Mr. Toy's Mental Notes

OK, we've seen it three times in the last few weeks, and many, many times over the years. Folks in Florida and the Gulf Coast are shown on TV news scrambling to buy plywood at Home Depot so they can board up their windows to protect their homes from the impending hurricanes. I have a stupid question: Haven't these people ever heard of shutters? Shutters were invented, oh, centuries ago to protect windows from major storms. They're pre-cut, pre-hung, and conveniently hinged so that all a homeowner need do is close them and latch them in place. There's no need to make a last minute dash to the lumber yard, no need to spend hundreds of dollars and hours of work every time a storm approaches. Out here in California we are smart enough to prepare for the unexpected. We bolt our houses to their foundations, we keep a stock of emergency food and suppplies on hand. We never know whan an earthquake will strike, so our building codes and personal practices make us as ready as...

On the first day of George Bush here's what he gave to me: Halliburton in a date tree. On the second day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Two Mideast wars And Halliburton in a date tree. On the third day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Three tax cuts Two Mideast wars And Halliburton in a date tree. On the fourth day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Four broken treaties Three tax cuts Two Mideast wars And Halliburton in a date tree. On the fifth day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Five sweetheart deals Four broken treaties Three tax cuts Two Mideast wars And Halliburton in a date tree. On the sixth day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Six secret meetings Five sweetheart deals Four broken treaties Three tax cuts Two Mideast wars And Halliburton in a date tree. On the seventh day of George Bush, here's what he gave to me: Seven no-bid contracts Six secret meetings Five sweetheart deals Four broken treaties Thr...

Last year the US Navy presented plans to demolish two wings of the historic Hotel Del Monte, which is now part of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. For those not familiar, The Hotel Del Monte is a prominent Monterey landmark with a massive red tiled roof which can be seen from miles away. The original hotel was first built in 1880. It burned down in 1887 and was rebuilt in 1888. The center section of the hotel burned down again in 1924 and was rebuilt in 1926, leaving the 1888 wings intact. It is these 1888 wings the Navy wanted to demolish and rebuild, a process which they said would save $13 million dollars over retrofitting the existing buildings. But the hotel is tied to many significant developments in Monterey's history. Among these were the introduction of the railroad to Monterey, the development of Pebble Beach, and it started the local tourism industry. Over the years, the hotel hosted numerous dignitaries and celebrities before being sold to the Navy during ...