By Gail Collins, Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times:
"Our question for today is, who has the most awful political culture, Illinois or New York?
"Already, I have offended many, many readers who believe their state is being unfairly overlooked. I see you waving your hands, New Jersey.
"Excuse me. I was just distracted by the new 66-page federal indictment of Larry Seabrook, a New York City councilman who, along with multitudinous other charges, is accused of altering a receipt from a deli so he could get a $177 reimbursement for a bagel and diet soda.
"One point for New York.
"I was thinking about the dreadful similarities between the two states while listening to the New York State Senate conduct its business this week. First, there was a resolution demanding that the 9/11 terrorist trial not be held in New York.
“We can’t regurgitate that,” said one senator. Another claimed that America’s greatness was demonstrated by the fact that no other country had ever sent rescue missions to Haiti.
Except Costa Rica and Canada and Cuba and ... Stop. When you start having a mental debate with a state senator from Long Island, it’s time to move on.
So, who’s worse? Both states lost their governors to scandal. But Eliot Spitzer is not about to make his debut on “Celebrity Apprentice.” Point Illinois.
"After his sudden elevation, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois attempted to save money by giving early release to 1,700 nonviolent state prisoners, some of whom unfortunately turned out to be violent after all. He also gave a State of the State speech in which he boasted about having been named “Mr. Soybean” by the Illinois Soybean Association.
"Meanwhile, Gov. David Paterson of New York, who is mired in a controversy over a racetrack casino contract, demanded that The New York Times produce a list of all the things that are not going to be in a Paterson profile being prepared by the paper so people in Albany will stop speculating that there will be sex in it.
"I am going to call this one a draw.
"In their recent primary, Illinois Democrats — who should know the importance of a lieutenant governor — voted to give their nomination for the No. 2 job to Scott Lee Cohen, an excitable pawnbroker.
Cohen spent millions on campaign ads. Which apparently interfered with his ability to make regular child support payments. Also, he seems to have underestimated the chances that a run for statewide office would draw attention to the fact that he was once charged with holding a knife to his girlfriend’s throat.
So he withdrew from the race in a tearful press conference. At the Hop Haus Tavern. During the halftime of the Super Bowl.
"Illinois inches ahead.
"New York had an incident related to domestic violence this week, too, when the State Senate voted to expel Hiram Monserrate, who had been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend. A special bipartisan committee went to great lengths to produce a complete report. It said that the 29-year-old woman in question, who wound up at a hospital with deep lacerations on her face, was quoted by the medical staff as saying that Monserrate had sliced her with a piece of broken glass.
"Hours later she signed a statement supporting the senator’s convoluted explanation that she got her injuries when he tripped while bringing her a glass of water. The deposition was in English, which she barely speaks. It was written by a Monserrate staff member and notarized by another. She was escorted to the trial by a third. In her testimony, she stood by her senator and insisted that they were in love.
"As the legislators argued about the case, some wanted to know why Monserrate’s crime was any worse than that of another state senator who has been charged with assaulting a photographer.
"O.K., ideally we would not be having our elected officials do either.
"But it was apparent that although these people had passed trillions of bills, resolutions and budget appropriations on the subject of domestic violence, many of them had no clue about what made it a peculiarly corrosive crime.
“A huge number of my male colleagues still don’t have any idea what domestic violence is about — the use of intimacy to manipulate, the power and control,” said Senator Eric Schneiderman, who led the committee.
"During a five-hour, closed-door meeting, Monserrate’s fellow Democrats yelled, threatened and occasionally appeared ready to throttle each other. “It was everyone hashing it out, making every possible argument, the living, breathing essence of democracy,” said Schneiderman.
"Well, actually it would have been slightly more democratic if they had done it on the floor of the Senate.
"Instead, after Monserrate read a statement pointing out that lots of other people in the Legislature get convicted of things, the chamber silently voted 53 to 8 for expulsion.
"It was not exactly the founding fathers at Philadelphia. But, for now, Illinois wins. "
2.10.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"That is the beauty of all literature.
You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone.
You belong."
~~F. Scott Fitzgerald
You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone.
You belong."
~~F. Scott Fitzgerald
2.09.2010
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."
Let us move forward with strong and active faith."
~~Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States
2.08.2010
AMERICA IS NOT YET LOST
By Paul Krugman, Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times:
"We’ve always known that America’s reign as the world’s greatest nation would eventually end. But most of us imagined that our downfall, when it came, would be something grand and tragic.
"What we’re getting instead is less a tragedy than a deadly farce. Instead of fraying under the strain of imperial overstretch, we’re paralyzed by procedure. Instead of re-enacting the decline and fall of Rome, we’re re-enacting the dissolution of 18th-century Poland.
"A brief history lesson: In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Polish legislature, the Sejm, operated on the unanimity principle: any member could nullify legislation by shouting 'I do not allow!' This made the nation largely ungovernable, and neighboring regimes began hacking off pieces of its territory. By 1795 Poland had disappeared, not to re-emerge for more than a century.
"Today, the U.S. Senate seems determined to make the Sejm look good by comparison.
"Last week, after nine months, the Senate finally approved Martha Johnson to head the General Services Administration, which runs government buildings and purchases supplies. It’s an essentially nonpolitical position, and nobody questioned Ms. Johnson’s qualifications: she was approved by a vote of 94 to 2. But Senator Christopher Bond, Republican of Missouri, had put a 'hold' on her appointment to pressure the government into approving a building project in Kansas City.
"This dubious achievement may have inspired Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama. In any case, Mr. Shelby has now placed a hold on all outstanding Obama administration nominations — about 70 high-level government positions — until his state gets a tanker contract and a counterterrorism center.
"What gives individual senators this kind of power? Much of the Senate’s business relies on unanimous consent: it’s difficult to get anything done unless everyone agrees on procedure. And a tradition has grown up under which senators, in return for not gumming up everything, get the right to block nominees they don’t like.
"In the past, holds were used sparingly. That’s because, as a Congressional Research Service report on the practice says, the Senate used to be ruled by 'traditions of comity, courtesy, reciprocity, and accommodation.' But that was then. Rules that used to be workable have become crippling now that one of the nation’s major political parties has descended into nihilism, seeing no harm — in fact, political dividends — in making the nation ungovernable.
"How bad is it? It’s so bad that I miss Newt Gingrich.
"Readers may recall that in 1995 Mr. Gingrich, then speaker of the House, cut off the federal government’s funding and forced a temporary government shutdown. It was ugly and extreme, but at least Mr. Gingrich had specific demands: he wanted Bill Clinton to agree to sharp cuts in Medicare.
"Today, by contrast, the Republican leaders refuse to offer any specific proposals. They inveigh against the deficit — and last month their senators voted in lockstep against any increase in the federal debt limit, a move that would have precipitated another government shutdown if Democrats hadn’t had 60 votes. But they also denounce anything that might actually reduce the deficit, including, ironically, any effort to spend Medicare funds more wisely.
"And with the national G.O.P. having abdicated any responsibility for making things work, it’s only natural that individual senators should feel free to take the nation hostage until they get their pet projects funded.
"The truth is that given the state of American politics, the way the Senate works is no longer consistent with a functioning government. Senators themselves should recognize this fact and push through changes in those rules, including eliminating or at least limiting the filibuster. This is something they could and should do, by majority vote, on the first day of the next Senate session.
"Don’t hold your breath. As it is, Democrats don’t even seem able to score political points by highlighting their opponents’ obstructionism.
"It should be a simple message (and it should have been the central message in Massachusetts): a vote for a Republican, no matter what you think of him as a person, is a vote for paralysis. But by now, we know how the Obama administration deals with those who would destroy it: it goes straight for the capillaries. Sure enough, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, accused Mr. Shelby of 'silliness.' Yep, that will really resonate with voters.
"After the dissolution of Poland, a Polish officer serving under Napoleon penned a song that eventually — after the country’s post-World War I resurrection — became the country’s national anthem. It begins, 'Poland is not yet lost.'
"Well, America is not yet lost. But the Senate is working on it."
"We’ve always known that America’s reign as the world’s greatest nation would eventually end. But most of us imagined that our downfall, when it came, would be something grand and tragic.
"What we’re getting instead is less a tragedy than a deadly farce. Instead of fraying under the strain of imperial overstretch, we’re paralyzed by procedure. Instead of re-enacting the decline and fall of Rome, we’re re-enacting the dissolution of 18th-century Poland.
"A brief history lesson: In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Polish legislature, the Sejm, operated on the unanimity principle: any member could nullify legislation by shouting 'I do not allow!' This made the nation largely ungovernable, and neighboring regimes began hacking off pieces of its territory. By 1795 Poland had disappeared, not to re-emerge for more than a century.
"Today, the U.S. Senate seems determined to make the Sejm look good by comparison.
"Last week, after nine months, the Senate finally approved Martha Johnson to head the General Services Administration, which runs government buildings and purchases supplies. It’s an essentially nonpolitical position, and nobody questioned Ms. Johnson’s qualifications: she was approved by a vote of 94 to 2. But Senator Christopher Bond, Republican of Missouri, had put a 'hold' on her appointment to pressure the government into approving a building project in Kansas City.
"This dubious achievement may have inspired Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama. In any case, Mr. Shelby has now placed a hold on all outstanding Obama administration nominations — about 70 high-level government positions — until his state gets a tanker contract and a counterterrorism center.
