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*The Powerful Industry Has Lost Its CloutThe ubiquitous plastic cards have become a part of our lives. Most of us would find it hard to do without them. The credit card issuing companies deserve to profit from the transactions. Yes, but not to rob us as they do with the astronomical interest rates, fees, and penalties.The proposed new rules are intended to regulate some of the abusive practices. The rules make one thing clear. The credit card industry and its lobbyists in Washington DC no longer have the legislators in their pockets. It took time. At long last our elected representatives in Congress realized that the wind had shifted. To survive, they could not go on blatantly serving special interest groups as they did in the past. The industry stopped fighting the consumer friendly rules when it faced the fact that it was no longer "business as usual." The major credit card companies still continue to bait gullible consumers by mailing pre-printed checks with monthly statements.End of "K" Street as we knew it? Far from it. But a step in the right direction.Washington PostWhen the federal government approves new rules banning "unfair and deceptive" practices today by credit card companies, it will hand a victory to consumer groups who have long complained of lax oversight of the $970 billion industry.Even with all its lobbying power, the credit card industry was not able to beat back the most sweeping overhaul in decades. Financial companies and trade groups argue that regulators are overreacting to problems in ways that will limit the availability of credit to customers.Today's move by Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration is the first of what could be many attempts to further regulate the industry, as several members of Congress plan to codify the Fed's regulations next year and perhaps pass even more stringent rules. It also represents a significant shift in the thinking of the regulatory agencies, which still are run by Republican appointees. Analysts note that regulators have stepped back from an emphasis on educating customers about what they should do, primarily through disclosures, in favor of telling companies and customers what they can and cannot do."It just shows how the world has changed," said Brian Gardner, who follows financial regulation issues for the investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods."Eighteen months ago the Fed was focused on disclosure and transparency, and now they're coming out with a prescriptive, rules-based guidance. It's a whole different world."

* What next ?News reports about the president elect's choice of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration raise questions about what will come next. Rick Warren is not only an evangelical pastor he is a big kahuna among evangelical pastors. Obama's move was in the fashion of the old master Karl Rove.Politically it will pay dividends. The Republicans must be scratching their heads. In one fell swoop Obama disarmed many of the Christian Right who bitterly fought his candidacy. Looking forward, one can think of diminished chances for the Palinites who were dreaming of 2012.Is Barack Obama a closet Born Again Christian? He has shown that he is capable, of being "All things to all men". How is he going to evolve about Roe v. Wade? Are wars going to be launched because of divine guidance ? Time will tell. The signals, however, are alarming.

* Walks through Woods * HaikusThe winter solstice begins eight days from now, on the morning of December 21. Here in the San Francisco Bay area we are in a cold snap. Weather forecast is for showers the next four days. There were signs that it rained last night. The morning is sunny; the sky is blue. So far the rainfall is just about 50% of the normal level. Long way to go before we catch up. If we don't, then the chances of severe drought and all related problems become very alarming.Walks through the forests are very enjoyable though. Haven't come across chanterelles but found some oyster mushrooms. When I think back, in 2007, too, the rains came late and the first chanterelles emerged in December; it was not a very bountiful season.Oyster Mushrooms © David Arora, Mushrooms DemystifiedLooking down at Horse Shoe Lake© MusafirHorse Shoe Lake at Skyline Ridge© MusafirRing-necked Ducks on Horse Shoe Lake© MusafirPicnic table above Horse Shoe Lake© MusafirWe had couscous cooked with shallots and golden raisins; chicken/fennell sausage; stir-fried sweet potatoes with sage and garlic-flavored brown butter (a Mark Bittman recipe); a North Coast zinfandel; comice pear, and coffee.Autumn HaikuCrisp falling leaves crunch deliciously as joggers pound asphalt bike trail --Carol Nation Source: Crisp Autumn HaikuAnd from a poem by Coleridge:Come, come thou bleak December wind,And blow the dry leaves from the tree!-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834, Fragment 3

*Documentary Film "Right to Die" to be televisedThe news that Sky TV is going to show a documentary titled "Right to Die" is perhaps a sign of changes taking place in the hearts and minds of people in Britain. The program is scheduled for broadcast at 9:00 PM (it is 4:10 PM in London as I write this). The documentary depicts 59 year old, retired professor Craig Ewert's final moments at a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. His wife was at his side.Of course, there are many who, for religious or other reasons, vehemently oppose such a choice being available to those who are terminally ill, do not wish to remain clinically alive when life becomes meaningless and voluntarily, in sane mind, make the decision to seek assistance in dying. The documentary is not going to convert them.GuardianA documentary that appears to show the moment when a man dies after going through with an assisted suicide was strongly criticised yesterday by anti-euthanasia campaigners and a television watchdog.The film, which is being screened on the Sky Real Lives channel tonight, seems to show the moment when 59-year-old Craig Ewert, who had motor neurone disease, died. It is believed this would be the first time the instant of the a person's death in an assisted suicide has been shown on British television.Both the documentary maker, Oscar winner John Zaritsky, and Sky insisted that the film, Right to Die? - which is being shown at 9pm - is an important contribution to a vital debate.Ewert, a retired university professor from Harrogate, Yorkshire, travelled to Dignitas, the organisation in Zurich that helps people to die, because he did not want to spend the rest of his days in a "living tomb". ...

