The excitment of the NCAA Tournament just isn't the same when you can't watch the actual game. Instead, I find myself watching the numbers change on the computer screen every time the screen refreshes in 30 second intervals.

At least they make helpful descriptions of the way in which the score changed ... i.e., "Jones dunks the ball". An exclamation point would have been nice, though. "Jones dunks the ball" conjures up an image of a nice, gentlemanly throw down ... like what Barry Sanders would have done if he played basketball. Exciting but anti-climatic. Now ... "Jones dunks the ball!" allows me to picture a huge, from-the-free-throw-line jam ... breaking the backboard, covering the cheering crowd in shards of glass

Anyway. It was all working well until this point ... at the end of the game ... with the score tied ... and the internet froze. I mean ... the internet froze! Madness indeed

Wandering

White Beach, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Ubud, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Today was the day ... THAT day ... the one where I wake up and can sense an end to winter ... I look forward to THAT day every year. Its not that it was particularly warm ... it wasn't. But the sun was out this morning and it was out earlier ... didn't have to turn the light on in the kitchen when I got my bowl of corn flakes.

So I was munching on my corn flakes ... basking in the almost-spring sun coming through the window ... and i started thinking about bugs. don't ask me why ... I don't know ... it was early. anyway ... I started thinking about how FEW bugs I actually come across in Shanghai. Not that I expect it to be like 'Temple of Doom' or anything, but its a pretty warm climate without deep winter freezes ... so I would expect there to be the usual spiders in the corners, centipedes on the sidewalk, etc. Now ... we do get our fair-share of summer mosquitoes around here, but 'buggy' Shanghai is not.

It made me think back to my college days. We rented a house in Flint ... it was a typical college house ... pizza boxes left on the table, good layer of grime on the floor, etc. For some reason, though, we never had bugs in the house. Weird. There must have been something deadly in the paint.

Enough has been said about the pollution here in Shanghai ... and most of it is true. Perhaps Shanghai's air is like the deadly paint on my old house in Flint. Are bugs like little canaries in the coal mine? Scary when you think about it. Spring is a great time of year in Shanghai ... I really look forward to breathing in the fresh spring air ... just not too deeply!

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang

Harmony and I don't necessarily do anything to celebrate Valentine's Day (well ... we do try to find the cheesiest e-card to send each other ... then maybe order in and pop in the cheesiest of romantic comedies ... thats as far as we'll go) ... but it seems the people of Shanghai are increasingly so. The holiday is on a Saturday this year, so there were a lot of couples getting hitched today ... the older Shanghainese will tell you they have no intention to celebrate the holiday, but the younger of them are much more in-tune with holiday traditions abroad. Restaurants around town are wooing young lovers with candle-lit tables while the city's flower sellers are taking to the streets and staking out key sidewalk space ... you can feel the love in Shanghai today!

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” ~ Dagobert D. Runes

Needed: New Member for Poker Group

Though the current financial crisis began in the West, its impact is becoming increasingly global. With companies struggling to survive in their home markets and demand for Chinese goods dropping around the world, it is no surprise that things are changing here in Shanghai ... nothing drives that home for me more than the increasing number of foreign expats being 'recalled' earlier than expected ... the calendar is quickly filling up with going-away parties ... emails coming in offering up 220 volt appliances that will not function in a 110 volt future.

over the past four years living abroad, we have gotten used to the comings and goings of colleagues and neighbors ... it is just part of the transient nature of expat life ... though its never fun to say good-bye to the friends you have made along the way

Make Voyages!

