Starbucks).

So for those who are truly interested in backing up their strongly-held beliefs with substantive action, here are a few suggestions. If you really want to protest the war in Iraq, work to DEFEAT your Congressional Representative and your U.S. Senators who voted for the war (yes, even if they are Democrats). Work to DEFEAT the President who argued in favor of the war (oops, that one didn't work). Work to convince others to your way of thinking by writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper, calling in to talk radio, or leafletting at a community event. But refusing to buy a sandwich at Jane's Diner down the street? That's ridiculous, unless of course you just want to punish Jane for voting for Bush.

This entry was originally published at 7:30 AM but will be bumped to the top of this page as necessary throughout the day.

On this date in 1991, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher, a U.S. Navy pilot, was shot down over Iraq while on a bombing run to Baghdad. It was the first night of the first Gulf War, and Speicher's was the only aircraft lost that night. The next morning, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell at his side, announced that Speicher had been killed.

He wasn't dead. He had ejected but had apparently lost his emergency radio on the way down and could not call in his status. Subsequent investigations during the Clinton and Bush 43 administrations found evidence Speicher had been captured and led to his eventual reclassification as such. A search for Speicher, his remains, or information about what happened to him turned up nothing new, at least as revealed to the public. His family and friends persist in believing he is still alive and will do so until remains are found.

One year ago today, friends and supporters of Capt. Speicher (who has been promoted twice in absentia) gathered in candlelight vigil in front of the U.S. Capitol to express faith that he would be found and to ask the U.S. Government and the public not to forget him. I was one of the planners of that vigil and didn't imagine that another year would pass without some resolution. We had troops on the ground in Iraq, including a group charged specifically with looking for Speicher. The prospects of closure at last were bright. The day after the vigil, I put on a POW/MIA bracelet engraved with Speicher's name and date of loss. It has not come off since, not for sleeping or showering or going through airport security (it has provided many opportunities to tell TSA screening personnel about the Speicher case and ask them for their support).

With Iraqi elections a mere two weeks away, the future of the search for Capt. Speicher is in doubt. On this anniversary of that fateful night, please do what you can on his behalf.

• Learn the details of Capt. Speicher's case.
• Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators. Urge them to keep the Speicher investigation alive by demanding ongoing efforts by the Pentagon to bring him home.
• Ask President Bush to make and keep the Speicher case a prioroity.
• As your local American Legion or VFW post to adopt Capt. Speicher's cause.
• Get involved with Friends Working to Free Scott Speicher or your local chapter of Rolling Thunder, Inc., the national POW/MIA advocacy group.
• Buy and wear Capt. Speicher's bracelet. When people ask about it, tell them the story and ask for their support.
• Pray for the well-being of Capt. Speicher and for strength for his ongoing ordeal. Pray that his family and friends will remain hopeful and persistent. Pray that U.S. military and civilian officials will not give up the search until he is found and returned home. Pray that those looking for him will be led to the truth.

Scott Speicher is not the only U.S. service member still missing. Army Spc. Matt Maupin was captured by terrorist insurgents in Iraq last April and remains unaccounted for. Many POW/MIA from Vietnam, Korea, and even World War II have never been found. Though it seems impossible any of them could still be alive, the remarkable case of Korean POW Kim Ki-Jong, who is finally free after 50 years, proves that we cannot give up until all POW/MIA or their remains are brought home.

Have you ever had a song pop into your head for reasons you can only guess? It happens to me all the time. But it doesn't often happen with poetry. Early this morning, I read a post on a private message board in which one of my Red Sox friends commented on my new screen name. I finally got around to changing it to "TriumphantRedSoxFan" instead of the old "Miserableredsoxfan" and Susan said how nice it was that I wasn't miserable anymore, even though they could no longer call me "Les Mis." I won't go into the stream of thoughts that remark put into motion, but it eventually led me to do a Google search for one of my favorite poems by George Gordon, Lord Byron.

When we two parted
    In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted
    To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
    Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
    Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
    Sunk chill on my brow—
It felt like the warning
    Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
    And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
    And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
    A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me—
    Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
    Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee,
    Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met—
    In silence I grieve,
That thy heart could forget,
    Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
    After long years,
How should I greet thee?
    With silence and tears.

