Iris and I must ride the Ferris wheel

Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books were reprinted in October 2002 (and/or June 2002?), presumably to coincide with the first paperback publication of Narcisuss in Chains.

As you might expect, these more-or-less-simultaneously published books from a single series share a common design. Well, kind-of.

Most of them share a single spine look: black, with the title and author's name in a colored box; except that the boxes aren't all quite the same size (they're close, except for Blue Moon's). And some of them (_The Laughing Corpse_, The Lunatic Cafe and Circus of the Damned) put minor words like 'the' and 'of' in small caps, while another (_The Killing Dance_) does not. And Obsidian Butterfly and Narcissus in Chains each have a totally different binding look (and no, they don't match each other, either).

They share a common internal design, too. Well, two of them. Three, if you count Narcisuss in Chains. Four, if you care whether there are page breaks between chapters or not.

It's also rather odd that Circus of the Damned claims to have been published in June 2002, even though it has an ISBN in sequence with the other reprinted books, which all claim to have been published in October 2002.

Obsidian Butterfly also spells "Dolph" as "Dolf" in a couple places (but not every place).

Summaries, in book # order and ISBN (presumed actual publication) order:

Why do things like this happen? Were there three, four, or more separate people working on these without really talking to each other?

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Besides the valid printable ISO-8859-1 characters that iTunes just munges, it also converts the high-bit-set control characters to others:

The ID3 v2.3 spec says

If nothing else is said a string is represented as ISO-8859-1 characters in the range $20 - $FF. Such strings are represented as , or if newlines are allowed, in the frame descriptions. All Unicode strings use 16-bit unicode 2.0 (ISO/IEC 10646-1:1993, UCS-2). Unicode strings must begin with the Unicode BOM ($FF FE or $FE FF) to identify the byte order.

Frames that allow different types of text encoding have a text encoding description byte directly after the frame size. If ISO-8859-1 is used this byte should be $00, if Unicode is used it should be $01. Strings dependent on encoding is represented as , or if newlines are allowed.

For tags that should be interpreted as ISO-8859-1, iTunes (v 4.1 (53)) actually uses a character set which is almost, but not quite, ISO-8859-1.

Even aside from the oddities of doing this at all, there are some other oddities.

There's less-than or equal to, but not greater-than or equal to; there's right single quote, but not left single quote. There's an actual letter for lower-case pi, but a mathematical symbol for upper-case pi (akin to using a multiplication sign instead of a lower-case x -- it more or less looks the same, but its' not).

I don't suppose anyone recognizes this encoding? It's not MacRoman, ISO-8859-15 or the old NeXT encoding.

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When Amazon offered me a Norelco All-In-One Personal Groomer, I suspected that my definition of what an all-in-one groomer should do differed from Norelco's.

Little did I know just how much, though.

It turns out, this thing is a "Cordless, rechargeable, all-in-one beard, mustache, nose, and ear trimmer". Who ever knew noses and ears wanted trimming?

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NoFauxxx is a new(ish) gallery of real folks (girls, boys, and others) looking delightfully real and naughty.

Names under which Stephin Merritt records, not guaranteed to be complete:

• Stephin Merritt
• The Magnetic fields
• The 6ths
• The Gothic Archies
• Future Bible Heroes

Stephin Merritt seems to be a friend of Daniel Handler's; at least, he has a blurb on the back cover of The Basic Eight , and he has recorded theme songs for the Lemony Snicket books.

Future Bible Heroes' other member is Chris Ewan, former keyboardist for Figures on a Beach, a group about whom I may be the only person who cares.

That is all.

(Yes, yes, I should be asleep. What's your point?)

iTunes comes so very close in so many ways to being great, and falls short again and again. It's rather more frustrating than if it was just unusable, in which case I'd not use it and not worry about it further.

iTunes has a reputation for supporting ID3 tags pretty well. It is in fact the only implementation I have that claims to support ID3 v2.4.

I wanted to leverage the genre, style and tone information I already had from the All Music Guide to build some playlists for the iPod. A piece of cake, right? The genre part is pretty much free: put the genre name (completely ignoring the old silly numbered-code concept) in the TCON field (text: content), and iTunes & the iPod would make genre lists automatically.