Boracay Sunset, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Make voyages! — Attempt them! — there's nothing else…” ~Tennessee Williams

Trip Journal: Chinese New Year in Bali





26-Jan-09
Arrived at 4am after a long flight from Seoul ... got up early to watch sun rise over Ubud's rice fields ... back to sleep til 9. Can already tell that Bali is a special place ... can't wait to expore it! I sat outside our room while Harmony slept a while longer ... could sit here watching the stream pass by the rice fields all day and be happy. Hot & hazy today ... must be 30-something already


out in the afternoon to explore town ... in and out of shops ... had lunch overlooking a rice paddy ... and the the rain came. its been a while since i have seen such hard rain ... amazing! put on our rain coats after it died down and walked home through the Monkey Forest ... home to a large population of grey-haired macaques ... were fun to watch





At night, when the rain stopped, we took in a show by local dancers ... this one was considered 'kecak' and involved a 'choir' of men imitating a troupe of monkeys, fire, a kidnapped princess and a white monkey god ... a fitting end to our first day in Ubud!


27-Jan-09
In a word Bali can be described as 'lush'. If it is possible for something to grow somwhere here, you cann be sure that something is. if it is not possible, you can be sure that something is trying. everywhere you look ... green. we hired a car today and headed to the east coast. explored the amazing terraced rice paddies around Sideman before taking a narrow, broken 'road' down to the coast. I tested the driver by giving him the name of a tiny beach to find ... he asked around and finally found it! it was called Pasir Putih or 'Land White'. it was a beautiful crescent of white sand backed by coconut trees ... a cliff on one end and a row of boldly colored fishing boats on the other. a few 'warung' or small thatch-roofed cafes dotted the beach. enjoyed a great afternoon of swimming and walking the beach ... fish for lunch was delicious!





the road back to town took us past villages that specialized in silver & batik. in the evening, while harmony washed up, i had a balinese coffee at the hotel 'office' and spoke with one of the young guys that works here ... told me about growing up here in Ubud and playing in the rice fields where the hotel now stands ... talked about the changes to the area over time ... both good & bad. went in to town for dinner ... ate at a place next to the Ubud Water Temple ... beautifully lit at night ... more great fish (and a Balinese micro brew!) while watching a performance at the temple ... an all-female percussion orchestra and some beautiful dancing. we fell asleep early listening to the rain tonight


28-Jan-09
Up before sunrise this morning as i had intended on going for a hike before breakfast ... the rain changed my plans ... watched the sun rise behind the morning clouds as the farmer across the way came to let the ducks out of their pen. i don't understand duck behaviour all that well, so i find it interesting how they are 'herded' by their owners here ... farmer leads them out of the pen, puts up a flag, the ducks feed in a flooded rice paddy all day and then gather back at the flag at sunset to be led back to their pen ... fascinating!


Views of Gunung Agung, Bali's highest mountain, this morning ... can easily see the top missing from the 1963 eruption!





Visited a well-known silversmith's workshop today ... beautiful bamboo architecture ... lazy afternoon at the hotel ... went for a swim and read while watching the rain fall. ate at a place on the north side of town tonight ... served many dishes from Bali ... really good ... homemade rice wine to top it off!





29-Jan-09
While Ubud is made up of artisans, cafes, art & temples, Kuta and the resort towns to the south are full of 24-hour McDonald's drive-thrus, big-box hotels ... and famous surf breaks. We hired a car again today to head down in that direction ... spent some time relaxing at 'Dreamland' where we expected to see some surfing, but there was nothing! Apparently the rainy season isn't peak time for surfing these breaks. A big storm hit and everyone headed for cover ...





... time for lunch at a beach-side warung ... sun came back out afterwards. the beach ws pretty, but after a few hours of old women approaching us and asking "you want massage?" it was time to move on. Further down the Bukit Peninsula, we stopped at Pedang Pedang Beach ... another famous surf break ... you climb down a narrow set of stairs carved into a rock face to get to the beach ... was nice, but once again no surfing to be found at low tide. bummer. the south side of Bali isn't all about tubes & tans ... there are points of cultural interest, as well ... we stopped at Ulu Watu temple to catch the sunset and found bus-loads of tour groups had the same idea. the temple is dramatically perched on top of a cliff overlooking the sea and is overrun by monkeys ... one of which grabbed Harmony's hair tie right off her head! no sunset tonite, but we stayed to watch the Kecak dance ... was a good performance, with the stage backed by views of the temple and sea ... highlight of the show came when they went to light the white monkey god on fire and the wind blew the flaming grass into the audience ... nearly caused a stampede of people trying to escape the flames!