Byron was 25 when he wrote this. I can safely say that I have never known a 25-year-old capable of feeling such depths of passion, much less expressing them in words. It must have been a heartbreaking affair.

A series of internet clicks later, I stumbled on a decidedly less melancholy love poem by Matthew Arnold, a Victorian author I didn't know.

Come to me in my dreams, and then
By day I shall be well again!
For then the night will more than pay
The hopeless longing of the day.

Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times,
A messenger from radiant climes,
And smile on thy new world, and be
As kind to others as to me!

Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth,
Come now, and let me dream it truth;
And part my hair, and kiss my brow,
And say: My love! why sufferest thou?

Come to me in my dreams, and then
By day I shall be well again!
For then the night will more than pay
The hopeless longing of the day.

Ah, living vicariously in dreams... I find it odd that the love of Arnold's unconsciousness brings him joy that eluded Byron in reality, at least with the unidentified lover addressed in "When We First Parted."

Then there is verse that equates death with sleep, as the lyrics of a 1930s Hungarian song by Rezsô Seress and László Jávor that inspired numerous English-language renditions. The most recent I know of is by Sarah McLachlan.

Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless.
Dearest, the shadows I live with are numberless.
Little white flowers will never awaken you,
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you.
Angels have no thought of ever returning you.
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday.

Gloomy is Sunday; with shadows I spend it all.
My heart and I have decided to end it all.
Soon there'll be candles and prayers that are sad, I know.
Death is no dream, for in death I'm caressing you.
With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you.
Gloomy Sunday.

There the original ends, but legend holds that a third stanza was subsequently added to temper the reference to suicide. The third verse is a ridiculous "I was only dreaming" add-on that has always reminded me of attempts by writers of the popular television series Dallas to undo the season after the death of Bobby Ewing by suggesting it was all a bad dream by his wife. I believe art to be more interesting when it is raw, but most of television will never be mistaken for art.

OK, so it's only sports. But few things irk me more than overhyped, overpaid jocks talking smack about their opponents. And few things gratify me more than said smack-talking jocks having to eat their words.

"I think they're not as good as the beginning of the year, not as good as last year. And I think they're beatable," [Indianapolis kicker Mike] Vanderjagt said. "We have to play well. There's no question about that. But I think we're going to come back (to Indianapolis) Sunday night going to the AFC title game."

That was last week, before the Colts had their hats handed to them by the Patriots in a decisive 20-3 loss, and it wasn't even that close. But let's not be too hard on Vanderjagt—he did, after all, score a field goal for his team. Too bad it gave them their only points of the night.

The humiliating defeat, coming on the heals of a week of prognostications about how the injury-laden Patriots defense would collapse against the potent Colts offense and the unstoppable Peyton Manning, prompted the following observations from one columnist at the Indianapolis Star:

They couldn't run. They couldn't pass. Remember when the Colts were the league's greatest downfield threat? On this day, the Colts never went downfield, not even against a secondary that was supposed to be beat up and—ahem—vulnerable.

For a lot of people who are paid to think deep thoughts, this was a referendum game, the kind of game that would tell us whether Manning was a champion or simply a regular-season superstar with big numbers. For a lot of people—again, the deep thoughts people—this will be a game when Manning failed that referendum by a landslide.

And there will be no dancing around the truth here.

He got buried by the Patriots and the snow. The entire team got buried, beaten by a team that was more physical and ornery and designed to win these kinds of games in these kinds of conditions. For those who view this as a soft, fair-weather, dome team, have at it. After this game, the Colts have no room to argue.

And about that now-infamous "ripe for the picking" comment?

If the Patriots were "ripe for the picking," as Mike Vanderjagt suggested last week, they could have fooled everybody who watched this game. No Ty Law, no problem. The only matchup the Colts exploited was Brandon Stokley against wide-receiver-turned-nickel-back Troy Brown, but that was about it. Whoever the Patriots place in those spots, they play like Pro Bowlers, especially against the Colts.

Pick that, Vanderjagt.

