Journeys with Jood

Jane Harmon to step down

2011-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jane Harmon leaving Congress to become the next President of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I'm sort of surprised, but it's quite a prestigious position. So, once it's done and official, Governor Jerry Brown has 14 days to call a special election - perhaps finally Marcy Winograd will win the seat as a true progressive. Just hoping is all.

Start Close In

2011-02-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

START CLOSE IN

Start close in,
don't take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step you don't want to take.

Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way of starting
the conversation.

Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people's questions,
don't let them
smother something
simple.

To find
another's voice
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes a
private ear
listening
to another.

Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don't follow
someone else's
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don't mistake
that other
for your own.

Start close in,
don't take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step you don't want to take.

~ David Whyte ~

(River Flow)

I want to go to the North Pole

2010-12-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

I want to go to the North Pole. Seriously, I do. I want to be the official blogger on this expedition cruise, and need your support. I'm way low in the standings, so please go to the link, sign up, vote for me, and then tell all your friends to vote for me too. I might take one of you with me.

There's also my other blog, all travel

2010-12-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Would love some traffic there, if anyone's still checking in here. Lost my political voice for a while. Might be coming back. I'm mad as hell about a lot of things, but not sure how to voice it anymore. But the travel thing is good.

It's called Walkabout by Design and would love your visits. Happy holidays.

I have fantastic friends

2009-11-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

So, last night at my Monday Women's Drive Through Meeting, my peeps just poured the love on me. One gal gave me a check to cover the December Cobra payment. Two others stuffed cash in my hand - and while I was crying, another gal came over to me and said that the day after I told them I'd been fired for insubordination, SHE got fired. For insubordination. I stopped crying because it was so flipping funny.

Okjimm, you're right - plan the days. Network. I'm sending out resumes daily, have been since it happened. I've been talking to everyone, from unemployment to attorneys to travel people - just putting it out there, and it's not just me. I've been looking daily to see if they've started hiring again at the place, and it appears that I was just part of the November/December housecleaning that they do every year. They'll post again in January. It sucks, but oh well.

And it appears that I qualify for the reduction in Cobra payments that Obama signed into law last February: as I am not eligiable for any other kind of health coverage, and have no income, I qualify for an 80% reduction in my payment - so the check my friend gave me will actually cover 3 months of Cobra. Full benefits, too. And if I have to move back to Chicago, I'm willing. Not happy, but willing.

These are tough times. But at least I'm nearly at my goal weight, and my hair looks good, you know? It's all about looking good, not feeling good...

Depression would be a step up

2009-11-16T11:03:00.001-08:00

Seriously, I have become immobilized. I can't seem to function well at all. In August, 2008, when I left SlavesRUs Travel, it was on my terms and I knew the risks. I managed to stay afloat but it was difficult. Eventually I began working at MicroManaged Cruises, and was doing well - catching up on debt, getting ahead, and doing my job very well. I felt some degree of hope.

And then, Friday, November 6, 2009. I was fired for insubordination. Why? Because I was frustrated that the slackers got rewarded and people like me, who actually answered the phones, were punished. Let me explain:

MicroManaged Cruises is a Call Center. Reservations Agents are paid a salary and earn commission, but the commission is based upon a very peculiar two-fold system. That system makes people afraid to answer the phone. Here's how it works: to earn commission, you must sell a minimum of $250,000 gross each month. For me, that's a slow week. The second part of the system is that you must convert 30% of the calls that come in on the "new call" line into bookings.

So, if an existing booking comes in on the new line, it counts against you. If a brochure request comes in on the new line, it counts against you. If a caller calls in looking for a bus trip to Arkansas, it counts against you. I had a person call in who only spoke Russian, which I don't - could not communicate. It counted against me.

The slackers in the office manipulate the phone system to stay off the phone queue: they put people on hold for an hour while they check Facebook, Twitter, and text their friends. They call Travel Agents they work with to chat about the Twilight Saga, and how they can't wait for the new movie. They avoid calls.

On Thursday, Nov 5, my co-worker was on the phone from 5 PM until 7 PM, on one call, chatting with a Travel Agent about a particular actor she'd had a crush on since she was 11. I ended a call and took myself out of phone queue to send an email to a client. My supervisor asked me to get out of revision and take a call - I said sure, as soon as I finish the email. The Director came to my desk, told me to get out of revision - I copped an attitude, but did it. And yes, it was an existing call on the new line. Meanwhile, Slacker Girl is still chatting away.

I finish the call, phone rings again, and it is another existing on the new line. I put the agent on hold and walked over to the supervisor and expressed upset that my coworker was avoiding calls - the supervisor told the director I was yelling at her. The director called me into her office and said that I was wrong. Meanwhile, coworker has moved on to the Twilight movies, same call.

And then, on Friday, I was fired. For insubordination. For doing my job.

It is 11 AM, and I am still in my pjs. I can't seem to function. I feel defeated. My Cobra payment is going to be $451 per month, and I have no income. My unemployment is not enough to cover my mortgage. I feel humiliated, and unable to move.

So, now what? In this economy, now what? I'm 61, no savings, negative equity in my home, debt, now what?

I am so bloody sad.

Well. Back to the drawing board

2009-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

So, apparently, I am not suited to work in a company which micromanages employees.

Me: "Please, Ms. Supervisor, may I sign out to go to the restroom?"
Supervisor: "No, Diva, you cannot. There are too many calls waiting."
Me: "Actually, Ms Supervisor, you legally can't tell me no, and it's rather humiliating to have to ask."
Supervisor: "You seem to go to the restroom a lot. Try not to drink so much water."

It seems they think I don't respond well to being told what to do and when to do it. So, back to square one.

Will probably get to visit folks again, assuming there's anybody still out there.

XXOO

Gasp

2009-07-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd poke my head in and see what's around. Completely forgot about the previous post - and here it is July, months later... Working still. Barely staying afloat financially. Still, grateful to be working.

Visiting my granddaughter and daughter this week. Life has sweet moments. Just so far from being angry.

Saw Public Enemies, was actually underwhelmed. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. XXOO, Diva Jood.

Happy Birthday, Alan Rickman

2009-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, he draws too. And he is numero uno on my lamintated list. Yes, I need to get a life, I admit it, but I've adored Alan Rickman since 1988 when Die Hard came out. He was such a sexy bad guy! But that's not all he does. He has played everything from romantic lead to comedy to actual persons living or dead. He's sung, danced, and worn prosthetic devices. And he's a serious activist for peace.

I have a job! Yay

2009-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

I just got offered a job, no, not as the new Governor of Illinois, but with a River Cruise Company. I start Monday. My mortgage is all screwed up, but with a real income stream I think it will all work out in the long run.

As for Blago, I am delighted to learn he can never, ever, ever hold public office in Illinois ever again. See what really bad hair can do for ya, Rod?

More thoughts on Rick Warren

2009-01-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

In the film, Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood plays a man who is as racist and hate-filled as they come. He hates the Priest; he really hates his Hmong neighbors. He flings every possible epithet there is during the course of the film - it's really difficult to empathize with his character, except to see how his neighbors continue to include him and through that process of inclusion he is changed.

In The Big Book Of Alcoholics Anonymous, there's a phrase that says "we are people who normally would not mix." But through the process of recovery and the inclusive nature of AA, we find ourselves embracing people with whom we disagree on other issues - and they become close friends.

President Obama ran a campaign of inclusion - he embraces people with whom he disagrees, because he knows at the deepest level that only through intense dialogue can people be touched. Asking Rick Warren to give the Invocation is just such a moment - perhaps, with enough dialogue and exposure to various people he despises, Rick Warren can be changed and his heart can be opened. Even if just a little, it's a step in the right direction.

I don't like Warren, nor his message of hate - I disagree with him on so many levels - but I would be a fool to close the door on dialogue. I've got friends who hate homosexuality, and voted for Prop 8. We disagreed. We discussed. We are still friends, and I am sorry for THEIR closed-mindedness. It is their loss to exclude people. I find my life is made richer by the inclusion of people who are completely different than I am.

President Obama inherited a nation that is in deep trouble, courtesy of an administration that was filled with haters and people who excluded so many. But he is practicing a principle that we in AA must embrace and live by, which is to recognize we are all in the same boat and unless we put aside our differences and find a way to work together, we'll all sink in the same boat.

I would like to think that this sort of attitude and behavior can have a positive effect on people like Pastor Warren. Apparently, Clint Eastwood thinks so too and showed it in Gran Torino.

President Obama's Inaugural Address

2009-01-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

"With hope and virtue", he quoted George Washington. "With hope and virtue," President Obama calls on us to honor and seek our higher selves to try to do better. Listening now to Rachel Maddow, waiting for MSNBC to go to the Balls, I'm thinking about the nature of President Obama's campaign as well as some of his controversial choices along the way.

Mr. Obama is all about finding our similarities and building bridges. His focus has never been on our differences, but on all the wonderful ways we can connect with one another to create a better nation. He asks us to contribute our selves, our actions, to a greater good - a call to service our nation. Along the way, he embraces people who are Liberal and Conservative; he calls on women and men; Gay and Straight; White, Black, Brown, and everything in between; people of all Religious beliefs (or not). He embraces, and even when he disagrees he does it with respect for other ideas.

This day has been a little surreal for me - I feel such joy and yes, pride again to be an American citizen. Mr. Obama, his administration, Congress, and all of us have a hard row to hoe ahead of us, yet I feel hope and virtue because I believe we can find our similarities.

And this inclusive stance, for me, includes being able to listen to Rick Warren's invocation today - I don't agree with him on the issue of Gay Marriage - but it is his right to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Rather than attack him for his beliefs, I would rather discuss with him the necessity of keeping his religious views away from the legistation of marriage. I would prefer a dialogue rather than an outright dismissal of him and his message. Because as I listened to him, he was all about the absolute beauty of the moment - that this nation has finally elected an African American to the highest office of our nation. He emphasized the beginning of the end of racial division - and I appreciated that sentiment.

Mr. Obama brings together so many different points of view because he believes in the necessity of listening to all ideas. How else can we learn, and get to understand each other if we don't listen and debate, and keep our hearts open? And our minds, open?

Today, I feel hope in a most extraordinary way. Let's embrace the spirit of his message and move forward.

Coming up for air

2009-01-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Gentle Readers - I apologize for being scarce. Really, for not being around at all. It's so easy to hide with Facebook, as there are games (Mob Wars, Scrabble) to distract - and that's what I do.

Income has been scarce since I went independant, and finally I filed for Unemployment. It looked like I was going to lose my condo, but on 12/31, Countrywide sent me a re-worked deal that saves my home and I will be able to meet the mortgage payments. It's quite amazing, really. But in the meantime, I am trying to find a steady job to suppliment me while I try to build my business.

I've never seen an economy this bad. It hasn't been this bad since the Depression, actually, and it hasn't bottomed yet. Nevertheless, I have hope for our future. Without hope, there's no reason to exist.

It has been hard, really difficult and I won't pretend otherwise. The end result for me is that I tend to isolate and really circle the wagons. And I am grateful to all of you who check in from time to time - eventually I will be able to get back to this more regularly but right now, it's all I can do to just keep above ground. Please continue to check in; email works (jkblue AT cox DOT net is the email). Lots of love to you all.

Prop 8 - The Musical

2008-12-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Credits: Conceived and Written (six weeks later than he shoulda) by-Marc Shaiman Directed and Staged by: Adam Shankman Produced by Adam Shankman, Marc Shaiman and Mike Farah Edited by Bradly Schulz and Drew Antzis Cast (in order of appearance) California Gays and The People That Love Them Jordan Ballard, Margaret Cho, Barrett Foa, J.B. Ghuman, John Hill, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashad Naylor, Nicole Parker Proposition 8'ers and The People That Follow Them Prop 8 Leader- John C. Reilly Prop 8 Leader's #1 Wife- Allison Janney Prop 8 Leader's #2 Wife- Kathy Najimy Riffing Prop 8'er-Jenifer Lewis A Preacher- Craig Robinson Scary Catholic School Girls From Hell-Rashida Jones, Lake Bell, Sarah Chalke The Frightened Villagers Katharine "Kooks" Leonard, Seth Morris, Denise "Esi!" Piane, Lucian Piane, Richard Read, Seth Redford, Quinton Strack, Tate Taylor, Brunson Green Jesus Christ Jack Black A Very Smart Fellow Neil Patrick Harris Piano Player Marc "Marc" Shaiman ---- Co-Choreographer: Anne "Mama" Fletcher Recorded and Mixed by Frank Wolf & Greg Hayes Director of Photography: Michael Barrett Camera Operators: Jake Szymanski, Bradly Schulz and Drew Antzis Production designer: Nelson Coates Costume designer: Shanna Knecht Costume assistants: Leslie Schilling, Annalisa Adams, Elizabeth Abate Hair: Laura Sanchez Make-up: Shauna O'Toole, Atticuss Sharp Production sound: Bradford Craig Music editor: Lisa Jaime Music assistant: Brian Naguit Snacky: "Snacky" Special Thanks to Adam McKay for the nudge

World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Still in Chicago, still don't have much to say, but I could not let the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day go unmentioned. HIV/AIDS must be a priority on President-Elect Obama's agenda. This disease has not gone away, will not go away, unless there is a sincere focus on prevention, as well as treatment. A Vaccine is possible, and should have been found by now. HIV/AIDS does not target one specific group, or race, or religion. It is not gender-specific. This is everyone's responsibility, and we should all take action.

Old Naked Women For Peace

2008-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

sung by The Righteous Mothers

Mind you, no bailout for the Auto Industry. The Dow falls below 8000. But what the hell, we can all take our clothes off for peace.

Visiting my Daughter and Beanie

2008-11-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Secretary of Strawberries loves The Wizard of Oz - the movie. She can sort of sing all the songs (Weoff tsee dizard unerfoo izardoz; Dindon thitch is ded itchoitch titchoitch) you get the picture. She looks at me as her best friend - and we play so well together. So all my worries seem insignificant when I am with Beanie.

