AP - "Missouri went down swinging in a spirited end to an impressive NCAA tournament run."Thanks, in no small part, to the cheering and support of one of Mizzou's biggest fans.
3.29.2009
POOR MIZZOU
AP - "Missouri went down swinging in a spirited end to an impressive NCAA tournament run."
3.26.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's leisure."
~~Sidney Harris, American Journalist
~~Sidney Harris, American Journalist
3.24.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands."
~~Barack Obama
~~Barack Obama
3.23.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
"In the end, the size of a man's accomplishments can best be measured by the size of [his] heart."
~~Author Unknown
~~Author Unknown
3.22.2009
3.21.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"It would seem that something which means poverty, disorder and violence every single day should be avoided entirely, but the desire to beget children is a natural urge."
~~Phyllis Diller
~~Phyllis Diller
3.19.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The secret of success is to realize that the crisis on our planet is much larger than just deciding what to do with your own life, and if the system under which we live the structure of western civilization begins to collapse because of our selfishness and greed, then it will make no difference whether you have $1 million dollars when the crash comes or just $1.00."
~~Marianne Williamson
~~Marianne Williamson
3.17.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
"May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."
~~Irish Blessing
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."
~~Irish Blessing
3.16.2009
UNCONSUMPTION = FREECYCLE(TM)
By Rob Walker in The New York Times:"Getting new stuff can feel really good. Most everybody knows that. Most everybody also knows — particularly in the aftermath of the consumption-frenzy holiday season — that utility can fade, pleasure can be fleeting and the whole thought-that-counts thing is especially ephemeral. Apart from the usual solution to this problem (more new stuff!), it’s worth pondering whether getting rid of stuff can ever feel as good as getting it.
"A few years ago, a self-described tree-hugger in Tucson named Deron Beal was working for a nonprofit that focused on recycling as a way to minimize what was going into local landfills. While plenty of people were willing, even eager, to get rid of things they no longer wanted but that weren’t really trash, finding people who wanted those things was a challenge. Beal set up a Yahoo Groups mailing list, hoping to create a giveaway marketplace where people could list usable items and others could lay claim to them and then come pick them up. The mailing list became the basis for Freecycle, a Web-enabled network of about 3,900+ such e-mail groups, each dedicated to a local community and managed by a volunteer moderator(s), and claiming 2.9 million+ participants in more than 70 countries. One of the largest Freecycle groups, with 25,000 members, is for New York City.
"Save-the-earth types make up only a fraction of Freecycle users. Like any successful marketplace, this one works because it links people with widely disparate motivations. Some participants want to declutter. Some see it as akin to a charity. Some just don’t want to lug items to the dump. And of course, many people are looking for free stuff. As Freecycle has become a bigger and bigger de facto brand — Beal prefers 'movement' — its sheer scale no doubt attracts people who aren’t tree-huggers or 'simple living' fanatics but just have some item they’d like to unconsume and in the process see what all the fuss is about.
"Whatever attracts people to join, part of what keeps them involved, Beal says, is something they probably didn’t expect: the moment when someone thanks you backward and forward for giving him something you planned to throw away. 'There’s a sort of paradigm shift in your brain: ‘Wow, that feels really good,’ ' Beal says. 'That’s what I think is fueling this absurd amount of growth we’ve had.'
"But it’s not all one big love-in. Freecycle has also sparked squabbles, schisms and even legal disputes among its enthusiasts. Though Beal turned away venture capitalists, opting to register as a nonprofit, he did take on a sponsor, the garbage-hauling company Waste Management Inc. Some of the network’s purists didn’t like that idea; others didn’t like what they saw as too many Freecycle rules and split off to form their own groups. The legal wrangling (and some of the network’s rules) stem from competing efforts to claim the Freecycle name. Given all this turmoil, the online environmental magazine Grist was already asking in 2005 whether, only two years after Freecycle started, it had 'run its course.' Beal concedes that 'it was messy there for a while,' but membership has more than doubled since then, and Freecycle is still keeping tons of exercise equipment, old computers, Santa neckties, 80-pound bags of cement and whatever else out of landfills.
"In a sense, what Freecycle has done is channel the same blend of utility and pleasure that motivates consumption itself. Steve Portigal, a business-strategy consultant based in Montara, Calif., founded a Freecycle group for the San Francisco area’s coastal communities in 2004. 'Getting something you need and getting rid of something you don’t need are both satisfying as problems solved,' he points out. But while we’re all well trained in the former, the latter often exceeds our patience and know-how.
"Consider the unwanted shed in Portigal’s backyard. Instead of trying to figure out how to take it apart and hauling the pieces to the dump, he listed it on his Freecycle group. Sure enough, someone volunteered to take the thing, expertly disassembling it and moving it to a nearby farm. Thus a tedious hassle was converted into a virtuous act, and Portigal enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that his old shed had a new home. Moreover, he adds, 'it was great to get rid of it.' ”
"A few years ago, a self-described tree-hugger in Tucson named Deron Beal was working for a nonprofit that focused on recycling as a way to minimize what was going into local landfills. While plenty of people were willing, even eager, to get rid of things they no longer wanted but that weren’t really trash, finding people who wanted those things was a challenge. Beal set up a Yahoo Groups mailing list, hoping to create a giveaway marketplace where people could list usable items and others could lay claim to them and then come pick them up. The mailing list became the basis for Freecycle, a Web-enabled network of about 3,900+ such e-mail groups, each dedicated to a local community and managed by a volunteer moderator(s), and claiming 2.9 million+ participants in more than 70 countries. One of the largest Freecycle groups, with 25,000 members, is for New York City.
"Save-the-earth types make up only a fraction of Freecycle users. Like any successful marketplace, this one works because it links people with widely disparate motivations. Some participants want to declutter. Some see it as akin to a charity. Some just don’t want to lug items to the dump. And of course, many people are looking for free stuff. As Freecycle has become a bigger and bigger de facto brand — Beal prefers 'movement' — its sheer scale no doubt attracts people who aren’t tree-huggers or 'simple living' fanatics but just have some item they’d like to unconsume and in the process see what all the fuss is about.
"Whatever attracts people to join, part of what keeps them involved, Beal says, is something they probably didn’t expect: the moment when someone thanks you backward and forward for giving him something you planned to throw away. 'There’s a sort of paradigm shift in your brain: ‘Wow, that feels really good,’ ' Beal says. 'That’s what I think is fueling this absurd amount of growth we’ve had.'
"But it’s not all one big love-in. Freecycle has also sparked squabbles, schisms and even legal disputes among its enthusiasts. Though Beal turned away venture capitalists, opting to register as a nonprofit, he did take on a sponsor, the garbage-hauling company Waste Management Inc. Some of the network’s purists didn’t like that idea; others didn’t like what they saw as too many Freecycle rules and split off to form their own groups. The legal wrangling (and some of the network’s rules) stem from competing efforts to claim the Freecycle name. Given all this turmoil, the online environmental magazine Grist was already asking in 2005 whether, only two years after Freecycle started, it had 'run its course.' Beal concedes that 'it was messy there for a while,' but membership has more than doubled since then, and Freecycle is still keeping tons of exercise equipment, old computers, Santa neckties, 80-pound bags of cement and whatever else out of landfills.
"In a sense, what Freecycle has done is channel the same blend of utility and pleasure that motivates consumption itself. Steve Portigal, a business-strategy consultant based in Montara, Calif., founded a Freecycle group for the San Francisco area’s coastal communities in 2004. 'Getting something you need and getting rid of something you don’t need are both satisfying as problems solved,' he points out. But while we’re all well trained in the former, the latter often exceeds our patience and know-how.
"Consider the unwanted shed in Portigal’s backyard. Instead of trying to figure out how to take it apart and hauling the pieces to the dump, he listed it on his Freecycle group. Sure enough, someone volunteered to take the thing, expertly disassembling it and moving it to a nearby farm. Thus a tedious hassle was converted into a virtuous act, and Portigal enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that his old shed had a new home. Moreover, he adds, 'it was great to get rid of it.' ”
Zztopdog notes: Looking for a Freecycle(TM) group in your area? Visit Freecycle.org to view listings by state.
3.15.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care."~~Charles Schulz
THE POLAR PLUNGE
My wackie, wonderful daughter-in-law, Jen, participated in the Polar Plunge last Sunday, at Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville, IL. On that cold and rainy day, her team of 19 crazy people plunged into the lake (some even submerging themselves!) to celebrate raising money for Special Olympics Illinois.Her team won the coveted Golden Plunger for raising the most money (nearly $20,000.00) of all the teams at that site. To date, it appears that they may have raised the most money of all the teams in Illinois (final results still pending).
Jen, who is an occupational therapist, works with special needs kids. She said that for her, "it was the chance to actively show support for a movement that supports children and families with whom I work directly. A chance to support an organization that provides invaluable experiences for children who would otherwise maybe not know what it is like to get recognition or reward for dedication and hard work."
"To have a sense that you belong to something with a bigger meaning can really bring you moments of clarity about who you are and what life is really about," said Jen. "We were all there to be a part of something that had such a bigger purpose than just being cold and wet."
3.12.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry."~~Albert Einstein
ENDING THE 'RACE TO THE BOTTOM'
Op-Ed from The New York Times:
"was an impressive breadth of knowledge and a welcome dose of candor in President Obama’s first big speech on education, in which he served up an informed analysis of the educational system from top to bottom. What really mattered was that Mr. Obama did not wring his hands or speak in abstract about states that have failed to raise their educational standards. Instead, he made it clear that he was not afraid to embarrass the laggards — by naming them — and that he would use a $100 billion education stimulus fund to create the changes the country so desperately needs.
"Mr. Obama signaled that he would take the case for reform directly to the voters, instead of limiting the discussion to mandarins, lobbyists and specialists huddled in Washington. Unlike his predecessor, who promised to leave no child behind but did not deliver, this president is clearly ready to use his political clout on education.
