I’ve had a couple of days now to reflect on what the 2009 ASAE Annual Meeting taught me. Learning is what it’s all about, no? Educational sessions, “Thought Leaders”, social media opportunities, vendor products and last but certainly not least, networking. Yes, each of these areas taught me one or more somethings, but not necessarily what I thought I would be learning. So, in no particular order, here are some of the highlights for me of #asae09.
1. Realizing what a great divide there seems to be between associations who are unafraid to understand what it may take to move forward, what tools are needed now, what trends to watch– and those who don’t appear to realize business is not “as usual” even if what they are doing is working today. “Today” is a short period of time if you think about it.
Social Media is a key indicator of this divide, as conversations with others showed me. Those who understand the potential and use it now; those who know there’s an unknown element and risk involved, but who are willing to try; vs. those who are “leaving it to the younger crowd”- -for which I responded with the well publicized statistic that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women between the ages of 55-65.
2. Once again, learning much valuable information, whether from insightful people such as Gary Hamel, Li, Shirky, or Jeff De Cagna’s wonderful, thought provoking session looking toward the future (including his recent post about 2010), and other sessions of importance to me and what I needed to learn for my organization — to Fareed Zakaria’s closing session (once we finally got to him!). I agree with my fellow twitterer @bkmcae, who thought FZwas a brilliant writer but not the best of speakers. I bought his book and already can tell how much I will learn.
Were the sessions relevant to what associations needs are today/tomorrow? Only each attendee can answer that as we vary so. Don’t know if this is feasible for 2010 or beyond, but it would be great to indicate “for beginners” or “advanced”, etc, per each session description. Many of the social media sessions could have been tagged in that manner – so that those who needed the “how to” could get that info, while those looking for “ok you have it, now how do you maximize it, measure it, get ideas from it” could focus, exchange experiences, etc.
3. Really enjoyed the whole “twitter thing” (I am @christytj). Not only learning from other’s tweets (found myself checking out #asae09 constantly for new info or insight), but discovering that there were so many folks who couldn’t attend the conference who were closely following our tweets and seemed to learn right along with us. How useful this was too for staff who couldn’t attend, who passed along questions via tweets that were answered by some session speakers directly. How cool was that!
Maybe ASAE should get all 2010 session speakers into tweeting for increased communication before, during and after! Or Facebook, or podcasts, or whatever form of social media is hitting it’s peak next summer.
4. Also am seriously thinking about the questions that are being raised now via post #asae09 conversations. Do I think dues paying membership organizations are a thing of the past? Do I think social media is the only wave of the now & future? Do I think ASAE can change so much between now and 2010 (can any of us)? Will I find the answers in any of the books I bought during #asae09? In reviewing the sessions online? In the tweet exchanges? On Facebook or online articles? Probably not all of the answers, but certainly a lot of input that would never had occurred to me if I didn’t review any of these resources.
In case you missed it: content availability: ASAE’s the Hub has made it easy to find opinions, videos, Twitters, etc. I found I didn’t visit it as often as I should have as I was caught up in tweeting myself but check it out if you haven’t. Also – just remembered, the book “Free” by Chris Anderson (of Wired mag) was mentioned over and over again – I’ll be getting that too.
And lastly as I sit and face piles of catch up work (yikes), I smile as I think of the numerous conversations I had (and am still having) with old/new friends from #asae09, whether in person, or via any form of Social Media. Can’t wait to continue these, I think of them as the “future is now” chats as I face forward to catch new ideas, new concepts, new things that worked for someone else and take advantage! Thanks.
A beautiful day yesterday, now only in memory as the summertime starts up with humidity hitting the airwaves. I’ve learned the trick of adjusting (somewhat) to the DC metro area. Make sure to spend a bit of time in the humidity and not just hide behind an AC somewhere. The more time you can spend outside, the more your body becomes adjusted and the next summer you find you can last a little longer before the “enough already” sets in and you run into the nearest building. If you are a tourist fortunately there are plenty of museums, free ones at that, which offer coolness and even refreshments to help you cool down.
But then there are those nights that you want to brave the humidity and get caught up in fun and rhythm and music to keep your toes tapping or even dancing. Not too far from DC, on the Maryland side is a town called Silver Spring that offers great music for free from June through August. A few examples of the types of live music being showcased this summer include: rock & roll, oldies – 50’s and 60’s, Celtic, jazz, blues from Spain, salsa, reggae, pop, funk, soul, bluegrass, West African, rock and zydeco. Phew, I am mopping my brow with a smile on my face already.
In addition to the wonderful music, the offerings include SilverDocs, “an eight day internationally recognized film festival that celebrates independent thinking and generates global media attention.” The other thing about the SilverDocs movies (over 100) – you are inside in the cool AC, so if the heat or humidity is too high, and you want to see the unusual, this event is for you.
Downtown Silver Spring has a bunch of other activities, from books to booze (there is a relationship in there somewhere). I know most folks spend the majority of their time going to the beaches, driving hours in congested traffic, waiting in airports, in hotel lines, or even on the spare couch cushion at your cousins. But if you are in the DC Metro area or are just visiting, get away from the usual “spots” and go visit a fun place that’s only minutes away. I know I will.
I’m one of those who answers “dog person” whenever the question comes up as to favorite pets. I’ve grown up with them and my latest, Sadie, was a combo Basset Hound – Australian Sheppard mix. I would get lots of comments about her appearance especially after she lost one eye to glaucoma. Once we even passed a gentleman who had an eye-patch and when he saw Sadie, lifted said patch and popped out his fake eye. Not only was I speechless, but so too was the young woman on his arm, who I forever wondered if she stayed with him or not.
My soon to be sister-in-law brought two Alaskan Malamutes to the marriage and thus began my introduction to the wolf side of the dog species. These two, Havoc and Elke, were definitely hunters, Elke in particular was the silent but deadly type. With Sadie in tow, I remember the occasional evening barbecue that somehow included howling to the moon, a most impressive sound with wolves (in essence) and one basset hound. I’m sure the neighbors loved us.
All of those particular family pets have since passed on, but their memory lives on. When I ran across this little story in the paper this morning, I couldn’t resist sending it to my brother and sister-in-law and suggested they change their summer vacation plans of France to the possibility presented here. No, I haven’t heard back yet as to whether they will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity…
Washington Post Express: Nature Join the Pack
A project involving conservationists and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists is looking for a few dozen people willing to howl like wolves in Maine’s North Woods. The Wolf Inquiry Project plans to conduct “howling surveys” in several areas this summer in hopes of discovering whether wolves are resettling in Maine. The Bangor Daily News reported that coordinators are seeking individuals willing to spend a night howling in the woods and who won’t be scared off if they get a response from the wolves.
I spent an unexpected amount of time this weekend watching Drew and John use newly designed tools to fix a broken object. From that description, sounds like I was watching a weekly PBS or cable show on home repair with a couple of hardware handymen. Nope. I was watching Astronaut/Astrophysicst John Grunsfeld and Astronaut Drew Feustel up in space giving the Hubble Space Telescope a tune-up. And if you access this blog post this Monday morning (5/18), click here to also watch the folks in space walk around your world, it’s awesome!!
One of my twitters from Saturday:
@christytj Astronaut John with red strip on back designating “free floater, wiggling his toes, 350 miles above Queensland Australia #nasa.
And a twitter from Astronaut Mike Massimino just a few minutes ago (Monday morning 5/18).
@Astro_Mike From orbit: At the end of my spacewalk, I had time to just look at the Earth, the most awesome sight my eyes have seen, indescribable.
Don’t let us forget Astronaut Megan McArthur, the women the other men constantly refer to in their space conversations. Why? She is operating the robotic arm that either holds them, their equipment or other important objects. Competent and invaluable it appears.
Either by watching them work in space, following their twitters, reading stories in your local paper or via the regular tv shows, take a moment and follow what’s happening in space. It is amazing. One last point, an answer to that often unspoken question, “Ever wonder how astronauts pee in space?
The latest headlines, “Recession Hits Social Security Hard,” are just that, the latest headlines. We’ve all been reading for years of the trouble Social Security and Medicare are facing and that long term solutions should “start now”. I was in my twenty’s the first time I read about this – I only remember because I laughed, with a Murphy’s Law cynicism, the news predicted at that time it would run out the same year I turned 65.
I’m not laughing now. Since then I’ve learned that women only make 78 cents to the dollar a man makes and one of the biggest area that impacts women is their retirement years. It used to be thought (and still is depending upon whom you talk with), “that’s ok, a woman will live off her husband’s pension anyway.” Given the current economy, one feels like asking, “what pension?” And if a woman is single, unless she started (or starts) financial planning early, well, let’s just say, YIKES!
So when years later, I hear that Social Security and its companion, Medicare, are in trouble, I hope that this time someone will listen. The fact that the recession has only added to its woes compounds the bigger issue of preparedness. And the impact on women extends to their families, for obvious reasons.
For decades, the government seems to have been ignoring its own warning signs. Just as equally, people haven’t been preparing enough. I hope the current government in Washington has the ability to not just put a band-aide on the wound, but to gather our community focus – government, corporations, small businesses, everyone of us – on solving the real issues now, for my future, for your future and for the next generations to come.
Isn’t that a headline that makes us all look back into our own families and wonder if it happened to us or at the very least to one of our siblings? It was only after years of rumors and a DNA test that Kay Rene Reed Qualls and DeeAnn Angell Shafer of Heppner Oregon found out they had been switched at birth by accident, back in 1953.
I had to agree with what Shafer reportedly said, “”I’m trying to move forward at look at the positive. You can’t look back. It just drives you crazy.” Can you imagine? Everything you thought about your family history has now changed when you are no longer a blood relative – and yet, not changed since your history is also their family history now too.
Over my lifetime, I’ve had many numerous discussions of being “switched at birth” with friends as we diagnosed various members of our respective families and thought there was no way we could be related. This at times led to interesting insight from friends who were adopted, however, they considered themselves the “chosen” one rather than the outsider. To find out you were switched at birth for real?! I did read the hospital in question, Pioneer Memorial in Eastern Oregon, offered to pay for counseling. I have to wonder if either or both ladies in question (or their families) will look for other means of retribution, but somehow doubt it.
Is it a blood connection that makes a family really? Genetics do come into play for medical reasons, more so as science and technology continue to advance and we can become more proactive (if we can afford to, but that’s another blog post). But I can think of non-blood “relatives” who I consider just as close as my real family. Not just spouses or partners but friends who act more like family than family. It’s the connectivity people have, the caring for each other, the sense of community they build, the support they provide that make up a “family”. It sounds like once the shock of discovery wore off, the “switched at birth” ladies now consider themselves “sisters.” And that’s not a bad thing.
My family still teases me for getting a tear in my eye at some commercials (yes, guilty), and my niece still remembers how I cried when I took her to see the dinosaur flick, Land Before Time, years ago. So it was no wonder that it was a Kleenex moment when I watched the Elizabeth Edwards interview on the Today Show this morning as Matt Lauer talked with her about the publication of her new book Resilience.
The book focuses on her continuing experience as a cancer survivor and of course, being the wife of former N.C. Senator & VP Candidate, John Edwards, most recently known for his admitted affair. Others will talk about the “affair”, it was her own story that caught my eye. It was the story of the loss of her father, of her 16 year old son, of her battle with cancer, of the joys of her other children, that made me bring out the Kleenex brigade.
And it was the story of how she wants to take her youngest daughter on a trip with her (her daughter’s one wish). Knowing she can’t “handle luggage and an 11 year old” on her own now, Elizabeth said she was thinking of taking a tour. Hearing that, off popped the memory lightbulb as I remember my own sister in the same cancer battle, trying to set up a tour so that she might take her young daughter on a trip as well.
The final “big” trip didn’t happen, but my sister did create many loving memories that will carry through the years and listening to the interview this morning, I applaud Elizabeth Edwards and all like her who are making the effort to do the same for their child. It’s off to the bookstore at lunch today to get Resilience and to get inspired — inspired with tissues in hand admittedly.
When I was in my twenty’s, I worked at a residential treatment center for juvenile delinquents. It was one of the few programs at the time that housed both boys and girls, ages 12-18. Most just dealt with boys since “girls are just too much trouble.” Having had counseling training and work experience with the Juvenile Court system during college, I thought I knew what I would be facing. Wrong.
My years there taught me more about parenting than I ever would have realized. I went in thinking I would be helping a bunch of rebellious kids who had succumbed to peer pressure and gotten into trouble despite the best efforts of their parents. Naive? You bet! The more parents I met, the more I realized that 95% of what later turned into delinquent behavior by the child, started with inappropriate, absentee or even abusive parenting. And it was not necessarily based on economic, cultural or other what was deemed “typical” demographics.
What started me on this train of thought today? I read Nicholas Kristof’s NYTimes Op-Ed column, “Girls on our Streets” of yesterday. I’m used to his descriptions of overseas prostitution, of trafficking in girls usually between the ages of 12-14, but this column discusses young girl prostitutes in the United States. Even social services call them “throw-aways”, young girls whose parents see ”no good” in them or who can’t handle the behavior patterns developed as a result of the girl’s low-self esteem. Low-self esteem developed because of serious parenting issues. See a vicious cycle here?
My first instinct upon reading Kristof’s column was to jump, yet again, on the bandwagon for more resources, guidance, counseling, teaching, etc., etc., for those who are parents in trouble as well as for the child. While I still believe in that, I decided instead I wanted to actually do a complete turn-about and celebrate parents who are great, who are taking wonderful care of their children, who are making a positive difference.
With Mother’s Day around the corner, when I learned of a delightful opportunity to create an easy online video award for the mother you want to honor as “Mother of the Year”, I couldn’t resist passing it along. From MomsRising’s Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner:
*See your name in lights on a prime time online newscast in this funny, inspirational and, yes, customizable video: http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/index2.html
You can also make this online video feature a friend, your mom, and anyone you know who could use a little lift for the hard work she does just being a mom every day.
TRY IT! It’s fun, and the mom who receives it will love it. And then maybe we can look at putting mom power behind those who could benefit from learning what it takes to be a loving parent. For their child.
Swine flu media blitz influencing the youngest generation?? I don’t know if the author this particular story, Little Pig is Missing, was subliminally impacted by the recent massive media coverage of the swine flu… but I do know this story made me smile widely. Written and illustrated by Quinn, an intrepid five year old, I was given this as a gift and recognize it for the treasure it is. Couldn’t resist sharing your story and some of your illustrations – thanks Quinn!
Little Pig is Missing Written and Illustrated by Quinn
Little Pig and Daddy Pig
Little Pig and Daddy Pig are swimming in the jungle water .
Tiger and Rhino
The Tiger and the rhino came and they were talking to Daddy Pig. The rhino stepped on Tiger’s tail and he ROARED!
Little Pig got scared and ran away. And then he was lost forever….but the parrot brought him home.
Parrot saving Little Pig
And Little Pig and Daddy Pig swam at slug-o-rama in the sluggy water.
I pass the National Education Association (NEA) main office everyday going to work and today I happened to notice a big sign out front celebrating “National Teachers Day.” Of course it made me think of the numerous teachers in my life, both good and bad, and pay a mental tribute – again both good and bad.
I remember in third grade a certain Mrs. Kennedy (it was always Mrs. or Miss in those days, no Ms. to choose from). She was an African American women, strong in opinion but gentle in approach. There was no doubt that I liked her, but what made her memorable was the fact she was going to have a baby and actually talked about it. I think we all learned more about “sex ed” though her conversations on the subject than anything we received officially for years to come, whether in school or at home. It made us more aware of what was real vs. rumor as well, helping down the road when the subject was of much more considerable interest.
Then there was Mr. Cook in the 9th grade, our Spanish teacher who refused to speak English to us from day one. I suppose he thought that was a good approach, “immersion” as it might be called now, but without any English explanation, I was lost from the beginning, and Spanish was my first language too – not from heritage but logistics as my dad was in the Army and we had been stationed in Columbia. An honor student, I actually flunked the class which was shocking to everyone but me, I felt relief the year of torture was over, until I discovered upon entering the 10th grade, that “Senior Cook” and I were paired once again.
There was Mr. Mason, a high school history teacher who made me realize the importance of learning from the past so as not to repeat the future. There were others who taught me lessons I only vaguely remember now but who’s impact I feel all of the time as they have become part of who I am. And there was that nameless substitute health teacher (coach of the football team), whose one-liner, “tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are” has stuck with me always.
So here’s to you, the teachers of America, underpaid, overworked and unfortunately leaving the profession in droves as a result. You tend to be wonderful, compassionate people who really do care about our children. As we honor you today, may the halls of our leadership do something about recognizing your value to the future of this country and address your needs.
And if you are not a teacher but would like to show support, there is DonorsChoose.org, a wonderful organization that allows you to contribute in a meaningful way to the school of your choice. Of course, there is AAUW too, contribute so that a graduate study student can continue their higher education in today’s tough economy.
I heard on the news today that Virginia has just passed a law that says Virginia voters won’t be allowed to wear clothing featuring John McCain or Barack Obama when they head to the polls on Nov. 4. “The State Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to ban clothing and hats as well as buttons and other paraphernalia that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.” states an article on NBC. Other states have either already passed such laws or are poised to do so, saying it for undue tension for the potential voter.
Good grief. Do they really think the person who is principled enough to actually come out and vote will be swayed at the last minute by folks wearing named tee shirts or buttons? I could see it if one couldn’t actually cast a vote since hundreds of such individuals stood in your way–but I assume that kind of thing would be prevented anyway.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend one’s legislative time looking at true violations of freedom of speech, of the right to register to vote, of the accuracy of the voting machines, or even, gasp, at the honesty of the candidate’s campaign speeches, ads, or words during debates? It’s always worth a trip to factcheck.org for either candidate’s comments.
My sister spent eight years living with breast cancer until she finally succumbed last year. I grew my hair in anticipation of donating to Locks of Love after a memorable (and humorous) experience choosing a wig post-chemo treatment with my sister and her daughter. Here’s our story, in my AAUW Blog, Locks of Love.
Well, it turns out the now infamous “Joe the Plumber” according to CNN and others, isn’t even a licensed plumber, would get money back under the Obama tax plan, owes back taxes, and is actually “Sam”, Sam being his first name, “Joseph” his middle name.
One wonders if McCain’s camp thought to look up any info on Joe that they may have used someone else instead. And I bet Joe himself now wishes that they used someone else instead given all the “guess what we found out” publicity he is now receiving.
Reviewing the educational history of the current presidential candidates (P and VP), I guess there should be no surprise at this latest snafu:
Barack Obama:
Columbia University – B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard – Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware – B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)
John McCain:
United States Naval Academy – Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University – 1 semester
North Idaho College – 2 semesters – general study
University of Idaho – 2 semesters – journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College – 1 semester
University of Idaho – 3 semesters – B.A. in Journalism
I’ve been hit in the head a time or two by falling acorns, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen politicians try to use ACORN to hit a candidate on the head. “Sarah Palin slams Barack Obama over ACORN group” screams a Chicago Sun Times news story. Fortunately a New York Times piece, The Acorn Story, seems to put things in perspective. Interesting of course, the GOP folks are not mentioning their attempts to make legit voters unable to vote, especially in swing states, as an interesting account in a WashPost piece, Thousands Face Mix-Ups In Voter Registrations describes.
One could argue it’s all in a point of view – which candidate do you listen to knowing they are honest? Which media story is accurate, unbiased and thorough? These days with confidence in politicians being at an all time low and trust in the media being less than that in Congress, well it’s a toss up. I like factcheck.org as a beginning for this presidential campaign. Would love to hear what others use?