"What gives individual senators this kind of power? Much of the Senate’s business relies on unanimous consent: it’s difficult to get anything done unless everyone agrees on procedure. And a tradition has grown up under which senators, in return for not gumming up everything, get the right to block nominees they don’t like.
"In the past, holds were used sparingly. That’s because, as a Congressional Research Service report on the practice says, the Senate used to be ruled by 'traditions of comity, courtesy, reciprocity, and accommodation.' But that was then. Rules that used to be workable have become crippling now that one of the nation’s major political parties has descended into nihilism, seeing no harm — in fact, political dividends — in making the nation ungovernable.
"How bad is it? It’s so bad that I miss Newt Gingrich.
"Readers may recall that in 1995 Mr. Gingrich, then speaker of the House, cut off the federal government’s funding and forced a temporary government shutdown. It was ugly and extreme, but at least Mr. Gingrich had specific demands: he wanted Bill Clinton to agree to sharp cuts in Medicare.
"Today, by contrast, the Republican leaders refuse to offer any specific proposals. They inveigh against the deficit — and last month their senators voted in lockstep against any increase in the federal debt limit, a move that would have precipitated another government shutdown if Democrats hadn’t had 60 votes. But they also denounce anything that might actually reduce the deficit, including, ironically, any effort to spend Medicare funds more wisely.
"And with the national G.O.P. having abdicated any responsibility for making things work, it’s only natural that individual senators should feel free to take the nation hostage until they get their pet projects funded.
"The truth is that given the state of American politics, the way the Senate works is no longer consistent with a functioning government. Senators themselves should recognize this fact and push through changes in those rules, including eliminating or at least limiting the filibuster. This is something they could and should do, by majority vote, on the first day of the next Senate session.
"Don’t hold your breath. As it is, Democrats don’t even seem able to score political points by highlighting their opponents’ obstructionism.
"It should be a simple message (and it should have been the central message in Massachusetts): a vote for a Republican, no matter what you think of him as a person, is a vote for paralysis. But by now, we know how the Obama administration deals with those who would destroy it: it goes straight for the capillaries. Sure enough, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, accused Mr. Shelby of 'silliness.' Yep, that will really resonate with voters.
"After the dissolution of Poland, a Polish officer serving under Napoleon penned a song that eventually — after the country’s post-World War I resurrection — became the country’s national anthem. It begins, 'Poland is not yet lost.'
"Well, America is not yet lost. But the Senate is working on it."
2.06.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
~~Barack Obama, Inaugural Address
2.05.2010
WANT? WANT NOT? WASTE? NOT!
"Get a leg up on recycling by going directly to the source, and freecycling. Based on the maxim that
'one persons trash is another persons treasure,' www.freecycle.org utilizes the enormous networking
capacity of the internet to link givers and takers. Completely and adamantly outside of the cash
economy, the non-profi t site is a clearinghouse forYahoo! Groups across the globe, that function locally
to connect nearby residents to exchange free items. Following detailed instructions provided by the site, volunteer moderators oversee and monitor
the postings in each area group.
"Created in May, 2003, to divert items from the Tucson, Arizona waste stream, the grassroots organization has grown to serve over 1,700 communities, with over half a million freecyclers.
"Logon and join an existing group, or start one, in your community. Help your family and your neighbors
to live more simply by de-cluttering and sharing your abundance, and also by seeing what free options are out there before you open your wallet and buy more stuff."
Zztopdog notes: Want to know more or to find a Freecycle group in your area? Check out http://www.freecycle.org/.
2.04.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere."
~~Barack Obama, Southern New Hampshire University Commencement
~~Barack Obama, Southern New Hampshire University Commencement
1.31.2010
10 OF THE WORST CORPORATE CRIMINALS
According to Green America Today, the top worst "green" corporations include:
Wal-Mart, ExxonMobile, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Monsanto, General Motors, Dominion, Citigroup, Shell Petroleum, McDonalds.
The following info on Wal-Mart and that of the other corporations can be found at Green America Today/Responsible Shopper:
• Wal-Mart operates over 6,500 discount stores throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico and sells products ranging from groceries to clothing to automotive and electronic equipment.
• Due to low wages and negligible benefits, thousands of Wal-Mart employees are dependent on public assistance to meet their basic needs, and American taxpayers eventually subsidize Wal-Mart's low prices.
• Wal-Mart hurts U.S. communities by undercutting local merchants and increasing urban sprawl, and its suppliers have been cited for labor and human rights violations.
• Wal-Mart has been repreatedly accused of union busting in the US and Canada, and of using a "Labor Relations Team" that stops Wal-Mart workers from unionizing.
• Wal-Mart's overseas suppliers have been repeatedly accused of using sweatshop labor.
• A recent investigation by the AFL-CIO affiliated Solidarity Center found that Wal-Mart is sourcing shrimp from plants in Thailand and Bangladesh where workers as young as 8 years old are subject to sweatshop conditions.
• Shop with Go Green and pressure Wal-Mart to reduce its environmental impact and respect its workers.
Wal-Mart, ExxonMobile, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Monsanto, General Motors, Dominion, Citigroup, Shell Petroleum, McDonalds.
The following info on Wal-Mart and that of the other corporations can be found at Green America Today/Responsible Shopper:
• Wal-Mart operates over 6,500 discount stores throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico and sells products ranging from groceries to clothing to automotive and electronic equipment.
• Due to low wages and negligible benefits, thousands of Wal-Mart employees are dependent on public assistance to meet their basic needs, and American taxpayers eventually subsidize Wal-Mart's low prices.
• Wal-Mart hurts U.S. communities by undercutting local merchants and increasing urban sprawl, and its suppliers have been cited for labor and human rights violations.
• Wal-Mart has been repreatedly accused of union busting in the US and Canada, and of using a "Labor Relations Team" that stops Wal-Mart workers from unionizing.
• Wal-Mart's overseas suppliers have been repeatedly accused of using sweatshop labor.
• A recent investigation by the AFL-CIO affiliated Solidarity Center found that Wal-Mart is sourcing shrimp from plants in Thailand and Bangladesh where workers as young as 8 years old are subject to sweatshop conditions.
• Shop with Go Green and pressure Wal-Mart to reduce its environmental impact and respect its workers.
1.30.2010
GRAND KIDS
Last weekend, the grandkids stayed with us while mom and dad attended an out-of-town wedding. I had to work most of Saturday, so I took a few photos at breakfast. To say that mealtime with the kids is an adventure is an understatement.
But even the most adventuresome konk out eventually....
What a wonderful time we had!
1.20.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequence of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime."
~~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
~~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
1.19.2010
REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING
"A right delayed is a right denied."
"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
1.18.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood."
~~Bill Watterson
~~Bill Watterson
1.15.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"You look at your children, and you know that they're looking back at you, and they're saying, 'You're going to take care of me, aren't you?'
"That's our job, to keep them healthy and to keep them safe, and to let them dream as big as their dreams will take them."
~~President Barack Obama, 2/4/09
"That's our job, to keep them healthy and to keep them safe, and to let them dream as big as their dreams will take them."
~~President Barack Obama, 2/4/09
THE 11 BEST FOODS YOU AREN'T EATING
By TARA PARKER-POPE, The New York Times
(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2009.)
Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Zztopdog notes: Sorry; can't do this one!
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.
(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2009.)
Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Zztopdog notes: Sorry; can't do this one!
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.
1.14.2010
RELIEF FOR HAITI
The American Red Cross has updates on relief efforts. You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti.... Green960 has a list of additional help resources.
1.13.2010
SO GROWN UP
Emy lost her first tooth today, after wiggling it for about a week. She can't wait to see what the toothfairy brings!
1.10.2010
GOOD-BYE TO NETFLIX NEW RELEASE RENTAL
Thanks to Chris at Cynical-C:
"Today is sad day for Netflix customers. The online video rental supplier has just announced an agreement with Warner Bros. that will forever alter your online rental experience. Now should you wish to rent a Warner Bros. flick you’ll have to wait out a 28-day holding period after the film’s initial DVD release date.
"Of course the partnership rooted in money-making greed — Warner Bros. wants you to buy the DVD instead of rent it —was to be expected. But the new deal is a first of its kind, and we could soon see several other studios follow in Warner Bros. footsteps.
"Both companies would like you to know that the deal also guarantees that Warner Bros. will add more direct-to-video and streaming titles to the Netflix collection."
Zztopdog notes: Of course this change would occur just two weeks after we joined Netflix.
"Today is sad day for Netflix customers. The online video rental supplier has just announced an agreement with Warner Bros. that will forever alter your online rental experience. Now should you wish to rent a Warner Bros. flick you’ll have to wait out a 28-day holding period after the film’s initial DVD release date.
"Of course the partnership rooted in money-making greed — Warner Bros. wants you to buy the DVD instead of rent it —was to be expected. But the new deal is a first of its kind, and we could soon see several other studios follow in Warner Bros. footsteps.
"Both companies would like you to know that the deal also guarantees that Warner Bros. will add more direct-to-video and streaming titles to the Netflix collection."
Zztopdog notes: Of course this change would occur just two weeks after we joined Netflix.
1.09.2010
TWELVE BELOW
At 5:00 this morning, the temp was -12; that is not including wind chill. Zorro even came in fairly quickly. But by 11:00, when the temp had risen to 5, he wanted to stay outside. I let him stay out for about 5 minutes, and then, made him come in. He was not happy.