Meanwhile, there are realities: the person who'd agreed to be my backup financial support as I build my business has conveniently forgotten the amount agreed upon. This presents a significant problem for me, as I have almost no income at the moment - two months behind on mortgage payments, late to the point of default on two credit cards, late on my health insurance, two months late on car insurance - on and on. And I'm not alone in this - so many people are suffering, everyone in the Travel business is experiencing the normal slow season woes, but this is worse. Some agencies are closing their doors. Restaurants are suffering. House sales are down as people can't afford to sell (let alone buy). Will I be able to do something to avoid foreclosure? I don't know.

I have business - I have clients who are traveling, booking trips, but they are not going until March, April, May, June, July -- all future travel, and I will not be paid until they travel. It is foolish to give up hope, but I am looking for a job, to supplement while I build my own independent business. Fear? Yes. Despair? Not yet.

Just Like Marie Antoinette

2008-11-17T06:03:00.001-08:00

My dear Utah Savage is passing around the love once again. This image of Marie Antoinette is intended to go to bloggers who have something to say, who tell the truth. And yet, she chose to include me. Hey, I ran for Diva President and lost. Utah was to be Big Chief Supreme, but now we have to look at another administration. Oh, well. Sometimes, the only solution is to laugh. When it hurts too much to cry, all that's left is laughter. That's where I am these days.

At any rate, we are to pass this on to others who tell the truth. So I'm gonna do that as well.

1. The wonderful Border Explorer is a real blogger. I adore her. She gets it.

2. FranIAm is a real blogger. I adore her too. She gets it.

3. Dianne, Forks Off The Moment is another real blogger. I adore her. SHE gets it too!

4. The Pagan Sphinx really gets it. I adore her. She's a real blogger.

5. Pursey Tuttweiler because SHE gets it. I adore her. She's another real blogger.

Today is Gordon Lightfoot's 70th Birthday. Yikes. And

When did our priorities get so skewed?

2008-11-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

"People are grieving. There was a death. Their money died." BARBARA GOLDSMITH, a semiretired psychotherapist in Delray Beach, Fla.

Bye, Bye, the American Pie
Drove my Lexus to the Bank
But the Bank was dry
Those AIG Boys are drinking
Champagne and Rye
And This will be the day
That I tear my hair out in frustration.

What happened to our values that we grieve money over all else? I look around at new housing developments - all "Luxury Homes", rather than affordable housing. All for the uber-wealthy. Good people are struggling horribly, and AIG throws a party for the top Executives with some of their share.

Really, I am a natural blonde, going grey. Somebody explain this to me, because I am really too pissed off to make sense.

Where is my bailout?

2008-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

I believe I am as deserving of a bailout as anayone. What do I have to do? Be AIG or build motor cars or something?

The terms of the bailout are sort of limited to “qualifying U.S. banks, savings associations, and certain bank and savings and loan holding companies, engaged only in financial activities.” But since the $700B bailout package is now down to $60, Karl Rove's former boy Jeb Mason gets to pick and choose which companies he'll approve or whack. They include automakers, banks, S&Ls, cheesemakers, Credit Card companies and they all get in line and beg at the hand that may or may not feed them.

And if the government runs out of money? No worries. Jeb's got a printing press and they can just print more.

I need an official lobbyist to go get me a piece of that pie. I work hard, I know my business, and I want to keep my home. So there.

November 4th

2008-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

It never ceases to amaze me how a date on the calendar can take on so much significance for an individual. I was married on November 4th, 1969, in a suburb of Tel Aviv Israel. My parents had flown over for the event - I was four days after my 21st birthday and still a baby in so many respects. My mother, who would be a story in and of herself, was distraught. She didn't like my intended one bit, and she made it known any way she could. One moment in particular stands out: we were walking to a restaurant in the old city of Jaffa, all cobblestone streets and Yemenite restaurants - and she flung herself to the ground and said she'd tripped. My dad, my intended, and I had all seen it - she hadn't tripped, she truly flung herself - tossed her purse, then collapsed. It was almost funny.

But November 4th came, and we married, and I was so afraid. I went literally from my parents' house to my husband's house, and that was no longer on Kibbutz. We lived in a neighborhood outside of Tel Aviv that was made up of Iranian Jews, a slum, where kids routinely shoved live rats into milk bottles. They didn't like me, they called me "Blondini from Romania" - and would toss mud at my wash hung out on the balcony to dry. They knew I was afraid. And I had no voice. I grew up without a voice, swallowed by family events.

So we moved back to the States. Back to Illinois, to a suburb of Chicago, and I became involved in Political Organizing, for Abner J. Mikva. Mr. Mikva was both a great lawyer, and a great politician - a rarity I've not seen since until Barack Obama. I began to speak. I began to believe I had a point of view, and began to find my voice.

Fast forward a few years: November 4, 1980. It was my 11th Wedding Anniversary. We were at dinner, perfectly miserable, as we already new the results of the election - Ronald Reagan had just demolished President Carter in the Presidential election by almost 10 percentage points. It was a disaster of epic proportions as the Reagan Revolution moved forward.

November 4, 2008 - I voted first thing, for Barack Obama, and at 11 AM, got the call that my Aunt Jo had died, 93 years of age. Turns out that my cousin had not been able to turn in Joey's absentee ballot (Joey was voting for McCain, and no on Prop 8- how weird is that) - but there you have it.

Since Joey died, though, I've not felt like doing anything. It was exposure to family, all the good and all the bad. I'm struggling financially right now - business is down for several reasons (not the least of which is that it is "slow season" until after mid-January - Fran knows this, she's in my industry) - but also because of the economy. I had been working for three months with a client on three cabins on a luxury cruise when he decided not to travel. Huge booking lost, and I'm worried. I'm 1 1/2 months behind on mortgage; late on car and health insurance; behind on credit cards; behind on everything; new medical bills because deductible was so high. After I return from Chicago I will be looking for part time work so I can get benefits (Walgreens, Starbucks, Borders, and I think Home Depot all pay benefits if you work 20 hours) and extra income while I make my business work.

But it's the other part of this: the emotional part. My dad was one of 7, and they are all dead now. My mother was one of 10, and there is only one still living but she's not been with us mentally for years. Both my mother's and father's families had challenging and colorful histories - my paternal grandmother used to tell us stories of how her mother would hide her and her siblings during pogroms by burying them in shallow "graves" with straw for air. My mother, while pregnant with me, was babysitting my cousins when one died from pneumonia. My mother was blamed for the death, and she became incapable of loving me. She was hard on everyone, but as her behavior in Israel shows, she was mentally unstable and incapable of real rational thought or action.

There's more - so much more. My Aunt Jo was married to one of the most destructive, evil people I've ever encountered. He was a monster. And when he appeared at the funeral, he was kept hidden from the family by a curtained-off area. He came to the gravesite briefly, but was shoved away. Still, even that brief encounter, and I lose my voice. I swallow it. My cousin, while eulogizing his mother, spoke directly to each cousin who was there - and when he got to me, he referenced how hard my mother had been on Joey. She was hard on Joey, she wanted her to leave the monster. But, but. I found myself shrinking.

Joey died four days after my 60th birthday. She never missed a birthday, and when I visited her in the hospital on Sunday to say goodbye, she made sure I'd gotten her card. She asked about my cat, Mr. Bean. She was all love, tolerance, forgiveness. She felt mentally young and physically exhausted. And I get it. I feel mentally and emotionally like a child, and physically exhausted.

Yesterday I called my ex-husband to wish him a happy birthday. We chatted about Obama's victory and what it might mean for all of us. This is the guy who said he finally got the chance to vote for Bobby Kennedy. Maybe, in time, I will feel the joy I know I should. Today, not so much.

Thank you, Utah!

2008-11-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

Utah Savage, one of the most colorful bloggers I know and my friend and sister traveler, has awarded me this gem, the Scribbler Award. It comes at a time when I've been feeling really silent again - my Aunt Joey's passing has really made me reflective and quiet - and so Utah's gesture means more than I can fully express. In the face of my family, I feel like my voice gets swallowed. But apparently, others don't think so and Utah could not have timed this better.

But there are rules. I hate rules. It's one of the things I don't do well. Rules, and singing. Nevertheless, here they are:

*Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
*Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
* Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
* Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
*Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

So, my blog roll is long. All the people on it are amazing writers, so picking five is a real challenge. However, I'm going to give it a go:

1. Border Explorer never ceases to amaze me with her unceasing dedication to human rights and justice. She's just brilliant and tireless, and I adore her. Plus she keeps me in farm animals at Facebook.

2. ThailandChani of Finding My Way Home writes about mindfulness - it is an exquisite blog. It's a peaceful blog.

3. Grandmere Mimi of Wounded Bird is someone I've just started reading. She's quite entertaining, and interesting, and covers a variety of topics. Sometimes, with irony.

4. I love Mathman, of When Will I Use This? Sorry DCup, I don't mean it as anything more than motherly love. Besides, he's a White Sox fan. I forgive him that, because he is a real educator. A real one. Not a faux educator, but someone who takes it to heart.

5. And Distributorcap New York is always thoughtful and entertaining. He covers politics, Constitutional law, and humor, and I love his blog.

I also would tag Randal and several others, but they've been gotten already. So go forth, read something. It's good.

A Message from the (presumed) Secretary of Strawberries

2008-11-07T08:22:00.001-08:00

So but I waiting for a call from ether Presinet-elec Obama or his Cheefsaff Rammanul, ~~telling~~ asking me to be Secretary of Strawberries an Cream an such even tho my gramma din't win the lecshun. She voted for Obama insted of herself but she paid he Campaign Manger Randal six times nuthin slavery. An she thanks everbody who sported her campaign wich wasn't too many but thanks anyways.

We like Rammanul, he blongs to the same ~~singog~~ temple as my cuson David and he went to the same skool as my mommy an my unka Aman went to only not at the same time. Coz he's older than my mommy and unka Aman.

So this in'sit a dreem we all gonna wake up from an say oops. Barack Obama is reely the new Presinet-elec an we be done soon with the Bush.

Blog for Peace

2008-11-06T08:23:00.001-08:00

Today is the day: the 2nd anniversary of BlogBlast For Peace.

For reasons beyond me, Blogger won't let me upload my peace globe - but you can see all the others at the above link. I made my peace globe using a program that Blogger doesn't seem to like.

Let me just say this: I feel hopeful for the first time in seven years. I believe that the USA can once again become a beacon for peace. We can send that energy out to the world. We can be the change we want to see in the world.

A New Dawn

2008-11-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

I have never been so proud to be an American than I am this morning. Yesterday, a massive change happened and we moved from being a nation afraid to a nation that believes again in our ideas. It was a massive generational change as well. Those of us who grew up in the '60s are so aware of the significance of this election: a Black man as President, a Black family in the White House - built by Slave Labor - and we can hope that this ends Racism. Those who are the ages of my daughter and son see it differently. They grew up differently than I did, with friends of all races and nationalities and so to them, it was a choice of age, ideas, demeanor, and style. I voted for Barack Obama for those reasons as well, but I also saw the historical significance and I shed tears when I vote. I voted with pride, with hope, with fear - and waited.

So at 8 PM last night, in Los Angeles, when Keith Olbermann made the announcement, I cried with joy. My friend Peggy (the former Republican) called me crying. I called my daughter, crying. My friend Nancy was in Grant Park, in the second row from the Podium, and she called several times. My friend Teri called me, in tears, thrilled. It was an enormous decision, and we are proud.

John McCain's concession speech was gracious, generous, and real. I was finally proud of John McCain in defeat. He spoke as a real patriot, a real American who will work with Obama.

My ex-husband told my daughter (with tears in his eyes) that he finally got to vote for Bobby Kennedy!

Jesse Jackson's face said it all.

And I slept soundly for the first time since 9/11/2001. I felt safe, for the first time since 9/11/2001.

Aunt Jo

2008-11-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

My adorable, 93-year-old Aunt Jo died about 40 minutes ago - not unexpected - sad nevertheless. Joey was one of the most warm-hearted, tolerant and loving people I've encountered. She had a hard life, was the second youngest of ten - one of my mother's sisters - married to a dispicable man who scarred everyone in his path. Still, Joey forgave, was tolerant, and sought joy and positive energy.

I spent Sunday with her at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills - it was to say goodbye. She was having trouble letting go - her body was done, she was tired, but her mind was as sharp as ever - and she sought permission from all of us. So that's what we did - one by one, people went in to say "I love you, it's okay, you're tired, it's okay, good-bye."

And she waited until today to die so that we'd all get to vote. Her own ballot was marked on Sunday, my cousins turned it in today to the polling place - even though she voted for the wrong guy for President, she wanted us all to have the chance.

Vote

2008-11-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Having major blogger issues. Please vote.

I keep getting frozen out of blogger, and am having trouble uploading images. Not sure if it's blogger's fault, or if my computer needs more memory. Probably the latter.

Also, some family issues going on, which is keeping me distracted. I'm not ignoring your blogs, but yikes!

A Message from the Secretary of Strawberries and Cream

2008-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

So my gramma got a kitty cat an his name is Mr Bean an I'm Ellie Bean so we ~~relugates~~ reltated. He makes noise an bites gramma's nose an toes an such. I like to play in fountuns. Vote for Obama. This is Mr. Bean:

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy BIRTHDAY dear Diva Jood,
(you old prude)
Happy birthday to me.

Yep, 10/31/48 I am 60!

Attention Blog Friends

2008-10-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am really sleep deprived - Mr. Bean might be an adorable kitten, but he has been keeping me up at night and I really am at my wit's end. He bites my fingers. He wants to play with my cosmetics. He likes to knock my glasses off the night stand (so they now live in a drawer at night.) He does what he can to be annoying, and I can't think straight. Any suggestions? I'm serious. I'm so tired, I cannot find the words, nor the energy to go read your posts, because all I want to do is sleep.