Just beyond the Beltway in Wheaton, MD, is a beautiful little oasis called, Brookside Gardens. It almost always has parking available and no matter the season, has enough beauty in nature to make the visit special.
It also has a mile “heart path” that’s marked and makes for a great way to get some of those exercise walks in, which I did this morning. The fall colors are in full riot and there were several wedding parties getting pictures taken, family and baby shots galore and those like myself who were walking the path, smiling or noding as we passed. I saw one group in full wedding garb waiting for an older couple to pass by in what would be the background of their shot. The couple, in their 70’s, were holding hands and I couldn’t help but think of ”something old, something new”.
A good friend, Patty Hankins and her husband Bill are photographers. If you ever want some truely unique and beautiful photos of Brookside or many other parks, take a look through their web site. The few I have always bring a smile to my face and compliments from others.
Ok, I couldn’t resist. As a follow-up to my earlier post on the AAUW blog (Political Humor), here’s a link to the SNL Palin spot she did, live on Saturday night. I’d rather see her there than in the WH….
I am a true believer of freedom of speech. I understand the need for candidates to campaign. I know commercials are helping keep TV and radio on the air, especially as other sources of revenue are drying up in this economy.
But–enough already! With about two weeks to go before the presidential election, I can’t take it anymore. Why does the same ad have to play at the same time during my commute every morning? Why does the same ad have to play over and over again when all I want to do is watch Food Network Challenge after I come home from work?
Maybe if I thought what the ad said could be trusted I’d pay more attention. If I had more faith that different TV or even radio stations weren’t pushing their own agenda (aside from making money which is always their number 1), I’d respect the choices of ads they paraded in front of me. Given that at least for the next few weeks ads are inevitable, I went looking for laughter.
So I went YouTube searching for the lighter side of campaign ads. Here’s one out of Australia that reaches across all party lines and is making fun of campaign ads themselves –
·Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74;
·a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September; and
·$4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.
I guess one could argue she must “look the part” and we all know if she didn’t look well she would be trashed by the media and commentators as they have other women public figures in the past (just ask Hilary). However, she does claim to be of common folk, so you have to wonder if she couldn’t look as good buying from JCPenny’s.
However, as reported on the all the morning news shows and in the New York Times, then there were all those costs she claims as expenses incurred as Governor, which include:
·Costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and
·A trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.
·In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters’ 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. She also has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.
It’s up to Alaska and their citizens to determine if any law was broken or she stretched the boundaries. Many a politician has enjoyed the “bennies” of their position, and one can always hope the accounting and ethics departments keep watch–although from what I can tell, that’s certainly a hit or miss proposition. To me, it’s whether one practices what one preaches. . .
Watching CNN last night I caught the tail end of some commentator, a Republican, saying the American public shouldn’t concentrate on the president so much. They should really understand, as our fore-fathers did, that in times of peace, it’s the local politicians who make much more of an impact to individual than did the president. So instead of worrying about $150,000 in clothes for Palin, we should be worrying about our local candidates instead.
Huh? Of course one has to beg the question, given the amount of lives lost or wounded in Iraq and now Afghanistan, if that does not constitute being a “war” vs. at “peace”.
But that aside (!), I do worry who will be in the White House as well as who is going to represent my community. He will appoint all those justices that, gosh, do indeed have impact on my daily life. He will sign or veto those laws that will impact my taxes, my livelihood, my family, and my friends. He will (hopefully) make sure those who make decisions based on greed, irresponsibility, or favoritism do not control the global economy so we can keep or get a home, a job, or retire without sacrificing medications so we can eat.
Of course, next time, it would be nice to say she instead of he.
I hadn’t been to Gettysburg in a long time and when the chance came to play tourist, I took the opportunity to visit on what turned out to be a beautiful fall day. One of the things we found –you can’t do it all in one day, so make sure to check out the web site first and decide what you do want to cover. Since the weather was cooperating, we decided, with help of “computers down”, to see the museum and spent the rest of the time on the grounds themselves.
“Computers down” in Gettysburg? Well those who fought certainly wouldn’t have known what that meant, but visitors in today’s world would groan. They were apparently trying to “re-boot” the 20 minute film, “A New Birth of Freedom”, about the Battle of Gettysburg and the very nice guy selling tickets said he figured it wouldn’t be up for hours yet given past experience. You have to see that to see the Gettysburg Cyclorama, the 1884 painting that depicts “Pickett’s Charge”, and of course pay for both. So if you visit Gettysburg, I would imagine it’s worth seeing these, but we decided to see the real thing instead.
A quick stop at the museum first turned into several hours as we looked at every film and every exhibit, worthwhile as we better understood Gettysburg when we then went into the fields themselves. Knowing the history of the troop movements, the smart tactics or errors made, the vast number of lives lost, made us see through the beauty that belied the horror or war experienced there only a few short years before (in relative time). Having also watched Ken Burns, The Civil War, I could almost hear the canons in the background and the shouts and screams of chaos around us. The smell of bus fumes aptly stank where Pickets Charge took place and the yells of school children scrambling around Little Round Top added to our own little history of the place. I was thankful we didn’t have the memories the survivors had to relive, over and over again.
A small but not insignificant piece of Gettysburg history–apparently the one civilian killed in Gettysburg was a woman, 20 year old Mary Virginia Wade. I found a couple of websites giving an overview of women in Gettysburg as well as throughout the civil war: Women at the Battle of Gettysburg and The Society for Women and the Civil War who is having a conference in Washington in 2009 (who knew?!).
On a humorous note, I couldn’t help but chuckle at one of the captions in an exhibit overlooking an officer’s camp, where it stated, the “higher the rank, the more baggage they got to carry”. Oh so true today.
I know this was originally a 1980’s John Travolta dance movie, but I can’t get the tune out of my head after reading in CNN about the most recent plot to assassinate Obama and 14 other African Americans by two white supremacists. Any such attempt against this presidential candidate has been a topic of conversation at more than one dinner table and the fear is the possibility of success.
For awhile there, it was McCain’s age and health that was of concern, especially when he chose Palin as his running mate. I think the concern is still there, but with the point spread showing Obama in the lead and with headline news about this assassination plot, concern has also grown on his “staying alive” factor. Everybody I know says they expected this due to Obama being of a mixed ethnic background and that there are many frightening groups that want to “take matters in their own hands”.
I don’t know if either candidate is capable of doing the job as President of the United States. I do know that whoever gets elected will have to worry about succession planning “in case”. Biden or Palin?? What kind of a choice is that? Or is it time to actually take a look at how we run the government and decide an update from the 1700’s might be in order. Is the job more than one person can handle? Do we give the VP more actual responsibilities (and I don’t mean more ribbon cuttings)? Or do we review how we govern and come up with a new plan in leadership that will ultimately succeed in eradicating the prejudices, inequalities, economic disparities, etc., that continue to face Americans today.
Meanwhile, let’s not just give more money to police around the country, but let’s make sure to focus on educational campaigns to wipe out bigoted, racists beliefs and actions. Let’s make “staying alive” not about dancing or assassination plots but about health care and the environment. Not being naive here, just hopeful.
How many times when talking with friends has someone inevitably chatted about how their husband acts like “such a baby” when sick and yet refuses to go to the doctor?Or how women are the ones that make special meals and guide their husbands (and families) to taking better care of themselves? I know I’m generalizing here, so apologies to those men who don’t fall into this scenario – but according to a recent report by the NYTimes, health insurance rates for men are considerable less than for women, due in part to the fact that “in general, insurers say, they charge women more than men of the same age because claims experience shows that women use more health care services.”
As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the passage of the pregnancy discrimination act, I choked when I read it’s also because women have babies that the insurance companies have to raise the rates. And yet, according to the article, “women still pay more than men for insurance that does not cover maternity care. In the individual market, maternity coverage may be offered as an optional benefit, or rider, for a hefty additional premium”. I’m sorry, but just because the woman carries the baby, is not the reason she’s pregnant a joint responsibility?
Remember we laughed and groaned at Viagra’s delivery (pun intended) and got angry when we found insurance covered that but not the cost of birth control? Well my sense of anger has rekindled with this “new” news. Apparently this disparity in insurance fees for men vs. women is becoming known publically now more than ever since economic conditions including job loss are making more and more people shop for insurance.
Keep your eyes on what happens with this issue of inequality for women in health insurance costs, no matter who wins this Tuesday. It certainly will be a barometer of what other equity actions will be taken once the “honeymoon” is over. And meanwhile, if you guys out there aren’t taking proper care of yourself, please do so. Don’t forget we only make 78 cents to the dollar you do, so we wouldn’t be able to carry the financial load for the family if anything happened to you.
November 1st and it’s a gorgeous Saturday. I’ve a set of chores to do and of course immediately fell into reading a totally non-important book. Then with all the best of intentions, I set off to do my chores..but wait, my laptop is calling and I “need” to quickly browse emails, news headlines and a few new sites before I get down to the necessary tasks ahead. And that’s when I discovered that November is the National Novel Writing Month. By happenstance I found the NaNoWrMo website and there is a challenge to write every day in Nov, for a total of 50,000 words by the end of the month.
Hmmmm. I’ve always talked about writing “a book” and starting blog writing again has helped get into the groove of putting something down almost daily. But a book? A novel? A story that actually would make sense 50,000 words later? It’s been years since I’ve taken any non-business writing class, what are all those things you are supposed to build – plots, subplots, characters, twists, turns, climaxes, intrigues, the right grammar, syntax, and all those other words I always misspelled to the despair of any teacher (yes, pre-computer days)??
Well, I claim I always work best under pressure, so here goes. No, back-up… think I’ll use a different medium rather than this blog for the daily writing, but I promise, if I finish (have to be honest here, 50,000 in one month?!), and think it’s the least bit interesting, I’ll post it when done. And good luck to anyone who takes up the challenge too!
My grandmothers were far more important in my life than I ever realized as a child. The lasting influence they had on their children, my parents, ultimately led to the manner in which I had been brought up. I had met a few of them for only brief periods of times and it was only until I heard stories of them later did I realize the impact they had actually made in my life.
So when I read in the news a few minutes ago of Obama’s grandmother’s passing, I had to pause and pay respects to a women I never met. From everything I understand, she was a strong influence in his life and for the better. Through him, not only will she have lasting influence on his children, she may possibly have a lasting influence on all of us.
I’m sorry that she didn’t see what happens when the results of tomorrow’s elections are announced, although I’m glad Obama made the time to visit her in Hawaii. So here’s to you, Madelyn Payne Dunham, may you rest in peace.
10. Set up a table and sell bagels or hot dogs, coffee or martini’s depending upon the time of day you are waiting.
9. Wear your Halloween costume to help drive conversation, or at least weird looks for other reasons than how you normally appear.
8. If you are waiting outside, pull out a cigar and start puffing. This will make people start shifting away from you, so keep moving till you are at the front of the line.
7. Sing “A hundred bottles of beer on the wall” and see how far down you get before you actually vote. Repeat as necessary.
6. With a friend or family member holding your line, go up to everyone on their cell phone and tell them it’s against the law within 1 mile of a polling place. See how many actually hang-up with a “oh, I didn’t know” answer.
5. Read a book with the cover jacket upside down.
4. Talk to the folks ahead of you in line until they are so bored with the conversation, they’ll let you get ahead of them. Repeat as necessary.
3. Sart up a poker game - all games must have a wild card factor.
2. Look up from your own Blackberry and say – “The polls show Obama (or McCain) has won, no need to vote any more.” Continue to stand in line for the candidate of your choice.
1. Tell everyone in front of you that this is the line to register. . .
All the ups and downs of the last two years have finally culminated in the first time an African American has been elected as President of the United States. As the personal euphoria starts to subside a bit, the “what next” aspects of this begin to surface.
I heard on the news one commentator who said Obama can’t just be good, he’ll have to be great. Anytime someone is the “first” at anything, the expectations are even higher. Talk about under the microscope, every action Obama takes, every word out of his mouth, every handshake he makes will be scrutinized, analyzed and dissected. Talk about the blame game, there are already individuals unhappy that “one of them” won, whether the them refers to race, being a Democrat, etc.
The seduction of power is something that happens to many folks entering the DC Beltway as a politician, history proves that time and again. The wonderful words of working “bipartisan” sometimes doesn’t even last as long as the usual honeymoon period. The fact that both the Senate and Congress are Democrat will help and I’m looking forward to the tidal wave of change that we all worked so hard to achieve.
Enough of seriousness – time to celebrate!! I’ll be walking to the White House at lunch today, and look at it with hope now, with a twinkle and a grin. Can’t wait til Jan when I can even begin listening to POTUS again, something I stopped doing a long time ago.
While we bask in the sense of pride that our country was able to show we can be about diversity, about change, about hope – we can’t forget that the new President Elect and Democratic Congress take over until the end of January, 2009. That leaves plenty of time for Bush, Cheney and others currently in power to do plenty of damage before they leave their posts.
Yikes!
Listed below are just a few links to organizations already asking for our help to prevent this as well as to help give the new gang reminders of what they promised. Honeymoon’s are short enough as it is and with everything that’s falling apart so quickly, I wonder if Obama will even have 100 days.
If you don’t see a representative from cause you are passionate about – go to them and see how you can give or volunteer. Don’t let W do more damage!
1. First: Share your hope. MoveOn.Orghas a nice place to post your story and/or pic. I applaud them for creating an environment where we all truly participate. Sign-up for their bulletins, they are watching out during the months ahead.
2. Don’t Block Ocean Habitat Protection Plan!: Target: Vice President Dick Cheney: Sponsored by: Care2 Thousands of Care2 members - have encouraged President Bush to stand strong on his resolve to support a sweeping marine monument plan that would protect some of our most precious ocean life. But Vice President Dick Cheney is coming out against President Bush’s plan!
“The 2008 election results will bring change to Washington, and that means a new chance to tackle the most important issues of the day, from global warming to clean energy solutions to wilderness preservation. NRDC’s experts discuss the daunting challenges and exciting opportunities that the next president and Congress will face after eight years of the Bush administration’s hostility toward the environment.”
4. And AARP has put together a “Divided We Fail” campaign. While I don’t necessary respect all of AARP’s actions during the Bush years, the issues are still real enough and they do still have clout.
“During the 2008 campaign, President-elect Obama committed to working across the aisle for REAL CHANGE on affordable health care and long-term financial security. Remind President-elect Obama about his campaign promise and ask him to take action in his first 100 days.”
In D.C., within hours of daybreak, you couldn’t get a copy of the Washington Post Special Edition Election paper! From what I read that seems to be true around the country – if not around the world. So here’s a few headline shots for those of you who may have missed them, like me.
Moving day will come sooner than everyone involved realizes, I would imagine. I heard more than one talk show host this morning say they would love to be a fly on the wall at the White House today during the meetings between Bush and Obama (the Mr.’s) and Bush and Obama (the Mrs.’s). I’d rather be on the wall when the respective couples are alone again this evening.I would imagine it would go something like this—
The Bush’s:
“Honey, I’m just so afraid of what that woman will do to all of the decorations I’ve put into place over the past eight years. Why look at what she wore to the inauguration – if that’s a sample of “taste” than this historic building is in for a shock.”
“Dear Lord, I know our chats have been extensive recently, but I have to ask, please don’t talk to Obama like you did with me. I want people to know only I have a direct line to you and that it made all the difference in the world to America’s global presents…opps, I mean presence.”
The Obama’s:
“OMG, you better get on the phone right away to those decorators who did our place in Chicago! We’ll teach those people what education and influence can bring to the White House. And don’t forget I’m not cleaning up after that puppy, so have somebody assigned for that too.”
“Summers or Geithner; Tyson or Dimon; Lugar or Hagel; Roener or Kelly; Gates or who……….”
What do those all have in common aside from starting with an “r”? They are the Secret Service code names for the Obama family. The Biden’s? Celtic and Capri.
The Chicago Tribune has listed the code names for past presidents and their families’s and even have a link where you can go and create your own code name. Of course I had to try it, my code name? “Tranquility”… has arrived… I wish.
I like “POTUS”, the name I’ve started to refer President Bush as, after my love affair with The West Wing had to end. Don’t know what it means? President of the United States. Saying it out loud sounded even better than simply Bush. Example, “OMG, what has POTUS done again?!”
While this is all fun and even interesting, one does have to wonder why the Secret Service even bothers giving code names when they then announce them in a press release at the first opportunity. I heard one commentator talk about “higher technology” in terms of real protection, which makes sense, but still doesn’t explain these not-secret code names.
If anyone has read why they told us about these, please share. Meanwhile, go check out what your code name would be.
A recent article in TruthOut states that Sarah Palin’s “attacks on Barack Obama’s patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.” How frightening. The article does give Palin’s viewpoints on the criticism she has received from McCain staffers, which stated,
“She was not asked about her incendiary rhetoric against Mr. Obama. But she did deny the spending spree claims, saying the clothes in question had been returned to the Republican National Committee. “Those are the RNC’s clothes, they’re not my clothes. I asked for anything more than maybe a diet Dr Pepper once in a while. These are false allegations.”
This nugget of information was gleamed from the Newsweekpiece Hackers and Spending Sprees which gives some interesting behind-the-scene insights into both sides campaign efforts. Then of course there are the stories making the rounds, Palin thinking Africa is a country, not knowing Canada and Mexico were partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the most recent (to my reader’s eyes at least) of her appearance in a towel in front of reporters.
Hmmm… the fact that through she was able to get crowds worked up to the point of death threats to the next President speaks ill both of Palin and of the crowds. Her ignorance in domestic and world affairs? Well, let’s just say she is not the first candidate to not have the knowledge necessary and won’t be the last (a recent example that comes to mind is finishing his eight year term of office and he not only was elected, but re-elected).
The fact that Palin is a woman already made things difficult. Running as a woman is more difficult than as an African American male, points out an insightful NY Times article. The media treatment of both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin as reported many times, has had its sexist moments which have a degrading impact on all women ultimately.
We’re all trying to move forward, especially with world conditions being what they are and where they appear to be headed. Women need to be an integral part of the re-building process. Don’t make the Palin effect overshadow the value a qualified woman can bring to the table, now and as we collectively catch our breath and start looking toward 2012.
I’m not sure where my friend found these pictures, but they give an interesting view of the Obama family, friends, advisers and then 100,000 others as everyone waited for the election returns on Tuesday, November 4th: Behind the Scenes
It’s interesting to look at the faces to catch those frozen moments in time when a long night shows emotions ranging from boredom, to “waiting”, to excitement, to worry. As you can imagine Obama’s children showed the most boredom that turned into excitement as the results were announced and they walked with mom and dad to the stage. Obama’s outward calmness was evident, although excitement did finally show itself, I guess when you’re elected POTUS, it is an awesome moment.
I could swear though, that the burden of the job itself immediately started to flicker inbetween smiles. Maybe that’s just me as I couldn’t imagine anyone really wanting the job at the moment or even in the near future.
You could also see the bullet-proof glass around the stage. Conversation here in D.C. has been about security, starting with Inauguration Day itself. Lot’s of us want to go to the Mall to be part of history and at least see something, but we imagine security is going to be so tight it might be difficult to do so. Most of us have had folks contacting us right and left given that hotels want $1,000 a night for a minimum of a 3-4 day stay. Of course it being Jan in D.C., the weather may play it’s own hand in security and crowd control.
It was a kill or be killed kind of commute this morning. And it wasn’t supposed to be, Friday’s in the DC Metro area are usually lighter in traffic, even more so since the earlier rise in gas prices made people’s arguments to work from home listened to more often than not. There are times when I wish I was a government employee or contractor who mimics the feds. As a non-profit employee, we work five days a week at the office for eight hours…if not more, since “we’re in it for the cause.”
