Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
It's a beautiful day here on the central coast of California, about 62 degrees, partly-cloudy - all the rain yesterday washed the sky blue again. GORGEOUS!
I've just pulled my homemade yeast rolls from the oven (my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner) and have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV; I only watch because of the giant balloons and Santa's arrival. We're going to my Mother-in-Law's today and to my family's on Saturday, sorta Thanksgiving and my Brother's birthday celebrated together. I can't wait!
Thinking about my Mom a lot today. She passed away in January and this time of the year was her favorite, probably why it's my favorite time of the year too. I'm going to say Mom's prayer at dinner this afternoon: "Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub, Yay, God!"
Anyway, I wish you all a very happy day and hope it's spent with people you love . . . or at least who you really like. Take care.
I've just pulled my homemade yeast rolls from the oven (my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner) and have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV; I only watch because of the giant balloons and Santa's arrival. We're going to my Mother-in-Law's today and to my family's on Saturday, sorta Thanksgiving and my Brother's birthday celebrated together. I can't wait!
Thinking about my Mom a lot today. She passed away in January and this time of the year was her favorite, probably why it's my favorite time of the year too. I'm going to say Mom's prayer at dinner this afternoon: "Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub, Yay, God!"
Anyway, I wish you all a very happy day and hope it's spent with people you love . . . or at least who you really like. Take care.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
My Baby Brother Turns 50
We are all going to his house for a big party on Saturday the 29th. And since he doesn't read my blog (even tho I gave him the address), I will post the poem I wrote for the occasion:
On My Baby Brother Turning 50
Distinguished friends and family gathered here today,
please listen to me briefly as I have some words to say.
On this notable occasion we are here to celebrate
the birthday of my brother, who is fifty on this date.
We know him as a man of honor, honest and foursquare.
He is well-traveled, well liked, even somewhat debonair.
He’s now a half century old but still he looks fine,
more wrinkles will come, it will just take some time.
Yes, my brother is turning 50 and his hair is turning grey
but some of us remember him before he got this way.
Always a handsome lad who had been known to flirt,
but once he was a little boy known to me as Johnny Burt.
He’s laughed a lot and cried a little too, and of the hard times,
I'm sure there were a few!
He’s fallen and stood right back up on his feet,
and many good people he’s had the pleasure to meet.
He’s worked very hard and played a lot too, but John,
there's not too many who can do what you do.
There are so many people around him here that care,
and hope at his one hundredth, they will be there.
Turning Fifty's not such a terrible thing,
but I can't wait to see what the next fifty brings!!!!
All my love, Cissy
On My Baby Brother Turning 50
Distinguished friends and family gathered here today,
please listen to me briefly as I have some words to say.
On this notable occasion we are here to celebrate
the birthday of my brother, who is fifty on this date.
We know him as a man of honor, honest and foursquare.
He is well-traveled, well liked, even somewhat debonair.
He’s now a half century old but still he looks fine,
more wrinkles will come, it will just take some time.
Yes, my brother is turning 50 and his hair is turning grey
but some of us remember him before he got this way.
Always a handsome lad who had been known to flirt,
but once he was a little boy known to me as Johnny Burt.
He’s laughed a lot and cried a little too, and of the hard times,
I'm sure there were a few!
He’s fallen and stood right back up on his feet,
and many good people he’s had the pleasure to meet.
He’s worked very hard and played a lot too, but John,
there's not too many who can do what you do.
There are so many people around him here that care,
and hope at his one hundredth, they will be there.
Turning Fifty's not such a terrible thing,
but I can't wait to see what the next fifty brings!!!!
All my love, Cissy
Monday, November 17, 2008
Worth repeating (from last year)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Actually, I am addicted to Fall: crisp air, that “autumn blue” sky, raking leaves, freshly picked apples, dried corn stalks, and pumpkin patches. (Note: I could be genetically predisposed as my birthday falls on the first day of Autumn most years.) My house begins to fill with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Around the end of July, I begin scouring my old magazines for Fall arts & crafts and decorating projects, comfort food ideas, and new baking recipes. I am a woman obsessed! I go down to the basement to begin sorting through my Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations, all carefully packed in plastic storage boxes (I’ll spare you my obsession with Christmas and how I put up 3 Christmas trees each year).
