four items

1. To my horror I have learned that Union Products, the manufacturer of the original plastic pink flamingoes (two of which proudly protect my rose bushes), is going out of business.

2. One of my favorite daytime television shows, Divorce Court, is not longer fun to watch because the producer (Fox) fired Mablean Ephriam, the sassy judge who presided over the courtroom set for seven years. She was fired last spring, but I only noticed the "new" judge this season. Fox fired her for, bascially, being difficult to work with---precisely the reason she is fun to watch. Ephriam says it has more to do with the fact that she is a "darkie"---that is, because she is too black. Watching the new judge, I have to agree with Ephriam. I wish there was an e-petition to bring her back. I miss her.

3. John Kerry finally apologized for having his remarks about "getting stuck in Iraq" taken out of context: " I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended." That Kerry was misconstrued as saying "dumb people go to Iraq" is no surprise. He has been Our American Patrician since he started gunning for the White House after Nine-eleven. He'll never overcome this because, well, fantasy=reality.

4. All politics is kitsch.