Where have you been?

Our apartment in on the sixth floor of a decrepid block of apartments near a school (bottom of photo). The inside is nice and newish but the common hallways and entrance are covered in graffiti and filth. Sometimes the entrance smells like dog piss too. Lovely... Here is a view out the bedroom window.

So I figured out how to include a table structure that looks okay...

From the previous posts: I got a request for some flower photos while I was in California. Unfortunately my better photos were mistakenly left on a cd and put into storage before they were transfered to my portable HD. From top to bottom: Grand Palace, Thailand; Golden Mount, Thailand; Irvine, California; University of Cambridge Botanical Garden; Castle Framglingham, and St Ives England.

There is a fine botanical garden in Warsaw but you will all have to wait for Spring for the flowers to arrive. The weather is better, however, so I plan on going out soon to shoot some of the excellent sites around my town.

Teaching english is pretty easy, especially because I can already speak it!

I am not the biggest fan of the Daily Show but sometimes Jon Stewart is pretty funny and accurate. This bit on VP Dick Cheney's interview with Wolf Blitzer is one such example. How could Cheney claim Republican dissidence is "hogwash"? And how could he possible feel above answering questions about his gay daughter? Somehow he is above basic Republican policy. Typical.

Reminds me of another incident that is somewhat on-going in Utah. A local judge in Hildale, Utah, has three wives yet the Utah attorney general and the Washington County prosecutor both refuse to prosecute him of polygamy. They don't think his private life effects his work life so will not act. Fortunately a commission has been persuing the matter and has been successful (I think) in having him removed. Polygamy, by the way, is a third-degree felony in Utah.

Fox News One
Fox News Two

The following was taken from an article by James Carroll writting in the International Herald Tribune. Article title: "The lynching of Iraq"

"The hanging of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 30 offerd a view into the grotesque reality of what America has sponsored in Iraq...It was a lynching...The harsh fact is that the Shiite dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, in its contemptible treatment of a man about to die, laid bare the dark truth of Bush's war. This is what revenge looks like, and revenge...drove the initial U.S. attack on Saddam Hussein every bit as much as its snuffed out his life at the end. The hooded executioners took their cue from Bush."

"And why should they not have? Let's remember who this man is. As governor of Texas, he presided over the executions of 152 people, including the first woman put to death in Texas in a century..."

"...That executions defined the main public distinction that Bush brought to the U.S. presidency sums up the national disgrace, while suggesting also how little surprise there should be that America is presided over now by an executioner-in-chief."

"...Iraqi loss of life remains mostly unimagined, but every evening on the television news, Americans see the sweet faces of young soldiers who have died in Bush's war. They were heroes, not criminals, yet Bush dragged each one of them up onto a gallows. He positioned them on the trap door, hardly wincing as they then fell through. And now, in perhaps the greatest outrage of all, Bush claims that the way to justify the unnecessary deaths he has caused is to add to them. Escalation is his way of saying, go to hell."

"With his lies at he beginning of this war, and his fantasy now that an honnorable outcome remains possible, the president is a taunting killer, caught in the act. He lacts nothing but he black hood. Stop this man."

hardstyle is the music that i cant explain,
hardstyle is the music runnin thru my veins,
hardstyle is the music that i cant explain,
hardstyle is the music makes me insane!

Here are more of the amazing Toshia.

Toshia is an amazing dog. She immediately loved me and would respond to my commands right away. We were able to get her to walk like a calm normal dog (i.e., no pulling on the lead this way and that) plus she was learning sit, stay, and lay down rapidly. She even accepted not jumping on the sofa nor sleeping in our bed if we would stay close to her. Although I am absolutely not a dog person her sweet personality won me over.

Unfortuantely my girlfriend's parents felt the same way and requested the dog back after only 6 days with us. They have more time to spend with her, and a car to drive her places, and cook her fresh chicken and beef. So it is better for her. They treat her like a spoiled child, however, which is bad because it makes her act-up, bark, etc...

Anyone thinking of getting an American Staffordshire Terrier should know they require so much attention. Not only to keep them in-line and calm but because they crave attention. Where ever I was in the house Toshia would want to be right next to me, sitting on my feet if she could. They are sweet animals but get excited quickly and really scare other people. These dogs are only for strong willed owners.

My apologies to everyone for not updating my site. I have some great photos from Los Angeles to share as well as the many interesting things I have learned about Poland. One thing I learned is how much Poles love the Hoff. They are perhaps the only people who love the Hoff more than Germans! If I had a car here I would blast this song loud!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I made it to Warsaw safe and sound. Our apartment is really nice and I will try to post pictures in the next few days.