This past Sunday, in honor of my birthday, my husband took me out to breakfast, my favorite meal to have out and also to cook. As we drove south on Hwy 1, along the coast to Moss Landing, overlooking Monterey Bay, I spied my first pumpkin patch of the season. My husband of 30 years knows well my reaction to seeing the pumpkins for the first time and pulled over just in time (he’s really as bad as me) to take in the gorgeous sea of orange and white. Pumpkins of every size imaginable, as far as the eye can see, rolling down to the water’s edge.
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Actually, I am addicted to Fall: crisp air, that “autumn blue” sky, raking leaves, freshly picked apples, dried corn stalks, and pumpkin patches. (Note: I could be genetically predisposed as my birthday falls on the first day of Autumn most years.) My house begins to fill with the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. Around the end of July, I begin scouring my old magazines for Fall arts & crafts and decorating projects, comfort food ideas, and new baking recipes. I am a woman obsessed! I go down to the basement to begin sorting through my Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations, all carefully packed in plastic storage boxes (I’ll spare you my obsession with Christmas and how I put up 3 Christmas trees each year).
This past Sunday, in honor of my birthday, my husband took me out to breakfast, my favorite meal to have out and also to cook. As we drove south on Hwy 1, along the coast to Moss Landing, overlooking Monterey Bay, I spied my first pumpkin patch of the season. My husband of 30 years knows well my reaction to seeing the pumpkins for the first time and pulled over just in time (he’s really as bad as me) to take in the gorgeous sea of orange and white. Pumpkins of every size imaginable, as far as the eye can see, rolling down to the water’s edge.
Did I mention that I love Fall?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Obama Cabinet Picks (just thinking ahead)
I won't try and guess the biggies like Chief of Staff (I have read Rahm Emanuel has the job if he wants it), Attorney General (a woman would be nice) or Secretary of State (?)
BUT
how about these names:
Treasury Secretary: Michael Bloomberg (he's a party swinger, kinda like Lieberman)
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub who's actually done well here in CA)
Secretary of Education: Caroline Kennedy (a Kennedy in the White House again - Camelot!)
Secretary of Defense: Colin Powell (I know but he was a soldier and knows his stuff)
Press Secretary: Jon Stewart or Keith Olberman (Stephen Colbert is Canadian)
OK, I'll keep thinking . . .
Oh yeah, and I dreamed Michelle Obama asked me to come decorate the White House for Christmas - ME, not Martha Stewart - lol - it could happen!
BUT
how about these names:
Treasury Secretary: Michael Bloomberg (he's a party swinger, kinda like Lieberman)
Secretary of Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub who's actually done well here in CA)
Secretary of Education: Caroline Kennedy (a Kennedy in the White House again - Camelot!)
Secretary of Defense: Colin Powell (I know but he was a soldier and knows his stuff)
Press Secretary: Jon Stewart or Keith Olberman (Stephen Colbert is Canadian)
OK, I'll keep thinking . . .
Oh yeah, and I dreamed Michelle Obama asked me to come decorate the White House for Christmas - ME, not Martha Stewart - lol - it could happen!
Open Letter to Obama from Alice Walker
Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.
And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.
We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance.
A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on.
One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.
One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.
It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.
And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.
And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.
We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance.
A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on.
One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.
One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.
It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.
And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
AWESOME DAY FOR AMERICA!!!
Proud. Proud. Proud.
I am especially proud to be an American today.
The dark clouds over this nation are moving away;
Good bye to the old, make way for the new.
It's not going to be easy, let's roll up our sleeves
and get to work!
The page has been turned.
We've looked in the mirror and have finally become
the country we always knew we were.
(Party at my house January 24th, you're ALL invited!)
I am especially proud to be an American today.
The dark clouds over this nation are moving away;
Good bye to the old, make way for the new.
It's not going to be easy, let's roll up our sleeves
and get to work!