1.07.2010
AND THE SNOW KEEPS COMING
I realize that weather is relative. The Midwest does not get the quantity of snow that, say, Colorado does. The snow is still coming down here. I plowed a couple of passes on the driveway before hitting a chunk of ice. A long piece of metal shot out of the front of the blower, and that was the end of plowing today. I shoveled the rest by hand (thank goodness is was dry, fluffy snow).
Sorry, snow-lovers.I'm sick of snow already!
Sorry, snow-lovers.I'm sick of snow already!
1.06.2010
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Ah, the Midwest.... We finally get a day that is actually warmer than 3 degrees, and it comes with a winter storm warning:
From Weather.com:
"... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST THURSDAY NIGHT...
* SNOW WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN IOWA STARTING AROUND MID AFTERNOON... AND OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE AREA BY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END FROM WEST TO EAST THURSDAY EVENING.
* WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA... WITH MOST OF THIS FALLING TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY."
From Weather.com:
"... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST THURSDAY NIGHT...
* SNOW WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN IOWA STARTING AROUND MID AFTERNOON... AND OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE AREA BY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END FROM WEST TO EAST THURSDAY EVENING.
* WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA... WITH MOST OF THIS FALLING TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY."
12.30.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better [person].
~~Benjamin Franklin
~~Benjamin Franklin
12.26.2009
WINTER MORNING POEM
By Ogden Nash:
"Winter is the king of showmen
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes
Smooth and clean and frosty white
The world looks good enough to bite
That's the season to be young
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Snow is snowy when it's snowing
I'm sorry it's slushy when it's going"
"Winter is the king of showmen
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes
Smooth and clean and frosty white
The world looks good enough to bite
That's the season to be young
Catching snowflakes on your tongue
Snow is snowy when it's snowing
I'm sorry it's slushy when it's going"
12.25.2009
THE IMAGINATION OF TERRY GILLIAM
"I bet that every American middle school has at least one kid who knows the lumberjack song by heart, or the Dead Parrot sketch, or can do John Cleese’s Silly Walks…my nephew could do the silly walk before he could talk. For Monty Python’s entire 40-year history, there has been a new generation of fans waiting in the wings. In fact, there’s an entire Monty Python channel on You Tube.
"Terry Gilliam was the sole non-Brit in the comedy troupe, and was mostly responsible for the cartoons. That giant foot that crushes the show’s title at the end of the opening credits (see above)… it was his idea. It is the foot of Cupid, cut from a reproduction of the Bronzino masterpiece. That foot — and Gilliam’s style in general — are the visual trademarks of Monty Python. One of my favorite of Gilliam’s cartoons is suicidal leaves, worth the :59 seconds of your time.
"Terry Gilliam’s imagination has to be getting better with time. His movies — Time Bandits, Brazil, The Fisher King, and now The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus — prove it. This newest is Gilliam’s first original script since Brazil. It is a fantastical morality tale set in the present-day. The film stars Christopher Plummer as the title character, musician Tom Waits as the devil, and Heath Ledger as a mysterious stranger. It was Ledger’s last film; he died while the movie was being made. Gilliam decided to have three other actors (Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell) fill in, sharing the role. You can watch a trailer at this link.
"Gilliam has said that he doesn’t care if people leave the theater loving his films or hating them… he just wants a reaction. That he often succeeds in getting one is made clear by the frequently retold story of a woman who saw The Fisher King and walked home afterwards. .. 20 blocks in the wrong direction."
SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLAINED
Alexis Ohanian, one of the founders of Reddit, talks not about Reddit per se, but how social media create memes and why the process is important. Thanks to TYWKIWDBE.
12.24.2009
MERRY CHISTMAS/HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Zztopdog and Family
Artwork by Jim Shore
12.23.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep, and not to."
~~F. Scott Fitzgerald
~~F. Scott Fitzgerald
12.18.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Be gentle with yourself. If you will not be your own unconditional friend, who will be? If you are always playing an opponent and you are also opposing yourself, you are going to be outnumbered."
~~Dan Millman
~~Dan Millman
12.17.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me."
~~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
~~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
12.08.2009
BLIZZARD WARNING
And we're not talking about DQ! Five to eight inches of snow expected overnight, with 40 to 50 mile per hour winds!A good night to stay home.
11.18.2009
DECORATING FOR DAX
From CNN.com:"On a crisp Halloween night, icicle lights and Santa Clauses mingled with ghosts and jack-o'-lanterns in a Washington, Illinois, neighborhood.
"The community is helping a family squeeze in a little extra holiday cheer with their young son.
Doctors say 2-year-old Dax Locke is losing his fight with acute myeloid leukemia and may only have weeks to live, so parents Julie and Austin Locke put Christmas lights up outside their home for the little boy, who loves glowing things. Dax opens presents each day under a tree that's already been up for several weeks.
" 'We don't have much time left with Dax, don't know if he will make it to Christmas, so we wanted to have Christmas early,' Julie Locke told local news station WMBD.
"The community is helping a family squeeze in a little extra holiday cheer with their young son.
Doctors say 2-year-old Dax Locke is losing his fight with acute myeloid leukemia and may only have weeks to live, so parents Julie and Austin Locke put Christmas lights up outside their home for the little boy, who loves glowing things. Dax opens presents each day under a tree that's already been up for several weeks.
" 'We don't have much time left with Dax, don't know if he will make it to Christmas, so we wanted to have Christmas early,' Julie Locke told local news station WMBD.
"Neighbor and friend Trish Hurtgen says she and her husband were inspired by the family's efforts, so they put up their own lights and encouraged neighbors to do the same. Soon, the entire block was lit up with Christmas lights. They also planned a special surprise for the family.
"While the Lockes traveled to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium for a special trip with Dax, the neighborhood banded together to decorate a huge tree in the family's yard so the Lockes could be delighted when they returned just after Halloween.
"From there, she and other neighbors have helped encourage people to show silent support for the family by putting up Christmas lights at home and around the community. The effort, called Decorate for Dax, has its own Web site with space for people everywhere to send pictures and see others' displays.
"While the Lockes traveled to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium for a special trip with Dax, the neighborhood banded together to decorate a huge tree in the family's yard so the Lockes could be delighted when they returned just after Halloween.
"From there, she and other neighbors have helped encourage people to show silent support for the family by putting up Christmas lights at home and around the community. The effort, called Decorate for Dax, has its own Web site with space for people everywhere to send pictures and see others' displays.
"Perhaps, she said, people will see this odd display of early lights and wonder what is going on. Maybe they'll also pause for a moment to think about Dax and about what they can do to help. The family is asking people to make donations to St. Jude.
" 'That's what Christmas is about, giving and not needing to get in return.'
" 'Everyone is holding out hopes Dax will make it to Christmas.'
" 'Christmas would be a miracle. We're praying for a big miracle."
" 'That's what Christmas is about, giving and not needing to get in return.'
" 'Everyone is holding out hopes Dax will make it to Christmas.'
" 'Christmas would be a miracle. We're praying for a big miracle."
SEXIEST MAN ALIVE
From People.com:"The 2009 Sexiest Man Alive party is officially under way.
"Say hello, once again, to Johnny Depp.
"Bringing the fun with him wherever he goes -- whether it's onscreen in fizzy roles like Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise or at home with his family on their private Bahamian island -- is just one reason why Depp, who also scored the honor in 2003, has joined an elite club of two-time SMA title holders (only Brad Pitt and George Clooney have matched the feat)."
"Say hello, once again, to Johnny Depp.
"Bringing the fun with him wherever he goes -- whether it's onscreen in fizzy roles like Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise or at home with his family on their private Bahamian island -- is just one reason why Depp, who also scored the honor in 2003, has joined an elite club of two-time SMA title holders (only Brad Pitt and George Clooney have matched the feat)."
Zztopdog's mom notes: They'll get no argument from me!
11.16.2009
MORE IDIOCY
Zztopdog notes: OK, I admit I can't help myself....
From How Stupid Blog:
Josh Marshall at TPM:
"Public Policy Polling has a new poll out on the national 'birther' movement. And it turns out to be another fascinating look at the mystic overlap between ideological and simple ignorance.
Of the 24% of the population in the 'birther' category, one interesting thing to note is that more Americans seem to think Obama was born in Indonesia (10%) than Kenya (7%), which suggests not only that a frighteningly large number of Americans are birthers but that they have a shockingly low level of basic 'birther' literacy. As you know, according to orthodox 'birther' theory, Obama was born in Kenya.
"Even better, 6% fully concede that Obama was born in Hawaii. They just don't believe Hawaii is part of the United States."
From How Stupid Blog:
Josh Marshall at TPM:
"Public Policy Polling has a new poll out on the national 'birther' movement. And it turns out to be another fascinating look at the mystic overlap between ideological and simple ignorance.
Of the 24% of the population in the 'birther' category, one interesting thing to note is that more Americans seem to think Obama was born in Indonesia (10%) than Kenya (7%), which suggests not only that a frighteningly large number of Americans are birthers but that they have a shockingly low level of basic 'birther' literacy. As you know, according to orthodox 'birther' theory, Obama was born in Kenya.
"Even better, 6% fully concede that Obama was born in Hawaii. They just don't believe Hawaii is part of the United States."
