Call for change

Give some time and some cell minutes to help put some checks and balances back in our government My friend here in Bernal is hosting at least one more call party for MoveOn.org Get a list, a script, some background info on the race, and start dialing. It comes down to person to person (and lots of answering machines) connections that can make a difference.

The way to connect is to visit MoveOn and look for a place to search for a call party by entering your zip code. Once he has his party registered, voila! See you there. And if his party doesn't show up, others will. Wherever you are.

With the gorgeous weather we've been having around here, it would be a great way to donate to the cause.

Limits to blogging Flickr slideshows

OK, so digg dug a dud. Maybe that's a bit harsh.

The code for blogging a Flickr slideshow above is buggy. Not what it was advertised. Looks to me like the set_id parameter is not working. I just get my most recent shots.

Which is OK. It's still fun to have that there. But it sure would be nice to correctly specify a slideshow. If any readers come here with more info, code fix suggestions, leave a comment.

Fun with Flickr

Thanks to Digg, I found a cool recipe for embedding Flickr slideshows in a blog.

Here's my summer vacation set, which may actually be of interest to the friends and family that make up a the majority of the audience here:

Baghdad Burning — again

This is not the first time Riverbend, my favorite Iraqi blogger, has taken a hiatus. But this was a really long break. And with the news coming out of Baghdad being what it is, it's hard not to worry when a voice like hers falls silent. So it was a great relief, of sorts, to read her latest post

This has been the longest time I have been away from blogging. There were several reasons for my disappearance the major one being the fact that every time I felt the urge to write about Iraq, about the situation, I'd be filled with a certain hopelessness that can't be put into words and that I suspect other Iraqis feel also.

Checks and Balances on the horizon

Krugman nails it:

But while the Democrats won't gain the ability to pass laws, if they win they will gain the ability to carry out investigations, and the legal right to compel testimony.

The current Congress has shown no inclination to investigate the Bush administration. Last year The Boston Globe offered an illuminating comparison: when Bill Clinton was president, the House took 140 hours of sworn testimony into whether Mr. Clinton had used the White House Christmas list to identify possible Democratic donors. But in 2004 and 2005, a House committee took only 12 hours of testimony on the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

Impeach Bush? Nah, just put him on a spit and roast him slowly. Stop the hemorrhaging and start shining a light on what has really been happening.

Have you read Nancy Pelosi's plans for her first 100 hours?

CBGB closing for good

...and moving to Vegas? OMFUG. Not Vegas...

Josh Marshall lets his guard down?

"I love the sound of Republicans whining. It is the sound of Democratic victory."

My latest forray into Google Maps

I used MapBuilder.net to quickly cook up this map: KC's map of lunks spots in the East Bay

Not bad at all for a tool-generated map. The tool definitely has its limits, but it also makes it very, very easy to pull off a map like this. The collaboration feature is pretty cool too. (Charles, let's do that noodle joint idea!)

Life goes on

Morning sunrise over Poopenot Valley
Originally uploaded by BernalKC.

but will this blog?

I'm having many mixed feelings about this blog and its future. Taking some time off has been a useful way to get some perspective on it. But I don't yet know if I want to resume, nor what changes I will make.

While I mull the options over, I thought I'd post a link to a new set of Camp Mather pictures I just uploaded. Enjoy.

Joe Jones, RIP

My dad is gone. May he rest in peace.

Though he and I have been estranged for some time now, there was no hard feelings between us. I will always cherish my childhood memories of dad. I'm thankful for his presence in my life, thankful for the many things he taught me. He was an intelligent man and an honest and forthright individualist. He always knew where he stood and spoke his mind with conviction and without trepidation. There are so many traits that I hope, on my good days, that I've picked up from him.

This is not the place I want to pour forth my feeling and thoughts about the man. Yet, what else is there to write about? For now, I will sit with this and privately dwell on his life, his passing, and what it means for me and my family.

Peace be with you all.

Is Bush an "Idiot"?

Is the Pope Catholic?

Yipee!!! Coffee is good for me!

The Times say so! Fights diabetes and heart disease? Pour me another cup!

Run Ned Run

Run Ned Run
Originally uploaded by BernalKC.

Pretty quiet around here, eh?

I've been vacationing in New England and San Diego, and not spending much time thinking about blogging. Thinking about many things, like what to do with this blog, why I blog, how this blog has evolved in my mind. But obviously, not spending any time writing new stuff for this blog.

I am happy to report that I spent the better part of a week at ground zero of the netroots story of the year: Ned Lamont's drive to oust Senator Lieberman. Best of all, we stayed at with my sister-n-law whose husband's politics are very close to my own. Not that politics was the centerpiece of our trip, but it was nice to be there.

PostSecret is so interesting...

Disturbing, but interesting in a rubbernecking kind of way...

Bernal KC's Bernal Portfolio

My latest Flickr gallery collects some shots I've taken from the neighborhood.

