Wednesday, October 31, 2007

HALLOWEEN




This is a post I made in 2005 which I have updated a bit.

Halloween is one of those holidays when you wish your kids were still 2 or 3 or 4 years of age.
I remember back to when I took our young kids out "trick or treating" or covering the living room floor with newspapers to help them carve out pumpkins. I will never forget the time our son, age 2 or so, figured out what "trick or treating" was all about. It was like a light went on in his head; "hey, you walk up to some one's door and they give you candy." I remember when our daughter went out as a princes or the Swiss dress outfit she wore, oh ...so many years ago. My regret is that I did not let them go that extra block they always want to go.

History of University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium, Home of the "Fighting Ducks"



The following is a History of The University of Oregon's football stadium, Autzen Stadium, taken mostly from Wikipedia:

HISTORY
Prior to 1967, the Ducks played on Hayward Field. Recognizing that the football team had outgrown that facility, Oregon athletic director Leo Harris led a campaign to build a new stadium on 90 acres that he had acquired for the purpose in the 1950s.[2][3]

The stadium, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was built within an artificial crater to eliminate the need for multilevel ramps. As a result, construction took just nine months and cost approximately $2.5 million. $250,000 was contributed by the Autzen Foundation, headed by Portland lumberman Thomas J. Autzen, for whom the stadium was named.[4]



The first game played at Autzen Stadium was on September 23, 1967 in which Colorado defeated Oregon, 17-13. (I was there and it was my first Oregon football game) Oregon's first win in the stadium occurred on October 21, when Idaho was defeated 31-6. That was the only victory for Oregon at Autzen Stadium that year.

In 1995, the field was named Rich Brooks Field. Brooks, currently is the head coach at Kentucky, coached the Ducks from 1977-94, and led the Ducks to their first outright Pac-10 title in school history in 1994.

In 2002, a $90 million facelift and expansion added seating and luxury boxes to the south sideline, bringing capacity up to its current size. This expansion was due in large part to the generosity of Oregon alum Phil Knight. Since the 2002 expansion, the Ducks have continued to sell out every game. The Ducks have a current streak of 52 straight sellouts at Autzen going back to the 1999 season.

From 1997 to 2001, the Ducks had a 23-game home winning streak at Autzen Stadium that ended with a 49-42 loss to Stanford.

The stadium alternates with Reser Stadium at Oregon State University in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State.


Location and configuration
Autzen Stadium during a game.The stadium is located just north of the Willamette River, next to Alton Baker Park. Students typically travel to the stadium by walking from the Oregon campus over the Autzen Footbridge, which passes over the Willamette. The FieldTurf playing field is at an elevation of 420 feet (130 m) above sea level and is laid out in a non-traditional east-west orientation.

How Loud is Oregon's Autzen Stadium ?


This is from Wikopedia:

Autzen is renowned for its crowd noise. On October 27, 2007, during a 24-17 defeat of the USC Trojans, a record crowd of 59,277 fans was recorded at 127.2 decibels (louder than a jet taking off).[5] A similarly-loud 31-27 upset of third-ranked Michigan in 2003 prompted a Michigan Daily columnist to write[6]

“ Autzen's 59,000 strong make the Big House sound like a pathetic whimper. It's louder than ... The Swamp at Florida, The Shoe in Columbus, and Death Valley at Louisiana State. Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die. ”

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr later said that Autzen Stadium was the loudest stadium he'd ever been in.[7]

In 2006, a Sporting News columnist named Autzen the most intimidating college football stadium in the nation.[8]


Examples of Decibel Sounds for comparison:
Weakest sound heard 0dB
Whisper Quiet Library 30dB
Normal conversation (3-5') 60-70dB
Telephone dial tone 80dB
City Traffic (inside car) 85dB
Train whistle at 500', Truck Traffic 90dB
Subway train at 200' 95dB
Level at which sustained exposure may result in hearing loss 90 - 95dB
Power mower at 3' 107dB
Snowmobile, Motorcycle 100dB
Power saw at 3' 110dB
Sandblasting, Loud Rock Concert 115dB
Pain begins 125dB
Pneumatic riveter at 4' 125dB
Even short term exposure can cause permanent damage - Loudest recommended exposure WITH hearing protection 140dB
Sound of Oregon Fans at the Oregon vs U$C game on 10/27/07 at Autzen Stadium 127.2dB
Jet engine at 100', Gun Blast 140dB
Death of hearing tissue 180dB
Loudest sound possible 194dB

Do You know the way to Autzen Stadium ?







From the University of Oregon campus, it's over the Willamette River and through the woods to the nosiest football stadium in the United States. It's a wonderful walk on a nice fall Day. Go Ducks! Win the Day!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Oregon Ducks vs Arizona State Sun Devils


**********We will have a gut busting mother lovein college football game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Oregon this Saturday. If you love collage football it's hard to think of a bigger regular season college game. Big time college football at it's best. I submit to the college football world the following in support of my premise.

1.Two top 10 teams meet in a game that could determine who goes to the National Championship game in New Orleans or the Pac-10 championship and the Rose Bowl.

2.The Ducks are rated # 4 in the AP Poll and Arizona State is rated #6. ASU is undefeated and Oregon is 7 and 1.

3. The Ducks are rated # 4 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and Arizona State is rated #6

4. Arizona is rated # 4 in the BCS and the Ducks are rated #5

5. ESPN GameDay TV will be in Eugene for the 2nd time this season.

6. ESPN GameDay Radio will be in Eugene for the game.

7. ESPN TV will broadcast the game nationwide outside of Oregon and Arizona

8. Fox Sports will broadcast the game in Oregon and Arizona (Fox Sports Northwest and Fox Sports Arizona)

9. Westwood One will broadcast the game nationwide on the Radio.

10. Well traveled Bad Boy Coach Dennis Erickson will lead the ASU Sun Devils into Autzen Stadium

11. Oregon QB Dennis Dixson is working his way up in the Heisman Trophy competition.

12. This may be the last season to watch, Junior Oregon Running Back, Jonathan Stewart before he heads to the NFL

13. 60,000 Oregon Fans will be yelling their hearts out in the nosiest stadium in the nation and the wackiest Fans.

LETS GO DUCKS....WIN THE DAY!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Oregon Ducks are now Bowl Eligible


In all the excitement in the win over U$C and the fact that ESPN Gameday is coming back to Autzen, is the fact that at 7 and 1 the Ducks are now Bowl eligible. Under the college football rules in order to go to a Bowl Game a team has to have more wins than losses. Therefor, since Oregon has a 12 game regular season they, even if they lost their last four games they would still go to a Bowl. There is an exception that allows a team to go to a Bowl to fulfill conference obligations if the team has an equal number of wins and losses if no other team is eligible to fulfill the conferences obligations to that Bowl. Of course, we now do not need to rely upon that exception Go Ducks beat ASU!

ESPN GameDay: Welcome Back to the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium!



Seems like you hardly left. Go Ducks beat Arizona State.

ESPN Game Day back to Eugene this Saturday!


