Spring has sprung!

Wish I had more time to blog, since there's so much I wanna write about right now; but since I'm off to work, just a quick list so as not to forget --

- I planted lotsa flowers and herbs in pots and hanging boxes on the balcony, very exciting. Grow, little seeds, grow!

- The view from said balcony is scrumptious. Seriously, I could just eat all those fluffily blossoming blooming leafing trees. Did you ever notice how fresh spring leaves look? They're so... green, so glossy and flawless. It's like the wet sticks of winter have sprouted glowing jewels. Millions of 'em! It makes me hover maternally over the trembling sprouts in my own flower and herb pots. Sure, I could just as easily have bought ready-grown plants and potted them; but I wanted to see the tiny magic of watering a seed and then watching the life emerge.

- This was before attempting to expunge large quantities of my own brain cells with quarts of beer at Fruehlingsfest last weekend. Nothing says "Welcome, Spring" like getting up on the table in a Bierzelt, linking arms with hundreds of strangers, and swinging your liter-sized mug of beer to the communally arrhythmic swaying of a hoard of Swabians, roaring along with the appalling Festmusik played by a live band in Lederhosen. Teresa called the Stuttgarter Fruehlingsfest "Oktoberfest Part Two," which is rather apt, except that there are 1) fewer tourists, more locals and 2) they played a few Karnival songs -- including "Viva Colonia," which I imagine would be unlikely in Muenchen(!). It was a blast. Young or old, traditional costumes or jeans, guys and gals, Schwaben and visitors -- everyone is buddies in the Bierzelt. It's also something my liver won't need to do again for a loooong time!

- Last Friday, Mom and I spent a wonderful sunny breezy bloomy day in Strasbourg. I slept at her place Thursday night, and we woke up early the next morning (thanks, Lucy!) and decided hey, let's go to France. So we did! We breakfasted luxuriously in the train's restaurant as we zoomed across the border; toured the city, climbed the cathedral, walked down the River Ille, took pictures of the ducks and swans, shopped a bit, and practiced our cafe French. And as usual, we yakked yakked yakked. Go mommy-daughter days in Europe!

Life is good.

More vigorous agreement

Obama's Gripping Style Overseas

By Dan Balz

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

President Obama's weekend of summitry in Latin America will be remembered most for his cordial encounter with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The images of that handshake between the smiling leaders spoke vividly to the changes Obama is bringing to U.S. relations abroad.

The affable exchange drew criticism from Dick Cheney and other Republicans as irresponsible and an equally stiff defense from the president and his spokesman as appropriate. The underlying question is whether Obama's new style will make the United States stronger or weaker as the administration confronts a series of intractable problems around the world.

Does Obama's desire to deal more respectfully with leaders hostile to the United States make him more or less likely to carry out effective negotiations to achieve his strategic goals? Will Americans conclude over time that his approach to global threats makes the United States safer than under George W. Bush's presidency or less safe?

No one should be surprised that Obama has adopted a different style and tone from his predecessor in his first meetings with world leaders. He signaled early in the presidential campaign that he would not stand on past diplomatic conventions, even if the foreign policy establishment disagreed. The moment of definition came on July 23, 2007, during a Democratic debate in South Carolina.

Obama was asked an explicit question. Would he, in his first year as president, be willing to meet without preconditions with the leaders of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba? "I would," he replied. "And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous."

Obama was roundly criticized for that answer by his rivals for the Democratic nomination -- most notably by Hillary Rodham Clinton, now his secretary of state. Sounding much like Gingrich did yesterday, she called him naive and irresponsible. Despite the attacks, Obama stood his ground, convinced that his critics were defending an old paradigm.

Having won the presidency, he has begun quickly to act on that conviction. He has signaled new openness toward diplomatic discussions with Iran, but with limits. He said in Europe that the United States had shown "arrogance, and been dismissive, even derisive" toward its allies, while noting that there has sometimes been a casual, insidious anti-Americanism among the Europeans.

Last week, he softened U.S. policy toward Cuba. In return, Cuban President Raúl Castro said last week that everything was now on the table, but Obama still prodded the Cubans to act first. The weekend meetings brought him face to face not only with Venezuela's Chávez but also with Bolivia's Evo Morales and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega. For that, he drew the wrath of Republicans at home.

"I find it disturbing the extent to which he has gone to Europe, for example, and seemed to apologize profusely in Europe, and then to Mexico, and apologize there and so forth," Cheney told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity in an interview.

Obama was asked Sunday whether he was worried about being perceived back home as soft. "We had this debate throughout the campaign, and the whole notion was -- is -- that somehow if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness," he said. "The American people didn't buy it. And there's a good reason the American people didn't buy it -- because it doesn't make sense." Shaking hands with Chávez does nothing to endanger U.S. strategic interests, he argued. Nor does having a more constructive relationship with Venezuela.

The president was also asked how he would define an Obama doctrine in foreign policy. After his trips to Europe and Latin America and his meetings with many world leaders, how should Americans and the rest of the world interpret what sets his approach apart from those of other presidents?

Obama was understandably reluctant at this early stage in his presidency to offer a lengthy or overly precise answer. But what he said underscored that his early steps are very much in reaction to former president George W. Bush's style of interacting with the world. Obama said he believes that the United States remains the most powerful nation in the world but that it cannot solve problems by itself. That means listening as well as talking when working with other nations. He said the United States should stand for a universal set of values, live those values whenever possible -- and acknowledge mistakes when they occur.

Obama defended his approach as an improvement on the past. He said he is prepared to jettison doctrines and practices that now seem outdated, or that failed to produce real results. But he said there were limits to what he could achieve.