nobody was hurt, so its ok to laugh ;) it was about an hour drive back to Ubud ... stopped in town to get something to eat at Three Monkeys cafe (again) ... was a good day, but both of us agree that we don't need to go back to the south coast again any time soon


30-Jan-09
last day of relaxation on our trip ... slept in today while it rained outside ... rain cleared by mid morning so we decided we would spend some time at the pool ... perfect morning of swimming and reading ... finished a book about Theodore Roosevelt's exploration of Brazil's River of Doubt ... fascinating. Waited to go into town until late afternoon when the heat had broken a little ... explored some of the shops around Ubud ... Harmony bought some batik ... rain started to fall again when we walked past Three Monkeys cafe ... it was meant to be! enjoyed a relaxing night back home listening to sounds of nature outside ... couldn't imagine a more relaxing place.





31-Jan-09
it has taken us a week, but we finally found the Bali that we had imagined! up early today for our last adventure on the island ... hired a car so we could explore the north central highlands. from Ubud we first cut over to the southwest to stop at Pura Taman Ayun temple before heading north ... the road narrowed and climbed up to Jitulwih ... an area of centuries old rice fields terraced in the hillsides ... vibrant green as far as our eyes could see ... just amazing.





headed further north to the 'three lakes' area and the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple ... striking temple set in the lake surrounded by mist covered mountains. the road turned west from here and climbed into the mountains ... views of Bali's north coast on the right and lakes on the left. stopped before reaching munduk to have lunch and see how coffee is grown and processed ... the cafe had its own coffee trees and was happy to show us how the beans are harvested, roasted and ground ... then we enjoyed the final product!





after lunch, we took a walk into the jungle to explore a waterfall just outside of Munduk ... passed coffee, cocao and jack fruit trees along the way ... the falls were impressive and worth the walk down. took a small, rough road back toward Ubud that passed more rice fields, villages and markets ... stopped at a fruit market in Candikungin where Harmony bought local vanilla. back in Ubud in time to back our bags and head into town one last time for dinner before our flight.


Bali is truly a unique spot in this world ... geographically and culturally ... we are so fortunate to have the chance to see places like this. time to head back to the city ... duty calls

新年快樂 ... Xīnnián kuàilè ... Happy New Year!

Known as the Spring Festival here in China, the lunar or Chinese New Year falls on January 26th this year. No matter what you call it, millions of people will be traveling home to spend this oldest and most important festival with their families.

The Spring Festival celebrates the Earth coming back to life after winter and marks the beginning of spring plowing and planting. The Chinese lunar calendar follows a 12 year cycle, with each named after an animal. The year 2009 (or 4707 in the Chinese calendar) represents the year of the ox.

It is an exciting time in China as everyone prepares to celebrate with family. People in town are busy decorating their homes with messages of peace and good fortune in the coming year ... symbols such as peach blossoms and koi are used to symbolise luck and prosperity. Many people have shopped for new clothes to wear when bringing in the new year.

On New Year's Eve, people light up their homes with red lanterns and have a special meal with their families. Special foods are served, such as jiaozi (dumplings) and jin juzi (mandarin oranges). Most people will stay up late and send up fireworks by the car-load in an attempt to scare off evil spirits. Traditionally, hong bao (red envelopes) are given out as part of the New Year's celebrations. The envelopes usually contain money and are typically given to unmarried young adults and children ... the amount contained within should always be of an even number, of course, so as not to be unlucky ... unless it contains the number 4, as the word for 4 in Chinese sounds like the word for death and would also be very unlucky!