The Eugene Register Guard Duck Blog has just confirmed that both TV and Radio ESPN Game Day will be in Eugene, Oregon, a SECOND time, this season for the Oregon Ducks vs Arizona State University football game. This is the SECOND time in two weeks that two top ten teams have played at Autzen Stadium. Go Ducks

The radio version, that is. That much has been confirmed. Still awaiting word on the TV crew, but I like Oregon’s chances. LSU-Alabama is the other great option.

UPDATE (12:51 p.m.): TV will be here too, Oregon has just been told.


UPDATE from the University of Oregon Atletic Department:


Lee, Kirk and Co. Return for an Encore

EUGENE, Ore. – ESPN College GameDay has confirmed it will produce its weekly college football preview show from the University of Oregon for the second time this season prior to the Ducks’ home game vs. Arizona State.

Kickoff for the football game, which is currently slated to be televised locally on the Oregon Sports Network, will be 3:45 p.m. (PDT).

The premier college football pre-game show, which has aired weekly on ESPN since its inception in 1989, also originated from outside of Autzen Stadium on Sept. 29, when Oregon, ranked 11th at the time, hosted then No. 6 California. Saturday will mark the first time College GameDay as made two trips to the same Pac-10 school in one season.

The program features hosts Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, and will air live from 7 a.m.-9 a.m. (PDT). The show began producing the telecast from college campuses around the country in 1993.

Details surrounding the exact site of the production will be released early this week, with the general public encouraged to be part of the production free of charge.

This will be the third Eugene appearance for the show, which includes features, predictions and highlights of some of this week’s top games from around the country, and the fourth time the Ducks have played a role in the network’s award-winning college football preview show. The production’s first Oregon appearance occurred in 2000 when it made its first-ever appearance in the Pacific Northwest on Sept. 23 prior to the Oregon-UCLA game.

Oregon and UCLA also were featured in 1998 when the show originated from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

TV Plans for Oregon vs Arizona State next Saturday (Updated)


From Fox Sports Northwest (the Husky shills)

In an effort to deliver the most relevant and compelling local game action to college football fans, FSN Northwest has added to its live event schedule the Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona State Sun Devils on November 3rd at 3:30pm. The network will split the market to deliver Oregon-ASU in Oregon and SW Washington while the Washington-Stanford match-up will air throughout all other parts of the region.( Wickre - like who wants to watch the Washington vs Standford game) In addition to the local distribution on FSN Northwest, fans across the nation can also catch the game live on Fox College Sports Central.
The addition of the Ducks-Sun Devils match-up has been made possible through a partnership with FSN Arizona, who will produce the game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene for both FSN regions.



UPDATE: (Monday) The game will now be on ESPN for those of you outside of Oregon and Arizona. For those in Oregon and Arizona it will be on the Oregon Sports Network OSN) or Fox Sports Arizona.

UPDATE (Monday evening) From the Pac-10 office:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Fox Sports Net and ESPN have agreed to distribute Saturday's game between No. 6-ranked Arizona State and No. 4-ranked Oregon at Eugene to a national audience.

Originally scheduled to be televised locally in Oregon and Arizona, the matchup of Top 10 teams will be televised to a national audience through the agreement of the two networks.

FSN will air its production on FSN Arizona, FSN West and FSN Northwest in the state of Oregon. The Oregon Sports Network will distribute the game in the state of Oregon. ESPN will originate its own production to air in all other U.S. television markets not covered by the FSN telecast, including the state of Washington and Northern California. ESPN College GameDay also will originate from Eugene.

"The Pac-10 is grateful for the cooperation of FSN and ESPN to allow the Arizona State-Oregon game to be shown to a national audience," said Commissioner Tom Hansen. "They have proven to be great partners and the college football fans across the nation will be the winner."


UPDATE (Wednesday AM ) Click on the title above for the latest from the Eugene Register Guard newspaper. If you live outside of Oregon and Arizona you will in most cases be able to get the game on ESPN. If you live in Arizona you will get it on Fox Sports Arizona. If you live in Oregon you will be able to get it on Fox Sports Northwest and or on Comcast. Stay tuned.

Oregon Sports Network officials were working late Tuesday to find another local carrier ( in Oregon) for their production. The most likely option seems to be the new regional Comcast SportsNet affiliate, which launches Thursday on cable channel 37 (in Eugene).

“I think it’s going to work out,” said Joe Giansante, the play-by-play voice for OSN telecasts who is also the UO athletic department’s director of community relations. “The main thing is, fans are getting to see the game.”


Who in Oregon wants to watch the game on Fox Sports Northwest aka "The Husky Shills"

DUCKS are # 4


The new USA Today/Coaches Poll is out and the University of Oregon Duck are the # 4 college football team in the nation. Update : They are also # 4 in the AP Poll out today.



1. Ohio State
2. Boston College
3. LSU
4. Oregon
5. Oklahoma
6. ASU
7. W. Virginia
8. Kansas
9. Missouri
10. Georgia
14. Michigan
15. U$C

27. Cal
38. Houston
42. OSewe



Need to get ready for Dennis Erickson and Arizona State on Saturday!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Oregon Ducks 24, U$C 17 DUCKS WIN !!!



I made it home from Eugene. I have sun burn, a horse voice and my ears are still ringing and I am a happy man! It was VERY loud at the game. Duck fans really wanted to win this game against the arrogant U$C coach, fans and team. There were 59,200 fans at the game. and they were really "in to it". It was the smallest crowd U$C has played before this season to date but the loudest. Before the game a columnist for the Orange County Register newspaper wrote this about Oregon "A hunch says these Ducks are really paper tigers." yea, right! This was a big win for the Ducks. The Dream continues. A great day to be a Duck!

UPDATE:

Bring on ASU. One game at a time. Will ESPN"s Game Day make a second trip to Eugene this season?

Oregon Ducks vs U$C Part VI ( Lets GO)


READY TO ROCK AND ROLL! Lets Go Ducks!

Friday, October 26, 2007

South Medford beats Roseburg 28 to 21


In Roseburg tonight, Roseburg scored two touchdowns on their first three plays on offense. They took a 21 to 0 lead in the first quarter and did not score another point in the game. South Medford then came back to take a 7 point lead in the final 2 minutes of the game. South Medford has now guaranteed themselves a 2nd place finish in the South Western Conference and a state playoff spot regardless who wins the North vs South Medford game next Friday night in the annual Black and Blue Bowl. Go South Medford Panthers beat North Medford and on to State!

Oregon Ducks vs U$C Part V


I really want to beat these guys!


This from the Orange County Register:

"The Trojans would love to begin re-exerting their dominance by traveling to one of the Pac-10's most hostile environments, sold-out Autzen Stadium, and pacifying the locals.

"Teams don't respect us any more. We've got to get that back," cornerback Terrell Thomas said. "That's what we're all about. Teams have been thinking, 'Oh, we can beat this SC team,' because sometimes we're playing down to their level.

"When we do, they don't come in thinking they're going to get their butt-whipping that they deserve."