So anyone who has dealt with a 7 month old male kitten who is adorable but annoying, tell me what to do. Please.

No Time For Complacency

2008-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

This article in today's LA Times is enough to give me nightmares. Warning against election day potential problems are huge, ranging from the 30,000 voters who were purged from the Colorado lists to the problems of long lines that will cause people to leave for work rather than vote. The Colorado voters will be allowed to vote provisionally, but the Republicans have adopted a very aggressive policy to challenge voters.

The reason? Obama supporters registered 2-to-1 over McCain supporters in battleground states like Ohio, Colorado, Nevada, Florida. Republican dirty tricks want to disenfranchise these new voters any way they can. They treat this responsibility as a game, and will do what they can to deny people their voice.

Vote. Vote. Vote. If you have a job to go to, either vote early or take the day off. You cannot be docked pay for voting. Don't give up, don't cave in, don't be afraid. Do not be complacent. Vote.

Hockey Mom For Obama

2008-10-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Meanderings for a Tuesday

2008-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday with my new addiction. Facebook is quite hilarious. I challenged Border Explorer to a game of word challenge, she opened a whole can of whoopass on me. I challenged both my kids to sudoku, neither of whom have played yet. But I also reconnected with some people from my past, which is sweet.

Today, I wish I was here. This has got to be an amazing exhibit, and it would be fantastic to be able to make the comparisons between Picasso and the Masters first hand. Picasso once said

Art is not the application of a canon of beauty, but what instinct and the brain imagine quite apart from the canon.

The review of this blockbuster exhibit contends that Picasso got bogged down with looking backward, despite his major accomplishments.

Listen, I'm a huge fan of Picasso's work - he took grand risks, and was willing to fail miserably. One of my favorite places in Paris is the Musée National Picasso which houses a major collection of his work. But Picasso was at some point bigger than his work - the work itself became secondary to the grandness of the personality. He was, in a way, the first rock star artist. He became way too aware of his place in history, which ultimately made his later work less than his reputation.

In the Picasso Museum, there is a clay sculpture of a sleeping cat that is used as a door stop. The cat is graceful, playful, beautifully done with none of the various riffs that embellish the paintings. In fact, most of his ceramic work is elegant. It's as though the clay mastered his personality and made him less self-conscious.

The reviewer suggests that the selection of works for the exhibit create the problem - that it's just too much of a "blockbuster" for its own good, that the exhibit is self-conscious. The last "blockbuster" exhibit I've gone to was the Jeff Koons at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago - the exhibit was hilarious, with one well-made joke after another, beautifully constructed, ultimately cold.

I'm of the belief that art should be experienced in a smaller, intimate setting. I like the Picasso Museum because it is a beatiful setting, the Hotel Salé, built in1659. I like the Musée d'Orsay because it was the former Gare d'Orsay, a railroad station. The building is interesting.

At any rate, I still wish I was in Paris, and at the exhibit. It would be a real treat.

virtual 'Tornado of Change' necklace.

2008-10-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Susan is amazing artist. Not only does she draw, and write, and paint apparel, now I find she also makes beaded necklaces. How do I know this? Because she gave me one of these undeserved virtual awards, the virtual 'Tornado of Change' necklace.

I suggest you all go over to her blog and buy her work, because it's gorgeous. I mean that, she's amazing. Thank you, Susan.

Yes We Carve

2008-10-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hat tip to Enigma for the link to Yes We Carve. They even provide stencils and they're having a good old fashioned pumpkin carving contest.

I don't forgive the pun-kins, though.

Flash Fiction

2008-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Randal, by way of Ubermilf, has called for the return of Flash Fiction. There are rules (there are always rules), which means this:

You will write an anecdote, short story, or novel length prose poem beginning with the sentence below. You will add comments to this post indicating your desire to participate and the completion of your story. You may join in at any time prior to the deadline. You will display your story as a post on your own blog. You will be done by Monday 12:00 Noon CST.

This week's sentence is She was suddenly gripped by...

Since Randal sez, and I do everything Randal tells me to do (he is my campaign manager and that's why I pay him the big bucks), here goes nothing:

She was suddenly gripped by an insane urge to giggle. The staff meeting was ridiculous, and the boss was so full of his own self-importance that she could not even look at him. He was short, and he had a bad habit of putting his hand in his lapel just like pictures of Napoleon. She could not look at him. He had been droning on about all the awards and accolades he'd won that year, how important he was, and how terrible the attitude was in the office so he'd won those awards on his own accord, without team support, blah blah blah. The agent sitting next to her passed a note that said "He's speaking Urdu," and that's when it hit her. She bit her tongue. She put her hand over her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut. Nothing helped. She just had to get up and run to the ladies room, and that would mean he'd scream at her for at least a half an hour about her rudeness. But if she laughed in front of the entire staff, that would have been worse. She timed it, and ran out the door. She knew she'd have to quit this job, sooner rather than later. She heard his whiny voice, "And where do you think you're going, Ms. Know-it-all?" "Bathroom, sir," came her choked reply. "Emergency."

The entire staff cracked up at that. It was code for "I can't take your droning any longer, you self-absorbed twit." She was really going to get it, oh, well.

A Message from the Secretary of Strawberries

2008-10-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

My mommy sez that peepols should only call 911 when they has real dismergencies. So but that means not like this:

911, what's your emergency?

"I'm stuck in traffic."

"Are you having a heart attack?"

"No. But this traffic won't move."

"Is someone in the car having a heart attack? Are you being threatened? Has there been an accident?"

"No, no, and no. Do you know who I am?"

"No, sir, but please state your emergency."

"I TOLD YOU I'M STUCK IN TRAFFIC. THIS IS JOE (not the plumber) MCCAIN. I'M IMPORTANT!"

"Ummmm"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So my mommy sez that's not a dismergency. My gramma saw a dismergency yesterday, she saw a car crash with a car flipped onto its top and the other car all smushed in front and peepols with blood and such and lots of pleece cars and amblances and hurt peepols. She dint call 911 cause they were arredy there.

An Ms. Sarah Palin thinks that her clothes are sexist the fight about what she spent on them. Ms. Sarah Palin has a pretty red leather jacket from her clothes and somebody went to help her pick out the clothes but peepols got upset when John Edwards spent too much on his hair so she's wrong it isn't sexist she spent too much money an such.

My gramma got a new sweater which she likes which she will wear when she comes to visit me soon.

The Only Difference Between a Pit Bull and a Hockey Mom

2008-10-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Appears to be a $150,000 wardrobe. Since August, 2008.

The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use. Politico did pursue the McCain campaign for comment, however, spokeswoman Maria Comella said “The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent." So, dressing the Vice Presidential Candidate to look like Tina Fey is a strategic decision?

I guess it's more important to dress well than it is to actually have a point of view and intellectual curiosity. This bizarre form of window-dressing has caused real Republicans and real Conservatives to re-think their alliegence to a candidacy that prefers lies and innuendo to common decency. It motivated 4-Star General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell to break ranks with the Republicans and endorse Obama. It moved Christopher Buckley to endorse Obama. Chris Buckley, son of the father of Modern Intellectual Conservativism William F. Buckley, wound up being booted from the magazine his father founded, The National Review for his obviously socialist leanings.

Look, it takes more than spending $75,062.63 at Nieman Marcus or $49,425.74 at Saks Fifth Avenue to make a campaign work. Perhaps Republican donors should ask for a refund?

I'm a Real American

2008-10-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Recently, I established that I am Pro-Life. Now, in the face of Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman's call for an investigation into Congress to see who is Anti-American, I thought it wise to establish my apple pie standards right away.

I love my country so much that I believe in my right to dissent. Like Thomas Jefferson, I believe that religion was a very personal matter, one which the government had no business getting involved in. His beliefs led to the the First Amendment (also known as the Establishment Clause) which states

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Unlike Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), I have never associated with a group that wants to secede from the United States.

In my vision of America, we are are not color-blind when it comes to matters of race. Instead, we have a full-palette, seeing all people. We don't separate because of race, we don't discriminate because of race. We celebrate and learn from our differences.

In my vision of America, we have three separate but equal branches of government to establish a system of checks and balances, so that no one branch seizes too much power.

But instead, we have a first term Republican Congresswoman demanding a witch hunt on Hardball. We have a previously unknown Governor from Alaska claiming that Senator Obama pals around with terrorists. We have an increasingly hate-filled, fear-mongering campaign from the Far Right, designed to paralyze intelligent thought. Why the Republicans need to demonize their opponents rather than discuss issues continues to astound me.

Still, if you need proof, I have a fantastic recipe for Apple Pie: I use nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Lots of butter. Brown sugar. Yum.

The Weekend's Endorsements

2008-10-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Senator Obama has an impressive list of endorsements, but a few stand out. On Friday, Oct. 17, The Chicago Tribune came out for Obama, stating

On Dec. 6, 2006, this page encouraged Obama to join the presidential campaign. We wrote that he would celebrate our common values instead of exaggerate our differences. We said he would raise the tone of the campaign. We said his intellectual depth would sharpen the policy debate. In the ensuing 22 months he has done just that.

The Tribune Editiorial Board stated that they've worked with Obama over the last dozen years as he rose to this historic position. They say they have confidence in "intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready." And they talk about the substance of the "Change" Obama puts forth: the Tribune says that "Obama envisions a change in the way we deal with one another in politics and government. His opponents may say this is empty, abstract rhetoric. In fact, it is hard to imagine how we are going to deal with the grave domestic and foreign crises we face without an end to the savagery and a return to civility in politics."

But the real significance of the Chicago Tribune's endorsement is this: in the paper's history, they have never before endorsed the Democratic Nominee for President.

The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for that cause--the Republican Party. The Tribune's first great leader, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the GOP. The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently.

The Tribune editorial in full cites Obama's ability to listen carefully to people who disagree with him; his ability to build consensus; how he worked with Republicans in the Illinois legislature on several key issues in the state.

Obama, they say, "is is deeply grounded in the best aspirations of this country, and we need to return to those aspirations." Frankly, when the Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama, that was a huge step in returning to those aspirations.

The other truly significant endorsement from this weekend was from former Sec. of State Colin Powell. Describing Obama as "a transformational figure", Powell broke ranks with the Republican Party in his endorsement. Powell cited the negative nature of McCain's campaign, and said that Obama's nature is better-suited to solving the problems the US faces.

Rush Limbaugh says Powell's endorsement is about race.

OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Of course, Powell donated money to John McCain's campaign last year, and waited until two weeks before the election to make any endorsement. Powell said it was about the way the campaigns were being run, and the candidates they have both become. Had it been about race, Powell said he would have endorsed Obama when he first announced he was running for President.

Obama's full list of endorsers includes a host of Republicans, conservatives. The reasons they all give talk about his ability to remain calm and build consensus. This gives me hope.

Sunday Fantasy

2008-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Because it's Sunday, and I have not a damn thing to say about anything, I thought I'd rather feast my eyes upon the sexiest 62 year old on earth.

What an honor

2008-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

The amazing Liquid AND my beloved Utah Savage have seen fit to bestow these two honors on l'il ole me. I'm really quite surprised, and grateful for this. Liquid is a real artist; Utah is one of the most colorful writers on the interwebs. They are both quite wonderful, so this means a lot. I'm humbled.

Uber (synonym to Super)Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

~ inspire you
~ make you smile and laugh
~ or maybe gives amazing information
~ a great read
~ has an amazing design
~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules (there are always rules) of this award are:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received these Uber Amazing awards by commenting on their blog.

Once again, spreading the linky-love, and there are so many bloggers I adore. Amazing designs, great reads, inspiring, humorous, you name it. So I'm going to pick a few.

1. Dr. Monkey Von Munkerstein even though he's also running for President. I will beat him, but I have to honor his blog.

2. Distributorcap, NY treads the balance between informative, and funny, and is brilliant.

3. FranIAm tackles real matters of faith, and I feel like she's my sister.

4. The Pagan Sphinx reminds me that we must have a world filled with art. And art needs to be examined.

5. Susan, phansythat is another real artist. I love her ink drawings, and her stories. I love her silk paintings. She's wonderful.

6. and of course, my campaign manager and poet laureate, Randal even though I've given him tons of raises (hey, 5 times zero is still a raise.)

What the hell - anyone on my blogroll deserves these awards.

Go forth and read, people!

A Message from The Secretary of Strawberries & Cream

2008-10-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hi my gramma gotta new kitty his name is Mr Bean but she don' havany picksures yet cause she's lazy and besides there's Mr. John McCain's friend Joe The Not Plumber to talk bout. Mr. John McCain doesn't do too well vetting peeples too much. Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher is really not a plumber at all. So but he also seems to owe some back taxes too. An he doesn't have a ~~liesenze~~ thingy that sez he can be a plumber. I don wan him to work on my mommy's toilets because he's not really a plumber and we need to fix the back bafroom. So but he wanted to know about if he buys this bizness and it makes $250000 a year wud his taxes go up but they wudn't and that's good caus he owes about $1200 in back taxes anyways.

An Joe-the-not-plumber has the same last name as Robert M. Wurzelbacher Jr., the son-in-law of Charles Keating of the infamous "Keating Five" scandal but nobody's really proven that he's related to Robert M. Wurzelbacher Jr. but lotsa peeples think he is related but I don know for sure. If they is related then that's kinda stoopid of Mr. John McCain but he's a meanie man an I don much like him. An look what he does, he tries to grab anybody's behind.

I Am Pro-Life

2008-10-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes. It's true. I am Pro-Life, and I can prove it: I support Roe v. Wade which upholds a Constitutional right to privacy as defined by the 14th Amendment. Essentially, the decision of the Supreme Court ensures that women have the right to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy without interference from the States.