It is a fascinating time to be here and a good chance to learn about Chinese tradition. With the week off of work, though, many expats take the chance to travel ... us included ... we'll let the cats enjoy the fireworks for us this year

Meet Haibao. Haibao is the mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo that takes place in ... er ... 2010. Modeled on the Chinese character ren, meaning people or a person, its name is based on si hai zhi bao, or the treasure of the four seas. Haibao can also mean the treasure of Shanghai.

Everywhere you go in Shanghai, you will see Haibao. He is our new friend ... and hero

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Jump!, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

In a couple weeks, we will welcome in the lunar new year ... saying goodbye to the Rat and hello to the Ox. From what I am told, the ox is a symbol of prosperity through hard work ... people born under this sign are diligent, pragmatic, sincere and honest ... they are driven not by desire for financial gain but rather to help others in need. It seems fitting given the state of things in the world today ... we need all of the oxen we can find. I just looked up Obama's birthday ... August 4, 1961 ... interestingly enough, Year of the Ox

Blowing out the Candles

Catching Some Rays, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Another day, another "happy birthday" ...

To my wife on this 1st anniversary of your 29th birthday ... may the next 30 be as wonderful & full of adventure as the first!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

Go, little man!, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

You're 3 already ... how can that be??

Rainy day, dream away

its 10:30 ... its raining ... and you need a papaya, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Rainy day today ... one of those days where it seemed like the sun never rose ... dark so early. This is winter in Shanghai ... no snow, but a cold rain that chills you to the bone ... Spring Festival begins soon, but it will be some time before we see leaves on the trees. Can't complain, though ... you don't have to shovel rain off the sidewalk

Into the Unknown

Into the Unknown, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

There seems to be so much uncertainty in the world as we head into 2009 ... global recession, conflicts in the Middle East, what will happen in the season premier of Lost, etc ... time to grab a paddle and push on into the unknown ... enjoy the ride!

Trip Journal: Christmas in Vietnam & Cambodia



Saturday, December 20
the Hanoi symphony begins around 5am in the Old Quarter ... lonely cats wail, motorbikes rev, pots bang, public address system blares and horns honk ... now THIS is southeast Asia as i imagined it. i took a stroll through town to Hoan Kiem lake ... the place was buzzing by 6am! motorbikes flow through the narrow streets like blood through the veins ... women hauling fruit to the market on shoulder or head ... the lake shore was dotted with people doing tai chi or playing badminton. you can tell a lot about a city and its people from what happens at dawn ... Hanoi is a hard-working town, steeped in tradition

after breakfast, the four of us set off to explore and spent most of the day wandering the back-streets of the old town. traditionally, the streets of Hanoi were named after the products sold there, though much of this has been lost over time. nonetheless, we walked through fruit & meat markets, past clothing stands and along streets filled with herb sellers and metal workers. Hanoi, more than any other city i have been in, is a complete assault on your senses ... the sights, sounds and smells are so intense ... fascinating



crossing Hanoi streets 101 ... stand at the side of street and face upstream ... move slowly and consistently into the flow of motorbikes ... make eye contact, if possible ... the sea of motorbikes seem to magically part around you ... as you cross the mid-point in the street, rotate head 180 degrees to face upstream in the opposite direction ... breathe when you reach the other side and thank your parents for buying you Frogger when you were a kid



harmony and i hired a cyclo to pedal us around the old quarter in the afternoon ... though we covered many of the same streets, it was a completely different experience ... no longer needing to fear becoming road kill, we could finally sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. it came as a surprise that Christianity is the 2nd most popular religion in Vietnam and even more of a surprise the amount of Christmas-related decorations and products we saw around town ... Santa suits for the kids and little fake trees at the street side vendors

found a place for dinner where we could try some traditional Vietnamese food ... grilled fish with dill & green onion ... tasty ... early to bed as we must be up early for our trip to Halong bay in the morning. great day of exploring today ... weather cool (60) and partly cloudy