Ever wonder why other teams consider USC arrogant?......while Carroll called this Oregon offense one of the best he has seen, nobody around USC sounds particularly intimidated. Maybe it's because Oregon hasn't played a defense like USC's. Or maybe it's the confidence that comes with having dismantled other highly ranked Oregon teams."Oregon is Oregon and it's at their place, the momentum's going to be popping, the crowd's going to be roaring," Maualuga said. "It's going to be a battle of two great teams."

A hunch says these Ducks are really paper tigers."


I really want to beat these guys!

Oregon Ducks vs U$C Part IV ( The night before)

I know it is only a game but until Sunday serious subjects such as Iraq, Iran, The War against Islamic Fascism and the Stop Hilary Movement will have to take a back seat on my attention.

I am ready! The car has a full tank of gas, is packed, and is "Ducked Out"! I have my tickets, binos and mini radio in the car. My Time Life "Flower Power" CD compilation of 1960's music is ready for the three hour trip to Eugene up I-5. I have ironed my pants and have my Duck gear ready. My duck coffee mug is next to the microwave oven in the kitchen. I am now biding my time listening to the South Medford vs Roseburg game from Roseburg on the radio. My Internet Duck group is very quiet tonight. Too quiet! Some one suggested Duck fans are praying. The Oregon vs U$C game starts at 12 noon PDT so I will need to leave Medford at 7:30 AM. I will try and get some sleep if I can. LET'S GO DUCKS!

Oregon Ducks vs U$C Part III

THE FIGHTING DUCKS! On the night before the big game between Oregon and U$C at Autzen Stadium I am remembering another Duck game with U$C. It was a rainy, gray Saturday on November 2, 1968. I was an undergraduate at Oregon and was at the game with my friend Gaines Smith. Jerry Frei was the Oregon coach. He was was a former World War II pilot who had flown in the South Pacific. We didn't know that then. He coined the phrase "Fighting Ducks". There were 33,500 fans at Autzen that day. U$C came to Eugene let by head coach John McKay a former Oregon player and coach. U$C was ranked #1 in the nation and had a running back named O.J Simpson who later that year would win the Heisman Trophy. Oregon held Simpson to 67 yards on 25 carries and Oregon out gained Southern Cal 152-87 on the ground. George Dames from Medford, anchored the Duck offensive line. Claxton Welch was Oregons running back. A slot back from Southern Oregon was Andy Mauer. Oregon's wide receivers were Denny Schuler and Bob Newland. Late in the game Oregon led! The Oregon fans who had had little to cheer about that year started to chant "WE ARE # 1... We ARE # 1" We then started to chant "ROSE BOWL.... ROSE BOWL," But, alas it was for not! U$C came from behind to win the game 13 to 20. Oregon did not make the Rose Bowl that year and it would be another 26 long seasons until the 1994 season. It is now 39 years later and the Ducks are rated # 5 and U$C is the underdog ranked #8. LETS GO DUCKS!

Oregon Ducks vs U$C Part II



This headline in today's Oregonian:


USC's shadow looms large over Ducks
The first matchup of top 10 teams at Autzen gives the Trojans another chance to prevent Oregon's national ascension
FACTBOX


• No. 9 USC at No. 5 Oregon


Friday, October 26, 2007JOHN HUNT The Oregonian Staff
EUGENE -- This will be the most important game in the history of Autzen Stadium.....

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Oregon Ducks vs U$C


The eyes of the college football world will be on Eugene Oregon this Saturday when the # 8 U$C Trojans come to town to play the #5 University of Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. This will be the first time two top 10 teams have played each other in Eugene. A Duck fan I know who can't make the game sold his two U$C tickets for over $1000.00 each on eBay. Oregon has not won a Rose Bowl game in my life time, has never had a Heisman Trophy winner and has never played for the Nation Championship in football. There is talk that if the Ducks beat U$C and if Arizona State beats Cal, EPSN Game Day will make a SECOND trip to Eugene this season. The Ducks, 7 games into this season, have it within their power to go to the Rose Bowl, and or the National Championship Game. However all the above will evaporate into thin air if the Ducks lose to U$C on Saturday. Autzen Stadium will be packed on Saturday with 55,000 plus Duck fans who will yell their hearts out in the noisiest stadium in the United State. I will be there. This is the kind of game players and fans dream of. A day for Warriors! Oregon expects every player and every fan to do his duty on Saturday.It will be hard to sleep Friday night!

One game at a time and the season starts Saturday. Win the Day! Let's go Ducks!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

This Happend in Oregon!


A governor, a 14 year old girl, a state trooper and a governor's wife. No, I am not talking about Arkansas. I am talking about Oregon. In today's' Oregonian newspaper there is a investigative story about how a state trooper assigned to protect Governor Neil Goldshmidt may have lied when he said he did not know about Goldshmidt's rape of a 14 year old girl in the 1970's when he was mayor of Portland and also may have lied when he denied that he, the trooper, was having an affair with the Governor's wife. Today that state trooper is the Sheriff of Multnomah county, Oregon's most populous county. The Oregonian's story starts:


In early 1989, a top supervisor with the Oregon State Police summoned a lieutenant named Bernie Giusto to confront him about rumors of a serious ethical breach.

Though the topic was awkward, Reg Madsen, then the second-ranking state police official, said he minced no words with Giusto, the driver and bodyguard for Gov. Neil Goldschmidt.

Are you, he asked, having an affair with the governor's wife? "He just denied everything," Madsen said. "Why, he swore on his mother's grave there was nothing to it."

Nearly two decades after the exchange, the credibility of Giusto's denial is under fire. Four former Goldschmidt staffers, a Giusto confidante and former Gov. Barbara Roberts told The Oregonian they learned that Giusto was indeed having an affair with the governor's wife.

By their accounts, Giusto saved his career with a lie: Senior Oregon State Police officials say they would have fired Giusto had he confessed. Instead, the ambitious lieutenant went on to become chief of police in Gresham and sheriff of the state's most populous county.

Now Giusto's honesty is squarely in the public eye.

Investigators from the state's police disciplinary board, focusing on three cases when his personal life tangled with his public job, said this month they have evidence that Multnomah County's top cop may have lied to the public. Giusto has said he's confident he will be cleared by the board, which will decide if he is fit to carry a badge.

Law enforcement officials must meet a strict standard for honesty, swearing to codes that demand honor and integrity both on duty and off. Lying, even in the rough and tumble world of politics, is viewed as a serious breach.

Over five months, The Oregonian conducted more than 100 interviews with friends, associates and critics and reviewed thousands of pages of public records to examine Giusto's career, from his days as Goldschmidt's driver, to his appointment as Gresham police chief and his tumultuous reign as county sheriff.

( To read the rest click on the title above for a link to the Oregonian's investigative story)


Now if all of this "is stranger than fiction" consider this fact:

Radio talk show host Lars Larson has filed a formal complaint against current Oregon Governor, Ted Kulongoski, with the Oregon State Bar.

Larson believes that the Governor violated ethic standards by appointing former Governor Neil Goldschmidt to the Board of Higher Education. Larson alleges that Kulongoski knew that Goldschmidt had a sexual relationship with a 14-year old girl who was a family babysitter.