"Mr. Obama spoke in terms that everyone could understand when he noted that only a third of 13- and 14-year-olds read as well as they should and that this country’s curriculum for eighth graders is two full years behind other top-performing nations. Part of the problem, he said, is that this nation’s schools have recently been engaged in 'a race to the bottom' — most states have adopted abysmally low standards and weak tests so that students who are performing poorly in objective terms can look like high achievers come test time.
"The nation has a patchwork of standards that vary widely from state to state and a system under which he said 'fourth-grade readers in Mississippi are scoring nearly 70 points lower than students in Wyoming — and they’re getting the same grade.' In addition, Mr. Obama said, several states have standards so low that students could end up on par with the bottom 40 percent of students around the globe.
"This is a recipe for economic disaster. Mr. Obama and Arne Duncan, the education secretary, have rightly made clear that states that draw money from the stimulus fund will have to create sorely needed data collection systems that show how students are performing over time. They will also need to raise standards and replace weak, fill-in-the-bubble tests with sophisticated examinations that better measure problem-solving and critical thinking.
"Mr. Obama understands that standards and tests alone won’t solve this problem. He also called for incentive pay for teachers who work in shortage areas like math and science and merit pay for teachers who are shown to produce the largest achievement gains over time. At the same time, the president called for removing underperforming teachers from the classroom.
"In an effort to broaden innovation, the president called for lifting state and city caps on charter schools. This could be a good thing, but only if the new charter schools are run by groups with a proven record of excellence. Once charter schools have opened, it becomes politically difficult to close them, even in cases where they are bad or worse than their traditional counterparts.
The stimulus package can jump-start the reforms that Mr. Obama laid out in his speech. But Congress will need to broaden and sustain those reforms in the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Only Congress can fully replace the race to the bottom with a race to the top."
"was an impressive breadth of knowledge and a welcome dose of candor in President Obama’s first big speech on education, in which he served up an informed analysis of the educational system from top to bottom. What really mattered was that Mr. Obama did not wring his hands or speak in abstract about states that have failed to raise their educational standards. Instead, he made it clear that he was not afraid to embarrass the laggards — by naming them — and that he would use a $100 billion education stimulus fund to create the changes the country so desperately needs.
"Mr. Obama signaled that he would take the case for reform directly to the voters, instead of limiting the discussion to mandarins, lobbyists and specialists huddled in Washington. Unlike his predecessor, who promised to leave no child behind but did not deliver, this president is clearly ready to use his political clout on education.
"Mr. Obama spoke in terms that everyone could understand when he noted that only a third of 13- and 14-year-olds read as well as they should and that this country’s curriculum for eighth graders is two full years behind other top-performing nations. Part of the problem, he said, is that this nation’s schools have recently been engaged in 'a race to the bottom' — most states have adopted abysmally low standards and weak tests so that students who are performing poorly in objective terms can look like high achievers come test time.
"The nation has a patchwork of standards that vary widely from state to state and a system under which he said 'fourth-grade readers in Mississippi are scoring nearly 70 points lower than students in Wyoming — and they’re getting the same grade.' In addition, Mr. Obama said, several states have standards so low that students could end up on par with the bottom 40 percent of students around the globe.
"This is a recipe for economic disaster. Mr. Obama and Arne Duncan, the education secretary, have rightly made clear that states that draw money from the stimulus fund will have to create sorely needed data collection systems that show how students are performing over time. They will also need to raise standards and replace weak, fill-in-the-bubble tests with sophisticated examinations that better measure problem-solving and critical thinking.
"Mr. Obama understands that standards and tests alone won’t solve this problem. He also called for incentive pay for teachers who work in shortage areas like math and science and merit pay for teachers who are shown to produce the largest achievement gains over time. At the same time, the president called for removing underperforming teachers from the classroom.
"In an effort to broaden innovation, the president called for lifting state and city caps on charter schools. This could be a good thing, but only if the new charter schools are run by groups with a proven record of excellence. Once charter schools have opened, it becomes politically difficult to close them, even in cases where they are bad or worse than their traditional counterparts.
The stimulus package can jump-start the reforms that Mr. Obama laid out in his speech. But Congress will need to broaden and sustain those reforms in the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Only Congress can fully replace the race to the bottom with a race to the top."
3.11.2009
3.10.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Every patriot believes his country better than any other country . . . In its active manifestation—it is fond of killing—patriotism would be well enough if it were simply defensive, but it is also aggressive . . . Patriotism deliberately and with folly aforethought subordinates the interests of a whole to the interests of a part . . . Patriotism is fierce as a fever, pitiless as the grave and blind as a stone."
~~Ambrose Bierce, Collected Works
~~Ambrose Bierce, Collected Works
3.09.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
"When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers."
~~Colleen C. Barrett
~~Colleen C. Barrett
3.08.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“ 'WHEREVER you come near the human race, there’s layers and layers of nonsense,' says the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s 'Our Town.' ”
~~Thornton Wilder
~~Thornton Wilder
3.07.2009
What Battered Newsrooms Can Learn From Stewart's CNBC Takedown
By Will Bunch, author, "Tear Down this Myth," for The Huffington Post:"The most talked-about journalism of this week wasn't produced in the New York Times, CNN, Newsweek or NPR. It was Jon Stewart's epic, eight-minute takedown on Wednesday night's Daily Show of CNBC's clueless, in-the-tank reporting of inflatable bubbles and blowhard CEOs as the U.S. and world economies slowly slid into a meltdown. You can quibble about Stewart's motives in undertaking the piece -- after he was spurned for an interview by CNBC's faux populist ranter Rick Santelli -- but you can't argue with the results.
"The piece wasn't just the laugh-out-loud funniest thing on TV all week (and this was a week in which NBC rebroadcast the SNL "more cowbell" sketch, so that's saying a lot) but it was exquisitely reported, insightful, and it tapped into America's real anger about the financial crisis in a way that mainstream journalism has found so elusive all these months, in a time when we all need to be tearing down myths. As one commenter on the Romenesko blog noted, 'it's simply pathetic that one has to watch a comedy show to see things like this.'
"But that's not all. The Stewart piece also got the kind of eyeballs that most newsrooms would kill for in this digital age -- planted atop many, many major political, media and business Web sites -- and the kind of water-cooler chatter that journalists would crave in any age. In a time when newspapers are flat-out dying if not dealing with bankruptcy or massive job losses, while other types of news orgs aren't faring much better, the journalistic success of a comedy show rant shouldn't be viewed as a stick in the eye -- but a teachable moment. Why be a curmudgeon about kids today getting all their news from a comedy show, when it's not really that hard to join Stewart in his own idol-smashing game?
"Here's how:
1) Great research trumps good access to the powerful: The Stewart piece makes this controversial but critical point in two different ways. For one thing, the story shows how access to the nation's most powerful CEOs -- supposedly the big advantage of a journalistic enterprise like CNBC -- isn't worth a warm bucket of spit when it results in slo-pitch softball questions, for fear of offending the rich and powerful. And so we see Ford's CEO grilled about Kid Rock's performance at the auto show, Ponzi scammer (later revealed) Alan Stanford quizzed on whether it's fun to be a billionaire, and Maria "Money Honey" Bartiromo gushing at how corporate chiefs were still telling her that their companies were doing great, even as the massive iceberg was casting its shadow over the hull of the American economy.
"Jon Stewart's act of journalism -- reported, of course, by his ace team of writers -- worked because there were no interviews at all. It all hung instead on meticulous research, dredging up lethal quips of CNBC's stock pumping hosts to hang them with their own undeniable words -- Jim Cramer's "buy buy buy" when the Dow was roughly double what it is today, his touting of Bear Stearns' and Bank of America's doomed stocks. The kind of research that's so hard for most newspapers to do anymore, with downsized staffs and ever-looming deadlines, but which can so often belies the spin from our 'accessible' sources.
2) The American public is mad as hell right now, so why isn't the mainstream media? Balanced reporting is important, but a balanced, modulated tone of voice? Not now, not when millions are hurting from lost jobs and under-water mortgages, and many millions more are living in fear of the same fate. People need information but what they so desperately want an outlet that shares their passion -- and, yes, that rage -- and so Jon Stewart gave people what they weren't getting anywhere else.
3) Tear down this wall... of pretending that the media itself isn't a major player in American society, and isn't a factor in most big stories. Sure, there were greedy bankers and their pocketed politicians working in unintended tandem to take the Dow from 14,000 down to 6,600, but these popular TV pundits were there every step of the way, as The Daily Show revealed, and their contribution was consequential. Mainstream media, after all these years, has a hard time understanding that one of the major political forces in this country is mainstream media, something the audience knows all too well.
4) The First Amendment doesn't say anything about not being funny, or not being passionate. I don't know about you, if you actually watched the piece, but I feel like I learned something important -- confirming the cheerleading nature of the nation's most-watched source for business news, even in a moment of oncoming disaster -- but I also busted my gut laughing as I did. And there's nothing wrong with that, informing and entertaining at the same time -- isn't that what newspapers are charging people 75 cents for?
"You know, sometimes people do some crazy stuff when they realize their days are numbered. I don't have the answers to problems facing American journalism -- not my own newsroom, mired in Chapter 11, nor the others that face a possible death sentence. But fighting for life will mean living each day like it was your last, with passion, anger and laughter, the way The Daily Show shined a light on a crevice of the nation's battered economy on Wednesday night."
"The piece wasn't just the laugh-out-loud funniest thing on TV all week (and this was a week in which NBC rebroadcast the SNL "more cowbell" sketch, so that's saying a lot) but it was exquisitely reported, insightful, and it tapped into America's real anger about the financial crisis in a way that mainstream journalism has found so elusive all these months, in a time when we all need to be tearing down myths. As one commenter on the Romenesko blog noted, 'it's simply pathetic that one has to watch a comedy show to see things like this.'
"But that's not all. The Stewart piece also got the kind of eyeballs that most newsrooms would kill for in this digital age -- planted atop many, many major political, media and business Web sites -- and the kind of water-cooler chatter that journalists would crave in any age. In a time when newspapers are flat-out dying if not dealing with bankruptcy or massive job losses, while other types of news orgs aren't faring much better, the journalistic success of a comedy show rant shouldn't be viewed as a stick in the eye -- but a teachable moment. Why be a curmudgeon about kids today getting all their news from a comedy show, when it's not really that hard to join Stewart in his own idol-smashing game?
