Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas, 2008

Mary and I are enjoying Christmas at home this year. We had a lot of snow yesterday, and today is sunny and relatively warm. There's a lot of shoveling to be done. This is actually a picture of Mary from last year. It looks about the same out there right now.

Happy holidays to all my friends and family. We're looking forward to dinner with friends this evening. In the meantime, there's more snow to be moved around.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Air disaster


Mary said awhile back that I needed a new hobby. I decided to give radio control planes a try.
Despite a few setbacks, I'm still trying to learn to fly. This could easily become another expensive hobby.
Still doing my part to stimulate the economy.


Saturday, December 06, 2008

salvific

Here's a cool new thing at the New York Times online. Highlight any word and a question mark appears above it. Click on the question mark and it opens a new box with a dictionary definition.

NO! NO!

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Saturday, December 6, 2008 -- 12:55 PM ET-----

Sunny von Bulow, Heiress at Center of Attempted Murder Trials, Dies

Martha (Sunny) von Bulow, the American heiress who was first married to an Austrian playboy prince and then to a Danish-born man-about-society who was twice tried on charges of attempting to murder her, died on Saturday after being in a coma for decades, a family spokeswoman said.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Bill Sizemore Goes To Jail



At 11:30 this morning, Bill Sizemore was led to jail by Multnomah County sheriff's deputies after being ruled in contempt of court.



"Veteran ballot initiative activist Bill Sizemore was handcuffed and jailed Monday after a Multnomah County judge found him in contempt of court for a fourth time in his long-running legal battle with two Oregon teachers unions.

"Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice R. Wilson ordered Sizemore jailed until he signed and filed federal and state tax forms that charitable organizations are required to complete to maintain their tax-exempt status.


"Sizemore's lawyer, Gregory Byrne, said he hoped to have the tax forms filed later Monday, but Sizemore remained in a protective custody dormitory at the Multnomah County Detention Center on Monday evening.


"The dramatic development occurred as Wilson spent two hours reading her findings out loud, accusing Sizemore of repeatedly lying under oath.


----------------------------------------------------


"In a 42-page ruling, Judge Wilson described in detail how Sizemore created a web of deceit to funnel money through a sham charity and into his own pockets.


"'The inescapable conclusion is that [American Tax Research Foundation] was a sham charitable organization set up to pass money provided by Loren Parks and Dick Wendt to compensate Mr. Sizemore for his work on initiative measures,' Wilson said.


"The latest finding of contempt stems from a 2002 lawsuit in which a jury and the court found Sizemore's organizations engaged in fraud, forgery, and racketeering. (That ruling was upheld in July by the Oregon Supreme Court.) The current contempt order revolved around Sizemore's innumerable violations of the original injunction that accompanied a jury verdict finding Mr. Sizemore and his organizations conspired to violate Oregon law.


"From Judge Wilson's ruling: "The violations of the injunction are troubling in and of themselves. But they are even more disturbing because, together with Mr. Sizemore's willingness to lie under oath, they reflect not merely contempt of court in the legal sense, but contempt for the court, the judicial branch of the government and its processes and judgments--indeed for the rule of law. Mr. Sizemore is so blinded by his hatred of the unions who are plaintiffs in this case that he seems to have concluded that he is not required to follow the law."


"Judge Wilson ordered Sizemore to jail until he files signed informational tax returns and Department of Justice reports for American Tax Research Foundation (the Nevada-based "charity" that was used to funnel money from Loren Parks and Dick Wendt to Sizemore). He was also ordered to pay plaintiffs the amount of money that was transferred in violation of the injunction, and the original injunction against him has been extended another five years.
In November, Oregon voters rejected all five of the measures Sizemore got on the ballot.
More coverage from the Associated Press here. "

Laguna Seca, July, 2008


This year's world champion Valentino Rossi followed closely by last year's champion Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca last July. I'm already ordering tickets for the 2009 race. I can't imagine a more exciting sport.

Yes!

First Barack Obama is elected president. Now Bill Sizemore is sent to jail. I don't think I can stand any more of this good news.
Bill Sizemore

Bill Sizemore jailed for contempt of court
by Edward Walsh, The Oregonian, Monday December 01, 2008, 1:29 PM
The Oregonian

"Veteran ballot initiative activist Bill Sizemore was handcuffed and led off to jail this morning after a Multnomah County judge found him in contempt of court for a fourth time.
The ruling was in connection with a lawsuit filed by two Oregon teachers' unions.

"Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Janice R. Wilson ordered Sizemore jailed until he completes and files federal and state reporting forms that are required for charitable organizations to retain their tax exempt status.

"Sizemore's lawyer, Gregory W. Byrne, said the forms would be signed and filed as soon as possible, possibly this afternoon.

"The dramatic moment came just after Wilson finished a more than two-hour recitation of her findings in the case. Two Multnomah County deputies who had been in the back of the courtroom approached Sizemore, who was sitting at a table facing the judge, handcuffed his hands behind his back and led him from the courtroom. "