I'm Gina Smith

A little Kipling for Memorial Day. Let's keep our heads about us.

 

By Rudyard Kipling.

If If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Says Shakespeare on the New Year.

"Why, then the world's mine oyster/which I with sword will open." Will Shakespeare.

New Year' greetings to all of you -- and hoping you all open your oysters in 2011 with great, sharp swords!

 

Where Memorial Day comes from. (The History Channel)

The US started celebrating fallen soldiers after the Civil War -- and yes, some Southern states still celebrate a separate "confederate memorial day." Here's a nice piece I found in case any of you are curious.

Below:

Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

• The History of Veterans Day

  First observed as Armistice Day, November 11th is now Veterans Day, a U.S. federal holiday dedicated to honoring veterans who served honorably in war or peacetime.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech -- in full.

As delivered by Martin Luther King:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

On the sixth day of xmas, a day in the park! I'm the one that's dressed like Johnny Cash.

On the third day of Christmas ...

I attended the annual latke party at Fred Paul's (and Pam's and Grant's) Noe Valley house. No French hens to be found, but an amazing array of potato pancakes and fixins. Fred used to be my exec editor at Electronic Entertainment magazine, took it over when I went to ABC News, and now runs the site bmighty.com. Look for it on my site links.

And in all these years, he still has the same couch. It's still a good-looking couch to be sure, but it is nice when time stands still. Where is my camera when I need it?

I have a paper due in three days. If on the sixth day of xmas I have thing completed, it truly will be a seasonal miracle!

Merry Christmas!

World's largest Santa Claus ice sculpture in ... China.

 

 

HARBIN, China (Reuters) - China's freezing northern city of Harbin is building what organizers say is the world's largest Santa Claus ice sculpture.

The giant Father Christmas, 160 meters (525 ft) long and 24 meters high, centers on an enormous face of Father Christmas, complete with flowing beard and hat.

Its huge size and unseasonably warm temperatures have made the job especially challenging, said Tang Guangjun, one of the sculptors.

"It is even bigger and higher than last year's, and more difficult. The weather swings between warm and cold, so it becomes very wet and slippery on the ice. It is very dangerous for us," he told Reuters Television.

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province on the edge of Siberia, is one of China's coldest places. Winter temperatures can drop to below minus 35 degrees Celsius (- 31 F).

Every year the city plays host to a world-renowned ice festival. But the effects of global warming are taking a toll as the snow and ice now melt more rapidly than in the past.

Organizers said they had to artificially make snow for the Santa Claus sculpture.

Still, the sculpture has attracted thousands of tourists from all over the country who want to enjoy a white Christmas despite worries over the economic downturn.

Many said such tourism could help to boost the economy.

"It can stimulate the economy and consumption. When people feel happier, they will want to spend more, so it will lift the economy of the city and even the country," said Li Qingsheng, a tourist from Beijing.

Officials in Harbin remained optimistic about the tourist outlook for the winter.

An estimated 800,000 tourists, 90 per cent of them Chinese, were expected to visit the ice festival, said Jia Yan, director of the local tourism bureau.

The festival traditionally runs from mid-December to early February.

Happy Holidays Victoria and Alexandra Cowan!

Just a quick note to wish you both a great Christmas and New Year. Hope Starbucks knows what a star it has, Vic. As for you Alexander, Happy Birthday too and I bet your shining in those acting lessons. I expect to see you in my local theater someday!

Love, Gina, Henry and Eric.

Non-offensive Christmas greetings. (from the woz list.)

I figured this applied to me, so here goes. Very funny but so true -- especially here in California.

To Whom it May Concern....

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

In addition, please also accept our best wishes for a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make this country great (not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other country or area of choice), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual orientation of the wishers.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wisher her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non- implementation of it.

This greeting is void where prohibited by law.

Eric and Santa.

Nothing says the HOLIDAYS like the annual Santa picture. I notice there is less crying and more eager begging as every year passes.

Mean neighbor beat by large decorative candy cane. (Sacramento)

And so the holidays begin.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A man who allegedly threatened neighbors with a knife on Thanksgiving was beaten with a large decorative candy cane wielded by a bystander, Sacramento police said.