"Here's how:
1) Great research trumps good access to the powerful: The Stewart piece makes this controversial but critical point in two different ways. For one thing, the story shows how access to the nation's most powerful CEOs -- supposedly the big advantage of a journalistic enterprise like CNBC -- isn't worth a warm bucket of spit when it results in slo-pitch softball questions, for fear of offending the rich and powerful. And so we see Ford's CEO grilled about Kid Rock's performance at the auto show, Ponzi scammer (later revealed) Alan Stanford quizzed on whether it's fun to be a billionaire, and Maria "Money Honey" Bartiromo gushing at how corporate chiefs were still telling her that their companies were doing great, even as the massive iceberg was casting its shadow over the hull of the American economy.
"Jon Stewart's act of journalism -- reported, of course, by his ace team of writers -- worked because there were no interviews at all. It all hung instead on meticulous research, dredging up lethal quips of CNBC's stock pumping hosts to hang them with their own undeniable words -- Jim Cramer's "buy buy buy" when the Dow was roughly double what it is today, his touting of Bear Stearns' and Bank of America's doomed stocks. The kind of research that's so hard for most newspapers to do anymore, with downsized staffs and ever-looming deadlines, but which can so often belies the spin from our 'accessible' sources.
2) The American public is mad as hell right now, so why isn't the mainstream media? Balanced reporting is important, but a balanced, modulated tone of voice? Not now, not when millions are hurting from lost jobs and under-water mortgages, and many millions more are living in fear of the same fate. People need information but what they so desperately want an outlet that shares their passion -- and, yes, that rage -- and so Jon Stewart gave people what they weren't getting anywhere else.
3) Tear down this wall... of pretending that the media itself isn't a major player in American society, and isn't a factor in most big stories. Sure, there were greedy bankers and their pocketed politicians working in unintended tandem to take the Dow from 14,000 down to 6,600, but these popular TV pundits were there every step of the way, as The Daily Show revealed, and their contribution was consequential. Mainstream media, after all these years, has a hard time understanding that one of the major political forces in this country is mainstream media, something the audience knows all too well.
4) The First Amendment doesn't say anything about not being funny, or not being passionate. I don't know about you, if you actually watched the piece, but I feel like I learned something important -- confirming the cheerleading nature of the nation's most-watched source for business news, even in a moment of oncoming disaster -- but I also busted my gut laughing as I did. And there's nothing wrong with that, informing and entertaining at the same time -- isn't that what newspapers are charging people 75 cents for?
"You know, sometimes people do some crazy stuff when they realize their days are numbered. I don't have the answers to problems facing American journalism -- not my own newsroom, mired in Chapter 11, nor the others that face a possible death sentence. But fighting for life will mean living each day like it was your last, with passion, anger and laughter, the way The Daily Show shined a light on a crevice of the nation's battered economy on Wednesday night."
ZZtopdog notes: Please click here to watch the video.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella."
~~Pepper Giardino
~~Pepper Giardino
3.06.2009
FRIDAY'S LITTLE DOSE OF CUTE
From Cute Overload:ZZtopdog notes: This albino baby hedgehog was rescued from the wild because its color makes it much more of a target for predators.
3.03.2009
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
~~Black Elk (1863-1950)
~~Black Elk (1863-1950)
3.02.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."
~~Ellen Goodman
~~Ellen Goodman
3.01.2009
HOW ERIC HOLDER & MICHAEL STEELE SPENT THEIR FEBRUARY
By John Ridley, on The Huffington Post:
"We come to the end of another Black History Month.
"Eric Holder, the Nation's first black Attorney General, spent February demonstrating he owned the stones to call out Americans for being 'in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards' when it comes having the tough discussion on race and ethnicity. That's when he wasn't putting the finishing touches on the bust-up of a major Narco ring.
"Michael Steele, the nation's first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, spent February explaining how he wants the RNC's new PR campaign to be 'off the hook,' featuring 'urban-surburban hip-hop settings.' That's when he wasn't giving a shout-out of 'slum love"' to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal who is of Near Eastern ethnicity.
"Slum love, get it? 'Cause, like, Slumdog Millionaire was, like, big.
"Can you imagine Holder publicly wishing President Obama some ghetto affection?
"So much for the GOP's new face.
"Despite a few critical posts -- call them my tough love shout-outs -- I actually wish Michael Steele much success in reinventing the Republicans. There's nothing wrong with a smart, ideas-oriented adversarial Party. A new version of Eisenhower's Dynamic Conservatism, as opposed to the same version of 'let's try tax cuts.' Though I personally appreciate them.
Steele, however, is not helping advance the cause, or sell the party beyond the base with his tone-deafness. Nor is he being helped by the 'new' GOP. I'm sure Bobby Jindal is thankful 2012 is three years away, and I'm sure Sarah Palin is thankful for Bobby Jindal. For all the ills of liberal paternalism, conservatives are learning you can't do diversity overnight.
"What's clear now is that after Tuesday night's 'I'm exotic like Obama, too' flame out by Jindal, Steele is going to have to work double time in finding a new messenger. First, perhaps, he needs to figure out what the message is and how to deliver it."
"We come to the end of another Black History Month.
"Eric Holder, the Nation's first black Attorney General, spent February demonstrating he owned the stones to call out Americans for being 'in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards' when it comes having the tough discussion on race and ethnicity. That's when he wasn't putting the finishing touches on the bust-up of a major Narco ring.
"Michael Steele, the nation's first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, spent February explaining how he wants the RNC's new PR campaign to be 'off the hook,' featuring 'urban-surburban hip-hop settings.' That's when he wasn't giving a shout-out of 'slum love"' to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal who is of Near Eastern ethnicity.
"Slum love, get it? 'Cause, like, Slumdog Millionaire was, like, big.
"Can you imagine Holder publicly wishing President Obama some ghetto affection?
"So much for the GOP's new face.
"Despite a few critical posts -- call them my tough love shout-outs -- I actually wish Michael Steele much success in reinventing the Republicans. There's nothing wrong with a smart, ideas-oriented adversarial Party. A new version of Eisenhower's Dynamic Conservatism, as opposed to the same version of 'let's try tax cuts.' Though I personally appreciate them.
Steele, however, is not helping advance the cause, or sell the party beyond the base with his tone-deafness. Nor is he being helped by the 'new' GOP. I'm sure Bobby Jindal is thankful 2012 is three years away, and I'm sure Sarah Palin is thankful for Bobby Jindal. For all the ills of liberal paternalism, conservatives are learning you can't do diversity overnight.
"What's clear now is that after Tuesday night's 'I'm exotic like Obama, too' flame out by Jindal, Steele is going to have to work double time in finding a new messenger. First, perhaps, he needs to figure out what the message is and how to deliver it."
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"March is a month of considerable frustration - it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away."
~~Thalassa Cruso
~~Thalassa Cruso
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"March is a month of considerable frustration - it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away."
~~Thalassa Cruso
~~Thalassa Cruso
2.28.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"As long as man was small in numbers and limited in technology, he could realistically regard the earth as an infinite reservoir, an infinite source of inputs and an infinite cesspool for outputs. Today we can no longer make this assumption. Earth has become a space ship, not only in our imagination but also in the hard realities of the social, biological, and physical system in which man is enmeshed. In what we might call the 'old days,' when man was small in numbers and earth was large, he could pollute it with impunity, though even then he frequently destroyed his immediate environment and had to move on to a new spot, which he then proceeded to destroy. Now man can no longer do this; he must live in the whole system, in which he must recycle his wastes and really face up to the problem of the increase in material entropy which his activities create. In a space ship there are no sewers."~~Kenneth E. Boulding
2.26.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience. For health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of: a blessing that money cannot buy."
~~Isaac Walton
~~Isaac Walton
2.25.2009
2.24.2009
SC GOVERNOR OFFERS UNEMPLOYED SC RESIDENTS PRAYERS INSTEAD OF STIMULUS FUNDS
From Think Progress, via Cynical-C:
"Following the lead of a number of his fellow Republican governors, Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has given some indication that he will not accept some of the money slated for South Carolina in the $787 billion economic recovery bill President Obama signed into law last week. 'At times it sounds like the Soviet grain quotas of Stalin’s time,' Sanford said yesterday on Fox News.
"On C-SPAN’s Washington Journal this morning, Sanford received a call from a Charleston resident who said he lost his job because he has been taking care of mother and sister, both of whom have serious illnesses. The caller told Sanford he is 'wrong' to decline the money. 'A lot of people in South Carolina are hurting. And if this money can come and help us out we need it.' In response, Sanford could offer him only his prayers."
Zztopdog note: Was Gov. Sanford (R-SC) one of the people who attended President Obama's Governors' Dinner last evening?
"Following the lead of a number of his fellow Republican governors, Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has given some indication that he will not accept some of the money slated for South Carolina in the $787 billion economic recovery bill President Obama signed into law last week. 'At times it sounds like the Soviet grain quotas of Stalin’s time,' Sanford said yesterday on Fox News.
"On C-SPAN’s Washington Journal this morning, Sanford received a call from a Charleston resident who said he lost his job because he has been taking care of mother and sister, both of whom have serious illnesses. The caller told Sanford he is 'wrong' to decline the money. 'A lot of people in South Carolina are hurting. And if this money can come and help us out we need it.' In response, Sanford could offer him only his prayers."
Zztopdog note: Was Gov. Sanford (R-SC) one of the people who attended President Obama's Governors' Dinner last evening?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained."
~~Mark Twain
~~Mark Twain
2.23.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world."
