Steve’s No Direction Home Page

RIP Eddy Arnold.

Quote of the day: “The media silence on this is absolutely staggering to me. While the cable news shows and blogs obsess over Rev. Wright, not a single major media outlet covers this story about an American president in a decades-long relationship with a man who has spoken openly of taking over the United States and establishing a one-world theocracy under his rule. Absolutely mind-boggling.” - Ed Brayton

(Via The Daily Doubter.)

I have lots of great memories of Jerry Divis. A man of unfailing wit, a great citizen, a terrific friend, and a great father to a fine family. Driving our tractors in our respective orchards, Jerry and I would often stop to pass the time, and it was during one of these visits that he gave me first (and only!) chaw of tobacco. He owned the theatre in town (yes, “the” theatre) and thus was babysitter to generations of Brewster kids during many evenings. As the obit notes, Jerry was an avid goose hunter. I remember he and my dad used to go out into the snowy pastures goose hunting, and take some sheets along to hide under. My mom would complain with all that snow around, Jerry had to spit his tobacco onto her white sheets. Jerry’s wife Mona passed just a few years after my Mom did and though she was older than mom, she was also part of the cancer cluster along the Okanogan river, presumably (at least to me), due to the concentration of poisons sprayed on the apples, at least in those days.

Press coverage of Salvia divinorum helps fuel the next “drug menace.” - By Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine

The normally staid Associated Press attached a headline to a March 11 story that inquired, “Is Salvia the Next Marijuana?” If the AP meant to ask whether Salvia divinorum is the next misunderstood recreational drug to be both demonized and popularized by the press, the answer is yes.

The superstitions of John McCain: John McCain carries thirty-one cents of lucky change, a lucky compass, and a lucky feather. He won’t throw a hat on a bed, or pick up a new lucky coin that’s showing tails instead of heads. He won’t take a salt shaker passed to him; it has to be set on the table first. He carries a laminated four-leaf clover in his wallet. He wears lucky shoes. He makes use of a magical lizard belonging to his trip director, Lanny Wiles, to help win golf bets and cause the right college sports teams to win.

John McCain is a superstitious nut.

(Via The Lippard Blog.)

Just heard a bit of Obama’s speech on victory in North Carolina. One great line jumped out at me where he talked about “a country that does not reward just wealth, but the work and the workers who created it.” What a great phrase! And it looks as if he’s going to be very close in Indiana as well. Time for Hillary to get out so Obama can get to McCain. Obama also really went after the tactics the Republicans are going to use for the next 6 months. He’s going to run some campaign.

James Fallows asked his readers for the stupidest policy ever, and he assembled quite a list. Too many contenders!

Most of the crap I read online is conservative blogs and publications (I guess I’m masochistic that way, but it also gives me a feeling of superiority), so it comes as a bit of a surprise to me to read How Liberals Rule the Web. So it’s probably observer’s bias that makes me see all the conservative nonsense that I see. This is a pretty interesting, and heartening, list. I saw someone else comment the other day that on YouTube the number of pro-Obama videos created by individuals dwarfed those for McCain; since it’s not part of my job anymore to keep an eye on web videos, I don’t know about that. If it’s true, you can bet that before the end of the campaign we’ll see plenty of conservative whining about YouTube bias.

Here’s a fascinating Google Earth layer dealing with the disaster in Burma. What a mess. Of course this is a good time to send some money to your preferred organization that deals with issues like this. Mine is Doctors Without Borders.

East Bay Express | Blogs | Wilma Chan Ignores Campaign Spending Limit:

“According to the Daily Cal, state Senate candidate Wilma Chan has decided not to go along with a promise not to spend more than $724,000 to get herself elected. “

(Via East Bay Express.)