Although originally hailing from Eugene I'm not a huge University of Oregon Duck fan, but I did have the opportunity at being at last Weekend's Duck/ UW Husky game, the season opener.

This was my first since that famous UCLA game some 20 years ago, marking their first undefeated at home season and the start of what appears to be a Phil Knight/Nike sports dynasty at that institution.

Coaching a Football team is more than just measuring how fast your wide receivers and running backs can cover 40 yards.

If you'll recall the Huskies had a great year nearly 20 years ago, winning the National Championship under former coach Don James.

Unfortunately the UW program has had a long decline since those years, perhaps most notably begining with the 'overlooked' rape charges against star players including by the PC police chief, Dean of Students Dean Morris, an African American who certainly appears distinguished.

That's no slight against Tyrone, he seems like a good guy - the problem is not likely with him, nor was it with Neuheisel, rather it would appear to be a metastized cancer in the larger authority of the campus community.

Sport has lessons for life, and one of those is that you fire the violent morally decrepeit power abusers, no matter how much money they are currently bringing in.

Salvaging the UW, and the State, at this point will be tough. Who is going to pay THAT cost...?

FWIW, methinks Paul Allen, part of the Knight's Portland sport community, will have more to do with it then Gates and crew.

BTW, game was great, even from the cheap seats.

-Douglas Tooley
At the McKinley Neighborhood CoffeeHouse, Tacoma

Now that John McCain has made his selection for VP let me weigh in on the 2008 Presidential Race, and both Biden and Palin.

FWIW, I haven't made up my mind yet, save for the fact that I am heartened by the two, quality 'competitive', choices some of us have before themselves. Choice here is the big issue, and respecting the choices of those in your immediate vicinity, be it family or neighbor is perhaps the most important thing.

When it comes to white liberal females going gingrich on Palin because McCain chose a woman who doesn't follow their 'party' line I am disgusted. And no less so than I am when a Republican attacks a pro-business democrat for 'competing' with them.

Those these folks would have you believe that anyone who disagrees with them is trash the fact is that these choice attackers are the trash, all the way up to those old school corporate lobbyists who pander to them in search of US Deficit dollars.

It is time to pay your bill folks. Once you've done that you are free to gripe all you want, in the meantime, go away.

Aside, a word to Joe Lieberman - though you are respected as an Independent please don't assume that you've got the same clout as a member of the Democratic party would have over its 'group'. You do gain powers going to the middle, but you also sacrifice others.

FWIW Lieberman came across as an 'Old White Guy' partisan going up against the upstart Obama, of my generation. Hopefully we can get some Biden/Lieberman action going somewhere, outside of a formal debate - that's certainly an exchange I'd like to see.

While I'm asking how about getting rid of the seniority system of committee (and money) allocation on the basis of seniority. Getting the best person in each position regardless of time in that particular body would be an improvement over the current partisan problem - and the evil the money has created.

Grave of the Fireflies

Directed by Isao Takahata

Adapted from a Novel by Akiyuki Nosaka

1988

Though this Pacific NW summer has been worse than normal it pales to the summer of 1945 in greater Tokyo, the setting for this Anime classic.

Though Japanese Anime is know for tackling tougher subjects this movie is perhaps the darkest of the genre. I'd definitely recommend previewing it yourself before even thinking about showing this to anyone under the age of 17 or so.

The loss of war can inspire great art, and this is not the only movie example from the period, all of which may be more significant than NYC's memorial to September 11, Ground Zero.

Spent the Weekend on Rainier. I'll let the pictures do the talking, save for a couple of points:

Rainier makes a great weekend trip, the loop of the Mountain is as convenient to Metropolitan Puget Sound as a Lahar is dangerous.

'Trailhead Camping' is great, though I'm not sure how accepted it is in this park. One thing for sure, it's great for catching early wildlife and missing the summer throngs at Paradise and Sunrise.

An interesting trifecta of financial news this weekend - perhaps more significant than either 2008 VP choice, of the previous weeks.

First, the feds announced a takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two competing federally created financial coroorations underwriting much of the residential owner occupied 'market'.

Perhaps more significant, at least locally, is the ouster of long time Washington Mutual President Kerry Killinger. I was doing some web research this morning on the recent history of the Killinger's relationship with WAMU, as well as that of its long time outside Counsel, Foster Pepper Shefelman.