~~Dorothy L. Sayers
~~Dorothy L. Sayers
2.22.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The only acting you ever see at the Oscars is when people act like they're not mad they lost. Nicole Kidman was smiling so wide (the year Halle Berry beat her to best actress), she should have won an Emmy at the Oscars for her great performance. I was like, 'If you'd done that in the movie, you'd have won an Oscar, girl!' "~~Chris Rock
2.21.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"I think my favorite sport in the Olympics is the one in which you make your way through the snow, you stop, you shoot a gun, and then you continue on. In most of the world, it is known as the biathlon, except in New York City, where it is known as winter."
~~Michael Ventre
~~Michael Ventre
2.20.2009
From 2.19.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"I still think people do have racial hang-ups, but I think one of the reasons I can joke about it is people are shedding those racial hatreds."
~~Dave Chappelle
~~Dave Chappelle
2.18.2009
2.17.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. And it will leave you unfulfilled."
~~Barack Obama, speech, Juy. 12, 2006
~~Barack Obama, speech, Juy. 12, 2006
2.16.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.”
~~Bertrand Russell
~~Bertrand Russell
2.15.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"I personally hold Blair more responsible for this war than I do George Bush. The reason is, Blair knows better, Blair is not an idiot. What is he doing hanging around this guy?"
~~Michael Moore
~~Michael Moore
2.14.2009
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
"I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being...; by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant."~~Paul Newman
2.13.2009
2.12.2009
"THE WORLD WILL LITTLE NOTE NOR LONG REMEMBER WHAT WE SAY HERE..."
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YA ON THE WAY OUT
From Badtux, the Snarky Penguin:
"I got an EMAIL from World Nut Daily that was titled, "Coulter says goodbye to America". I opened it hoping to find that Mann Coulter had taken her screeching lies and hate to some other nation more suited for what she wants America to be like, such as Mexico. Alas, opening it found that she insists that we're going back to the Bad Old Days of the Clintonistas. Really? Does that mean we get full employment, economic growth, and balanced budgets? I'll take that!
Methinks that if Mann Coulter don't like America, that she just leave. Her low-tax paradise, Mexico, awaits her. Oh wait, only tighty righties are supposed to be able to say that. Alrighty, then!"
"I got an EMAIL from World Nut Daily that was titled, "Coulter says goodbye to America". I opened it hoping to find that Mann Coulter had taken her screeching lies and hate to some other nation more suited for what she wants America to be like, such as Mexico. Alas, opening it found that she insists that we're going back to the Bad Old Days of the Clintonistas. Really? Does that mean we get full employment, economic growth, and balanced budgets? I'll take that!
Methinks that if Mann Coulter don't like America, that she just leave. Her low-tax paradise, Mexico, awaits her. Oh wait, only tighty righties are supposed to be able to say that. Alrighty, then!"
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"There is a privacy about [winter] which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.
~~Ruth Stout
~~Ruth Stout
2.11.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them."
~~Alain de Botton
~~Alain de Botton
2.10.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
President Barack Obama, at a news conference on Monday night, reported in The New York Times:
“ 'I’m happy to get good ideas from across the political spectrum, from Democrats and Republicans,' ” he said at the Monday night news conference. 'What I won’t do is return to the failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place, because those theories have been tested and they have failed. And that’s part of what the election in November was all about.' ”
“ 'I’m happy to get good ideas from across the political spectrum, from Democrats and Republicans,' ” he said at the Monday night news conference. 'What I won’t do is return to the failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place, because those theories have been tested and they have failed. And that’s part of what the election in November was all about.' ”
2.09.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
“If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.”
~~Albert Einstein
~~Albert Einstein
2.08.2009
AMERICAN RHETORIC
I want to let you know about a cool site, American Rhetoric, that I just read about in my local newspaper. The site includes a special movie speeches link, that offers hundreds of audio files of current and classic speeches from The Godfather, Fight Club, Citizen Kane, To Kill a Mockingbird, Good Wil
l Hunting, The Wizard of Oz. The movie section also offers videos, scripts, trailers.
But the site isn't all Hollywood. There are numerous links to The Top 100 Speeches, that provide a look into history, from FDR's inaugural address to President Obama's Election Night acceptance speech. There are also speeches from the current news; and even lessons on the world of rhetoric and figures of speech.
Lots of fun exploring for those who enjoy the spoken word.
l Hunting, The Wizard of Oz. The movie section also offers videos, scripts, trailers.But the site isn't all Hollywood. There are numerous links to The Top 100 Speeches, that provide a look into history, from FDR's inaugural address to President Obama's Election Night acceptance speech. There are also speeches from the current news; and even lessons on the world of rhetoric and figures of speech.
Lots of fun exploring for those who enjoy the spoken word.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith."
~~Franklin D. Roosevelt
~~Franklin D. Roosevelt
2.07.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The following appeared as a letter to the editor of Newsweek:
"I find it appalling that so few Americans sigh up to be organ donors ('Not Just Urban Legend,' Jan. 19, 2009). What we need is an opt-out rather than an opt-in system - you're a potential organ donor unless you note on your driver's license that you don't want to be. Consider this: if there is an afterlife, imagine explaining to whatever supreme being you worship that you let someone else die so that your kidneys could be buried with you."
~~Susan Wilke-Mounts
Zztopdog's note: The following was added as a comment to this post. I heartily agree with the information, and am posting it for those who may be interested.
"About 50% of the organs transplanted in America go to people who haven't agreed to donate their own organs when they die. As long as we let non-donors jump to the front of the waiting list if they need a transplant, we'll always have an organ shortage.
"There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage -- give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die. Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
"Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition."
"I find it appalling that so few Americans sigh up to be organ donors ('Not Just Urban Legend,' Jan. 19, 2009). What we need is an opt-out rather than an opt-in system - you're a potential organ donor unless you note on your driver's license that you don't want to be. Consider this: if there is an afterlife, imagine explaining to whatever supreme being you worship that you let someone else die so that your kidneys could be buried with you."
~~Susan Wilke-Mounts
Zztopdog's note: The following was added as a comment to this post. I heartily agree with the information, and am posting it for those who may be interested.
"About 50% of the organs transplanted in America go to people who haven't agreed to donate their own organs when they die. As long as we let non-donors jump to the front of the waiting list if they need a transplant, we'll always have an organ shortage.
"There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage -- give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die. Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
"Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition."
2.06.2009
2.05.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."
~~St. Francis of Assisi
2.04.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Find what you love to do. Find your passion. Know what makes you want to get up in the morning, that's all you need."
~~Condoleeza Rice
~~Condoleeza Rice
2.03.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate...Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless."
~~Christopher Reeve
~~Christopher Reeve
2.02.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.”
~~Russell H. Ewing
~~Russell H. Ewing
2.01.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable. They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well."
~~Bonnie Wilcox, in "Old Dogs, Old Friends"
Zztopdog note: Save a life; adopt a shelter dog.
~~Bonnie Wilcox, in "Old Dogs, Old Friends"
Zztopdog note: Save a life; adopt a shelter dog.
1.31.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
~~Albert Einstein
~~Albert Einstein
AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
"The Inauguration at Last" by Maria Kalman, in The New York Times:
For the rest of "The Inauguration at Last," click here.
1.30.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"We take our bearings, daily, from others. To be sane is, to a great extent, to be sociable."
~~John Updike, 1932-2009
Zztopdog note: R.I.P., Mr. Updike.
~~John Updike, 1932-2009
Zztopdog note: R.I.P., Mr. Updike.
1.29.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The candle burns not for us, but for all those whom we failed to rescue from prison, who were shot on the way to prison, who were tortured, who were kidnapped, who 'disappeared.' That's what the candle is for."
~~ Peter Benenson, Amnesty International
~~ Peter Benenson, Amnesty International
1.28.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Way too much coffee. But if it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever."
~~David Letterman
~~David Letterman
COFFEE LINKED TO LOWER DEMENTIA RISK
By Nicholas Bakalar, for The New York Times:"Drinking coffee may do more than just keep you awake. A new study suggests an intriguing potential link to mental health later in life, as well.
"A team of Swedish and Danish researchers tracked coffee consumption in a group of 1,409 middle-age men and women for an average of 21 years. During that time, 61 participants developed dementia, 48 with Alzheimer’s disease.
"After controlling for numerous socioeconomic and health factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the scientists found that the subjects who had reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less. People who drank more than five cups a day also were at reduced risk of dementia, the researchers said, but there were not enough people in this group to draw statistically significant conclusions.
"Dr. Miia Kivipelto, an associate professor of neurology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and lead author of the study, does not as yet advocate drinking coffee as a preventive health measure. 'This is an observational study,' she said. 'We have no evidence that for people who are not drinking coffee, taking up drinking will have a protective effect.'
"Dr. Kivipelto and her colleagues suggest several possibilities for why coffee might reduce the risk of dementia later in life. First, earlier studies have linked coffee consumption with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, which in turn has been associated with a greater risk of dementia. In animal studies, caffeine has been shown to reduce the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, coffee may have an antioxidant effect in the bloodstream, reducing vascular risk factors for dementia.
"Dr. Kivipelto noted that previous studies have shown that coffee drinking may also be linked to a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.
"The new study, published this month in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, is unusual in that more than 70 percent of the original group of 2,000 people randomly selected for tracking were available for re-examination 21 years later. The dietary information had been collected at the beginning of the study, which reduced the possibility of errors introduced by people inaccurately recalling their consumption. Still, the authors acknowledge that any self-reported data is subject to inaccuracies."
1.27.2009
TAGGED AGAIN
I've been tagged in the ubiquitous 25 Random Things About Yourself. I won't tag anyone with this, but if you'd like to play along, just leave a comment about it here, so we know to check it out.