"In Europe, people believe in our plan for Afghanistan, but their politics are still such that it's hard for leaders to want to send more troops into Afghanistan," he told reporters on Sunday. "That's not going to change because I'm popular in Europe or leaders think that I've been respectful towards them. On the other hand, by having established those better relations, it means that among the population there's more confidence that working with the United States is beneficial, and they are going to try to do more than they might otherwise have done."

Obama sees irrefutable logic in all this. "On this one, I think I'm right," he said Sunday -- the same posture he took when he was criticized during the campaign. His popularity at home remains strong, and it is far too early to know what Americans made of his performance over the weekend.

The opening rounds of his diplomatic outreach to the world provide no real answers to the bigger questions. In time, it will be clearer whether Obama's approach produces different results with Iran or North Korea or elsewhere. He benefits now from the backlash against Bush's presidency. In time, his foreign policy will have to stand on its own record.

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How unsurprising that Dick Cheney finds Obama's attempt to make amends for the last eight years "disturbing." Heh heh.

And yes, there has absolutely been "a casual, insidious anti-Americanism among Europeans." Those who think such attitudes among our previous allies are unimportant should realize that the U.S. is no longer an island.

Gosh, imagine -- a world leader who wants to act like one!

Gobama!

And trains!

Obama: Better trains foster energy independence

By Natasha Metzler, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama called Thursday for the country to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy.

Appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Obama said the country cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be "a long-term project" but said the time to start is now.

The president allocated $8 billion in the enormous $787 billion economic stimulus spending package for a start on establishing high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

Obama said, "This is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It's happening now. The problem is, it's happening elsewhere." He cited superior high-speed rail travel in countries like China, Japan, France and Spain.

The rail upgrades are critically needed, Obama said, because the nation's highways and airways "are clogged with traffic."

The money will go not only to high-speed rail development but also to a parallel effort to improve rail service along existing lines — upgrades that would allow faster train travel.

The White House said funding will move into the rail system through three channels, first to upgrade projects already approved and only in need of funding, thus providing jobs in the short term. The second and third would focus on high-speed rail planning and then a commitment to help in the execution of those plans far into the future when the stimulus funds are no longer available.

Transportation Department officials say about six proposed routes with federal approval for high-speed rail stand a good chance of getting some of the $8 billion award. The spurs include parts of Texas, Florida, the Chicago region, and southeast routes through North Carolina and Louisiana.

The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration says the term high-speed rail applies to trains traveling more than 90 mph. The European Union standard is above 125 mph.

Many overseas bullet trains — most powered by overhead electricity lines — run faster than that. In France, for example, the TGV ("Train a Grande Vitesse") covers the 250 miles between Paris and Lyon in one hour, 55 minutes at an average speed of about 133 mph.

In Japan, which opened the first high-speed rail in the 1960s and carries more passengers than any other country, the Japanese Shinkansen trains hurtle through the countryside at an average of about 180 mph.

Super-fast trains also run in Germany, Spain and China, at speeds up to 140 mph, according to a 2007 survey in the trade publication Railway Gazette.

The only rail service that qualifies under America's lower high-speed standard is Amtrak's 9-year-old Acela Express route connecting Boston to Washington, D.C.

The trains are built to reach speeds up to 150 mph, but only average about 80 mph because of curving tracks and slower-moving freight and passenger trains that share the route. On the densely traveled line from New York City to the nation's capital, the Acela arrives just about 20 minutes earlier than standard service, at more than twice the cost during peak travel times.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

What a mighty fine German

So for some mysterious reason I appear to go through a bout of irritability every few weeks.

It only took roughly fifteen years to catch on. Could this be, like, cyclical or something? I would think my body had suddenly freaked out on me -- "Huh, these clothes feel unusually tight today. If only I weren't so sleepy. You know what would be a good idea? Eating everything I see. But first I think I'll act sullen and moody." And then the dawning, crumb-spewing realization: "Oh yeah...!"

Fortunately, there are some life-mates who have read the Awesome Boyfriend Handbook. Instead of getting defensive -- or worse, dismissive! -- Bert simply laughs sympathetically and squeezes me. "Meh! Meh! Meh!" I gripe. "Armes kleines Weibchen!" he says.

Then he disappears in order to draw me a bath. Places me in it; leaves me sculpting the bubbles in mindless absorption until he returns bearing several flickering tea lights and a snifter of brandy. Kneels down to hand me the glowing amber elixir and chat about the latest details of Barack Obama's visit to Baden-Baden. (The man knows me: "Quick, bring up her hero!") So I babble happily about my marvelous omnipotent handsome president; he nods and issues the right noises and hangs out just long enough to give me the attention I was probably seeking; then leaves me alone to wiggle my toes in warm water and sip Asbach and hide from the world.

Damn. I mean, damn. On second thought, I'd better not publish this post. I'd better keep this man a secret from the rest of the PMS-afflicted world!

How I'll always think of him

Hat and all:

Thanks for the pic, Gramma Lois.

Guess he'd rather ride the range

My Grandpa Dale was a cowboy.

He was also a man's man in the most classic sense: strong, adventurous, kind, clever, always sticking up for the little guy. Even at 80 years old, he carried himself with that familiar straight-backed saunter and spoke in that booming drawl that took me right back to the days of riding horses with him through Bryce Canyon or playing cards by the glow of a gas lamp.

I last saw him when Bert and I drove through northern Arizona last Christmas. When he came out of the house to greet our jeep, the first thing I glimpsed was that familiar white cowboy hat over the top of the hedge, and I was a kid again.

I didn't know it'd be the last time I'd ever see him.

Losing both grandfathers in the space of three months is not exactly how I pictured the start of a new year. I only wish I could be with my Dad right now. I lost my Grampa; he lost his hero.

Hang in there, Dad.