Katrina Donations

Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, which suffered the worst havoc from Hurricane Katrina, voted overwhelmingly for Bush in 2004.
I must admit that the idea of sending money to people who supported Bush, who is if anything a worse disaster than Katrina, sticks in my craw.
So, before donating any contribution to the relief efforts, I did some checking on the election results for the major cities affected: New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile.

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A Difficult Employee

Bunnatine Greenhouse, a US Army contracting official, had stellar performance reviews until she questioned the propriety of sole-sourcing some $10 billion in contracts to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, Inc.
Ms. Greenhouse has now been demoted for allegedly poor performance, and she’s hired an attorney, who has publicly categorized her demotion as a “reprisal” for “her strict adherence to procurement requirements and the Army’s preference to sidestep them when it suits their needs”, according to The New York Times.

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Profundity

From the Boston Globe online edition:
Secretary of State William F. Galvin sounded the alarm on heating costs last week, urging consumers to start winterizing their homes now and urging state officials to begin exploring ways to keep prices within reach. He said the best way to cut heating costs is to use less heat.

Public Demands Impeachment of President for Vote-Rigging

Following allegations that the President ordered an election official to rig the votes in the last election, 80% the citizens in a recent poll demanded impeachment.
The Chief Executive’s other problems include an economy that’s tanking because of oil prices and a call for reforms to cut the government’s debt.
The President’s political party has an “overwhelming” majority in Congress, though, so it seems likely that a deal will be worked out to prevent impeachment.
The President? It’s Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines.

Bruschetta

There’s a gourmet produce market near where I live, and they have a back room which they don’t advertise, but one of the people who work there told me about.
All of the produce in the back room is a flat 49 cents; example: a melon that would have cost $2.50 if it were perfect is 49 cents.

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Closing Otis

Well, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) has decided to close Otis Air National Guard Base some time in 2008.
BRAC decided that Otis’ fleet of F-15s will be sent to Barnes Municipal Airport Air Guard Station in Westfield**, MA, which will in turn lose its A-10 attack jets to bases in other states.

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End of Summer

Fall usually comes later to the Cape than the mainland, but here and there, the leaves are already starting to turn on the Sassafras tree in the back yard and the neighbor’s Burning Bush.
Last evening, I was sitting with a couple of my friends, planning a Labor Day weekend party. Today, I received an email from my favorite local band, Entrain, titled “Summer’s Almost Gone, Boo-Hoo”.

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Gardener’s Diary

Second bloom for the pinks, and waiting for the same from the dahlias.
Have been cleaning up the gone-bys and doing compliance watering (6-8 am, 7-9 pm): NO rain, again, this week.
More of the same in the rock garden at #11, although it does need more weeding. I’m waiting for mums so I can fill in when the weeds come out.
Incredibly, the begonias and vinca are hanging on in the window boxes.
As you have surmised, not much to report this time. So, check out the Zeitgeist photos to the lower right if you have more time to spend. Couple nice ones from an outing last night to Nauset Beach.