Bernaltage, KC's meritage blend

OK, so it really is cool to be around all this wine. And one of the more interesting things about working this show is taking home a whole boat load of open wine bottles from the day of the show. But what do you do with multiple cases of open wine bottles? If you do nothing, they all go bad in a matter of days. You can gas them, and if you do it well, it will make them last a week or two.

Not me. I play wine maker. I invite my wine friends over and we mix our own wines. They last for months—maybe longer but I wouldn't know. And sometimes they come out really tasty. When they don't, who cares?

Of course, by the time I pull the cork on one of my blends I typically have no idea what is in the bottle. It's kind of enjoyable that way, but also a bit disconcerting. Especially when it tastes really good. If you drink wine for the pure taste experience, it's great. If you have some need to be an expert, or bask in the prestige of the pursuit of fine wine, it's really disappointing. Which is why I love it.

This year I have one blend that I made in an opened screw top bottle that I shared immediately at my blending party. We had the unique chance of tasting the two ingredients separately, then tasting the mix.

And it was good. Very good.

So I christened it Bernaltage!

I'm seriously tempted to chase these labels down and try this again. The blend was way, way better than either of the two bottles were on their own. And you tell me, when will you ever taste a blend of an inexpensive South Australian and rare Paso Robles wines? Only if you make your own Bernaltage!

Here's the mix:
2-parts Wakefield, 2004, "Promised Land" Cabernet Merlot
1-part Rotta, 2003, Paso Robles Cabernet Franc

Net Neutrality: This is serious

Ars Technica linked me up to a very cool, very concise, very simple, clear treatise on the crux of the net neutrality issue, Tim Berners-Lee on Net Neutrality: "This is serious.":

Don't let the telcos break the Internet.

Read the Ars article, but be sure to read Berners-Lee's original post, Net Neutrality: This is serious:

I hope that Congress can protect net neutrality, so I can continue to innovate in the Internet space. I want to see the explosion of innovations happening out there on the Web, so diverse and so exciting, continue unabated.

There is a lot of dense information out there about what this issue is, what it means, and why it is or is not necessary to act now. But this short post by one of the primary inventors of the Internet, by one who has continued to surf on the vanguard of the web and all it's possibilities, is the most potent arguments for protecting network neutrality.

Wine Camp, my favorite weekend of the year

Pouring one flight while another is retired
Originally uploaded by BernalKC.

OK, maybe a weekend skiing on fresh powder is more fun. And there's not doubt that I wok harder on this weekend than any other—hands-down. But I really love working the wine competition.

Of course, it's cool being around all the wine, checking out the judges, and tasting all that wine. But it's not just about the wine. The longer I do it the more I dig jumping into the beehive and getting the work done, sharing the whole experience with a crew that I only see around this show. I definitely look forward to it in a big way.

As I said last year, Thanks Chandler!

"'I'm going to fight to the death for Fluff,'"

This is a battle worth fighting! I mean, come on, we're talking about my upbringing here. If you are what you eat, I'm probably about %50 Fluffernutter—and proud of it!

Daily Kos: The Libertarian Dem

I've always described myself as a small-l libertarian, and I've spoken up regularly on the core importance of liberty—here, here, and here

So I'm thrilled to see DKos articulating this idea so well: The Libertarian Dem:

So in practical terms, what does a Libertarian Dem look like? A Libertarian Dem rejects government efforts to intrude in our bedrooms and churches. A Libertarian Dem rejects government 'Big Brother' efforts, such as the NSA spying of tens of millions of Americans. A Libertarian Dem rejects efforts to strip away rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights -- from the First Amendment to the 10th. And yes, that includes the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms.

So far, this isn't much different than what a traditional libertarian believes. Here is where it begins to differ (and it shouldn't).

A Libertarian Dem believes that true liberty requires freedom of movement -- we need roads and public transportation to give people freedom to travel wherever they might want. A Libertarian Dem believes that we should have the freedom to enjoy the outdoor without getting poisoned; that corporate polluters infringe on our rights and should be checked. A Libertarian Dem believes that people should have the freedom to make a living without being unduly exploited by employers. A Libertarian Dem understands that no one enjoys true liberty if they constantly fear for their lives, so strong crime and poverty prevention programs can create a safe environment for the pursuit of happiness. A Libertarian Dem gets that no one is truly free if they fear for their health, so social net programs are important to allow individuals to continue to live happily into their old age. Same with health care. And so on.

The core Democratic values of fairness, opportunity, and investing in our nation and people very much speak to the concept of personal liberties -- an open society where success is predicated on the merit of our ideas and efforts, unduly burdened by the government, corporate America, or other individuals. And rather than always get in the way, government can facilitate this

And I'm equally pleased that this post has caused a big splash, and that he's planning a book on the same subject. Maybe its time to change my moniker from small-l libertarian to Libertarian Democrat. I like that.