ID3 v2.4 has added a "TMOO" (text: mood) tag which would work just fine for the 'style' information. Oops, but iTunes doesn't pay any attention to it. Ah, well, there's the TXXX fields, explicitely designed for user-defined text information. Nope, doesn't pay any attention to those, either.

Okay, then, comments. ID3 v2.3 supports multiple comment fields, so long as they have separate language and content descriptors. This is a fabulous way to allow users to keep semi-structured data attached to their files without walking on each others toes. Unfortunately, iTunes only supports one comment (the english-language comment named ""); or is it one per language, with comments appearing and disappearing as users with different language preferences log on? Well, that's a pain, but so long as I stick to a tag/value convention in my comment text, I'll be okay.

Oops, not quite. Although iTunes can read comments containing newlines just fine, there's no way to add newlines to comments in iTunes' comment editor. So, I can't add comments in iTunes -- a sacrifice I can live with, I suppose.

Oops, it still won't work. iTunes only reads the first 256 bytes of a comment field. Okay, shorten up my encoding format (instead of multiple nice lines like "Tone mellow", "Tone sensual", there's now one line like "T mellow|sensual"). Oops, some still too long; okay, throw away some random data.

Now, to script up some smart playlists. Oops, there's no scriptable way to make a smart playlist. Okay, script up some dumb playlists. God, I can't believe how much work this is turning into, but at least I'm learning AppleScript (ha!)

Okay, all that is done more or less satisfactorally. Or it will be, after I write another script to sort the playlists into the correct order, since iterating through a selection of tracks goes in almost-but-not-quite a linear order.

Now, on to cover art.

The APIC attached picture frame is similar to the comment frame in supporting multiples, but when iTunes creates the tag it's always type 0 'other' with no description, so we'll stick with that. (side note: type 17, "brightly colored fish"???). Update my auto-tagger, run it across my files, and...VOOOM, images!

Well, sometimes. "The Beatles", 1: yes; A Hard Day's Night (UK): no; Beatles for Sale: yes; Help! (UK): no; Let it Be: no; Past Masters: Volume 1: yes; Please Please Me: yes; Revolver: yes; Rubber Soul (UK): yes; With the Beatles: no; Yellow Submarine: no.

The ones that don't work, iTunes recognizes that there's an image, so it doesn't show the "Drop image here" logo. It doesn't show the image, though, just a white box. Clicking on it pops up a white window. Dragging it to the desktop, however, creates a clipboard file -- and double clicking that file opens up a window with the image. iTunes is clearly reading it and exporting it correctly, just not displaying it.

What's different between the ones that work and the ones that don't? Good bloody question.

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There are at least three TiVo secrets books. There's O'Reilly's Tivo Hacks by Raffi Krikorian (and copy edited by yours truly), which is of course excellent for what it is: a member of ORA's semi-technical hacks series.

There's Hacking the TiVo by a William Von Hagen, about which and whom I know no more.

And finally, there's Wiley/ExtremeTech's Hacking TiVo by Jeff Keegan.

At first glance, Hacking TiVo looks pretty interesting, going somewhat further in depth than Tivo Hacks. There's one huge nit-picky annoyance, though.

Section I.1.i is titled "There's Always Something Good On". That's fine, and it's true, and it's the most important part of the PVR pitch, so it's fully appropriate to be the first section of the "The Pitch" section of the "What Is TiVo" chapter.

The thing is, those italics...It looks like Wiley's layout system doesn't really allow italics in third-level headings, or something. And they got them by replacing the 'G', 'o' and 'd' characters in the face used for third-level headings with italic versions. Yes, that's right, every other third level heading in the book that contains those letters has them italiced, from I.1.ii's "Random Access -- No Rewinding or Cramming" to XVI.2.i's "The PROM Menu (Diagnostic Mode)".

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National School Lunch Week started this Sunday.

The last 57 years, the National School Lunch Program has provided more than 187 billion meals to young people across our country.

That's even more than McDonald's!

By helping our children make healthy choices not only about food but also about their overall well-being, we can reduce the rates of childhood obesity and diabetes and help prevent heart disease, stroke, and other diseases later in life. Nutritious meals can also improve students' concentration and help them succeed in school.