Meanwhile, back in Beantown, my man Tedy Bruschi did his talking on the field, mowing down the Indianapolis offense like they were the Gillette Stadium grass. Which didn't stop him from adding a few verbal remarks after the game:

"I'm just trying to think of what excuses they'll be saying in the locker room right now," said Bruschi, who was superb with eight tackles and two fumble recoveries. "I wonder what rules they want to change now. Maybe it will be we can't play a game in the snow. I don't know, but they will think of something."

You would think that after two Super Bowl titles in three years, the rest of the NFL would have learned that those who dismiss the Patriots as legitimate contenders on any given Sunday do so at their own peril. Especially because the players have proven time and time again that they like to be spoilers. This time was no exception.

They were buoyed by the media members who dismissed their chances of stopping the Colts.

"I guess the panel of experts were wrong, huh?" said Matt Light, who shrugged off an early illegal motion penalty on a fourth and goal at the 1-yard line, which nullified a Corey Dillon touchdown and ultimately cost the Patriots 4 points after they settled for Adam Vinatieri's 24-yard field goal.

"Nobody picked us to win," said Patriots receiver/defensive back/punt returner Troy Brown, who said he was so tired at one point he could feel his hamstrings pop. "There was no pressure on us. We just went out and played. People just refuse to give us any credit. That's fine. That's how we like it."

[ . . . ]

"We heard all week we couldn't cover all of their guys, but I think we did a good job," said Samuel, who did a solid job filling in for Law, holding Harrison to five catches and 44 yards. "They're a challenge. No doubt about it. But we were up for it."

[ . . . ]

"Everyone doubted us," said Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green, who filled in so admirably for Seymour. "They said we couldn't do it. It was very emotional for us. The last two years have been great. We won 28 games and lost only four."

A brutal piece of commentary over at ESPN.com looks at the Patriots-Colts matchup and why so many of the so-called experts got it so wrong. It boils down to something about the forest and the trees:

Why must we complicate this? For a week right up until kickoff, Sunday's AFC Divisional Playoff between the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots and the supposed-heir-to-the-throne Colts was analyzed, scrutinized, debated, dissected, simulated, every aspect and every matchup examined in just about every way possible. And everyone, it turns out, had the wrong view of it. The details distorted the big picture.

The Patriots are just better.

While yesterday's game and indeed the entire remarkable season so far seems in retrospect to have been a foregone conclusion, the Patriots know better than anyone to take nothing for granted. They understand that next weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers may very well put an end to their dreams of repeating as AFC Champions. But for that to happen, the Steelers will have to be smart enough to respect their opponents.

It's Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, a federal holiday. Banks, schools, government offices, the stock and commodities markets, and several private businesses are closed. So why am I at work?

My company has what I consider to be a generous time-off policy. Every year, I get eight fixed holidays (days the company is officially closed) and three floating holidays, not to mention my sick/personal/vacation time. There are ten federal holidays. But because my employer is closed for two days at Thanksgiving and two days at Christmas, there are actually four federal holidays on which my employer is open for business. We are also open on one state holiday. Evidently the company doesn't think the following are worthy of recognition:

• Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday is observed on the third Monday in January
• George Washington, whose birthday is observed on the third Monday in February
• Christopher Columbus, who is honored on the second Monday in October
• Our nation's military veterans, who are honored on November 11
• The patriots who fought for American independence, who are honored in Massachusetts and Maine on the third Monday in April (not to be confused with Patriot Day observed on September 11)

A note on holidays unique to Massachusetts. In addition to the annual observance of Patriot's Day, which commemorates the first revolutionary battles at Lexington and Concord, two other dates related to the American Revolution are recognized only in Suffolk County (comprised of Boston and a very few adjacent cities and towns). Bunker Hill Day remembers the famous Battle of Bunker Hill, which was actually won by the British but is considered by many to be the point of no return in the colonists' march toward independence. Evacuation Day recalls the date in 1776 when Revolutionary troops led by Gen. Washington entered Boston after the withdrawal of the British. Coincidentally (or not), Evacuation Day also happens to be St. Patrick's Day, also observed by many in the formerly heavily Irish city of Boston.