25 Random Facts about Pam:
1. I am very kind-hearted - probably more than most people realize;
2. I am still, at 56, quite shy;
3. I quit smoking 23 years ago by having major surgery (I highly recommend it);
4. I am seriously anxiety prone;
5. I love to laugh - in fact it comes way too easily in often horribly inappropriate situations;
6. I love all animals, and will do whatever I can to help/protect an animal in need;
7. I often prefer the company of animals to that of people;
8. I can be very stubborn, if the situation warrants;
9. I have a quick temper, but over the years, have learned the benefits of controlling it;
10. I love to read, and am rather picky about what I read;
11. I adore movies, and again, am rather picky about what I'll watch;
12. I like music, but have to be in the mood, and play the appropriate music;
13. I REALLY adore technology - computers, phones, pods, my car; I still say, "Thank god there are smarter people than me in this world, or we would still be writing with coal on a shovel;
14. The book that has affected me like no other is Blindness, by Jose Saramago;
15. I am an only child;
16. But, I'm pretty good at sharing;
17. I love the show 24, but I often get too tense while watching it;
18. I am on my tenth Toyota, a 2008 Prius which is as close to a perfect car as I have ever driven;
19. My partner and I have been together nearly 16 years;
20. My son, daughter-in-law, and their 2 kids are the light of my life;
21. I wish I could see them more often;
22. I am so happy that Barack Obama is our President; I backed him from the start; I don't think I could have taken 4 more years of a Republican presidency;
23. I love coffee, and have been drinking it since I was about 3 (that's the Swede in me!); but I rarely have more than 2 cups per day or I become too jittery;
24. I am hating cold weather much more as I get older, but I still love snow;
25. I moderate a local Freecycle (TM) recycling group because I realy believe in recycling - for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
25 Random Facts about Pam:
1. I am very kind-hearted - probably more than most people realize;
2. I am still, at 56, quite shy;
3. I quit smoking 23 years ago by having major surgery (I highly recommend it);
4. I am seriously anxiety prone;
5. I love to laugh - in fact it comes way too easily in often horribly inappropriate situations;
6. I love all animals, and will do whatever I can to help/protect an animal in need;
7. I often prefer the company of animals to that of people;
8. I can be very stubborn, if the situation warrants;
9. I have a quick temper, but over the years, have learned the benefits of controlling it;
10. I love to read, and am rather picky about what I read;
11. I adore movies, and again, am rather picky about what I'll watch;
12. I like music, but have to be in the mood, and play the appropriate music;
13. I REALLY adore technology - computers, phones, pods, my car; I still say, "Thank god there are smarter people than me in this world, or we would still be writing with coal on a shovel;
14. The book that has affected me like no other is Blindness, by Jose Saramago;
15. I am an only child;
16. But, I'm pretty good at sharing;
17. I love the show 24, but I often get too tense while watching it;
18. I am on my tenth Toyota, a 2008 Prius which is as close to a perfect car as I have ever driven;
19. My partner and I have been together nearly 16 years;
20. My son, daughter-in-law, and their 2 kids are the light of my life;
21. I wish I could see them more often;
22. I am so happy that Barack Obama is our President; I backed him from the start; I don't think I could have taken 4 more years of a Republican presidency;
23. I love coffee, and have been drinking it since I was about 3 (that's the Swede in me!); but I rarely have more than 2 cups per day or I become too jittery;
24. I am hating cold weather much more as I get older, but I still love snow;
25. I moderate a local Freecycle (TM) recycling group because I realy believe in recycling - for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
1.26.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great."
~~Orison Swett Marden
~~Orison Swett Marden
1.25.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body."
~~Oliver Wendell Holmes
~~Oliver Wendell Holmes
1.24.2009
BOHEME
Tagging rears its ugly head again...
It goes like this:
1. Put your iTunes or iPod on shuffle
2. For each question press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous is sounds!
4. Tag ? friends who might "enjoy" doing the game as well as the person you got the note from. (I'm not tagging anyone; if you want to do it, go for it!)
IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY" you say?
Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon)
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Graceland (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Come Together (The Beatles)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Sweet Painted Lady (Elton John)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Only Living Boy in New York (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT IS 2+2?
Slip Slidin' Away (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Get Back (The Beatles)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Super Trouper (ABBA)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Sacrifice (Elton John)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
A Most Peculiar Man (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Homeless (Paul Simon)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Lady Maddona (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Further to Fly (Paul Simon)
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
All Around the World or The Myth of Fire (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Let It Be (The Beatles)
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op.55 "Eroica" (Beethoven)
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Train in the Distance (Paul Simon)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Sparrow (Simon & Garfulkel)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Rocket Man (Elton John)
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Yes I Am (Mellissa Ethridge)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
So Long Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Grey Seal (Elton John)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Roy Rogers (Elton John)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
The Winner Takes All (ABBA)
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Boheme (Deep Forest)
It goes like this:
1. Put your iTunes or iPod on shuffle
2. For each question press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous is sounds!
4. Tag ? friends who might "enjoy" doing the game as well as the person you got the note from. (I'm not tagging anyone; if you want to do it, go for it!)
IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY" you say?
Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon)
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Graceland (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Come Together (The Beatles)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Sweet Painted Lady (Elton John)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Only Living Boy in New York (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT IS 2+2?
Slip Slidin' Away (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Get Back (The Beatles)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Super Trouper (ABBA)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Sacrifice (Elton John)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
A Most Peculiar Man (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Homeless (Paul Simon)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Lady Maddona (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Further to Fly (Paul Simon)
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
All Around the World or The Myth of Fire (Paul Simon)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Let It Be (The Beatles)
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op.55 "Eroica" (Beethoven)
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Train in the Distance (Paul Simon)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Sparrow (Simon & Garfulkel)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Rocket Man (Elton John)
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Yes I Am (Mellissa Ethridge)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
So Long Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon & Garfunkel)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Grey Seal (Elton John)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Roy Rogers (Elton John)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
The Winner Takes All (ABBA)
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Boheme (Deep Forest)
THE BEST AMERICAN NON-REQUIRED READING 2008
By Mark Flanigan, Contemporary Literature Guide for About.com:
"The Best American Nonrequired Reading features fiction, nonfiction, journalism, comics, and humor, and is doubtlessly the most eclectic of Houghton Mifflin's Best American series. It grew out of the 826 Valencia project, a writing workshop for teens that Dave Eggers founded in San Francisco's Mission District. 826 Valencia has since evolved into 826 National, with writing workshops springing up around the country, and as in previous years, the pieces chosen for The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008 were done so by high school student participants of these workshops. And while there's something in this collection for everybody, I found that the selection of fiction was largely overshadowed by the remarkable nonfiction inclusions:J. Malcolm Garcia's "The White Train" is an illicit peak into the lives of a caste of Buenos Aires trash scavengers, the cartoneros, whose existence depends upon the skeletal ghost train upon which they transport their recyclables through the city.Raffi Khatchadourian's "Neptune's Navy" came from The New Yorker, and is a short version of Peter Heller's book, The Whale Warriors, which delves into the adventures of marine activist Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they patrol the icy waters of the southern seas to stop illegal Japanese whaling.
"Veteran fiction writer George Saunders really delivers with a piece of creative journalism entitled 'Bill Clinton, Public Citizen.' Saunders describes a classroom in a hospital in the Dominican Republic where children are playing chaotically prior to the arrival of a special guest. The guest is Bill Clinton, and Saunders fools me into believing that this is a fiction, an alternate world of his imagination, by painting Clinton not as the affable, gregarious figure we're accustomed to seeing, but as grave - dour even. Then he hits me with the punch line: 'If not for the William J. Clinton Foundation, every one of these little kids would be dead or dying soon, since every one of them is HIV positive, and until the foundation intervened, almost no one in the Dominican Republic had access to life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). And for most kids this young, the life expectancy for someone with HIV not on ARVs is five years.' Saunders is part of a press crew following the former president to several developing African nations, where the work of the William J. Clinton foundation has made ARVs affordable and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. The author spotlights the private moments he shares with Clinton, moments when it becomes clear to Saunders, no slouch himself, just what an incredible individual the former president is. At a press dinner, Saunders notes that Clinton does most of the talking, not because he is self-absorbed or prone to pontification, but because Clinton is easily the most interesting person at the table:
" 'Because when Bill Clinton's at your table, you don't really want anyone else talking, and that includes you. When you do talk, you feel stupid. I mean, you are stupid. You are suddenly short of facts and full of intuition. You lack the conversational zing that comes with having once been leader of the free world. Have your previous dinner partners included Gobachev, Mandela, Bono, Liza Hurley, Stephen Jay Gould? Were you instrumental in bringing peace to Ireland? Were your personal foibles broadcast at a cringe-inducing level of detail into every home in America? Did you sign into law the Family and Medical Leave Act, already used by some three million Americans to be with a dying parent or at home after the birth of a child? Do people routinely accuse you and your wife of Macbethian levels of intrigue and ambition, levels that no actual living person is diabolical or efficient enough to attain? Have you ever made a speech to 50,000 people? Do people look at you and think: should have done more in Rwanda? Have you started a foundation that has saved, by even the most conservative estimates, hundreds of thousands of lives and set the stage, through a series of price cuts and the stabilization of markets, for millions more to be saved? Well, right, me neither.'
"The Gene Weingarten article, 'Pearls Before Breakfast,' about violinist Joshua Bell's experiment in the Washington D.C. metro originally ran in The Washington Post and won Weingarten a Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. It's brilliant, and along with George Saunder's piece on Clinton, should never appear in something labeled "nonrequired." No, this reading is most certainly required. Everyone should be handed this reading at the door and quizzed upon it before they are allowed to leave.There are other amazing pieces in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008. The collection opens with Marjorie Celona's "Y," a heart-breaking short story, and graphic novelist Rutu Modan's "Queen of the Scottish Fairies," a single installment from her http://www.nytimes.com/ comics column, Mixed Emotions, is absolutely brilliant - this from someone who rarely reads graphic novels or comics. And "Cake," a hard-hitting short story from Patrick Tobin on the survival of pain, both emotional and physical, will leave you doubled-over, holding your gut.Pick up a copy of The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008. As I said above, there's something for everybody, and with the Saunders and Weingarten essays being required anyway, you get an awful lot of bonus for your $14."