In recognition of the contributions of the National School Lunch Program to the health, education, and well-being of America's children, the Congress, by joint resolution of October 9, 1962 (Public Law 87-780), as amended, has designated the week beginning on the second Sunday in October of each year as "National School Lunch Week" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 12 through October 18, 2003, as National School Lunch Week. I call upon all Americans to join the dedicated individuals who administer the National School Lunch Program at the State and local levels in appropriate activities to promote programs that support the health and well-being of our Nation's children.

October 11th was General Pulaski Memorial Day.

Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski sacrificed his life on October 11, 1779, for America's independence and the universal cause of freedom. His bravery in supporting the American Revolutionary War is an inspiration to individuals around the world who pursue peace and freedom for all.

In May 1779, General Pulaski's new cavalry division successfully defended the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Several months later, in the siege of Savannah, General Pulaski was mortally wounded while trying to raise morale and rally his troops who were under heavy enemy fire.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2003, as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate programs and activities paying tribute to Casimir Pulaski and honoring all those who defend the freedom of our Nation.

October 9th was Leif Erikson Day

Traveling across the Atlantic as the first Nordic to lead an expedition to North America, Leif Erikson showed great courage in the face of danger. His actions marked the beginning of a longstanding exchange of people, ideas, and innovations between North America and the Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

To honor Leif Erikson, Nordic-American heritage, and Americas continued relationship with Nordic countries, the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized and requested the President to proclaim October 9 of each year as "Leif Erikson Day."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2003, as Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to honor our rich Nordic-American heritage.

This is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Today is the first day of issue for the U.S. Postal Service Stop Family Violence postage stamp

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2003 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I urge all Americans to help victims of domestic violence and to work together to address this tragic problem.

October 6th was Child Health Day.

Families must encourage our young people to avoid harmful activities.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the designation of the first Monday in October as "Child Health Day" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 6, 2003, as Child Health Day. I call upon families, schools, child health professionals, communities, and governments to help all our children discover the rewards of good health and wellness.

This is NAtional Disability Employment Awareness Month.

For Americans with disabilities, employment is vital to independence, empowerment, and quality of life.

Not for fully-enabled Americans, though, nor non-Americans.

People with disabilities still encounter challenges, however, to their full participation in American society.

In February 2001, I launched the New Freedom Initiative to address these challenges, to fulfill the promises of the ADA, and to move toward an America where all our citizens live and work with dignity and freedom.

To recognize the contributions of Americans with disabilities and to encourage all citizens to help ensure their full inclusion in the workforce, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 11, 1945, as amended (36 U.S.C. 121), has designated October of each year as "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 2003 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I call upon government officials, labor leaders, employers, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

Last week was Fire Prevention Week.

This year's Fire Prevention Week theme is "When Fire Strikes: Get Out! Stay Out!"

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 5 through October 11, 2003, as Fire Prevention Week. On Sunday, October 5, 2003, in accordance with Public Law 107-51, flags will be flown at half staff on all Federal office buildings in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. I urge all Americans to protect their homes by installing smoke detectors where needed and regularly checking their existing smoke detectors. These small efforts will help make our communities safer for all.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Monthly self exams and mammograms are still the best ways to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force agree that for women who are 40 or over, a mammogram every 1 to 2 years can greatly reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. I encourage all women to consult with their physicians to obtain appropriate screenings to help with early detection.

The president cares about your breasts.

The United States Postal Service is also helping with the fight.

I urge all Americans to raise awareness of breast cancer by talking with family members and friends about the importance of screening and early detection. By educating ourselves and working together, we will improve our ability to prevent, detect, treat, and ultimately cure breast cancer.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2003 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I call upon Government officials, businesses, communities, healthcare professionals, educators, volunteers, and all the people of the United States to continue our Nation's strong commitment to controlling and curing breast cancer.

We're in Marriage Protection Week, so protect your marriage!

Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society. Marriage Protection Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on preserving the sanctity of marriage and on building strong and healthy marriages in America.

Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration is working to support the institution of marriage by helping couples build successful marriages and be good parents.

We must support the institution of marriage and help parents build stronger families. And we must continue our work to create a compassionate, welcoming society, where all people are treated with dignity and respect.

Dignity and respect, but you know, not...marriage.

During Marriage Protection Week, I call on all Americans to join me in expressing support for the institution of marriage with all its benefits to our people, our culture, and our society.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of October 12 through October 18, 2003, as Marriage Protection Week. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.