*The War based on Non-existent WMD * Torture and Extraordinary RenditionWith 42 days left for the Bush presidency, orchestrated efforts are underway to airbrush his image for posterity. The president has been giving interviews and talking about his achievements. He finally admitted that intelligence about Saddam Hussein's WMD was wrong. Duh. By this time the world knows that he is somewhat dim upstairs but took him a long time to figure it out. However, he claimed that the war achieved its end by doing good.Now, Condoleezza Rice, the president's secretary of state is speaking out along the same line. The mushroom cloud conveniently forgotten. Later, Secretary Rice was involved in supporting Israel to carry out cluster bombing of Lebanon when cease fire agreement was imminent.We have yet to hear from the Darth Vader-like vice president. Probably busy destroying records. But if and when he speaks we can rest assured that Vice President Cheney, too, will talk glowingly of achievements.You wonder if these people ever think of the dead and injured. According to latest figures on web site of Iraq Coalition Casualty Count -- http://icasualties.org/oif/ 4209 American soldiers have lost their lives. The number of wounded is close to 31,000.The picture is much worse for the hapless Iraqi civilians. Iraq Body Count is reporting number of dead between 89,600 -- 97,828. Some sources, among them British medical journal The Lancet reported significantly higher numbers. Note: Accessing articles in The Lancet will require registration.Torture"We do not torture"--President Bush (White House Press Release Nov 7,2005)"The United States has not transported anyone, and will not transport anyone, to a country when we believe he will be tortured.--Secretary of State Rice (Press Release USINFO.STATE.GOV - Dec.5, 2005).See video clips: Matt Lauer, MSNBC, interviewing the president on Sept.12, 2006. and Helen Thomas at White House Press Meeting April 24, 2008.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp4vLBvU1bAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANE3_-OLXpkAnd so it goes.Recommended reading: Naomi Klein's The True Purpose of Torture

*Windfall Profits Tax * Withdrawal from IraqRemember Barack Obama's campaign speeches ? Now that the election is over and he is awaiting anointment, the president elect is not losing any time about backing off from some of his earlier positions.Windfall Profits Tax on oil companies is gone with the wind -- died before it arrived. The eloquent one quietly dropped the hot potato, hoping that it would not make much of a ripple. ...

*Families, Friends and Gratitude The much needed rains finally came. But this Thanksgiving Day is expected to be dry. Good for travelers and for those busy with the labor of love that goes into preparation for a Thanksgiving gathering.Today, we are going to meet with friends and families and leave the turmoils of our world behind. We are going to rejoice about what we have.Excerpts from Jon Carroll's column in The San Francisco Chronicle say it better than anything else I have come across. ...

*It was a cool autumn afternoon, with just a hint of overcast sky, when we began our walk in Palo Alto Foothill Park. Took the Steep Hollow Trail west and found a good spot for picnic on a meadow with a view of Windy Hill slightly to north of us.As I took the food out of my day pack, I told JHL about the small Middle Eastern grocery store run by a Palestinian couple that I found in San Mateo. I was looking for Harissa. The owner said that he had it but had some trouble finding the small cans. Harissa is a North African condiment, the main ingredient is red chilli paste. The can said Made in France but that was OK. North African immigrants are now ubiquitous in some cities in France. When I went to the counter to pay, the owner asked if I wanted some Pita bread. The pile of bread looked fresh and inviting. I picked up a pack.Then he said "you want some olives" ? He pointed me to the shelf where the jars and cans of olives were. I looked and found green olives packed with slivers of garlic. The can read "Product of West Bank". That reminded me of a recent report about the destruction of olive trees by Israeli settlers.Uprooted olive tree in Jayyous© www.eappi.org/.../eappi/images/gallery/07.jpgDestroyed olive tree in Gith© Rabbis for Human Rights ynetnews.comPalestinian farmers from the West Bank village of Gith claimed on Monday that Jews from the settlement of Havat Gilad had cut down at least 20 of their olive trees.The Palestinians have yet to file an official complaint, but Judea and Samaria District Police officials said they would look into the matter."We can only approach our olive groves in coordination with police and IDF forces," 64-year-old Nasser Sachan told Ynet. "Today I arrived at the groves and couldn't believe my own eyes. The trees, some of them 40 and 50 years old, had been chopped down."Before leaving the store I added a pack of Bulgarian feta cheese to my purchases.JHL and I had risotto with butternut squash ragout, the green olives mixed with slices of fresh bell pepper, Persian cucumber and red onion; pita bread cut into wedges, accompanied by a Californian Syrah. Finished with black coffee and some lemon bread from Trader Joes -- good.On the way back we walked on Valley View Fire Road to the crossing of Trapper's Fire Road and Madrone Fire Road, turned around returned to the parking lot via Sunrise Trail. We stopped to look at a flock of Canada Geese near the bank of Boronda Lake.Windy Hill©MusafirJHL looking west©MusafirWith a good cup of Jo© J.O.H. LazarCanada Geese near Boronda Lake (I) ©MusafirCanada Geese near Boronda Lake (II)©Musafir