"The Best American Nonrequired Reading features fiction, nonfiction, journalism, comics, and humor, and is doubtlessly the most eclectic of Houghton Mifflin's Best American series. It grew out of the 826 Valencia project, a writing workshop for teens that Dave Eggers founded in San Francisco's Mission District. 826 Valencia has since evolved into 826 National, with writing workshops springing up around the country, and as in previous years, the pieces chosen for The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008 were done so by high school student participants of these workshops. And while there's something in this collection for everybody, I found that the selection of fiction was largely overshadowed by the remarkable nonfiction inclusions:J. Malcolm Garcia's "The White Train" is an illicit peak into the lives of a caste of Buenos Aires trash scavengers, the cartoneros, whose existence depends upon the skeletal ghost train upon which they transport their recyclables through the city.Raffi Khatchadourian's "Neptune's Navy" came from The New Yorker, and is a short version of Peter Heller's book, The Whale Warriors, which delves into the adventures of marine activist Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they patrol the icy waters of the southern seas to stop illegal Japanese whaling.
"Veteran fiction writer George Saunders really delivers with a piece of creative journalism entitled 'Bill Clinton, Public Citizen.' Saunders describes a classroom in a hospital in the Dominican Republic where children are playing chaotically prior to the arrival of a special guest. The guest is Bill Clinton, and Saunders fools me into believing that this is a fiction, an alternate world of his imagination, by painting Clinton not as the affable, gregarious figure we're accustomed to seeing, but as grave - dour even. Then he hits me with the punch line: 'If not for the William J. Clinton Foundation, every one of these little kids would be dead or dying soon, since every one of them is HIV positive, and until the foundation intervened, almost no one in the Dominican Republic had access to life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). And for most kids this young, the life expectancy for someone with HIV not on ARVs is five years.' Saunders is part of a press crew following the former president to several developing African nations, where the work of the William J. Clinton foundation has made ARVs affordable and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. The author spotlights the private moments he shares with Clinton, moments when it becomes clear to Saunders, no slouch himself, just what an incredible individual the former president is. At a press dinner, Saunders notes that Clinton does most of the talking, not because he is self-absorbed or prone to pontification, but because Clinton is easily the most interesting person at the table:
" 'Because when Bill Clinton's at your table, you don't really want anyone else talking, and that includes you. When you do talk, you feel stupid. I mean, you are stupid. You are suddenly short of facts and full of intuition. You lack the conversational zing that comes with having once been leader of the free world. Have your previous dinner partners included Gobachev, Mandela, Bono, Liza Hurley, Stephen Jay Gould? Were you instrumental in bringing peace to Ireland? Were your personal foibles broadcast at a cringe-inducing level of detail into every home in America? Did you sign into law the Family and Medical Leave Act, already used by some three million Americans to be with a dying parent or at home after the birth of a child? Do people routinely accuse you and your wife of Macbethian levels of intrigue and ambition, levels that no actual living person is diabolical or efficient enough to attain? Have you ever made a speech to 50,000 people? Do people look at you and think: should have done more in Rwanda? Have you started a foundation that has saved, by even the most conservative estimates, hundreds of thousands of lives and set the stage, through a series of price cuts and the stabilization of markets, for millions more to be saved? Well, right, me neither.'
"The Gene Weingarten article, 'Pearls Before Breakfast,' about violinist Joshua Bell's experiment in the Washington D.C. metro originally ran in The Washington Post and won Weingarten a Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. It's brilliant, and along with George Saunder's piece on Clinton, should never appear in something labeled "nonrequired." No, this reading is most certainly required. Everyone should be handed this reading at the door and quizzed upon it before they are allowed to leave.There are other amazing pieces in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008. The collection opens with Marjorie Celona's "Y," a heart-breaking short story, and graphic novelist Rutu Modan's "Queen of the Scottish Fairies," a single installment from her http://www.nytimes.com/ comics column, Mixed Emotions, is absolutely brilliant - this from someone who rarely reads graphic novels or comics. And "Cake," a hard-hitting short story from Patrick Tobin on the survival of pain, both emotional and physical, will leave you doubled-over, holding your gut.Pick up a copy of The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008. As I said above, there's something for everybody, and with the Saunders and Weingarten essays being required anyway, you get an awful lot of bonus for your $14."
JANUARY 20, 2009 WAS A VERY GOOD DAY
By Bob Edwards, on the BobEdwardsRadio.com blog:
"I am absolutely overwhelmed by everything that took place on Inauguration Day and I say that as an aging cynic. My father was a lowly soldier in city machine politics. I've known from birth how the game is played, how the cards are dealt and how the deal goes down. Working in the news business for more than 40 years, my cynicism has been reinforced every day. I've seen the bright-eyed neophytes shot down, the brainy thinkers steam rolled, the truly needy cast aside with the powerless others. That's the routine of politics--that's the day-to-day reality. But then once in a great while comes a defining moment---the exception to the rule---a moment that gives you a little bit of hope that they're not all charlatans trying to line their pockets and accommodate their rich friends. Rarely---very, very rarely---comes an occasion when the cynic is moved to think there might be another way that we might be governed. I have had that feeling exactly twice. The first time was in 1960, when John F. Kennedy proclaimed that the torch had been passed to a new generation. He was talking about his generation (he was 43) but I felt he was talking about mine (I was 13). JFK made government service cool. He infused service to America with a status that a number of subsequent presidents have shot down. Federal workers have been told for years they are part of a bloated bureaucracy that's a burden on rich people trying to become richer. I think national service got a big lift at Barack Obama's inauguration. I believe that, for the first time since JFK. Obama inspired young people to give some thought to serving their fellow citizens through public service. He has sent a surge of energy into the populace unmatched since January 20, 1960. I was deeply moved by the events of Inauguration Day and I will be happy to unburden myself of decades of cynicism if this feeling lasts another week, a month or a year. I will give Obama time, because no one since FDR has been left with such a big load of crap to deal with. If he screws up, I'll give him the same treatment I've given George W. Bush. But for now, the honeymoon is underway, and who's not in the mood to enjoy a honeymoon? January 20, 2009 was a very good day. Let's hope we have many more like it!"
"I am absolutely overwhelmed by everything that took place on Inauguration Day and I say that as an aging cynic. My father was a lowly soldier in city machine politics. I've known from birth how the game is played, how the cards are dealt and how the deal goes down. Working in the news business for more than 40 years, my cynicism has been reinforced every day. I've seen the bright-eyed neophytes shot down, the brainy thinkers steam rolled, the truly needy cast aside with the powerless others. That's the routine of politics--that's the day-to-day reality. But then once in a great while comes a defining moment---the exception to the rule---a moment that gives you a little bit of hope that they're not all charlatans trying to line their pockets and accommodate their rich friends. Rarely---very, very rarely---comes an occasion when the cynic is moved to think there might be another way that we might be governed. I have had that feeling exactly twice. The first time was in 1960, when John F. Kennedy proclaimed that the torch had been passed to a new generation. He was talking about his generation (he was 43) but I felt he was talking about mine (I was 13). JFK made government service cool. He infused service to America with a status that a number of subsequent presidents have shot down. Federal workers have been told for years they are part of a bloated bureaucracy that's a burden on rich people trying to become richer. I think national service got a big lift at Barack Obama's inauguration. I believe that, for the first time since JFK. Obama inspired young people to give some thought to serving their fellow citizens through public service. He has sent a surge of energy into the populace unmatched since January 20, 1960. I was deeply moved by the events of Inauguration Day and I will be happy to unburden myself of decades of cynicism if this feeling lasts another week, a month or a year. I will give Obama time, because no one since FDR has been left with such a big load of crap to deal with. If he screws up, I'll give him the same treatment I've given George W. Bush. But for now, the honeymoon is underway, and who's not in the mood to enjoy a honeymoon? January 20, 2009 was a very good day. Let's hope we have many more like it!"
1.23.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Abortion doesn't belong in the political arena. It's a private right, like many other rights concerning the family."
~~Bella Abzug
~~Bella Abzug
OBAMA BACKS 'RIGHT TO CHOOSE' ON ROE ANNIVERSARY
From CNN.com:
"President Obama affirmed his support for a woman's "right to choose" on Thursday, the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion, as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the National Mall to challenge his position.
"Roe v. Wade 'not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters,' Obama said in a statement.
"The landmark 1973 decision held that a woman's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the Constitution's 14th Amendment, voiding most state laws against abortion at the time."
"President Obama affirmed his support for a woman's "right to choose" on Thursday, the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion, as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the National Mall to challenge his position.
"Roe v. Wade 'not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters,' Obama said in a statement.
"The landmark 1973 decision held that a woman's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the Constitution's 14th Amendment, voiding most state laws against abortion at the time."
1.22.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE FIRST 100 DAYS
"Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."
~~Victor Laszlo, Casablanca
~~Victor Laszlo, Casablanca
EXIT THE BOY KING
By Maureen Doud, Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times:
"It was the Instant the Earth Stood Still.
"Not since Klaatu landed in a flying saucer on the Ellipse has Washington been so mesmerized by an object whirring through the sky.
"But this one was departing, not arriving.
"As W. ceased to be president, he flew off over the Capitol and across the Mall en route to Andrews Air Force Base, and then back to Texas.
"I’ve seen many presidents come and go, but I’ve never watched a tableau like the one Tuesday, when four million eyes turned heavenward, following the helicopter’s path out of town. Everyone, it seemed, was waving goodbye, with one or two hands, a wave that moved westward down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, and keeping their eyes fixed unwaveringly on that green bird.
"They wanted to make absolutely, positively certain that W. was gone. It was like a physical burden being lifted, like a sigh went up of 'Thank God. Has Cheney’s wheelchair left the building, too?'
"The crowd was exuberant that George Bush was now an ex-president, and 43 himself was jovial 'the way he always is,' according to his last press secretary, Dana Perino.
"It was like a catharsis in Greek drama, with the antagonist plucked out of the scene into the sky, and the protagonist dropping into the scene to magically fix all the problems. Except Barack Obama’s somber mien and restrained oratory conveyed that he’s no divinity and there will be no easy resolution to this plot.
"It was a morning of such enormous emotion and portent — jaw-dropping, Dow-dropping and barrier-dropping — that even the cool new president had to feel daunted to see his blocks-long motorcade and two million hope-besotted faces beaming up at him, dreaming that he can save their shirts.