I oppose hunting for sport and trophies. Hunters using semi-automatic weapons, with telephoto sights will always hit their target. Animals cannot escape our greed. I certainly am opposed to the aerial hunting of animals which is outlawed by the Airborne Hunting Act. I am opposed to Capital Punishment
which neither acts as a deterrant, nor does it bring back any victims. And, I am completely opposed to the USA engaging in Pre-Emptive Warfare based upon lies and misinformation.

Oh, and back onto the support side: I do support Assisted Suicide when a patient has no other options. Yes, it's our right to die, to choose our death as well as to choose our life.

I maintain that my Pro-Choice positions make me completely Pro-Life, and I am determined to take back the language of compassion from the Neo-Conservatives. Being Pro-Choice does not make me an abortionist. But it seems that some who call themselves Pro-Life feel it is okay to attack abortion clinics and practitioners, which I really don't understand.

But during last night's final debate between Obama and McCain, when McCain started talking about being Pro-Life (anti-abortion), I felt I had to just shout out NO. I am the one who is Pro-Life, not you, Mr. McCain. Not you, not your running mate. I want my language back.

Make Poverty History Blog Action Day

2008-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

The dream is to end poverty globally by 2015. That's seven years from now. Seven years. I wonder about the reality of this on a global scale, until I remember that we can think globally but act locally.

A few days ago, I read an article in the LA Times which described how a homeless man, called John, was burned to death by an unknown assailant. John had been a fixture in the Beverly Wilshire District of Los Angeles for about 20 years. People fed him, took him once a week to get a shower, gave him cigarettes. They were kind to him. He was harmless, he was homeless, he was a face of poverty. Some punks decided to burn him up for whatever reason - anger? Hatred? Some bizarre gang initiation? Whatever it was, murdering John does nothing to eradicate poverty.

I had originally thought to write something else, but this climate of hatred, anger, fear and destruction is the root cause of poverty. Fear breeds a poverty of spirit; fear breeds a poverty of hatred; fear breeds the poverty of "otherness" that keeps us separate from one another. Fear causes us to lie, to hoard, to steal, to cheat, all in the name of getting ahead. Remember that bumper sticker that said "He who has the most toys wins"? The more stuff, the more money, marbles and chalk you have, theoretically, the better you were. Not true.

I'm not claiming that this murdered homeless man was a saint - he was homeless, he was apparently mentally ill. Yet he did not deserve to meet this horrific end. Nor do the people who have worked hard but are losing their homes deserve to be cast out on the street. People who have saved, only to see their savings wiped out by the banking crisis and Wall Street crash. Nobody deserves to have pain or tragedy come into their life - at the same time, everybody has an obligation to try and end this growing poverty.

Actions we can take are as simple as supporting local farms by going to local farmers markets; driving less, and walking more for short trips; recycling; using CFS bulbs; conserving water. We can also help by creating jobs - something along the lines of what FDR did when he created The New Deal, which created jobs for the unemployed, and regulated business and banking.

We have to act. We have to think of us as connected - not just in the USA, but to all people, in all nations. Let's make poverty history. Yes, we can.

This is REALLY Special

2008-10-14T16:35:00.001-07:00

Last night, I went to see Tina Turner perform at The Staples Center. She's amazing - really connected with the crowd, despite the size of the venue. And, at 69 years of age, she clearly loves what she does. Her version of the Beatles Song "Help" was amazing - completely re-invented the song.

So that made the following message from Ringo Starr REALLY special. Pay attention, he says it's really important.

Well. Isn't that just so perky? Asshole.

His Name is Mr. Bean

2008-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

And he's a love muffin who purrs all the time, and has made sitting in my lap his number one priority.

Pictures will follow. Thank you all for the suggestions. He's a bit of a clown, too.

Name the Cat Contest

2008-10-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

I adopted a 7 month old male kitten today. He's at the vet being neutered, I bring him home tomorrow. He's black, with gold eyes, very playful, very affectionate, and sweet. However, I need to name him. The Shelter is calling him Ooogey, which doesn't fit.

So I am holding a "Name the Male Kitten" contest. Winner will be awarded the cereal prize (nothin, honey) unless I design an appropriate award. Help please.

Mellow Sunday Sounds

2008-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

It is one of those weekends where I feel disconnected, strange, and distant. The election has me unsettled. In 2000, I was certain Gore would win; I could not imagine a nation so superficial that it would allow Frat Boy George W. Bush to take the White House. In 2004, I was convinced the people had had enough, and that Kerry would win. I will continue to do all I can to help Obama win the election, but the truth is that at this point I don't hold out hope. I don't, and it's because I think that the majority of our citizens are driven by fear.

We demand our sports heroes be elite, the best of the best. We expect our entertainers to live an elite life, to be unobtainable so that we can fantasize. But when it comes to our Nation's leaders, we think it's okay to turn the reins over to somebody we might like to have a beer with. I don't want to have a beer with my President. I want him, or her, to be smarter than I am, to understand complex world issues, to be calm in the face of conflict and to inspire. I want my President to be visionary.

But today I don't hold out hope. And so, I give you this lovely song:

So My Campaign Manager Doesn't Get Worried

2008-10-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

I recently raised a question about why certain images are posted more frequently than others. My campaign manager suggested that I use the interwebs to do a google search (thus distancing myself from John McCain) specific to my own preferences.

So I did that search. Handy little tool, those Googles. Really.

I thought if I started small, with this lovely little self-portrait my heart-throb dashed off, it would make this post have at least a semblance of intellectual versisitude.

That makes it easy to slide into a man in kilts. Nice legs. Really.

From there, we can segue into the shy guy, hiding behind the bust, keeping it all modest and coy:

Before leaping into nearly naked man at the beach with friends:

Oh, well, as much as I adore Alan Rickman, he just is not the beefy stud I know many of us long to gaze at. I personally would love a committed relationship with Mr. Rickman, complete with regular sex, but for just gaping, please god, give me this:

A message from the secretary of Strawberries and cream

2008-10-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

Gramma likes this pikshure ame coz it looks like I giving a speech. I like it too coz I rode my big wheel an I like it it pink. I made a apple pie with my mommy we went to the apple fesval, an I go downa really big slide. So we made a pie. An we don't much like the new ads Senator McCain is running coz they aren't true about Bill Ayers an Rezko an The Bailout an as much as I like Strawberries I think Senator Obama has to talk about McCain's scandal. I mean the S&L scandal but so Obama's got a new ad that starts today about it. It's long. I don't have time to look at it now, I have to go to skool.

Onze upon a time

2008-10-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Monsieur Graves has tagged me with a charming little meme that asks for eleven things you might not know about me. Well, of course you wouldn't know them, unless you've been to my house, and no, I cannot see Russia from my house. Hell, I can barely see Catalina Island, due to the fog, but that's weather-related. So, but, I have to answer these one-word questions, which I am certain are a nefarious plot to link my candidacy to William Ayers.

1. Clothes Shop: Turley Road in Chicago. Yes, it's true. A hip designer in the Windy City. Also, caBI.

2. Furniture Shop: Hmmm. I haven't got a clue how to answer this. I used to like antiques, so I would rummage various antique stores. Now I want to sell everything I own, every stick of furniture and start over with just a more relaxed, beach-cottage look. So I dunno.

3. Sweet: are ya kidding me? Chocolat. It's a food group.

4. City: Well, I live in San Pedro, California, which is really Los Angeles. I LOVE Chicago, but it's too fucking cold. So there.

5. Drink: well, not since July 18, 1988. Oh, that's not what you meant. Okay, then it's gotta be Root Beer.

6. Music: I could listen to Yo-Yo Ma all day long. I mean, forever.

7. TV Series: toss-up between Sex and the City and The Sopranos. Oh, unless you mean currently? Um. Oh. Er.

8. Film: This is really, really, really hard. I love films. From Casablanca to Lawrence of Arabia; from Oklahoma to Singin in the Rain; from It Happened One Night to Gone With The Wind; from Dogma to Die Hard - I really can't pick just one. However, for 2008, I really loved Burn After Reading.

9. Workout: I walk. I try to get in 3 miles every day. Really.

10: Pastries: Chocolate cake. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Update: Dammital, Distributorcap noticed I forgot #11. Here it is:

11. Coffee: not for me. Tea all the way. Robust, Irish Breakfast. Yum.

Now I have to pick five ~~suckers~~ bloggers to play along. Hmmm. Sort of a "tic-tac, no trade-back" sort of thing, eh? Okay, Katie Schwartz, Border Explorer, Liberality, Susan, and Dianne.

Go forth, spread the meme.

A Cool Hand At The Tiller

2008-10-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, during the debate, John McCain said "we need a cool hand at the tiller." Hmmm. People who know him say he has a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty. John McCain is a man who has consistently put his own advancement above all else, a man willing to say and do anything to achieve his ultimate ambition: to become commander in chief, ascending to the one position that would finally enable him to outrank his four-star father and grandfather.

I don't want the McCain/Palin team anywhere NEAR the White House. We must act decisively November 4th. In Ohio, you can already vote. Go DO it.

Leave it to the British to say what the US Media will not

2008-10-08T09:09:00.001-07:00

Normally, I never take a complete article and reprint it. Today I am, because this about says it all. Friday, October 3rd, Michelle Goldberg of The Guardian writes:

At least three times last night, Sarah Palin, the adorable, preposterous vice-presidential candidate, winked at the audience. Had a male candidate with a similar reputation for attractive vapidity made such a brazen attempt to flirt his way into the good graces of the voting public, it would have universally noted, discussed and mocked. Palin, however, has single-handedly so lowered the standards both for female candidates and American political discourse that, with her newfound ability to speak in more-or-less full sentences, she is now deemed to have performed acceptably last night.

By any normal standard, including the ones applied to male presidential candidates of either party, she did not. Early on, she made the astonishing announcement that she had no intentions of actually answering the queries put to her. "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also," she said.

And so she preceded, with an almost surreal disregard for the subjects she was supposed to be discussing, to unleash fusillades of scripted attack lines, platitudes, lies, gibberish and grating references to her own pseudo-folksy authenticity.

It was an appalling display. The only reason it was not widely described as such is that too many American pundits don't even try to judge the truth, wisdom or reasonableness of the political rhetoric they are paid to pronounce upon. Instead, they imagine themselves as interpreters of a mythical mass of "average Americans" who they both venerate and despise.

In pronouncing upon a debate, they don't try and determine whether a candidate's responses correspond to existing reality, or whether he or she is capable of talking about subjects such as the deregulation of the financial markets or the devolution of the war in Afghanistan. The criteria are far more vaporous. In this case, it was whether Palin could avoid utterly humiliating herself for 90 minutes, and whether urbane commentators would believe that she had connected to a public that they see as ignorant and sentimental. For the Alaska governor, mission accomplished.

There is indeed something mesmerising about Palin, with her manic beaming and fulsome confidence in her own charm. The force of her personality managed to slightly obscure the insulting emptiness of her answers last night. It's worth reading the transcript of the encounter, where it becomes clearer how bizarre much of what she said was. Here, for example, is how she responded to Biden's comments about how the middle class has been short-changed during the Bush administration, and how McCain will continue Bush's policies:

Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced [sic] your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I'm glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? ... My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here's a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.

Evidently, Palin's pre-debate handlers judged her incapable of speaking on a fairly wide range of subjects, and so instructed to her to simply disregard questions that did not invite memorised talking points or cutesy filibustering. They probably told her to play up her spunky average-ness, which she did to the point of shtick - and dishonesty. Asked what her achilles heel is - a question she either didn't understand or chose to ignore - she started in on how McCain chose her because of her "connection to the heartland of America. Being a mom, one very concerned about a son in the war, about a special needs child, about kids heading off to college, how are we going to pay those tuition bills?"

None of Palin's children, it should be noted, is heading off to college. Her son is on the way to Iraq, and her pregnant 17-year-old daughter is engaged to be married to a high-school dropout and self-described "fuckin' redneck". Palin is a woman who can't even tell the truth about the most quotidian and public details of her own life, never mind about matters of major public import. In her only vice-presidential debate, she was shallow, mendacious and phoney. What kind of maverick, after all, keeps harping on what a maverick she is? That her performance was considered anything but a farce doesn't show how high Palin has risen, but how low we all have sunk.

In Beauty and The Beast, we knew which one was the Beast

2008-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

JoAnn Wypijewski's September 10th, 2008, article in The Nation shows John McCain's rampantly hypocritcal morality for what it is. As I read through the article, once again I was infuriated by his cynicism. He didn't pick Sarah Palin for her qualifications. He picked her because 'Palin is the sex symbol they've been waiting for, better looking and more real than the ghastly gasbags Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham.'

Remember John's first wife? Carol? The one he dumped because she was in a wheel chair when he returned from Viet Nam, and the 'sight of her appalled him?' He replaced her with Cindy. Wypijewski writes:

At 42 McNasty, as he was called in high school, took up with 24-year-old Cindy, a former junior rodeo queen, and, having boosted his image and his net worth via a marriage vow, soon reverted to the pattern of insults and macho egotism that has typified most of his life. He denigrated her education at USC as a tour through "the University of Spoiled Children." For all but one of several miscarriages, he left her on her own. When she was popping ten to fifteen pills a day to mask her pain and "do everything he wanted," he never noticed. In 1992, in a rage over her gentle teasing about his thinning hair, he exploded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt," a one-two punch hurled in front of three journalists and two aides but unreported until recently, by Cliff Schecter in The Real McCain. On the campaign trail in June he joked about "beating my wife" and took umbrage when others failed to grasp the simple good fun in the remark. In early August he said he'd encouraged Cindy to enter the Miss Buffalo Chip beauty pageant at the high-revving, flesh-swinging biker rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. It might have been a fine quip except that up on the stage with her daughter Meghan, staring out toward the throng where a sign urged Show Ur Tits 4 McCain, Cindy had the thin, fixed smile of endurance, not joy. Just before the Palin pick, Mrs. McCain was so brittle that a supporter's energetic handshake put her in a cast. With the press and vast swaths of the country swooning over the Obama family, John needed a new queen.

