Egypt with the kids, 1999

The title says it all, at least for now.

121 Mount Archer Road

Photos from March 2003 of the house where my parents lived their entire married life, and raised us kids:

Wisdom/humor: "Republican Debate Review."

Bill Maher
Host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher"
Posted: 02/23/2012
The Republicans sure have the right symbol with the elephant. Republican debates are nothing but elephants in the room.

The biggest of which must be: to someone out there who's hurting, they spend the whole two hours yammering away about earmarks and illegal immigrants and contraception and every other peripheral, wish-I-had-the-time-to-worry-about-it issue they can think of.

Then there is the elephant of how they all -- with the sometime exception of Ron Paul -- nod along to insane statements just because they don't want to ever look like they're to the left of anybody, on anything, especially the evilness of Barack Obama. So Wednesday night when Newt said the president of the United States had a history of practicing infanticide... yep, yep, yessir, that's what he does all right. Clubs infants like baby seals in his spare time. Ike played golf, Kennedy liked boating...

Ron Paul said foreign aid just helps our enemies. Which, I believe, would make Israel and Egypt our two biggest enemies. Yup, yup, hate foreign aid. A meaningless percentage of the budget, btw.

Click here to read more Bill Maher.

How to be more like Satan

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Often in the midst of my second glass of whisky do I ponder how it can be that seemingly savvy and knowledgeable people, people who clearly know better, people who you sense have a modicum of wisdom and perspective despite steaming piles of evidence to the contrary, how can such humans so brutally decide against their own better judgment, against their own inner voice, against what they must know, way down deep, to be honest and true?

More broadly: How can it be that we as individuals, as a species so often override our most innate, potent knowing simply because it is the popular choice, or the thing that will gain us more votes, or Likes, or money or candy or sex or time or power or support or accolades or cocktails or bonus points or awards? Particularly when we understand that such a choice will put us squarely on a collision course with illness, pain and prescription meds by the fistful?

Click here to read more Mark Moford.

Knicks' Jeremy Lin holds mirror up to America

As Lin captivates fans with basketball prowess, he also makes people confront their biases and reassess why Asian Americans have been publicly categorized in ways unacceptable for other minorities.
By Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
February 20, 2012
Of all the drives, dunks and dazzling shots Jeremy Lin is forcing upon the stars of the NBA, none of it compares with the moves he's putting on a larger collection of everyday people.

Jeremy Lin has dribbled America into the previously quiet corner of its casual prejudice and lazy stereotypes of Asian Americans.

The true beauty of his story is in awareness of the ugliness that has been found there.

It's been barely two weeks since the beginning of a tale that rocked the sports world with great basketball and bad puns, but so much already has changed. When America now looks at Lin, it should see more than an Asian American kid from Harvard who overcame ignorance at every level to become a star guard for the New York Knicks.

America should see itself in the murky reflection of a society that has long considered it reasonable to publicly categorize Asian Americans in ways that would never be acceptable for other, more vocal minorities.

America should see the writer from Foxsports.com who began the barrage of ignorance last week by tweeting a tired joke about the assumed size of Lin's manhood. The guy apologized, but his company did not, which should not be surprising considering Fox Sports is also the outfit that last fall aired a segment in which a reporter ridiculed Asian Americans at USC for not understanding football.

Click here to read more about Jeremy's impact.

Where to Go to Understand the World in 2012

January 6, 2012
Where to Go to Understand the World in 2012
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

If you want to understand the world, you need to understand Asia. That, in turn, means setting foot in China and India. Together, those two countries account for one-third of humanity and much of the world’s recent economic growth. They reflect two of our richest civilizations, two broad religious traditions and a vast share of the world’s artistic heritage — and its future.

So fly to Beijing and Shanghai, Xian and Guangzhou. But don’t just visit the giant metropolises. Go also to the countryside that is China’s soul. Visit a town like Datong, west of Beijing, home to stunning carved Buddhas several stories high. They are 1,500 years old and one of the most amazing sights in China, yet few foreign tourists know of Datong.

Not far away is the stunning Hanging Monastery, perched precariously on the side of a cliff. And Datong can be used as a base to see parts of the Great Wall that haven’t been restored. Nobody charges admission: they just sit there, waiting to be explored.
Alternatively, especially in winter, go south to the warmer landscape of the Guangxi region. From Guilin, take a boat trip down the Li River, with views of those jutting spires that are featured in Chinese art, and spend a couple of days in the lovely town of Yangshuo. From there, you can easily rent bikes and explore the nearby countryside.
Wherever you go, drop in on a village. Residents will be surprised but hospitable, and if you have a Chinese speaker to translate, then you can have great conversations. Or drop by the local school, and you may find an English teacher delighted to practice conversational skills.

Check out Datong on Wikipedia.

Nicholas D. Kristof
Born April 27, 1959
Yamhill, Oregon, United States
Alma mater Harvard College
Magdalen College, Oxford

Nicholas Kristof (born April 27, 1959 in Yamhill, Oregon) is an American journalist, author, op-ed columnist, and a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. He has written an op-ed column for The New York Times since November 2001 and The Washington Post says that he "rewrote opinion journalism" with his emphasis on human rights abuses and social injustices, such as human trafficking and the Darfur conflict.[1] Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has described Kristof as an "honorary African" for shining a spotlight on neglected conflicts.

E.J.Dionne: Romney’s Big Problem: A Missing Aura of Electability

By E.J. Dionne Jr., Nation of Change online
February 20, 2012
Mitt Romney has lost his central asset. It is no longer obvious that he is the Republican with the best chance of defeating President Obama.

Romney was never fully trusted or liked by the staunchest conservatives, a rather large Republican constituency. But until now, enough of them have been willing to swallow their doubts at critical moments because they believed the former Massachusetts governor was the one potential nominee who could win the election.

This is not true anymore. Reflecting the damage Romney’s image has suffered in the six weeks since voting started in Iowa, he is running little better than Rick Santorum, now his main opponent, in matchups with the president. And both of them are losing.

Click here to read more E.J. Dionne.