Sunday, December 21
up early to meet our ride to Halong bay ... the drive took over 3 hours and passed rice paddies and small towns along the way ... you really get a feel for the low levels of income in the country ... many dusty roads, moldy concrete houses and mangy dogs ... the country is growing economically, but has a long way to go. we arrived at Halong bay just as the clouds and light rain began to break up ... there would 8 of us setting out on the Red Dragon boat ... beautiful new replica of the junks that sailed these waters in the past ... ship mates were from Johannesburg, South Africa and Cork, Ireland ... nice folks. Halong bay is gorgeous ... hundreds of karst peaks thrusting up out of the sea ... had a great time relaxing on deck and having a drink or three with everyone. the food served on board was fantastic ... a lot of fresh sea food. had time in the afternoon to explore some caves and kayak around some of the karst islands ... amazing



the sun came out just in time to set... beautiful as it fell behind a island mountain. we found a quiet cove to anchor for the night ... so calm & quiet ... what a contrast from the constant stimulation of Hanoi. a young guy named Viet who worked on-board showed me how to fish for squid ... with a light shone on the water, he lowered a line with a simple green lure about 8 feet below the surface ... he showed me how to basically hold the line and yank it up and lower back every few seconds ... up, down, up down ... before long, a squid hit the line and he pulled it onto the boat ... he pulled the hook out as the squid shot black ink everywhere ... good times ... we ended up with 4 squid in the bowl. the only lights on the sea that night came from the fishing boats on the horizon ... they were using commercial-grade lights of their own to lure the squid into their nets



night time on the boat was peaceful ... until the staff 'MC' felt it necessary to make the staff sing for us ... we (and the staff) could have done without that. beautiful cruise today ... mild (70) and partly sunny ... nothing beats a night of sleep on the water

Monday, December 22
had a breakfast as we pulled up anchor ... visited a floating village of fishermen and their families ... an intriguing and unique way of life, with inter-connected 'house' boats, floating school and a fish farm. we pulled back into Halong town around noon for our drive back to Hanoi. stopped into a restaurant for some spring rolls before catching a 'water puppet' performance at a local theater ... the tradition dates back hundreds of years and apparently began as a form of entertainment in the rice paddies ... master puppeteers manipulate the puppets from behind a curtain over the water ... it was quite a show and well worth a visit.



stopped into 'Le Pub' for a cold Hanoi beer ... advertised as serving the 'coldest beer in Hanoi', Le Pub came through as promised. cooling down today ... cloudy and in the 50s

Tuesday, December 23
met up with a couple of local university students today who offered to show us around Hanoi and some of its history ... they were really nice and planned out a full day ... morning spent touring the Ho Chi Minh complex (including mausoleum) ... "Uncle Ho" is a hero to the Vietnamese and seeing his body frozen in time elicited a lot of emotion. after a lunch of pho ... a national dish and staple of the Vietnamese diet, we were off to Ho Lao prison ... site where countless political prisoners have been held over the years ... also where US pilot POWs were held during the Vietnam War ... including John McCain. it was a pretty chilling look into the recent past and a reminder of how much things have changed in 40 years. the tour finished up back in the old quarter ... thanks to Kim & Tao for a great day. ended up back at Le Pub for 'quiz night' ... finished a respectable 3rd and had a great time with the local expat crowd



another cool day today ... 50s and cloudy ... have been lucky with no rain so far

