In mourning for Senator Paul David Wellstone and family members and friends

I mourn a fellow Jew, a fellow liberal, a fellow advocate for the mentally ill, a fellow decent human being ... and on and on.

After reading a message from Barry about the tragedy of Senator Wellstone's death today in an airplane crash, along with his wife, and one of his three children - and also with his close supporters, my first response is my mourning and then placing an order with Amazon for Senator Wellstone's book. I am compelled to read about his "compassionate agenda."

The Conscience of a Liberal: Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda
by Paul David Wellstone

The editorial reviews say it all about Senator Wellstone's great accomplishments, and what might have been :-(

-- Jack
--------------------
Amazon.com
"When senators think about running for president, they write books like The Conscience of a Liberal. Indeed, Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota thought about pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, but ultimately backed off. There's some speculation he'll run in 2004. Whatever the case, he's known in Washington as one of the Senate's most liberal members--giving his better-known colleagues Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton a run for their money in this category. The first part of the book explains Wellstone's unlikely ascension to the Senate (he was once a college professor), and some of his campaign war stories are fun reading for political junkies. One of the most amusing passages describes how he once nearly clocked New York Republican Alfonse D'Amato over a disagreement: "When the train reached the Senate chamber, I jumped out and lunged forward, intending to catch D'Amato and deck him. My body was shaking with uncontrollable anger." Another senator held him back, and Wellstone calmed down.

The bulk of The Conscience of a Liberal, however, is given over to laying out a political agenda that includes universal health care, reversing welfare reforms, prekindergarten education, raising the minimum wage, and campaign-finance reform. He closes with a call for a new politics: "This is not a conservative America.... There is a huge leadership void in this country that the Democratic Party, emboldened by political courage and a commitment to the issues that made our party great, can fill." Democrats looking for a candidate to support in the next presidential election may want to start here." --John J. Miller

Twenty-first Century "Caveat Emptor"

Of the many Latin expressions used in English, I best remember "caveat emptor" - Let the buyer beware.

I think of "caveat emptor" nearly every day in making purchasing decisions.

But I am impressed with a "new age" (my wording) expression used in the current Village Voice Mr. Roboto computer column in a long and useful discussion of various ink-jet cartridge cost-saving alternatives.

The article closes with a word of caution if shopping for ink-jet cartridge bargains on the Internet.

"Just promise you'll never do business with an e-merchant who doesn't offer a money-back guarantee in writing, or who lacks a fixed address and phone number. It'd be a shame if your humble quest for cheaper ink wound up enriching a Vladivostok fraudster, now, wouldn't it?"

So now I am going to think of not "enriching a Vladivostok fraudster" every time I think of "caveat emptor." But my sense of political correctness will probably keep me from speaking this phrase out loud. :-)

Tear-inducing onions get the chop
NewScientist.com news service October 16, 2002
James Randerson

(Note from Jack: A previous blog post talked about why cutting onions causes tears and we had some fun discussion among blog readers. Gee, think of the excitement lost if cutting onions causes no tears! ;-) Previous Post: [8/26/2002 3:46:49 PM | Jack Schwartz] The Tear Factor By Robert L. Wolke, Washington Post , Food Section, Wednesday, August 21, 2002; Page F01)

Excerpt from New Scientist article:
"Onions that taste as good as the original but do not have you weeping over the chopping board are now a possibility, say Japanese researchers.

The team have identified the gene responsible for making the tear-inducing substance. They say it would not be difficult to make genetically modified onion varieties that lack the substance altogether."
[Click here for full article.]
Journal reference: Nature (vol 419, p 685)

Mooses Come Walking
by Arlo Guthrie

Published as an illustrated children's book.

Jack connects "Mooses" with Arlo Guthrie from a vivid personal experience. Not long after the moose hunt in 1980 when I first shot my own moose, I skied with a good friend, Mike, at Brighton Ski Area near Salt Lake City. We had tickets to go to an Arlo Guthrie concert in the evening. Near the end of the ski day, Mike "crashed and burned" and was slow getting up. I nearly called first aid, but Mike got up and skied again.

Then at the Arlo Guthrie concert Mike nearly passed out after the first three songs, and I assisted him, with difficulty(!), to the car and the hospital. He nearly died from internal bleeding. :-( His parents came and I drove the car home to Green River in nearby southwest Wyoming.

So "mooses" (my hunter friends and I say "meece" :)) and Arlo Guthrie are forever connected in my personal memory - and now in Arlo's poem.
-----------------------------------------------------
Mooses Come Walking
by Arlo Guthrie

Mooses come walking over the hill
Mooses come walking, they rarely stand still
When mooses come walking they go where they will
When mooses come walking over the hill

Mooses look into your window at night
They look to the left and they look to the right
The mooses are smiling, they think it's a zoo
And that's why the mooses like looking at you

So, if you see mooses while lying in bed
It's best to just stay there pretending you're dead
The mooses will leave and you'll get the thrill
Of seeing the mooses go over the hill

1993 Arloco Music, Inc. (ASCAP)