Dohiyi Mir

Get On Your Bikes And Ride!

Color me shocked, and GM envious green:

General Motors Corp., battling to keep its global sales crown, fell further behind Toyota Motor Corp. during the second quarter as a deteriorating U.S. market overshadowed gains overseas.

GM sold 2.29 million vehicles in the period, a 5 percent decrease from a year earlier. The Japanese carmaker said today that its preliminary sales rose 1.8 percent to about 2.41 million.

The results boosted Toyota's first-half lead to 278,000, diminishing chances that GM will extend its 77-year reign. Last year, GM trailed in the first quarter and narrowed the gap in the second before topping Toyota by 3,100 sales for the year.

Who knew that big trucks getting 3 gallons to the mile would be a tough sell in this climate?

Automakers have been struggling lately to maintain sales momentum amid soaring motor fuel prices. Toyota has a reputation for high-mileage cars such as its hit gasoline-electric Prius hybrid, but it is still facing the challenge of sluggish auto markets in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

Expectations have been high that the pace of Toyota's recent global booming sales growth will diminish despite stronger sales in emerging markets, such as India.

Toyota has said it expects to sell 9.85 million vehicles worldwide this year, up 5 percent from last year. But it may lower that target when it updates its strategy next month.

Toyota has been aggressively switching models to boost production of smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles instead of trucks and sport utility vehicles to meet changing consumer tastes.

Earlier this month, it announced sprawling manufacturing changes in the U.S., including starting production of the Prius for the first time, and shutting down truck and SUV production.

Toyota said it plans to produce the Prius — now made only in Japan and China — in Mississippi by 2010, and will consolidate truck production in San Antonio.

In other news, there are fewer traffic deaths and more public transit riders, again attributable to high gas prices.  Amazing: people CAN change individual default behaviors!  What next?  People riding bikes across the country to build homes for people?  Actively protesting the war?  So much craziness...

ntodd

Morning Pearlblogging

She's pretty comfy.

And sleepy.

ntodd

How I Feel Sometimes

Dedicated to those who feel "uncomfortable" with guerrilla theater and confronting our elected employees: Code Pink gives worms to ex-girlfriends!

ntodd

Pink Shitstorm

Why I never read Orange Satan any more.  Fucking humorless, sanctimonious trollop commenters.

ntodd

"I'd rather chant with the sinners than fluff with the saints."

What Sinfonian said (x-posted at Pax).

ntodd

Tuesday Integratingpackblogging

Lola's pretty cool with the resident Puffy Lion Dog now, though not especially friendly yet.

Vinnie's also been very brave, hanging on the railing whilst Neptune gets treats with Kayla and Mex out on the deck.

But the pair that I expect to really get close is Pearl and Kayla.

Believe it or not, Pearl chose to come sit on Kayla.

Sam and Gracey?  Outside killing mercilessly.

ntodd

Monday Dogblogging

I had an appointment in town today and was running some errands.  Ericka showed me what Kayla and Mex did while she was busy cleaning. 

We have 3 dogz and 3 bones.  And Neppy wants to gather them all, it seems. 

Ericka shot this when we were in New York during the Great Epic Relocation Journey Adventure.  Yes, we gave up on the No Dogz In Front Rule, letting Neppy hang out on the console and even use my arm as a pillow.

ntodd

War Crimes?

Jesus, what self-serving framing by our media:

The first U.S. war crimes [emphasis mine] trial since World War Two began on Monday at the U.S. navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nearly seven years after the September 11 attacks prompted President George W. Bush to declare war on terrorism.

Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, faces charges of conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism and could face life in prison if convicted by a jury of U.S. military officers.

Some people questioned the legitimacy of Nuremberg--the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court called it "a high-grade lynching party"--but the trials there ultimately set an appropriate precedent for dealing with real war crimes when the victors could have easily dispensed with any semblance of the rule of law.  How does this travesty in Gitmo even come close to being anything more than a Stalin-esque show trial?

Here's what Justice Jackson said at the opening of the International Military Tribunal on November 21, 1945:

This Tribunal, while it is novel and experimental, is not the product of abstract speculations nor is it created to vindicate legalistic theories. This inquest represents the practical effort of four of the most mighty of nations, with the support of 17 more, to utilize international law to meet the greatest menace of our times-aggressive war. The common sense of mankind demands that law shall not stop with the punishment of petty crimes by little people. It must also reach men who possess themselves of great power and make deliberate and concerted use of it to set in motion evils which. leave no home in the world untouched. It is a cause of that magnitude that the United Nations will lay before Your Honors.
...
If these men are the first war leaders of a defeated nation to be prosecuted in the name of the law, they are also the first to be given a chance to plead for their lives in the name of the law. Realistically, the Charter of this Tribunal, which gives them a hearing, is also the source of their only hope. It may be that these men of troubled conscience, whose only wish is that the world forget them, do not regard a trial as a favor. But they do have a fair opportunity to defend themselves-a favor which these men, when in power, rarely extended to their fellow countrymen. Despite the fact that public opinion already condemns their acts, we agree that here they must be given a presumption of innocence, and we accept the burden of proving criminal acts and the responsibility of these defendants for their commission.
...
The real complaining party at your bar is Civilization. In all our countries it is still a struggling and imperfect thing. It does not plead that the United States, or any other country, has been blameless of the conditions which made the German people easy victims to the blandishments and intimidations of the Nazi conspirators.