A bystander picked up a 2-foot-long candy cane decoration, smacked Kercell with it and disarmed him, Leong said.

When police arrived, they found Kercell sprawled on a lawn.

Kercell was later arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

The person who used the candy cane to beat Kercell was not arrested, authorities said.

Leong said it was not immediately clear why Kercell confronted his neighbors.

The day after.

The Backyard Party Boys (And I say: Amazing.)

Sometimes I really miss those days playing in a band.

At The Music Store (West Portal District, San Francisco), owner Shelby has a bluegrass show every week. The bands are most often stellar. Today's was amazing.

If you have a chance to see the Backyard Party Boys -- especially when they're with guitarist and jamming singer Mark Comstock -- do not miss it. That said, get their new album -- Rock'n in a Weary World -- if you can. And if you're in the area, try to catch them. You can trust me. When I say they jam, I do mean jam.

Click here for their website.

Excellente!

Happy Mother's Day! (me and a hot fudge sundae!)

A thought for your May Day.

From Truthout.org.

"We Are Workers, Not Criminals"
    By David Bacon
    t r u t h o u t | Perspective

    Thursday 01 May 2008

    In the big immigrant marches that swept the country on May Day in 2006 and 2007, one sign said it all: "We are Workers, not Criminals!" Often it was held in the calloused hands of men and women, who looked as though they'd just come from working in a factory, cleaning an office building or picking grapes.

    The sign stated an obvious truth. Millions of people have come to this country to work, not to break its laws. Some have come with visas, and others without them. But they are all contributors to the society they've found here, not people who mean it harm. Again this May Day, immigrant workers are filling the streets, making the same point.

    Yet, today the Federal government is taking actions that make holding a job a criminal act. Some states and local communities, seeing a green light from the Department of Homeland Security, are passing measures that go even further. These actions need a reality check.

    Last summer, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff proposed a rule requiring employers to fire any worker who couldn't correct a mismatch between the Social Security number they'd provided their employer, and the SSA database. The regulation assumes those workers have no valid immigration visa, and therefore no valid Social Security number.

    With 12 million people living in the US without legal immigration status, the regulation would lead to massive firings, bringing many industries and businesses to a halt. Citizens and legal visa holders would be swept up as well, since the Social Security database is often inaccurate.

    Under Chertoff, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted sweeping workplace raids, arresting and deporting thousands of workers. Many have been charged with an additional crime - identity theft - because they used a Social Security number belonging to someone else to get a job. Yet, workers using another number actually deposit money into that holder's account, and these immigrants will never collect benefits their contributions paid for.

    The Arizona legislature has passed a law requiring employers to verify the immigration status of every worker through a federal database called E-Verify, which is even more incomplete and full of errors than Social Security. They must fire workers whose names get flagged. And Mississippi passed a bill making it a felony for an undocumented worker to hold a job, with jail time of from one year to ten years, fines of up to $10,000, and no bail for anyone arrested. Employers get immunity.

    Congress is now debating two bills, the SAVE Act and the New Employee Verification Act, that would require similar use of the E-Verify database.

    In 1986 the Immigration Reform and Control Act made it a crime, for the first time in our history, to hire people without papers. Defenders argued that if people could not legally work they would leave. Life was not so simple.

    Undocumented people are part of the communities they live in. They will not simply go, nor should they. They seek the same goals of equality and opportunity that everyone else in our country believes in.

    For most, there are no jobs to return to in the countries from which they've come. Rufino Dominguez, a Oaxacan community leader in Fresno, says, "The North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] made the price of corn so low that it's not economically possible to plant a crop anymore. We come to the US to work because there's no alternative."

    When Congress passed NAFTA, six million displaced people came to the US as a result. If Congress stops passing new free trade agreements, and instead faces the damage NAFTA and other pro-corporate measures did in Mexico, the poverty and desperation that fuel migration can eventually be reversed.