"The optimism was tempered by pessimism, a vibe of 'Maybe this once-in-a-lifetime guy can do it, but boy, there are a lot of never-in-our-lifetime problems here.'
"Unlike W., Obama is a realist. He knows there is the potential of letting all these blissed-out people down.
"The day had its jittery moments: Teddy Kennedy’s collapse and Robert Byrd’s distraught reaction. There was also that match of the titan smarty-pants — the new Democratic president face to face with the conservative chief justice he voted against.
"First John Roberts had to say, Easy, cowboy, after Mr. Obama jumped the gun on “I” at the start of the oath of office. Then the president, who had obviously been looking over his lines, graciously offered the chief justice a chance to correct his negligent syntax, when he put the 'faithfully' and other words out of place.
"Under the platform, near where I sat, Denzel Washington, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and P. Diddy looked on proudly as the new commander in chief showed he was in command of the script and the country.
"After thanking President Bush 'for his service to our nation,' Mr. Obama executed a high-level version of Stephen Colbert’s share-the-stage smackdown of W. at the White House correspondents’ dinner in 2006.
"With W. looking on, and probably gradually realizing with irritation, as he did with Colbert, who Mr. Obama’s target was — (Is he talking about me? Is 44 saying I messed everything up?) — the newly minted president let him have it: 'As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,' he said to wild applause (and to Bartlett’s), adding: 'Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.' He said America is choosing hope over fear, unity over discord, setting aside 'false promises' and 'childish things.'
"Letting a little air out of the highest hopes about what one man, even 'The One,' can do, he emphasized the word 'our.' He stressed that rebuilding after the wreckage of W. and Cheney will be a shared burden and that 'giving our all to a difficult task' isn’t as bad as it sounds.
"I grew up here, and it was the first time I’ve ever seen the city wholly, happily integrated, with a mood redolent of New York in the weeks after 9/11. The Obamas have made an unprecedented pledge to get involved in the real city that lies beyond the political Oz, and have already started doing so in many ways, including starting the night out at the D.C. Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
"Downtown was a euphoric pedestrian mall of commerce and communal kindness. The patience that America is extending to Mr. Obama, according to a Times poll, was reflected across the capital, as the cram of people sparked warmth rather than antsiness.
"Strollers laughed as a peddler in a Rasta hat hawked his 'Barack Obama incense.' And revelers stepped up to a spot where you could pick out a colored magic marker and complete posters that began, 'Mr. President, I hope for ...'
"Entries ranged from 'burning less oil' to 'healthcare for all' to 'a cure for cancer”' to this lofty and entirely understandable sentiment: 'a sick inauguration party.' "
"It was the Instant the Earth Stood Still.
"Not since Klaatu landed in a flying saucer on the Ellipse has Washington been so mesmerized by an object whirring through the sky.
"But this one was departing, not arriving.
"As W. ceased to be president, he flew off over the Capitol and across the Mall en route to Andrews Air Force Base, and then back to Texas.
"I’ve seen many presidents come and go, but I’ve never watched a tableau like the one Tuesday, when four million eyes turned heavenward, following the helicopter’s path out of town. Everyone, it seemed, was waving goodbye, with one or two hands, a wave that moved westward down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, and keeping their eyes fixed unwaveringly on that green bird.
"They wanted to make absolutely, positively certain that W. was gone. It was like a physical burden being lifted, like a sigh went up of 'Thank God. Has Cheney’s wheelchair left the building, too?'
"The crowd was exuberant that George Bush was now an ex-president, and 43 himself was jovial 'the way he always is,' according to his last press secretary, Dana Perino.
"It was like a catharsis in Greek drama, with the antagonist plucked out of the scene into the sky, and the protagonist dropping into the scene to magically fix all the problems. Except Barack Obama’s somber mien and restrained oratory conveyed that he’s no divinity and there will be no easy resolution to this plot.
"It was a morning of such enormous emotion and portent — jaw-dropping, Dow-dropping and barrier-dropping — that even the cool new president had to feel daunted to see his blocks-long motorcade and two million hope-besotted faces beaming up at him, dreaming that he can save their shirts.
"The optimism was tempered by pessimism, a vibe of 'Maybe this once-in-a-lifetime guy can do it, but boy, there are a lot of never-in-our-lifetime problems here.'
"Unlike W., Obama is a realist. He knows there is the potential of letting all these blissed-out people down.
"The day had its jittery moments: Teddy Kennedy’s collapse and Robert Byrd’s distraught reaction. There was also that match of the titan smarty-pants — the new Democratic president face to face with the conservative chief justice he voted against.
"First John Roberts had to say, Easy, cowboy, after Mr. Obama jumped the gun on “I” at the start of the oath of office. Then the president, who had obviously been looking over his lines, graciously offered the chief justice a chance to correct his negligent syntax, when he put the 'faithfully' and other words out of place.
"Under the platform, near where I sat, Denzel Washington, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and P. Diddy looked on proudly as the new commander in chief showed he was in command of the script and the country.
"After thanking President Bush 'for his service to our nation,' Mr. Obama executed a high-level version of Stephen Colbert’s share-the-stage smackdown of W. at the White House correspondents’ dinner in 2006.
"With W. looking on, and probably gradually realizing with irritation, as he did with Colbert, who Mr. Obama’s target was — (Is he talking about me? Is 44 saying I messed everything up?) — the newly minted president let him have it: 'As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,' he said to wild applause (and to Bartlett’s), adding: 'Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.' He said America is choosing hope over fear, unity over discord, setting aside 'false promises' and 'childish things.'
"Letting a little air out of the highest hopes about what one man, even 'The One,' can do, he emphasized the word 'our.' He stressed that rebuilding after the wreckage of W. and Cheney will be a shared burden and that 'giving our all to a difficult task' isn’t as bad as it sounds.
"I grew up here, and it was the first time I’ve ever seen the city wholly, happily integrated, with a mood redolent of New York in the weeks after 9/11. The Obamas have made an unprecedented pledge to get involved in the real city that lies beyond the political Oz, and have already started doing so in many ways, including starting the night out at the D.C. Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
"Downtown was a euphoric pedestrian mall of commerce and communal kindness. The patience that America is extending to Mr. Obama, according to a Times poll, was reflected across the capital, as the cram of people sparked warmth rather than antsiness.
"Strollers laughed as a peddler in a Rasta hat hawked his 'Barack Obama incense.' And revelers stepped up to a spot where you could pick out a colored magic marker and complete posters that began, 'Mr. President, I hope for ...'
"Entries ranged from 'burning less oil' to 'healthcare for all' to 'a cure for cancer”' to this lofty and entirely understandable sentiment: 'a sick inauguration party.' "
1.21.2009
JEN'S FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE INAUGURAL SPEECH
"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. "
~~President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009
~~President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."
~~President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009.
~~President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2009.
1.20.2009
INAUGURAL POEM BY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER
The following is a transcript of the inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander, as provided by CQ transcriptions:
Praise song for the day.
'Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
"Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
"A woman and her son wait for the bus.
"A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, 'Take out your pencils. Begin.'
"We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
"We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."
"We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
"Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
"Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.
"Some live by 'Love thy neighbor as thy self.'
"Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
"What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.
"In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
"On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light."
Praise song for the day.
'Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.
"Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
"A woman and her son wait for the bus.
"A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, 'Take out your pencils. Begin.'
"We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
"We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."
"We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.
"Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
"Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.
"Some live by 'Love thy neighbor as thy self.'
"Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.
"What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.
"In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
"On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light."
THOUGHT FOR INAUGURATION DAY
Today is the day of the promise of Hope for America....
"Yes, our greatness as a nation has depended on individual initiative, on a belief in the free market. But it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, of mutual responsibility. The idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we're all in it together and everybody's got a shot at opportunity. Americans know this. We know that government can't solve all our problems - and we don't want it to. But we also know that there are some things we can't do on our own. We know that there are some things we do better together."
~~Barack Obama, in a speech August 7, 2006
"Yes, our greatness as a nation has depended on individual initiative, on a belief in the free market. But it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, of mutual responsibility. The idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we're all in it together and everybody's got a shot at opportunity. Americans know this. We know that government can't solve all our problems - and we don't want it to. But we also know that there are some things we can't do on our own. We know that there are some things we do better together."
~~Barack Obama, in a speech August 7, 2006
1.19.2009
1.18.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"When you know how to laugh and when to look upon things as too absurd to take seriously, the other person is ashamed to carry through - even if he was serious about it."
~~Eleanor Roosevelt
~~Eleanor Roosevelt
1.16.2009
HE'S LEAVING. REALLY,
By Gail Collins, an op-ed column for The New York Times:
"I think I speak for the entire nation when I say that the way this transition has been dragging on, even yesterday does not seem like yesterday. And the last time George W. Bush did not factor into our lives feels like around 1066.
"So far, the Bush farewell appearances have not drawn a lot of rave reviews. (Most striking, perhaps, was a critique of that final press conference from Ted Anthony of The Associated Press: 'It all felt strangely intimate and, occasionally, uncomfortable, in the manner of seeing a plumber wearing jeans that ride too low.') A Gallup poll did find that his approval rating had risen slightly since they began, but this was probably due to enthusiasm for the part about his going away.
" 'Sometimes you misunderestimated me,' Bush told the Washington press corps. This is not the first time our president has worried about misunderestimation, so it’s fair to regard this not as a slip of the tongue, but as something the president of the United States thinks is a word. The rhetoric is the one part of the administration we’re surely going to miss. We are about to enter a world in which our commander in chief speaks in full sentences, and I do not know what we’re going to do to divert ourselves on slow days.
"The White House has promised that in his final address, the president will be joined by a small group of everyday American heroes, which means that the only person on stage with a history of failing to perform well in moments of stress will be the main speaker.