The word about Kulongoski's being "in the know" comes from one of Governor Goldschmidt’s prior speech writers, who says he revealed the relationship to Kulongoski before the appointment was made.

Larson says that if the complaint is confirmed by the bar, Kulongoski could lose his right to practice law.

Oh, I left out a fact, BOTH GOVERNORS ARE DEMOCRATS!

John Wayne Christmas Ornament


I have never found a John Wayne collectible I did not like. Last weekend when we were in Fred Meyer, I found the above pictured John Wayne Christmas Ornament that I just had to have. If you want one, click on the title for a link to Amazon.com's page for the Christmas ornament. As Amazon says
" Celebrate John Wayne's 100th Birthday with this fantastic ornament depicting him as America's greatest Western movie hero.
This ornament plays a selection of three famous John Wayne quotes."
It will have a position of honor on our Christmas tree this year and years to come. It will be passed from generation to generation of Wickre's. ( Only slightly tongue- in- cheek)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Home away from Home


For the last few months Lowe's and Home Depot have been our "Home away from Home" as we continue our home improvement projects. Last Saturday we went to both stores and then on Sunday we went back to Lowe's. My wife then went back Sunday night. I went to Home Depot last night. I love the smell of hardware stores and these big box stores have a great smell. Even the Hot Dog cart out front smells good. I like to go to each store by myself just to wander around by myself looking for ideas.I feel like a kid in a toy store. My wife when she goes is very goal oriented. In any case we have spent a lot of time at Lowe's and Home Depot and with coming home projects we are not done yet. Now that the kids have grown up, graduated from college and moved away, slowly but surly, our home is loosing that "70's look".

Why I love the English


In August my wife and I and our daughter spent some time in England and we were able to experience English history and culture.( See posts in August 2007 archive below) While English society is changing there is something I still love about the English. Paul Greenberg in his column today expresses it very well when he says:


“Yes, there is something distinctive and recognizable in English civilization. It is a culture as individual as that of Spain. It is somehow bound up with solid breakfasts and gloomy Sundays, smoky towns and winding roads, green fields and red pillar-boxes. It has a flavor of its own. Moreover it is continuous, it stretches into the future and the past, there is something in it that persists, as in a living creature. What can the England of 1940 have in common with the England of 1840? But then, what have you in common with the child of five whose photograph your mother keeps on the mantelpiece? Nothing, except that you happen to be the same person.”

In a politically correct age, it may no longer be permissible even to wonder whether there’s still an England or any other national culture. Aren’t they all supposed to be absorbed by the new, faceless globalism? And yet national traits persist. They are palpable even if we sometimes attribute them to vague abstractions (Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!) rather than the everyday habits of a people.

It is continuity in the seemingly small things that over time creates the complex underpinning of any society. It explains why in England the law may be respected simply because it is the law, and in other countries laws will be widely ignored because it’s expected that only fools will follow the rules.

Edmund Burke understood, which is what made him suspicious of sudden, violent changes in the social order like the French Revolution, which was going to produce a whole new society, even a new man. The usual results of such utopian visions followed — first terror, then tyranny.

It isn’t an abstract allegiance to democracy that makes the British so British but custom — the accumulated layers of habit, constraint, manners and mores that form the British character in matters great and small, from standing alone against what seemed an unstoppable threat during the Battle of Britain, or at the approach of the Spanish Armada in another time under another queen named Elizabeth, to … simply not jumping the queue.


To read the rest of the column click on the title for a link. Maybe if I am lucky I will get to go back to England..... it would be nice to go with our son who loves history even more than I do.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

"There's nothing funny about Hillary Clinton being President"



MIKE HUCKABEE
"There's nothing funny about Hillary Clinton being President. Let me tell you why. If she's president, taxes go up, health care becomes the domain of the government, spending goes out of control, our military loses its morale, and I'm not sure we'll have the courage and the will and the resolve to fight the greatest threat this country's ever faced in Islamofascism. ... We'll sign crazy bills like the Law of the Sea Treaty and give away our sovereignty. And that's why, with all of the fun we're going to have talking about it, there's nothing funny about Hillary being President."


I note that the above quote from AP leaves out the line that the Islamofascist want to "kill every one of us"!

Mike Huckabee for Vice President!

Ducks are # 5


USA Today/Associated Press

5/5 - Oregon
7/7 - ASU
8/9 - USuC
20/18 - Cal
21/19 - Michigan
31/26 - UCLA
35/36 - Fresno State

Has Hillary No shame.......not Socks the cat!


HILLARY DUMPS SOCKS THE CAT! From the London Sunday Times:


AS THE “first pet” of the Clinton era, Socks, the White House cat, allowed “chilly” Hillary Clinton to show a caring, maternal side as well as bringing joy to her daughter Chelsea. So where is Socks today?

Once the presidency was over, there was no room for Socks any more. After years of loyal service at the White House, the black and white cat was dumped on Betty Currie, Bill Clinton’s personal secretary, who also had an embarrassing clean-up role in the saga of his relationship with the intern Monica Lewinsky.
Some believe the abandoned pet could now come between Hillary Clinton and her ambition to return to the White House as America’s first woman president.


The softening of Clinton’s image seems to be working. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, predicts that up to a quarter of Republican women will vote for her. She leads Democratic rivals in the polls by 26 points and is scooping up more donations to her war chest from Wall Street and defence contractors than any candidate from either party – an unmistakable indicator of who they think will win in 2008.

Clinton’s treatment of Socks cuts to the heart of the questions about her candidacy. Is she too cold and calculating to win the presidency? Or does it signify political invincibility by showing she is willing to deploy every weapon to get what she wants?

“In the annals of human evil, off-loading a pet is nowhere near the top of the list,” writes Caitlin Flanagan in the current issue of The Atlantic magazine. “But neither is it dead last, and it is especially galling when said pet has been deployed for years as an all-purpose character reference.”

Flanagan’s article, headed No Girlfriend of Mine, points out that (Hillary) Clinton wrote a crowd-pleas-ing book Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets, in which she claimed that only with the arrival of Socks and his “toy mouse” did the White House “become a home”.

Being Clinton, she also lectured readers that pets are an “adoption instead of an acquisition” and warned them to look out for their safety. (Buddy, the chocolate labrador, it should be noted, bounded into a road soon after leaving the White House and was......


Hey,......what happened to Buddy the First Dog? To read the rest of the Times article click on the title above for a link.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Oregon Ducks 55 Washington Huskies 34


It's always a good day when the Ducks beat the Huskies! After having been to so many games in person it is hard to watch on TV, because you know your yelling will not help the team and only scares the cat. Cal lost to UCLA today to give them two losses. Thus, the Ducks now control their fate on their goal to go to the Rose Bowl. Just keep winning and we go! Bring on U$C..... LET GO DUCKS!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Washington Week part III



The Oregon Ducks play the Washington Huskies tomorrow evening in Seattle at "the mistake by the lake" and I am worried. Oregon is favored but Oregon has had a lot of injuries particularly to it's receiving corp. I am worried that the young players on the Oregon team do not understand the importance of this rivelry game. Here's to "A Husky Free Northwest" Let's Go Ducks!