    Trying to push people out of the US who've come here for survival simply won't work. The price of trying is that the vulnerability of undocumented workers will increase. Unscrupulous employers use that vulnerability to deny overtime, minimum wage, or fire workers when they protest or organize. Increased vulnerability ultimately results in cheaper labor and fewer rights for everyone. Children live in fear that their parents will be picked up in raids.

    After deporting over 1,000 workers at Swift meatpacking plants, Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff called for linking "effective interior enforcement and a temporary-worker program." The government is really after giving cheap labor to large employers. Deportations, firings and guest worker programs all make labor cheaper and union organizing harder. They contribute to a climate of fear and insecurity for everyone.

    Instead of making work a crime and treating immigrants as criminals, we need equality, economic security, jobs and rights for everyone.

A great site for buying green cleaning products.

And Happy Earth Day!

Click here.

Says Wallace Stevens (on Easter)

"Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol.  It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood. " Wallace Stevens, 1916

Hope you don't have a "love" stock. (Reuters)

As a journalist, I don't get to hold stock. Lucky for me. From IGS, Happy Valentines Day!

See Reuters excerpt below.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cupid's arrow apparently missed many investors on Valentine's Day.

The shares of companies selling some of the typical Valentine's Day buys -- shiny baubles, chocolates and bouquets of roses -- were mostly lower on Thursday, following a sell-off in the broader stock market.

Shares of flower seller FTD Group Inc were down 4 percent at $12.85, while shares of luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co  were down 1.9 percent at $39.15 and shares of Hershey Co. slipped 0.7 percent to $35.63.

The business of Valentine's Day has become bigger than ever. Americans are expected to spend a total of over $17 billion on gifts for the holiday, according to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGresearch.

But the buying binge didn't spill over into love stocks. Their declines came as the three major stock indexes tumbled more than 1 percent each, after Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke's said he saw sluggish economic growth ahead and ratings agency Moody's downgraded bond insurer FGIC Corp's "AAA" rating.

In addition, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson warned about downside risks to economic growth.

"With Paulson speaking and Bernanke, in my portfolio I've got a few green things, but not a whole lot," said Brent Wilsey, president of Wilsey Asset Management in San Diego.

Still, Wilsey said investors shouldn't dump these love stocks.

An excellent non-commercial Valentine's Day idea

... that might actually help someone.

One of my former coworkers, Ben Calica, sent me this. I couldn't resist passing it on.

I'm working with a company that is doing a cool little something for Valentines Day.  Rather than the standard buy consumer goods, they have set up a pathway to let people do something good in the name/spirit of their sweetie.  For example, rather than give a stuffed animal, give a needy family a Llama through Heifer.org.

There is nothing nefarious here.  Names will not be used for any ill, they are just trying to be a conduit for getting some good done in the world.  The company, Polka.com has random acts of kindness a couple of times before, helping a family after the San Diego wildfires and adopting families in over the holidays, and they are building it into who they are as a company.

I'm hoping for your help in spreading out the word about it.

They are calling it Random Acts of Love

Link to find out more about it:

http://blog.polka.com/

Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks!

-Ben

Wild holiday children, my present to you, and pagans.

Yes, we'll be ripping up presents under a Christmas tree tomorrow California style. My little boy is going to be going wild in about six hours, meaning I should go to bed.

However, I know there is an ongoing controversy regarding pagan traditions in Christmas, and I found a great website that wraps it all up quite nicely. Excuse the pun.

And happy holidays, readers. If you didn't check out the last post -- with the optical illusion -- do me a favor and check it out. It's my holiday present to you.

Happy Halloween!

Be scared, very scared.

Twenty years ago today ...

I was in a near deadly car accident with a private investigator named Kevin B. and an unknown passenger in the backseat. (He fled the scene.)

We were all lucky to be alive. Talk about a Halloween scare. I still have windshield glass coming out of my forehead, no exaggeration!

Be safe and have a happy Halloweenie!

gs

War Without End (NYT editorial today)

Find the whole editorial here. Excerpt below from today's New York Times.

War Without End

NYT May 27, 2007

Never mind how badly the war is going in Iraq. President Bush has been swaggering around like a victorious general because he cowed a wobbly coalition of Democrats into dropping their attempt to impose a time limit on his disastrous misadventure.