Wednesday, December 24
last full day in Vietnam ... decided to take a day trip 100km south to Ninh Binh province ... aptly described as the Halong bay on rice paddies ... after touring the ancient capital of Vietnam (before it moved to Hanoi 1,000 years ago), it was on to Tam Coc for a boat ride through the paddies, karst mountains and caves ... an older women took the oars and guided us on a great 2-hour tour ... amazing scenery. back to Hanoi for some last-minute shopping and a Christmas eve dinner at a great local restaurant ... local specialty of snake head fish grilled over charcoals was excellent ... a lot of excitement in town with Christmas festivities and football match between Vietnam & Thailand ... Vietnam won and there was celebrating in the streets



off to bed early tonight ... have to catch an early flight to Cambodia in the morning ... was an eventful way to spend Christmas eve, though thinking of family back home ... no white Christmas here, but feels pretty cold

Thursday, December 25
Christmas day and we were off to the airport at dawn ... flight to Siem reap went through Luang Prabang, Laos ... arrived in town by early afternoon ... stark contrast from Hanoi ... small town and very quiet ... staying at a little boutique hotel called Golden Banana ... beautiful place with rooms that hang over a small pool ... set inside a local neighborhood, as are most of the places we usually pick. Spent the afternoon wandering into town ... stopped for a beer or three ... walked through the old market. traditional 'amok' for dinner ... fish blended with Khmer curry spices steamed inside a banana leaf ... delicious!



much warmer here than in Hanoi ... partly sunny & 80 ... beautiful

Friday, December 26
off to see some of the ancient temples today ... $13 got us a tuk-tuk for the day. first stop Ta Prohm ... wonderful example of man conquering nature only to have nature re-conquer man ... tree roots snake through the ancient walls ... trees soar out of the temples ... an amazing sight ... also known as the "Tomb Raider" temple, after Angelina Jolie filmed part of her movie here.



next stop Angkor Thom ... a large area containing multiple temples and historical sights ... walked along the Terrace of the Elephants where King Jayavarman VII once viewed public ceremonies ... further down the road was Bayon temple ... an amazing structure with 200 large stone faces carved out of the walls ... very surreal ... my favorite so far.





back to town for some great Indian food at a place called Kama Sutra ... then back to the hotel to cool off after a hot afternoon of temple exploration ... the pool was chilly but felt great. Harmony & Lee were done for the day, so Chuck and i walked back to town to sample the night life ... Angkor beers at Angkor What? bar and Temple Club then split a pizza before heading home

Saturday, December 27
morning came early ... up at 4:30 in order to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat ... rather touristy but still worthwhile. we were among the first to arrive but there was eventually quite a crowd ... $1 buys you a plastic chair and a cup of coffee from a local vendor ... not a bad deal. cloudy morning with a little drizzle didn't make for a brilliant sunrise, but still was a great experience. harmony & lee crashed back at the hotel ... i walked into town to buy some music and a couple of books ... finally reading Carl Sagan's 'Contact' ... lazy day today ... ordered pizza and hung out at the hotel ... caught up on sleep.



still great weather ... 80 and sunny

Sunday, December 28
last day of real vacation ... hired a tuk-tuk again to take us further out of town off the beaten track ... was an hour ride out to Beantey Srei ... passed villages & fields along the way ... people here seem so happy, despite what we would consider a really tough way of life ... always waving & smiling to us as we ride by. Beantey Srei is a small temple, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in intricate detail ... the three dimensional carvings were just amazing. stopped by the temple of Pre Rup on our way back ... steep steps take you to the top of the temple where you can look out on the surrounding rice paddies. back to town for one last meal before we checked out of the hotel. flew to Phnom Penh for the night before heading home first thing in the morning



it has been a great trip with great friends ... good combination of city & rural life, old & new ... some tasty food & fun nightlife ... what travel is all about!

Hey, You Senators: Thanks for Nothing

Auto China 2008, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

Mitch Album wrote a pretty gutsy piece this week in the Detroit Free Press about the current debate surrounding the domestic auto manufacturing industry ... i'm glad to see someone fired up about this and willing to say what others won't ... I thought it was great, so I'll post it here...

