then there were gates

Ultimately, I felt that if you're in New York, you should go see The Gates, but they probably aren't worth ten hours on 800º, urine-scented buses.

this makes me happy

Proof that all is not lost:

General Motors Corp. is recalling nearly 200,000 vehicles because of various safety defects, federal regulators said Thursday.
The largest recall is of 155,465 pickups, vans and SUVs-- including the Hummer H2 -- because of possible brake malfunctions, the automaker and federal safety regulators said.
All of the affected vehicles are from the 2004 and 2005 model years and have Bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies. They are the Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado and Suburban; the GMC Savana, Sierra and Yukon XL; the GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak commercial trucks; and the Hummer H2, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

i'm so "aware"

This Slate article on "awareness" bracelets sent me to a site that provides some useful information when trying to be more aware. It has a handy list of all the things about which we need to be more aware, and corresponding bracelet color. Of course, with some much about which to be aware, there is a good deal of overlap. For instance, blue represents education, child abuse and interstitial cystitis (among other things).

What else would you expect from a website called AwarenessDepot.com?

rapid "response"

More than anything in the President's speech, I was stricken by the ineffectiveness of the Democrats' response. I thought we missed an opportunity to focus on why Social Security privatization is evil and wrong for America, and that Sen. Reid (D-NV) tried to sound like a grandfather and not a leader.

And of the President's speech, mostly I'm glad we don't have the troops to invade Iran, because it sure sounded like he wants to...