And usually I consider myself one of the lucky ones in this part of the world, I don’t have to drive the dreaded Beltway. I actually go through lovely Rock Creek Park before ending up on 16th Street a few blocks from the White House. Well, add a bit of drizzle, irate drivers, those ever-present bicyclists and a broken down truck and all politeness goes out the window. Add to the mix some newly painted street traffic indicators, in this case a new “turn left only” arrow in what thousands of commuters are used to seeing a left turn and straight arrow and you get madness and mayhem.
I’m one of those drivers who watch out for the other guy for the most part, let the cyclists have a share of the road and follow the rules. Honestly though, when you are faced with stupidity, ignorance and “those drivers” (that’s the clean version of the conversation I was having out my window), then everything gets tossed and it’s each person for themselves.
Well let’s just say my niece would be proud. As a twenty-something who takes after her dad and is an alpha driver–while texting, talking, playing music and probably reading a book, she can travel the same distance as I in half the time. We commuted together for a short while when she first came to DC and although her politeness prevented her from saying anything, her sighs could be heard since no matter what lane we were in, the one next to us was always passing. Today even she wouldn’t have complained as I was 007 and shot through the mess. Now to calm down and get ready…for the commute home!
A humorous viewpoint of the post-Bush presidency. I don’t know who wrote this originally, but I’ve been receiving it almost daily since the election:
************
One sunny day in 2009 an old man approached the White House from
across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he’d been sitting on a park bench.
He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, ‘I would like to
go in and meet with President Bush.’
The Marine looked at the man and said, ‘Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer
president and no longer resides here.’
The old man said, ‘Okay’ and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to
the same Marine, ‘I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.’
The Marine again told the man, ‘Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is
no longer president and no longer resides here.’
The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the
very same U.S. Marine, saying ‘I would like to go in and meet with
President Bush.’
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man
and said, ‘Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to
speak to Mr. Bush. I’ve told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no
longer resides here. Don’t you understand?’
The old man looked at the Marine and said, ‘Oh, I understand.
I just love hearing it.’
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, ‘See you tomorrow.’
This certainly is the week for emails making the rounds, this one on store closings being the most recent.
For all of us who shop, this may not be the year to give or receive gifts cards. . . the list below are stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009. While it appears the list rings true, this “urban legend” link helps put things into perspective. Bottom line, it’s still worth it to be careful.
Circuit City stores… most recent
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine’s to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores, more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing all stores
Sharper Image closing all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close some stores
Dillard’s to close some stores
I laughed when I heard the story about Sarah Palin “pardoning the Alaskan turkey”, there are so many comments to be made here. Apparently she decided to take the opportunity to answer some media questions on the spot, something she wasn’t prone to do as VP candidate. It wasn’t what she said that’s making news here, it’s what she was standing in front of that has captured our attention.
As the camera’s rolled, what appears to be a worker at the turkey farm was actually putting a turkey to death, watching while Palin talked in front of him. . .
I love this holiday with its almost lack of commercialism, its focus on giving thanks instead of receiving gifts and its inherent sense of family, whether among those actually related or amongst friends.
When talking T’Day with women friends the conversation inevitably gets around to recipes used for the various traditional dishes associated with the day. As a confirmed non-cook, I generally keep quiet, and simply enjoy bringing the pre-requisite bottle of wine.
I did cook Thanksgiving once though and in Australia of all things. Taking my 11 yr-old niece, we went to visit some dear friends “downunder” around the holiday. I offered to make them our special T’Day dinner, something they don’t celebrate (for obvious reasons) and they agreed to act as guinea pigs.
Packing for the trip, I thought it best to bring the old favorites since who knew what the Aussies would have. In the suitcase went Pepridge Farm stuffing, canned pumpkin pie mix, small marshmallows and a few other sundry items. Australia is very strict about what food enters their country, so I didn’t hesitate and went immediately to customs to “declare”.
Well, one look at my food items and the customs guy broke out in laughter, calling others over to hear why some Yanks were stupid enough to think Australians don’t have “food”. My niece, fresh from a school play, ended up giving a recital of the history of Thanksgiving, much to everyone’s delight. With new found “friends” and wishes for a “Happy Thanksgiving”, off we went.
The things I didn’t know! No-one ever mentioned the amount of time it takes to defrost a big bird. Are you supposed to eat those creepy looking “innards”? What on earth is the difference between dressing and stuffing? Are yams the same thing as sweet potatoes? Good grief.
Well, we managed to pull it off, mainly with the help of several phone calls in the middle of her night to my very obliging sister-in-law, who took great pity on us (or was it for those going to eat the meal?!) and pretty much walked us through everything. I didn’t know until after the meal that my Aussie friends had flipped a coin, making the looser take the first bite of the pumpkin pie. They eat pumpkin like we eat sweet potatoes and couldn’t imagine it as a dessert with ice cream!
Of course holiday stories flew around the table as we ate and ate and ate. It turns out fruit cakes are their main cake of choice for Christmas (and weddings). It was our turn to laugh and exlplain about the ever-lasting fruit cake that is sent from one recipient to another each holiday.
Full tummies, warm friends and family — all the things best about the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
I’ve been getting some emails dozens of times. I rarely read them, usually they are the “pass this to ten people and see what you get” type which annoys me to no end. However, some of them are worth passing along and this one sent to me by a dear friend is definitely worth posting.
“Goodbye and Good Riddance“, credited to Paul Waldman, The American Prospect (11 November 2008).
After eight years of President Bush, we almost don’t know how to function without him – almost. But before we move on, we should pause to remember just what we’re leaving behind.
Just over two years into George W. Bush’s presidency, The American Prospect featured Bush on its cover under the headline, “The Most Dangerous President Ever.” At the time, some probably thought it a bit
over the top. But nearly six years later, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the multifaceted burden that will soon be lifted from our collective shoulders.
Since last week, I have stopped short and shaken my head in amazement every time I have heard the words “President-elect Obama.” But it is equally extraordinary to consider that in just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president. Let me repeat that: In just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president. So though our long national ordeal isn’t quite over, it’s never too early to say goodbye.
Goodbye, we can say at last, to the most powerful man in the world being such a ridiculous buffoon, incapable of stringing together two coherent sentences. Goodbye to cringing with dread every time our
president steps onto the world stage, sure he’ll say or do something to embarrass us all. Goodbye to being represented by a man who embodies everything our enemies want the people of the world to believe about America – that we are ignorant, cruel, and only care about foreign countries when we decide to stomp on them. Goodbye to his giggle, and his shoulder shake, and his nicknames. Goodbye to a president who talks to us like we’re a nation of fourth-graders.
And goodbye, of course, to Dick Cheney. Goodbye to the man whose naked contempt for democracy contorted his face to a permanent sneer, who spent his days in his undisclosed location with his man-sized safe. And while we’re at it, goodbye to Cheney’s consigliore David Addington, as malevolent a force as has ever left his trail of slime across our federal institutions.
Goodbye, indeed, to the entire band of liars and crooks and thieves who have so sullied the federal government that belongs to us all. We can even say goodbye to those who have already gone, to Rummy and Scooter, to Fredo and Rove, tornados of misery left in their wake. Goodbye to the rotating cast of butchers manning the White House’s legal abattoir, where the Constitution has been sliced and bled and
gutted since September 11. Goodbye to the “unitary executive” theory and its claims that the president can do whatever he wants – even snatch an American citizen off the street and lock him up for life without charge, without legal representation, and without trial.
Goodbye to the promiscuous use of “signing statements” (1,100 at last count) to declare that the law is whatever the president says it is, and that he’ll enforce only those laws he likes. Goodbye to an executive branch that treats lawfully issued subpoenas like suggestions that can be ignored. Goodbye to thinking of John Ashcroft as the liberal attorney general. Goodbye to the culture of incompetence, where rebuilding a country we destroyed could be turned over to a bunch of clueless 20-somethings with no qualifications save an internship at the Heritage Foundation and an opposition to abortion. Goodbye to the “Brownie, you’re doin’ a heckuva job” philosophy, where vital agencies are turned over to incompetent boobs to rot and decay.
Goodbye to handing out the Medal of Freedom as an award for engineering one of the greatest screw-ups of our time. Goodbye to an administration that welcomed gluttonous war profiteering, that was only too happy to outsource every government function it could to well-connected contractors who would do a worse job for more money.
Goodbye to the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war. Goodbye to the lust for sending off other people’s sons and daughters to fight and kill and die just to show your daddy you’re a real man. Goodbye to playing
dress-up in flight suits, goodbye to strutting and posing and desperate sexual insecurity as a driver of American foreign policy. Goodbye to the neocons, so sinister and deluded they beg us all to become fevered conspiracy theorists. Goodbye to Guantanamo and its kangaroo courts. Goodbye to the use of
torture as official U.S. government policy, and goodbye to the immoral ghouls who think you can rename it “enhanced interrogation techniques” and render it any less monstrous.
Goodbye to the accusation that if you disagree with what the president wants to do, you don’t “support the troops.” Goodbye to stocking government agencies with people who are opposed to the very missions those agencies are charged with carrying out. Goodbye to putting industry lobbyists in charge of the agencies that are supposed to regulate those very industries. Goodbye to madly giving away public lands to private interests.
Goodbye to a Food and Drug Administration that acts like a wholly owned subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry, except when it acts like a wholly owned subsidiary of the fundamentalist puritans who believe that sex is dirty and birth control will turn girls into sluts. Goodbye to the “global gag rule,” which prohibits any entity receiving American funds from even telling women where they can get an abortion if they need it.
Goodbye to vetoing health insurance for poor children but rushing back to Washington to sign a bill to keep alive a woman whose cerebral cortex had liquefied. Goodbye to the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. Goodbye to the philosophy that says that if we give tax cuts to the rich and keep the government from any oversight of the economy, prosperity will eventually trickle down. Goodbye to the thirst for privatizing Social Security and to the belief that the success of a social safety-net program is what makes it a threat and should mark it for destruction. Goodbye to the war on unions and to a National Labor Relations Board devoted to crushing them. Goodbye to the principle of loyalty above all else, that nominates Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court and puts Alberto Gonzales in charge of the Justice Department.
And goodbye to that Justice Department, the one where U.S. attorneys keep their jobs only if they are willing to undertake bogus investigations of Democrats timed to hit the papers just before Election Day. Goodbye to a Justice Department where graduates of Pat Robertson’s law school roam the halls by the dozens, where “justice” is a joke.
Goodbye to James Dobson and a host of radical clerics picking up the phone and hearing someone in the White House on the other end. Goodbye to the most consequential decisions being made on the basis of one man’s “gut,” a gut that proved so wrong so often. Goodbye to the contempt for evidence, to the scorn for intellect and book learnin’, to the relentless war on science itself as a means of understanding the world.
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to it all.
Though President Obama will be spending most of his time cleaning up the mess George Bush made, we probably won’t have Dubya to kick around anymore. It’s hard to imagine Bush undertaking some grand
philanthropic effort on the scale of the Clinton Global Initiative, or hopping around to international trouble spots like Jimmy Carter.
Republicans won’t be asking him to speak on their behalf, and publishers are reportedly uninterested in the prospect of a Bush memoir. His reign of destruction complete, Bush will return to Texas and fill his days with the mundane activities of a retiree – puttering around the yard, reading some magazines, maybe enjoying that new Xbox Jenna gave him for Christmas (“I’m the Decider, and I decide to spend this afternoon playing Call of Duty 4″).
This presidency is finally over. We can say goodbye to an administration whose misdeeds have piled so high that the size of the mountain no longer shocks us. In our lifetimes, we will see administrations of varying degrees of competence and integrity, some we’ll agree with and some we won’t. But we will probably never see another quite like the one now finally reaching its end, so mind-boggling a parade of incompetence and malice, dishonesty, and immorality. So at last – at long, long last – we can say goodbye. And good riddance.
I’m a firm believer in using the Internet to find information, spread the word especially if cause related and for general enjoyment. “Social networking” is the buzzword and the lists of sites are endless now-a-days. I am on Facebook, but found so many of my organization’s members on it, that I stripped it of most personal stuff and use it for my public “work” persona. I know you can put different types of security levels, but I’ve not figured out how to separate “friends” as in pals, from “friends” as in people who know you from work (for ex). I also use LinkedIn for professional purposes and others for different reasons.
One of the best e-newsletters I found that helps you understand who’s using what (such as MySpace is attracting the attention of the older crowd – who knew) is from WOMMA, the Word-of-Mouth Association. Non-members can subscribe and I find it’s one of the few that I actually try to read, one a week if not more. If you are in the business of finding out which Social Networking tool works best for the audience you are trying to reach, check with WOMMA, it’s a great beginner’s source.
Recently I had to step in the the virtual world, in particular Second Life(SL). I’ve written several blog posts about my experiences, so if you are interested in what SL is and how it may help your organization to be represented there, take a quick read: Women’s Studies in the Virtual World and The Virtual Side of Fem 2.0. Can you tell I work for a woman’s organization. . .
What I don’t go into in these work blogs is the fun you can have meeting people from all over the world. Common sense is necessary, having someone guide you as a newbie a good thing, and an openness to hearing language of the profane type more than you may expect. I had a wonderful conversation (and I mean both actually talking using audio and texting) with some guys on the taste of Guinness outside of Dublin. It started with talking with a guy apparently sipping a Guinness in a London pub while on his computer, and soon a guy from Germany joined in the conversation and someone from China texting us (using a language translator). Our conclusion? A Guinness is best when having good conversation and fun!
So if you are interested in exploring beyond the traditional social networking, twittering, etc., etc. methods, give the virtual world a try, it’s fun and can be rewarding in a “helping others” way – just read Buffy’s comments in my blog post (the Fem2.0 one) above.
Relaxing in cyberspace, up pops a challenge from my good friend Cynthia, whose blog, “Cynthia D’Amour on Leadership and Life” is dedicated to association leaders. The challenge? To reveal five things you don’t know about me, (started by Maddie Grantat Blogoclumpers).
1.I write posts on two blogs for different groups of readers and I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of each group didn’t know my other blog existed!
·The most recent (aside from this one), on my personal blog (The Washingtonian Outsider), “Social Networking”.
2.My first language was Spanish, not obvious given my English, Irish, Welsh background.
·My father was stationed in Bogota, Columbia when I was learning to speak.
·I had a real difficult time learning to speak English when we came “home”.
3.I was officially declared a “Goddess” on a road trip once.
·I was in Papua New Guinea and each tribe I met was offering a higher “bride price”. Caucasian women of a certain size apparently are very revered.
·I was given the distinct honor of shooting a bow and arrow, usually reserved for men only, and after hitting the bullseye, I was proclaimed a “Goddess”.
4.I covered over 1,500 miles one summer, riding a bicycle through Europe.
·It was my first bike trip, 60 lbs of bike and equipment.
·I met an elderly gentleman in Germany who offered to fix my then broken bike. I found out later he fixed bikes for their Olympic team.
5.I have recently created a Second Life (SL) since obviously my real “first” life isn’t complicated enough.
·I attended a lecture on Women’s studies in SL and learned about the numerous “real” colleges and universities who hold “real” classes – but in SL.
·I wrote several blog posts about my experiences and am finding people who were initially skeptical are now inquisitive.
Saw a little feature on MSNBC about “office creepers” this morning. Apparently this name refers to those individuals who go into office buildings, past security (easily enough it seems) and steal mainly wallets, purses and laptops from offices. The story mentioned that a sister station in Dallas Texas first reported the story and so I went hunting on the Internet and found the Dallas News version.
I’ve worked in offices my entire professional life, from small ones in the country to those in big city high-rises. Common sense seems to be the missing element for most who are robbed, why leave a purse, wallet or laptop unattended anywhere? In the news stories, it’s those that are easily lifted that disappear. And if everyone in your office has a laptop on their desk, then security should be in place to cover those. A friend’s office uses a simple and relatively inexpensive lock on the laptop to the desktop that seems to work.
We know we can’t be vigilant all the time, but at least it helps to make an effort. So ended the story in my mind at least, until I read the comments of the Dallas News story. One simply stated, “Damn liberals in government.” Hmmm… Do they think it’s Liberals stealing? Or those in government? Or how about it’s the fault of the Liberals in government that people steal? Given that we have had so few Liberals in government these past years, it’s an interesting speculation.
Speaking of creepy…as I passed the Park Police station along Beach Road in Rock Creek Park this morning, I noticed a blown up Santa with sliegh on their rooftop. Next to it was a police officer (yes, also the plastic version). Going the 25mph speed limit, I could only get a quick look and it appeared the cop was arresting Santa. Maybe it’s those conservatives in government that are to blame for that scenario . .. sorry, couldn’t resist. . .
It’s bad enough when you think the President of France is calling and you have a chat with “him” (thanks, Ms. Palin for that gem), but how about the reverse, when the real President-Elect calls you and you refuse, not once but twice?!
Apparently, Republican congresswoman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was called twice by Obama yesterday and each time refused to believe it was actually him. Both sides later found the humor in the situation, but you have to wonder if there’s anyway that people could actually know if the future (or even current) President of the United States really is calling.
I know, how about using those, oh-so-secret code names that the Secret Service published recently as the identifier. Then folks like those representing us in Congress would know that their boss is calling. “Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Renegade calling.” Wait a minute, the real bosses of those folks in Congress are their constituents. Do we all get our own codes to get through? What fun that would be.
If you’ ve not been to a Revels performance, I highly recommend that you try to attend one during the December holidays. There are Revels in various places around the country and even if it’s next year or the year after, it’s worth bookmarking and remembering to check it out.
I went with friends to the Washington D.C. Revels performance and it was wonderful. It’s not your typical Christmas carol pageant, there’s a different theme every year and this year has a French-Canadian folktale focus. Music abounds and the dancing and singing are almost spellbinding.
There is one dance in particular, a group of 5 dressed all in black who use swords to weave intricate patterns as they dance–without letting go. Hard to describe, amazing to see.
Most of the performers are volunteers with key positions being hired professionals. Lots of children also participate and some have apparently being doing so for years. From what I understand auditions are tough and this is not your typical “down home” volunteer production. Costumes colorful, enthusiasm high and there is even room for audience participation at various points, in both dancing and singing.
Again, for a wonderful celebration of the holiday spirit (winter solstice vs. any real religious focus), catch the Revels at a theatre near you.
“Is my new job better than being Governer of Alaska?” asks Hilary Clinton (aka Amy Poehler) on Saturday Night Live this past Saturday (Dec 6th). Another lol moment, when describing her leaving New York, her comments are priceless. What are they you ask? Check out the SNL video, well worth it if you are in need of some Monday morning humor.
According to the latest research published by the American Heart Association’s “Circulation” magazine, in certain severe cases of heart attacks, women are less likely to survive due to improper or untimely treatment than men.
“…they did find that women who suffered a type called a ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, had a 12 percent higher risk of dying in the hospital than men. ST-elevation refers to an abnormal heart rhythm visible by electrocardiogram.” (NY Times, 12.8.09)
And in case you haven’t had one, an electrocardiogram is a relatively simple and painless test. One wonders why all doctors’ offices don’t routinely conduct such tests on all patients past a certain age, not just those diagnosed with a complication like diabetes or lung disease.
This isn’t the first time studies have shown women receive less attention when in comes to health care. And God help you if you are a woman of color or with less money. One wonders even with universal health care, if the medical system would make sure that underrepresented populations would be better diagnosed, better tested in trials, better treated. It’s up to us to make our opinions heard, so next time you write your representative, let them know what you think.
