My 60th Birthday party

My 60th Birthday party
Originally uploaded by Snap Man

I knew only that David and Kenlyn were coming over - but then the food and drinks started rolling out, and came a knock on the door: Darryl, Angela, and Kaitlin, with Liz, Gary, and Jeanne, saying "Surprise!" Now I knew what Darryl meant the other day when he said he and Angela had "plans" for the weekend! Robin proceeded to lay out a spread of chips, veggies, dips, clams, mussels, sardines, and fruit. Then grilled portobello mushrooms and salmon off the grill. Finally, cake, ice cream, and watermelon. Thank you sweetheart! I had a GREAT time!

The President's Oath

Andrew Sullivan has it right:

It needs to be stated again and again that the fundamental job of the president is not to protect the people of America, but to protect their constitution. This president has gotten things exactly the wrong way round. In a terror war, we have to acclimatize ourselves to the fact that many Americans may have to die as a consequence of a collective decision not to become a police state or a presidential protectorate. A free country that remains free in the face of terror will necessarily have many casualties. A police state would have fewer casualties. Given a choice between a loss of life and retaining constitutional liberties, what would you pick? And what would the first Americans have picked?

We've slid a long way, haven't we?

L. A. Times to put ads on the front page

More evidence of the sad decline of a once-excellent paper.

More bad news about our food supply

In The Dark Side of Soy, Mary Vance offers words of caution:

Soy is indigenous to Eastern Asia, where it was once considered toxic and used only as a cover crop. It was eventually fermented for better digestibility; it had long been known that soy caused extreme digestive distress if consumed raw or undercooked. Fermenting soy deactivates these harmful constituents and creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive and overall wellness.

...Asian populations may have had success with soy because they are consuming primarily the fermented forms.

Soy is everywhere in our food supply, as the star in cereals and health-promoting foods or hidden discreetly in processed foods...

Agri-giant Monsanto obtained FDA approval to market GM soy in 1996, and by 2004, a staggering 85 percent of the US crop was genetically modified...

Soy's naturally occurring phytates block absorption of essential minerals such as zinc. This is most worrisome for vegans and vegetarians consuming soy as their main source of protein, and for women in menopause who may be further upping their soy intake through supplements. The highest risk population is infants...

Idyllwild

It seems like it hasn't changed since the last time I was here, in 1990 - still quaint, arty, and quiet - no chain stores or restaurants allowed. We stayed two nights in a one-bedroom "rustic cabin" that had a stone fireplace, kitchen, and wireless internet connection(!).

Picnic dinner at Barnsdale Park

We packed a picnic and set out for one of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Screenings -but the cemetery was so jammed that we had our picnic at Barnsdale Park instead, and then went to see "Sicko" at the Arclight. Robin, James, and Cynthia, June 30, 2007