South Medford 44, Grants Pass 22


The South Medford Panthers defeated ,the #5 team in the state of Oregon, the Grants Pass Cavemen in high school football tonight in a hard fought game that was closer than the above score. It was a cold rainy night in Medford, Oregon but a fun night and a fun game.

He who laughs last......




Who said Conservatives don't have a sense of humor? More fun than a person should be allowed!


FOX NEWS STORY:

The conservative radio talk-show host turned an inflammatory letter written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and signed by 41 of his fellow Democrats into a more than $4.2 million gold mine for the kids of Marines and law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty, all courtesy of eBay.

The Eugene B. Casey foundation Betty Casey coughed up more than $2.1 million to be the sole owner of the letter sent to the radio host's boss demanding that Limbaugh be reprimanded for a "phony soldier" comment he made on air. Limbaugh has pledged to match whatever was paid for the letter.

Limbaugh described Betty Casey, a trustee of the foundation, as a loyal listener to his show.

“She gives significant sums to hospitals, hospices, colleges and private schools,” Limbaugh said during his radio show Friday afternoon, just after the eBay auction ended. “Betty has been a listener to my program since its inception, and we can't thank her enough for her support. This was kind of the last straw for her, what Harry Reid did here.”

The letter, sent by Reid and signed by his Democratic colleagues, was delivered Oct. 2 to Mark P. Mays, president of Clear Channel, the parent company of the conservative talk show host’s radio broadcast.


In exchange for the $2.1 million, the Maryland-based Eugene B. Casey Foundation, will receive the letter, the Halliburton briefcase in which the letter is secured 24 hours a day, a letter of thanks from Limbaugh and a picture of him announcing the auction at a speech in Philadelphia last week.

The foundation released the following statement on acquiring the letter:

"The Eugene B. Casey Foundation believes freedom of speech is a basic right of every citizen of this country. Their purchase of the smear letter was to demonstrate their belief in this right and to support Rush Limbaugh, his views and his continued education of us."

Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Maine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, a nonprofit that gives scholarship assistance to children of Marines and federal law enforcement personnel whose parents die in the line of duty.

Limbaugh has denied the term "phony soldiers" referred to former servicemen and women who served in Iraq and now oppose the war, but to those who lied about their service. A literal reading of the Sept. 26 show in question shows that the controversial host did not say that soldiers opposing the war are "phony."

On his Friday radio show, Limbaugh said Reid’s letter was an “abuse of power against a private citizen.”

“Harry Reid in a speech on the Senate floor at 12 noon today, a little over an hour ago, attempted to hone in on all this and take some credit for it, claiming that he and I had buried the hatchet, or implying that that had been the case, and then kept using the pronoun "we" in discussing how good this was, the money going to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation,” Limbaugh said on his show.

“Three words, that means, ‘Rush, you win,’” Reid told his colleagues on the Senate floor. “I asked Sen. Reid to match and all the other senators who can afford to do so. I haven't heard from them on that. I asked Sen. Reid to go on the program and discuss his discussion of me as "unpatriotic." He did not accept my offer to do that and now has the audacity to climb aboard this, praising the effort, saying that "he" never knew that it would get this kind of money.

He also announced an unknown number of certified copies of the letter signed by him will be sold on for $1,000 on his Web site, with proceeds going to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

$2,100,100.00 and (Update) winning Bid!


Go to ebay, by clicking on the title above, and bid for the original smear letter United State Senator Harry Reid and 40 other Democratic senators signed to silence Rush Limbaugh. The proceeds will go the the Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation which provides assistance to the children of fallen Marines and Law Enforcement Officers

When "Dingy Harry" Reid and the U.S. Senate turned away from the business of the nation to instead smear a private citizen, forty-one of them sent a letter demanding the "repudiation" of their inaccurate interpretation of Rush Limbaugh's comments about Jesse Al-Zaid (a.k.a. Jesse MacBeth) and other "phony soldiers" who falsify their service. This letter was delivered to Mark Mays of Clear Channel Communications, Rush Limbaugh's syndication partner, and widely quoted in the Drive-By Media.

Up for auction is the original letter signed by 41 Democrat senators. This historic document may well represent the first time in the history of America that this large a group of U.S. senators attempted to demonize a private citizen by lying about his views. As such, it is a priceless memento of the folly of Harry Reid and his 40 senatorial co-signers.
The entire proceeds of this auction.. the entire high bid... will be donated to The Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation, a registered charity which provides financial assistance to the children of fallen Marines and federal law enforcement officers. Rush Limbaugh serves on the Board of this organization and has been active on its behalf. All costs of this auction will be paid by the seller... every dollar of your winning bid will go to this charity, which has to date distributed over $29 million.

Rush first publicly displayed this letter on the night of October 11th during a speech in Philadelphia, having a security operative carry it on stage, with the letter itself safely encased in a Halliburton Attache case handcuffed to the agent's right wrist. Included in this auction is that same Halliburton briefcase, as well as a personal letter from Rush Limbaugh, thanking the winning bidder for his donation. The special handcuffs may not be distributed outside of law enforcement and security officers, and thus are not included in this auction.

As winning bidder, you get:
- The original and infamous "Harry Reid Smear" letter, signed by 41 Democat senators
- The Halliburton briefcase in which this letter is secured 24 hours a day
- A personal letter of thanks from the Man Who Runs America, Rush Limbaugh
- A photograph of Rush displaying the letter on stage in Philadelphia on October 11th




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who Signed?


Harry Reid Hillary Rodham Clinton Blanche Lincoln
Richard Durbin Kent Conrad Bob Menendez
Charles Schumer Christopher Dodd Barbara Mikulski
Patty Murray Byron Dorgan Bill Nelson
Daniel Akaka Dianne Feinstein Barack Obama
Max Baucus Tom Harkin Jack Reed
Joseph Biden Daniel Inouye Jay Rockefeller
Barbara Boxer Edward M. Kennedy Ken Salazar
Sherrod Brown John Kerry Bernie Sanders
Robert Byrd Amy Klobuchar Debbie Stabenow
Benjamin Cardin Mary Landrieu Jon Tester
Tom Carper Frank Lautenberg Jim Webb
Bob Casey Patrick Leahy Sheldon Whitehouse
Carl Levin Ron Wyden


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rush is having a lot of fun and helping a good cause.

Update 10/19/07: Harry Reid caves in and on floor of U.S. Senate this morning and supports auction.... now if we can just get him to MATCH the winning bid, which Ruch is, we can see if he puts his money where his mouth is. With all those "sweet heart" land deal he has been involved in, in Nevada, he should have plenty of money. This letter is an example of abuse of power and Harry and the other Democrats in the Senate and will not be able to spin it any other way. This is tooo much fun!

Update: Winning Bid is $2,100,100.00

" A Marine's flag, in ashes"



From today's Oregonian newspaper:

Flags flew the May day they buried Dale Peterson. They lined the streets of Burns,Oregon where hundreds watched, hands on hearts, as his coffin passed. One flag, in particular, made it to Dale's dad.