The page has been turned.
We've looked in the mirror and have finally become
the country we always knew we were.
(Party at my house January 24th, you're ALL invited!)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Dr. King had it Right
"I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions.
This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream-- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed;
a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few;
a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream-- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed;
a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few;
a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween (from last year)
1) Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
2) Do not search the basement or attic when the power is out.
3) As a general rule, do not solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
4) When it appears you have killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead. It isn't.
5) Do not take anything from the dead. No matter how much you like it, it's bound to disagree with you sooner or later.
6) If you find a town that looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop to look around.
7) Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you know exactly what you're doing.
8) Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This rule also applies to any other house of the dead.
9) If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice--more if you're female.
10) Beware of strangers bearing strange tools like chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawn mowers, butane torches, soldering irons, and ice picks.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
2) Do not search the basement or attic when the power is out.
3) As a general rule, do not solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.
4) When it appears you have killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead. It isn't.
5) Do not take anything from the dead. No matter how much you like it, it's bound to disagree with you sooner or later.
6) If you find a town that looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop to look around.
7) Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you know exactly what you're doing.
8) Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This rule also applies to any other house of the dead.
9) If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice--more if you're female.
10) Beware of strangers bearing strange tools like chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawn mowers, butane torches, soldering irons, and ice picks.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Halloween Candies - Top 10 Worst
According to "Serious Eats.com," the little beggars who come calling every October 31st have a preferred and despised list of Halloween candy. Just in case some of you'd like to avoid the "tricks" associated with the holiday, here's the despised list (and why):
1) Toothbrushes - apparently Dentists & Orthodontists should NOT bring their work home with them on this night.
2) Raisins - the little goblins want treats that will actually rot their teeth, not "wrinkled grapes."
3) Candy Corn - now this is just unAmerican. What is Halloween without candy corn? It's the "fruitcake" of Halloween.
4) Smarties & Necco wafers - I agree, who wants to eat chalk!
5) Dum-Dum lollipops - oh come on, who can resist a 3,000 count package of suckers for $1.99?
6) Apples - remember when bad peeps would hide razor blades in these . . . makes me shudder just remembering the days of ex-raying all candy at the local ER.
7) Tootsie Rolls - yeah, no chocolate in them at all anymore and a destroyer of dental work.
8) Miscellaneous, Hard wrapped candy - reserved for Senior Citizens? What about the bagged stuff they put in Pinatas?
9) Laffy Taffy - hey, it's their dental work NOT MINE!
10) Anything "Fun-Sized- " apparently anything "portion controlled" shouldn't apply to Halloween.
OK, so, that means the 3 Costco bags of 250 count tootsie rolls, tootsie pops, sweet tarts, and miscellaneous hard-wrapped candy I just bought have to be returned? Phhhhhhhhhhtttttttttttttt, beggars can't be choosers!!!!!!
1) Toothbrushes - apparently Dentists & Orthodontists should NOT bring their work home with them on this night.
2) Raisins - the little goblins want treats that will actually rot their teeth, not "wrinkled grapes."
3) Candy Corn - now this is just unAmerican. What is Halloween without candy corn? It's the "fruitcake" of Halloween.
4) Smarties & Necco wafers - I agree, who wants to eat chalk!
5) Dum-Dum lollipops - oh come on, who can resist a 3,000 count package of suckers for $1.99?
6) Apples - remember when bad peeps would hide razor blades in these . . . makes me shudder just remembering the days of ex-raying all candy at the local ER.
7) Tootsie Rolls - yeah, no chocolate in them at all anymore and a destroyer of dental work.
8) Miscellaneous, Hard wrapped candy - reserved for Senior Citizens? What about the bagged stuff they put in Pinatas?
9) Laffy Taffy - hey, it's their dental work NOT MINE!
10) Anything "Fun-Sized- " apparently anything "portion controlled" shouldn't apply to Halloween.
