As the US launched its attack against Iraq I was standing around the TV at the laundromat folding my clothes. Two drunk homeless guys were watching and occasionally yelling at the TV or at Saddam. And attempting to explain current events to other bystanders. Two of the comments nearly made me laugh out loud. One of the drunk guys leaned near the other and said in a hushed voice, "I think they've pinpointed Baghdad." Later the TV displayed a map of the middle east with Iraq highlighted in yellow. The second drunk guy indicated the yellow area and explained, "That's all they have left." These two should be news anchors for Fox.

Next week is the school board election for Pasadena. I generally like to vote whenever I can, being a civic duty and whatnot. But, this time I don't know anything about either candidate except for their statements in the voter guide. Christine Soto and William Bibbiani. Who are they? I wish I could meet them. I think that would make many elections easier for me. Everyone can sound reasonable in a written statement, but to actually meet them gives me a better sense of whether they are slimy or a jerk or self-centered or whatever. Certainly it's not practical for everyone to meet presidential hopefuls or candidates for other various national offices. But, it would probably be practical for many of the people in a district to meet potential Congressional representatives or the city's mayor. So, I think local elections should be preceded by a "meet the candidates" event. With free hors d'oeuvres and punch.

Tonight I went to Controversy night. Shane's Wednesday night small group met at Crown City to raise and discuss controversial issues. I couldn't resist coming. Matt Stahl and I advocated legalizing drugs and another guy argued against a progressive income tax. I really enjoyed the evening. A good debate is fun. Then I had this idea, I should make a page on my website where people can discuss controversial issues. I guess my comments section occasionally serves that purpose. And perhaps having an arguement over the internet is a poor idea. But, it might still be cool to make a general debate forum in which to rant and rage. Any thoughts?

Our favorite local band, The Randies, are having a big show tomorrow night, (Thursday, 10th). All are welcome to turn up and cheer for the band. They are playing at Club Lingerie in Hollywood. The show is at 10pm. Cost is $8 or $6 with a flyer.

A few days ago I noticed an insect bite on my left wrist. At least I assume it's an insect bite. I didn't notice being stung, so it must have been a stealth insect. At first I figured it was just your average mosquito bite, it swelled up a bit and itched for a day. Then, instead of going away it continued to swell and the itching was replaced with a dull ache. The ache became less dull and more accute and the swelling area eventually achieved a diameter of 3 or 4 centimeters (1.5 inches or so). I began to worry that some exotic insect had injected it's flesh-eating larvae into me. Most likely I think it is a case of SABS (Severe Accute Biting Syndrome). Maybe I shouldn't have taken that trip to the wrist-biting insect zoo in Hong Kong last week. Anyway, the swelling is now going down and the pain has gone away. They'll probably let me out of quarantine in a week or two.

Today held a rather sad piece of news for me, Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf has disappeared. I'm going to miss hearing his outlandish explanations of Iraq's situation. The guy is hilarious. I read that many Arab viewers turn up the volume when he is on TV because they find him so entertaining. His press conferences are refered to as the Al-Sahhaf Show. Some people refer to his stories as Sahhaf truths. This is of course a jest, half a truth is far too generous for any of his statements. Who else could possibly claim that US forces were not within 100 km of Baghdad while people could hear artillery fire at the edge of the city? Who else could respond to video shown on Al-Jazeera showing US troops defeating Republican Guard by saying, "we have surrounded the Americans and British." Combined with his goofy smile, calm demeanor and colorful-but-meaningless insults his stories made wonderful entertainment. Here's a man who truly knows how to put delivery and style above other less important traits like credibility. If he is ever found I hope he is brought back to the US and forced to host his own talk show.

Also, I was thinking that if I ever start up my own news agency, I'd call it "Initial Reports". Just remember, you heard it here first.