ONLY 45% OF ARKANSANS THINK OBAMA IS A CITIZEN
From the very cool blog, How Stupid Blog:
"A new Public Policy Polling survey in Arkansas shows that only 45% of voters in the state say they believe President Obama was born in this country, while 31% say they think he was not and 24% are unsure.
"Arkansas is the first of four states where we've polled the birther issue (Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado were the others) and found less than half of respondents confident that the President is a natural born citizen. The numbers are particularly dramatic among Republicans with 49% saying Obama was not born here to just 23% who grant that he was."
Zztopdog notes: This is not a surprise.
"A new Public Policy Polling survey in Arkansas shows that only 45% of voters in the state say they believe President Obama was born in this country, while 31% say they think he was not and 24% are unsure.
"Arkansas is the first of four states where we've polled the birther issue (Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado were the others) and found less than half of respondents confident that the President is a natural born citizen. The numbers are particularly dramatic among Republicans with 49% saying Obama was not born here to just 23% who grant that he was."
Zztopdog notes: This is not a surprise.
TODAY IS MY BIRFDAY!
I am ten years old today, and just as handsome as ever.My mommas bought me a present (I can't open it until my party later). And we will have Frosty Paws and chicken sticks. Yummy! I can't wait till my other momma comes home so we can start the party! YIPPY!!!
11.12.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"God, our Creator, help us to love all creatures as our kin, all animals as our partners on Earth, all birds as messengers of praise, all frogs as voices of hope, and all insects and spiders as expressions of your mysterious design."
~~The Reverend Lisa Hadler, Annual Blessing of the Animals, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Ottawa, IL.
~~The Reverend Lisa Hadler, Annual Blessing of the Animals, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Ottawa, IL.
11.05.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Catholic Church Spends $550000 to Repeal Gay Marriage Law in Maine
Don't they have anything better to do with their money???
Don't they have anything better to do with their money???
FREE MARKET SNAKE OIL
Thanks to our friend, Badtux, the Snarky Penguin:
"The right-wingers claim that they actually DO have a plan for health care: Simply remove all government regulation of healthcare altogether, and the Magic Free Market Fairy will wave her magic wand and magically provide health care for all Americans. I have just one question for these folks: Can they point to one nation, any nation, anywhere on this planet, where this in fact actually works?"
"The right-wingers claim that they actually DO have a plan for health care: Simply remove all government regulation of healthcare altogether, and the Magic Free Market Fairy will wave her magic wand and magically provide health care for all Americans. I have just one question for these folks: Can they point to one nation, any nation, anywhere on this planet, where this in fact actually works?"
10.31.2009
i'M A PEOPLE PERSON
"If I hate 99.9% of the population, then that leaves about 6 million people who I like or at least can stand. Which makes me a people person."
Thanks to Chris at Cynical-C!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things...every one! So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing
Thanks to Simply Left Behind for the great quote!
10.26.2009
Found this terrific photo today on 10.25.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."~~Carol Bishop Hipps, In a Southern Garden, 1995
10.22.2009
THE LAPTOP RETURNS
The laptop is back and working like a dream. Have to reinstall some things, but it's so worth it to have the little guy back.
10.20.2009
LAPTOP HOMECOMING?
Today, the laptop may be coming home after an extended stay in the Tech Support ward.... We're keeping our fingers crossed.
10.17.2009
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find that more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion."
~~C P Snow, English novelist and scientist
~~C P Snow, English novelist and scientist
10.16.2009
MISSING MY LAPTOP
It's been about two weeks since my laptop went on sick leave. It just did not want to get up one morning. I ran diagnostics, tried starting it from the disc, but with no success. It has been in the hands of Maru's school tech guys for about 2 weeks. The one tech assures her that he can get it up and working again.... We'll see.... In the meantime, we're not on the computer much; just posting emails and twitters from my phone.
9.14.2009
THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY
"Our lives are a flood of images and we are collectors who keep a strange assortment of images: moments of extreme emotion, pain, beauty, and fear stand out. Events we're taught to remember: weddings, graduations, births, deaths. Then there are the millions of images that we can't shake out of our heads, that come to us at strange times - things we can't remember why we remember: the gold threads in an old stereo speaker, the way the light hit a thousand cars in a parking lot by the water, the face of a stranger in a restaurant, a friend standing in a pool - you can't remember where, slapping the water with the flat of her hand. Memory is a sieve that holds curious things. A life is a trail of strange, colorful memories."
~~Risa Mickenberg
~~Risa Mickenberg
9.11.2009
TOWN HALLS AND PUPPETEERS
By Keith Olbermann on the Daily KOS
Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 04:25:13 PM PDT
"Have you perchance seen this? Here is where the slasher-film-politics of euthanasia replaces the reality of getting insurance to cover the conversation in which you tell your doctor to keep you alive no matter what; where Obama can wire money out of Grandma's checking account supplants authorization of electronic payment to and from the banks of insurers; where ACORN and union thugs replace input from Health Care advocates and where getting an insurer to pay for family counseling morphs into "They will insert government into your marriage." Here is where Sarah Palin did her research. Well, here is where whoever mentioned it to Sarah Palin did her research. If I didn't know better, and I read that handy "line by line analysis" by the same people who brought you "The War On Christmas," I might be at one of those Town Halls, screaming my head off too. Tonight: a Special Comment on the disruption of the Town Halls, the people behind these disruptions, and the urgency of common sense.
Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 04:25:13 PM PDT
"Have you perchance seen this? Here is where the slasher-film-politics of euthanasia replaces the reality of getting insurance to cover the conversation in which you tell your doctor to keep you alive no matter what; where Obama can wire money out of Grandma's checking account supplants authorization of electronic payment to and from the banks of insurers; where ACORN and union thugs replace input from Health Care advocates and where getting an insurer to pay for family counseling morphs into "They will insert government into your marriage." Here is where Sarah Palin did her research. Well, here is where whoever mentioned it to Sarah Palin did her research. If I didn't know better, and I read that handy "line by line analysis" by the same people who brought you "The War On Christmas," I might be at one of those Town Halls, screaming my head off too. Tonight: a Special Comment on the disruption of the Town Halls, the people behind these disruptions, and the urgency of common sense.
8.31.2009
ONE MORE FUN ITEM
This little ditty also comes from our friend, Chris at Cynical-C. Click here to watch Glenn Beck try to spell a word. And be sure to read the follow-up comments on Chris's blog.
TYWKIWDBI
Discovered a fun new blog (thanks to Chris at Cynical-C). It is TYWKIWDBI (Things You Wouldn't Know If We Didn't Blog Incessantly). It is described thus: "Tai-wiki-widbee" is an eclectic mix of trivialities, ephemera, curiosities, and exotica with a smattering of current events, social commentary, science, history, English language and literature, videos, and humor. We try to be the cyberequivalent of a Victorian cabinet of curiosities." A finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards.Driftwood horses, a ceiling made of jewel beetles, kindergartners with Smart phones, a tower made of human teeth; the list goes on and on.
Check it out!
8.29.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The commitment I seek is not to outworn views, but to old values that will never wear out. Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue."
~~Ted Kennedy, at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
~~Ted Kennedy, at the 1980 Democratic National Convention
8.27.2009
THANK YOU, SENATOR KENNEDY
By William Rivers Pitt, for Truthout:"For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
"The nation awoke on Wednesday morning to the news that Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts had passed away in the night, in his bed, with his family by his side. The television news networks overflowed with metaphors for the moment - the Liberal Lion, the Last Brother, the End of an Era, the Last Chapter - but it was a man who was dead. Just a man, one we had come to know intimately during his half-century of service, triumph, heartbreak, disgrace and diligence.
"Just a man whose brother Joe volunteered to fly an experimental weapons platform in 1944 and was killed when the plane abruptly exploded; just a man whose brother John was cut down by an assassin's bullet in Dallas; just a man whose brother Robert died on a dirty kitchen floor in California, victim of another assassin. Just a man who narrowly escaped death when his own plane crashed, breaking his back and maiming him forever. Just a man whose family was visited with more tragedy than any one man should have to bear.
"And, yes, just a man who made tremendous mistakes, who drank too much, who partied too hard, whose irresponsibility took the life of a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne and spawned a generation of insults, judgments and bumper stickers that read, 'My gun has killed less people than Ted Kennedy's car.' The Chappaquiddick incident, as it came to be known, nearly annihilated Kennedy's political career, and was surely the central reason why his attempts to win the presidency all ended in failure.
"Would we as a nation have been better off if Kennedy's political career had been derailed by his own shortcomings and tremendous mistakes? There are some who will surely say this is so, and they have every right to that opinion. Without Ted Kennedy in the Senate, however, the nation may well have never seen the passage of bills like the Immigration and Nationality Act, the National Cancer Act, the COBRA Act, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Ryan White AIDS Care Act, the Civil Rights Act (1991), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Mental Health Parity Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, all of which and more he championed during his long service in the Senate. Kennedy sponsored more than 2,000 pieces of legislation in his time, and it can honestly and truly be said that his efforts have served more people than any five presidents who came and went under his watchful Irish eyes.