OK, so, that means the 3 Costco bags of 250 count tootsie rolls, tootsie pops, sweet tarts, and miscellaneous hard-wrapped candy I just bought have to be returned? Phhhhhhhhhhtttttttttttttt, beggars can't be choosers!!!!!!
“Donde esta la Cerveza?”
From drunken college frat boy to when he finally admitted there were no WMDs in Iraq, Oliver Stone’s “W” tries really hard to make us believe that all poor George W. Bush ever wanted to do was watch baseball and drink beer all day. Sounds like a reasonable request to me. Then again, this was the starting point to understanding how Bush got into office, why he got into office, and why he never should have gotten into office.
If you are a fan of George W. Bush, you're going to be more fond of him than ever. If you are not a fan of George W. Bush, you're going to be surprised at how sympathetic his character appears. Whatever your political beliefs, you won't find anything unexpected in "W."
I do wish the film would have explored the connection between Bush's alcoholism and his born-again Christianity with some depth or curiosity - what addicts and born-agains share is a terror of ambiguity, an absolute need for a belief system that removes all doubt- but at least the film lets us know the American people made a HUGE mistake.
It’s worth the price of admission just to see Richard Dreyfuss play Dick Cheney. One of the most chilling movie scenes ever is when Cheney is asked about his exit strategy from Iraq - “There is no exit. We stay.” I swear to god, it gave me goose bumps!
Josh Brolin's performance as “W” is really amazing; in fact, Brolin's so good, he almost makes you feel sorry for Bush. Almost. An equally stellar performance by James Cromwell as “Poppy,” George H.W. Bush, Sr., makes me understand why Daddy Bush would rather hang with Bill Clinton these days.
Still, leaving the theater, I had the sense that, really, it is too early for this movie to have been made.
If you are a fan of George W. Bush, you're going to be more fond of him than ever. If you are not a fan of George W. Bush, you're going to be surprised at how sympathetic his character appears. Whatever your political beliefs, you won't find anything unexpected in "W."
I do wish the film would have explored the connection between Bush's alcoholism and his born-again Christianity with some depth or curiosity - what addicts and born-agains share is a terror of ambiguity, an absolute need for a belief system that removes all doubt- but at least the film lets us know the American people made a HUGE mistake.
It’s worth the price of admission just to see Richard Dreyfuss play Dick Cheney. One of the most chilling movie scenes ever is when Cheney is asked about his exit strategy from Iraq - “There is no exit. We stay.” I swear to god, it gave me goose bumps!
Josh Brolin's performance as “W” is really amazing; in fact, Brolin's so good, he almost makes you feel sorry for Bush. Almost. An equally stellar performance by James Cromwell as “Poppy,” George H.W. Bush, Sr., makes me understand why Daddy Bush would rather hang with Bill Clinton these days.
Still, leaving the theater, I had the sense that, really, it is too early for this movie to have been made.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sarah Palin Explains It All
"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C.
We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers --
"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit,
and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America,
being here with all of you hard working very patriotic,
um, very, um, pro-America
areas of this great nation.
This is where we find the kindness
and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans.
Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids
and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us.
Those who are protecting us in uniform.
Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
yeah....she loves those small pockets of "pro-americans" a.k.a. small pockets of uneducated white republicans who actually like her. Or is that pro-America like Todd Palin is pro-America?
yeah....she loves those small pockets of "pro-americans" a.k.a. small pockets of uneducated white republicans who actually like her. Or is that pro-America like Todd Palin is pro-America?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
New Candidate Alert!!!
OMG, I've never been so excited about a potential Presidential candidate in my life . . . view here:
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=JutNf&altl=Djttz
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=JutNf&altl=Djttz
Monday, September 29, 2008
Greed Is Good?
Little Boots’ New American Way: social welfare for the rich by giving $700 billion to Wall Street so that they can turn around and lend it back to us.
I had to giggle when I heard Republicans blaming Nancy Pelosi's scathing speech near the close of the debate — which attacked Bush's economic policies and a "right-wing ideology of anything goes, no supervision, no discipline, no regulation" of financial markets — for the vote's failure.