Greg Peterson, former sheriff of Harney County, went home to Redmond and hung the flag beside his front door. And there it flew, day and night, for the toddler he carried on his back into the Blue Mountains, for the boy he taught to fish the Malheur River, for the only son he sent to Iraq.

Sunday morning, as Greg Peterson left for church, he found the flag. Someone had torn it down, drenched it in lighter fluid and burned it. Ashes and the charred wooden flagpole lay scattered. "This was personal," he thought. Flags at nine other Redmond homes had also been torched overnight. A video camera at one home captured images of the culprits. On Tuesday, police arrested four teenagers, including three 17-year-old students at Redmond High School where Dale Peterson graduated in 2005.

That night, Greg Peterson sat at a friend's desk in Coos Bay where he traveled this week to train police officers. And in an open letter he began to type:

"I want you to know what that flag meant to me . . ."

"The flag you burned had flown over the United States Capitol. It was one of my son's goals to be a United States Marine. He put a lot of effort into it and graduated top of his class as a combat engineer. He also shot as an expert and his PT (physical training) score was 290. I am very proud of my son but words cannot express the sorrow I feel from his death. Dale, like most men and women in our armed services, had the courage to put his life on the line for our country.

"I ask myself, what courage do you have, and your reason for burning our country's flag?"


I am at a loss for words that such a thing could happen in the country I love.

( To read the rest of the news story click on the title for a link)

Joey Bishop, last of Sinatra's "Rat Pack" dies at 89



Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in night clubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's boisterous Rat Pack, has died at his home, his publicist said Thursday.

Bishop was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.

When I was a kid they defined "cool"........ I need a drink!

Deborah Kerr Dead at 86




Deborah Kerr, who shared one of Hollywood's most famous kisses while portraying an Army officer's unhappy wife in "From Here to Eternity" and danced with the Siamese monarch in "The King and I," has died. She was 86.

Tired of being typecast in ladylike roles, she rebelled to win a release from her MGM contract and get the role of Karen Holmes in "From Here to Eternity."

Playing the Army officer's alcoholic, sex-starved wife in a fling with Lancaster's Sgt. Warden opened up new possibilities for Kerr.

She played virtually every part imaginable from murderer to princess to a Roman Christian slave to a nun.

In "The King and I," with her singing voice dubbed by Marni Nixon, she was Anna Leonowens, who takes her son to Siam so that she can teach the children of the king, played by Yul Brynner.

Her best-actress nominations were for "Edward, My Son" (1949), "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "The King and I" (1956), "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" (1957), "Separate Tables" (1958), and "The Sundowners" (1960).

Among her other movies is "An Affair to Remember" with Cary Grant.

Thanks for the memories.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Charter Cable ( Updated Wednesday 10/17)


(Update below)In the last 24 hours our local cable TV provider, Charter, has done much to convince me I should get satellite TV from Direct TV or The Dish. We have been WITH OUT TV for the last 24 hours. It started last night about 10 pm when all 4 or our TV's lost reception. About 11 PM when it still had not come back I called Charter Cable and got a very nice man in what I think was a call center in India or Pakistan. I didn't ask, but he sure sounded the part. He checked his computer and said there had been some outages in Medford, Oregon and they were working on it. I figured they would have it fixed by the time I woke up in the morning so I went to bed. Well, at 7 AM there was still no TV. So, my wife called Charter Cable and got a call center in Rochester Minnesota (she ask) and was given a work order and said they would check it out. Well, I had Oregon Duck Club lunch at the Rogue Valley Country Club during the noon hour so on the way back to the office I stopped at home to see if the problem had been fixed. Nooooo!!!! So I called Charter Cable ( the 3rd time one of us had called) and got a very nice lady at a call center. She said she was going to get to the bottom of it and put me on HOLD! I was on HOLD on and off for about 25 minutes. She said they had an appointment to come out to our house on Wednesday ( Tomorrow) to check on the problem between 1 and 5 pm. Of course this was the first we had heard about it and my wife and I both work and have clients scheduled most of the day. She asked me to go outside and check "the Box" so I went to the "The Box" on the side of our house and everything looked OK. She then send me to the "neighborhood" box to see if it looked OK. I worked my way through the blackberry bushes and it looked "OK". She then said no one else in the neighborhood had called in with any problems. She asked if I minded going next door to see if the neighbors had Cable TV problems. I went next door and no one answered the door. I then went to two other houses on our circle and no one was home. I had my portable phone with me and was updating the nice lady from Charter as I worked my way through the neighborhood. I then went to the house of another neighbor where they home school their children. The were home but they don't have cable TV. The only other neighbor on the street has "The Dish" so I figured they didn't have cable TV... lucky them. The lady at the call center then said since no one else has reported a problem I would have to wait till Wednesday between 1 and 5pm. By then I was late for an appointment at the office so I got ready to drive back to work. Just then, one of the neighbors came home and I checked with her to see if she had cable TV.... NOOOO. Then another neighbor came home and she said they did have a problem and I asked her to call. She said she would. Well, when we go home at 5:30 PM, after work, there was still NO TV. It is now 9:30 PM and there is NO TV. I rearranged all my afternoon appointments at the office to be home tomorrow afternoon. I sure hope the cable man shows up. "The Dish" is sounding very good at this point. Will update this blog as things develop. I have to have TV by Saturday, when the Oregon Duck play the Washington Huskies in Seattle on TV.

UPDATE: Today, Wednesday, October 18th, we got our cable TV back! I rescheduled my office appointments to be home from 1 PM till 5 PM to be home when the Charter Cable Man arrived to see why we are not getting Cable TV. I arrived home before 1 PM and waited. I swept off the front deck.....no Cable Guy. I swept off the driveway and the sidewalk and picked up leaves.....no cable guy. I raked the leaves off the front lawn... no Cable Guy. Finally, I got a call from my wife at the office that they had called the office and they were on the way. The cable Guy arrived and he was very nice. I showed him our TV's and the fact we were getting no signal. I then took him to the cable box on the side of of our house. He checked it out and there was no signal. I then showed him the "Neighborhood box" out back near our property line and he checked it and it was getting a signal. I then took him to the point where the cable comes out of the ground near our foundation and he tested again and no signal. Problem identified. He then strung a temporary above ground line between the "neighborhood box" and our box on the side of the house. In a few weeks they will come out and put in an underground line from the back of our property line at the "neighborhood box" to our box on the side of the house. The old line has been there since the 1970's. After he connected the temporary above ground line we go an excellent picture. The Cable Guy was very professional and my impression of Charter Cable has improved a great deal. Since it was outside of our home the expense of putting in the new line will be Charter's. We now have such a good picture maybe we will upgrade our service beyond expanded basic.... just kidding.

Washington Week Part II: "The Pick!"


I have reedited a post I made last year for "Washington Week" the week the Oregon Ducks play the Washington Huskies in football. In Washington Week Part I (posted below) I outlined why Oregon fans learned to hate the Huskies and were always losing to them. Now on to Part II.