"Bush is going to devote some of his time to defending his record, although there has been quite a bit of that already. Over the last few weeks we have learned that he thinks the Katrina response worked out rather well except for one unfortunate photo-op, and that he regards the fact that we invaded another country on the basis of false information as a 'disappointment.' "Since Bush also referred to the disappointments of his White House tenure as 'a minor irritant' it’s perhaps best to think of the weapons of mass destruction debacle as a pimple on the administration’s otherwise rosy complexion.
"If there’s any suspense about the speech it is how many times Bush will use the word 'freedom,' which popped up 27 times in his relatively brief second inaugural. The man who gave us Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Freedom Agenda, the USA Freedom Corps and the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has so thoroughly debased one of the most profound concepts in our national vocabulary that it’s getting hard to hear it used without remembering Janis Joplin’s line about how freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
"There are a lot of ways to approach this farewell-speech business. Ronald Reagan started with winning folksiness, then lurched into a warning against big government and a plea to raise a new generation of patriots that knows 'who Jimmy Doolittle was.' Bill Clinton’s sounded very much like a bid for a third term. ('Thirty-five million Americans have used the family leave law ...') On the other hand, anybody listening to it now would surely begin to tear up when Clinton got to the part about how he was leaving the country 'on track to be debt-free' by the end of 2009.
"History does suggest that Bush performs best in venues like this one, in which he has a long lead time and virtually no actual role in preparing the words he is about to say. But still, what could he possibly tell the country that would change anybody’s opinion about the last eight years?
" 'My fellow Americans, before I leave you next week I want you to know that ...
A) 'Although things have gone very wrong, I take comfort in the realization that Dick Cheney was actually in control from the get-go. Honest, I never even knew half the people in the cabinet.'
B) 'Laura and I have come to realize that all things considered, retirement to a mansion in Texas is just totally inappropriate. And so we take our leave to begin a new life as missionaries at a small rescue station in the Gobi desert ...'
C) 'Surprise! This has all actually been a bad dream. It’s really still November of 2000 and tomorrow Al Gore is going to be elected president.'
"Otherwise, the best possible approach for a farewell address might be for Bush to follow his father’s lead and just not give one."
"I think I speak for the entire nation when I say that the way this transition has been dragging on, even yesterday does not seem like yesterday. And the last time George W. Bush did not factor into our lives feels like around 1066.
"So far, the Bush farewell appearances have not drawn a lot of rave reviews. (Most striking, perhaps, was a critique of that final press conference from Ted Anthony of The Associated Press: 'It all felt strangely intimate and, occasionally, uncomfortable, in the manner of seeing a plumber wearing jeans that ride too low.') A Gallup poll did find that his approval rating had risen slightly since they began, but this was probably due to enthusiasm for the part about his going away.
" 'Sometimes you misunderestimated me,' Bush told the Washington press corps. This is not the first time our president has worried about misunderestimation, so it’s fair to regard this not as a slip of the tongue, but as something the president of the United States thinks is a word. The rhetoric is the one part of the administration we’re surely going to miss. We are about to enter a world in which our commander in chief speaks in full sentences, and I do not know what we’re going to do to divert ourselves on slow days.
"The White House has promised that in his final address, the president will be joined by a small group of everyday American heroes, which means that the only person on stage with a history of failing to perform well in moments of stress will be the main speaker.
"Bush is going to devote some of his time to defending his record, although there has been quite a bit of that already. Over the last few weeks we have learned that he thinks the Katrina response worked out rather well except for one unfortunate photo-op, and that he regards the fact that we invaded another country on the basis of false information as a 'disappointment.' "Since Bush also referred to the disappointments of his White House tenure as 'a minor irritant' it’s perhaps best to think of the weapons of mass destruction debacle as a pimple on the administration’s otherwise rosy complexion.
"If there’s any suspense about the speech it is how many times Bush will use the word 'freedom,' which popped up 27 times in his relatively brief second inaugural. The man who gave us Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Freedom Agenda, the USA Freedom Corps and the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has so thoroughly debased one of the most profound concepts in our national vocabulary that it’s getting hard to hear it used without remembering Janis Joplin’s line about how freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
"There are a lot of ways to approach this farewell-speech business. Ronald Reagan started with winning folksiness, then lurched into a warning against big government and a plea to raise a new generation of patriots that knows 'who Jimmy Doolittle was.' Bill Clinton’s sounded very much like a bid for a third term. ('Thirty-five million Americans have used the family leave law ...') On the other hand, anybody listening to it now would surely begin to tear up when Clinton got to the part about how he was leaving the country 'on track to be debt-free' by the end of 2009.
"History does suggest that Bush performs best in venues like this one, in which he has a long lead time and virtually no actual role in preparing the words he is about to say. But still, what could he possibly tell the country that would change anybody’s opinion about the last eight years?
" 'My fellow Americans, before I leave you next week I want you to know that ...
A) 'Although things have gone very wrong, I take comfort in the realization that Dick Cheney was actually in control from the get-go. Honest, I never even knew half the people in the cabinet.'
B) 'Laura and I have come to realize that all things considered, retirement to a mansion in Texas is just totally inappropriate. And so we take our leave to begin a new life as missionaries at a small rescue station in the Gobi desert ...'
C) 'Surprise! This has all actually been a bad dream. It’s really still November of 2000 and tomorrow Al Gore is going to be elected president.'
"Otherwise, the best possible approach for a farewell address might be for Bush to follow his father’s lead and just not give one."
1.15.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and one of the most important of all things we can give them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children."
~~Rosaleen Dickson
~~Rosaleen Dickson
WHAT I WANT FOR YOU AND EVERY CHILD IN AMERICA
A letter to his daughters by President-Elect Barack Obama, on the eve of his inauguration, in Parade Magazine:
"Dear Malia and Sasha:
I know that you've had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food that your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I know it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time that we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these last two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey."
To read the rest of the article, click here.
"Dear Malia and Sasha:
I know that you've had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food that your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I know it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time that we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these last two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey."
To read the rest of the article, click here.
1.14.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Often people attempt to live their lives backwards: they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."
~~Margaret Young
~~Margaret Young
1.13.2009
UNVARNISHED CONCLUSIONS AFTER COVING THE WHITE HOUSE
Review by Gary J. Bass, from Books of the Times:
"Rarely will a president enter office so thoroughly challenged on Day 1 as Mr. Obama. This dazzling and mordantly hilarious book is a history of how we got into this particular ditch. Mr. Sanger, the chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, drops the strict detachment of a daily reporter and lets rip, delivering a withering indictment of his longtime subject: President George W. Bush’s foreign policy, which he writes 'has left us less admired by our allies, less feared by our enemies and less capable of convincing the rest of the world that our economic and political model is worthy of emulation.' "
"After seven years covering Mr. Bush, Mr. Sanger, a shrewd and insightful strategic thinker, is left stunned by 'the president’s inexplicable resistance, until the final quarter of his term in office, to changing course.' Mr. Bush, he says, saw strategic change and negotiation as signs of weakness. This is a Nixon who never went to China."
"These unvarnished conclusions by Mr. Sanger will of course confirm the perfidy that Karl Rove and Bill O’Reilly presume lies in the black hearts of Times reporters. But Mr. Sanger’s criticism, the product of extraordinarily diligent reporting, is too hawkish to be easily dismissed by conservatives. He believes in putting brute military power behind diplomacy, wants to win the war in Afghanistan and hates the thought of a nuclear-armed Iran and North Korea."
"Unlike other accounts of Mr. Bush’s foreign policy, 'The Inheritance” is not about Iraq but about the crushing opportunity costs paid elsewhere for that quagmire. With America bogged down in Iraq, a rising China has expanded its global influence. Mr. Sanger reports of the peril from unsecured nuclear arsenals: “As the situation in Iraq worsened, the post-9/11 efforts to create a multilayered defense against a domestic W.M.D. attack waned.' "
Zztopdog's note: To read the rest of the article, click here.
"Rarely will a president enter office so thoroughly challenged on Day 1 as Mr. Obama. This dazzling and mordantly hilarious book is a history of how we got into this particular ditch. Mr. Sanger, the chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, drops the strict detachment of a daily reporter and lets rip, delivering a withering indictment of his longtime subject: President George W. Bush’s foreign policy, which he writes 'has left us less admired by our allies, less feared by our enemies and less capable of convincing the rest of the world that our economic and political model is worthy of emulation.' "
"After seven years covering Mr. Bush, Mr. Sanger, a shrewd and insightful strategic thinker, is left stunned by 'the president’s inexplicable resistance, until the final quarter of his term in office, to changing course.' Mr. Bush, he says, saw strategic change and negotiation as signs of weakness. This is a Nixon who never went to China."
"These unvarnished conclusions by Mr. Sanger will of course confirm the perfidy that Karl Rove and Bill O’Reilly presume lies in the black hearts of Times reporters. But Mr. Sanger’s criticism, the product of extraordinarily diligent reporting, is too hawkish to be easily dismissed by conservatives. He believes in putting brute military power behind diplomacy, wants to win the war in Afghanistan and hates the thought of a nuclear-armed Iran and North Korea."
"Unlike other accounts of Mr. Bush’s foreign policy, 'The Inheritance” is not about Iraq but about the crushing opportunity costs paid elsewhere for that quagmire. With America bogged down in Iraq, a rising China has expanded its global influence. Mr. Sanger reports of the peril from unsecured nuclear arsenals: “As the situation in Iraq worsened, the post-9/11 efforts to create a multilayered defense against a domestic W.M.D. attack waned.' "
Zztopdog's note: To read the rest of the article, click here.
1.12.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"There is no surer mark of the absence of the highest moral and intellectual qualities than a cold reception of excellence."
~~Philip James Bailey
~~Philip James Bailey
1.11.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"There appears to be a deeply embedded uneasiness in our culture about throwing away junk that can be reused. Perhaps, in part, it is guilt about consumption. Perhaps it also feels unnatural. Mother Nature doesn't throw stuff away. Dead trees, birds, beetles and elephants are pretty quickly recycled by the system."
~~William Booth
~~William Booth
1.10.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
~~Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird, from the novel by Harper Lee.
~~Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird, from the novel by Harper Lee.
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