Hillary Clinton has a new bumper sticker that is appropriate whether Democrat or Republican. It says, “Run, Hillary, Run”.

Democrats put it on the back… Republicans put it on the front.

(Didn’t believe me, did ya’?)

I had hoped since my last post about Eric and the grave injustice that has befallen him to be telling you that his appeal was successful and that he was returning home. Sadly, that is not the case.

For those of you just learning of Eric’s conviction in Nicaragua for a murder the evidence proves he could not have committed, he continues to languish in a Nicaraguan prison awaiting the results of his appeal. While Nicaraguan law requires a ruling within thirty days on all appeals, Eric’s has yet to see the light of day after some seven months! His health is suffering and now there is talk of moving him to another cell block, one housing convicted criminals who have lost their appeals. Should they do so, another violation of Nicaraguan law, his safety will be in jeopardy.

The one shining light in Eric’s life has been the love and support of his family and the growing international legion of friends who work tirelessly for his release. Eric has been writing letters from his cell, a privilege he may soon lose or that may be curtailed. Take a few minutes to read some of them which have been published on the Friends of Eric Volz website.

You’ve heard of Americans being unjustly thrown into prisons in third world countries and never seen again. Don’t let that become Eric’s fate. You can help by going to the website, learning about his case, perhaps donating some money to help in his legal defense and, of equal importance, by contacting your elected officials and demanding that our government intervene on Eric’s behalf. Here again are links to your congressional representatives:

Senators

Congresspersons

You don’t often get an opportunity to step up to the plate to right a wrong. This is your chance. Take it.

Grandpa and Grandma were out of town and missed Jacob’s 6th birthday party, so we took the family to Old Sacramento August 26 for a little belated celebration. We strolled the boardwalks and explored all the little shops, had lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack on the patio overlooking the Sacramento River, opened some gifts, then explored some more. It was a beautiful day and we all had a good time. I’ve posted a few photos… Enjoy!

On “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” and during Constitution Week, we celebrate the anniversary of our Nation’s Constitution and honor the Framers who created the landmark document that continues to guide our Nation.

In the summer of 1787, delegates convened in Philadelphia to create “a more perfect Union” and craft the document that is the foundation of our country. With great diligence, they worked to develop a framework that would balance authority and inherent freedoms, Federal interests and State powers, individual rights and national unity. On September 17th of the same year, the delegates signed the Constitution of the United States.

Today, every American shares in this legacy of liberty, and we are grateful for the courage, conviction, and sacrifice of all those who have helped preserve and uphold the principles of a free society. As we remember the enduring importance of the Constitution, we also recognize our responsibility as citizens to respect and defend the values of our founding and participate in the unfolding story of freedom.

In celebration of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952, designated September 17 as “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956, requested that the President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as “Constitution Week.” More

In an attempt to reduce noise pollution, Madrid, Spain is employing mimes to encourage people to “Shhhh” as they go about their business. The mimes will be hanging around on various busy and noisy streets doing what mimes do best, silently sending the word that silence is truly golden.

You might just say they’ll be trying to get people to mime their own business…

Ah yes, and who was it that said, “the pun is the guano of the winged mind?”

This is no way to start (or end) a summer weekend! Must have been pretty dramatic to witness and horrifying for the family in the pickup! And is that someone still in the vehicle? Were it not for one fortuitously placed boulder, both the pickup and the boat would have plunged into the canyon and the outcome would have been very different.

Thanks Sara!

Canadian photographer Gregory Colbert collaborated with animal species around the world to create Ashes and Snow, a groundbreaking exhibit of photographs and films that explores humanity’s relation to the natural world. His remarkable sepia-toned images glimpse a world in which humans live in profound harmony with the rest of the animal kingdom. His poetic style — more art-house film than nature documentary — is unique among wildlife photographers, and it exerts a powerful, almost hypnotic effect on the viewer, awakening a primal feeling of kinship with the natural world. As the New York Times notes, “The power of the images comes less from their formal beauty than from the way they envelop the viewer in their mood.”

Part of the exhibition’s brilliance comes from its permanent home within an impermanent structure, the Nomadic Museum, a portable gallery space designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and made entirely of shipping containers and other recycled or reusable materials. Dawn and I saw the unusual structure during our 2006 vacation, even photographed it, without realizing what lay within. Had we known, we certainly would have enjoyed the experience, described by many as almost spiritual.