Washington Week Part II: "The Pick"

On October 22, 1994, Oregon football changed. The 1994 season didn't start out that way. Oregon lost to Hawaii, Utah and Washington State. There were only 25,000 fans at Autzen for Utah. At that game I looked around the parking lot and wondered "where is everybody?." The Ducks had beaten U$C in LA but we though it was a fluke. Then came the Washington game in Eugene on October 22. I didn't want to drive three hours from Medford to Eugene to watch another Washington "blow out" of the Ducks. ( see post below) I had been there too many times before. In those days with two teenage children at home my kids took turns going to the games with me as we had two season tickets. It was my daughter's turn and so we drove to Eugene. I always like to park on the campus side of the Willamette River and take the footbridge over to Autzen. On a nice day it's a wonderful walk over the river and through the woods to Autzen. I parked on Franklin Blvd. and walked by the New Oregon Motel. It was full of Husky fans. We had also stopped by the book-store on campus and it was full of Husky fans. We got to the game and took our seats and the game started. Washington was ranked the # 9 team in the nation. Oregon kept it close. Oregon was leading by four points when Washington scored to go ahead 20 - 17 with 7:44 minutes to play. The game seemed to unfold as it had so often. "nice try"..." a moral victory" ... "close but no cigar". NOT THIS TIME. Danny O'Neil Oregon's QB led the Ducks on a 98 yard drive to regain the lead. It will forever be known as "the Drive." The Ducks now led 24-17 with 2:40 to go in the game. Washington then started their own drive and advanced to the Duck 8 yard line with 1:09 to play. With each yard the Huskies made every Duck fan knew that Washington would score and win the game as they had so many times before. " So close, but no cigar." Then there was a play that will live forever in every Duck heart. Washington had plenty of time to give the ball to heralded tail back Napolean Kaufman. Instead, QB Damon Huard threw the ball in the flat toward Dave Janoski. Kenny Wheaton the Oregon CB timed the throw perfectly and stepped in front of the Washington receiver and intercepted the ball and ran it all the way back for another Duck touchdown to win the game 31-20. I was standing watching the play with my daughter. We both began to jump up and down!!! We then hugged as we both jumped up and down!!!. It was redemption! My daughter and I will always have that moment in time. On my dying day I will remember it. The play became known as "THE PICK". It is shown on the big screen at every Oregon game just as the team comes on the field. Jerry Allen the radio broadcaster's call of the play has become a favorite of Duck fans "KENNY WHEATON'S GOING TO SCORE....KENNY WHEATON'S GOING TO SCORE" I have a framed print of the play hanging in my office. After the game the many Husky fans looked crushed. The three hour trip back to Medford was like floating on air. Oregon went on to win the Pac 10 Championship that year and the entire family went to the Rose Bowl. It was the Ducks first time since 1958. Lets Go Ducks!... Beat the Hukies!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Washington Week Part I


This is a re post of a post I make every year when the Oregon Ducks play the Washington Huskies with a few minor changes.

To every Oregon Duck Fan "Washington Week" is the week we play the University of Washington Huskies in football. This year it will be at " The Mistake by the Lake" in Seattle Washington. There has been bad blood between these two schools for years.. It started in 1948 when there was a tie between Cal and Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl. In those days ties were settled by a vote of the Pac 8 schools. (the Arizona schools were then not part of the conference.) Oregon expected the Northwest schools to stick together but Washington voted for Cal and as a consolation the Ducks led by QB Norm Van Brocklin went to the Cotton Bowl. Before Autzen stadium was built Oregon would play some of it's home games against Washington at Multnomah Stadium in Portland. In the 50's it was not unheard of for fistfights to erupt in the stands between Duck and Washington fans. In 1968 I drove to Seattle to watch Oregon beat Washington 3 to 0 on a Ken Woody field goal during a rain swept game. During the 1970, 1980 and into the 1990's Washington dominated the Ducks and were the premier team in the Northwest. Husky fans would descend on Eugene and Autzen Stadium in their god awful purple and would almost outnumber the Duck yellow and green. They would fill up Eugene hotels like locusts and bring their large band. Husky fans became known for their arrogance. Once on a trip to Seattle I ask a Husky fan the outcome of a game and was treated like a fool to expect anything but a Husky win. My Dad, not a football fan, was treated the same way when he struck up a conversation with a Husky fan at a hotel before an Oregon/Washington game. I know it's only a game but I learned to hate the Huskies and their fans. At Husky home games they would blow their siren after each score as they beat the sh** out of hapless Duck teams. That all ended on October 22,1994, and I was there!!! To be continued... Lets Go Ducks!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

"Charlie Wilson's War"




It's only October but I already have our family's plans for Christmas Day! On December 25th the movie "Charlie Wilson's War will open nationwide and hopefully in Medford Oregon. If it does, the Wickre family will be there. Today, when we went to see the movie, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," we saw a preview for "Charlie Wilson's War." and it looks very good. One of my adult children gave me copy of the book, autographed by Wilson and the author, on which the movie is based and I love It. The movie stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and is directed by Mike Nichols ( The Graduate).


Charlie Wilson's War is the story of how a Democratic Congressman who is a drunken womanizer from east Texas changed the world. Wilson (Tom Hanks) was a junior representative in Congress who, through his tireless work in the 1980's, managed to divert billions of tax payer's dollars to fund the insurgency in Afghanistan against Soviet occupation.( He was on the Appropriations Committee) When he first started in the early 80's only a few million dollars went to Afghanistan, however by 1989 when the Russians finally withdrew, Wilson had raised that number to close to a billion. Wilson used the money to buy weapons and, with the help of a rogue CIA agent, smuggled them to the Mujahideen. When the Soviets withdrew in 1989, their military was thoroughly defeated and the USSR was almost bankrupt. Some have said he won the Cold War!

For an early review of the movie click on the title above for a link to a review from "Worst Previews"


"Worst Previews" concluded it's review with the following:"

In Conclusion: This movie has something for everyone. It has a very serious message, as it examines the political quagmire in Afghanistan and the routes of global terror, but at the same time, it has so much fun reveling that message that you forget you are even watching a political thriller. It stars arguably the best male actor in Hanks, the best female actor in Roberts and probably the best supporting actor in Hoffman. This movie spans so many genres and appeals to such a huge variety of people that it just has no choice but to make a ton of money and win a lot of awards. It is one of those rare great movies; make sure you do not miss it!"

Ducks are # 6



My wife and I had a nice trip to Eugene yesterday to watch the Oregon Ducks dismantle Washington State. It was a nice fall day in Eugene and we saw some fall foliage on the way up and back. Today the Ducks moved up in the polls and are 6th in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and 7th in the AP poll. Next Saturday we play the Washington Huskies in Seattle. Washington Week has begun. I HATE THE HUSKIES! More on this as the week progresses. Go Ducks.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age **** (4 stars)



This afternoon my wife and I went to see the new movie "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" The movie deals with the first Queen Elizabeth who defeated the Spanish Armada and who reigned during a "Golden Age" in English history. Recently, on our trip to England in August, I had an opportunity to view her grave at Westminster Abby. The movie was good and I am a sucker for any movie on English history. For more on the movie click on the title for a link to the Internet Movie Data Base page on it. It will have a place in my DVD collection when it is released on DVD.