After reading the news yesterday of Illinois governor, Rod R. Blagojevich, who reminds me of the Al Capone ”you can’t touch me” criminal school and Fran Drescher, aka “The Nanny,” declaring her interest in the NY Senate seat soon to be vacated by Hillary Clinton, one wonders what on earth has happened to American politics. I have to think it’s the “Palin effect”.
Wait, I’m not talking about the criminal aspects of politicians or of the favoritism shown to/by those elected or who may be elected. The fact that three recent Illinois governor’s have spent jail time doesn’t seem to deter another criminal from being elected, for example. If you look into how all elected officials do business, what would should make headlines are those few (if any) individuals who haven’t taken advantage of their positions to use their power outside of the intended boundary. While some actions may not be considered criminal, many would certainly be considered unethical.
What I am referring to is what I consider the “Palin effect”, the undeniably “did they really do/say that,” stupidity of action or word by those either already elected or looking to be elected. I’m the first to enjoy the humor of any of these situations as I watched Balgojevich’s interview, saying, in essence, “bring it on” when discussing being wiretapped–which was hysterical after learning of his arrest for these reasons the very next morning. Although the fact he is out on a measly $4,000 plus amount (is it considered bail?) and is back home at the governor’s mansion celebrating his birthday…hmmm…wonder who’s invited to that party.
I thought it was bad enough that our current president made us the laughing stock of the rest of the world. Losing respect is huge when many societies base their commerce and negotiations upon your standing in the global community. I have to point to Palin for bringing us to such new lows that clips of her made the morning youtube rounds for daily humor. Would begging help? Please, please oh politicians or politician wannabe’s, leave stupidity to those who don’t impact our country or the world.
And oh yeah – can’t help but stretch that to our current corporate leaders, who have already felt the “Palin Effect” as in their arrogant stupidity, rode their coroprate jets to beg for money in D.C. I’m tired of paying you because you stupidly ignored signs of international encroachment by others seemingly better skilled in business managment than you. I want my money to go to a car of my choice, not to cars (or other products) that I didn’t want but am now paying for (aka bailout). Do you think anyone will listen?
I watched news stories this morning about these two women and I couldn’t help but compare them. Patti Blagojevich, wife of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (see my earlier post) allegedly is involved with his various nefarious schemes, in particular the possible auction to the highest bidder for Obama’s open Senate seat. Patti (I couldn’t bring myself to call her “First Lady B), not only knew but apparently advised her hubby about what to do.
Of course, as a woman, they focused on her appearance as well as her actions, sigh, no mention of her husband’s “beady eyes” yesterday…
It was only minutes later when I saw a tribute to Daren Baird on the Today show. She was a truck driver of many years who let Meredith Viera ride with her during the show’s most dangerous jobs series earlier this year. I had watched that episode and enjoyed Ms. Baird, recognizing a true pioneering spirit.
Daren (I feel like she was a first name kind of gal), compared her lifestyle to cowboys, “them and their ponies and me in my truck”. You could tell simply by watching that this was a no-nonsense, down to earth woman who loved her job. She was most angry at the news stories of jackknifed trucks that never recognized the name of the driver. Daren, who died on the road this week as her truck lost traction in a rain storm, was recognized simply but well through Viera’s story.
Now, in fairness, I don’t know Daren at all outside of the news story, but I sure felt respect from what I did see. To watch how Patti (allegedly) took advantage of her position as “First Lady”, made me angry yet again about how power combined with greed corrupts. Is it inherent the higher the ladder you climb? If so, watch out Mr. and Ms. Obama, keep vigilant that you too are not seduced. Meanwhile – here’s to you Daren Baird, may you rest in peace.
What does it mean when the Christmas tree you just bought sheds it’s needles faster than the storm that brought over two inches of rain the day before? Can one return said tree, the refund pulling money from the school who was selling these Charlie Brown trees in the first place?
What kind of guilt complex do you want me to have anyway? Those little faces, showing their “favorite” tree to those of us browsing, saying “pick this one, pick this one.” Of course you do and you precariously get it in your car, through rush hour D.C. traffic (with accident), out of your car, up your steps, and finally through the front door. That’s when the carpet of needles alerts you to the symptoms of age.
But still it hasn’t sunk in totally yet and up the tree goes, being pulled this way and that, left-right-front-back; lights strung and restrung– until the poor guy who is doing the adjusting has “enough” already and walks toward the TV, muttering a form of “Bah Humbug”. By then you’ve noticed the needles continue to rain down and you start contemplating the reverse process of getting the tree back to the lot. One look at his face… the thought remains in your head… and you start convincing yourself the tree is lovely, smells good, and that you did a good deed for the school.
Ok, I thought I might give it up and not talk about our president in the last few weeks of his time in the White House. An earlier posting pretty much summed it all up, or so I thought. And then I read a news story about the TV reporter who threw his “size 10″ shoes at the president during Bush’s recent trip to Iraq.
Did you miss it, here’s one version:
At first I laughed like most people and to give Bush credit, his sense of humor helped make it laughable. Of course, now the stories are flowing about the journalist being tested for drugs and/or alchohol, about his being beaten but “don’t mark his face” being heard in the background, about the “why was it done” of it all.
Do I think he should have thrown his shoes? No. Such an act against any head-of-state will inevitably bring down the rath of the security in charge. Is it achieving the TV reporter’s goal? Probably, even more than he might have expected. Do I think the US needs to handle this in such a way as to be sensitive to the world’s feelings toward our country, president and actions in Iraq? You bet, however, while I’m keeping my fingers crossed, I’m not sure. What do you think?
Someone sent me a link to Famous Last Words in 4 Minutes, a YouTube video by The Vlog Brothers of John and Hank Green fame. They apparently decided to video via YouTube instead of writing each other for all of 2007 and continued it almost weekly this year. Also creators of nerdfighters.com, Hank recently shared 50 Famous Jokes in 4 minutes. So here’s Famous Last Words - enjoy it as I did, especially on this cold, rainy day in D.C.
It wasn’t so long ago that flaunting name-brand items was the thing to do. I used to go often to the Asia-Pacific region for work and received many requests when in Korea or Hong Kong in particular, to buy such items, at shall we say, a less inexpensive price. As someone who’s not into name-brands myself, they soon tired of asking me since I couldn’t recognize a Prada bag from a brown bag.
Speaking of bags, a little news clip on the Today Show talked about Kathleen Fuld, wife of Richard Fuld who has been blamed for putting Lehman Brothers into Bankruptcy. Kathleen, so the story goes, has apparently spent $5,000 – $10,000 (US) a week in a Hermes boutique on Madison Ave. She then refused the regular signature shopping bag for a “plain white one”.
One could argue she has an addiction and now that is has been recognized, she will be going to re-hab. Remember the “twinkie defense” presented by Dan White to excuse his assignation of Governor Harvey Milk of San Francisco? Or how about the recent case of the 17 year old Ohio guy who blamed a Halo 3 game addiction for shooting his parents? “Shoppers Defense” – now there’s an excuse to cover a wide range of activities, from shop-lifting to absenteeism, to ruining the economy from either too much spending, or too little oversight — wait though, isn’t that the “Congress Defense”?
No bones about it, I love the holiday season. The sights, the sounds, the smells of fir and cookies, I take it all in. I ask people about their traditions, and absorb their stories as if they were my own. No doubt there is too much commercialism fueling the “want” attitude, but I also believe we need to be care-takers of our own participation in that aspect and teachers of responsibility to the next generation.
I practice “Christmas” myself. Growing up in an Army family, my mom became an expert in ensuring my siblings and I that yes, Santa would find us even though we moved, had no chimney, or were now living in the desert. Traditions became our focal point more than location and for years I had the same meal Christmas Eve (oyster stew); always read “Twas the Night Before Christmas”; woke up with a stocking by our beds to keep us busy so the folks could sleep just a little longer; and finally spent hours opening presents (we were the one-at-a-time type) and ultimately eating roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner.
Even though our family has spread and acquired families/friends of our own, we still carry on many of the traditions we grew up with. They have changed somewhat as they are now intermingled with others whose families had different traditions. A new tradition was added as we spread apart–the round-robin calling to all family at least once during Christmas Day. While not much is said by each individual, the spirit is definetly shared and a warmth passed through each other.
So take a moment and share the story of your traditions, whether old and new. You’d be surprised how many people actually enjoy listening and start sharing their stories with you. Of course, coming up with a new tradition for your family (have your kids searched for the “Christmas pickle” on the tree?) from their stories makes this, what’s the expression, “interactive” too!
I’ve been known to spend hours wrapping Christmas stocking gifts, let alone regular presents. With my sister and/or sister-in-law; we would take tissue paper (no scotch tape necessary), wrap most of the items and then scribe small sayings, mainly “want one of these myself” love, Rudolf or “just your shade,” love, Blixen. When my nieces were young and had many gifts as well as stocking stuffers, hours of good cheer (and a bottle of some brew) would pass and going to bed at 2,3, or 4 in the morning was not unheard of.
As the kids grew older, the hours spent wrapping grew shorter. They haven’t ended though, stockings and gifts are still received by all generations, just in a much smaller number. These last couple of years have been different for us as we are missing my one sister’s skill with inventing gifts out of nothing; of her cheerful singing of carols intertwined with Gregorian chants; of her warm hearted blessings for people, animals and all things from nature. I found I was finally able to look at that special angel ornament she gave me and smile with her spirit in my heart.
This year is different for so many people. Headlines tell of the impact the crises in the economy is making globally, where poverty and its consequences are being felt on a scale we can’t even begin to truly understand. So in celebration of the holidays this year, I’m lessening my Christmas gift load and giving money to those causes near and dear to my heart. Just as people are buying less, so too are they giving less and yet the need is greater than ever.
In the spirit of good cheer, generosity and giving, I end this blog post with a list of a few of my favorite causes in case you are looking for a new avenue of sharing. If you have a favorite, please let us know their web page (or link) or address too.
KIVA – where you loan money to individuals or groups looking to start or expand a business and who ultimately pay you back
CarePages – I learned of CarePages through friends of mine whose young son was stricken by cancer and they kept all of us informed through this medium.
Earth Island – it’s all about the environment, from backyard to the world
Bridges for Women Society - an org in Canada which provides women survivors of any form of abuse with education, training and other supportive programs. I recently met one of their volunteers who well represents what they accomplish in their community.
10. Sleep late — unless you have to go to work in which case, treat yourself to a gooey, high calorie treat. Your annual “diet” New Year’s resolution will kick in soon enough.
9. Recycle those Xmas wrappings, whether in the recycle bin or by folding them nicely to use next year. That’s what we used to have to do growing up and given tightened wallets, it’s a good practice to start up again.
8. Let those gifts, unwrapped that they are, stay under the tree longer this year. It keeps the cheer going and if you have them, helps keep the kids busy.
7. If you’re not driving anywhere, have some more champagne! Enough to enhance the Xmas glow, not too much to ruin it.
6. Have leftovers for lunch. Add a new side dish if you are having company, and have that desert you couldn’t finish yesterday.
5. Have you changed clothes yet? If not, stay in your pj’s, there’s nothing like not having to choose “what to wear” at least a few times a year.
4. Time for a real nap. If you want to include some hot, extracurricular activities too, go for it! If you are at work, well, I’ll leave that to your discretion. . .
3. Go shopping, online. Overstock.com is having a good sale, already off their discounted prices. No need to leave the house/apartment and tackle those mad gift returnees, and I mean “crazy” not “angry” mad – those folks have the “Black Friday” aspects of shopping down and woe be the innocent who gets in their way.
2. Snack on those chocolates you got yesterday, they don’t get better with age like you do. And if you have room, have another glass of champagne.
1. Share the spirit! Kiss until your lips are chapped, call those folks you forgot to yesterday, and pick a charity to give to if you haven’t already. Happy Holidays doesn’t end with one day of celebration – enjoy!
Watching an interview with one of the co-writers (Todd Purdum) of the new Vanity Fair article, “Farewell to all that: an oral history of the Bush administration“, on the Today Show, I had to start shaking my head once again. Purdum mentions that one of Bush’s staff apparently stated something to the effect that “Bush is not a rear-window kind-of-a-guy” when referring to what Bush thinks of his legacy. Apparently Bush is not worried about short-term history, banking what will be considered his true legacy on the writings of historians many years down the road.
Well isn’t that nice. Would I be able to look at my string of mistakes, albeit without the width, depth, devastation and other attributes of Bush’s, and say, gee, I’m not worried about looking back at them, I’m just looking forward. Implied in that thought process is no sense of making amends, correcting errors, apologizing, or even acknowledging the mistakes themselves. Well, those of us (most of the world) have already started feeling the impact of Bush’s decisions now and who knows how worse the ripples may be felt “down the road”. We don’t have the luxury to wait to see how others analysize these times in the following generations. And somehow, I don’t think the reviews will be better.
The article does say Bush takes pride in his “improvements” in the field of education. His “no child left behind” campaign did more harm then good, if you listen to those in the actual job of educating our children. And what about the virginity pledge approach to sex education among teens? A study just released showed those who took the pledge actually had just as much pre-marital sex as “non-pledge” teens, but used fewer measures to protect themselves from disease or pregnancy. The fact that the U.S. government has used millions in federal money for such “Abstinence Only” programs makes this at the very minimum, ironic in terms of Bush’s legacy.
In our rear window, we’ve got several wars, an economic disaster and other legacy issues the current president has left behind. So, maybe it’s best if we leave Mr. Bush alone, watching “Rear Window” with rose colored glasses.
As a child, I was allowed to stay up until midnight to drink sparkling cider and cheer as we watched the crystal ball in Times Square drop on TV. There are other holidays I remember with more clarity simply because I would often fall asleep and had to be wakened in time to cheer and go to bed. I never admitted to dozing however, a point of pride for the one “adult” activity I in which I participated.
Then there was the year my dad and I actually went to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. We started off the evening having dinner in Sardie’s, where all the celebritys went, proof being their pictures on the wall as none was sighted that night (no fools were they). We then went out amongst the thousands cheering, drinking crowd (pre 9-11) and as I was still to young to drink, simply cheered with the best of them as “the ball” went down. Getting home via the train was not nearly as exciting as anticipated as all those thousands were now standing room only crowds being more obnoxious than cheering or getting sick with abandon everywhere. I never did tell that part of the story bragging to my friends later.
And then there were the years I worked as a counselor at a residential treat ment center for juvenile delinquents and took the New Year’s shift as getting off for Christmas was more important to me. We’d sit around watching that ball drop via TV and they’d be telling stories of getting drunk, of ripping of other drunks, of popping pills, etc, in past years. There was a young prostitute (around 14 if I remember right) who told the story of how she and her “colleagues” would find that night easiest to pick up those 10 minute tricks who would pay anything to “get some” on this particular holiday. While my face showed the expected nonchalance, I was horrified listening and finally understood the impact of parents who didn’t care or who weren’t there and realized how lucky I really was.
I still like other holidays better as far as going someplace and celebrating. New Year’s is “amateur’s night out” and I’d rather be home than on the roads. The TV is still on, cheers and toasts with champagne given and depending upon whom I’m with, occasionally will jump off the couch for good luck, a tradition started when we read about how they do this in Spain (one wonder’s if they do, but we adopted it as our own anyway). With so much facing us in the year to come, there will be reflection as well this year, but I have a feeling I’ll be reverting to my youth as I’ll fall asleep after that last chime of midnight fades. I’ll leave contemplation for tomorrow when I start my annual thought struggle of whether to create resolutions or not.
What type are you — the kind that makes resolutions and sticks to them? Thinks about resolutions and wishes you could keep them? Gave up making resolutions years ago but revisit the idea of it annually at least? Or never even thinks about resolutions at any time of the year.
Me? I tip more to a mut vs pure bred approach to resolutions. Sometimes I make them, sometimes I even keep them, more often I pause on New Year’s to think about making them but generally, I forget about the whole thing by the 2nd of Jan, well except for the eat better/exercise more one that fritters in and out of existence all year long.
Given the state of the world, maybe it’s time to revisit resolutions again, except look at what one promises “to do better” with in a different way. There are enough personal issues that are much more “in your face” then previously, especially given that the economic situation is hitting most of us in a way rarely experienced except sporadically. What are resolutions when trying to keeping a roof over our heads?
When I read the headlines “worst since 1931″ being the latest, I know we all need to do something, but damned if I have a prescription, for myself, let alone the country or beyond. We did take a major step in voting for “change” and all of our fingers are crossed that Obama and our Congress will come with the intelligence and strength of character to lead us down the path of promises that make sense, even if painful, and promises that are kept which help most of us, not just a few.
Will corporations make resolutions to become the ethical entities they need to be? Will the government resolve not to loose itself in administrivia, contract boondogles or public policies that are reactionary vs proactive? Will parents and our educational system take a look at what else they need to focus on to make the next generations healthier, less greedy, more compassionate and generous?
My resolutions for the New Year? I’m still thinking, these are ones that may be the most meaningful of my generation yet. Have you made any?
As long as I can remember, around New Year’s, came the ads for participating in the Publishers Clearing House prize drawing to win a million dollars – or I think it’s $5,000 a week for the rest of your life these days. Used to be these ads would come in the mail, now they come via the mail, radio, tv and internet. And they are still as tempting as ever.
Except. . .
Except now people are more savvy in marketing tactics. They understand that providing the PCH folks with your demographic information (address, age, etc) is even more important to them than signing up for any magazine.
That they can use this information to sell your name on a list other companies buy, to the tune of a lot more than $5,000 a week I would imagine. That in essence you have “given permission” for them to use your information since you took the active act of signing up, even if in your own mind it was just to win a prize or buy a magazine, not sell your information to all the bidders, not just the highest one.
But, hey, that may be okay by you. The chance of winning lots of money motivates a lot of people to do things they may not otherwise have done. I, for one, love to play the slot machines on occasion and do buy a lotto ticket when the winning number gets high. I even went to the pch.com web site, but thanks to the internet and experiences therein, paused before I even clicked the first “enter here”.
Unlike putting cash into those slot machines (whose odds of winning are slim at best), I am about to give away, in writing, information for others to use – all for the chance of “winning”. Even with that first “enter” click, well, we all know what can be traced back to you from that simple act alone.
I’ll keep my privacy, thanks, but good luck to you if you do enter. We all could use “winnings” these days.
Well I’m all for change and the old adage about ‘change can be painful’ starts with the actual Inauguration Day here in the D.C. Metro area. We’ve been given numbers of expected visitors ranging from two to eight million just to see the Inauguration parade itself on Jan 20th. Everybody I know has had the “can I stay at your place?” phone calls for the Inauguration. And getting to and around D.C. will be tough, even for the savviest of commuters.
Meanwhile PE Obama (as in President-Elect) and family have moved into D.C. this weekend, having to stay at the Hay Adams Hotel since the traditional PE home, Blair House, won’t be “available” until the last possible minute — Jan 15th, the “official” day of residence for a PE. Apparently Obama’s need to arrive early to get his children ready for school takes last place to farewell events for the current P (as in Dubya). Isn’t it always the case that politics trumps education any day. . .
I myself have four or five guests for Inauguration week. Small in number compared to some, all “can’t wait” to not only participate but visit museums, try restaurants, and generally sight-see. Folks who aren’t having company are either renting their homes for huge sums of money or are plotting to get out of town, “away from the madness” being their common theme.
Somewhere in the middle of playing tourist, celebrating political change and escaping, lies the heart of most residents here. There are many participating in those farewell parties that are tying up Blair House, while many more will be dancing in the street (or at least on the National Mall) on Inauguration Day itself.
And then there’s the weather. We’ve been having mostly a very mild winter, but change could occur here with just one northern front creating havoc with snow, ice or cold rain — talk about nature’s own way of crowd control. Watching via TV may not be such a bad thing afterall.
