Random thoughts and an open thread

I think I may have worn out my muse by writing original stuff for the Weekend Without Echos. I’ve been trying to write up the third chapter of Dean’s book and just can’t seem to pull it together. Anyway, some random thoughts here.

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It’s summer and nothing much is happening in Norfolk right now. Kinda hard to try to track down something specific to the region. The newspaper is doing a 6-part series on Blackwater, but even that is just fill. Guess they are having trouble writing something, too.

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It looks like an Apple store is coming to MacArthur Center. I’ve never owned a Mac but as a bit of a techie, I’m looking forward to visiting the store and learning more about the machines. Getting an Apple store is a big deal, for those who aren’t aware.

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First he was anonymous, then Michael Steele, the Maryland Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate came clean. Now he says it was all a joke and that “R” is not a scarlet letter and Bush is his “homeboy.” Something tells me that the joke may be on Steele come November.

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Republicans are trying to cut the estate tax (again) before Congress breaks for summer. This time, they are trying to pair it with some other tax breaks, including the college tuition deduction, that expired last year. Election-year posturing is what I see. If they don’t get this passed, what’s left? They already tried gay marriage and flag burning.

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Carl Brashear, the first black Navy deep sea diver as well as the first amputee to qualify as a Navy diver, died yesterday in Portsmouth. His life inspired the movie “Men of Honor.” He was 75. His funeral will be Saturday.
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I’ve got several live blogs coming up over the next few months. I think I’m going to limit myself to one a month. August has already been scheduled. September and October will be scheduled soon. Look for announcements as the dates get closer.

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The posts that seem to generate the most comments here are ones about race and the Marshall Newman amendment. Both of these are important issues for me so expect more on them as time goes on.

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So – those are my random thoughts. What do you want to talk about? 🙂