By week’s end, Mr. Bush was acting as though that bit of parliamentary strong-arming had left him free to ignore not just the Democrats, but also the vast majority of Americans, who want him to stop chasing illusions of victory and concentrate on how to stop the sacrifice of young Americans’ lives.

And, ever faithful to his illusions, Mr. Bush was insisting that he was the only person who understood the true enemy.

Speaking to graduates of the Coast Guard Academy, Mr. Bush declared that Al Qaeda is “public enemy No. 1” in Iraq and that “the terrorists’ goal in Iraq is to reignite sectarian violence and break support for the war here at home.” The next day, in the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush turned on a reporter who had the temerity to ask about Mr. Bush’s declining credibility with the public, declaring that Al Qaeda is “a threat to your children” and accusing him of naïvely ignoring the danger.

It’s upsetting to think that Mr. Bush believes the raging sectarian violence in Iraq awaits reigniting, or that he does not recognize that Americans’ support for the war broke down many bloody months ago. But we have grown accustomed to this president’s disconnect from reality and his habit of tilting at straw men, like Americans who don’t care about terrorism because they question his mismanagement of the war or don’t worry about what will happen after the United States withdraws, as it inevitably must.

The really disturbing thing about Mr. Bush’s comments is his painting of the war in Iraq as an obvious-to-everyone-but-the-wrongheaded fight between the United States and a young Iraqi democracy on one side, and Al Qaeda on the other. That fails to acknowledge that the Shiite-dominated government of Iraq is not a democracy and is at war with many of its own people. And it removes all pressure from the Iraqi leadership — and Mr. Bush — to halt the sectarian fighting and create a real democracy.

There is no doubt that organized Islamist terrorism — call it Al Qaeda or by any other name — is a dire threat. There is also no doubt that terrorists entered Iraq — mostly after the war began.

We, too, believe that Iraq has to be made as stable as possible so the United States can withdraw its troops without unleashing even more chaos and destruction. But Mr. Bush is not doing that and his version of reality only makes it more unlikely. The only solution lies with the Iraqi leaders, who have to stop their sectarian blood feud and make a real attempt to form a united government. That is their best chance to stabilize the country, allow the United States to withdraw and, yes, battle Al Qaeda.

The Democrats who called for imposing benchmarks for political progress on the Iraqis, combined with a withdrawal date for American soldiers, were trying to start that process. It’s a shame they could not summon the will and discipline to keep going, but we hope they have not given up. As disjointed as the Democrats have been, their approach makes far more sense than Mr. Bush’s denial of Iraq’s civil war and his war-without-end against terror.

Happy Mother's Day!

This day is an ancient celebration. It goes back at least to the Roman holiday of Maternalia, probably further.

Click here for details.

How to make an Easter Egg! (I know.)

I do not pretend to be Ms. Homemaker --  after all, I have books, speeches, TV work, freelance writing, and biggest of all, a TODDLER -- but I have managed to become a decent cook over the years. A vegetarian cook, admittedly, but still, pretty good. My quiche is unbeatable.

But I have to admit I have never boiled an egg. Yesterday, we made Easter Eggs for Eric and I actually had to go online to figure out how to boil an egg. Click on this link.

p.s. The colors are a lot brighter if you add vinegar to the mixture! Who knew?

The art of re-gifting.

From Reuters.

NEW YORK, (Reuters Life!) - For Christmas this year, New York comedienne Margaret Champagne is giving her boyfriend's parents 2-year-old candles that had been gathering dust under her bed.

"Unless they run it through some re-gifting machine, or try to lift my fingerprints off it, how are they going to know it's a re-gift?" Champagne said in an interview while doing her Christmas shopping at the Manhattan Mall in New York City.

"They even live in another state. Besides, the candles had been under my bed for so long, it's like they are looking for a perfect home." Champagne said she sees nothing wrong with giving unwanted presents to others as gifts and a survey conducted earlier this year by Harris Interactive and Tassimo Hot Beverage System showed she is far from alone.

Its results, which were released in October, showed that 78 percent of the more than 1,500 consumers polled think it's acceptable to re-gift some, or most, of the time.

