Mark Bossingham

Bush's many foreign policy failures

LEST I be accused of picking exclusively on Barack The Obama (though that could be a full-time job), this quote by John Bolton perfectly describes my opinion of Bush's failure to keep the State Department under control:

"Nothing can erase the ineffable sadness of an American presidency, like this one, in total intellectual collapse.”

Arrogance Unchained—The Obamster

BARACK THE Obama, former "community activist" and 143-day U.S. Senator knows more than Gen. David Petraeus, Reuters reports:

"He (Obama) also acknowledged that the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, had expressed opposition to a withdrawal timetable but said as president he would have to look at the broader picture."

Miniature hyena spotted in Tokyo

HERE'S Jiji taking a well-earned break after getting her summer haircut. Her age spots have pretty much taken over everywhere. Sort of the dalmatian-terrier look.

Jiji on watch from inside fort

Tokyo Construction Week 2

ON NUMEROUS trips to Honolulu I have had the opportunity to watch the pace of construction. Slow would be a kind way of describing it. Here they easily triple the pace of union workers in Honolulu. Of course, all is not perfect. To keep far too many construction workers working, our very high taxes here go to pay for public infrastructure projects no one wants or needs. But it is fun to watch buildings go up. You can see them just beginning the process of sinking steel cylinders that extend, as far as I can tell, to a depth somewhere near the center of the Earth. Once in place, cement will be poured into the forms. Forgive me if I have the nomenclature wrong. I am an observer, not an construction industry expert. I'll try to post a pic each Friday to document the progress.

Let's recycle Seattle

THE SEATTLE Mariners, the worst team in the MLB, has come up with a promotion that goes a long way to explaining the team's problems: "Mariners Reusable Grocery Bag Day." Next they'll request the commissioner let them hit off tees like 5 year olds. If Seattle isn't the worst sports city in America, what is? Just watched Brandon Morrow blow his second save in a row. That's OK Brandon, Seattle fans don't care as long as they get their rally (lol) fries. Suspect Johjima, Cairo and the rest of the sub-.200 "hitters" might do better if they stepped into the batter's box with one of those reusable bags on their heads.

What's next for Toyosu, Tokyo?

ONCE UPON a time this plot of land next door was a bowling alley. After two years cleaning up the toxins in the soil, looks like somebody is going to build something. God, only knows what, but I think we can assume it will be big. See all those tall buildings in the background? Only one of them was there when we moved in six years ago. My subway stop is a hop skip and a jump from home, dead center in the photo, about a five-minute walk. Add another five minutes and you come to the largest shopping center in all of Tokyo. And believe me, that's saying something. Incidentally, that parking lot you see is simply a Tokyo placeholder—a way for the land owner to pick up a few bucks as they get ready to build another whatever.

Better days

Last walk?

I JUST took Jiji for a walk. She couldn't do it. So maybe her final walk was last weekend. It goes without saying that she tried, but her legs won't cooperate. She's been down to three legs for quite a while and by compensating she has damaged her back and her other hind leg. She's also lost her middle upper front tooth. Kind of cute, actually. At 14 years 4 months, she's doing the best she can.

The Barack of Obama

SPIKE LEE'S comments on the coming of the Messiah via the reliably obsequious AP are hilarious.

(Spike) Lee predicted Obama would be elected in November.
"When that happens, it will change everything. ... You'll have to measure time by `Before Obama' and `After Obama,'" Lee said during the panel. "It's an exciting time to be alive now."
The presidency of the first African-American will ripple throughout arts, sports and more, said Lee, whose films include "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing."
"Everything's going to be affected by this seismic change in the universe," he said.