An Army court-martial has convicted U.S. Army Spc. Charles Graner, Jr., of all charges for his part in leading the abuse of inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

The verdict came after a five-day trial in which prosecutors depicted Graner as a sadistic soldier who took great pleasure in seeing detainees suffer. He was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs. He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.

The conviction is not a result of civilians who don't understand military procedure or what it's like to serve in wartime. The jury was truly that of Spc. Graner's peers, combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. They understand better than we civilians what it's like to serve, and they still found this guy guilty. After less than five hours of deliberation.

Legal wonks can take a look at the actual charge sheets.

The California atheist who sued his daughter's public school on the grounds that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance violated the first amendment's establishment clause just lost his case seeking to bar a prayer from next week's inauguration of George W. Bush. He tried this with Bush's first inauguration and he lost that one too. Give the guy credit for persistence, and creativity too—he argued that this time is different because he is actually attending the inauguration instead of just watching it on television. And how exactly does this infringe on his first amendment rights?

Newdow argued that saying a Christian prayer at the January 20 ceremony would violate the Constitution by forcing him to accept unwanted religious beliefs.

I could see his point, if in fact he were a mindless automaton, a human lemming if you will, whose thoughts are easily assimilated by the actions of those around him. But otherwise, a prayer doesn't force him to accept "unwanted religious beliefs" any more than the inauguration itself forces someone who doesn't believe in democracy to accept "unwanted political beliefs" or the President's inaugural address forces someone who is not a social conservative to accept "unwanted ideological beliefs."

The Constitution of the United States gives Mr. Newdow freedom from having to accept President Bush's religious beliefs. It also gives President Bush freedom from having to accept Mr. Newdow's lack of religious beliefs. When Mr. Newdow is sworn in to elected office, no one will force him to have a prayer. My personal opinion is that he needs to grow a skin and realize that the Bill of Rights does not guarantee that he'll never to hear something he doesn't like.

Purely by accident, I saw an article ($ubscription required) in yesterday's local paper about a woman from my high school who is making it big on Broadway.

[Dani] Davis, who grew up in West Boylston and graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Worcester, had already established a successful theater career in New York City. She's been an actress, dancer, singer, songwriter and choreographer. But after she sung the role of Beth in a recording of a new musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women, her thoughts turned to something else.
"I had begun to think about being a producer," she said. "I thought this might be the one to pursue."

Dani Davis (formerly Danielle Berthiaume) and I were only acquaintances—I graduated a couple years ahead of her—but we worked on a couple shows together and it's great to see her doing what she loves and so successfully. I haven't been this interested in seeing a Broadway musical since Catherine Brunell, a young woman whom I babysat when she was a toddler, starred in Les Misérables.

I can breathe easy now. Having recently cashed in my US Airways frequent flyer miles for a March trip to Florida for spring training, I now learn that the bankrupt airline has arranged enough financing to keep it going until summer.

The Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB) decision to let US Airways use cash from a federal loan through June 30 is crucial to the carrier's plan to emerge from bankruptcy this summer.

And, much to my relief, my flight will involve an actual aircraft.

Judge Stephen Mitchell of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia also allowed the No. 7 U.S. airline to take delivery of nine regional jets -- six from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer SA and three from Canada's Bombardier Inc.

Oh, how the airline industry has changed. People flock to Southwest Airlines to save a little money, even though they have to stand in line for an unknown length of time to get a desirable spot on the plane (no reserved seating). American doesn't actually serve meals anymore; they have a cooler on the jetway from which you can pick up a box lunch to eat later. Delta has announced lower, less restrictive fares to compete with the lower cost (and lower service) carriers.

Personally, I don't understand how the airline industry isn't flourishing. Air travel is now routine in a way it wasn't just a couple generations ago, but without many of the comforts passengers used to get even in coach. Even in my memory, airlines offered better meals, real silverware and dishes, free headsets for radio or movie listening, and access to more than two blankets per aircraft. And that was all in coach. Alas, those items are now considered first-class luxuries. If the airlines cut back much more, the passengers will have to start flapping their arms.