But it points to the dreadful sequence of aggressions and crimes I have recited, it points to the weariness of flesh, the exhaustion of resources, and the destruction of all that was beautiful or useful in so much of the world, and to greater potentialities for destruction in the days to come. It is not necessary among the ruins of this ancient and beautiful city with untold members of its civilian inhabitants still buried in its rubble, to argue the proposition that to start or wage an aggressive war has the moral qualities of the worst of crimes. The refuge of the defendants can be only their hope that international law will lag so far behind the moral sense of mankind that conduct which is crime in the moral sense must be regarded as innocent in law.

Civilization asks whether law is so laggard as to be utterly helpless to deal with crimes of this magnitude by criminals of this order of importance. It does not expect that you can make war impossible. It does expect that your juridical action will put the forces of international law, its precepts, its prohibitions and, most of all, its sanctions, on the side of peace, so that men and women of good will, in all countries, may have "leave to live by no man's leave, underneath the law."

Who is the complaining party today and who should really be in the dock?

ntodd

Biking Portland

NTodd's Pa, E and I are heading back to Portland for EschaConNW the first week of September, and probably are going to do some biking while we're there.  ErinPDX asked me to post some info on that over at the nascent blog about the gathering, so go read if you're coming or thinking about visiting the city some other time!

And yes, the Tour de NTodd will be starting up again now that the Great Relocation has been successfully pulled off...

ntodd

A Little Fortressblogging

A family of Canada geese dropped by the pond today.

Our nesting pair of loons is back, but no evidence of chicks yet.

Loons are no longer listed as endangered in VT and the ANR has stopped putting out the nesting platforms and warning buoys, so maybe it will take some

Looks like we're in for a week of wind and rain.

"Give Mommy kisses!"

ntodd

The 'Demon', Of Course, Is War

As I noted a couple weeks back SPC Joseph Dwyer, who was the subject of a famous photo in the early days of the Iraq war, died after a long struggle with PTSD.  I see there's a new AP article that goes into significant depth:

When Dionne Knapp learned of her friend's June 28 death, her first reaction was to be angry at Dwyer. How could he leave his wife and daughter like this? Didn't he know he had friends who cared about him, who wanted to help?

But as time passed, Knapp's anger turned toward the Army.

Yes, everybody should direct their ire toward the military, the architects of this immoral war, and the administration that refuses to provide support to our veterans who have put themselves on the line for our disastrous national policies.

ntodd

PS--The only reason I noticed this article today was that I've gotten thousands of hits from Yahoo image searches that bring up a version of the photo I have in my original post on Dwyer from October 05.  Certainly has brought out some...interesting comments.

More Playblogging

Some fun with neighbor dogz before the rains arrived.

Jazz chases Mex.

Then Hershey joins in.

A pause for the cause.

Cause out on the edge of the woods, there rides a hump train.

Now a soft rain is falling, but we wait for some t-storms soon...

ntodd

There Are Many Checks And Balances

Maybe we should use them.

ntodd

Sunday Playblogging

Chest bumping this morning. 

The Pack is starting to run together. 

Life is good.

ntodd

Immigration To Canada

We went to Frogland for 10 minutes before they kicked us out.

ntodd

Saturday Weehoursnewpackblogging

What an interesting pillow. 

I will never get my chair back. 

ntodd

The Hero's Dilemma

Ebert has a wonderful review of the awesome Dark Knight.  I'll just say that it's true to the spirit of the comic universe, has fantastic performances, and provides an excellent noir-yet-realistic atmosphere.

Heath Ledger?  Amazing.  Just watch his hands even more than any other aspect of his persona and affectations.  You get lost in his character, and then--BAM!--you realize just how fucking great his acting was.

And the Prisoner's Dilemma at the end is really beautiful commentary on how much better we can all be.

ntodd

And One More Thing

Responding to a response to yesterday's piece of shit article from Cintra Wilson at Salon.

ntodd

Friday Girlblogging

Kayla gazes up at Pearl coming downstairs.  I think she's glad to finally have some more female energy in the house.

Pearl seems pretty comfortable in my living room chair (noting that she and E somehow have appropriated it from me).

No Gracey still, though she did thoughtfully leave us some puke on the front porch containing kibble and animal matter!  Sam ate it up later.  Ew.

The Boyz are all getting used to Neppy, even coming out with me and the Dogz for morning business today. Sam was startled by the Old Man when he bounded out of the tall grass and hissed whilst diving for the woods, Lola went to ground in the driveway, and Vinnie just held his ground--then they all hung out with us, albeit at a respectful distance of a few feet.

ntodd

Funny Hats Will Never End The War

But snark, cynicism and inaction will.

ntodd

Thursday Packblogging

We were evil consumers yesterday and got a new dog bed for the living room, which Kayla promptly claimed as her cookie consumption corner. 