" 'The fact that his tangible accomplishments transcended his mythic role in the Kennedy drama," wrote The Boston Globe on Wednesday, 'attests to the vast extent of his legislative impact. In each of four areas, he dominated legislative politics for more than four decades, spanning ten presidencies, and played a large role in transforming the government's relationship to the people. Bill by bill, provision by provision, he expanded government health support to millions of children and the elderly, helped millions more go to college, opened the immigration doors to millions of new Americans from continents other than Europe, and protected the civil rights bulwark of the '60s through a long period of conservative domination. And by the time his life ended yesterday, surrounded by loved ones in a gentle scene that contrasted sharply with the violent deaths of his brothers, Ted Kennedy had built a nuts-and-bolts legacy to stand beside that of his presidential brother as a figure of hope and his senatorial brother as a figure of compassion.'
"Teddy was just a man, but ended his life as something far more than that. Teddy, now gone from us, has become an idea, a bulwark, a standard and a clarion call to service and national duty. He will no longer be in the Senate working for us, and it is impossible to believe someone will step forward to stand in his place. He was just a man, and he has finally paid that death we all owe in the end, so the rest is up to us all. The dream he spoke of can indeed end, and surely will, if we let it. He guarded it, tended it and enriched it for so long, but that is over. It is up to us now, just as he would want it to be."
8.21.2009
8.12.2009
8.10.2009
LEGISLATORS FOR SALE
In case you missed this piece by Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, last week:"Finally tonight, as promised, a Special Comment on Health Care Reform in this country, and in particular, the 'public insurance option.' In March of 1911, after a wave of minor factory fires in New York City, the City's Fire Commissioner issued emergency rules about fire prevention, protection, escape, sprinklers. The City's Manufacturers Association in turn called an emergency meeting to attack the Fire Commissioner and his 'interference with commerce.'
"The new rules were delayed. Just days later, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The door to the fire escape was bolted shut to keep the employees from leaving prematurely. One hundred and fifty of those employees died, many by jumping from the seventh floor windows to avoid the flames. Firefighters setting up their ladders literally had to dodge the falling, often burning, women. This was the spirit of the American corporation then. It is the spirit of the American corporation now. It is what the corporation will do, when it is left alone, for a week. You know the drill. We all know the drill.
"The new rules were delayed. Just days later, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The door to the fire escape was bolted shut to keep the employees from leaving prematurely. One hundred and fifty of those employees died, many by jumping from the seventh floor windows to avoid the flames. Firefighters setting up their ladders literally had to dodge the falling, often burning, women. This was the spirit of the American corporation then. It is the spirit of the American corporation now. It is what the corporation will do, when it is left alone, for a week. You know the drill. We all know the drill.
"You get something done, at a doctor's, at a dentist's, at an emergency room, and the bills are in your hands before the pain medication wears off. And if you're one of the lucky ones, and you have insurance, you submit the endless paperwork and no matter whether it's insurance through your company, or your union, or your non-profit, or on your own dime, you then get your turn ... at the roulette wheel.
"How much of it is the insurance company going to pay this time? How much of it is the insurance company - about which you have next to no choice, and against which you have virtually no appeal - how much is this giant corporation going to give you back? What small percentage of what they told you they were going to pay you, will they actually pay you?
"You know the answer. And, you know the answer if you don't have insurance. But do you know why that's the answer?
"Because the insurance industry owns the Republican Party. Not exclusively. Pharma owns part of it, too. Hospitals and HMO's, another part. Nursing homes - they have a share. You name a Republican, any Republican, and he is literally brought to you by... campaign donations from the Health Sector. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota? You gave the Republican rebuttal to the President's weekly address day before yesterday. You said the Democrats' plan was for...
'...government run health care that would disrupt our current system, and force millions of Americans who currently enjoy their employer-based coverage into a new health care plan run by government bureaucrats.'
"That's a bald-faced lie, Senator. And you're a bald-faced liar, whose bald face is covered by...your own health care plan run by government bureaucrats. Nobody would be forced into anything; and the Public Insurance Option is no more a disruption than letting the government sell you water, and not just Poland Spring and Sparkletts. But, as corrupt hypocrites go, Senator, at least you're well paid. What was that one statement worth to you in contributions from the Health Sector, Sen. Thune?
"Five thousand dollars? Ten? We know what you are, Sir, we're arguing about the price. What about your other quote? 'We can accomplish health care reform while keeping patients and their doctors in charge, not bureaucrats and politicians.' Wow, Senator - this illustrates how desperate you and the other Republicans are, right? Because Sen. Thune, if you really think 'bureaucrats and politicians' need to get out of the way of 'patients and their doctors,' then you support a woman patient's right to get an abortion, and you supported Michael Schiavo's right to take his wife off life support, and you oppose 'bureaucrats and politicians' getting in the way, and we'll just mark you down on the pro-choice list. That's a rare misstep for you Sen. Thune. No twelve-thousand dollar payoff for that statement! I am not being hyperbolic, am I, Senator? On the money?
"Sen. Thune has thus far received from the Health Sector, campaign contributions - and all these numbers tonight are from 'The Center For Responsive Politics' - campaign contributions amounting to one million, $206,176. So much for Sen. Thune. How about Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite? Good evening Ma'am. You are the Florida representative who claimed on the Floor that Democrats had...'...released a health care bill which essentially said to America's seniors: drop dead.'
"Now those are strong, terrorizing, words - that's exactly what your Insurance and Medical Overlords wanted to hear. But are you truly worth every dollar of the $369,000,255 of them you have received over the years from the Health Sector? I'd read the rest of the operative part of your speech myself, but your rendition actually cannot be matched:
" 'Listen up, America, seniors have special needs. This bill ignored the, ignores the needs of Florida's health care system. We should be fixing what is broke. Not disseminate, disseminating, decimating, the care of our senior population.' - July 21, 2009
"You can always tell, can't you, Congresswoman, when the hostage is reading her own ransom note, and when she is reading one written for her? So much for Rep. Brown-Waite. There are so many other Republicans, bought and sold - like the unfortunate Congresswoman there - by the Health Sector. Minority Leader McConnell of the Senate?
"You're worth $3.1 million to the Health Sector? A million and a half just for last year's election? And I'm supposed to think you aren't a sellout, a liar, a paid spokesman, a shill, a carnival barker? So much for Sen. McConnell. Rep. Joe Barton of Oklahoma - $2,660,000, Congressman? That's ten times what Sen. Robert Byrd has accepted from the Health Sector.
"Congressman! What a guy! So much for Rep. Barton. Sen. McCain - $1.6?
"To serve the Hospitals, and the Drug Companies, and the Nursing Homes? And not to serve the retirement communities of Arizona? Or the cancer survivors? Or the veterans? So much for Sen. McCain. I could go on all night and never exaggerate in the slightest.
"PBS pointed out that the health and insurance industries are spending more than a million, $400,000 a day, just to destroy the 'public option' - the truly non-profit, wieldy, round-up and not round-down, government, from helping you pay your medical bills with about a billionth of the recklessness with which it is still paying Halliburton and its spin-offs to kill your kids.
"And much of this money is going to, and through, Republicans. But that's the real point tonight.
"Not all of it is going through Republicans. Because the evil truth is, the Insurance industry, along with Hospitals, HMO's, Pharma, nursing homes - it owns Democrats, too.
"Not the whole party.
"Candidate Barack Obama got more than $18 million from the Health Sector just last year. And you can bet somebody in the Health Trust, somebody responsible for buying influence, got fired over what Obama's done. No, the Democrats are not wholly owned. Hundreds of Democrats have taken campaign money from the Health Sector without handing over their souls as receipts. But conveniently, the ones who are owned, have made themselves easy to spot in a crowd.
"They've called themselves 'Blue Dogs,' and they are out there, hand-in-hand with the Republicans who they are happy to condemn day and night on everything else, throatily singing 'Kumbaya' with the men and women who were bought and sold to defend this con game of an American health care system against the slightest encroachment.
"Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas. Leader of the Blue Dogs in the House. You're the guy demanding a guarantee that Reform won't add to the deficit. I'm guessing you forgot to demand that about, say, Iraq. You're a Democrat, you say, Congressman? You saw what Sandy Barham said?
"Sandy Barham is 62 years old, she's got a bad heart, and she's hoping her valves will hold together for three more years until Medicaid kicks in, because she can't afford insurance.
"Not just for herself, mind you. For her employees. She needs the public option. So do those six people who work at that restaurant of hers, Rep. Ross. And why should you give a crap?
"Because Sandy Barham's restaurant is the Broadway Railroad Café, and it is at 123 West First Street North in Prescott, Arkansas.
"Prescott, Arkansas, Rep. Ross. Your home town. You are Sandy Barham's congressman. Hers, Sir. Not Blue Cross's and Blue Shield's, even if they do insure 75% of the state and they own you. The top donor so far to Congressman Ross's bid for re-election next year? The Blue Dog PAC - $10,000. Second? Something called Invacare - $7,300. Oh, they make wheelchairs and rollers. And slings, they're big in slings. Tied for third? The American Dental Association, another $5,000.
"Your top donors by industry, Rep. Ross? Health professionals: $29,250. Then, Pharma and Health products: $12,250. And so far in your career, Rep. Ross, your total haul from the Health Sector is $921,000. That's 90th in the combined list of donations for the House and the Senate, Sir. 90th out of 537. You should be proud, Congressman!
"Except for the fact, that before you started living off the public dime, you owned a pharmacy. And your grandmother was a nurse. And turns out you're not Sandy Barham's congressman, you're Blue Cross's. So much for Rep. Ross.
"Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee. Congressman? Undecided on the public option? At $1,173,000 in donations from the Health Sector, I'm surprised. You should have already said no - and loudly. The only thing you should be 'undecided' about, is whether or not you're really a Democrat. So much for Rep. Gordon. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana. Good evening, Senator.
"So you're supposed to be negotiating all this out with the Republicans and hesitant Democrats? To gain bi-partisanship with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Health Sector? Bi-partisanship that will get you, what? A total of no votes? And your price has been, let's see $414,000 in donations from Hospitals. About $667,000 from the insurance companies and just over a million from Big Pharma. There was a $1,300,000 from other health professional and $237,000 from Nursing Homes.
"When you think of getting $237,000 in campaign contributions from nursing homes, Sen. Baucus, do you ever think about whether they subtract that amount of money evenly from all the patients suffering and dying in the lousy ones, or just from a few of the lousy ones? So much for Sen. Baucus. Sadly, this list could go on almost all night, too.
"I could ask Blue Dog Congressman, Democrat John Tanner of Tennessee, if, since he's gotten $215,000 from hospitals over the years, if I and the appropriate number of my friends were willing to make it $216,000, if we could buy his vote - or would there have to be an auction?
"We could bring up Senator Hagan, and Congressman Pomeroy, who, at 628-thousand, appears to represent the Insurance Industry and not North Dakota. I could bring up Sen. Carper, and Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
"Senator Lincoln? By the way, considering how you're obstructing health care reform, how do you feel... every time you actually see Sen. Kennedy? I could bring up all the other Democrats doing their masters' bidding in the House or the Senate, all the others who will get an extra thousand from somebody if they just postpone the vote another year, another month, another week, because right now without the competition of a government-funded insurance company, in one hour the health care industries can make so much money that they'd kill you for that extra hour of profit, I could call them all out by name.
"But I think you get the point. We don't need to call the Democrats holding this up Blue Dogs. That one word 'Dogs' is perfectly sufficient. But let me speak to them collectively, anyway. I warn you all. You were not elected to create a Democratic majority. You were elected to restore this country. You were not elected to serve the corporations and the trusts who the government has enabled for the last eight years.
"You were elected to serve the people. And if you fail to pass or support this legislation, the full wrath of the progressive and the moderate movements in this country will come down on your heads. Explain yourselves not to me, but to them. They elected you, and in the blink of an eye, they will replace you.
"If you will behave as if you are Republicans - as if you are the prostitutes of our system - you will be judged as such. And you will lose not merely our respect. You will lose your jobs!
"Every poll, every analysis, every vote, every region of this country supports health care reform, and the essential great leveling agent of a government-funded alternative to the unchecked duopoly of profiteering private insurance corporations. Cross us all at your peril.
"Because, Rep. Ross, you are not the Representative from Blue Cross.
"And Mr. Baucus, you are not the Senator from Schering-Plough Global Health Care - even if they have already given you $76,000 towards your re-election. And Ms. Lincoln, you are not the Senator from DaVita Dialysis.
"Because, ladies and gentlemen, President Lincoln did not promise that this nation shall have a new death of freedom, and that government of the corporation, by the corporation, for the corporation, shall not perish from this earth.
"Good night and good luck."
"How much of it is the insurance company going to pay this time? How much of it is the insurance company - about which you have next to no choice, and against which you have virtually no appeal - how much is this giant corporation going to give you back? What small percentage of what they told you they were going to pay you, will they actually pay you?
"You know the answer. And, you know the answer if you don't have insurance. But do you know why that's the answer?
"Because the insurance industry owns the Republican Party. Not exclusively. Pharma owns part of it, too. Hospitals and HMO's, another part. Nursing homes - they have a share. You name a Republican, any Republican, and he is literally brought to you by... campaign donations from the Health Sector. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota? You gave the Republican rebuttal to the President's weekly address day before yesterday. You said the Democrats' plan was for...
'...government run health care that would disrupt our current system, and force millions of Americans who currently enjoy their employer-based coverage into a new health care plan run by government bureaucrats.'
"That's a bald-faced lie, Senator. And you're a bald-faced liar, whose bald face is covered by...your own health care plan run by government bureaucrats. Nobody would be forced into anything; and the Public Insurance Option is no more a disruption than letting the government sell you water, and not just Poland Spring and Sparkletts. But, as corrupt hypocrites go, Senator, at least you're well paid. What was that one statement worth to you in contributions from the Health Sector, Sen. Thune?
"Five thousand dollars? Ten? We know what you are, Sir, we're arguing about the price. What about your other quote? 'We can accomplish health care reform while keeping patients and their doctors in charge, not bureaucrats and politicians.' Wow, Senator - this illustrates how desperate you and the other Republicans are, right? Because Sen. Thune, if you really think 'bureaucrats and politicians' need to get out of the way of 'patients and their doctors,' then you support a woman patient's right to get an abortion, and you supported Michael Schiavo's right to take his wife off life support, and you oppose 'bureaucrats and politicians' getting in the way, and we'll just mark you down on the pro-choice list. That's a rare misstep for you Sen. Thune. No twelve-thousand dollar payoff for that statement! I am not being hyperbolic, am I, Senator? On the money?
"Sen. Thune has thus far received from the Health Sector, campaign contributions - and all these numbers tonight are from 'The Center For Responsive Politics' - campaign contributions amounting to one million, $206,176. So much for Sen. Thune. How about Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite? Good evening Ma'am. You are the Florida representative who claimed on the Floor that Democrats had...'...released a health care bill which essentially said to America's seniors: drop dead.'
"Now those are strong, terrorizing, words - that's exactly what your Insurance and Medical Overlords wanted to hear. But are you truly worth every dollar of the $369,000,255 of them you have received over the years from the Health Sector? I'd read the rest of the operative part of your speech myself, but your rendition actually cannot be matched:
" 'Listen up, America, seniors have special needs. This bill ignored the, ignores the needs of Florida's health care system. We should be fixing what is broke. Not disseminate, disseminating, decimating, the care of our senior population.' - July 21, 2009
"You can always tell, can't you, Congresswoman, when the hostage is reading her own ransom note, and when she is reading one written for her? So much for Rep. Brown-Waite. There are so many other Republicans, bought and sold - like the unfortunate Congresswoman there - by the Health Sector. Minority Leader McConnell of the Senate?
"You're worth $3.1 million to the Health Sector? A million and a half just for last year's election? And I'm supposed to think you aren't a sellout, a liar, a paid spokesman, a shill, a carnival barker? So much for Sen. McConnell. Rep. Joe Barton of Oklahoma - $2,660,000, Congressman? That's ten times what Sen. Robert Byrd has accepted from the Health Sector.
"Congressman! What a guy! So much for Rep. Barton. Sen. McCain - $1.6?
"To serve the Hospitals, and the Drug Companies, and the Nursing Homes? And not to serve the retirement communities of Arizona? Or the cancer survivors? Or the veterans? So much for Sen. McCain. I could go on all night and never exaggerate in the slightest.
"PBS pointed out that the health and insurance industries are spending more than a million, $400,000 a day, just to destroy the 'public option' - the truly non-profit, wieldy, round-up and not round-down, government, from helping you pay your medical bills with about a billionth of the recklessness with which it is still paying Halliburton and its spin-offs to kill your kids.
"And much of this money is going to, and through, Republicans. But that's the real point tonight.
"Not all of it is going through Republicans. Because the evil truth is, the Insurance industry, along with Hospitals, HMO's, Pharma, nursing homes - it owns Democrats, too.
"Not the whole party.
"Candidate Barack Obama got more than $18 million from the Health Sector just last year. And you can bet somebody in the Health Trust, somebody responsible for buying influence, got fired over what Obama's done. No, the Democrats are not wholly owned. Hundreds of Democrats have taken campaign money from the Health Sector without handing over their souls as receipts. But conveniently, the ones who are owned, have made themselves easy to spot in a crowd.
"They've called themselves 'Blue Dogs,' and they are out there, hand-in-hand with the Republicans who they are happy to condemn day and night on everything else, throatily singing 'Kumbaya' with the men and women who were bought and sold to defend this con game of an American health care system against the slightest encroachment.
"Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas. Leader of the Blue Dogs in the House. You're the guy demanding a guarantee that Reform won't add to the deficit. I'm guessing you forgot to demand that about, say, Iraq. You're a Democrat, you say, Congressman? You saw what Sandy Barham said?
"Sandy Barham is 62 years old, she's got a bad heart, and she's hoping her valves will hold together for three more years until Medicaid kicks in, because she can't afford insurance.
"Not just for herself, mind you. For her employees. She needs the public option. So do those six people who work at that restaurant of hers, Rep. Ross. And why should you give a crap?
"Because Sandy Barham's restaurant is the Broadway Railroad Café, and it is at 123 West First Street North in Prescott, Arkansas.
"Prescott, Arkansas, Rep. Ross. Your home town. You are Sandy Barham's congressman. Hers, Sir. Not Blue Cross's and Blue Shield's, even if they do insure 75% of the state and they own you. The top donor so far to Congressman Ross's bid for re-election next year? The Blue Dog PAC - $10,000. Second? Something called Invacare - $7,300. Oh, they make wheelchairs and rollers. And slings, they're big in slings. Tied for third? The American Dental Association, another $5,000.
"Your top donors by industry, Rep. Ross? Health professionals: $29,250. Then, Pharma and Health products: $12,250. And so far in your career, Rep. Ross, your total haul from the Health Sector is $921,000. That's 90th in the combined list of donations for the House and the Senate, Sir. 90th out of 537. You should be proud, Congressman!