==============

Hey, You Senators: Thanks for Nothing
By Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press
Dec. 13, 2008

Do you want to watch us drown? Is that it? Do want to see the last gurgle of economic air spit from our lips? If so, senators, know this: You’ll go down with us. America isn’t America without an auto industry. You can argue whether $14 billion would have saved it, but you surely tried to kill it.

We have grease on our hands.

You have blood.

Kill the car, kill the country. History will show that when America was on its knees, a handful of lawmakers tried to cut off its feet. And blame the workers. How suddenly did the workers — a small percentage of a car’s cost — become justification for crushing an industry?

And when did Detroit become the symbol of economic dysfunction? Are you kidding? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Washington?

In a world where banks hemorrhaged trillions in a high-priced gamble called credit derivative swaps that YOU failed to regulate, how on earth do WE need to be punished? In a bailout era where you shoveled billions, with no demands, to banks and financial firms, why do WE need to be schooled on how to run a business?

Who is more dysfunctional in business than YOU? Who blows more money? Who wastes more trillions on favors, payback and pork?

At least in the auto industry, if folks don’t like what you make, they don’t have to buy it. In government, even your worst mistakes, we have to live with.

And now Detroit should die with this?

Kill the car, kill the country. Sen. Richard Shelby, Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Mitch McConnell, your names will not be forgotten. It’s amazing how you pretend to speak for America when you are only watching out for your political party, which would love to cripple unions, and your states, which house foreign auto plants.

Corker, you’ve got Nissan there and Volkswagen coming. Shelby, you’ve got Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and — like McConnell — Toyota. Oh, don’t kid yourself. They didn’t come because you earned their business, a subject on which you enjoy lecturing the Detroit Three. No, they came because you threw billions in state tax breaks to lure them.

And now you want those foreign companies, which you lured, and which get help from their governments, to dictate to American workers how much they should be paid? Tell you what. You’re so fond of the foreign model, why don’t you do what Japanese ministers do when they screw up the country’s finances?

They cut their salaries.

Or they resign in shame.

When was the last time a U.S. senator resigned over a failed policy?

Yet you want to fire Rick Wagoner?

Who are you people?

There ought to be a law — against the hypocrisy our government has demonstrated. The speed with which wheelbarrows of money were dumped on Wall Street versus the slow noose hung on the auto companies’ necks is reprehensible. Some of those same banks we bailed out are now saying they won’t extend credit to auto dealers. Wasn’t that why we gave them the money? To loosen credit?

Where’s your tight grip on those funds, senators? Where’s your micromanaging of the wages in banking? Or do you just enjoy having your hands around blue-collared throats?

No matter what the president does, history will not forget this: At our nation’s most uncertain hour, you senators stood ready to plunge hundreds of thousands of American families into oblivion. Leave them unemployed, with no health care, on public assistance. And you were willing to put our nation’s security at risk — by squashing the manufacturing base we must have in times of war.

And why? So you could stand on some phony principle? Crush a union? Play to your base? How is our nation better off today now that you kept $14 billion in the treasury? Are you going to balance the budget with that?

Don’t make us laugh.

Kill the car, kill the country. You tried to slam a stake into our chest; you don’t realize how close you are to the nation’s heart. Shame on your pettiness. Shame on your hypocrisy. This is how lawmakers behave two weeks before Christmas? Honestly. What has become of this country?

Saved by the Tree, originally uploaded by StrudelMonkey.

there is something about travel that consumes me. the opportunity to see something new ... to experience a different culture ... to learn a few words of a strange language ... to feel a little uncomfortable and get lost ... the more i do these things, the more i need ... its really a vicious cycle of planning, traveling, going through travel hangover and then starting the whole process over again. experiencing somewhere new doesn't necessarily satisfy me, but rather gives me a temporary fix ... temporary relief but furthering the addiction

the next dose comes next week when we take 10 days to see Northern Vietnam and Western Cambodia ... i've read the guidebooks and prepped my camera ... its a sickness ... a bug ... unfortunately one i can't get covered by our health care plan ... trust me, we've tried