/dev/random

All of my sites were down for several hours due to a hardware failure. At first they thought the hard drive failed, but it turned out to be only a bad cable. Thankfully no data was lost.

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Thanks to a friend I now have a gmail address! I don’t have any invitations to send out yet, but when I do, I’ll announce it, after giving a few friends first choice.

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Two fans died during the weekend Bonnaroo music festival, which drew more than 150,000 people, and investigators said drugs appear to have been involved. They were the first deaths in the festival’s three-year history. (Via Salon.)

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Is U.S. like Germany of the ’30s? (via Metafilter)

This is a time of great peril in American history because a phony patriotism and an America-worshipping religion threaten the authentic American genius of tolerance and respect for other people.
The strongest criticism that the administration levels at Sen. John Kerry is that he changes his mind. In [...]

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Remember the Grey Album? Jay-Z’s Dead is a similar project using The Grateful Dead.

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Jim Stork is one of the latest candidates endorced by Dean & Democracy For America.

Few congressional races have attracted so much attention so fast. A former mayor and small business man featured nationally in Entrepreneur Magazine, openly gay Stork announced his run in March and out-raised incumbent Clay Shaw by over $150,000 in the [...]

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When I weighed myself this morning, I was down to 185, the lowest I’ve been in as long as I can remember. I’m also feeling a lot better. This is the 10th day of my diet. Although I can move to phase 2 next Wednesday, I will probably wait to start phase 2 on the [...]

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This post is merely an effort to get the real Democratic National Convention site back up to the top of the search rankings. I encourage other bloggers to join in this counter googlebomb. Unlike “flip flopper” and the other fun googlebombs, this one actually matters. (via Daily Kos)

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Youssou N’dour is putting on another Great African Ball next month in NYC. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it. I just got his new CD, “Egypt” today. It’s very interesting & not like his usual style. The only bad thing is it’s only 41 minutes. It should have been longer.

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I just found out that Ray Charles has died. He was a musical giant who transcended styles & boundaries. Although he’s mostly associated with R&B, he’s also done country, jazz, big band, blues, and gospel. He will truly be missed.

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Daily Kos is endorsing Jim Stork for Florida’s 22nd Congressional district. Jim is the former mayor of Wilton Manors and is one of the rising stars of Florida politics.

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For a few days I’ve been considering whether to write about the passing of Ronald Reagan and what I should write. I won’t take issue with his politics, even though I disagree with most of it.
I believe Reagan’s election marked the decline of the presidency. There were bad presidents before him, but before Reagan, [...]

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Today is day 7 of my diet. I’m feeling a lot better today, although I still don’t have my usual level of energy. I skipped the morning snack I’m supposed to have today & I wasn’t hungry.
I was able to do a full workout at the gym yesterday without any problem. When I weighed [...]

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This is very scary:

President George W. Bush’s increasingly erratic behavior and wide mood swings has the halls of the West Wing buzzing lately as aides privately express growing concern over their leader’s state of mind.
In meetings with top aides and administration officials, the President goes from quoting the Bible in one breath to obscene tantrums [...]

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Today is my third day of the South Beach diet. I feel a lot better today and I’m getting used to it.

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I just found out that Youssou N’dour has a new album, Egypt, to be released June 8. This one sounds very different than his usual stuff - instead of his usual band, he’s joined by an Egyptian orchestra.

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Today is my second day on the South Beach Diet. Right now I feel like crap. I have no energy, and I have a headache & upset stomach. I made the mistake of weighing myself this morning, even though I know I’m not supposed to weigh myself every day - I gained two pounds. I’m [...]

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This is my garden:

This is my neighbor’s garden:

Here’s a bit of fun from our Memorial Day Party:

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I started the South Beach diet today. When I got up this morning and weighed myself, I was 191 pounds. I hope to get down to 175 pounds, which is my ideal weight at 5′10, according to a chart.

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