But I digress. I am ever so glad that I decided to use my bonus miles right away, even if I was forced into flights in the middle of the night as punishment for doing so. Maybe I ought to give US Airways a call and inquire if bankruptcy means I have to bring my own emergency flotation device.

It isn't just large-scale natural disasters like last month's Indonesian earthquake and subsequent tsunami that can wreak havoc. Just ask those affected by California's most recent mudslide.

"I stepped outside my door and heard a noise, almost like a pop," said resident Bill Harbison, who helped rescue two women trapped in the mudslide.

"I looked up and I saw the entire mountainside just come down and just race through part of our little town here.

"I could hear them. They were buried beneath just an unbelievable amount of wreckage, broken glass, live power lines." he said.

While the Indian Ocean catastrophe was the result of the normal process of change in our living earth (the claims of exploitative "environmentalists" and greedy business interests notwithstanding), events like mudslides are often caused by human-made development that alters the terrain in a way that makes it unstable in the face of other natural events, like current Pacific rain storms. How many so-called "natural disasters" would be mere occurrences if not for our efforts to live on the earth in a way it can't support? Think about the periodic destruction of farms and houses on floodplains, or the wholesale loss of prime rental property in coastal regions regularly battered by tropical storms.

The loss of life in such cases is no less tragic than if it were unavoidable, the victims no more deserving of their suffering than anyone else. But as the 18th century feminist Mary Wollstonecraft once wrote, "Nature in everything demands respect, and those who violate her laws seldom violate them with impunity."

Never heard of it? Neither had I, until today. After my employer's on-site blood drive, I took an online quiz at an American Red Cross web site and flunked the question about type U blood.

U-negative is a specific blood type found in 1 out of 250 African-Americans. Most black Americans, and all white Americans, have one of the more familiar types A, B, AB, or O. When you consider that black people comprise 12-13% of the population of the United States, that means that only about 1 of every 2100 Americans has this rare blood type. LifeShare Blood Centers, a network of donor centers in northern and western Louisiana and eastern Texas affiliated with the American Association of Blood Banks has an African American Donation Program designed to address the shortage of U-negative blood. Other blood organizations regionally may have similar programs.

Even among the minority of the world's population with ABO blood types, racial and ethnic differences in the distribution of blood types are not unusual. Data from Bloodbook.com shows that, for example, type A blood is found in 63% of Lapps but only 1% of Mayas. Type B blood is found in 23% of Russians but only 7% of French. Type AB blood is found in 18% of Ainu-Japanese but only 3% of Irish. And type O blood is found in 62% of Sudanese but only 28% of Koreans.

Blood compatibility isn't as simple as type-for-type matching—as someone with O-positive blood, I can give to other blood types but can only receive type O blood, while a type AB donor can only give blood to an AB patient. But the prevalence and rarity of certain blood types within certain racial/ethnic populations means that in an immigrant country like the United States, it becomes almost incumbent upon racial and ethnic minorities to become regular blood donors as a method of community self-survival.

If this seems overly technical (and I haven't even touched upon Rh and other blood factors), remember that hematology, the science of blood, is a medical specialty unto itself and not widely understood by the lay population. But you don't have to understand the complexities of blood typing and matching to grasp the fundamental need for an ample supply of blood of all types, whether a common blood type like mine or the rarest of rare types like U-negative.

The failure of election officials in Washington state to properly verify the validity of absentee ballots and in-person voters resulted in several dead people's having cast votes this past election day, an investigation by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has revealed. The P-I identified eight such cases. But don't go suggesting that this is fraud, says one official whose words were a bit muffled, as one would expect given that his head was at the time very far up his...well, you know:

"These are not indications of fraud," said Bill Huennekens, King County's elections supervisor. "Fraud is a concerted effort to change an election."

Whew, what a relief to know that some people vote on behalf of their dead relatives just for the fun of it, rather than in an actual attempt to, you know, vote for one candidate or another.