Going to one of those Inaugural Balls? Been agonizing about what to wear? Oh no, what if someone chose the dress you did and the cameras snap you together?? If I hadn’t watched the Oscars a few times and witnessed such “crises”, I wouldn’t have ever thought there was enough concern about such things to have prompted a web site to address this issue.
“Man’s invention helps women address dress faux pas” is the name of a great little article about Andrew Jones’ web site, http://www.dressregistry.com/, that provides women the opportunity to describe their gown (or even a photo if you want), the event you’re going to, etc. Apparently Andrew saw the need after his wife showed up at a charity event and immediately saw someone wearing the very same gown. Hmmmm. . .
Now I know we have only 15 days left before the Inauguration and all those Balls, but you have to wonder with the tanking economy if this is really a concern? But yes, apparently over 100 dresses were registered the day this web site was put up. So I guess I better jump on the bandwagon.
Let’s see, what dress will I wear? Will it be that $20 Cost Plus (are they even a store anymore) long white cotton embroidered dress that I wore when my Great Aunt took me to The 21 Club in New York? She was very gracious and never mentioned the boots I wore underneath. Or how about the long Indian skirt that I wore to many a wedding “back-in-the-day”? I’m sure that would cause a lot of raised eyebrows, but I certainly wouldn’t have to worry about duplications.
From what I heard on the news this morning, odds are on Michele Obama wearing an American Neo-Classic (huh?). A Maria Pinto, purple, drapped, one shouldered, Romanesque long gown. Or possibly a Jackie-O sheath in a modern bronze silk. Yes, black is still acceptable and even short is ok if done with the popular lace trim now in fashion. Me? If I have my way, it’ll be jeans and a warm sweater in front of the TV.
Well, it made the headline news this morning; 5,000 port-a-potties will be ready for Inauguration Day to service the expected 4 million plus crowd. Doing the math, well unless the weather does its own crowd control, let’s just say get ready for long lines. There is a great little post, “Where to Pee in D.C.” that gives strategic information on regular bathrooms, including a downloadable brochure of what I’m calling “where to go” (couldn’t resist).
So, let’s paint the scenario. Weather factors aside, you and all those folks visiting get up, have a huge breakfast (hopefully) and knowing there are no parking spaces, are roadway/bridge closures, etc., are smart enough to look at taking Metro (the D.C. subway system). How to get to your nearest Metro? Don’t even thinking of driving– taxi’s, buses or walking? You call a cab, they say there’s a two hour wait, you go back in and start having Bloody Mary’s.
You finally get on a Metro car, make it as close as you can get (mostly north of Pennsylvania Ave), make your way up the broken escalator and out into the streets. You’re only blocks from the Mall! But wait, you’re on the wrong side of Penn Ave or 16th and have to go miles around the blocked streets (literally, even if you are walking). Note, you’re not one of the few who were able to bribe their way into tickets for the wooden bleachers along the parade route. You find you can’t get closer than 10 people deep on the parade route, so you don’t even bother and go right to the Mall to park yourself within one of those Jumbo-tron screens.
Let’s recap- five or six hours after you got up, and a couple of miles walking, you have arrived at your “I’m part of the Inauguration Day” spot on the Mall. The coffee, tea and/or Bloody Mary has decided to make itself felt, so now’s the time get in line for one of those port-a-potties before your bladder gets anxious. Or, of course, you can whip out the “Where to pee” brochure and make your way to one of those. Did I mention — you better check to see if the office, museum, etc. that houses these bathrooms are open on Inauguration Day?
I remember sitting at a bar with friends, downing our sorrows as we realized we represented the small minority who didn’t vote for George W. Bush. It became even smaller after 9-11 when it was almost unpatriotic to say anything negative about the actions of the White House. I say the White House rather than just Bush because we now know the actions of many (Cheney, Rove, etc., etc.) actually ran the store behind the Bush name.
Eight years later the majority of public opinion has caught up to this original minority. I don’t even bother saying “I didn’t vote for him” like I used to, since the results of his incompetency and greed by others close to him far surpasses that old taunt.
The PR machine around Bush and his power brokers was so well built that it fooled the general public into believing he actually had some brains or ability and kept hidden the power mongering schemes of others who made decisions for him. It also prevented us from understanding those few who were trying to blow the proverbial whistle were being fired, tainted, blocked, etc.; that there was no such thing as accountability from most in Congress, let alone any branch in government. Apparently it also shielded Bush himself from understanding how bad his decisions or actions were at the cost to the American people.
And yet the blame can’t be centralized in one particular area. As bad as Bush et. al were, so too were many banks, big businesses, the real estate industry, and even John Q Public for, simply put, lending/buying beyond our ability.
And where was the media? During those first years and ultimately leading to Bush’s re-election, where was the unbiased truth based on non-fiction that we once believed in – -ok, I’m not really as naive as this sounds, more wishful thinking than anything. However, there are some rays of light. One of the best descriptions I read of the Bush legacy is Frank Rich’s Op-Ed piece in the NY Times this past Sunday. When history writes a description of the Bush legacy, I hope they use this as a starting point rather than whatever “official” version may be.
As we count down to the big “change” in government, I had to laugh and groan when I read the following in CNN about Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis seeking a federal bailout. Let’s see if I get the essence of the potential Q & A that would occur in Congress:
Nancy Pelosi: “Gentleman, can you please provide the rational behind the mavericks of the porn industry’s request for a federal pornography bail out?”
Flynt: “Why little lady, don’t you know that we need to keep men vibrant in order to face the challenges of the day? Since the government approved federal monies for viagra, there has been a crying need to support the obvious follow-up stage. The happier men are, the better the county is.”
Pelosi: “And you, Mr. Francis, what is your arguement?”
Francis: “We know the current economic situation has lessened pleasure travel across the country. In anticipation of fewer participants in typical Spring Break activities impacting further the troubled economies of our brothers in the South, we are presenting this solution. We just can’t imagine the federal government would let that a further drop to occur.”
Pelosi: “The fact that while porn DVD sales are down, viewership and participation via the Web is up – doesn’t that raise your profit sheets?”
Flynt: “Not as high as any many would wish. Why, we’re just looking out for the common man, trying to stave off dispair and desparation, just like the banks had in mind when pitching their need for bailout money. And let’s not forget the ‘little woman’, the happier he is, the happier she is. Isn’t that so?”
Pelosi: “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. This ‘little woman’ recommends you take your request, join ‘Brother’ Bush and leave D.C. before the ‘change’ cuts off more than just your profits.”
If you live or work any where near D.C., I suggest you come on in now, take a walk right down Pennsylvania Ave, wave to those on the bleachers, or even sit on them yourself, right in front of the White House.
You won’t have to leave home at 1am (the current recommended time) to get downtown in time for the opening ceremony (starts at 9am) as it only take minutes to walk from the Metro and you don’t have to go through the 13 checkpoints that will be up and running Jan 20th.
If you choose to sit on the bleachers right across from the White House, you can see right into the closed off section that will house the presidential party, watch the parade of humanity going by, gualk at the few protesters present and even chat with still friendly tourists. The sun is shinning, the temperature a decent 40+ degrees (it’s estimated to be in the twenty’s next week) and go grab a sandwich at any one of the coffee shops near by without waiting in line.
And all for free… of course you won’t get the excitement of being in D.C. during one of its most historic moments either. . .
UPDATE: recent article about tickets, and a place to try to get them, stubhub.com for for between $US375 and $US3563
It’s an interesting phenomenon to actually start thinking about watching or listening when the President of the United States speaks. More and more over the last eight years, I couldn’t bare to watch Bush and by now instinct drives me to either push the mute button or change channels. As for his “fireside chats”, nary a one did I listen to.
I do find myself reading more and more news about him now, as his legacy of secrecy, ineptitude, and criminal acts (were it any other position), is starting to be reported. Interesting blog, “Hugh’s Bush scandal list – because there are just too many scandals to remember.” You’ll have to verify these, but they certainly make for interesting reading.
On a humorous note, a colleague sent me the BBC’s list of Bushisms in the recent article, “The ‘misunderestimated’ president?”. Read the article for the entire listing, a sampling is given below.
“You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.” CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006
“You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.” Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001
“It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it.” Reuters, 5 May, 2000
“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN’s aren’t able to practice their love with women all across the country.” Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004
“Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.” Washington DC, 2 May, 2007
“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000
“I’ll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office.” Washington DC, 12 May, 2008
I’m afraid the last one may be true longer than we wish, even though cracks in the Bush screen are starting to appear as his legacy starts to take shape.
Well, as the intro said in the MSNBC YouTube video below, to paraphrase the 19862 farewell of Richard Nixon, “You won’t have Bush to kick around any more”. Thus opens the coverage of the last official Press Briefing help by the current president. It’ll make you shake your head, laugh and groan, all within minutes. If you haven’t seen it, take a look:
Who knew? Bush is planning on having a 15 minute Farewell speech on Thurs, in front of a live audience of “courageous” Americans. One wonders who these courageous individuals are (no list provided). Probably current or former Bush appointees (loyalty in his case equals courage), those who are told to be there (military personnel ), and die-hard Republicans.
There’s a interesting CNN piece about the Farewell where they asked people to let them know what they’d like Bush to say. There’s a big difference between what Bush will say and what we’d like him to say. As for me, I’d like an apology to all the real courageous Americans who didn’t take matters in their own hands to oust him years ago, but waited for a democratic method of removal. I’m just sorry the reality of Bush didn’t hit people during the previous election four years ago.
As I join the millions around the world eagerly awaiting Bush’s Farewell, I want to also highlight who might possibly be the next Republican Presidential candidate if rumors are correct, Sarah Palin. Her complaints of “bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie” aside, she scares me.
We have a tough four years ahead of us that will make some folks unhappy as they have to adjust their previous lifestyle to accomodate the needs of others. I don’t want her “like one of us” persona certain groups identify with to overshadow common sense, a Palin future is even worse than a Bush past.
Last night was Bush’s turn to give us his final official farewell. I turned on the TV, settled in to watch and after about 10 seconds, found I just couldn’t. So for those of you who couldn’t watch either, here’s a great little YouTube production of Bush’s TV bloopers, it makes watching fun! Oh yeah – Good-bye Mr. Bush.
My friend, Palo Alto School Board Representative, Camile Townsend and I braved the Metro parking lot on our way to theEmily’s List luncheon yesterday, only to find the lot almost empty(!) and the Metro itself with plenty of seats. We got out at Dupont Circle and walked up the Hill to the Washington Hilton, where we joined 2,000 other women. The buzz, the electricity in the air, the sense of cheer and hope absent for 8 years in D.C., all made for high adrenaline for hours.
The list of attendees was awesome, as least in the sense of women in the US political arena: Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi; Senator Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State Designate; Governor Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security Designate; Congresswoman Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor Designate; Governor Bev Purdue, North Carolina; Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire; Senator Kay Hagan, North Carolina; and Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Wisconsin.
It wasn’t the usual “a politician’s canned speech to the audience” scenario, these women have led the fight in gender equity in this country, have experienced discrimination a myriad of times and still do, and yet were able to give us not only a sense of accomplishment, but a sense of hope. They spoke from their hearts and we responded likewise – a standing “o” for each, cheers, and applause. For a longer read on the luncheon, check out my AAUW blog post, “Pelosi, Clinton, Napolitano, & Jones“.
Camile and I then made our way toward the Lincoln Memorial, to meet with her husband and daughter who were also cheering and applauding – for those musicians and others celebrating the Inauguration. Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Springsteen, Jamie Foxx, Mary J.Blige, Cheryl Crowe, Mellancamp, King III – the list was endless and exciting – and included Obama himself.
Honesty wins, we only made it to the Mayflower Hotel (with a “rich” history of it’s own), stopping to have a Cosmos and beer for a small break from the cold. We found ourselves watching the CNN coverage of the concert, and stayed… Husband and daughter later joined us and joined in comparing stories with the Navy Midshipman and his family at the next table.“Yeah, we needed the binoculars to see the jumbotron, let alone any of the performers”made us laugh, but the excitement and feelings of hope matched ours from the luncheon.
My one hick-up? On Friday I received the exciting news that I was able to get two tickets to one of the ten official Inaugural Balls for Tuesday night. On Saturday I went out grocery shopping, only to return to a little sign from the Post Office on my door, “sorry you weren’t home, you can pick up your Express envelope 1/20 after 9am”. My heart stopped, at 9am I am joining my two million other friends at the Inauguration/Mall. I called the PO at 1:10 only to find they had closed at 1. Threw everything down, grabbed my keys, jumped in the VW bug and off I tore around the neighborhood in hopes of finding the mailman. Finally, last house in the ‘hood, and I caught him, signed for my envelope and returned home, frazzled, melted ice cream on the floor and as pleased as punch. Phew!
No more count downs – this is Inauguration Day! I joined over 1 million other folks this morning as we all made our way down to the Capital and the Mall. It was 9 degrees (counting wind chill factor) when I left home.
Surprisingly the Metro ride in was lighter than expected, however the fact it didn’t stop at key stations made getting to the Inauguration interesting. A holder of a “silver” ticket (different colors allowed you to stand at varying lengths from the Inauguration Ceremony) and silver was right beyond the Capital Hill Reflecting Pool. However, Metro fooled me, it didn’t stop at Federal Central but continued to Capital Hill, where we all got out and started walking – volunteers pointing us to a route which we discovered later, was wrong.
There appeared to be many lines for silver ticket holders that wrapped around buildings, thru alleyways or stood still as minutes ticked by. Small in height, I tagged along with a group of guys at least a foot taller then me and found there were three “Chris’s” in the group, making conversation immediately humorous and easy. We started placing bets if the 90 minutes we had before the swearing in was going to be enough to get in our designated spot. Before long talk we were choosing to either go to a pub and watch with beer in hand, or go to the Mall, no ticket needed and try to stand in front of one of those large jumbo-trons.
Just as were about to flip the coin, the line suddenly started moving and we walked what we estimated was over 3 miles til we finally got to the security check point. We went into double-time and finally arrived with minutes to spare. Saying “farewell”, I found a good spot, able to see relatively clearly one of the jumbo-trons and able to actually see the podium Obama would be sworn in on with my binoculars!! My new neighbors were chatty and a not-so-small party atmosphere prevailed.
The crowd was intense, we decided if we all bent our knees slightly we could sit on the person behind us. The mood extremely cheerful, knowledgeable about politics, representative of generations, some of whom had traversed this route on their way to hear Martin Luther King. Folks cried at various points, the sense of we have a chance in the air. I don’t know if the TV captured the audience cheers or jeers, but there were plenty. Cheers, chants of OBAMA and “We can Change” broke out when any of the Obama or Biden family appeared or others like Carter and the Clintons.
When Laura Bush and Mrs. Cheney appeared the crowd grew silent, but seemingly respectful, however when Bush and Cheney (in wheel chair from hurting his back while moving boxes yesterday) appeared there was a huge “BOO” that went on for some time. Then that song that sometimes is played in sports arena, “na na na, hey hey hey, kiss him goodbye etc.” went through the crowd. . . I later asked someone if they could hear either cheers or boos on TV and they said only the cheers. Hmmm.
For all that walking and waiting, the ceremonies seemed short – but no less powerful. Aretha Frankin’s singing was masterful, she never looses her touch. When Yoyo Ma and Isaak Perlman started playing there was a silence so profound you could have heard a pin drop, amongst over a million people no less, as we watched the white doves take flight.
The swearing in ceremony went quickly and the sound was off kilter during Obama’s Inaugural speech. It was one of those where he’d speak and seconds later we could hear his words. I will read or listen to his actual speech later, but the emotions that ran so high, cheerful, generous and hopeful never dimmed. I’ll never forget it. If you haven’t seen any of the day, C-Span is showing activities.
Leaving, walking the miles again towards the Metro, I passed the Native American Museum and paused to listen. They were drumming in ceremony to honor the Inauguration and listening to that, watching the Capital and the crowds still smiling after hours on their feet in the freezing cold – it almost felt like a blessing being bestowed on our nation. Let’s hope it brings the new administration the grace, strength, honesty, beauty and peace the music evoked.
After the Inauguration Ceremonies were complete – having stood for hours in the freezing cold and walking miles to find an open Metro stop that would actually let me in, I had a few hours rest and relaxation before getting ready to attend the official Midwest Inaugural Ball. The morning Inauguration adventure unforgettable, I marshaled up my tired feet and told myself, time for round two.
The Metro at the Convention Center (the Ball location) was closed for security reasons so my friend and I decided to take the 70 bus from Silver Spring. I do believe we were the only passengers to take this route and the looks we received in all of our finery from the rest of the passengers were priceless. We then walked block after block amidst police cars and the homeless and finally made it to the entrance, feet complaining all the way.
Well, as far as the room itself, let’s just say almost bare would be an accurate description. It definitely looked like a convention hall, not princess ballroom, with it’s few draped banners, lack of seating, no tables to even lean on and grey walls and carpet. The food was atrocious (pasta, turkey roll and some of yesterday’s carrots), and you had to stand to get tickets to stand and get drinks. I later heard most of the official balls were like this, one has to wonder why they don’t think to get sponsors.
However, that being said, it was well worth the extra five hours of standing. The Motown band and singers were great, really getting people into the dancing mood. Cheryl Crow was next, the first time in a ball gown she said, bubbling over with enthusiasm for the day and singing her heart out. They made her stop a bit early to set up for the presidential party and a laugh flowed through the room at the little man who put out the US flag and the other flags, first one for the VP and then for POTUS. As he set up the flags, he took extra time with each to make sure the emblem showed properly, something everyone of the thousands (seemingly) in the room appreciated later when snapping photos.
The presidential party was over an hour late, but again it was well worth it to share in the day of celebration, first with Joe Biden and wife and then President Obama and Michele. The Coast Guard band had been set up earlier, playing ”Hail to the Chief” when Obama came out, and the room cheered and cheered. I was lucky enough to be close to the front and could see the President was obviously tired. He spoke of the “heartland” and how he represented all of the people and then turned to Michele for their dance. Very affectionate toward each other, they slowly twirled around the stage and seemingly enjoyed their few minutes with us.
They left…we all made a mad dash to secure coats and leave. It was humerous to watch the hundreds of women, now shoeless- highheels getting the better of them, stop to put their shoes back on at the front entrance. The groans could be heard and laughter broke out as one man, with his date on his back, holding her heels in hand, made a sprint toward the Metro.
We walked slowly, made one last attempt at a dash across a street as green light turned to red and heard the sounds of motorcycles. We turned and watched as the Presidential motorcade came through. Five feet from us, we waved as first the VP came by and then POTUS and Michele – all who were gracious enough to wave back at us. A most satisfactory and unforgettable evening indeed!
Got your note, many thanks. Yes, I’ll need all the luck I can get, given how you and your team left the state of our country. Oh, sorry, Michele reminded me that I need to remain ”Presidential,” in the true sense of the word.
Appreciate the good wishes of Laura toward Michele. I don’t think my wife will have a chance anytime soon of hosting Laura at the White House, but I’ll make sure her staff check her schedule to see when the next available date maybe.
My daughters also want to thank your daughters for their kind words of advice. The staff however did want me to ask if you wanted the . . .bottle collection left under beds, in closets and throughout the grounds, sent to your ranch in Texas?
Just a couple of questions, if you don’t mind:
There was surplus in the budget Bill left you, any chance you can give me the real reason behind what happened? I’d be happy to receive your answer via my new Blackberry. It’s worth over $3,000 and I’ve been told it’s “secure”.