Since its Venice premiere in 2002, “Ashes and Snow” has attracted more than a million visitors as it travels the world. The museum debuted in New York in 2005, subsequently opened in Santa Monica, California and Tokyo, Japan, and will travel indefinitely to ports of call with no final destination. Colbert considers the exhibition a work in progress, and plans to develop his “21st-century bestiary” for years to come.

The website is best viewed using Flash and takes a little practice to navigate. Moving the mouse across a page, for instance, reveals thumbnails which, when clicked, display additional images. The work is truly unique and worth spending the time necessary to experience.

Thanks for the “heads up”, Michael!

No, not Richmond, California or Richmond, Virginia. The plane! The plane!

I can’t believe this beautiful piece of aviation history is still for sale! $2700/offers? Hell, I’m tempted to buy it myself to donate to the McClellan Aviation Museum here in Sacramento. Instead, I think I’ll try to get the McClellan folks together with the seller. This beautifully restored airplane needs a home where folks will appreciate it!

Regular contributer Dave gave me the heads up on this. Here are some of the particulars:

It’s a 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor restored to an extraordinarily high standard. In 1929 it was delivered as a new passenger plane to Mamer Flying Service in Spokane, Washington. It was later sold to K-T Flying Service of Honolulu and was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Brought back to the mainland in 1946 by a private owner, it was leased by TWA for their 1949 20th anniversary celebration. It then went to an agricultural operator in Idaho and was modified as a sprayer and also as one of the pioneer forest fire fighting air tankers. Johnson Flying Service in Montana flew it for several years to drop Smoke Jumpers and supplies to fire fighters.

Since 1969 the plane has been privately owned and hangar stored by Dolph Overton and was part of his Wings and Wheels museum collection. It is currently owned by the Overton Family Trust, which was created by Mr. Overton to fund the plane’s restoration and facilitate its sale.

In November, 2005 the Tri-Motor was flown from Goldsboro, NC to Richmond, VA where (until recently) it was on public display at the Virginia Aviation Museum. It has also graced the cover of the March, 2006 issue of Trade-A-Plane. Currently hangared at Petersburg-Dinwiddie Airport in central Virginia, it is available for viewing and inspection by appointment only.

Here’s the link for all the details, more photos and to contact the seller direct. It’s a beautiful piece of aviation history. I’d love to see it find a new home.

A while back, the fun-loving folks at Google asked people to show a little imagination. They wanted creative videos showing how G-Mail (Google’s new e-mail service) travels from one point in the world to another. Google received about 1,100 videos from more than 65 countries. And what did they do with them you ask? Well, they edited them into this very entertaining collaborative video short…

Thanks Michael!

One of the things about the fashion industry that can be quite entertaining is how it sometimes goes way over the top to introduce a new offering. Take this story I found on Perr-Bear….

LONDON (AFP) - To their high society owners, a pair of haute couture shoes can be a precious thing. But to guard a 62,000 pound (120,000 dollar) pair of ruby, sapphire and diamond-encrusted Rene Caovilla sandals at their London launch, retailer Harrods went to extreme lengths: bringing in a live Egyptian cobra to patrol the shoe counter.

Whether hiring a poisonous snake is, strictly speaking, the most effective means of guarding precious footwear might be a moot point with security experts. But it makes for a pretty effective photo opportunity.

A spokeswoman for Harrods admitted that the cobra had been hired strictly for Monday’s launch of the shoe collection. “The snake has now been returned to its owner,” she said.

So no need to fear snake bites at the shoe counter, then? “Not unless you’re a burglar,” the spokeswoman said.

The killer heels (No Dawn, you can’t have them!) were designed by Rene Caovilla, renowned for using rare jewels on his glamorous shoes popular among the celebrity set; Caovilla clients include Diane Kruger and Carmen Electra. This “creation” is the limited edition “Nyssia” sandal. The cobra featured on the shoes has eyes made of rubies and wears a brilliant-cut 3.5-carat diamond and crown on its head. The sinewy body is studded with round-cut, pave-set sapphires: a total of 20.60 carats.

Impressed? I’m sure Cedrick the Snake was a big hit at Harrod’s. But he may want to lay low for a while. Cobra skin is sometimes used to make couture shoes; he might become the next Caovilla “creation”… Video

As explained in a recent article at TechShout, the Storm Worm email virus, which first attacked in January 2007, tries to trick recipients into opening an executable attachment file that can hijack their computers. Security companies have said that Storm Worm has managed to quickly drive global virus levels 60 times higher than their daily average.

Once installed on a personal computer, Storm Worm takes control of the machine by adding the infected Windows PC to a “bot army” of compromised computers that are connected to a custom peer-to-pear network where it can download new updates, upload personal information from the compromised computer, and scan e-mail addresses to send out spam to further the attacks.