Ostensibly the bed can fit all three dogz.  Kayla disagrees, at least when cookies are at stake. 

Neppy, like Mexico, loves to roll in the grass. 

We had a nice time at the swimming hole. 

Mex and Kayla aren't actually swimmers, so mostly waded in the shallows and stuck to the edge of the creek. 

Neppy, however, jumped right in. 

Been trying to put together an epic post at Pax about a shitty Salon piece on Code Pink, but it's been a whirlwind day and not conducive to linear thought so it's going slowly.  Hopefully I can get back into the regular blogging groove soon--until then, it's just pics.

ntodd

More Adjustmentblogging

Coming downstairs now on her own volition.

Whoops, there's a dog in the way!

The canines chill.

Sam even came home.

Still some tension amongst the Pack, but detente is achieved.  Be nice if Gracey would join in the fun...

ntodd

Chez Brady

A bit nervous as Kayla and Mex bound inside, but sticking around.

What do you mean I can't go upstairs to eat cat food?

It has been determined that Sam's outside in the woods, Vinnie's brave enough to stealthily go out and come back, and all three dogs are cool with hanging together while Pearl sits on the couch with us.  Lola's suitably cautious on the basement steps and Gracey's still refusing to come in, but clearly around.  Some day we might have all eight animals together...

ntodd

Extended Pack

Brought Mex and Kayla home and the butt sniffing ensued.

Casually going around the hood, pooping and peeing.

Pearl slept with us most of the night, as did Neppy.  Lola and Vinnie visited for quite some time, until a little tiff between them and Pearl caused a parting of ways.  While E was on the couch in the living room this morning, however, Vinnie came up to investigate briefly then retreated.  The Boyz have been mostly in the basement during the daylight hours.

Gracey is indeed around and refusing to come in.  Sam's whereabouts are unknown, which is fine because he generally disappears after a long lockup and when there are other humans about.  The Dogz are all just chilling right now and we know that everything will work out in the end after a bit of stress and finding new rhythm.

ntodd

Reunionblogging

Pearl is happy her mommy is home at last.

ntodd

One Last Meta Thing

Oh, we *did* manage to get a picture of Elias!

ntodd

And A Continent Later...

After a stop at Liberal Mountain on the last leg, we are finally home (Google Maps, KML):

Neppy's sleeping on my foot in the living room as Pearl enjoys the lavish attention being paid to her.  Gracey?  Still outside.  The Boyz?  Cowering in the basement.  The Dogz?  Getting picked up tomorrow.

We're home and life is good.  More later.

ntodd

It was not in a covered wagon, but it was still a long trip:

Final leg: 449 mi
Trip odometer: 3518 mi
Maximum speed: 105 mph
Average speed: 67 mph
Number of plague-infested prairie dogs seen: 0
Number of vintage Wall Drug signs seen: 218
Highest elevation: 5724 ft
Lowest elevation: 46 ft
Speeding tickets handed out to NTodd: 0
Near heart attacks from flashing lights in mirror: 3
Number of Bob Evans restaurants within 25 miles of our hotel in Maumee, OH: 12
Number of driving days with rain: 2
Total time spent in car: 51:30

But Rush Limbaugh Gave Us The Skinny On Climate Change

Ал Гор очень толстый!

Russian scientists are evacuating a research station built on an Arctic ice floe because global warming has melted the ice to a fraction of its original size, a spokesman said.

The North Pole-35 station, where 21 researchers and two dogs live in huts, will be taken off the floe in the western Arctic Ocean this week instead of in late August as originally planned, said Sergei Balyasnikov of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

The research crew landed in early September on the 1.2- by 2.5-mile floe near the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. During its westward drift of more than 1,550 miles, the floe shrank to just 1,000 by 2,000 feet.

"The evacuation is ahead of schedule because of global warming," Balyasnikov said.

I guess the Russians are in on Al Gore's conspiracy...

ntodd

Epic Journey: Day Eight

The Penultimate Day (Google Maps, KML):

On the way to Williamsport we made a short side trip to Bellefonte, PA, where NTodd's Ma's Ma's Ma used to live when NTodd was a wee lad.  Besides entering the lion's den earlier in Ohio, the only adventure we really had was driving through some torrential rains in central Pennsylvania.  Tomorrow we head north to Liberal Mountain for lunch and then finally home to start an entirely different adventure.

ntodd

Inching our way across the US:

Last leg: 427 mi
Trip odometer: 3069 mi
Maximum speed: 105 mph
Average speed: 69 mph
Number of plague-infested prairie dogs seen: 0
Number of vintage Wall Drug signs seen: 218
Highest elevation: 5724 ft
Lowest elevation: 46 ft
Speeding tickets handed out to NTodd: 0
Near heart attacks from flashing lights in mirror: 3
Number of Bob Evans restaurants within 25 miles of our hotel in Maumee, OH: 12
Number of driving days with rain: 2