Good News on the war in Iraq



Who would think that I would be quoting extensively from an Editorial in today's Washington Post to buttress my view that the surge in Iraq is working. Well her goes:


"Better Numbers
The evidence of a drop in violence in Iraq is becoming hard to dispute.
Sunday, October 14, 2007; Page B06


NEWS COVERAGE and debate about Iraq during the past couple of weeks have centered on the alleged abuses of private security firms like Blackwater USA.... But meanwhile, some seemingly important facts about the main subject of discussion last month -- whether there has been a decrease in violence in Iraq -- have gotten relatively little attention. A congressional study and several news stories in September questioned reports by the U.S. military that casualties were down. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), challenging the testimony of Gen. David H. Petraeus, asserted that "civilian deaths have risen" during this year's surge of American forces.

A month later, there isn't much room for such debate, at least about the latest figures. In September, Iraqi civilian deaths were down 52 percent from August and 77 percent from September 2006, according to the Web site icasualties.org. The Iraqi Health Ministry and the Associated Press reported similar results. U.S. soldiers killed in action numbered 43 -- down 43 percent from August and 64 percent from May, which had the highest monthly figure so far this year. The American combat death total was the lowest since July 2006 and was one of the five lowest monthly counts since the insurgency in Iraq took off in April 2004.

During the first 12 days of October the death rates of Iraqis and Americans fell still further. So far during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which began Sept. 13 and ends this weekend, 36 U.S. soldiers have been reported as killed in hostile actions. That is remarkable given that the surge has deployed more American troops in more dangerous places and that in the past al-Qaeda has staged major offensives during Ramadan. Last year, at least 97 American troops died in combat during Ramadan. Al-Qaeda tried to step up attacks this year, U.S. commanders say -- so far, with stunningly little success.....

The trend could change quickly and tragically, of course. Casualties have dropped in the past for a few weeks only to spike again. There are, however, plausible reasons for a decrease in violence. Sunni tribes in Anbar province that once fueled the insurgency have switched sides and declared war on al-Qaeda. The radical Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr ordered a cease-fire last month by his Mahdi Army. Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top day-to-day commander in Iraq, says al-Qaeda's sanctuaries have been reduced 60 to 70 percent by the surge.

This doesn't necessarily mean the war is being won. U.S. military commanders have said that no reduction in violence will be sustainable unless Iraqis reach political solutions -- and there has been little progress on that front. Nevertheless, it's looking more and more as though those in and outside of Congress who last month were assailing Gen. Petraeus's credibility and insisting that there was no letup in Iraq's bloodshed were -- to put it simply -- wrong"


To read the entire editorial click on the title for a link)

We Americans owe a big debt to those of our armed forces who are warriors and put their life's on the line every day in this war against Islamic Fascist.
Their family's are also owed a big thank you. When they come home they should be given a hero's welcome and should have the best medical care available if they come home injured. We should re institute the full GI bill that their grandfathers received when the came home from World War II. They should all receive a college education if hey want one and should get help in buying their own home. We don't pay them enough and they should get large bonuses when they reenlist. We should be thank full that this country still produces warriors to hold the line against the forces of evil in this world.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Time/Life: "Flower Power"


I am a sucker for Time/Life's compilations of popular music from the 1950's,1960's and 1970's in CD sets. I have bought "Malt Shop Memories,(1950's) The "Folk Years" (late 1950' & early 1960's) "Singers and Songwriters"(1970's) and a few weeks ago I bought "Flower Power" (late 1960's to early 1970's) The sets are a quality selection of original songs by original artist from the time period that takes me back to my youth. It's great music to listen to as I work around the house or listen to on a road trip in the car. I like to listen to the music on the three hour trips to Eugene for Oregon football games.I remember when I was a kid my Uncle Herman and my folks had compilations of "The Big Band Sound" of their youth in the 1940's. Of course those were records. I bought the "Flower Power" CD set after watching a Time/Life infomercial on TV with an older Peter Fonda who looked like he wished he was someplace else. Hey, you sold out to the "man" man. Someone on another blog pointed out how much Peter is looking like his dad Henry, receding hair line and all.I hope my set arrives by Saturday so I can play it on the way to Eugene to watch the Ducks.

From the ad for the "Flower Power" CD set:

"It started in San Francisco, came of age at Woodstock, and changed us and the world forever. Time Life presents Flower Power: Music of the Love Generation. You will hear hits from the most impressionable artists of the '60s and '70s including: The Mamas and the Papas, The Byrds, The Youngbloods, Jefferson Airplane, and many more.

Includes 2 FREE Bonus CDs: Summer of Love plus a groovy collector's box."




(click on the title for a link to the Time Life site to order your own set)

Fall, 2007


Yesterday we had our weekly Southern Oregon Duck Club luncheon at the Rogue Valley Country Club and I was able to buy some "Club Seats" at Autzen for Saturdays football game against Washington State from another member.. I then sold my regular seats to a member from Grants Pass.

Last night we had a storm and we lost electricity for about an 15 minutes. Lots of wind and now a lot of leaves all over on lawn and driveway. We are starting to get "fall Foliage" here in Southern Oregon.

After we got the electricity back I watched a replay of the Republican debate on MSNBC. Chris Mathews was able to contain himself for most of the debate but just couldn't resist attempting to make the debate about himself. I though Giuliani and Romney did well and Thompson did what was necessary to debate another day. I do like Giuliani and Romney. If I had a troubled company Romney is the guy I would hire to straighten things out. He is knowledgeable and a very competent manager. Giuliani is a leader and if I was in an alley fight I would want him covering my back. So do we go with Romney to straighten out our troubled country or do we go with Giuliani who will cover our back in the war against Islamic Fascist? While watching the debate I received a telephone call from a fund raiser for Oregon's Senator Gordon Smith. I told him I was very upset with Senator Smith for his lack of support for President Bush on the war in Iraq and while I would "hold my nose" and vote for him I will not give him any money. They guy said Senator Smith supported the war on terrorism and I said Iraq is where the war is being fought and he wants to "cut and run"!

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Oregon Ducks # 8 !!!!

The University of Oregon Duck football team had a bye yesterday but rose in the polls today because of losses by teams ahead of them. The Ducks are # 8 in the USA Today/ Coaches Poll and # 9 in the AP Poll. The other Pac-10 rankings are as follows:

USA Today Coaches Poll, and AP Poll rankings

2/2 - Cal
7/10 - U$C
8/9 - Oregon
13/14 - ASU

Rising to 8th from 13th last week in the coaches poll, the Ducks passed these teams which lost:
5. Wisconsin
7. Florida
8. Kentucky
11. Georgia
12. W. Virginia

Now we just need to beat the Washington State Cougars next Saturday in Eugene. Yesterdays big upset loss by U$C in the Coliseum to Stanford is a lesson for everyone. Let's Go Ducks!