my all-time favorite restaurant review:

restaurant: Bordewijk
(Been there? Please feel free to add your own review!)


Review 11 of 11
average rating 7

Name: Roeland
Rating: 10
Date: 18 Feb 1999

Review

I really enjoyed eat here, fine food, very nice service, a really good evening of eating and drinking. Also a very interesting entourage, very modern but gezellig at the same time. We liked the "knuffelmuur" which reminded us of our childhood memories of the first love in swimming-pools. ;-)

( from amsterdamhotspots.com )

Quote of the day:

Gore Vidal, regarding the Patriot Act:

"The Founding Fathers would have found this to be despotism in spades. And they would have hanged anybody who tried to get this through the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia."

The Terminator/ Prevaricator (otherwise known as Gov. Arnold) round up:

What he says:

“I will clean up Sacramento.”
“I won’t take their money. I don’t need their money.”

What he means:

“I will hold a fundraiser for special interests, specially directed at lobbyists, immediately after my inauguration. I will then use the special interest money to pay off my personal loans to the campaign.”

What he says:

“I will be for the people, not the special interests.”

What he means:

“I will hold a private inauguration at which the public will not be invited, but the special interests can buy expensive tickets to attend. Sure, it will be on public property, but we will just erect a fence TO KEEP THE PUBLIC OUT.”

What he says:

“we must stop the runaway spending in Sacramento.”

What he means:

“We’ll borrow $20 billion instead. So what if my supporters SUED THE STATE to stop them from borrowing to cover the deficit.”

BONUS HYPOCRISY ALERT:

On Wednesday, Senate republicans specifically prohibited California from placing restrictions on high-polluting two-stroke engines.

So much for state’s rights. Why is it that republicans complain about big federal government and giving states the prerogative to govern themselves until they disagree?

Also, today bush decried the hold-up of his judicial appointees. The fact of the matter is that during the Clinton administration, we had record vacancies in the federal courts because the republican senate simply REFUSED to hear nominations. They, specifically judicial chair orin hatch, held up hundreds of democratic appointments.

Now they complain about objections over four nominees. No freakin’ shame.

Banner day for say one thing, do another.

here's a hint.

write all posts in word and PASTE into blogger.

that will prevent blogger from eating a long and involved post with lots of news site links in it.

although before blogger devours the post, it will prompt you to "save post" but not allow you TO FREAKIN' EVER FIND IT AGAIN.

someone convince me that movable type is somehow an option.

Let’s type about patriotism for a moment.

Even though I oppose the war, on this veteran’s day, I want to make it clear that I respect and honor those brave enough to fight for our country, or, in some cases, our country’s leaders.

I just wish the government did the same.

Here is a little list of the way the bush administration is honoring our vets and active duty military:

Big tax cuts for the wealthy- but the measly $6,000 a family gets when their child is killed is taxed as additional income (up to 38%)

Rumsfeld wants to slash combat pay, the extra pay that soldiers in combat zones receive.

Until congress explicitly prohibited it, the pentagon charged wonded soldiers nearly $10 a day for their meals in the hospital.

Bush tried to cut $16 BILLION in veterans’ benefits to make up for the latest tax cut.

The media is prohibited from photographing the coffins of the nearly 400 soldiers brought back in a box, and wounded are brought back after midnight in a controlled facility to keep the media away.

Soldiers returning home from Iraq are landed in Baltimore – and then have to pay their own way home, wherever that may be.

Rumsfeld urged Bush to veto any appropriations bill that allowed disabled military retirees to collect both disability and retirement benefits.

And finally, the pet peeve of mine:

Max Cleland, a quadriplegic Vietnam vet, is called “unpatriotic” by a republican draft dodger because Cleland refused to give bush authority to pursue this war.

Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. Unless, of course, your country’s leaders could give a shit about you except as a television backdrop.

I oppose the war. But I also support our troops.

okay, i'm back.

soon after i returned i had to spend a few days helping a friend get elected to the city council. despite a disorganized campaign, and a staff that was brewing cool aide by the time i got there, he still punked the establishment and came in second for three seats.

highlights in vietnam:

huddling under a palapa on a deserted beach, waiting for the monsoon to pass

NICE restaurants every night in hanoi and saigon. i mean new york/ los angeles nice. restored french villas, five course meals, more staff than diners, linen everywhere, EXCELLENT food. $35 for two.

riding a four speed scooter up a mountain road in the mist to see a several hundred foot waterfall.

not getting killed by the truck on the blind curve.

kayaking in halong bay among millions of islands. finding a totally enclosed jungle lagoon accessible only by a small cave.

sex in the kayak in above lagoon.

the bang xeo inside the citidal in hue.

bang may in the taiwanese market in saigon.

stumbling into the dried fish market on the saigon river by accident, being mocked by vietnamese dried-fish mongers for almost knocking over the dried eels.

taking scooter taxis everywhere. there were so many in saigon i felt like i was in the pelaton taking off from stoplights.

more later.