Thank you, Nancy Pelosi, for calling things as you see them. You (the Democrats & a few brave Republicans) made me proud today when you stood and refused to be bullied into signing on to this joke of a plan and insisting on more detail and oversight.
Socialism is not Patriotic: Don’t bail them out, Jail Them!
I had to giggle when I heard Republicans blaming Nancy Pelosi's scathing speech near the close of the debate — which attacked Bush's economic policies and a "right-wing ideology of anything goes, no supervision, no discipline, no regulation" of financial markets — for the vote's failure.
Thank you, Nancy Pelosi, for calling things as you see them. You (the Democrats & a few brave Republicans) made me proud today when you stood and refused to be bullied into signing on to this joke of a plan and insisting on more detail and oversight.
Socialism is not Patriotic: Don’t bail them out, Jail Them!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Dow Jones Industrial Average - Then & Now
January 20th, 2001 = 10,588
September 17th, 2008 = 10,605
Bush says: "We must act now to protect our nation's economic health."
This is the same loser who's been telling us over and over for years that the economy is "strong."
Three months left in his miserable presidency and all of a sudden we need to "act now to protect our economic health."
Way to go Little Boots!
September 17th, 2008 = 10,605
Bush says: "We must act now to protect our nation's economic health."
This is the same loser who's been telling us over and over for years that the economy is "strong."
Three months left in his miserable presidency and all of a sudden we need to "act now to protect our economic health."
Way to go Little Boots!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Happy Birthday To My Best Friend Karen!
We met in the middle of 6th grade. I was blonde and Anglo, she was olive and Mexican-American. What she saw in me that first day I’ll never know but she held out her hand in friendship to a very shy 11 year old that had been to three different schools that year.
I always thought Karen was lucky. She had a nice house full of older sisters who could do the most AMAZING things with their hair. And they had BOYFRIENDS! Her parents, especially her Dad, loved her to pieces (I can close my eyes right now and feel the love in that house).
Karen taught me to toast corn tortillas over an open flame on the gas stove in the kitchen. I’d sometimes sleep over and we’d sleep in middle of the same double bed, giggling, about boys, until we both fell asleep.
On weekends, we’d ride the city bus “K & C’s Excellent Adventures” to downtown San Jose to window shop at Woolworth’s, Macy’s, Hale’s & Hart’s, completely fearless about being MILES from home (no cell phones then). We’d go to movies in old theaters that had velvet curtains and ushers with flashlights. We’d play with Barbie’s at my house, devour my Mom’s homemade bread the second a loaf came out of the oven, and went (indoor) roller skating every Friday & Saturday night. We’d drink “suicides” almost until we were sick. Anyone else know what a “suicide” is?
And Karen had DOGS, a big white poodle named Cognac who had a litter of puppies with their black poodle Fluffy. It was one of the best days of my life when I was given first pick from the litter who I named “Mademoiselle Michelle Cognac La Fluff Reyes Parsons” (Mimi for short).
In High School we were on the Yearbook Staff together, in charge of Clubs. Karen was a beauty (looked EXACTLY like Marlow Thomas aka “That Girl!”) and became a song girl; I joined the Spirit Club and painted the banners the football team ran through at the beginning of every game. She was “front of the house,” I was “behind the scenes.”
Karen married right out of High School and after the birth of her first child, we lost touch. Last October, her husband found me on the Classmates.com website and we have been trying to catch up on the last 30-something years ever since.
I hope you have a very Happy Birthday Karen and I am so glad we found each other again.
I always thought Karen was lucky. She had a nice house full of older sisters who could do the most AMAZING things with their hair. And they had BOYFRIENDS! Her parents, especially her Dad, loved her to pieces (I can close my eyes right now and feel the love in that house).
Karen taught me to toast corn tortillas over an open flame on the gas stove in the kitchen. I’d sometimes sleep over and we’d sleep in middle of the same double bed, giggling, about boys, until we both fell asleep.