More than 60 percent of the women surveyed admitted to re-gifting, or said they would do so in the future, compared with 37 percent of the men.

The term was popularized on an episode of the television series "Seinfeld," when character Elaine Benes angrily branded a friend a "re-gifter" for giving Jerry the same label-maker she had originally bought for the friend.   

Santa Shortage!

From today's Reuters.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin is facing an acute shortage of Santas just a month before Christmas, the head of a Father Christmas placement agency said Monday.

The director of Berlin's "Heinzelmaennchen" agency, which provides Santas to thousands of Berlin families every Christmas Eve, said he was having trouble getting enough qualified help.

"We prefer chubby men, of course, ideally with a real beard but we're not picky and take what we get," said director Rene Heydeck, whose official title is Ober-Weinachtsmann (chief Santa Claus).

The Santas, many of whom are students, earn 28 euros ($37) a visit for bringing a sack of presents provided by the parents into each home and handing them out. But Santas must also pay 45 euros for a costume and give the agency 15 percent of earnings.

"In a lot of families in Berlin it's a tradition that carries on even after the children grow older and stop believing," Heydeck said.

Each Santa visits an average of 10 to 12 families, although some have managed up to 20.

"It's hard work and sometimes you have to run faster if you fall behind schedule," Heydeck said. "But it's great fun."

A Tofurkey Thanksgiving

Okay, just to reinforce your opinion of me as a tree-hugging Californian, I will tell you about what we just finished eating this Thanksgiving.

Tofurkey!

Tofurkey is misnamed - it is actually made of Seitan -- and it worked. Okay, it is no turkey. But with the mushroom gravy and stuffing the Tofurkey package included, it was ... close.

And worth it. After seeing the PETA footage (which I posted last week) of Butterball Turkeys treated as live soccer balls on the factory floor, I finally decided to stop the hypocricy about being a vegan and then eating Turkey once a year.

So the dinner -- especially the fixings -- was amazing. Thanksgiving is concluding. And we saved a turkey.

Just give me a self-righteous pat on the back, but I am feeling good about it! (And not sleepy!)

Says George Will (on Thanksgiving)

A nice Thanksgiving column in the SJ Merc today. Click here.

I do NOT admit to this.

From today's Reuters.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Wrapping up that unwanted picture frame from last Christmas and giving it to someone else as a gift might not be as taboo as it once was, according to a study released on Wednesday.

The survey of 1,505 American adults, conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive, found that over half of the respondents admitted to "re-gifting" with passing on gifts becoming a far more common and acceptable phenomenon.

In fact 78 percent of consumers who were polled felt that it was acceptable to re-gift some or most of the time.

Nancy Wong, a spokeswoman for Harris Interactive, said she was surprised by the number of people who admitted to re-gifting.

"It's not something I've thought about and when I saw that nearly half had done it -- 52 percent have re-gifted and or would re-gift -- it's quite a significant number," Wong told Reuters.

According to the survey, the mostly commonly re-gifted items were decorative household items, such as vases, paintings, picture frames and other trinkets.

Wong said that while 77 percent of respondents said they re-gifted because the item was perfectly suited to the new recipient, in some cases, the re-gift was far less generous.

The study showed that nine percent of people admitted that they re-gifted out of laziness to purchase a new gift and four percent confessed that they re-gifted out of dislike for the recipient.

A site that keeps track of how many killed in Iraq?

So far, 6424 American soldiers killed and 17,648 wounded.

Remember, on May 1, 2003, Bush declared the War "Mission Accomplished."

Click this site for a grisly daily tab.

Not much to barbeque about this year, is there?

I have been meaning to tell you this.

I have been meaning to share this with all you guys -- over 1000 of you now -- for a long time.

But it's Earth Day.

A while ago, I signed up to get a regular email from the Natural Resources Defense Fund. The idea was, they send me emails about ways the government or industry is destroying or trying to reverse government protections, and I get to email (with one click) my name onto a petition or an email to an official.

Their website is www.nrdfactionfund.org.