What happened in the Justice Department? I can’t find honesty there amongst those whose loyalty to you apparently gave them the credentials to move up the “judicial ladder” as it were. I see you made many appointed positions now civil servants, thinking I would be “stuck” with them for the next years. Thanks, I love a good challenge.
We see in the budget that millions of dollars were spent buying products and services from companies Cheney “once” worked for, as well as others with similar connections. We don’t see any details in the budget? Where would we find this, we would like to fill in the blanks to find were our fellow Americans money went.
Say hello to your father and Barbara. Very kind of them to escort you home to Texas, I was a bit worried given the gas you must have been suffering. I didn’t notice it at the time, but when I reviewed the TV coverage of the Inauguration Ceremony, I noticed your facial expressions showed your pain.
Yes, I would be happy to correspond with you on occasion as I can understand how your empty in box, lack of phone calls, non-waving crowds and no Air Force One might make this transition a difficult one for you. Let me assure you, you can retain your afternoon nap schedule, in fact, feel free to expand it if you would like! I won’t abuse your offer of advice any time, never fear.
I’m sorry but I must leave you, time to roll up my sleeves and get on with it on Day Two of the 100 day count down. Thank you again.
Barack
From the office of the President, United States of America
Taking a pause from the political scene, I’m coming down from the high felt all last week as a new president took command of these United States. I had a family of four staying all week, reminding me through thoughts and deeds what dear friends they are and how lucky we are who have friends that enrich our lives.
A mother and father with two daughters, one in college (Princeton, yahoo!) and the other, a graduate with a year of teaching in Korea under her belt, now looking to grad school for the next stage in life. I knew mom and pop before they were married and now listen with such pride at their own personal accomplishments, let alone as a family unit.
They had all sorts of tickets -Emily’s List luncheon, the Inauguration ceremony, Inauguration parade, Inauguration Balls and never hesitated to share their spoils, their glee, their mementos. We all got caught up in the celebratory air circling D.C. and were so proud to be part of history. Sharing meals, conversations, enthusiasm, hugs and even the almost zero degree weather (wind chill) – only added to the collection of already wonderful memories.
The week ended with an unexpected twist of taking a casual friendship and making it a “kindred-spirit” beginning, the excitement of the Inauguration spilling into extended “conversations” with someone not even of my country. You gotta love the Internet! And the phone too, for those friends not present but who shared in the joy of the change and hope to come.
Don’t get me wrong, family ties still rule and glad to have shared the excitement with mine. But it’s my community of friends that made this occasion even more special, even more memorable. Of course since Inauguration Day, my community has grown to 1.5 million+ individuals who expressed their renewed love for this country through cheers, singing and camaraderie on a very cold day in January. May it continue and grow.
So after eight years of being ignored by those who inhabited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave , I thought it time to start letting you know what I think. I represent the millions of people who are feeling the consequences of other’s greed, which helped cause the current state of our economy; whose ultimate retirement, even though years away, is being impacted by your decisions of today; and whose commute could be improved by some simple planning in D.C.
What? I can hear you saying. That’s right, let’s start with what could be fixed by a simple chat with Mayor Fenty. Could you let him know that driving down 16th Ave during morning rush hour could be improved by simply preventing any left turns unless there is a specific left turn lane? That would work during evening rush hour as well. I can’t speak for my fellow Americans who have to go East, West, or South, but I’m sure there might be traffic issues that could be simply addressed.
So, there you go. One simple problem, one simple suggested solution. If we could incorporate these while you are taking care of the war, the economy, the joblessness, health care, equality and all the other major issues facing you every day, we might just get somewhere.
Thanks for listening. By way of a ‘cc’, I encourage all of my millions of new friends who elected you to make sure to provide suggestions as well. You never know. . .one step at a time.
Hopefully that is. The last time the name Blagojevichwas mentioned here, it actually had to do with an MSNBC piece on the Today Show about his wife. There was another story about Daren Baird on the same day and I felt compelled to compare the two women, no doubt Ms. Baird won hands down.
Well, appears Gov Rod Blagojevich, for all of his “I did nothing wrong” was summarily removed from office after a 59-0 vote by the Illinois Senate. I had caught some of his media blitz prior to the vote and shook my head over his, well it’s hard to describe… comments before and after, examples in a recent NY Times article.
I laughed when I heard he was thinking of nominating Oprah for Obama’s old spot, she apparently did too, claiming (or so I heard) that she would have had to decline even if offered as, tongue in cheek, she’s “just too busy”. And the late night shows have been having a field day!
What made me mad this morning had to do with how he compared himself to the rest of those in America who were unemployed, implying he was “just like them”. Good grief. The majority of the currently unemployed are not facing federal charges, they are not rude, crude and nor try to put a spin on possible criminal actions. I have friends out there, good, honest, hardworking individuals who are now looking for work through no fault of their own.
Grow up, Blagojevich, face the music and stop comparing yourself to those folks who are truly facing tough times. Oh yeah, keep off the TV too, please, I’m tired of looking at your face.
Taking a bit of a blog pause from all the excitement of the Inauguration, I felt the juices start to flow again watching Obama and Congress interact since then. I heard a great line at a conference I went to recently, “Don’t let the losers win”. The reference being to the Republicans who are stalling legislation by their tactics vs. really being collaborative on behalf of the American public.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I know there are politicians from both sides who could use more scrutiny on such things as who “pays” for their vote – pay in this case being favors, contracts, riders on bills and the like. But, please, after eight years of allowing the greedy to take control, of making words like “justice” out-dated and of watching out for their folk instead of all of us, can’t the Republicans realize enough already?! Can’t the Democrats finally get their act together and really start using their power for the good of the people?
That Obama has and will make mistakes is inherent in the job, that he owns up to his mistakes, “I screwed up”, is something we haven’t seen in many a year. When I listened to his plans to cap bonuses – calling the delinquent Wall Street CEO’s “shameful”, I had to cheer. And then shake my head at the Republicans who said he was just hitting on easy targets… Well, I hope he continues.
I was writing a blog post about using the Internet and all of it’s varied avenues of communication (blogs, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Facebook, My space, SecondLife, etc., etc) and I ran across a great BlogHer post by Maria Niles, How We Live, The Decline of Shelter Magazines and the Rise of Blogs.
It made me stop and think about how many magazines and newspapers I have stopped subscribing to in recent years because I can go online and get not only the same information, but much more on as many topics as I can think to type into any Search Engine. Many print magazines are shutting down as a result of declining readership as more go online for information, and it often includes shutting down their corresponding web site. The question that Maria brought to the table (at least in my mind) – have we given up the ability to browse through the written word in print in non-computer locations because we have gone to the web?
So I did a random unscientific survey amongst friends and family and chose that most obvious spot where almost every one of us reads something on occasion, the bathroom. Leaving the cleanliness issue aside… I simply asked, “What do you read in the Bathroom”?
The answers:
I used to read Reader’s Digest, but now it’s my kid’s homework.
I take in various parts of the Sunday NY Times (or Washington Post) all week long.
I keep catalogues in there and “shop”
National Geographic
My BlackBerry (3 resp)
My iPhone (2 resp)
I don’t read, I listen to my iPod
Nothing
and one person actually said the last thing they had brought into the bathroom to read was their laptop…
Demographically you ask? Well, the electronic items ranged across all ages, surprisingly enough, however the print mags and newspapers definitely skewed higher in age.
Hmmm… funny and poignant at the same time. As someone who hates to be bored, my Palm carries not only an Internet connection accessible in most places, but a half dozen novels at any given time. And yet, there’s nothing like holding a book or seeing a glossy photo up close and in person. Hopefully the interest in both mediums will continue so that we don’t have to make a final decision on either one.
A new dating service? A mother’s resource? A way to find old and new friends? According to a recent article on Online Media Daily, women over 55 are finding all of the above in ever increasing numbers, in fact, they are the highest demographic growing on Facebook.
Who knew?! Although not yet of that age group, I am finding more and more people sending me “friend” requests, the linking mechanism of Facebook. An old college friend, a former roommate, work colleague and others, both men and women, I had over twenty such requests last week alone. It’s like an explosion of “just started a Facebook page” has hit the Internet airways.
I’m one of those who’s a bit leery about security so tend to keep my comments generic in nature. On one of those “what are you doing today” posts, Sandy Kirkpatrick provided a great link to an article, 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know“, read it if you haven’t figured out already.
One of my favorite countries to visit and home to my Goddaughter, Australia is under the flames of one of its worst fires ever. A former boss lives Downunder and sent these pictures, which say more than words could (photographers unknown to me). Updates on the Koalas are being provided in U.S. media, if not worldwide.
I’ve asked him for a reliable donation web site for those of us interested in helping with the recovery efforts and I will post as soon as I receive information.
Update: There are two on-line sources if you are interested in donating – one for animals, one for folks. Thanks Graham!
There have been an increasing number of articles written over the years of the commercialism of Feb 14th, otherwise entitled, Valentine’s Day. How the florist industry hypes it for the obvious reasons, in partnership with the chocolate industry. Men in particular seem to gripe the hardest, protesting as to the “why focus on one day” when love can be expressed all year long.
In my usual unofficial, unscientific survey mode I asked both men and women friends about Valentine’s Day. All agreed it was too commercial, however almost to a tee, most of the women laughed and responded with if only men showed love all year long, they wouldn’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The conversation then shifted to how men seemed oblivious to the simple showing of affection, that a simple flower at an unexpected moment, a small token depending upon interest (a book, a movie, a cd) brightens any day not so designated (i.e VD or birthday). I asked the men if being on the receiving end of such things was as important to them as it appeared to be to the women and almost all said no initially, but then yes in reflection. However, their desired token was more of recognition of a chore completed without having to be asked, of a kiss received unexpectedly, of a (always described humorously) reward of a “romp in the hay”.
I found the longer a couple had been together, the less they focused on the individual gift, but more the gift of need, for the house, their family, the vacation. The economic environment was reflected even amongst the humor of the responses; saving for that feared rainy day also included in answers.
Appreciation seems to be the key here in and amongst the “sure we love each other” quick answer. Appreciation for the simple “putting up with who I am”, for the small, everyday tasks that often get unrecognized, and for the big issues handled together. Imagine if partners did that for each other daily and expanded it beyond themselves, family, friends to others we all interact with sometimes only for minutes in our busy worlds.
So, here’s to those in my life who I may not appreciate as much as I should. To my family, friends, colleagues, and those who impact my life in ways I don’t even realize. And today, a special moment of appreciation to those of you who take the time to contribute to a cause, helping others even when money is tight. Thank you and Happy Valentine’s Day.
The last time I heard the expression, “have a heart”, one of my friends was telling the story about asking her boss for a day off and had received a “no” answer. Her plea of “have a heart” apparently went on deaf ears and off to work she went. This morning I heard the term again, but in an entirely different manner.
On Valentine’s Day a year ago, Bob Cowls apparently fell, a torn aorta to blame. As the main artery to the heart, it apparently was an iffy proposition as to whether he survived or not. He lost so much blood that it took 59 separate donors to supply the pints needed (there are only 69 pints in the body) and the good news, a year later he was able to celebrate Valentine’s Day again.
What made this story different than the usual? They put together a reunion of the 59 donors and Bob. As I watched on Good Morning America’s, “The Gift of Blood“ as he shook hands with his “saviors” and how almost to a person they shared a joke.
“If you have a craving for olive oil and lots of garlic, that’s me”, said an older gentleman. “How are your piano playing skills now?”, asks a laughing woman. Bob indicated he hadn’t had a chance to play but will now make a point of giving it a try. On and on the handshakes continued, each one giving a trait that Bob may have “inherited”.
In the shadow of this year’s Valentine’s Day, I too celebrate the acting of donating blood. Imagine if you could meet the recipient of your donation, or the donor if you were in Bob’s shoes. Would that make a difference in getting us to donate? Wonder it adding that the opportunity to meet the donor or recipient (can’t you just see the “check this box” on the form?!) would increase the number of donations?
As I watched, the short story ended with Bob encouraging others to donate. Well, Bob, I haven’t in a long time, thanks for the reminder. And if you too are interested, check out the Red Cross and find where and when you can donate. Meanwhile, how about that “check box”, Red Cross?
Had several interesting discussions about taking care of parents this weekend, from the perspective of boomers who are now the care givers. The “sandwich” generation, a lot of women – and men – are finding themselves raising their own families while worrying about their parents.
I know of those who are taking the full financial burden of nursing home bills while their otherwise healthy parent suffers from Alzheimers, but who didn’t expect to be a “burden” and didn’t plan ahead. Or those whose parents, one or both, are now living with them and are finding their adulthood in jeopardy as mom tries to give instructions in the same manner she did when you were 15 – yikes!
And by happenstance, another friend and I compared stories of taking care of our mothers, both now gone, and the trials, tribulations and guilt we went through as little we did or said made any difference in the downward spiral these ladies put themselves through, in one fashion or another. It became apparent that our own mother’s parenting skills left much to be desired (although no one ever owned up to it at the time) and that their perceived role as “mother” made them not listen to what the “kids” suggested anyway.
And then I stumbled on this blog posting by Rita Arens, “Replacing Ourselves: Do We Owe Future Generations our Reproduction Today?” She gives a different spin on the issue, pointing out statistics of dwindling birthrates today and presented a side of the “who will take care of us” perspective. I particularly liked her humorous comment, “I do think it’s a good idea for anyone with fewer than nine kids to purchase long-term care insurance”, serious but with tongue-in-cheek.
Women do make less than men in general and the stress of taking care of the parents often lies with the daughter. If nothing else, focusing on pay equity for every individual would start easing the “burden” factor for the future.
Will the parents of today learn from their own experiences and set up a different scenario for the next generation – or is it already too late for the Boomers and it will take yet another generation to know how to prepare so that neither side will be dependent upon the other when adults and seniors, leaving more time to enjoy each other instead.
Not the same meaning as in back in the day, well, except maybe “twit”, Twitter and Tweet refer to yet another social networking tool. From the Twitter site itself:
“Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. People write short updates, often called “tweets” of 140 characters or fewer. These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.”
Hmmm… have you ever watched someone twittering, or even using text messaging while driving? I have, and believe me, I hesitate to drive with them again. I’ve watched cars cross traffic lanes, not stop, even come at me and saw them typing away with one or two fingers while occasionally glancing at the road.
Safety aside, do you think people, other than those or should I say some of those who love you, really want to hear what you are doing every minute? I’ve seen women in restrooms twittering as they told their waiting friend that they were, while, let’s just say, while they were using the facilities.
The most interesting twittering experience was during a recent conference, Fem2.0, where we followed the twitter link, shown in real time on a big screen behind the speakers. We (the audience) read the approvals, the questions or even the “get on with it” comments being sent throughout. As a speaker, that would really keep you in tune with your audience and if you were savvy enough, be able to respond immediately. That’s cool.
Twitter, Tweet, Twit. Wonder what the next new communication method to take over the world will be – or maybe already is?! I’ve seen a variety, but not heard any of front runner as of yet. Do you?
In my earlier blog post about the fires in Australia, I posted pictures of the fire that were symbols of both the vastness of the fire with its resulting devastation and the kindness of man to animal (including that wonderful picture of the fireman giving water to a Koala).
Today I received an update, a slide show of photographs of Bruno’s Art and Sculpture Garden. In the small Victorian village of Marysville, Australia, Bruno Torfs created an enchanted world of wood carvings that a visitor could wonder through and experience while in the forest. Bruno and his family are safe, but apparently many of his woodcarvings were damaged or destroyed. Take the “tour” and see what was that can be again.
Again, if you are interested in helping to the victims of the fire in general, you can also contribute through:
I wrote earlier about women who buy large ticket items and instruct the sales person to put them in white bags so as not to overtly flaunt the money they spent. Now a recent Time magazine article, “How Consumers Shop Differently Today,” actually delves into the habits of real shoppers and describes the changing face of shopping today.
Basically, you have three types of shoppers: those with consumer needs vs. wants, who in essence have “slammed their wallets shut”; those who haven’t lost their job but know somebody who has so are cautious and slammed their wallets from “choice” rather than need; and the last third who still has plenty of money but are not spending to not show off in front of others or are one of those white bag shoppers. Either way, as the article states, “the era of ‘bling’ is over”.
I’m certainly not in the last group but find myself fluctuating between focusing more and more on needs vs wants and looking at all the sale items thinking “if I don’t get it now, I’ll never get it at that price”. Caution still wins and that HDtv that I’ve wanted for several years still finds itself on the store shelf instead of my living room wall.
This weekend I heard reports from “expert economists” indicating that most think 2009 will continue to be bad, but that 2010 will find us starting to get out of the current “slump”. Firstly, who are these expert economists and why didn’t they tell us to watch out from the beginning, when we started heading down the path that led us to the recession/depression. What do they define as “slump” anyway? I think those experts are all still employed for folks not working or who lost their homes or are on the edge of foreclosure would use a different descriptive.
My “ok” today could be my “loss of everything” tomorrow and I know many people feel the same way. Spare change is going into nest eggs vs “shopping” for nonessentials, no matter the sale. Discretion is one thing, reality is another and more of us are facing the latter vs. being worried about the former. It does appear that sales of lotto tickets are rising. I guess investing in possibilities is considered a reality, so I’ll give it a dollar.
I’ve been called a “Goddess” while an entire town bowed to me, offering the gift of a shrunken head. I’ve eaten unknown “delicacies” from tops of monkey skulls, inside snake skins or wrapped in what was later termed, “dried dung”. I’ve traveled by plane, train, automobile, balloon, ship, ferry, tugboat, canoe, rowboat, bicycle, unicycle - as well as camel, elephant, horse and donkey.
I’ve hiked mountains, forded streams, crossed channels, through cities and into many a pub at the end of a long day. I’ve biked up hills, through valleys, in rush hour, all with 60 pounds of equipment. I’ve even been at the back end of a dog sled, with wobbly knees, desperately trying to stay on.
I’ve refused to hang glide, gotten sick in a small plane, dived too far down for my own good and watched as a flight attendent duct-tapped the passenger door of a 747 shut before take-off. I’ve been stopped by Tamil soldiers, held at gunpoint (nothing taken), watched two tribes fighting it out with bow and arrow, and was robbed in one of the finest hotels in Asia.
I’ve traveled by myself, with family, friends, colleagues, and with many a stranger – sharing a close moment for a few minutes, hours or even days. I’ve had a nun promise to pray for me after I accidentally rescued her, a monk stop and whisper prayers on my behalf and a Baptist minister tell me I’m going to “hell”.
I’ve read many a travel book, parused online travel guides, had a few travel articles published and even found a new one, “10 links a day” that wets my appetite for more. I’ll have to tell the men in my life about their latest post, “Man Spas” talking of new treats.
That’s only in real life – I’m now beginning to add on new adventures via the virtual world! And no, I don’t represent your typical world traveller type, my physique doesn’t match, my luggage isn’t name brand and my wallet is actually pretty small. So for those adventurers out there who may be hesitating — go for it!
I watched the sun rise this morning, a beautiful shimmer in the distance, growing ever brighter in the chilly air. Not one to get up that early usually, it was a rare treat to see dark transform to light by simply sitting, sipping tea and enjoying the peace of the moment.
Of course symbolism couldn’t escape thoughts as I reflected on the idea that dawn brings forth a new day, a chance to start “all over again”, of remembering the “I am going to” promises of previous days. My own do-overs came to mind, not new but not accomplished, things that impact state of mind, health, future goals. If only I could carry the contemplative charge of energy throughout the day rather than watch it dissipate as those “same old, same old” issues come into play, things that zap the will to do better. I realize they are excuses and ask why do I let them win?!