And the new queen is Miss Wasilla 1984, a woman who believes dinosaurs and man walked together on an Earth created 6000 years ago. Lovely. Even Cindy McCain feels this is a perfect match.

She is Rush Limbaugh's wet dream. "Sarah Palin: babies, guns, Jesus, hot damn!" he crowed. "We're the ones that have the babe on the ticket!" Never before has a political woman been pictured so often in a T-shirt, armed--Rambette. Never before in a major political figure has the image of Mother been merged so readily with fantasies from porno. "You Go, GILF," proclaim buttons on Republican chests, that is, Governor (or Grandmother) I'd Like to Fuck. McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis said that "this election is not about issues; this election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates," as cynical a statement as any Republican has made. This election is not about issues, it's about personality.

JoAnn Wypijewski refers to the Biblical Book of Esther. King Ahasuerus dumped his queen, Vashti, and held a beauty pagent to replace her. Esther was his Miss Wasilla, 1984. However, Sarah Palin, a biblical literalist, will know the outcome of this story. Esther enables her people to engage in bloody slaughter against the king's other subjects, maneuvers for the public execution of his closest adviser and the man's sons, sees her de facto father become the de facto king; in sum, sabotages and unmans Ahasuerus.

We have seen Sarah Palin in action. She ranges between absolutely idiotic to charming and cagey. She's played all sides against the middle, from using sexuality as a tool to claiming her Christian values, from supporting the Bridge to Knowwhere to opposing it when the politics of that support became untenable. She's Anita Bryant with a high-powered rifle. And, she can stick the knife in your back, and twist it with a smile.

John McCain may have met his match, and he may have unleashed this disaster on all of us.

Diva Jood's Campaign

2008-10-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is the BEST News Coverage Shit from Shinola has had. I'm so impressed. (hat tip to Betmo

A Cub Fan's First Sentence: Wait til next year.

2008-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Truly, the worst fold of a team since the 1969 Cubs. Or maybe the 1984 Cubs against San Diego. Or, perhaps the Cubs vs. Steve Bartman. Or... year, after year, after year. After year, after year, after year...

My clothes are torn, I'm in black, I'm in mourning. Don't gloat, I'll call out a hit man on you.

So You Think You're Jackson Pollack?

2008-10-04T08:17:00.001-07:00

You can be Jackson Pollack for a minute but not really. Try it, it's fun!

A Message from the Secretary of Strawberries and Cream

2008-10-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

My gramma is ~~deserpesed~~ ~~depersed~~ sad. Don't make her sad. She's sad because the Chicago Cubs forgot how to play baseball and aren't doing too good. I can sing take me outa ballgame take me outacrowd real loud but it isn't helping. And gramma is sad because John McPain's runner mape isn't too smart but she was winking at everbody when she debate Joe Biden and talking about Joe Sixpack but Joe Biden is kind of Joe Sixpack and it scared Gramma to see Sarah Palin ack sorta like Raygun. All charmy chummy cute. It was icky.

But gramma had lunch with Alicia from Last Left Turn Before Hooterville and they had fun and got hand massages and ate sammiches and salads and had cookies. I like cookies too. That's them in the picture below.

They look happy, but it was before the debate and baseball.

Declare Yourself

2008-10-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

h/t to D-Cup. Now, pass it on.

How to prepare for tonight's debate

2008-10-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad Diva. I've not visited anybody, and didn't blog at all yesterday. The reason is because tonight is a big debate, and my running mate, Nunly hasn't been invited. Still, I wanted to find a way to help everyone prepare. Here it is: You can channel your inner Sarah Palin and get ready for ANY debate.

But it is also October, and yesterday, an October Surprise. The Cubs were bludgeoned by the Dodgers in game 1 of the Division Series, and dug themselves into a pretty deep hole. Where in the world was Ryan Dempster? The man who never walks anybody walked seven, and gave up a Grand Slam in the 7 - 2 loss. I'm sick. Who gives a shite about the World Economy and various Creditors when baseball is at stake? (Randal, you knew I would have to get an Alan Rickman reference in somewhere.)

Nevertheless: IF someone asks YOU about your foreign policy experience, you can always respond

**Alaska that we work with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it's Americans that get stuck to holding the bag without the energy independence that I've been working on for these years as the governor of this country, and victory in the stringent oversight, making sure that these weapons of mass destruction, that nuclear weapons are not given to those hands of Ahmadinejad, not that he would allow terrorists to be able to go back in history and if you really think I can give you examples of things that can be looked to as the solution to the mission, the mission is to control and to control energy supplies, also, coming from and through Russia, that's a dangerous position for our world is and how important it is about doing a lot of background work first and shoring up our economy.

**computer generated response based on probabilities calculated from Sarah Palin's actual speech.

The Price of Right, by Alicia Morgan

2008-09-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Alicia Morgan, of Last Left Before Hooterville has raised a compelling question in her book, The Price of Right. The question seems simple: "Why do people consistently vote against their own best interests?" The answer seems simple as well: FEAR.

But Alicia shows us, chapter after chapter, that this response of fear is much more complex than we realize at surface. She talks about the language of fear. She talks about the personalities of self-described Conservatives and self-described Liberals, equating them with Farmers and Hunters in an archetypical sense. Traditionally, the Farmer had to follow a strict schedule as set by nature. The Hunter had to rely on lightening fast reflexes, instinct and the ability to change. These personalities are quite different; the Farmer will respond to an Authoritative figure while the Hunter will not.

Alicia has done her research, and she has written a compelling tale of how the Liberals have lost their "hunting" muscles - how we liberals have gotten lazy with mind-numbing comfort in an essentially "farming" community. How we liberals must begin the hunt for Truth and Change in earnest. But what I like most about Alicia's book is this: she's one of us. She's a musician, a mother, a wife, a blogger. She's struggling to make ends meet. She's not loaded with degrees and credentials and fancy language. She's one of us, and she's channelled her impatience into answering the question. She does it in language that is compelling in its accessibility. Follow the link. Get the book. Read it, and give it to an "undecided" friend. Give it to a Republican who is becoming afraid of his or her own party. Give it to a Hockey Mom who is appalled by Sarah Palin. Give it to a Democrat who puts their dislike of Obama ahead of the outcome of the election. Give it to anyone who can think.

Alicia has spoken for many of us, and I am proud to call her my friend.

Henry Paulson, Mortgage Broker

2008-09-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Looks like Henry Paulson's going to have more than 7 houses on his hands. Yes, it's true. Treasury Secretary Paulson is about to become the most powerful mortgage financier ever.

Paulson's plan has gone from an eco-friendly three pages to over 100 pages of detail, supposedly putting all kinds of restraint and oversight on him, but the dead trees give him mostly what he wanted: $700 billion, and the authority to spend it has he sees fit.

(dream sequence: Sarah Palin calls Henry Paulson: "So, Henry, ya know, Todd's back has been killing him and he wants to get out of the oil fields, so can ya give him about a billion to start a bank with? He doesn't know a thing about banking, ya know, but hey, we can see Russia from our house so that's gotta count fer something." Paulson responds, "Of course, Sarah. I'd do anything for you and First Dude.")

Under the terms of the "compromise", and I use that term loosely,

any firm selling troubled assets to the government would have to give Washington the right to take an ownership stake in the firm -- a more sweeping requirement than had been expected.

This doesn't please the administration because they fear that healthy companies will not participate (translation: Paulson can't acquire healthy companies), which will reduce the effectiveness of ~~their attempt at world domination~~ the rescue effort.

On the one hand, the legislation requires him to combat the nationwide wave of home foreclosures by pushing mortgage service companies to rewrite some loans and to cut the interest rates or even the principal for financially strapped homeowners. On the other hand, it gives him the politically explosive power to cut deals with foreign, not just U.S., banks in some cases.

It gives Paulson unprecedented power. And it makes me nervous that the Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush, at the end of Bush's disasterous administration, is being given the reins.

"This is not about a bailout of Wall Street," declared House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). "It's a 'buy-in' so we can turn our economy around."

Geeze, I want what she's been smoking.

The measure's centerpiece -- its "troubled asset relief program" -- Paulson "is authorized to take such actions as the secretary deems necessary" to carry out the effort, including hiring, contracting and assigning companies to act as agents of the government, as well as buying, holding and selling assets.

This makes me nervous. Very nervous. To paraphrase the kid in "The Sixth Sense", I see greedy people. I see Halliburton. I see Blackwater marching into banks and taking over. Yes, I own a lovely tin foil hat.

And while the measure requires Paulson to "maximize assistance for homeowners . . . and minimize foreclosures," the very same sentence says the Treasury has to make sure that taxpayers are not stuck with any additional costs, which makes any substantial additional aid to homeowners unlikely.

Hey, I thought Republicans wanted LESS government, not more. If this "compromise" bill is approved, it will extend the Government's reach well into the mortgage business. I'm very nervous.

More on the economy

2008-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Economy, by Diva Jood

2008-09-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, the US Currency was linked to gold. But on August 15th, 1971, President Richard (I am not a crook) Nixon had the bright idea to close the gold window and take the US Currency off the Gold Standard, to which it had been linked since 1782. The rule was that we could only print up to four times the value of what was in our gold reserves.

By unlinking US Currency from Gold, Nixon effectively defaulted on our promise to foreign lenders to redeem dollars for gold. Now, we could simply print money whenever we felt like it. Need to pay for a new war? No problem, let's go down to the basement and print up some new trillion dollar bills and bomb the bejezus out of Iraq.

Some of our creditors aren't happy. "The Dollar cannot remain solely the problem of others," said Nicholas Sarkozy before a joint session of Congress in November, 2007. Nicky was referring to Nixon's Secretary of the Treasury, John Connally's remark that the Dollar was America 's currency "but your problem." Sarkozy said "monetary disarray could morph into economic war. We would all be its victims."

Did he have a Crystal Ball? Could Sarkozy, that Frenchman, have predicted this current economic meltdown that threatens our very large way of life? I mean, really, what happens when Governor Schwartzenegger cannot afford his Hummer, and has to actually take a fuel efficient car to work?

Whatever. I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I'm stretched pretty thin at the moment. I have bills and sporadic income. Still, I have hope. Didn't Obama tell me to get hope? I did, I went to the store and got me some hope and took a tremendous leap of faith to work independently.

But if McCain pulls this election out of his ass and winds up in the White House, I'm going to sell my hope for gold.

thanks, Dcap

UN Millenium Project to End World Poverty

2008-09-25T09:42:00.001-07:00

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals.

Quantifiable, time-bound goals for ending extreme poverty. Today, we are at the mid-way point in achieving these goals, yet progress has been far too slow in many parts of the world. From their site, the MDG Project says that "The crisis is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa where, despite some successes such as increased primary school enrollment, the majority of countries are not on track to achieving the MDGs."

Today, with the United States economy in crisis, with fuel costs at astronomical rates, with food shortages and food costs soaring, with AIDS still unsolved, the question arises: what can I do, as an individual, to contribute to end world poverty? What can I do, currently self-employed and with an uneven income, do to end world poverty?

Well, actually, there are plenty of things I can do. Slow Food supports good, clean and fair food, with a focus on local growers. I can support businesses that are green. I can recycle. If I focus on small, local actions, and put these actions out into the world, that energy spreads.

The cost of poverty is high - wasted minds, wasted potential, wasted lives. We can do better.

Dave Letterman's Take on McCain Suspending Campaign

2008-09-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

It's just over nine minutes but worth watching all of it. His point about testing the VP candidate is so on the money.

McCain's act is a Hail Mary pass if ever there was one. (See Randal? I know my football terms.)

Update: Here is Craig Ferguson's take on the issue:

You can't suspend democracy. Hat tip to Dianne for this. Both Dave and Craig point out, through humor, the absurdity of McCain's empty gesture. The power of humor is far reaching. I applaud them both.

A Message from the Secretary of Strawberries

2008-09-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

So but gramma has been so busy working for herself that she hardly has time to blog and she thinks she's a meanie because she makes herself work. So but today she isn't going to work much because she has to only drink clear liquids and then she gets drugs tomorrow for a test which people her age hafta get every five to seven years to prevent screens. I'm three.

Gramma's friend, Alicia, she has been writing a book which she's been working on for the past two years, which is almost as old as me but now the book is available and Gramma has a copy of it now. It's about how the Conservative Agenda is bad for America, and what makes people vote against their own best interests. And Gramma is very proud to call Alicia her friend, even though they don't get together very much because Alicia lives about three miles north of where Jesus lost his sandals. And Gramma lives in the port. Not in the port, like she doesn't have a berth and doesn't sit on the water. You should all buy Alicia's book. And then you should vote on November 4th. And Gramma's friend Peggy said that she was not only voting FOR Obama, she was voting AGAINST Sarah Palin. And Peggy is a life-long Republican. Sarah Palin scares her.

Gramma's opponent, Dr. Zaius seems to think Gramma looks good in pink, and that Veeper Nunly should smoke more. Why is Mr. Randal holding that little boy's head? Anyways. Buy Alicia's book and read it.

Obsession, or Devotion?

2008-09-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Have you seen little man? No, not that piece of crap with Marlon and Shawn Wayans. I mean the documentary by Nicole Conn.

Nicole and her partner, Political Activist Gwen Baba, had been together seven years and had a daughter, Gabrielle. When they decide to have a second child, they opened all kinds of doors. Gwen had carried Gabrielle, and felt she was too old for another pregnancy. So, they decided to use a surrogate.

The pregnancy was fraught with problems and their son, Nicholas, was born 100 days early - a micro-premie. He weighed one pound. His heart was the size of a cashew.

Nicholas goes through medical procedure after medical procedure - because science and medicine "can" keep a fetus alive. But at what price do we hold onto life? Nicole is faced with the question that haunts in the night: When does caring become cruelty?