October 6th was German-American Day, 2003

German-American Day celebrates more than 300 years of German immigration to our shores, beginning with the arrival of 13 Mennonite families from Krefeld on October 6, 1683. Seeking a new life of freedom and opportunity, these immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and founded Germantown near the city of Philadelphia. On this day, we recognize the contributions of those German pioneers, and millions of other German-American immigrants and their descendants, to the life and culture of our great Nation.

Henry Engelhard Steinway and his sons founded Steinway & Sons in 1853. The 300,000th Steinway piano, the "golden grand," was presented to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, and is still on display at the White House.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 6, 2003, as German-American Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the contributions to the liberty and prosperity of the United States of our citizens of German descent.

Alas

They laid their hands upon my head,
they stroked my cheek and brow;
and time could heal a hurt, they said,
and time could dim a vow.

And they were pitiful and mild
who whispered to me then,
"The heart that breaks in April, child,
will mend in May again."

Oh, many a mended heart they knew.
So old they were, and wise.
And little did they have to do
to come to me with lies!

Who flimgs me silly talk of May
shall meet a bitter soul;
for June was nearly spent away
before my heart was whole.

-- Dorothy Parker, The False Friends

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This weekend I went back to Portland to go to a not-a-birthday-party and pick up the last of my computer equipment from my old house. Saturday night, I stayed in the Beaverton Budget Inn. Sunday morning, lying in bed, I happened to notice something hanging on the bedroom door doorknob, where it couldn't be seen unless you were either in bed or closed the door for some odd reason.

I am now in possession of a 3M ^® Littman ^® Classic II S.E. Stethoscope. Mine (well, "mine") is maroon, not black, but I can't find a picture that quite matches.

It has a patented tunable disaphragm on one side that augments the traditional bell function of the other!

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According to an old op-ed piece by Sasha Volokh,

When the cancer connection was first proposed, low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes quickly appeared on the market with no prodding from the government. Cigarette companies aggressively tried to gain market share by scaring smokers about their competitors' tar and nicotine levels -- even though the Federal Trade Commission banned such advertising in 1954. From 1957 to 1959, tar and nicotine contents dropped 40% because of consumer demand. The FTC eventually cracked down on violators in 1959, but then it reversed course, allowing nicotine advertising in 1966 and mandating it in 1970. Today, all cigarette ads indicate tar and nicotine contents.

This is just one example of a trend in regulation: once the government makes a decision, whichever way they make it, they seem to think they have to keep making it.

Another example is 'must carry'; for years, satellite TV companies (DiSH and DirecTV, frex) were forbidden to carry local TV stations or to sell access to out-of-area network TV stations to people who were within the 'market area' of a local affiliate, whether the station was actually receivable or not. In about 1997, that finally changed; but now, the satellite TV companies are required to carry all the local TV stations if they carry any, whether anybody actually wants to watch them or not.

Actually, that's not quite the rule; that rule would almost be fair, after all. The rule is actually that each local TV station has a choice: it can either ask to be carried for free, at which point the satellite companies (and cable companies) must carry them, or they can refuse to be carried without being compensated in some way. The result is the worst of all worlds for the satellite & cable companies: they're required to use bandwidth for stations they don't want to carry, and are required to pay for free stations they do want to carry (frequently in bandwidth rather than cash: this is the source of the various regional 24-hour news stations that show the local news' latest half hour broadcast over and over, even though nobody watches).

Things the William Marvy Company's barber-shop disinfectant, Mar-V-Cide is effective against, in priority order:

• AIDS
• Athlete's Foot
• Herpes
• Rust

Today marks the beginning of Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2003.

America's more than 3 million minority-owned businesses represent One of the fastest-growing segments of our Nation's economy. Through skill, hard work, and determination, these businesses are strengthening our Nation and our economy. During Minority Enterprise Development Week, we recognize these businesses, their owners, and their employees for their commitment to free enterprise and equal opportunity.

I encourage all Americans to recognize the strength and importance of our country's minority entrepreneurs and their employees. The talents, skills, and dedication of these citizens enrich our communities, and we honor their contributions to our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 28 through October 4, 2003, as Minority Enterprise Development Week. I encourage all Americans to celebrate this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to recognize the many contributions of our Nation's minority enterprises.

Today is Gold Star Mother's Day, 2003.