"Except for the fact, that before you started living off the public dime, you owned a pharmacy. And your grandmother was a nurse. And turns out you're not Sandy Barham's congressman, you're Blue Cross's. So much for Rep. Ross.
"Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee. Congressman? Undecided on the public option? At $1,173,000 in donations from the Health Sector, I'm surprised. You should have already said no - and loudly. The only thing you should be 'undecided' about, is whether or not you're really a Democrat. So much for Rep. Gordon. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana. Good evening, Senator.
"So you're supposed to be negotiating all this out with the Republicans and hesitant Democrats? To gain bi-partisanship with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Health Sector? Bi-partisanship that will get you, what? A total of no votes? And your price has been, let's see $414,000 in donations from Hospitals. About $667,000 from the insurance companies and just over a million from Big Pharma. There was a $1,300,000 from other health professional and $237,000 from Nursing Homes.
"When you think of getting $237,000 in campaign contributions from nursing homes, Sen. Baucus, do you ever think about whether they subtract that amount of money evenly from all the patients suffering and dying in the lousy ones, or just from a few of the lousy ones? So much for Sen. Baucus. Sadly, this list could go on almost all night, too.
"I could ask Blue Dog Congressman, Democrat John Tanner of Tennessee, if, since he's gotten $215,000 from hospitals over the years, if I and the appropriate number of my friends were willing to make it $216,000, if we could buy his vote - or would there have to be an auction?
"We could bring up Senator Hagan, and Congressman Pomeroy, who, at 628-thousand, appears to represent the Insurance Industry and not North Dakota. I could bring up Sen. Carper, and Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
"Senator Lincoln? By the way, considering how you're obstructing health care reform, how do you feel... every time you actually see Sen. Kennedy? I could bring up all the other Democrats doing their masters' bidding in the House or the Senate, all the others who will get an extra thousand from somebody if they just postpone the vote another year, another month, another week, because right now without the competition of a government-funded insurance company, in one hour the health care industries can make so much money that they'd kill you for that extra hour of profit, I could call them all out by name.
"But I think you get the point. We don't need to call the Democrats holding this up Blue Dogs. That one word 'Dogs' is perfectly sufficient. But let me speak to them collectively, anyway. I warn you all. You were not elected to create a Democratic majority. You were elected to restore this country. You were not elected to serve the corporations and the trusts who the government has enabled for the last eight years.
"You were elected to serve the people. And if you fail to pass or support this legislation, the full wrath of the progressive and the moderate movements in this country will come down on your heads. Explain yourselves not to me, but to them. They elected you, and in the blink of an eye, they will replace you.
"If you will behave as if you are Republicans - as if you are the prostitutes of our system - you will be judged as such. And you will lose not merely our respect. You will lose your jobs!
"Every poll, every analysis, every vote, every region of this country supports health care reform, and the essential great leveling agent of a government-funded alternative to the unchecked duopoly of profiteering private insurance corporations. Cross us all at your peril.
"Because, Rep. Ross, you are not the Representative from Blue Cross.
"And Mr. Baucus, you are not the Senator from Schering-Plough Global Health Care - even if they have already given you $76,000 towards your re-election. And Ms. Lincoln, you are not the Senator from DaVita Dialysis.
"Because, ladies and gentlemen, President Lincoln did not promise that this nation shall have a new death of freedom, and that government of the corporation, by the corporation, for the corporation, shall not perish from this earth.
"Good night and good luck."
8.09.2009
INFATUATION VS. LOVE
"Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners.
"Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway.
~~Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975
"Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway.
~~Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975
8.05.2009
8.04.2009
8.02.2009
ANOTHER TATTOO?
Probably. Well, to complete the look, I think I need to add a furled Swedish flag below the Dala Horse; and then, a small SVERIGE below that. That should pull it all together.8.01.2009
JUST HOW STUPID ARE WE?
The following Facebook post, from one of my "friends" got me riled up before I ever got out of bed this morning:
"If you're considering that cash for clunkers, you might want to read what Glenn Beck has to say about the Terms of Service on the application. Apparently in agreeing you're giving the government your computer, full access/ownership of all files and whatever's on it, and they can go back to it whenever they like. Also if you've got Internet phone, they can tap it, listen to your calls, do whatever w/the info."
The person who wrote this little piece of mind-numbing, wing-nut stupidity is a fiction writer. I have assumed that even fiction writers do some research when they write - trying to bring a realistic atmosphere to their work. Fact checks? Well, not this chick! Glenn Beck said it, so it must be so.
Granted, she is not a journalist, but still.... Scarey stuff!
"If you're considering that cash for clunkers, you might want to read what Glenn Beck has to say about the Terms of Service on the application. Apparently in agreeing you're giving the government your computer, full access/ownership of all files and whatever's on it, and they can go back to it whenever they like. Also if you've got Internet phone, they can tap it, listen to your calls, do whatever w/the info."
The person who wrote this little piece of mind-numbing, wing-nut stupidity is a fiction writer. I have assumed that even fiction writers do some research when they write - trying to bring a realistic atmosphere to their work. Fact checks? Well, not this chick! Glenn Beck said it, so it must be so.
Granted, she is not a journalist, but still.... Scarey stuff!
7.30.2009
NEW TATTOO
Yesterday, I went to a local shop to have a tattoo put on the back of my shoulder. The shop, O'Tooles, had been recommended by several people; and it is consistantly voted "Cleanest Tattoo Parlor" in the QCA.
The artist asked if I would be able to go bra-less for the next week, because the rubbing of the straps could harm the tattoo. Because going bra-less was not an option, I had him put the tat on my upper right arm.
For those of you unfamiliar with Swedish art, the image is a Dala Horse. The detailing on and around the horse are traditional. In order to show this detail, the size is slightly larger than the original 2 x 2.
I was quite nervous about how much pain would be involved; but I needn't have been. A friend at work had described the feeling as "annoying" - not really pain at all. And she was right! If it had not been for the annoying buzz of the equipment, I could have actually fallen asleep. According to my artist, Wind, some areas are more sensative than others; the middle of the back, for instance, is full of nerve bundles, and is much more sensative than arms, calves, etc.
My experience was awesome, and the artist was very good at conveying what I described o him. Needless to say, I am already planning Tattoo 2 - when I have the money. When I do, I'll be going back to Wind at O'Tooles.
7.27.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.
~~John Lubbock
~~John Lubbock
7.21.2009
THEY GROW UP SO FAST...
Nealee is nearly two years old. Unlike most young ladies, she does not have a cell phone; but she does have a Twitter account. Nealee does all the typing with one paw. She has made many new friends on Twitter; most are kitties and doggies, but her friends also include hamsters, rats, birds, turtles, and a snake.She would love for you to stop by to say "hi!"
7.20.2009
BOB INTERVIEWS REDFORD
Excerpted from The Bob Edwards' Show Blog:"On the evening of June 17th at the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York City, Bob (Edwards) interviewed Bob (Redford). Backstage, two dressing rooms were assigned – Redford was to use Dressing Room A, and Bob, Dressing Room B. Dressing Room A, Bob (Edwards) quickly pointed out, was stocked with a selection of nice chocolates and nuts. Those treats were untouched by Bob (Redford) upon his arrival, however. Instead of hiding in his own dressing room, Redford stepped into Dressing Room B to chat with Bob (Edwards) and I about the interview which was about to begin. Redford seemed shy to talk about his acting career. Rather, he wanted to focus on the NRDC and the environmental work they have completed since 1975 (the year he became a trustee of the legal advocacy organization).
"Once on stage, the conversation flowed nicely from film-making (and the arts) to the environment (and politics). John Adams is the founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council and he’s been close to Redford since the actor joined the organization more than thirty years ago and has seen him talk many times. Following the event, Adams commented that he heard stories from Redford that he never had before. It’s nice to know, that even after interviewing Redford several times prior, Bob was able to elicit new tidbits from the actor.
"Redford regularly posts entries to the NRDC’s On Earth web site (https://xmail.xmradio.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.onearth.org/author/robert-redford). It’s worth flagging that page, because just as he demonstrated during his interview on stage at the Lincoln Center, Redford is very knowledgeable and involved in the fight to protect the environment, and his blog posts convey that passion. What’s more, On Earth is a great resource in general.
"Now more than ever, the subject of protecting the earth is a priority, whether it’s a conversation with a Hollywood celebrity or a lesser-known environmental journalist. As you can see, the NRDC is a strong resource in that effort."
7.19.2009
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The people we are in relationship with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors, reflecting their beliefs. So... relationship is one of the most powerful tools for growth...." If we look honestly at our relationships,we can see so much about how we have created them.
~~ Shakti Gawain ~
~~ Shakti Gawain ~
7.18.2009
"THE MOST TRUSTED MAN IN AMERICA"
From The New York Times:"Walter Cronkite, who pioneered and then mastered the role of television news anchorman with such plain-spoken grace that he was called the most trusted man in America, died Friday at his home in New York. He was 92.
"From 1962 to 1981, Mr. Cronkite was a nightly presence in American homes and always a reassuring one, guiding viewers through national triumphs and tragedies alike, from moonwalks to war, in an era when network news was central to many people’s lives.