In the film, Nicole talks about timing. When they learned that the fetus was not growing properly, Gwen wanted to consider abortion. When the baby was born, Gwen was terrified of the efforts that would be required to keep this baby alive. But Nicole said that had Nicholas been their first child, she would have agreed with Gwen - but having their daughter, Gabrielle, changed that. She could not terminate the pregnancy, nor could she turn her back on what she termed "her son's need to be here."

Their marriage is pushed to the edge. How do they manage to keep some semblance of normal life for their daughter, while Nicole spends nearly all her time at the hospital with Nicholas? He was in the hospital for 158 days; when he came home, he was hooked to oxygen, and continued to require special attention. The question is raised, again and again, when is enough, enough?

The film disturbed me to my very core. Oh, man, is that an understatement. It caused me to look at all kinds of philosophical issues, and examine my beliefs deeply. This film was the darling of the GLBT Film Festivals, as well as several other independent festivals. So for me to say I didn't like it one bit will probably label me as homophobic; I am not. The "pro-life" crowd already hates me, because I believe in a woman's right to choose. But guess what? That means a woman can choose to have the child against medical advice, just as she can choose to abort.

In his first month of life, Nicholas endures four surgeries, two codes, chest compressions, ventilators, needles in every vein, collapsed lungs, excreting feces from his stomach which caused 8 centimeters to be removed from his intestines, blood transfusions, intubations, kidney failures, and a spinal tap. How much is too much? How much can a mother watch? Doctors often remark “they don’t feel pain the way we do.” But how do they know? Is it simply a defense against the indefensible? Can anyone define the line between caring and cruelty?

Nicholas survived, against all odds. Nicole and Gwen are still together, their family of four living happily in the Los Angeles area. Nicholas wears glasses, hearing aids, doesn't speak, has all kinds of challenges. He will need constant care for his entire life. The financial cost is huge. The emotional cost was huge. Nicole said the experience truly brought her to faith.

Faith in what? In a higher power? Is that higher power the NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit? Because if left to nature, this child would not have survived. He would not have been born. He would not exist.

Remember Terri Schiavo? Of course you do. Her parents set up a foundation that is “Helping Families Fight for Those Who Cannot Fight for Themselves”.

The mission of the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation is to develop a national network of resources and support for the medically-dependent, persons with disabilities, and the incapacitated who are in or potentially facing life-threatening situations. Promoting a Culture of Life, “Terri’s Foundation” embraces the true meaning of compassion by opposing the practice of euthanasia.

How much is too much? If someone is terminal, is it really compassionate to keep them alive by extraordinary means? How many of these self-declared compassionate people have no qualms about the death penalty? Hunting? War?

Nicholas lives with his mothers and sister. He is shown in the film laughing, smiling, loved. Yes. Both his mothers love him. Gwen came to terms with his survival, and loves him without regret. In Nicholas's case, science and medicine and Nicole's dogged determination to pull him through gave him life. Nicole attributes this all to God and to Nicholas's will to live, but I don't agree. His life is his because of science, because of her obsession. Don't mix god up with her selfish need to see this child come to be.

Yes. Selfish. That's how I saw her. Forgive me for my harsh judgment, but there it is. I saw her as selfish as Terri Schiavo's parents.

But Terri Schaivo's husband was equally selfish, as was Gwen Baba, who did not want to put Nicholas through that ordeal. Because it is impossible to NOT be selfish in these situations. Nobody has the ability to make an impartial decision - it is your child, your spouse, your partner, your family at risk and you cannot be impartial or dispassionate. And the decisions and choices are so incredibly personal that WE, on the outside, have no right to intervene or make laws or dictate.

I may not agree with your decision, but it is yours to make, yours to live with, yours to process. Just as my decisions are mine. Don't bring god's will into the mix. Not one of us has spoken to god directly - unless you're off your meds - and while we can ask for direction, and ask for guidance, at the end of the day the decision to pull the plug or not rests with an individual, a person. Not god.

A busy day ahead

2008-09-22T08:35:00.001-07:00

First, I need to get started on my new job!

Then, I will be busy furnishing my new home!

And Phil Gramm calls us a nation of whiners.

Someday We'll Go All The Way

2008-09-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

(thanks for the link, Dusty!)

Cubs clinched the division title today against St. Louis! One scary inning, but the North Side has baseball in October.

Breaking News: She Shot the Moose

2008-09-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

The "W" stands for a Cubs Win, not Dubya

2008-09-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is a fun little test that Fran emailed me this morning. Since I have absolutely not one thought in my Diva brain other than the fact that the Chicago Cubs Magic Number is 4 and they lost to freaking Milwaukee last night. So until they clinch, I am having small bouts of anxiety.

No. The Financial Crisis matters not at all when baseball is on the table. A totally unqualified hockey mom as VP Candidate hardly matters when the Cubs are poised to do what hasn't been done by them in 100 years. I'm sorry, I must focus now on winning vs. heartbreak.

Because if I focus on what really matters, my head might explode.

(image ~~stolen~~ courtesy my opponent, Dr. Zaius)

A Musical Interlude

2008-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Randal has asked for another salary increase. He's also demanded that I do some work, to prove why I should be President, by listing my 25 favorite tunes on my iPod (I don't have an MP3) and then picking five other people to name that tune as well.

First: I am tone deaf. So asking me anything musical is dangerous at best.
Second: There are tunes I love, but I can't recall the name, or the name of the artist. Hey. I'm a Boomer. I survived the 1960s but killed a few brain cells along the way. Drugs were plentiful.
Third: oh, bugger. I can't think of a 3rd, so here goes. Randal, you are a cruel man. But for threatening me, I quadruple your salary.

The top 25 for me, in no particular order:

1. "More Love" The Dixie Chicks
2. "I Shall Be Released" Bob Dylan
3. "Forever Young" Bob Dylan
4. "Disorder in the House" Warren Zevon
5. "Impossible Mission" Patty Griffin
6. "Baby's Got Sauce" G. Love & Special Sauce
7. "Bamboled" Gipsy Kings
8. "The Very Thought of You" Nat "King" Cole
9. "God Only Knows" The Beach Boys
10. "Hallelujah" John Cale
11. "Old 55" Tom Waits
12. "All Along The Watchtower" Jimi Hendrix
13. "Lively Up Yourself" Bob Marley
14. "Talk To Me of Mendocino" Anna and Kate McGarrigle
15. "Ain't No Way" Aretha Franklin
16. "Dear Mr. President" Pink
17. "Gone Going" Black Eyed Peas
18. "Hello In There" John Prine
19. "The Maker" Daniel Lanois
20. "California" Joni Mitchell
21. "Hurt" Johnny Cash
22. "Southern Rain" Cowboy Junkies
23. "Dome epais - duet from Lakme" Lesley Garrett
24. "Mercy" Duffy
25. "Smiling Underneath" Ani DiFranco

Oh.My.God. I have about 200 things on my iPod. This is insane.

So, here's the deal: Now five OTHER people have to fess up:

1. Veep Mary Ellen
2. Frederick, you can't get out of this so easily.
3. Chief Justice of the Supremes, Utah Savage
4. Okjimm because he lives in the same state as the Bodeans.
5. DK Raed

Dr. Von Monkerstein has tagged me

2008-09-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein has tagged me for this new meme started up by Jewish Princess, Katie Schwartz. I realize I'm a Diva, and older than Katie, so techinically I outrank her but it is such a good idea, I bow to her wisdom and wit. The meme asks a bunch of questions of Obama supporters, and so (please forgive me) Monkey see, Diva do.

1) What is your name (nickname, whatever you're comfortable sharing), your age (range), gender, occupation, income bracket (range), how you identify (gay/straight/whatever)? Married/Single/Divorced? Kids (how many)?

Real Name: Judith
Nickname: Diva Jood
I am 59, Halloween is my birthday, yikes. Female. Travel Counselor. Income is now up for grabs as I am independent. Cash flow is tight at the moment. I am straight. Divorced. Two kids, both grown and gone, one adorable 3 year old granddaughter.

2) What are the most important issues to you in this presidential election and why?

My issues are Universal Health Care for all citizens, the Environment, and an end to the war for Oil in Iraq.

As an older Boomer, and now self-employed, I am well aware of how Health Coverage bleeds us. The numbers of uninsured Americans, or underinsured Americans, staggers the imagination, and there is no reason for it. Universal Health Care works well in Europe, in Canada, throughout the world - the only thing standing in the way of it in America is Corporate Greed.

And we must now do everything we can to protect the Environment. Again, through greed, we have pillaged the land - over built, destroying natural and needed wetlands; dumped so much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere that we've increased global temperatures at a disasterous rate. If we don't act now to reverse this, we will not have a planet to live on. And I can't afford to relocate to Mars.

And what can pay for this? The TRILLIONS of dollars wasted in a needless, irresponsible and illegal war in Iraq, that's what. End the war now, and spend this money at home.

3) Why do you think voters should vote for Obama/Biden, what differentiates this ticket from McCain/Palin?
Roe v. Wade; The Supreme Court; The Environment; Protecting ANWR vs. drilling for oil; Health Care.

4) If McCain/Palin wins this election, where do you see our country going in the next four years?
If McCain/Palin do win, I see this as a giant step backward for the nation. Domestic surveillence will increase; more bank failures; increase deregulation of various industries in the name of Corporate Greed; more airline failures; escalating costs for health care; more home foreclosures; higher prices at the pump; an end to Civil Liberties; end of Separation of Church and State; more fear, more isolation from the world at large.

5) Economically, where do you think this country is today and how do you think Obama/Biden can make a positive impact?
We are in a Recession. With all the deregulation of industry, we are on the edge of a Depression, and economic collapse. Obama's plan would be to increase taxes for the wealthiest 2%, so that they finally will pay their share. He will end Bush's tax cuts. He will encourage companies to go "green" with tax incentives; he will tax companies that outsource. I would hope that he create a service unit similar to FDR's New Deal, to create jobs at home.

6) In the past 8-years, how do you think this country has changed under the Bush regime? Have you been affected by these changes? If so, in what ways?
Loss of international respect; we are less safe as Americans because of his reckless policies and illegal, pre-emptive war.
Loss of civil liberties and increase in domestic spying.
We've become financially strapped as a nation, with home foreclosures at alarming rates; six major financial institutions collapsing; major airlines going out of business. And yes, I've been affected by all of it. I am earning less now than I was before; travel in general is down because people are afraid to go anywhere. I have had horrific health care costs. I have had to deplete my savings. Nothing good has come out of the Bush regime.

7) I have read that Palin is considered the new voice of feminism, which is offensive in my opinion. Of equal concern are her views on abortion and the removal of books from libraries. I'd like to know what you think about all of that and how you feel about McCain choosing Palin as a running mate. And what kind of message you think that sends to women?

When Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, she made sure that victims of rape had to pay for their own forensic rape kits. And while Ms. Palin supports contraception, she is a member of a "pro-woman" but anti-abortion group called "Feminists For Life". Quoting Cecile Richards:

“Senator McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate makes clear that John McCain is completely out of touch on the issues that matter to American women. The last thing women need is a president — and vice president — who are prepared to turn back the clock on women's rights and repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade.

Ms. Palin's claim to Foreign Policy Experience is that she can SEE Russia on a clear day, from Wasilla. The ONLY thing she and Hillary Clinton have in common is a vagina. Sarah Palin is an insult to all of us.

So. Now I have to ask others to respond.

1. Despite her attempt to not blog about politics, I must as FranIAm to participate in this meme.

2. Dianne rarely blogs politically, so I would love her take.

3. Maria*Maria because, well, Maria Knows.

4. Border Explorer.

Sarah Palin, the "Pro-Life" and "Feminist" Governor

2008-09-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

(big thanks to Katie Schwartz for the link)

Wasilla forced rape victims to pay for their own forensic tests when Palin was mayor.

Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska Legislature to pass a bill -- signed into law by Knowles -- that banned the practice statewide.

"There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla," (former Gov. Tony) Knowles said.

Of course, Governor Palin opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest, even if the victims are children. So why not make them pay for their foresnsic rape kits?

And she's so pro-life, she offered a bounty of $150 for turning in the legs of freshly killed wolves. She favors the trophy hunting of Grizzly Bears, even though the bear viewing industry (tourism) generates over $100,000,000.00 in revenue for Alaskans.

We cannot risk an administration of John McCain and Sarah Palin. We cannot. She would be worse for the environment than George W. Bush. Please, spread the word. Vote for Obama, do NOT sit on your hands this fall.

There's more. Grizzly Bay has been online since 2007, long before Ms. Palin became the Republican's Rock Star VP Candidate. The owners of the site are Alaskans, and proudly active in protecting Alaska's wonderful wildlife. This woman is bad for the environment, bad for America, and bad for the World. Visit the site, get educated.

Hat tip to Liberality for finding the site.

I LOVE YOU CARLOS ZAMBRANO

2008-09-14T22:08:00.001-07:00

First No-Hitter for the Cubs since 1972! I love you, Carlos!

Les Misbarack

2008-09-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

With a nod to Les Miserables. Hey, I had to do something besides whinge about how awful Sarah Palin is.

Sgt. Pecker's Neo-Con Club Band

2008-09-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

image from RobertRouse

It was 27 years ago today
Sgt Pecker taught the band to play
We've been going in and out of style
But you're guaranteed to make us smile
So may I introduce to you
The act we want to really screw you
Sgt Pecker's NeoCon Club Band
We're Sgt Pecker's NeoCon Club Band
We really do enjoy our show
We're Sgt Pecker's NeoCon Club Band
Sit back and let the country go
Sgt. Pecker's NeoCon, Sgt. Pecker's NeoCon,
Sgt. Pecker's NeoCon Club Band.
It's wonderful to be here,
It's certainly a thrill.
You're such a lovely audience,
We'd like to keep the White House ours,
We'd love to keep that home.
I don't really want to stop the show,
And I really don't care what you know,
But the singer's going to sing a song,
And he wants you all to doze along.
So let me introduce to you
The one and only 43
And Sgt. Pecker's NeoCon Club Band.