I know I’m not alone, many friends talk of this cycle, different issues but same impact – distractions letting the intended road detour. I wonder if that’s a human condition, somehow our genes causing a pause in change so that we don’t jump into uncharted and potentially unsafe waters too quickly. Or is it something that happened while we were children that put fear onto a path that actually is not so scary after-all. Is it our subconscious putting down stumbling blocks because it’s not really what we want for the future, no matter what we think in the now?
I look out and see the sun has risen, the fog is lifting, my eyes are finally open. The mundane filters in — gulp breakfast, get dressed, take out the trash, wondering if there is enough gas in the car… wait - the peace of the dawn is spilling over, making me pause and smile and lift my head to capture the warmth before chaos has a chance to resume control.
Several folks passed this along via email this week. Don’t know who the original writer was, nor how accurate the numbers may be. But certainly loved the premise!
“The Proposal”
When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for asking this type of “tough decision”, and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.
Our government should not be immune from similar risks.
Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%.
Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.
Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:
$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)
$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people’s staff. (estimate
$1.3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)
$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year (those members whose jobs are gone). Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr.
The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country?
We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.
Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established (telephone, computers, cell phones just to name a few).
Summary of opportunity:
$44,108,400 reduction of congress members.
$282,100,000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.
$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.
$59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.
$37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.
$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.
$8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings (that’s 8-BILLION just to start!).
Big business does these types of cuts all the time.
If Congress persons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits, there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term. Now ask yourself, where could you find a job with those types of benefits? You CAN’T!
Have you ever wondered “what-ever-happened” to someone you didn’t know, usually a famous person? I ran into that this morning as I sipped my Chai and watched CBS Sunday Morning. They had a piece on Phoebe Snow and it dawned on me, she is definitely one of those singers I love and yet never really paid attention to the fact she basically disappeared from view.
The story has to do with the fact she is starting to sing in public again. What I didn’t know was that she had a severely brain damaged daughter, Valarie Rose, who was supposed to live for a year or so and died at 31 on March 19, 2007. Married for only a short time, Phoebe decided not to institutionalize her daughter but cared for her singlehandedly for all those years, doing the occasional song, commercial or background music for TV shows. They said that it “negatively” impacted her life.
She didn’t say that though. She dedicates all shows to her daughter and you could see her depth of feeling when telling her daughter’s story. Even Wikipedia used the term “negative”. I guess if you think of it as someone who didn’t promote the most, tour the most, make money the most, or even create the most, then yeah, I guess “negative” can be used. But if you think of how Phoebe feels about her life, her daughter, then I think “positive” has to be used. Sure it was difficult beyond imagining to the rest of us, sure she probably had lots of thoughts of “what if”, for heavens sake, I do in my world and it’s not fraught with fame or a disabled daughter. But there is no doubt, per the story I watched, that she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Think I’ll get her latest CD, Phoebe Snow Live from a concert she gave last Oct. I’m glad she’s singing in public, her tone is beautiful and we’re the lucky ones to be able to hear it once again.
I am a sucker for that old movie, White Christmas, and when I woke up this morning for the first true snow storm of this season, I couldn’t help smile and hum the Irving Berlin’s “Snow, snow, snow” tune (I would have put a link here, but all the onesI found had so much commercial junk attached, I’ll let you find a simple mp3 version if you want).
Of course the fact that it’s March 2nd is also worth a smile, in like a lion out like a lamb, as the old saying goes. The temperature has just reached 21, with the windchill making it 6 degrees according to the weather-person. Although I have to chuckle, the local news shows are all talking about Obama and since he comes from Chicago, he must be wondering what all the D.C. bru-ha-ha is about a few inches of snow. And here the Federal Government is two hour delay opening, with “Unscheduled Leave”" policy in effect – and lots of business here follow their lead. Hope the President doesn’t drive today, he’ll really be in a shock when he sees how folks around here can’t…in the snow at least….
So for the moment I’m watching out my windows, the beauty wonderful since I haven’t had to venture out yet, with frequent white outs due to swirling powder. I live on one of those “never get plowed” side streets and am thankful I’m not a emergency responder, unlike my neighbor, a nurse, who seems to go out no matter what. Applause to that.
Winter wonderland, or view from back porch 6:30am today
And yes, those are Christmas lights that are still up, the new led ones, though! I thought they might be fun to keep up for those spring, summer, fall evenings of sitting outside with friends, whether in person or when I sit and chat via phone or web. Meanwhile, a good four more inches later, it’s still snow, snow, snowing
When I got up to go to work this morning, here in the Washington D.C. metro area, the temperature was a cold 17 degrees, but was -5 if you took wind chill into account. My mind on the weather, I thought to write a post on global warming, not only to remind us to be careful, but to be totally honest, I felt the need to focus on spring !
When I checked into WordPress to write, I took a quick look at sites that are receiving high “hits”, as in number of visitors checking them out. One of the most consistantly popular is Anthony Watts, Watts up with that?, where he provides ”commentary on puzzling things in life, nature, science, weather, climate change, technology and recent news.”
Now, I have followed Al Gore with the whole global warming trend movement, have practiced energy conservation from a pedestrian level (aware but not as vigilant as I should be) and have tried to be conscious about taking personal action whenever I can. So here I’m reading Watts and immediately discover a post by guest author, Stephen Goddard that points to an actual cooling trend!
A key statement in the post, “It appears that global cooling recognition may be starting to make headway in the scientific community. ” If you scroll down you will see a variety of posts, some more in “science speak” than others, but all of interest and with such a different image of the weather than portrayed in the regular news.
Hmmm. What to believe? As a” non-scientific, trying to practice good conservation” environmentalist, it seems to me that there is truth in both viewpoints, and that there is a lot of scientific “proof” that may not be yet understood. Is mankind impacting the environment with poor practices of high carbon emissions, chemicals in the ground and water, waste of natural resources? You bet and we as a community of global peoples need to step up doing something about it.
Do we see everything melting in fewer years than previous history? Maybe not, according to the posts on Watts. Maybe that can give us hope that we haven’t destroyed everything as much as we think it has – but hopefully not lull us into a sense of “well, we can fix it tomorrow”.
Watching the news, I have noticed commentators using the word “Depression” in their descriptions of the current economic crises far more frequently than even a few months ago. Most of us have only heard that word as it relates to state of mind when met with seemingly unbearable obstacles: loss of family member or friend, health issues, relationship problems, or whatever may make you frown instead of smile.
On second thought, many issues today are depression makers, whether economically or emotionally. Loss of job, of home, of ability to put food on the table – those certainly lead to depression or “Depression”. Since there seems to be a variety of pills ready to cure a person’s depression, it does makes you wonder if people think of having a “quick fix” for the Depression, a few bailouts and everything will be rosy? I have a feeling the term “bitter pill” is more likely to be the case here given the greed, lack of oversight, and prevalence amongst governments, industries, banks,and people.
My grandparents lived through the Great Depression, one set on a farm where they had food and kept working throughout, the other in the military. They talked about the era their entire lives, thinking they were the lucky ones, but always cautious about what may be just around the corner.
I think there’s been many years now of high consumership, easy access, expectations that make the fall in our economuy harder to realize or deal with, even if it not as severe as in the 1930’s. Friends in their twenty’s are realizing they are not being courted for jobs as they had been led to expect. Older friends on the verge of buying a home are glad they can buy at lower costs than a lot of us who bought just a few years ago, but are shocked to find they can’t get mortgage approval. And many others who have lost their jobs or are afraid of losing their job, for whom the term depression now resonnates closer to home then “Depression”.
With the rest of the world, I’ll be glad to be looking back at these times, when balance has been restored and hopefully improved, when we can once again look forward without fear.
What’s a “common cold” any way? Is it the sneezing, the coughing, the dry throat, the sore throat, the ears plugged, the higher temperature, the lack of energy, or simply put – all of the above?
Ask a doctor and for lots of money later and a negative throat culture, they will tell you to drink plenty of fluids, get plenty of rest, wash your hands lots and stay low on the stress level. Hmmm, you have to wonder if they realize what they are actually saying.
“Lots of fluids”: ask anyone and they’ll tell you it means clear liquids. Vodka? Gin? They certainly would help you get plenty of rest. Water? Have you checked the lead levels lately. Chicken soup? What about those hormone levels?
“Plenty of rest”: of a parent, don’t think so; of someone who is employed, don’t think so; unemployed, forget it. Retired? Maybe, unless you read the latest studies showing people have to work a lot longer than 62 or 65 to be able to afford retirement these days.
“Wash your hands”: only if you remember to sing two full rounds of “Happy Birthday” to yourself while soaping, otherwise it does nothing.
And “stay low on the stress level”: maybe it’s time to revisit that “drink clear liquids” and choose the 1st or second listed, since everything else, combined with watching or reading the news, will rise your stress levels considerably.
What’s common about the “common cold”? Just that everyone gets it at some point or the other and good luck when you do – since if you are like me, it’ll take you out for the count for at least a week!
Well did you see it? If you didn’t the Huffington Post has the full transcript and the video- even before any was posted on YouTube!
I thought the President did ok, although his comment about his poor bowling skills being on par with the Special Olympics is bringing a bit of flack on the news shows this morning. He talked about the hot news of his day, which in this case happens to impact all of us.
People have commented upon his even appearing on The Tonight Show. I think more folks watch the show – or will watch the repeat via the Internet – then read the papers, watch C-Span, or listen to any radio addresses. What better way to reach those folks than this, especially addressing concerns such as AIG bonuses that are fanning the flames of our indignation.
You have to wonder if he realizes that what goes around for him, comes around for all of us. I know he is a smart man, but for anyone, is just a few months of being responsible for an entire country, with major spill-over throughout the world…well, has it really sunk in?
I did love his comment that being in the Beltway is like facing all Simon Cowel’s of American Idol. But then Simon, arrogant though he is, usually tells it like it is for his public world, and I rarely get the impression that most of the Beltway folks rarely tell it like it really is, albeit doing so arrogantly.
As the day progresses, we’ll hear more and more about Obama’s performance. Wonder if he’ll be asked back
The temperature in and around Washington this morning is a crisp 35 degrees, colder than usual for this time of year. We had a late snow not too long ago and clouds have hidden the sun for most of the days recently.
And yet, and yet! Spring has managed to find it’s way to our shores and I could feel the smile on my face even as I could see my breath. On the way to work, I exchanged an unexpected smile with another driver as we waited for the light to change and both of us were looking at a few early tulips in bloom. Exchange a smile with another commuter on a Monday morning? A miracle indeed.
Here’s what made us smile – as taken with a cell phone, leaning out of my car window:
I couldn’t help but feel for Louis Pullen who lost nine members of his family in the recent Butte Montana plane crash, from a total of 14 who died. Watching the Today Show this morning and learning of the family’s loss made me realize I couldn’t even imagine the extent of the pain they must be feeling.
During the story this morning, they spoke of the close knit bond between the families who were on their way to take a vacation. Most of us can relate to having a group of friends, whether as family from childhood, or friends from school or work. To be together, to have fun together is the way it is supposed to be, not to die in a horrible tragedy as this.
I know the authorities are looking for “causes” right now and I hope others will learn from the mistakes made here. But for right now, I’d like to pay tribute to those families and wish the best for those who are bearing the pain of loss.
In tribute:
Erin and Amy Jacobson of St. Helena, Calif., and their children Taylor, 4; Ava, 3; Jude, 1,
Michael and Vanessa Pullen of Lodi, Calif. and their children Sydney, 9, and Christopher, 7.
Brent and Kristen Ching, of Durham, Calif., and their children, Heyley, 5 and Caleb, 4.
I know we hear of continual street violence taking life after life; large accidents taking the lives of many; or even acts of war which ultimately take thousands. Evening after evening of such news, you almost become deaf to tragedy unless it’s your own. This time the idea of so much loss in one family made this story stand out, but doesn’t negate the others who don’t get such press time. I feel it important to also give tribute to those families impacted by such tragedy but who never make the news, are never interviewed, written about or even recognized. While the words are inadequate, the feeling is there – I’m so sorry for your loss.
The scorching, and the thousand natural “oh no’s!”
That cooking is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To steam, to microwave–
To eat out–perchance at 4 star restaurants: ay, there’s the rub,
For in that splurge of money what food may come
When we have refused the use of the stove,
Must give us pause.
With apologies to Shakespeare, I couldn’t resist the above when I happened across Kalyn Denny’s blog post, “Where Do You Look When You Are Searching for Recipes Online?” Her information looked very useful, thus my linking to it here, but as a non-cook it led my mind to the even bigger dilemma- “To Cook or Not to Cook”!
Fortunately there are more and more very speedy and actually healthy items in the grocery stores these days for us minimalists. Steaming veggies, which for most is not hard anyway but for us non-cooks can bring a terror of its own, is now the easiest ever. Many varieties, including my favorite, Edmame, now come in easy, pop in the microwave bags.
Combine that with a already hot, roasted chicken, Uncle Ben’s 90 second brown and wild rice, and presto – a meal good enough to serve anyone. Of course adding seasonings and spices to taste – and “to taste” means asking someone what would be good to use here, only enhances the meal.
With having to watch pennies more than ever, maybe even I will use the kitchen more than in the past. But don’t count me out of those restaurants, although maybe not the luxury of a 4 star any time soon.
A story making the headlines (“From jobless to topless” ) the other day focused on women who were turning to stripping as a profession, making as much as a six figure salary. The example in the story I heard indicated the woman had her MBA and just couldn’t find a job that paid her on that same scale in the “real world”.
We got to talking about it at work and we actually talked about the short shelf life of a stripper. What if they were treated like a pro in the sports world who also tend to have short shelf lives? What about contract negotiations, health care, investment planning, retirement coverage, etc. As I read more about it, I ran across a very interesting blog post by Christinathestripper, entitled, “Rich Stripper, Poor Stripper“. She talks about stripping from a job perspective and details the four major “types” of strippers – and no, she doesn’t focus on methodology, but rather from the financial goals of the women. The range goes from the Investment Stripper who pays taxes and makes investments toward fiscal responsibility and security, to the Subsistence Stripper who tends to blow any salary on immediate gratification.
After our conversation, a friend sent the following link to a blog post talking about the possible benefits of making pole dancing an official Olympic sport. The blogger, Samhita, brings up a good point, “I guess my question would be, would making pole-dancing an Olympic sport bring to light some of the horrible treatment of exotic dancers and give them a standard wage with some worker rights?”
Of course the difference between stripping and pole dancing and other professions or sports is the seamy side, the abuse by “customers”, the abuse by the participants themselves. There are also ethical questions by some, legal issues by others. I tend to think that as it has for centuries, so too will these professions continue forward, so let’s think about protection. Just as regular professions and sports are regulated to protect the employee or player, so too should we look at doing the same for the stripper or pole dancer, or at least strengthening any regs that may be in place.
As to the question, “doesn’t this always lead to prostitution?”, I think Christinathestripper gave an interesting perspective when she described the financial choices that can be made among the different areas of her profession:
“Of course, in any club there is always the possibility for exchanging contact info and meeting a customer outside the club. You’re right that a Subsistence Stripper is most likely to end up performing “extras” as we call activities that are outside club norms, often when she comes in needing to make a certain amount of money and isn’t making it doing normal, “clean” dances. Investment Strippers never face this problem because we always have money put away. However, the biggest reason you won’t find Investment Strippers offering outcall or extras is because if they’re open to prostitution they’ll leave stripping and escort. Classy, clean escorts have significantly higher earning potential than strippers for a lot less work. The amounts I’ve been offered for sex by club customers is ridiculously low – never more than a good day’s take. If I wanted to prostitute I would go to a legal Nevada brothel and make more than I do stripping in a safe environment. But I don’t choose to do it for more money legally, so I’m certainly not going to do it for less money illegally.”
For those who can make it a business, who are strong enough to take care of themselves, more power to you. But no matter the financial gain of some, we need to focus on the victims here, the individuals whose backgrounds led to such low self-esteem that they consider their life in these circles as “survival” not “investment”. Just as bailout money is being given those who took advantage of others, let’s put more resources toward helping those in need now, to those who young lives may lead them down this path in the future if they don’t receive intervention. I think that type of “bailout” may be one of the best investments yet.
I grew up with mom spending lots of time in the various gardens she created in whatever house we were living in at the time, Army family that we were. I remember lovely smells, bright colors and her pride. I also remember weeding in the hot sun and pushing an un-motorized contraption called a lawn mower, mainly because my dad and sister had allergies and my other, older siblings were never home.
Many years have passed since those days and living in apartments or city houses, I had the luxury of either watching others do the work or didn’t have the need except to trim the occasional hedge. Now that I’m a home owner watching my third summer looming, I suspect that “gardening” is not really a term for “being one with nature”, but rather a description nurtured by companies who cultivated suburbia long ago, ensuring homeowners give up the good fight and contract with a weekly service.
I had this lightbulb “conspiracy theory” moment as I waited in an incredibly long HomeDepot line this weekend, cart filled with a small amount (if the loads being pushed by others were any indication) of top soil, weed and feed and two types of seeds (shade and direct sun). Getting home, I needed to recover from the shopping, so it was late morning by the time I got to the yard.
My plan? To churn up the three feet of soil around my dogwood tree in the front yard as it usually becomes mostly dirt patches with a few green weeds as the season progresses. I tried organic last year, leaving nature to do it’s work… and the only thing that I saw happen was a takeover by the few weeds, not in the dirt patches but throughout the rest of the yard. Churn I did, the goal - once around to break up the soil, once around again to mix in new top soil, seeds, another thin layer of top soil, water and be back inside to be ready for my House Manager role at the one o’clock performance of the SkyDancer Sunday matinee performance.
Well, half way round the first circle of the tree, the rake broke, the prong part just coming right off. I looked at it, at the handle in my hand, sighed, but popped it back on and went back to work. Three passes later, the rake popped off again. So every fourth action, I had to stop, put the rake back on and continue at an odd angle for maximun usage before pop-off again. At one point, I event tried one of those three-prong things you use in your hand - however even broken, the rake worked better.
Sweat pouring down, 3/4’s done, a friend came by, took pity and helped me finish. Of course, I had also miscalculated the amount of top soil needed (no wonder those folks used pallets back at HD) and “spread thinly” became about as sparse as those chocolate chips found in today’s cookies. I finally ran inside, covered in dirt, with only minutes to spare to help set folks up for the show (more on that later).
Later that afternoon, I returned to the task master called lawn, struggled with the bag of weed and seed and poured an undetermined amount into the green thing that spreads it around as you wheel it about. Of course there is some algebraic formula you are supposed to use to calculate how much gets spread at a time. I tried, but of course the bag I got didn’t match the name-brand of the spreader so, no hope. I simply guessed, started pushing and off I went. We won’t talk ab0ut that one corner I took too fast and dumped a whole pile of the stuff…
All of this effort to grow some decent grass. I don’t even need it even like the commercials, I just want it green and somewhat plentiful. Barely able to move my arms or back today, I look anxiously at the sky and hope for that rain they promised us. Another task now added. Flowers you ask? To be continued….
The Sound of Music was one of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid, in a real movie theater, not on TV (The Wizard of Oz getting that credit). I remember reading years later that Julie Andrews liked to take a nip or two to keep her warm and laughed at the image that portrayed versus what she showed on screen.
I realized of course, any information told about a celebrity usually couldn’t be believed and that most actually were “Urban Legends“, stories told often enough that people came to believe them. Well, I’ve received the following story via email recently by numerous folks and couldn’t resist putting it up. While it has the appearance of being true, I have a sense that it is indeed another Urban Legend and did some checking. Yep and apparently it has been circulated via the internet off and on for quite some time — still fun to read even if it didn’t occur:
To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan ’s Radio City Music Hallfor the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was ‘My Favorite Things’ from the legendary movie ‘Sound Of Music’. Here are the lyrics she used:(Sing It!) Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad, I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions, Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin’,
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’,
And we won’t mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I’ve had,
And then I don’t feel so bad.
