Good Shepherd Fall Festival -- October 25, 2008

This weekend Good Shepherd School has been having its Fall Festival. Last night they had a nice blues band. It was a beautiful evening, but it got cool later on. Today it was warm and sunny. Attendance was good. We helped some kids prepare for a big trivia contest that will be held Monday at Junipero Serra High School.

I took the photo last night at Good Shepherd.

Merl Saunders died. He came to Good Shepherd and played for my daughter's class. His grandson was a classmate. Nice man.

Coming Soon -- October 23, 2008

This branch of Wachovia has been under construction for some time in the De Young Building at Market and Kearny. I wonder if it is going to open. The newspaper reported that Wachovia has lost many depositers.

The Phillies won the first game. Tampa is ahead tonight.

I wish the Republicans would stop calling Senator Obama a socialist. Real socialists must take offense. He's as much of a socialist as FDR was.

Locomobile Automobile Driven by George Robinson -- October 21, 2008

"Unidentified man reaching into a Locomobile automobile driven by George Robinson." I like the crew member's Locomobile sweater. The 1909 photo comes from the Library of Congress' wonderful American Memory site (http://memory.loc.gov/). SDN-055642, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.

The Mortgage Bankers' Association was having a gathering at Moscone West. I didn't get to see any protests.

Giants Wall of Fame #1 -- October 19, 2008

In September, 2008 the Giants unveiled their Wall of Fame along the King Street side of the ballpark. A plaque like this, at each end, explains the project.

I took the photo on 29-September-2008.

Tampa Bay beat the Red Sox, who had come back from a 3-1 deficit. So it will be the Phillies and Tampa Bay in the World Serious.

"It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else" -- October 17, 2008

So I was driving home from the park and ride yesterday and I heard an interesting story on NPR, about a Southern California Republican Women's group that had reproduced this image in its monthly newsletter. I had to look it up and see if the radio story was correct. The newsletter's introduction to the image read "Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on????? Food Stamps, what else!" When reporters asked the writer about this, she is quoted as saying it was "strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of his statement. I really don't want to go into it any further. I absolutely apologize to anyone who was offended. That clearly wasn't my attempt. I didn't see it the way that it's being taken. I never connected. It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else." I can see why she doesn't want to go into it any further. I worry that we're going to see more crap like this before the election.

Midwinter Fair -- October 15, 2008

In 1893 the American economy was suffering through a slump. Mike De Young of the San Francisco Chronicle was inspired by Chicago's Columbian Exposition to bring some of its exhibits to Golden Gate Park for a World's Fair. Today's De Young Museum and Japanese Tea Garden are descendants of fair exhibits.

Last night as the DX was pulling off of One onto Palmetto a fire truck went by with siren blaring on its way up Palmetto. As we waited to pull out of the first stop, a South San Francisco engine crossed the freeway on Manor and continued across towards the beach. As we tried to turn right from Manor onto Oceana, we heard a siren and saw paramedics go by and turn onto Manor. After I got off the bus and was driving up Linda Mar, another engine went by going towards the beach. I have not been able to find out what was happening.

Tonight the candidates had the last presidential debate. It was more active. Bob Schieffer tried hard to keep them on point. They argued about who was running a nastier campaign. I didn't see a knockout blow.

Book: The War with Hannibal -- October 13, 2008

I finished reading the Penguin edition of Livy's The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX, which covers the Second Punic War. The only works of Titus Livius that I had read before were books I-V, which covered the history of Rome from its foundation to the sack by the Gauls. I noticed many differences in Roman customs. I don't remember a mention of sacrifices with "full grown victims" in I-V. I don't remember the practice of strewing the couches of the gods.

It's not Livy's fault, but there were far too many guys named Hasdrubal.

There has been a big fire on Angel Island. No historic buildings destroyed.