To test the enhanced WordPress blog-by-email plug-in which allows one to post messages with inline graphics (written by John Blade) I selected this shot of Donnelly Jacobson (son of Ken and Nicole Jacobson) getting his first haircut at the Yellow Balloon on Ventura Blvd. If a picture appears below, it worked!

(You can download the plug-in here .)

(in reverse chronological order)

ON PAGE TWENTY-SIX

(for Nancy Cruzan)

the papers are filled with
talk of war and gasoline,
parched deserts and
banks gone bad.
the woman in missouri
hears none of this,
only the voices of
doctors and nurses,
judges and loved ones
squabbling over quality of life.

like them, i also had to choose.
i wonder still if i chose wisely.

some wait for houdini to return
with tales of the hereafter.
i wait for you to send word
that you concur with the courts,
that you are finally
and gratefully
at peace.

Kathy Hand
12/15/90

(Click here to read about Nancy Cruzan.)

iTunes is currently playing: History Repeating from the album Decksandrumsandrockandroll by Propellerheads & Miss Shirley Bassey.

iTunes is currently playing: Stand And Fight from the album Dad Loves His Work by James Taylor.

... to speak for the ENTIRE WORLD??? I think I'd like that job!

Actor Richard Gere has recorded a TV commercial urging Palestinians to vote in their election Sunday.

In a transcript obtained by The Associated Press, he said: "Hi, I'm Richard Gere, and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important: Get out and vote."

Appearing with Gere in the spot are the head of the Islamic court in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem.

The spot is apparently an attempt to use both glamour and religion to get Palestinians to the polls. It will air soon. It's unclear what kind of sway Gere may have with Palestinians. One man who appeared with him in the spot said he'd never heard of Gere.

The ad will be aired on Palestinian TV and Arabic satellite channels in the next few days.

iTunes is currently playing: I Want Everyone To Like Me from the album Bad Love by Randy Newman.

I love chain stores and restaurants. I love that I can walk into any Target or Wal-Mart in the country and find exactly what I want. I love that those sinfully delicious, artery-clogging, buttery Popeye's biscuits taste exactly the same regardless of the state I am in when I buy them.

I don't understand people who fight to keep the "big box" guys out of their cities. Do they enjoy paying more for their CDs and cat litter? Or do they not understand that if Wal-Mart paid its employees twice as much it would also have to charge twice as much for everything it sells?

I followed the news stories a while back regarding Wal-Mart's unsuccessful attempt to open a store in Inglewood, CA. In an area where residents complain about both high unemployment and the high prices they pay for goods at their local stores, they voted to keep Wal-Mart from opening a store that would have employed hundreds and sold them food and household products for much less than they currently pay. Go figure.

So I was thrilled to read the other day that the tactics of the Wal-Mart haters in Rosemead, CA backfired on them! They put forth a referendum that they thought would prevent Wal-Mart from opening a Supercenter by overturning an existing development agreement between Wal-Mart and the city. They couldn't figure out why the Wal-Mart folks were in favor of the referendum, which was ultimately approved. As it turns out, Wal-Mart is going to be able to put up their store much sooner now that it is not bound by the original agreement.

And the moral of this story is: Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it!

iTunes is currently playing: The Winner Takes It All from the album Mamma Mia! [Bonus Tracks] by Siobhan McCarthy.

I was thinking about Thanksgiving today. I know where most members of my immediate family spent the day but I have no idea what my sister Janice did or what she usually does that day.

Does she typically go someplace for Thanksgiving dinner -- to the home of some relative or in-law, perhaps? Or does she make Thanksgiving dinner herself?

And it occurs to me that I have no idea if she knows how to cook a turkey. In fact, I don't know if she knows how to cook at all.

How is it possible that I don't know this about my sister?

iTunes is currently playing: This One's for the Girls from the album Martina by Martina McBride.