According to Adam Swidler, senior manager of solutions marketing at security firm Postini, the virus can be detected by up-to-date antivirus software. Its spread can be controlled by most Internet providers using up-to-date virus filters. These filters should stop it before it reaches inboxes.

However, the best solution to avoid serious trouble, said Swidler, is to delete any e-mails with subject lines that refer to the worms or the word love. “Definitely don’t click the attachments,” he added.

A serious problem for Windows users. Here’s an update from Michael…

The Storm Worm is turning out to be one of the most resilient attacks in history. The creators use spam messages to entice users to a malicious Web site. The site uses JavaScript to launch exploits against your browser and programs. If this attack fails, you’re encouraged to download the virus manually. The virus turns your machine into a zombie.

Spam messages associated with the Storm Worm have taken many forms. [Recently], it was coming as confirmation messages from various sites. It has also taken the form of e-card spam. The messages originally warned of a European storm. Now, they entice you with a YouTube video.

Folks, the creators of the Storm Worm have planned the attack carefully and they’re staying ahead of security warnings. Make sure your security programs are updated and Windows is fully patched. And be careful where you click.

And one final note:

Infected computers generally show little sign of their infection; they just become unwilling members of the worm’s “bot army”. But emails you send to friends and business associates can be infected and their data compromised. Best to (1) trash suspicious emails, and (2) update and use your virus software often. More here.

A couple of hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are rolled back in his head.

The other hunter whips out his cell phone and calls Emergency Services. He gasps into the phone to the operator, “I think my friend is dead! What can I do?”

The operator, in a calm, soothing voice, responds, “Take it easy, sir, I can help you. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is momentary silence, then a shot is heard. The guy’s voice comes back on the line. He says, “Okay, now what?”

Here’s an interesting tidbit. It seems that while David Watanabe was trying to report a potential problem via iTunes, selectable options for “Movie Rental” appeared in the list as shown on the above screenshot. Are rental movies coming to iTunes? I wouldn’t be at all surprised, would you?

David adds that “Engadget … confirmed the veracity of this screenshot, saying that at the time of writing, they ‘verified that these options are still viewable’. These options have subsequently been removed, since there presence was clearly a mistake. However, this third-party verification should remove any doubt as to the validity of this screenshot.”

Now, this could simply have been a few Apple guys testing theoretical functions and inserting humorous test data. Or not. Movie rentals via iTunes would certainly be nice, especially if they’ll stream via iMovie to your big screen…

Okay, I took the “Nerd Test” I got from Grouchy Old Cripple to get a handle on my “relative nerdiness.” There were some surprises, of course…

…I was surprised I scored as high as I did on Sci-Fi/Comic and that I scored higher in History/Literature than Science/Math which were always my best subjects.

Curious? Take the quiz! Learn something about your inner nerd!

The California State Fair came and left with lower total (but greater daily) attendance than last year owing, officials point out, to a run that was six days shorter. In addition, it was hot - really hot - and the wonderful delta breezes we usually rely on to cool things down brought little relief.

Dawn and I go to the Fair at least a couple times every year to “take it all in,” but this year, because of the heat, we decided once was enough. We’d gone one weekday right after work and stayed until closing so we could enjoy the evening fireworks. We watched The Temptations perform, toured the exhibit halls, took in some of the livestock and finished on the midway. As has become our custom, we even rode the giant Ferris wheel. It was a lot of ground to cover in too little time and, with the heat, we were exhausted (I was drenched!); I think it was still pushing 90 degrees when we left!

One of the things we love but missed seeing this year was the judging of the 4-H kids with their livestock. Bidders pay top dollar at the after-fair auction for the hand-raised quasi-pets. We also missed the horse races, the herding dog demonstrations, the pig races (oh yeah, pig races!) and the corn husking competition (Dawn’s even entered a couple times over the years!) And no, I didn’t allow them to launch me 180 feet into the air with a giant rubber band this year. Good thing, too, because there was a mishap. A “rubber band” snapped and left the two riders stranded 80 feet in the air (thank goodness for the safety cable) and a bit shaken up!

We finally received word that Canon has repaired and shipped Dawn’s new pocket camera, but not in time for the Fair. So I took my Nikon and a “walk around” lens to try, in one visit, to capture at least some of the flavor of the event. I’ve posted 40 images… Enjoy!

A reminder: All the album images are clickable; once in the album, clicking on an image enlarges it, clicking again returns you to the regular sized image.