And if you need more information:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Friday Grandbaby Blogging, with awards

2008-09-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

My gramma was visiting me she was stayed here for three weeks, and she kept tickling me her fingers would get stuck in my armpits and so I stole her nose and ate it but it made her tickle me more. Then mommy went to Washtun DC for her work and gramma let me play in things that mommy doesn't and I got to bring a big stick home for doggy. Doggy got sick and went to hopsital because she ate my food. Mommy and gramma and me took doggy to hopsital and they kept her overnight I was sad. Doggy can't eat my food or she go back to hopsital. We don't like Sarah Palin in my house she likes to kill animals and that's not pro life at all. I like spiderwebs. There's a feather on the outside wall it hanging upsidedown from a bird I don't know how it got there. And Gramma got a award from Utah Savage which is pretty.

So Gramma and me gonna give this award to some other peoples. More than two peoples. Five peoples. Gramma thinks these peoples are brilliante

1. Pagan Sphinx
2. Border Explorer
3. Robert Rouse
4. Liquid
5. Fran

All these bloggers are brilliante. They are great to read, great images, thoughts.

Better Days are coming

2008-09-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark.
O. Henry

Susan suggested a contest, that we write about something we'd like to see happen to make the world a better place. So today, on the anniversary of that horrific day Americans became lost in the dark, I will write about my hopes.

I know very few people who were not directly affected by the two planes flying into the Twin Towers. My friend and collegue, Laura Lee Morabito, was in the first class section of AA11, the first plane to hit the first tower. Laura was en route from Boston to Los Angeles for a Qantas Airways sales meeting. I can only hope she didn't suffer. I have other friends, transplants from New York, guys who used to work in the financial district of New York, and who knew many of the fire fighters who died that day. All of us were affected, and we had an opportunity to come together in mourning, to unite in our grief and help to heal each other.

Instead, we got the Kowboy Koward. Where was our inspiration? In his first Inaugural Address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said clearly, boldly,

let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

He was speaking about the Great Depression, of course. It was 1933. He said

Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

Deja Vu all over again.

But back to that September morning, when our lives changed drastically and instead of asking us to be brave, our President played on our fears and plunged us into 8 years of darkness. "We're under attack" he screamed, convienently sidestepping the fact that his administration had ignored warnings. "We're gonna hunt down Osama Bin Laden and kill 'em dead." The attacks happened in New York City, which, amazingly, had no counter-terrorism plans in place despite the fact that Bin Laden's people had previously attacked The World Trade Center with a car bomb. Yep - 8 years was not enough time for Rudy Giuliani to put a plan in place.

Bush invaded Afghanistan to search for Bin Laden. We're still there, 8 years later. He used the 9/11 attacks, and lies, to invade Iraq. We're still there. John McCain is using 9/11 in conjunction with Iran, which, if he's elected, we will invade. And the entire Neo-Conservative movement says that if you oppose their Hawk Positions, you are not a patriot. That only Gun-Toting, hate-mongering, fear-driven people are out to protect America.

Not in my name. No. We have been overtaken by people so driven by greed and self-seeking that we've lost sight of our values. We have abdicated our responsibility to people who lack vision and so we've languished in darkness and fear.

Here is the better world I wish to see: Universal Health Care; clean air, made possible by breaking our addiction to oil and turning to wind, solar power, and water; affordable housing; REAL education, rather than teaching children how to take standardized tests; creation of jobs in order to rebuild our failing infrastructure - restore wetlands, rebuild levees, reclaim land. Teach compassion, and act in compassion.

What will I do to be the change I wish to see? I've left a company headed up by a man who is driven by greed and self-seeking in order to work from home. I use compact florescent bulbs. I recycle. I purchase local produce, at the farmers market, so I buy what's in season. I am voting for Obama.

And yes. I trust that we will see light again. We will be the change we need to see in the world.

Confirmed: Andrew Berens Coming Home

2008-09-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Andrew Berens has been released and is returning the the US. The website says

From what we understand, Samuel George, Andrew’s translator, and another man who was detained with him are returning to the State Security Service (SSS) tomorrow. We hope that they will be fully cleared then. International journalism relies on the work of such trusted friends as Samuel, and we ask you to check in tomorrow to learn of their status. If there’s more we need to do to help them, we will be the first to let you know.

Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer of New York lead the efforts calling for Andy's release; Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Robert Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and John Kerry (D-MA) all responded quickly calling for Andy's release. Note that all these Senators are Democrats. Not one Republican stepped forward.

This is not over. Thank you for spreading the word.

Tic-tac, no trade-backs

2008-09-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

this non-political break courtesy Utah Savage, (I love you, Utah).

1. Where was I ten years ago?
In 1998, I still lived in Chicago, had just completed my second Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride (500 miles from Minneapolis to Chicago on a bicycle), was a featured speaker at a forum for the Travel Trade in Brisbane, Australia at a program called "Unzipped: Unleashing the Potential of the North American Market." I talked about the "distribution chain" and how fractured it had become. And I also spoke at the Chicago International Outdoor and Adventure Travel Expo to a Travel Agent Forum. It was a great year.

2. What was on my ToDo list today?
Get dressed. Go to the San Pedro Court House to pay a small fee for a correction on my vehicle sticker. Get dressed. Oh, did I mention? Get out of my p.j.s and get dressed. And finish a quote for a group.

3. And my favorite number. What would I do if I were a billionaire? Oh, oh, I would do so much. I would fund sustainable tourism. I would fund a grant for women entrepeneurs. I would travel more (and I travel a lot.) I would move out of Los Angeles to a more rural location and grow all my vegetables and fruit. I would have a second home in Chicago. I would paint and write.

4. Five places I've lived.
Kfar Blum, a kibbutz in Israel
Glencoe, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
San Pedro, California

5. Bad Habits.
Are you kidding me? I hate to clean house. I'm lazy. I eat way too much bad food. I'm judgmental, opinionated, and arrogant. I spend more than I earn. Blah blah blah blah blah.

Now the fun part: pick five others to play too.

1. Blueberry
2. Maria*Maria
3. Dianne
4. Randal
5. Border Explorer

We don't have the ability to pick and choose who we can discriminate against

2008-09-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Cecile Richards says it best.

“Senator McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate makes clear that John McCain is completely out of touch on the issues that matter to American women. The last thing women need is a president — and vice president — who are prepared to turn back the clock on women's rights and repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade.

Ms. Richards is the late Governor Ann Richards' daughter, and is Planned Parenthood's Action Fund President.

Richards talks about how this election must be about moving forward, how is must be about change rather than more of the same. But the McCain/Palin ticket wants to revoke Roe V. Wade; Ms. Palin is vehemently anti-abortion. She is even at odds with her own party, "specifically her unwillingness to grant her own child a choice to end a pregnancy induced by rape."

Ms. Palin is pro-contraception and said she's a member of a pro-woman but anti-abortion group called Feminists for Life. In 2002, she declared herself "as pro-life as any candidate can be." This begs another question: how can someone call themselves "pro-life" if they support the death penalty and ariel hunting of endangered species?

Andrew Halcro, one of the candidates in Alaska's 2006 Governor's Race, said "You don't have the ability to pick and choose who you can discriminate against." He was referring to Gay Rights, but the statement refers so perfectly to the positions of the far right - the contradictions in their positions baffle me, and probably every thinking voter. How can someone be "pro-life" yet condone the death penalty, condone war as a solution, condone hunting? How can someone approve the use of contraceptives but opposed to sex education in schools? That message really confuses me - is it okay to have sex as long as you use protection, but please, please, don't talk about it, don't learn about it.

Barack Obama offers real solutions that are clear, consistent, and rational. We stand on the precipice of a very steep cliff - are we going to vote for real change, or are we going to let more and more of our freedoms and dignity be erased? November 4 is critical.

She's like Phyllis Schlafly, only worse

2008-09-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

She's the darling of the "Pro-Family" movement. No, not Sarah Palin, Phyllis Schlafly, mother of six, Karl Rove's godmother. Phyllis Schlafly, the woman Ann Coulter calls "amazing." This is the cloth from which Sarah Palin has been cut.

Which begs the question: what makes these UberConservatives "pro-family" and the rest of us not? I look at people around me, none of whom have traditional family set-ups anymore - children being raised in loving, single-parent homes; mothers who work; gay and lesbian parents raising children - aren't these people pro-family too? I don't hunt, which I guess is positively un-American.

Still. John McCain says this woman will be ready from Day 1. From the looks of things, I guess that's true.

The reason I've not been around much recently

2008-09-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

I love them both. My daughter, my granddaughter are truly amazing people. To see the world through a 3-year-old's eyes, where everything is a learning experience, has been just incredible for me. The last three weeks have been good/challenging - setting up with a new company, fighting off Napoleon and SlavesRUs (I engaged a lawyer when the schmuck tried to hack into my checking account to stop a direct deposit), two National Conventions, my daughter's strep throat, my granddaughter's gigantic personality.

We had a visit from Spartacus just before the shit hit the fan with Napoleon, so I was a bad friend and didn't get together with him again. I apologize. Truth is, my former employer was so beligerent and threatening that I was actually frightened. I've never encountered anything like this, and now he appears to be focusing his nastiness on two of my former collegues (one of whom is a friend.) When I am afraid, my resources dwindle. I become invaginated.

So Monday, I fly home. Tuesday I will get back on the campaign trail. Sorry to be scarce, but the last three weeks have been interesting.

Andrew Berends Needs Your Help

2008-09-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Karolyn sent me an email about Andrew Berends, a New York-based freelance filmmaker and journalist who was working on a film about the oil-producing Delta region in Nigeria. Andrew was Karolyn's daughter Katherine's high school class. His mother, Polly, is the author of Whole Parent, Whole Child and is a dear friend of Karolyn's. Andrew was arrested on Sunday and accused of spying. His passportand filmmaking equipment have been confiscated. “They didn’t let me sleep or eat or drink water for the first 36 hours,” he said Tuesday night. Polly has asked for help - if you can contact any political heavyweight to intervene on Andy's behalf, please do.

Several other foreign journalists and filmmakers have been detained while working in the region in recent years. In April, four members of a Seattle-based film crew were arrested in the Delta and held for six days on spying charges. Apparently, Nigeria doesn't want the world to notice the economic and ecological disaster that is taking place in the Niger Delta.

Despite its oil riches, the Niger Delta is a desperately poor and increasingly lawless part of the country, where wealth is siphoned away by corrupt officials. Militants demand a greater share of the area’s oil resources and claim to be fighting on behalf of the impoverished residents, but also appear to be engaging in many criminal and opportunistic acts of violence. Hundreds of foreign workers and wealthy Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom, and oil theft is rampant.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has demanded his immediate release, but we need to bring more pressure on Nigeria to stop this wanton censureship of filmmakers and journalists. If you can, please call your Congressional Representative and your Senators.

Thanks!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

UPDATE

Andrew has been provisionally released. There are still restrictions.

You MUST visit this site

2008-09-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Unfit McCain is amazing. Just go there.

Award Season again

2008-09-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

The very creative Akelamalu of Everything and Nothing has bestowed another lovelyArte y Pico Award upon me. I know there are rules. The rules remain the same as before, five blogs, yaddayaddayadda, link blahblahblah.

1. Dean Wormer is most definately deserving of this award, although I don't think he will look great in the gown. Perhaps he can do a tuxedo version.
2. Susan, of Phantsythat is a real artist. She has one of these, but she gets another from me.
3. Frieda Bee, hilarious, creative, fierce, inventive.
4. Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein, king monkey of the photoshop, I read him ~~religiously~~ a lot.
5. FranIAm, my friend, with an amazing passion for justice. With humor. With faith.

1)Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award which is here: Arte y Pico.

The Vet forgot to Vett

2008-09-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

(image from Frieda Bee)

She's under legislative ethics investigation in Alaska over whether she abused her power when she dismissed the state's public safety commissioner. She was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, which puts Alaska first. Or, to quote Joe Vogler, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America or her damned institutions."

Ms. Palin supports increased oil and gas drilling in sensitive lands and waterways, opposed federal action to list the polar bear as a species threatened with extinction and supports a controversial program to allow aerial shooting of wolves and bears as a means of predator control. Oh, and did I mention? Her husband, Todd Palin, works as a field operator for BP, one of the main operators on the North Slope of Alaska.

McCain was in a hurry, though. He'd rejected both Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty as running-mates, deeming those choices too predictable. He wanted either Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman, both of whom support abortion rights - which made the conservative base of the Republican party furious. So. What's the Vet to do?

He turned to Ms. Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later. Advisers to Mr. Pawlenty and another of the finalists on Mr. McCain’s list described an intensive vetting process for those candidates that lasted one to two months.

Ooops.

Let me be clear: I will not discuss her children, because god knows I made my share of mistakes raising mine. I WILL focus on the facts, though. The facts about Sarah Palin prove that she has NOTHING that qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. When you consider that John McCain is one mole away from being dead, it terrifies me that he would select her as his running-mate. Because, children, he could be elected.

Sarah Palin is anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, pro-oil drilling and advocate of teaching of creationism in schools. Some say she's an exciting choice because she's a woman. Samantha Bee said she would vote for Palin because she has "a vagina … and boobies." I guess that's all that matters, right?

Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy Expertise?

2008-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Michael Barone, of US News claims that Sarah Palin does have Foreign Policy Experience. He says

Foreign policy experience? Well, Alaska is the only state with a border with Russia. And it is the only state with territory, in the Aleutian Islands, occupied by the enemy in World War II.

Hmmm. Living NEAR Russia, it seems, provides one with foreign policy cred. I seem to recall - I even looked at a map and Alaska doesn't actually share a border with Russia - the Bering Sea is between them. Alaska DOES share a border with Canada, though. Perhaps that means Ms. Palin is fluent in French?

Of course, Cindy McCain thinks that proximity to Russia is enough to qualify Ms. Palin's experience.