He became something of a national institution, with an unflappable delivery, a distinctively avuncular voice and a daily benediction: 'And that’s the way it is.' "
He became something of a national institution, with an unflappable delivery, a distinctively avuncular voice and a daily benediction: 'And that’s the way it is.' "
May he rest in peace.
7.17.2009
7.15.2009
SOTOMAYOR'S HEARINGS
From our friend, Badtux, the Snarky Penguin:
"Given who the GOP has grilling SotoMayor (Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina), why don't they just break out with the Confederate flags and white hoods? White redneck crackers being obnoxious, WTF? The GOP really expects to get *any* Hispanic votes in the future after this?!"
~~Badtux the Somewhat-amused Penguin
"(Hey, it's always amusing watching GOP fail, as long as they aren't taking the *rest* of us with them -- and Sotomayor is getting confirmed short of suddenly exploding on the stand and shouting 'Kill Whitey!', so why NOT just munch popcorn while watching the GOP kill their electoral chances outside of the racist belt for the foreseeable future?)"
"Given who the GOP has grilling SotoMayor (Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina), why don't they just break out with the Confederate flags and white hoods? White redneck crackers being obnoxious, WTF? The GOP really expects to get *any* Hispanic votes in the future after this?!"
~~Badtux the Somewhat-amused Penguin
"(Hey, it's always amusing watching GOP fail, as long as they aren't taking the *rest* of us with them -- and Sotomayor is getting confirmed short of suddenly exploding on the stand and shouting 'Kill Whitey!', so why NOT just munch popcorn while watching the GOP kill their electoral chances outside of the racist belt for the foreseeable future?)"
7.11.2009
HELP - SOCKINGTON IS MISSING
If you Twitter, you have most likely heard of Sockington, a most unusual cat. Sockington is Jason Scott's cat, who logs daily, sometimes hourly, Tweets about his life. Hairballs, dust balls, dinner, and his "companion" cat, Penny, are all hot topics. Socking has 832,647 followers - more than many "celebrities."Today, one of the most "trending topics" is "HELP - Sockington is missing." Trending topics are those that have lots of people Tweeting about them.
We hope that little Sockington is OK; and that if he is missing, he is soon reunited with Jason.
But we cannot help but wonder, with a celebrity of his magnatude, is this is merely a stunt to garner more followers as Sockington nears the 1,000,000 followers mark.
7.10.2009
ECONOMY FORCES CUT-BACKS NOT DREAMED OF A YEAR AGO
From John Marshall, for The Huffington Post:
WASHINGTON - "Due to the recession, politicians who only a year ago were able to afford prostitutes and mistresses may actually have to engage in sexual acts that do not go beyond the boundaries of law or marital vows.
"Economists cite Senator John Ensign (R-NV), a 51-year-old with gray hair, who was forced to borrow $96,000 from his parents to pay off his mistress, dipping not only into his parents' retirement fund, but also into any hopes of affording another mistress.
" '$96,000 is a lot for some trim,' said one economist. 'Even good trim.'
"He added that most Republican parents want their children to be able to afford things they could never have, like mistresses, and seeing them unable to do so was a source of heartbreak.
Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed that he kept a mistress in Argentina. But the cost of airfare, apartments and aftershave may now be too high for most governors, not to mention international implications.
" 'If politicians are forced to have sex at home,' said one expert, 'it could cause a ripple effect on the mistress-producing nations of the world.'
"Even that most venerable of political institutions - prostitution - may be hurt by the economy. Experts say that former governor Eliot Spitzer (D-NY), if he were still in office, would most likely be unable to afford the $80,000 he spent on escort services.
" 'That's too much for today's Democrat,' said an expert. 'Spitzer would have to settle for sex with his wife while fantasizing that she was an expensive 22-year-old from New Jersey.'
"Some politicians hope that a second stimulus package will include provisions for extramarital sex, but admit that such hopes are dim. 'We need another $787 billion just to f**k around,' said one. 'We'll probably have to borrow it from Ensign's parents.' "
WASHINGTON - "Due to the recession, politicians who only a year ago were able to afford prostitutes and mistresses may actually have to engage in sexual acts that do not go beyond the boundaries of law or marital vows.
"Economists cite Senator John Ensign (R-NV), a 51-year-old with gray hair, who was forced to borrow $96,000 from his parents to pay off his mistress, dipping not only into his parents' retirement fund, but also into any hopes of affording another mistress.
" '$96,000 is a lot for some trim,' said one economist. 'Even good trim.'
"He added that most Republican parents want their children to be able to afford things they could never have, like mistresses, and seeing them unable to do so was a source of heartbreak.
Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed that he kept a mistress in Argentina. But the cost of airfare, apartments and aftershave may now be too high for most governors, not to mention international implications.
" 'If politicians are forced to have sex at home,' said one expert, 'it could cause a ripple effect on the mistress-producing nations of the world.'
"Even that most venerable of political institutions - prostitution - may be hurt by the economy. Experts say that former governor Eliot Spitzer (D-NY), if he were still in office, would most likely be unable to afford the $80,000 he spent on escort services.
" 'That's too much for today's Democrat,' said an expert. 'Spitzer would have to settle for sex with his wife while fantasizing that she was an expensive 22-year-old from New Jersey.'
"Some politicians hope that a second stimulus package will include provisions for extramarital sex, but admit that such hopes are dim. 'We need another $787 billion just to f**k around,' said one. 'We'll probably have to borrow it from Ensign's parents.' "
7.07.2009
THE RIGHT TO LIFE DOES NOT STOP AT BIRTH
From our friend, Badtux, the Snarky Penguin:
"On the evening of July 4, 2009, Eric De La Cruz died, killed by the patchwork U.S. 'healthcare' system and its infuriating inability to provide a working system of healthcare for all Americans. This young man had a congenital heart defect which was quite solvable by a heart transplant, but because he was uninsured and Nevada Medicaid won't pay for transplants, he died.
233 years before Eric De La Cruz was killed by our 'healthcare' system, some guys in Philadelphia wrote these words:
" 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...'
"Over 18,000 Eric De La Cruz's are killed by our 'healthcare' system every year because of its refusal to pay for needed care for all Americans who need care. This is a slaughter of innocents, over six times the death toll of the 9/11 attacks PER YEAR. Clearly our 'healthcare' industry is killing, slaughtering, tens of thousands of innocents per year guilty of nothing except being born poor or maybe not the brightest bulb in the chandelier or just plain unlucky, and has no intention to stop doing so. Whenever any industry infringes so baldly upon our inherent human right to life, it is completely within the realm of our founders' intents to have our government secure these rights, and if it does not do so, to change our government if necessary -- which we did, in November 2008, when we elected President Obama on a platform of healthcare reform and withdrawal from Iraq.
"There are some people who say that the right to life is conditional -- that you have a right to life only if you have the ability to pay cash for your health care. There are others who say there is no such right because it is not listed in the Constitution of the United States of America, 9th Amendment of the Constitution nonwithstanding. This is utter nonsense. Rights are granted to us by our Creator, not by a piece of paper, and are absolute, not conditional, and the right to life is the most fundamental right without which all other rights are meaningless. When any entity infringes upon this most fundamental of our human rights, it is well within the provence of government as envisioned by our founding fathers to deal with this threat to our most fundamental human rights via whatever means are necessary -- which, in the case of our corrupt murderous health insurance industry, should with all fairness be the death penalty just as much as for any other mass murderer, but I'll settle for Medicare For All single-payer health insurance and let those bastards spend the rest of their lives begging for alms on streetcorners."
"On the evening of July 4, 2009, Eric De La Cruz died, killed by the patchwork U.S. 'healthcare' system and its infuriating inability to provide a working system of healthcare for all Americans. This young man had a congenital heart defect which was quite solvable by a heart transplant, but because he was uninsured and Nevada Medicaid won't pay for transplants, he died.
233 years before Eric De La Cruz was killed by our 'healthcare' system, some guys in Philadelphia wrote these words:
" 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...'
"Over 18,000 Eric De La Cruz's are killed by our 'healthcare' system every year because of its refusal to pay for needed care for all Americans who need care. This is a slaughter of innocents, over six times the death toll of the 9/11 attacks PER YEAR. Clearly our 'healthcare' industry is killing, slaughtering, tens of thousands of innocents per year guilty of nothing except being born poor or maybe not the brightest bulb in the chandelier or just plain unlucky, and has no intention to stop doing so. Whenever any industry infringes so baldly upon our inherent human right to life, it is completely within the realm of our founders' intents to have our government secure these rights, and if it does not do so, to change our government if necessary -- which we did, in November 2008, when we elected President Obama on a platform of healthcare reform and withdrawal from Iraq.
"There are some people who say that the right to life is conditional -- that you have a right to life only if you have the ability to pay cash for your health care. There are others who say there is no such right because it is not listed in the Constitution of the United States of America, 9th Amendment of the Constitution nonwithstanding. This is utter nonsense. Rights are granted to us by our Creator, not by a piece of paper, and are absolute, not conditional, and the right to life is the most fundamental right without which all other rights are meaningless. When any entity infringes upon this most fundamental of our human rights, it is well within the provence of government as envisioned by our founding fathers to deal with this threat to our most fundamental human rights via whatever means are necessary -- which, in the case of our corrupt murderous health insurance industry, should with all fairness be the death penalty just as much as for any other mass murderer, but I'll settle for Medicare For All single-payer health insurance and let those bastards spend the rest of their lives begging for alms on streetcorners."
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