It was my recollection that Killinger had recently been taken to task for giving himself a bonus as the firm was on its way from to 15% of it's all time stock price high. I also recalled some changes in the relationship with FPS. Although I was able to find plenty of references to shareholder lawsuits, I didn't find anything in my quick research.

This quote though, from FPS Senior Partner Judy Runstad in 2001 is particularly telling:

2nd item in Godden's Column

Any chance FPS will be held to account for their actions?

Isn't it ironic that on 9/11, the anniversary of the bombing of the NYC financial center, the World Trade towers, that our financial system is collapsing in a more damaging manner than could of ever been hoped for by Al Qaida - in substantial part because of the war profiteering of the Bush/Cheney administration and friends.

But if you think that is ironic, consider the fact that the reformist Republican Candidate has, by an edge, a better case for being able to deal with the economic situation than do the Democrats...

(See this piece from the Financial Times of London for a perspective on how Democratic members of the Congressional majority are looking.)

Though legal counsel for the currently troubled WAMU savings bank have crafted a careful image of social and environmental responsibility their financial practices and 'PC' abuses of power will in fact result in a net loss on these issues and the individuals themselves responsible will continue to profit from these 'changes'.

Deconstructing Harry

Written, Directed and Starring Woody Allen

With Robin Williams, Amy Irving, Billy Crystal, Kirstie Alley, Richard Benjamin, Demi Moore, Elisabeth Shue, and Mariel Hemingway

1997

Woody Allen has a small, very loyal, audience, enough to keep him making movies on a regular basis. I've not seen all of his recent works, but did enjoy this one immensely, perhaps the capstone to his career.

With substantial poetic license this is Allen's ode to himself - he plays a poetic version of himself, a writer about to be honored by the school that kicked him out as a youth for his lifetime accomplishments. However the life of this fictional character is not so smooth, he's just written a book in which virtually all of his life's relationships can find themselves portrayed - in not flattering terms.

Thank god Mr. Allen has plenty of friends willing to make a movie with him, combined with his writing this will truly be a classic. The 'out of focus' character played by Robin Williams is shere cinemagraphic comedic genius.

Let's pull on the ropes, draw those green curtains back...

And let the show begin!

Lucia, Lucia

Directed by and adapted for the screen by Antonio Serrano

Based on the book 'Hija del Canibal' by Rosa Montero (Daughter of the Cannibal)

2003

This movie uses a detective mystery concerning the lead character's missing husband to explore the middle aged angst of a creative soul. Like Almodovar the director, Antonio Serrano, captures feminine neuroses with incredibly accuracy. At times it all seems a bit soap operaish, but don't let that distract your attention, there is something very real going on here.

Words of advice for both Obama and McCain:

"What Would Hilary Do?"

A curious legal standard of Gregoire's generation under the law is 'the perception of the victim' .

I'm gonna challenge that bit of abusive double speak here, but first let me note that it is not without a rational basis, no matter how badly misapplied.

Folks who have been abused are sensitive, actions that most of us consider part of the rough and tumble of daily life in the real world can be quite stressful - this may well be a prime indicator of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - whether it be a vietnam era vet or rape victim.

I'm gonna take Charlie Gibson to task for his interview of Palin, and call it an intellectually dishonest 'ambush'.

Yes, pretty much every thinking person is aware of the concept of 'pre-emptive' war, but calling it the Bush Doctrine is something new, and not in common useage. Although Mr. Gibson is trying to come across as the tough, revealing reporter the only thing he accomplished was a 'post-preemptive' destruction of his credibility.

That said, I do like the term 'Bush Doctrine', and hopefully it will come to be a commonly known phrase.

To ABC's credt George Will, on the Stephanopolous Sunday show, did make this observation as well (confirming also my suspicisions). BTW, Stephanopolous, a former PR guy for the Clintons, does a good show. His biases are well known and ackowledged and he, as with the rest of the Clinton team, maintains an open mind - and presentation.

He also played the quickly becoming famous Tina Fey satire (from NBC's Saturday Night Live) of Palin citing her foreign policy experiences as 'Heck, I can see Russia from my House...'.

Like a wave crashing on the Southern California shore suburban America spread inland from the western US coast starting in the 1950's.

I was born in that wave, at the crest of another wave in the history of America, call it John Kennedy's Camelot, of the early 1960's. It has been said that as goes California so goes the nation, and our family was much a part of that.