So finally, after years of wishing and doing nothing to help something I care about, this site finally did something. And succeeded! Check this out -- a letter I received from these folks after clicking on a button to stop Bush's reversal of the Clean Air Act. This would pollute the air further, rather than clean it up, the whole purpose of the act.

Quoted in full below. Now you will see why I highly recommend this. And I haven't (yet) given a cent, so don't worry it's a big money drainer. Your voice, I think, is what they need most.

Dear NRDC Action Fund Supporter,

Last year, you helped us win a critical victory when we blocked President Bush's Dirty Skies bill before it reached the Senate floor for a vote.

Now, I've got more good news to report on the clean air front. NRDC has turned back the Bush Administration's most aggressive attempt to dismantle the Clean Air Act for the sake of America's biggest polluters.

Four years ago, the Administration issued new rules that would have allowed 20,000 aging power plants, oil refineries and other big polluters to evade pollution controls required by law. These proposed changes, shaped directly by industry lobbyists, were little more than a payback to Big Oil and Big Coal for their lavish campaign contributions.

This devastating reversal of the Clean Air Act would have given ExxonMobil and other industry giants a free pass to clog our air with hundreds of thousands more tons of harmful pollution. And it could have led to a dramatic increase in asthma and heart attacks, hospitalizations and premature deaths. The most vulnerable -- children, seniors and those already struggling to breathe in our cities -- would have suffered the most.

In response, we mobilized thousands of our online activists to protest this unprecedented attack on our clean air safeguards. When the Bush Administration moved ahead anyway, NRDC raced to court and argued that the new rules would cause permanent injury to millions of Americans. In December 2003, the court took the unusual step of blocking the new rules from taking effect until the full case could be heard. Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals has issued a ruling that slams the door on the Administration's attempt to sabotage the Clean Air Act. The court rebuked the Bush plan for threatening the health of millions and undermining a law that was meant to limit pollution, not increase it! This victory proves once again that the courts are often our last line of defense against the Bush Administration's worst attacks. Thank you so much for helping to defend America's clean air law

Irish toasts! Here's to you.

I believe I am about 1/16th Irish. (Someday I will bore you with the other 15 parts). But today, I found a collection of Irish toasts on one of the About.com sites. I don't drink, so tip one back for me!

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night.

May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.

A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea.

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.

A friend's eye is a good mirror.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all.

May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you.

May the sound of happy music, and the lilt of Irish laughter, fill your heart with gladness, that stays forever after.

Can you give up Lent for Lent?

And is Jerry Garcia grateful to be dead?

In a search just now for Lent-appropriate quotes, I found this cute site.

To dust you will go.

When I was a child, this was the day they smeared ashes on your forehead and told you: You are dust and to dust you will go. Something very close to that, anyway.

To me back then, Lent was a 40 day build-up to Easter chocolate and, meanwhile, a time to give up the things you love too much.

I read today that Lent originally was a 40-hour period (symbolizing the 40 hours between crucifixion and the biblical resurrection) and that the word originally just meant "spring." I never knew that.

It feels like spring today in San Francisco. It finally stopped raining. And there are people walking around my neighborhood with ashes on their foreheads. To dust we will go, I suppose.

Says Abraham Lincoln (on justice vs. mercy)

"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits that strict justice." Abraham Lincoln.

Mardi Gras "rolls on."

How will N.O. pay for this? Ideas, anyone?

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Mardi Gras parades began rolling in New Orleans on Saturday, a symbol for many of both the city's proud commitment to its singular heritage and the deep uncertainties that cloud its recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Parade routes have been shortened, and the Carnival "krewes" that organize them urged to clean up as they go to cut down on police overtime and the cost of collecting the mountains of discarded boxes, bottles and beads that typically pile up at Mardi Gras.

But the show is going on, a sprawling two-week celebration for the some 200,000 residents who are back in the flood-ravaged city and the 250,000 others still displaced by the August hurricane.

"I think the city needs this," said Jeffrey Barrick, a 23-year veteran of the Bacchus krewe who was collecting the beads tossed from passing floats in a Friday night parade in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city.

Uptown parades got under way on Saturday.

