A Hole in the Heart

From Thomas Friedman of the Times today: I have been struck by how many foreign dignitaries have begged me lately for news that Bush will lose. This Bush team has made itself so radioactive it glows in the dark. When the world liked Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, America had more power in the world. When much of the world detests George Bush, America has less power. People do not want to be seen standing next to us. It doesn't mean we should run our foreign policy as a popularity contest, but it does mean that leading is not just about making decisions - it's also the ability to communicate, follow through and persuade.

If the Bush team wins re-election, unless it undergoes a policy lobotomy and changes course and tone, the breach between America and the rest of the world will only get larger. But all Mr. Bush and Dick Cheney have told us during this campaign is that they have made no mistakes and see no reason to change.

Pollworkers - the average age of a pollworker is 72. Hmmm.... wonder how that works with electronic voting? Whereas, I realize there are a number of older people totally adept at computers, I suspect if one looked at the percentages, older people in general are not up to snuff on them all that much. Are there qualifications to be a poll worker?

Red Map
It sure is awful red , isn't it? Lord help us (hey, if it works for GW, maybe it'll work for us heathen Democrats?)

Computers
Roboform has been updated to version 6.1.1 Get the best Password Form Filler there is. Free if you keep your password list under 30 entries. (I wish!). Think mine exceeds 200 by now.

Financial
Dreamworks ( DWA ) went on the market today. Was priced at $28 and opened at $39. Will be interesting to see how this IPO turns out. Another Google? One could only wish .

Web Site of the Day
Listen Before you Vote.com - lot of free listens there.

Speaking of Reading - How would you like to get hardback books for $9.95 each and free shipping? Check out ZOOBA . Build up a list of books you want and each month they ship you the next one off of your list - always with free shipping. (Sales tax if you are in IN,PA, or NY - sorry!). If you like to read, sounds like a good deal to me. Note - this appears to be a division of Book of the Month Club, so some books may be altered in size to save you money but always contain the full text of the book. ** Note - You can read opinons about Zooba at the Epinions web site, an excellent source for reviews of items you may be considering purchasing.

Word of the Day
chimping n :
the act of constantly using the display on the back of a digital camera to review the photos one is taking. Named for the sounds made by its practitioners, for example, “Oh oh oh ooh ooh ooh look at this one!