As you know, southern California was once under Spainish rule, and the last remnants of that were the citrus groves of 'Orange' County and surrounding areas, just to the south of LA. This county is the conservative balance point to weat Hollywood and it's global influence. It is where John Wayne died with 50 pounds of 'stuff' in his colon.

My elementary school, in Yorba Linda, was built on the site of Richard Nixon's family Lemon Grove. The trees were gone, but the modest family house remained, housing the school's custodian.

Un Chien Andalou
(An Andalusian Dog)

Directed by Luis Bunuel

Written by Bunuel and Salvador Dali, with a cameo by Dali - the priest

1929

As far as this blog is concerned this is the granddaddy of all classic flicks. I'm just discovering Bunuel, the Madrid classmate of Dali and Garcia Lorca. This movie was his first, a very short 15 minutes, but also as impactful as any 21st century full length Hollywood feature. His last movie was in 1977, nearly 50 years.

"L'Age D'Or" was his second, banned in France until 1980. In 1972 he received a foreign language nod from the Motion Picture Academy for "The Discrete Charm of the Bourgesie".

There may well be no plot to this movie, though definitely it is about perception, sex, as well as marriage and the church."Un Chien Andalou" does include some 'second base' sexual shots that were provocative in their day. I'd highly reccomend this for a short introduction to a Halloween horror party, it will blow your guests minds.

It may be a crime to seperate a clip from the entire movie, but here's the famous opening shot.

A quick item for your consideration, dear reader:

Would it be possible that many common items of wisdom are in fact a 'projection', en masse, of regular drinkers?

Certainly no one will challenge the connection between alcohol use and domestic violence, bt consider also these possible examples:

Accusations of criminally violent behavior against Pot Smokers

A supervisor 'needing' to discipline a worker who may actually more qualified than him, or her, self.

An American Financial professional foreclosing on an American Worker's house

I've written a bit about the supposed 'domestic violence' expert working for Christine Gregoire, hired during her tenure as AG, and, also, on her first gubernatorial campaign.

I don't have anything against Ms. Parisien, however, for me, she is a good 'random' example of the legacy of Gregoire in this State. She may well have never done anything "illegal", but she, in my mind, does meet the standard of an abuser, as she, and her, cohorts, would apply to a male, especially one just a bit younger. I don't like that standard, but it is the law. Personally I do think that if it can be proved, that should be grounds for immediate termination.

But this post is about equal pay.

As the reality of our current financial system begins to dawn on American's I've become aware of a 'mistake' in the economic numbers for our State - we too may already be, "in the shit".

The story, as it's been vaguely reported to me by a credible source, is that the usual summer layoffs from the school system were not reported. This has resulted in 'seasonally adjusted' numbers in the most recent reports that don't include the offsetting regular drop!

I'm not going to accuse anyone of intentional misreporting based on the information I have so far, but it sure seems to happen a lot around election issues in King County and the State.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

Starring Chia Hui Liu

1979

This Kung Fu classic combines the best of cheesy action with a story from Chinese myth/history of worth to the U.S.

The monks of Shaolin are warrrior priests very important in Chinese history. This is the tale of a chapter in that history where a surviving member of the oppostion to the Ming Tartar rule learns Kung Fu and becomes a master by moving through the 35 different schools in the traditionally elitist monastery.

San Te, the individual played by martial arts expert Chia Hui Liu, founds the 36th Chamber, one dedicated to teaching the arts of kung fu to the masses of the people resisting tartar rule.

A picture of the Sound Transit MLK alignment, with Station and partial re-development:

Martin Luther King is an acceptable shortcut from Seattle South, during the PM rush. Sound Transit construction has slowed it a bit, but also added to the interest. On my way back from a recent Seattle trip I noticed traffic slowing considerably due a bike on the route.

It's a slightly ironic outcome of squeezing rail transit into a city arterial that bikes really don't work anymore.

I worked as an Apartment Manager on South Capitol Hill, across the street from SU's Xavier Dorm, while completing my transfer Honor's B.A. at the UW. (In Economics).

We renovated the building off of cash flow, over four plus years, through to its sale. One of the projects was the planting of trees in front of the building. Japanese maples are common in the area, on the Seattle University Campus and in the residential neighborhood, home to respected Japanese gardeners. (King TV and KIRO radio personality Ciscoe Morris is most commonly thought of as the SU gardener, but it was the Kubota's, of SE Seattle's Kubota gardens who did this work, prior to Mr. Morris's arrival.)