On weekends, we’d ride the city bus “K & C’s Excellent Adventures” to downtown San Jose to window shop at Woolworth’s, Macy’s, Hale’s & Hart’s, completely fearless about being MILES from home (no cell phones then). We’d go to movies in old theaters that had velvet curtains and ushers with flashlights. We’d play with Barbie’s at my house, devour my Mom’s homemade bread the second a loaf came out of the oven, and went (indoor) roller skating every Friday & Saturday night. We’d drink “suicides” almost until we were sick. Anyone else know what a “suicide” is?
And Karen had DOGS, a big white poodle named Cognac who had a litter of puppies with their black poodle Fluffy. It was one of the best days of my life when I was given first pick from the litter who I named “Mademoiselle Michelle Cognac La Fluff Reyes Parsons” (Mimi for short).
In High School we were on the Yearbook Staff together, in charge of Clubs. Karen was a beauty (looked EXACTLY like Marlow Thomas aka “That Girl!”) and became a song girl; I joined the Spirit Club and painted the banners the football team ran through at the beginning of every game. She was “front of the house,” I was “behind the scenes.”
Karen married right out of High School and after the birth of her first child, we lost touch. Last October, her husband found me on the Classmates.com website and we have been trying to catch up on the last 30-something years ever since.
I hope you have a very Happy Birthday Karen and I am so glad we found each other again.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Bush Doctrine ("Caribou Barbie" Edition)
The Bush Doctrine is based on delusions of grandeur about America's ability to dominate the world and endorses the use of unilateral preemptive force & persuasion rather than honest multi-lateral cooperation.
Just remember these four words: “Preemption, rather than reaction.”
In order to justify the invasion of Afghanistan, Bush came up with the policy that the United States has the right to treat countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups as terrorists themselves. Later, in order to justify the invasion of Iraq, he added that the United States should depose foreign regimes that represented a supposed threat to the security of the United States, even if that threat was not immediate.
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Obama was right about one thing, even if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.
Just remember these four words: “Preemption, rather than reaction.”
In order to justify the invasion of Afghanistan, Bush came up with the policy that the United States has the right to treat countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups as terrorists themselves. Later, in order to justify the invasion of Iraq, he added that the United States should depose foreign regimes that represented a supposed threat to the security of the United States, even if that threat was not immediate.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Obama was right about one thing, even if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
7 Years Later: Rememberng 9/11
Life-altering changes. I guess if you live long enough, it probably happens more than once. For me it was the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Jr., and the Challenger explosion. I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard about or witnessed these events.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 were different.
While I didn’t have any family or friends die that day, I did have a friend, a Nurse, working in Manhattan who lived through the whole nightmare. At the University, we were deeply saddened when we learned that Alumni Jason Dahl, a 1980 Graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, was the Pilot and Captain of the crew of Flight 93, the plane that crashed in a field just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The overwhelming majority of casualties were ordinary people like you and me, including nationals from over 90 different countries. Let’s never forget that excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 are missing and presumed dead.
Now, seven years have come and gone. In those years we moved on, we put 9/11 aside with all our other memories. Very briefly, we came together as a nation to help and comfort each other when we were all just human beings on common ground.
I hope on this tragic 7th Anniversary, we remember what is still good about our country and the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives. Let’s also remember the Heroes who responded to the emergency and the people who continue to sacrifice every day to help stop conflict around the world.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 were different.
While I didn’t have any family or friends die that day, I did have a friend, a Nurse, working in Manhattan who lived through the whole nightmare. At the University, we were deeply saddened when we learned that Alumni Jason Dahl, a 1980 Graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, was the Pilot and Captain of the crew of Flight 93, the plane that crashed in a field just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The overwhelming majority of casualties were ordinary people like you and me, including nationals from over 90 different countries. Let’s never forget that excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks. Another 24 are missing and presumed dead.
Now, seven years have come and gone. In those years we moved on, we put 9/11 aside with all our other memories. Very briefly, we came together as a nation to help and comfort each other when we were all just human beings on common ground.
I hope on this tragic 7th Anniversary, we remember what is still good about our country and the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives. Let’s also remember the Heroes who responded to the emergency and the people who continue to sacrifice every day to help stop conflict around the world.
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