More than 75 years ago, one mother's determination to transform her personal loss into good works led to the creation of the American Gold Star Mothers. After receiving notice of her son's death in aerial combat during World War I, Grace Darling Seibold devoted her energy to volunteering in a local hospital. She began reaching out to other mothers whose sons had died in military service to the Nation. She organized a group of these special mothers to help them comfort each other and care for hospitalized veterans. Their organization was named after the gold star service flag that families hung in their windows in honor of family members who had died in military service. After years of planning, it became a national organization in 1928. Since then, brave women have continued to come together as Gold Star Mothers to ease the burden of their loss and to serve others.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1895 as amended), has designated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day," and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 28, 2003, as Gold Star Mother's Day. I call upon all Government officials to display the flag of the United States over Government buildings on this solemn day. I also encourage the American people to display the flag and hold appropriate meetings in their homes, places of worship, or other suitable places as a public expression of the sympathy and respect that our Nation holds for our Gold Star Mothers.

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National Farm Safety and Health Week, 2003 started September 21st.

America must continue to promote the safety of our farmers and ranchers. Farming and ranching can be dangerous work; in 2002, the agriculture industry had the second-highest rate of deaths due to accidents. Proper education and training are critical to protecting the safety of farmers and ranchers. By working together to encourage careful use of equipment and facilities, America helps our farm and ranch families remain healthy and more productive than any other farmers in the world.

What industry was the most dangerous, and does it get a week?

This year's theme for National Farm Safety and Health Week, "Secure Your Farming through Safety and Health," also encourages farmers and ranchers to focus on farm security issues. Farm and ranching communities play a vital role in protecting Americas food supplies, water resources, and farm chemicals. Their efforts are important to the safety and security of our citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 21 through September 27, 2003, as National Farm Safety and Health Week. I call upon the agencies, organizations, and businesses that serve America's agricultural workers to strengthen their commitment to promoting farm safety and health programs. I also urge all Americans to honor our agricultural heritage and to recognize our farmers and ranchers for their remarkable contributions to our Nation's vitality and prosperity.

September 19th was National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2003.

To mark this important day, on September 19, 2003, the flag of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia will again be flown over the White House, the Capitol, the Departments of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the Selective Service System Headquarters, the National Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans Memorials, U.S. military installations, national cemeteries, and other locations across our country. We raise this flag as a reminder and a promise. The black-and-white flag is a symbol that these missing Americans will not be forgotten, and is flown as a testament to our Government's unwavering commitment to pursue the fullest possible accounting for all our missing in action service members.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 19, 2003, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. I call upon the people of the United States to join me in saluting all American POWs who valiantly served this great country. I call upon Federal, State, and local government officials and private organizations to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The president did finally proclaim Hispanic Heritage Month, two days after it started.

Hispanic Americans have sacrificed in defense of this Nation's freedom, serving in every major American conflict. More than three dozen Hispanic Americans have earned the Medal of Honor. Today, more than 125,000 Hispanic Americans serve in the Armed Forces, approximately 9 percent of our active-duty military. As we work to advance peace, freedom, and opportunity abroad, we are grateful to all of the brave men and women who serve our Nation, and to their families.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, I join with all Americans in recognizing the many contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States, and in celebrating Hispanic heritage and culture. To honor the achievements of Hispanic Americans, the Congress, by Public Law 100-402 as amended, has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation designating September 15 through October 15, as "National Hispanic Heritage Month."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 15 through October 15, 2003, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

I'm woefully behind on my reading, and we thus missed Asia Argento's 28th birthday the 20th.

In my recent confusion I missed telling you all that Monday September 22nd was Family Day, 2003. I'm sorry.

Families can help secure a healthy tomorrow for their children by providing guidance, staying involved, and serving as role models. I am committed to supporting strong families and strong marriages to help ensure that every child grows up in a safe, loving family. Statistics show that children from two-parent families are less likely to end up in poverty, drop out of school, become addicted to drugs, have a child out of wedlock, suffer abuse, or become a violent criminal. Because stable families should be the central goal of American welfare policy, I have proposed spending up to $300 million a year to find the most effective programs to strengthen marriage.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 22, 2003, as Family Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day by engaging in activities to strengthen the relationships between parents and children and help fight against substance abuse and risky behaviors.

David Chess (that lucky dog)