[ ](/u/2009/08/29/health-care-rally.jpg) There was an odd sense of timing to this mornings Health Care Reform Rally as we met in down town Portland to campaign for Healthcare at the same time that Teddy Kennedy's funeral was travelling to the Senate. Not surprisingly for a democratic rally in Portland, there was almost universal support for sweeping reform, with demands for the single payer option featuring prominently on many of the placards.

Don’t forget - tomorrow is the day for the big Health Care Rally at 10AM at Terry Schrunk Plaza, SW 3rd Avenue & SW Madison Street Portland. Please come and join us to support finding a solution to this crazy mess.

[ ](/u/2009/08/26/donna-facepaint.jpg) Thanks to Thalia for inviting us to a great birthday party yesterday - the face painting and belly dancing were amazing. It was great to see everyone after such a long time.

[ ](/u/2009/08/25/daisy-at-park.jpg) Sometimes I think that Daisy must have Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Now don't get me wrong, I love my little girl, it's just that half the time she acts like she can read Dostoyevsky and the other half of the time she doesn't even know her own name. Given that she is a Lab Collie mix, the theory says that she should be very easy train, but I think the reality is that she gets distracted very easily.

 If you care about health care, then please try to attend the rally at 10AM on Saturyday morning at Terry Schrunk Plaza, SW 3rd Avenue & SW Madison Street Portland, OR 97204. We need a big turnout to send a message to both parties that inaction is not an option, they must fix the healthcare system now! Personally, I'm sick and tired of the FUD around health care reform - the demonization of the public health care option makes no sense when you consider that America's existing public options for veterans, native Americans and the elderly are hugely popular.

 In what maybe a sign of consolidation in the Android community, the grandfather of Android hacking, [JesusFreke](http://jf.andblogs.net/), has decided to [quit](http://jf.andblogs.net/2009/08/20/calling-it-quits/) making Android ROM images. Thankfully, his work has enabled others including [Cyanogen](http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=537204) to carry the torch of open source forward :-) JesusFreke - thanks for all you're hard work.

I don’t know why, but Randall Munroe’s XKCD for this morning really tickled my funny bone :-)

According to my latest Facebook poll, I’ve become a native Oregonian. Personally, I don’t quite believe it. Thankfully, according to this test, I only scored 14, so there is hope for me yet :-) 1. You trade in your deluxe Camry for a four-wheel-drive Explorer. 2. You trade any motorized vehicle for a bike and a bus pass. 3. You have more running shoes and hiking boots than pumps in your closet.

 Facebook has [responded](http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=110636457130) to the [accusations of abuse](/2009/07/24/facebook-using-or-abusing-your-photographs/) of personal photographs by advertisers stating that the offending advertisements have been removed from Facebook for violating their policies by misusing profile photos. It is nice to see them respond to the public concern, but personally I feel safer now that I have just opted out of all such potential use.

 It's a little scary to discover that [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com) has stated providing user photographs to advertisers to include in their advertisements. From an advertisers point of view, this is a great way to capture eyeballs, but personally I don't want to see my face on an advert for Hillsboro singles! Thankfully, there is a way to turn it off - go to 'Settings' - 'Privacy Settings' - 'Newsfeed and Wall', select the 'Facebook Ads' tab and choose 'No one' from the 'Appearance in Facebook Ads' pull down.