But it doesn't end there. There were also dozens of votes cast by people who were very much alive but not legally allowed to vote. And that's not to mention the overvotes—more votes being cast in some voting districts than there were actual registered voters:

The evidence of votes from dead people is the latest example of flaws in an election already rocked by misplaced votes and allegations that there were thousands more votes counted than actual voters.

Timothy Harris, general counsel for the Building Industry Association of Washington, which is preparing a court challenge of the governor's race, said his group has documented about 50 felons who did not have their voting rights restored but voted in Pierce County.

The results of the Washington gubernatorial race, you might recall, were reversed after the second recount, which showed Democrat Christine Gregoire beating Republican incumbent Dino Rossi by 129 votes. Gregoire and her campaign are fully satisfied with the validity of the results (well, not the first two results, just the one that gave her the win) and call demands for a new vote "ludicrous". Which makes perfect sense because, if you ask Bill Huennekens, all those illegal ballots don't constitute fraud.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again and again until it changes)—the integrity of our voter rolls cannot be understated. Between city/town clerks requiring not so much as a form of identification, never mind citizenship and residence, to register and vote, well-intentioned federal laws like motor-voter, the increased use of absentee and provisional ballots, and candidates' insistent efforts to get more apathetic people to vote via ridiculous voter registration and incentive programs, there is no guarantee whatsoever that any given election at any level anywhere in this country will truly reflect the will of the people.

It turns out that the elderly ladies of Townsend, Massachusetts, who bared themselves for a calendar didn't really. Well, they did take it all off, but before the shutter clicked, they put something else on.

Local newspaper columnist Dianne Williamson featured the wild women in her column yesterday ($ubscription required). For those of you without access, an excerpt:

One woman dressed as a sexy witch for October. Another played with a bushel of apples for September. Mary Norton, Miss March, posed with two beer steins placed in strategic locations.

The column featured two accompanying photos which, though somewhat provocative, are not unsuitable for a family publication. One pic shows an almost-naked Mildred Smith (she is wearing a helmet) astride her Harley Davidson, with the handlebars, headlight, and front suspension assembly obscuring anything that can't ordinarily be shown in a public place. The other photo shows Olive Steers wearing nothing but a strategically draped American flag.

Provocative? Yes, only because of the suggestion of nudity. Controversial? Not as far as I'm concerned. I have seen more skin at a summer barbecue. These women obviously had lots of fun without exploiting themselves or others. I may just have to express my solidarity by picking up one of the calendars. I'm sure I can think of an elderly male friend who might get a charge out of it.

Speaking of breasts (which I was yesterday), I heard a story on the Don Imus radio program this morning about the town of Townsend, Massachusetts, which is gearing up to celebrate its 275th anniversary. Evidently a group of the town's older (75+ years old) ladies have come up with an idea to raise funds for the celebration—their very own nude calendar.

Needless to say, I looked this up online as soon as I got to work. The site is somewhat non-specific, not to mention being hosted on the town's official web site, but it nonetheless could be exactly as described on Imus:

See the Atwood Acres ladies in all their splendor. A different model on every page for seventeen months, from August 2005 to December 2006. Featuring Motorcycle Mama, Irish Colleen, the Piano Player, and some holiday surprises!

As frightening as it would be for me to look at what could very well be me in another 40 years, I have to hand it to these women. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, if you live that long, you ought to be able to do whatever it is you want to do and everybody else ought to keep their mouths shut. Besides, it's for a good cause, so what the hell?

Proving once again that radio stations employees and a sizable portion of their listeners constitute the more stupid among us, a group of radio stations recently promoted a contest for which the prizes were unnecessary surgeries.

In the "Breast Christmas Ever" contest, 13 women were awarded the [breast enlargement] procedure after writing essays to the stations explaining why they wanted larger breasts. A Tampa station claimed to receive more than 91,000 entries.

That's elective surgery, folks, from which complications can arise that can make you sick, disfigured, or dead. It isn't even elective surgery in the way that carpal-tunnel surgery is elective; it is simply unnecessary. Note that the contest didn't offer to pay for, oh, reconstruction for post-mastectomy cancer patients, or an organ transplant for a dying child, or cosmetic surgery for burn victims.