New Orleans city government, which is effectively broke, has no idea of how it will pay for the $2.7 million in Mardi Gras-related expenses after it attracted only a single corporate sponsor -- Glad Products, a major trash bag maker.

Says Kahlil Gibran (on love)

And in the spirit of Valentine's Day ...

"It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations." Kahlil Gibran.

Take a hint from Japanese women.

TOKYO (Reuters) - It used to be Japanese women gave men a gift of chocolates on Valentine's Day.

These days, they're more likely to buy pricey chocolates costing up to $200 a box as a treat for themselves.

"It's a small luxury that I allow myself," said 39-year-old Reiko Nozawa, who usually buys champagne truffles for herself and a few other chocolates to share with her husband.

Nozawa is not alone.

Makers of 60 premium chocolate brands have set up special booths at Takashimaya Co., a department store in central Tokyo, where boxes of chocolates costing as much as 10,000-20,000 yen ($84-$168) are selling briskly, helped by Japan's economic recovery.

"There's been a trend the past two or three years for women to buy chocolates for themselves, as a sort of pat on the back for having worked hard," said Takashimaya spokeswoman Yoko Yanagisawa.

That can be on top of what they spend on others.

"I think I'll buy some premium chocolates for myself," said Yoshiko Okajima, a fashionably attired working mother, as she checked out chocolates for herself after spending 7,000 yen on her husband and 8-year-old son.

Tokyo is filled with Valentine Day chocolate adverts in the days leading up to February 14, and some manufacturers rake in about 20-30 percent of their annual sales in a few short weeks.

Until recently, most Japanese women bought cellophane-wrapped sweets in bulk from drugstores to give to colleagues or school friends as an "obligatory chocolate" on Valentine's Day.

A month later on "White Day" men return the favor by giving women gifts -- usually sweets but sometimes lingerie.   

Not into that Chinese New Year spirit, yet? (badlink fixed)

Then click this link to see an article and terrific video.

Happy Year of the Dog. Eat a tangerine. And no cooking or washing tomorrow!

I have a dream.

The "I have a dream" portion of the MLK speech.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that.

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Says Martin Luther King Jr. (on bent backs)

"A man can't ride your back unless it's bent." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Funny Hannukah song lyrics by Adam Sandler

I heard this on the radio (KFOG San Francisco) this a.m., and burst out laughing. Adam Sandler can be very funny. I am not Jewish -- well, actually, I am one quarter Jewish, I think -- but who cares?

Here are the lyrics:

Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Chanukah
So much funukah
To celebrate Chanukah
Chanukah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights

When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here's a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me
David Lee Roth lights the menorah
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah

Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli
Bowser from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli
Paul Newman's half Jewish, Goldie Hawn's half too
Put them together, what a fine lookin' Jew

You don't need "Deck The Halls" or "Jingle Bell Rock"
'Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock- both Jewish

Put on your yarmulke
It's time for Chanukah
The owner of the Seattle Supersonicahs
Celebrates Chanukah

O.J. Simpson, not a Jew
But guess who is? Hall of famer Rod Carew- he converted
We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby
Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish- not too shabby

Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is
Well he's not, but guess who is
All three Stooges
So many Jews are in showbiz
Tom Cruise isn't, but I heard his agent is

Tell your friend Veronica
It's time to celebrate Chanukah
I hope I get a harmonicah
Oh this lovely, lovely Chanukah
So drink your gin and tonicah
And smoke your marijuanikah
If you really, really wannakah
Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Chanukah
Happy Chanukah

Things you'll never see on a greeting card.

Heard your wife left you,
How upset you must be.
But don't fret about it...


She moved in with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking back over the years
that we've been together,
I can't help but wonder...


"What the hell was I thinking?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your wedding day!

Too bad no one likes your husband.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could two people as beautiful as you

Have such an ugly baby?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always wanted to have
someone to hold,
someone to love.
After having met you ..


I've changed my mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit, you brought Religion into my life.

I never believed in Hell until I met you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am...

That you're not here to ruin it for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your promotion.
Before you go...
Would you like to take this knife out of my back?

You'll probably need it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad!