Japanese Maples are not, however, on the approved list of Street Trees. I won't say I had the approval of City Arborist Jerry Clark in order to do this planting, but it was also not done without 'consultation' of this City provided expert.

These pictures are from last week some 20 years or so after the planting - and I think we can call it a successful experiment. The trees are thriving in the harsh street environment, not interfering with power lines, nor with the sidewalk.

BTW, can't say enough good things about my employer, Weber and Associates. Mr. Weber, and company are definitely not your typical do nothing real estate speculators.

The building remains in the same ownership from those that purchased it from Mr. Weber, rents though have not remained the same. I can't remember if we were getting $275 for the 3-4 hundred square foot studios or the slightly larger one bedrooms - these days, $800 and up!

I paid a visit to the King County Council recently.

Though people complain about the 'partisan' nature of the Council I actually like the diversity of folks here. It is definitely unfortunate that they are not able to better work together due partisanship, but the people themselves are basically good folks. It's a shame what happens to some of them.

Take the case of abusive alcohol user Jane Hague. Still remaining univestigated is her treatment of Sheriff Rahr's staff, and 'co-dependency' from the Prosecutor who handled her case.

The following pictures were taken over the space of about ten minutes, while I photographed other Councilmembers as well. Most curious is how she doesn't move at all. There is definitely something more going on here than simple boredom. I'll leave that analysis to the experts, or you...

Does the de facto leader of this board look like he is up for 'class'?

Though he did pay up for his share of the Bill Gates Law School, I am personally not convinced his accounts are up to date - nor without retaliation against his 'collectors'.

The quick bio of this guy, as this lay observer has been able to determine, is that he was the family law/divorce lawyer for Jack Abramoff's firm, Preston Gates and Ellis. I'm guessing that his active board wife, the deceased Mary Gates, got him a fair number of his clients.

Mary Gates was on the national United Way Board, how Jr. got his IBM contract, a deal that didn't work all that well for IBM. One has to wonder if that relationship used senior's legal strategies in order to gain as much as possible.

IBM, karma-wise, did have something coming to them -as a Black S. African tracked by their apartheid legal computer system would tell you.

Two questions for you, my friends,

Is the legal profession's use of computer's any better than S. Africa's apartheid era system?

Is Bill Gates, Sr, any better for the campust football 'stars' who were committing rape with the implicit approval of the administration, circa his appointment to the Regents?

Stranger has a great clip from YouTube on Rep Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio (Toledo)

Kaptur on Federal Response

Basically she is calling for criminal prosecutions, where warranted, and confiscation of assets.

FWIW, that's really the only option we have.

Curiously, she suggests going back as far as 15 years - a time frame similar to one that I'd use in Washington State for not unrelated problems.

Personally I think we should also look for civil recovery of assets, though we do need to be very careful about legal standards and precendents in such 'property rights' matters.

THX 1138

Directed by George Lucas

Starring Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasance

1971

THX 1138 is the first production of Coppola's 'independent' American Zoetrope project as well as Lucas and Duvall's first major release. The film is as noteworthy for its place in production history as it is for it's art. (Recall that the Lucas Sound Recording/Theater certification system is called, also, 'THX'.)

At this point in Hollywood the older production staffs were nearing retirment and independent films oriented towards the youth market were becoming quite successful, including 'Easy Rider'. Basically Warner Brother's gave a bunch of money to the two stars of L.A. Film Schools, Lucas (USC) and Coppola (UCLA). They used the money to set up shop in San Francisco, circa the summer of love and established the most technically advanced studio in America at the time.

As a production effort the company failed, however participants went on to much greater later success, albeit more commercial in nature. Lucas, of course, with Star Wars. Coppola and Duvall with 'Godfather'. Apocalypse Now was orginally conceived as part of this project, though it's long gestation resulted in a movie that arguably is the best ever made.

Filmed in the just completing Bart tunnel projects of San Francisco the movie paints a stark vision of the future - reminiscent of Kubrick and similiar in psychological profile to another best of all time movie, 'Brazil'. In the Lucas/Coppola future, drug 'evasion' is a crime, as is the resulting love affairs that occur in it's absence.

As Lucas says, this movie is a parable about the present. That holds true nearly 40 years later.

Although I don't know this for a fact I'm guessing that the opening shot of this clip was shot in the Zoetrope editing studio.