And the contest is misogynistic on its face. Not only did it not offer breast reduction surgery for women so heavily endowed that they suffered chronic back pain (so what if she's uncomfortable, why would any man want a woman with smaller breasts?) but I'm sure the rocket scientists who came up with this contest never gave a thought to giving away penile implants. The point is to make women more attractive to men, and leave us women stuck with men who are, shall we say, less than physically desirable. And yes, I am well aware that the women who entered the contest did so voluntarily. They're part of the problem too.

The radio stations involved were omitted from the CNN article linked above, but inquiring minds have dug up details showing that the contest was evidently run on more than one Florida station as well as one in Missouri. The Den Mother's readers can do with what they will with this information.

The Program – The contest was promoted on a syndicated morning show.

• The program is the syndicated MJ Morning Show.
• The host can be reached by e-mail at mjkelli@aol.com.

The Stations – At least three radio stations carry the MJ program.

• WFLZ
  4002 Gandy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33611
  Office phone 813-839-9393, Fax 813-831-3299

 
• KSLZ
  1001 Highlands Plaza Dr. West, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63110
  Business Office 314-333-8000, Toll Free 888-570-1077
  General Manager: Lee Clear
  Program Director: Boomer
  Promotions Director: Craig Carmichael

 
• WFKS
  11700 Central Pkwy., Jacksonville, FL 32224
  904-642-3030
  Program Director: Skip Kelly

The System – The three radio stations as well as the MJ program itself are property of Clear Channel Communications.

• While Clear Channel has claimed no connection to this contest of any station programming, the MJ Morning Show web site (which publicized the contest) suggests otherwise:

  This site is owned or managed by Clear Channel Communications, Inc. ("Clear Channel") and is part of the Clear Channel family of companies, which includes other quality entertainment brands such as broadcast and Internet radio stations, television stations, Clear Channel Outdoor, Clear Channel Entertainment, and the Premiere Radio Networks (each a "Clear Channel Website," and collectively the "Clear Channel Websites")."

• Clear Channel Communications
  200 E. Basse
  San Antonio, TX 78209
  Phone 210-822-2828
  Fax 210-822-2299
  Comment electronically

The Doctor – The contest prizes were breast enlargement surgeries performed by one particular doctor.

• William W. Adams, M.D.
  2299 9th Ave. North, Suite 2C, St. Petersburg, FL 33713
  727-328-2299
  Email lonadradams@aol.com

 
• Dr. Adams is licensed by the Florida Board of Medicine
  Medical Quality Assurance
  4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee, FL 32399-3250
  850-245-4224
  

Hint: You might get the most bang for your buck by contacting the Board of Medicine first, and questioning the ethics of a licensed physician's participation in such a contest.

It's been 2005 for 21 1/2 hours; please forgive me for just getting around to posting greetings to my loyal readers. I hope your celebrations were fun and safe.

Chris and I went to see the Christmas lights at the La Salette Shrine. I'll tell you what, there are some serious lights in their displays. Mass Electric must love them.

The rest of the evening was uneventful; we got take-out for a late dinner, watched Master and Commander on DVD, rang in the new year with sparkling cider, and watched the beginning of the Faith Rewarded, the Red Sox 2004 season DVD. No hassles, no crowds, no traffic.

Actually, from what I heard from my parents, who attended an evening wedding in Boston, there wasn't a lot of traffic anywhere. It seems as if fewer and fewer people go out carousing on New Year's Eve, and those who do must be more likely to use public transportation. As for alcohol consumption, the most popular New Year's Eve event in Boston (and in Worcester) is First Night, which is alcohol-free.

One quick and touching anecdote before I sign off for the evening. My 6-year-old nephew, who has just about every toy known to humanity, got money from some of his extended family. Apparently he decided, of his own volition, to give some of his Christmas money to "the poor people in the earthquake" and "the poor people who live under the bridge". I realize children aren't stupid, but I don't recall being as aware of the world's tragedies when I was six, when the Vietnam War led the nightly news on a regular basis. I am very proud of my nephew, and of my brother and sister-in-law for the great job they are doing in raising him and his older brother and sister. They're all great kids.