*Hunger * Lines Grow Long, Donations Dwindle * Auto Makers * FallRecently, there has been a spate of reports about problems faced by local (San Francisco Bay area) food banks. The meltdown of American economy has reached a level where organizations that serve the community's hungry and homeless are finding it hard to do so. As the lines of people waiting for meals or handouts have grown longer, the amount of donations -- cash and foodstuff -- have shrunk. Silicon Valley corporations, grocery stores, wealthy individuals -- have cut back on their contributions. It is a sign of the times. The trickle-down economy touted by free market proponents never took shape but domino effect of Wall Street's sub-prime mortgage scam that collapsed has spread all across America. The poor facing a bleak winter; even the well-to-do are jittery. And the end is nowhere in sight.As a volunteer at St. Anthony's Dining Room, Menlo Park, California, I speak from first-hand knowledge. Signs of less food being available became noticeable early in the year. It has gotten worse. So far no one has been turned away. Food is served from 11:00 AM to 1 PM Monday through Saturday. Everyone who walks through the door receives fresh-cooked food, bread, salad and dessert. Service is friendly. Last week, on Thursday, November 13, more than 400 were served. St. Anthony's in San Francisco feeds many more. * “Every gun that's made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms...is spending the genius of its scientists, the sweat of its laborers,”--Dwight David Eisenhower, America's 34th President (1953-61)The Auto Industry and its Tunnel Vision The American auto industry is in a terminal situation...in its last gasp. Without a large injection of cash the chances of its survival are slim. The auto industry is largely responsible for its problems. It built eco-unfriendly vehicles and fought against all proposals for fuel economy. It made money because the gas-hogging monsters appealed to a large segment of buyers. Fuel was cheap. There was no thought about the future. Now it is a different world. Should we bail the auto industry out? The questions we should ask are why and how long would the bailout keep it alive?From what is known, the case is not strong enough to justify giving the auto makers money. Politicians, however, are doing their usual thing.....supporting financial aid not because it is the right thing to do but purely based on expediency.Also, what the financial sector is doing with the bailout money must not be overlooked. It is showing every sign of continuing the merry old way. Fall Colors in the NeighborhoodUnusually warm for this time of the year. Yesterday, the daytime temperature was in the 80's Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). The weather man is forecasting rain November 22nd/23rd -- too far away. We need rain now. During a recent walk through the woods I didn't come across any chanterelles or oyster mushrooms. The ground felt bone dry. But we have more serious reasons to be concerned about than the absence of wild mushrooms.The pictures below were taken during a bicycle ride through the neighborhood.Tournament Drive, San Mateo, CA© MusafirDistant view of Crystal Springs Reservoir and Highway 280 Overpass© MusafirTournament Drive, San Mateo, CA© MusafirParrott Drive, San Mateo, CA© Musafir ...

*A Historic Day, Momentous Day "........ and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.--Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 186311:15 PM Eastern, Nov.4, 2008 Listening to John McCain concede victory to Barack Obama. How good it feels. I look back and think of the election of 2004 which resulted in G.W. Bush's second term and the dark period that followed. Barack Obama's victory -- by a good margin in popular votes -- knocked the stuffing out of many experts who pontificated about race and the "Bradley factor". Virginia, once the center of Confederacy, went for Obama! The last time it voted for Democrats was in 1964."Rock Around the Clock"Dance, sing, shout from the roof tops, and whistle.Defeated: John McCain -- an once-principled man who paid the price for surrendering to hypocritical bigots of his party. And Sarah Palin -- favorite of sanctimonious flag wavers; the lipsticked pit bull who appealed to the rabid fringe.Among Republican members of Congress, one who lost was Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina. She ran a particularly nasty campaign and received a comeuppance from voters.Republicans pay for Bad KarmaFour years ago, after re-election of G.W. Bush, it felt as though Democrats would never be able to regain lost ground. But they have. They were helped by Bush and Cheney. Failure of the Bush administration's mean, deceitful, arrogant actions and policies, which completely disregarded beliefs and aspirations of all but conservative, right-wing Americans, made the voters lash back and reject the Republican Party's candidates. From foreign policy to the economy and domestic environmental protection, the Bushies had become like rampaging bulls. Now, it is time for them to pack their bags. Good riddance.Democrats have reason to feel good and celebrate. However, members of Congress must not forget that we, the people, elected them. They must work for the common good. In their giddiness, if they sell themselves to special interest groups and begin to act like their predecessors then their time in the sun will be short-lived.