Random Notes

In Dreaming Up Daily News, Captain Future's essay on the European Dream was a front page feature on the European Tribune blog, receiving many thoughtful comments and several compliments.

That was the Captain's second front page in a week. His "No Place to Hide" on climate crisis news was featured at the Booman Tribune under the title, "Today's Story That Will Be Remembered in 50 Years," or something like that.

The Vigil: At our Arcata CA vigil supporting Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday, some 200 people gathered with candles (another vigil was held in Eureka six or so miles away.) There hadn't been much publicity, most people seemed to have learned about it on the Internet. A woman stamped money for you with the words "Bush Lied, Thousands Died," while her friend stood nearby, smiling sadly, wearing a small sign about the size of a nametag that said, "When Clinton lied, nobody died." And he was impeached for that. Does anybody remember that? What a country.

Candles look great at twilight---everybody should carry them around every evening. There were children, a few students (Humboldt State doesn't start up till Monday, and Arcata' s population will double overnight) and lots of the Vietnam generation. One veteran (of the Coast Guard and the Vietnam antiwar movement) said something I've been quoting ever since: "Cindy Sheehan is the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement." Think about it, read the Captain's take on it, and listen to what's changing in this country...

Note to U.S.: Look out. Up here in far far northern CA we usually have the highest gasoline prices in the contiguous states. But when a gallon passed $2 (not so many weeks ago) and the rest of the nation followed, we may have traded our title of anomaly for that of bellwhether.

So fair warning: a gallon of premium is $3.13 (yes, that's US dollars ), "plus" is $3.03, and regular is hovering just below the Big Three Buck barrier. Only a question of time (like tomorrow probably) before the price rises, the barrier falls and...who knows what? (Hint: Wal Mart profits are down.)