Author: lux

Jobs in 2004

Daily Kos has a good one about the job situation and how it will impact the coming election. The bottom line? There are fewer jobs in the United States today than there were in March 2001.

Of course this is not good news to someone who has just quit her job, but I’ll worry about that some other time. The really good news is, if the Kerry campaign handles this information correctly it could be a huge help in pushing BushCo out of the White House.

I just hope they don’t screw it up. Watching Kerry in the run-up to the convention has not been inspiring.

What Class is San Francisco?

Atrios has a good one over on his blog today.

I’ve frequently said there are three kinds of cities (or colleges or countries or sports teams or insert any similar entity here).

People who live in 1st class cities never feel the need to tell everyone how great their city is. It speaks for itself. Think New York, Paris.

People who live in 2nd class cities feel the need to proclaim their greatness, and to convince you that they really are 1st class cities.

People who live in 3rd class cities just accept their lot and get on with their lives.

Scott and I disagreed whether San Francisco is a first or second class city. I think it’s borderline first class, he says definitely second class.

Speaking of first class cities, I’m going home to NYC next week. Unlike my Rome trip, ‘net access should be easy there, so I expect no blog interruptions.

Off With His Head

Apparently Nick Berg was a Jew. Just like Daniel Pearl. Although his religion seems to have been less of an issue to the people who chopped off his head than his being an American. Still, the subtext is there and concerns me.

Kitten season is coming!

I went to do a shift at the SF SPCA yesterday for the first time in several months. It was good to be back.

I spent some of the time visiting two mama cats with their litters – one had 4 kittens, the other, 5. A reminder that kitten season is about to begin. One of the mama cats was small and visibly undernourished. She was a little skittish when I first came to her cage but after a few hisses she relaxed and started to enjoy herself. Eventually she climbed onto my lap and lay there purring while a couple of her more adventurous (or more hungry) kittens followed her.

Sometimes the mama cat gets overlooked when you visit & socialize kittens, but she needs love and attention as much as the kittens do. Moreso in some ways, because she’s doing all the work. (Perhaps I’m anthropomorphizing here.) At any rate, I came very close to adopting one particularly sweet mama cat I worked with last year. Someone else got her first, and considering we already have 3 cats it’s probably for the best.

The kittens, of course, generally find homes quickly.

I’m going to a retail job fair today. I really can’t get up much enthusiasm for it, but I feel that I ought to be there, so I’m going. I still can’t decide if I’m fed up with retail in general, or just being overworked in specific. Until I make up my mind or a better alternative comes along, I might as well keep looking for a new retail gig.

I’m more enthusiastic about the prospect of taking a week to go back east and hang out with my parents. I feel a bit guilty about taking off and leaving my husband here, but he doesn’t seem to mind (lucky me!).

Ann Coulter is Still a Raving Loon

I’m still more or less staying out of the Iraqi prison mess but caught this quote of Ann Coulter’s today & thought it worth citing: “this is yet another lesson in why women shouldn’t be in the military.”

It boggles the mind how of all the lessons that could possibly be drawn from this catastrophic mess, that is the one less Coulter draws? Crazy, I tell you.

Some reports out there include reports of rapes on Iraqi prisoners. Ann will have to figure out how that too is the fault of women in the military.