As I watched Maria’s story on the Today Show this morning, I couldn’t help but remember other stories where bystanders did just that, stand by and watch someone get hurt without helping. In Maria’s case the “bystanders” were professionals, transit workers who did call whomever for help, but who did nothing else as she was grabbed and forced back down the NY subway steps to be raped on the platform.
Maria took the case to court and this week lost in trial. Yes, the transit workers did what was in the “manual”, but no, I have to agree with Maria, they didn’t do all they could have to help, at least from the description presented via her story. She wasn’t looking for the attendant in the booth to actually leave and help, but if they could have at least used the loud speaker to let the guy known he was spotted and help was on the way!
It was heartbreaking to listen to her story. At one point she had made it to the top of the steps, saw the attendent and thought help and the end of her terror was in sight. Unless we’ve experienced this ourselves, how can we even imagine how it felt to have hope leave as quickly as it came, as you are once again dragged down and assaulted?
There was another show on recently (can’t remember which one) that did an experiment, showing an Hispanic man being “beaten” and as the camera’s rolled we watched who did or didn’t help. Most didn’t help, but a few did (including a petite woman!), so maybe there is a ray of hope in all that “can’t believe they didn’t help” reaction.
I wish I could expect that the NY Transit Authority takes another look at their procedures, even though they won this case. And not only NY, but any and all public entities throughout the country. We can at least attempt to improve that, everyone’s personal conscious as to what they would do is up to them. Thanks Maria, for sharing your story, it took guts and did indeed make an impact.
Remember that song by the Mamas and the Papas? Of course I had to go look it up, a 1966 number that topped the charts. A little more digging and I found this 5 star rated link to a YouTube of a performance, definitely good to see if you haven’t in a long while:
Of course my memory of the lyrics weren’t quite the same as what was originally written…! I was too young at the time to even know what they were talking about and have added my own lyrics to the meaning on Monday, Monday… morning….
Who? Until this morning I had never heard of Susan Boyle and normally wouldn’t have paused on her story. But I happened to catch a YouTube performance of this 47 year old, “never been kissed” woman from a little village in England and it definitely made me not only pause, but smile and laugh and then left me with a heartwarming grin. Of all things, she was a contestant on the UK version of “…Got Talent”.
Well worth the watch, turn the sound up when she gets going.
UPDATE: Since I linked to this YouTube video this morning, they have since removed all links, don’t know who “requested” it….can guess and hope Susan gets a bit of the profits. But you can still see, through this link Susan via YouTube not the video below – go watch, listen!
Good luck to you Susan, may your 15 minutes of fame turn into something you want.
I’ve been on the conservation bandwagon since I was in high school and was appointed as the the young rep for the “Mayor’s Conservation Committee”. Not ancient, but long enough ago that I can’t even remember the mayor’s name…oops. Meanwhile, just learned that the “greenbizdaily” twitter folks signed up to follow my little ol’ twitter log, and since I’ve just started tweeting, I have to wonder how they found me.
Suppose it’s like anything on the web these, the mention of any topic in your profile, in a blog post, etc., can be searched, found and in this case followed. Fortunately, I am glad they found me and now I them (yes, I’m now following greenbizdaily too). Looking at their tweets, I encourage you, if at all interested in things “green” to look them over and sign-up. Just in the few minutes of browsing, I found several good suggestions of things to do around the home to save energy, for example.
New to twittering? I did do an earlier blog post, Twitter, Tweet, Twit, that provides some good links to explanations and “how to’s”. I wonder, just as I get into tweeting, what media vehicle is coming up fast behind me, catching me unawares as folks switch from tweeting to ???
What a place to have a conference, Disney World, Fla. And what a conference, Digital Now, where fascinating information flows from sessions devoted to social media, improving communication and leading edge tools via the Internet. It’s the end of the first day, and I’ve listed some of the neat tools mentioned by various speakers. I’ll let you explore what they can do for you and/or your organization:
I’ve been twittering (@christytj), and will be doing more tomorrow, if you are interested in other tidbits of info from the Conference. Fascinating stuff. But, too bad, can’t share with you the wonderful Disney service, you’ll have to come down here yourself!
Having just come back from a fascinating Digita Now Conference, I’m all hyped up about using the Internet and its tools to communicate with family, friends, colleagues, members of my Association (AAUW), and even strangers – folks whom I don’t know but whom might enjoy reading something I’ve written.
Renewed energy finds me sitting down, getting comfy, fingers at the ready and then a giant pause as I realize if I do indeed use all those new communicating tools, I’ll be at my desk for hours before tackling my as they say in Second Life, my Real Life work.
Hmmm… Posting blogs, commenting on others blogs, twittering (at least 10-12 times a day to keep/get a following), Ninging (is there such a word?!), Evernoting (brand new), PageFlakes (new to me), setting up shop as part of the nonprofit community in SecondLife, Facebook, and of course what takes most of our online lives, email. How do you manage all of these?? As a writer, as a reader, as a professional?
By the time you realize that you have just started learning about social media, and the Digital Now conference taught me that with it’s #dn09 twitter code which found me turning into a twitterfiend, you realize that you need to figure out a way to manage all of these. And that’s just you the individual. Combine it with you the professional, you realize you need to know how to get the most out of these to help promote your mission, your product, your information.
Real life you ask? The family and friend stuff, , the chores, the phone calls and emails – the office, with its own phone calls, emails, and meetings that never end no matter how much you communicate via online tools. And sleep, we’re supposed to have at least seven hours of that somewhere in any given day.
One thing no one has yet figured out? How to make 48 hours a day worth of “to do’s” fit into 24 hours and still leave you sane. Please – any hints, let me know!
About this time every year, we hear stories of mankind destroying pieces of the planet most of us live on. Very few species destroy their nests, why does it take what some consider the most intelligent of them all to negatively impact the living areas of every other living being? The latest news, how tons of released drugs taint U.S. waters, shows us how out-of-control we continue to be, no matter how many Earth Days we have, decade after decade after decade.
The good news? Earth Day actually does some good. It brings attention to the seriousness of the situation, on corporate, governmental, nonprofit and individual levels. It forces action, through legislation, guilt and positive guidance. And we are tuning in to the need for education, information and “things we can do” by the millions.
Recently I received notice from the virtual world, Second Life (SL). Launching today is EcoCommons, a virtual location “designed for environmental organizations in the 3D world of SL. Developed by TechSoup’s Nonprofit Commons team in partnership with OneWord.net and OneClimate island In SL, EcoCommons provides a network for environmentally focused nonprofits to promote awareness, community-building and environmental education efforts in the virtual world and beyond.”
Huh? An environmentally concious element in the virtual world? Isn’t that where young kids go to play games, chat or do whatever they do in there? Not really. If you haven’t read the news about SL recently, you won’t know that the fastest growing population in SL are 50+ with six figure salaries. The Nonprofit Commons group itself meets weekly and holds event after event to educate us on every type of cause you can imagine – all for the good.
To recognize the importance of the thousands of individuals SL reaches, the launch of the EcoCommons today features a keynote speech by Jacqueline Chenault, New Media Specialist, U.S. House Select Committe on Energy Independence and Global Warmingand will be broadcast live from SL. The event starts at 11am PST, and activities will continue throughout the day and week as part of Earth Week Second Life.
Real Life, Second Life, my life – where ever we live, we all need to take responsibility for our home, and in this case, not just our house but the planet we live on. Let’s make it last for beyond a week or two, beyond the “fad” of today and incorporate it into our lives and our expectations. We should hold businesses accountable, something totally out of whack as we’ve seen only too recently. We should let our voices be heard on the highest levels. And we should practice safe . . . environment every day
Exploring this old/new world of social media, I’m finding numerous points of view around the pros and cons of a newish tool like twitter. Maureen Dowd of the NYTimes wrote of an interview she had with the inventors of Twitter, one of them Biz Stone. I found myself chuckling at her attempt to belittle this new medium and loving Biz’s answers, the last in particular when she asks,
ME: I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account. Is there anything you can say to change my mind?
BIZ: Well, when you do find yourself in that position, you’re gonna want Twitter. You might want to type out the message “Help.”
I learned of a new Twitter application (apparently there are thousands), Tweetmeme which shows you at any given time, which are the most popular tweets. Low and behold there was a tweet with a link to a response to Dowds NYTime article, from Bldg/Blog, an architectural based blogger who wrote, “In defense of how the other half writes, in defense of twitter.” So within a matter of hours of Dowd’s article, there was a full blown response from an unexpected audience (architects), that is making it’s way around the world via Tweetmeme. Hmmm.. makes you get a sense of the power behind the tweet.
A tweeter (@real1) listed interesting links to news tweets that give news before it makes the headlines, including @cnnbrk, and @breakingnews. I like @fastcompany, @anncurry, @nytimeskristoff, and @greenbizdaily. As to other types of tweets, yes, I’m now following @oprah like millions of other people and also enjoy @aauw and @punditmom for information impacting women and girls; @cynthiadamour and @pinnovation for association leaders; @pattyhankins for great photography info; and @mashable for social media info. And these are just from being on twitter for a very short time. There are thousands of twitterers now and more to come, keeping up with them all is the real question.
Even in the short time I’ve been tweeting (@christytj) or following news or personal tweets, I find access to information I’m interested in but didn’t have to search for has multiplied exponentially. And that’s a good thing.
A recent article as disseminated by @welovecrowds this morning on twitter, reports on a finding by LexisNexis that there is a distinct gap between the Boomers (44 – 60) and Generation X (29-43) and Gen Y (28 and younger). I liked this article because while it reports on the findings, it also questions the analysis done. Who did they interview, a bunch of stuffy “lawyers” (love that!)? How did they come up with the finding that Gen Y spends 22.9 hours a day on social media? Guess they forgot what that age group would rather be spending 22.9 hours doing.
Per their age definition, I fit in the Boomer category. Per their findings, I fit in the Gen X with leanings toward Gen Y. I’m an inveterate multi-tasker, on my desktop at any given moment you can find Word, Excel, my organization’s web site, Yahoo, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, CNN, Google as I explore new sites and yet even Internet Explorer. In the evenings or weekends, you will also find me, if I’m at my computer at all, in at least three or four of those sites, plus others and now in Second Life too, where speaking of reports, the fastest growing demographic is 50 + (as with FaceBook).
Yes, I think there is a gap between the ages (isn’t there always), in the tech area. But I don’t think it’s as great as the study portrays. Much of the gap stems from how experienced a user is with different platforms and the obvious is the younger you are, especially since schools use so much technology these days, the more time and varied experience you have with these things. And it’s not just the laptop of course, it’s the smartphone (where I not only talk or web surf, but have at any given time at least a half a dozen books to read in case I’m stuck anywhere), it’s the MP3 device, it’s even the vacuum that moves itself (I’ve yet to get one of those, sigh).
I may be older, but my sense of exploration, whether new worlds in real life or via technology, is as keen as my niece’s who at 25 believes life without IMing would be like a pub without beer. The difference? I believe in active conversation with full attention, she believes in active conversation with one eye and two fingers on her phone. I’m getting used to it as I recognize it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t listen any less to me — well, any less than someone 25 ever listens to someone older. It’s just a different “listen” and that’s ok by me. In fact, I know that I’ve been the one she’s been exchanging e-chat with while at dinner with others, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
Ever increasing media coverage on the possible swine flu epidemic has caused most conversations at work today to start with, “have you heard…?”. As a quick reference, I found this HealthandSurvival.com blog that lists symptoms and precautionary measures. I do have to wonder if the medical profession is ready this time around.
Now I’m like the next person, I’ll likely quickly turn my head at someone coughing, wash my hands and wash my hands, etc., but I also want to keep it in perspective. More people are killed by drunk drivers, by suicide, by other less spoken about illnesses than because of the swine flu. Just because it has reared it’s ugly head in Mexico, will we see discrimination against all things Mexican rise? Yes, I want everyone to be cautious and be proactive with their health, but no, I don’t want to see fear set in and reactions blown out of proportion.
Hopefully there will be a rise of people going to the doctor’s early if they have any symptoms that match what is listed for the Swine Flu. According to a report I saw this morning, not going to the doctor or hospital early enough led to the deaths of some of the individuals. That is a lesson we all can learn from, even as we send sympathy to the families.
Now if we could only get as much media coverage too about other issues that need attention and resources as well. Let’s not make it swine flu vs. cancer or alcoholism, or other illnesses that don’t have such media impact. Keep it real, not hype.
I’ve decided that every sibling remembers how their parents raised them as though they came from a different set of parents, so matter that their ages may be only a year or two apart. I’ve three, two sisters and a brother, and I tell you listening to our stories, you would have thought we were raised on different planets, let alone by the same two people.
Even on the issue of equality, the differences are striking. My brother, being the boy and the eldest, got a set of “you must do’s” on the grand scale, go to private schools, etc., etc., however seemed to be left alone on the day-to-day to do whatever he wanted, simply because, “oh you know, he’s the son”. My two sisters also received a road map for their lives, much centered around the right social circles and both eventually rebelled in their different ways.
As the youngest and as a girl, I didn’t get spoiled but I did get left alone, which in my mind was just as good. I was the observer, watching the trials and tribulations of my siblings, thankful that I escaped a lot of their “must dos”, but dreaming of equality none-the-less. Equality?? You bet, except I didn’t call it that. I called it freedom to do, for example, what my brother got to do simply because he was the son (working for above 25 cents an hour babysitting vs. $5 for his lawn mowing).
To be honest, I didn’t think again about equality in that sense until a lot later when I decided my years of reading mystery novels should help me when applying to the FBI. I wrote away for an application (no Internet in those days) and upon receipt was stunned to learn that I would not be an acceptable candidate because I was under 5′7″! I was devastated, thinking my mind and its capabilities ought to stand for something, but no go. In today’s language they would have called me “height challenged” I would imagine, I won’t repeat what I called it.
As I entered into the workforce, I realized time and again my male colleagues, some less able than I, often made two or three times the salary than I simply because they were men. That this form of discrimination still occurs in 2009 is what’s shocking today. I was telling a table of men and women at a conference recently of the fact that on average, women make only 78 cents to the dollar a man does, even less when you combine race with gender. A man replied, “well you all got the vote didn’t you.” Yikes! I think he was looking for a laugh, but no one else, man or woman, even smiled.
Who knew that equality would still be an issue in the new millennium? Why is it just a dream? Although I guess one could call it a nightmare given the fact it is still prevalent not just in the United States, but throughout most of the world. What can we do? We can take action, we can spread the word, we can stop the need for Equal Pay Day. Will you? And if you tweet, please raise your voices with us and include #fairpay and #aauw. Thanks!
I’m taking a break from headlines, horror stories, and other fears that are seemingly being blown out of proportion. I happened to receive an email this morning from a friend of mine, Anita Singh Soin. She and her husband have just posted a new website for their company, Ibex Expeditions, highlighting the eco tours they provide in some of the most majestic places in the world.
Rated “amongst the best adventure travel companies on earth,” by National Geographic Adventure, I just have to talk about them here. They are one of the most environmentally committed couples I’ve met (and working for a tourism association for fifteen years, I met many!). They truly care about this planet of ours and having heard how eco-conscious they are from people who went on their tours, I have to applaud their efforts.
Have I ever been on one of their tours you ask? No – time, distance and being out-of-shape my excuses. I have been to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other parts of that world though and know the beauty, not only of the scenary, but of the people (check out my Travel, Travel, Travel blog). I consider myself very lucky and expect to go back someday, maybe even start working out to get into better shape to take one of those treks…
Meanwhile, I’m not going to let fear be my decision maker, either for where I travel, or whom I meet. I’m a firm believer in taking precautions and being pro-active to learn what I need to do/watch out for, but not in just refusing to try something, go somewhere, or shake someones hand because of headlines in the news.
“A state-by-state analysis of male and female earnings provides fresh fodder for today’s Equal Pay Day. Among women with college degrees the widest wage gap was in Nevada. The widest wage gap overall was in Wyoming.”
After you check out your state and realize how much less money a woman makes than a man, go check out the IbexExpeditions web site, there’s nothing like dreaming of how you would have spent that money you would have earned. Besides, ecotourism is still a great thing and something we all should focus on a bit more when we can. Enjoy.
I remember the first Mother’s Day after my mom had passed away, I felt a bit lost and saddened when I realized I didn’t need to go looking for the usual Mother’s Day card. I didn’t have to go get groceries for the meal she chose, or get the present I thought she wanted. There was no Internet at the time, no last minute Amazon to overnight something, no 1-800 number to order Flowers. Either you planned ahead and mailed early or made sure you were going to be with her - otherwise, it was the dog house for sure.
I remember it was the gift giving that was especially hard. My dad – Old Spice, every year rain or shine. My mom, oh no, nothing that simple. In fact she made it harder by saying she wanted something from you that wasn’t “material”, but rather a promise that you would or wouldn’t do “x” this year. The X Factor I called it long before the term became popular for other reasons, always seemed to have some little guilt to it, which made it seemingly unbearable even in its “goodness.” I did find a web site article on the art of giving memories, which I wish I had known when mom was still here. She would have loved it and I would have breathed a sigh of relief as it mixes love and memory without guilt.
There are other mothers I would honor, some in person, some in memory. You didn’t have to be my actual mom to act like the wise elder I thought mothers should be. Political mothers are present more than ever, I make sure to read “PunditMom” often for example. In browsing, I found Australians are focusing on government child care initiatives as we are here in the States, urging folks to support paid sick days to keep families healthy by making sure to tell their Congresspeople to pass pending legislation. Global sentiment is also growing as I found the opportunities to buy a gift for mother available in many languages – commercialism vs. sentiment I fear.
Sentimental, political, or obligatory, Mother’s Day is coming – are you ready?!
Waiting w/ everyone else on East Coast in line for pre-snow groceries. Why do ppl need 2 doz rolls of tp? Someone else "lost" grandma, lol! 2 hours ago
Wishing the good spirits being shared for the December holidays were carried thru the other 11 months. 7 hours ago
Social Security in trouble, again?
May 13, 2009 by christytj
The latest headlines, “Recession Hits Social Security Hard,” are just that, the latest headlines. We’ve all been reading for years of the trouble Social Security and Medicare are facing and that long term solutions should “start now”. I was in my twenty’s the first time I read about this – I only remember because I laughed, with a Murphy’s Law cynicism, the news predicted at that time it would run out the same year I turned 65.
I’m not laughing now. Since then I’ve learned that women only make 78 cents to the dollar a man makes and one of the biggest area that impacts women is their retirement years. It used to be thought (and still is depending upon whom you talk with), “that’s ok, a woman will live off her husband’s pension anyway.” Given the current economy, one feels like asking, “what pension?” And if a woman is single, unless she started (or starts) financial planning early, well, let’s just say, YIKES!
So when years later, I hear that Social Security and its companion, Medicare, are in trouble, I hope that this time someone will listen. The fact that the recession has only added to its woes compounds the bigger issue of preparedness. And the impact on women extends to their families, for obvious reasons.
For decades, the government seems to have been ignoring its own warning signs. Just as equally, people haven’t been preparing enough. I hope the current government in Washington has the ability to not just put a band-aide on the wound, but to gather our community focus – government, corporations, small businesses, everyone of us – on solving the real issues now, for my future, for your future and for the next generations to come.
Posted in Political Commentary, Recent News, economics, washington d.c. | Tagged government, medicare, recession, retirement, social security in trouble | Leave a Comment »