(Available only in Tennessee, Kentucky & West Virginia)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy birthday! You look great for your age.

Almost Lifelike!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we were together,
you always said you'd die for me.
Now that we've broken up,

I think it's time you kept your promise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have been friends for a very long time ..

let's say we stop?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so miserable without you

it's almost like you're here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy.

Did you ever find out who the father was?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your friends and I wanted to do
something special for your birthday.

So we're having you put to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So your daughter's a hooker,
and it spoiled your day.
Look at the bright side,

it's really good pay.


(contributed to I'm Gina Smith by Steve Wozniak, and contributed to Woz by Lisa McCammon)

Visit Oceans Alive.

In honor of Earth Day, check out this cool site.

Easter and the full moon.

Why exactly does Easter Sunday move every year? And what does it all have to do with the full moon?

I found a true blue answer at this site. Here's an excerpt.

The commonly stated rule, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is somewhat misleading because it is not a precise statement of the actual ecclesiastical rules.

The actual conditions to determine the date for Easter are (1) Easter must be on a Sunday; (2) this Sunday must follow the 14th day of the paschal moon; (3) the paschal moon is that of which the 14th day (full moon) falls on or next follows the day of the vernal equinox; and (4) the equinox is fixed in the calendar as March 21. Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25.

In order that the date for Easter be incontrovertibly fixed, and determinable indefinitely in advance, the Church constructed special tables for calculating the time of the paschal moon. There are three major differences to note between the ecclesiastical system and the astronomical system. (1) The 14th day of the paschal moon is not necessarily identical to the time of astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical tables do not account for the full complexity of the lunar motion. (2) The vernal equinox has a precise astronomical definition determined by the actual motion of the Sun. It is the precise time at which the apparent longitude of the Sun is zero degrees. The actual date varies very slightly from year to year. In the ecclesiastical system the vernal equinox is fixed at March 21 regardless of the actual motion of the Sun. (3) The date of Easter is a specific calendar date. Easter starts when that date starts for your time zone. Astronomical phenomena occurs at a specific date and time all over the Earth at once.

Says Sigmund Freud (about the Irish)

"This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever." Sigmund Freud, speaking about the Irish.

The Ugly Christmas Lights website.

It's not too late to check. Is your house listed on this site?

www.uglychristmaslights.com

Better luck next year.

What would you pay for a cup of water Elvis Presley drank from?

Here it is: My first odd story of 2005.

According to Reuters, a North Carolina man bought a cup with water in it that Elvis Presley once sipped from. The buyer says he is keeping the cup -- though he is selling the remaining few spoons of water from in on eBay.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Wade Jones of North Carolina says he snared a plastic cup from which Elvis Presley drank at a concert in 1977 and kept the cup and the water for 27 years before selling the remaining few tablespoons of water on eBay.

The winning bid for the water was $455. He says he won't sell the cup.

A 40-year-old resident of Belmont, North Carolina, Jones said he was 13 when he attended a Presley concert at the Charlotte Coliseum in February, 1977, six months before the death of the rock 'n roll icon.

After the concert, Jones went to the stage looking for a souvenir. A policeman gave him the plastic foam cup, from which he had seen Elvis drinking earlier, he said.

Jones said he kept the cup and water in his freezer until 1985, when he transferred the water to a vial and sealed it. Over the years, he said, he acquired a photograph of Elvis holding the cup at that concert as authentication for his claim.

"I promise this thing is 100 percent legitimate," Jones said.

It was the $28,000 eBay sale of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich in which some people saw the image of the Virgin Mary that persuaded him to auction off his Elvis water.

"I've been selling on eBay since 2000. People said you ought to sell that Elvis cup," Jones said. "When I heard the recent news ... about the grilled cheese sandwich, I kind of thought about it.

"I didn't get $28,000, it's true," he said of the winning bid on the 3-4 tablespoons of water. "But I'm happy."

Jones said he got a lot of e-mails asking how much he wanted for the cup. He's not going to sell but is offering to allow the highest bidder to "exhibit" it for a short time. Minimum bid is $300.

"It's something I've had since I was 13 and I'm just not going to get rid of it," he said.