Of course, there is precedent for this sort of reasoning. During the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush would occasionally claim to have foreign policy experience, by virtue of the fact that his adopted-home state of Texas bordered Mexico. If this is the basis of Foreign Policy experience, then the Shit-From-Shinola Party ticket rocks the house.

I grew up in Chicago, which has the highest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Chicago also has Italians, Irish, and Jews, so I can handle the Eastern Bloc, the Middle East, great food (Italians, c'mon) and whatever it is the Irish are known for. Really, vote Jood/Nunly and we'll turn this government around completely.

It's all about me

2008-08-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Wednesday. I would vote for Bill Clinton again. I really would. My daughter said, after his speech, "He'd make a great Secretary of State." I said, "I think that will go to Bill Richardson." I still love Joe Biden. Doggie got into Beanie's dinner when Beanie had to run to the potty. I had to answer the door, and Doggie snuck into the kitchen and finished Beanie's turkey and crackers. Not good, as Doggie is very allergic to food and has to eat a specific kind of food. This means she'll have the trots by Friday.

Thursday, still getting up to speed with the new company. Lots to re-learn. Must really work on building my business again - so much lost from working at SlavesRUs. Dinner at friends to watch Obama's speech. He rocked the house, no kidding. My friends who were at the convention have been stoked all week.

Friday, got another email from Napoleon. Seems he tried to hack into my checking account to stop payment on my check August 15. He didn't pay me my last two weeks August 30 - and he claims I owe him time. Yes, you read that correctly. He tried to hack into my checking account - without success - and sent me a threatening email "You knew you were leaving, waited until your paycheck cleared then changed or closed your checking account" was the gist of the email. Um, excuse me? I have contacted an attorney.

Saturday, we drove out to about two miles west of where Jesus lost his sandals to visit my brother. Then we came home, and I babysat while my daughter went out. I was completely exhausted, as Doggy woke up about 1 AM, and paced and paced until 4 AM, keeping me up all night. She's not feeling too well since she ate Beanie's food Wednesday night - she's got diahrea from food allergies. I gave the lead at my AA meeting, and everyone made me laugh - I was a little punchy from lack of sleep. I read the draft letter from my attorney, have to think if it needs changing.

Sunday, we took Doggy to the Chicago Emergency Vet Clinic/Hospital on Clybourn. Her bloody diahrea resembled a pint of blood. The good news: she's developed a treatable infection from her food allergy, nearly dehydrated and they've kept her at least until Monday to rehydrate and give IV anti-biotics. Daughter went to the Cubs Game, Beanie and I went to a picnic, and now I want to sleep for a week.

And now you know why I have not been visiting anyone. Oh, that, and the fact that if I sit down to the computer, my daughter insults me. And she just tossed me out of the bathroom while Beanie was taking her bath. Two weeks here is long enough and I'm here for one more. Yikes.

Quick update from Mary Ellen

2008-08-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

I just had an email from Mary Ellen. She said her sister-in-law has slipped into a deep coma, and they don't expect her to last the night. Please keep her in your thoughts, prayers, and send as much good energy her way as you can. It has been a tough go.

I've not been around to visit anyone's blogs while I'm in Chicago this trip, and I apologize. When I am home, and not chasing a 3-year-old, I will catch up. In the meantime, if I have not lost all my readers and you are reading this post, please get the word out to circle the wagons around Nunly while her family grieves this loss. She's really hurting, and can use the love.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
8/27/08 Further update: Mary Ellen emailed and said her sister-in-law passed away at 10:10 PM last night. She thanks one and all for their support.

The Lion in Winter

2008-08-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

photo by Nancy Lane

“For me this is season of hope, of new hope . . . This is the cause of my life, that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American will have decent health care, not as a privilege but as a right.

“We can meet these challenges with Barack Obama. Yes, we can and finally yes we will. This November, the torch with be passed again to a new generation of Americans.”

My daughter and I watched first Senator Ted Kennedy's inspiring speech, and then Michelle Obama's equally inspiring speech. I wept openly as I listened to Kennedy speak from the heart, focusing on those things I grew up believing in: from his late brother's Inaugural Address, when newly-elected John Fitzgerald Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," I have believed that we have a patriotic duty to heal the rifts brought on by fear.

Kennedy spoke to that fear, and to that call to action.

And then Michelle Obama got up there and talked about walking away from her great job in a big Chicago law firm to do just that - to work out in the community to heal the rifts brought on by fear. She talked openly about how we are all connected - something I believe as well. We are all connected, no matter our race, no matter our choice of faith or not, we are connected be we straight, gay, or bi-; we are connected whether we live in the United States, or in Iraq, or in Korea. And my daughter, a single mom with a 3-year-old, wept openly while Michelle Obama spoke from the heart.

She spoke to that fear, and to that call to action as well.

You may not love Obama. But if you line up the issues, and call yourself a Liberal, or a Progressive, or a Democrat, you cannot support John McCain. John McCain will not support a health care program for all Americans. John McCain will not find a way to end this mistake of a war in Iraq. John McCain will not help people get to work, nor will he search for alternative energy resources. John McCain will continue the politics of fear that the current administration has played for the last eight years. So, if you are a Liberal, a Progressive, a Democrat, and you may not love Obama, please dig deep before you cast your vote in November. It is a choice between the politics of fear, or the politics of hope, and while the candidate may not be perfect, he is a far cry better than what the Republicans offer.

Spartacus came to the Party

2008-08-25T06:35:00.001-07:00

So, you may have noticed I haven't been doing too much visiting your blogs the last week - I've been setting up at the new company, and busy with the Secretary of Strawberries and Cream and her mommy, but yesterday we had a barbque so I invited Spartacus to come on down. He's in Chicago for a class, arrived yesterday, it was perfect. So he checked into his hotel, dropped his bags, and came to the party.

I will mention that Spartacus has a WORLD CLASS New York accent - this is a city boy through and through - it's great, I don't care that he lives out on the Island, he's classic New York and he's got all the things I love about that city wrapped up in his voice. Living in Los Angeles makes me long for a real city, and real city people know what I mean. Chicago is a real city, too.

So we sat out in my daughter's back yard, about 20 - 25 people with kids, eating great barbque, enjoying perfect weather, and I have to tell you that Spartz was a hit with my daughter's friends - and he's got himself some tour guides which I think is fantastic.

He got the seal of approval from The Secretary of Strawberries and Cream as well. But in the heated game of baggo, my daughter and her friend Mindy beat Spartacus and me by one point. One lousy point, and I swear my daughter cheated by making me laugh. It was a great day.

Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 27

2008-08-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is week 27 of Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge. If you want to go to the begining to see how it works, go here. If you intend to participate, use the words for this week's challenge on your blog, and go over to Raven's and click on Mr. Linky to add your name. It's fun! Give it a try.

This week's ten-word challenge uses: tiramisu, transfixed, evacuation, Queen of the Nile, pillowcase, grammatical, voice inflection, pacified, microclimate, swami

Swami Ruptagupta sat cross-legged on a wooden crate at the head of the table. His face was the definition of serenity. The Swami was the guest of honor for the Pacified Nation Yoga Group who were having their annual dinner at the Queen of the Nile Restaurant in Not-Quite-Adjacent-To Beverly Hills. Actually, the restaurant was in Hawthorne which is quite far from Beverly Hills, but the group likes to think of itself as up-and-coming. But still, he sat on the crate which was there at his request. He stared, transfixed, at his tiramisu. What would he tell them that their inner souls did not know? He poked his desert with his finger for a moment and began.

Swami Ruptagupta's speech patterns were a grammatical nightmare. He split infinitives, he made up words, but he was a peaceful man and it was never more clear than when he achieved the voice inflection of almost song. He looked up at his group, his disciples, and said "Your souls in a microclimate are which makes them grow like grapes for a fine wine. They don't get too muches cold, they don't get to muches rain, but only if you tend your soul careful love which makes you sound." The group nodded as one. Souls in a microclimate, of course! Away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

Sarah, the owner of the Yoga studio they all went to, looked at Swami with reverence. He wore little more than a pillowcase, but he could command more respect with a flick of his beard than a Wall-Street Broker in a 3-piece suit. She sighed slightly. Just then, the entire restaurant began to shake, and roll, like a ship at sea. She screamed "Earthquake! We have to evacuate!" and shoved the Swami out of her way as she ran to the door. She'll get serene some other day.

And for the Mini Challenge: maggots, thermal pocket, industrial, bovine, feminized

Sally loved her behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo. This was more interesting than she had imagined. As they walked into the industrial-sized kitchens, the guide told her "Some of this food is still living," and pointed to a squirming plate of maggots. "Please don't touch things, as we don't want to introduce disease by accident," the guide continued. "Over here, we keep the bovine food - it's amazing how much Yaks and Water Buffalo eat!" Sally asked a question about the water tanks, and he said "We have to be careful of how we supply water - there is so much estrogen dumped into the natural water supply that we worry about the males getting feminized."

Sally was just delighted! She scrubbed her hands at the sink while the guide said "We're going into a special area, it's the nocturnal house. You'll feel like you've walked into a thermal pocket, you will notice a temperature change. You'll adjust quickly, though," and he waved Sally ahead.

Vice Presidential Candidates

2008-08-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

I met Joe Biden in 1974 when I was on campaign staff for Congressman Abner J. Mikva. Biden was a Freshman Senator, and in Des Plaines to help campaign for my candidate. He came into our office for a function, a small motivational thing and told one of the funniest, self-effacing stories - this was back in the days before airport security, when a person could get a plane held - he told us he had been running late, needed to get the plane - his staff called ahead to hold the flight for the Senator. When he got to the gate, the flight attendent looked at him and said "Senator, don't try that again until you're an adult." Biden was so young at the time. Now, at 65, perhaps he carries some of the gravitas that people think Obama lacks.

On to more serious matters. I had a text message from Nunly yesterday - the family arrived safely, her sister-in-law was still alert but in terrible pain. Keep Nunly in your thoughts, it's a tough time.

A Message from the Secretary of Strawberries

2008-08-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

So but this is me with my best friend he's my boyfriend too. An we play an go to skoo-wel together an our mommies are friends too. My gramma is here visiting and working. I copoperate really good an then we get extra kisses, I even copoperate in the bath but I cant wanna get my hair washed but I don cry I copoperate. An I eat my vegtales like brokly I like brokly. When gramma is Prezilnut we will eat brokly in the Whitehouse. An strawberries. My gramma sometimes makes me up when I seeping, like if I am napping in the car because we go to UnkaRogers House with his doggies and Ant Miss Suden, if gramma laffs it makes me up. I tell her stop making noise gramma, I seeping. Okay I hafta play now. Vote for Gramma Diva Jood and Nunly.

The Job Change

2008-08-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 15

Dear Napoleon
As much as I have enjoyed my time with SlavesRUs Travel, I feel it is time for me to pursue other avenues. I realize that allowing me to work from home is not part of your business plan; I understand your reasons, and your thinking. However, it is an essential part of my own personal business plan and to that end I must resign from SlavesRUs. Thank you for the opportunity to work with such an interesting company.

I am perfectly happy to provide you with two weeks, however, those two weeks must be remotely because I am going to remain in Chicago for the next month.

Love and Kisses,
Diva Jood

Friday, August 15

Dear Diva Jood,
You might want to wait for a week because we are having a discussion in your office location that might be of interest to you. Are you moving back to Chicago? I have to know what you are doing, and when you are doing it? Have you been away from your desk (in the bathroom? Eating snacks?) for any length of time? What are you wearing today? If you are wearing jeans, they better be pressed. I know it's casual day but there are limits to what I will permit.

Cracking the Whip
Napoleon

Friday, August 15

Dear Napoleon,
I have to leave for the airport now.

Diva

Friday, August 15

What? I thought you were in Chicago already?

Nap.

Friday, August 15

No, I went to the Aussie Specialist thing first, leave for Chicago today.

DJ

Friday, August 15

YOU BETTER CALL ME RIGHT NOW. WE NEED TO TALK BECAUSE THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME MISUNDERSTANDING AND I WON'T STAND FOR IT. AUSTRALIA IS NOT OUR MARKET. YOU ARE TALKING TO VENDORS AND MAKING YOUR OWN RELATIONSHIPS AND SINCE I AM DIVINE KING OF THE ENTIRE WORLD OF TRAVEL I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO HAVE YOUR OWN RELATIONSHIPS. OFF WITH YOUR HEAD.

NAPOLEON

At this point, Diva Jood finds herself cut off from SlavesRUs email, and client data base access. Officially fired. Napoleon starts having people call her, to "see how she is". He is upset because she will not call him. He knows that he has to tell her he is planning on closing the location she worked in and allowing them to work from home - he has to tell her, or she will be able to file for unemployment. But she won't call him, so she will be able to get her unemployment. Oops. Sorry, Nap, you seem to have screwed yourself.

We Have Met The Enemy, and He is Us

2008-08-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

Bastion of morality, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, told NATO that they better punish them Ruskies or she and George W. Bush will kick sand in everyone's face. Seriously, in an emergency session of NATO Foreign Ministers, the USA is demanding that NATO punish Russia for its operations in Georgia. Rice said:

"We have to deny Russian strategic objectives, which are clearly to undermine Georgia's democracy, to use its military capability to damage ... and to weaken the Georgian state."

I feel like I've fallen through the looking glass. Has any nation had the balls to tell NATO or any other body of officials We have to deny United States strategic objectives, which are clearly to undermine Middle East democracy, to use its military capability to damage ... and to weaken the ENITRE Middle East. Has anyone had the balls to tell the current administration in the USA that they are hypocritical, dangerous megolomaniacs and need to be stopped? I'm embarrassed to be an American, truly. I am embarrassed by the arrogance of the US Government. And I am deeply, deeply terrified at what this administration is capable of doing. Bush is the terrorist. Cheney is the terrorist. To quote Pogo, We have met the enemy, and he is us.