BITS OF THINGS

This appeared in the Weekly Kyunghyang newspaper in South Korea.

• Sung-Hee Choi writes from Korea that, "Your interview in the Weekly Kyunghyang was selected by the popular website here. It is the site which most Koreans see it as the home Internet site. The letters underneath your photo says, 'Today’s Figure, Secretary, Bruce Gagnon Why Don’t Make the Voice Against the Rocket Naro?' How do you think? I should definitely try to translate the article. THANK YOU, YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!!"

The rocket Naro is the name of South Korea's ill-fated first rocket launch that went awry a couple days ago. It appears I am one of the first to publicly speak out against the launch. Can't wait to see what the article said. We spent more than two-hours talking to the reporter. What Sung-Hee gets wrong is that I didn't do it. She did it. She was the one that made it all happen.

• I have been dragging the last couple of days. When I travel on these trips only my strong will keeps me going when I get worn out. Once I get home, and allow myself to slow down, it takes 1-2 days for my body to accept the fact that it can now take a break. Once that happens the energy flows out of me like air out of a balloon. Last night I forced myself to join Peter Woodruff for our weekly radio show in Brunswick that airs on a local college station. The two-hours of playing good music and talking politics always helps refresh me and I'd missed the last 5 shows and didn't want to miss another. It's always great fun to be with Peter.

• Today I will mow the grass with our old-fashioned push mower and work outside some in the yard. After weeks of global warming summer here in Maine, today is sunny and cool, just like Maine summers are supposed to be.