Monday, April 11, 2005
Sesame Street: 25 Of My Favorite Memories - Progressive Boink
These aren't *my* personal memories but I agree 100%.
Sign-upp now for Donate Life California
Donate Life California: "This site allows you to sign up online to be an organ and tissue donor in California. Your organ donation could save the lives of eight people, and your tissue donation enhance the lives of another 50 people. "
Friday, April 08, 2005
Oakland Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in California
This morning I paid $2.77/gallon for reg. unleaded. How much did you pay for your last fill-up?
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Where Are The Good Christians? / The fanatics and nutjobs now running the show sure give honest believers a bad name
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
I know they're out there.
I forget, often, too often, just how many there are but I know they exist in much larger numbers than you might be led to believe by current spiritually embarrassing headlines and I know they are just as, if not more, passionate and healthy and deeply felt in their beliefs than the overpublicized sects of angry and frothing "true believers" screeching into the megaphone of the culture, the ones yanking BushCo's chain and pounding their Bibles and hiding their warped porn fetishes and forcing their way into our lives and laws and bedrooms right now.
They are the decent Christians. They are the calm, morally progressive, compassionate, open-hearted Jesus-loving folk who don't really give a damn for archaic church dogma or pious noise or sanctimonious candlelight vigils, for repressing women or bashing gays or slamming Islam and. in fact, turned to Christianity precisely because they believe these things are abhorrent and wrong and, well, anti-Christian.
They are Episcopalians, for example, that most nimble and intelligent and groundbreaking of Christian churches, a rather revolutionary sect that recently elected its first openly gay bishop and supports gay marriage and dares to ordain women as priests.
And they're still deeply involved in amazing charity work, AIDS and orphanages and Africa and stuff that makes you humble and amazed and they have not, due to this seemingly blasphemous dichotomy and much to the shock of their homophobic conservative brethren, been struck by lightning or doomed to hell for all eternity -- or, rather, if they have, they'll go down happy and intelligent and singing and believing in Jesus anyway, all the way down.
They are the legions of recovering Catholics, people for whom the radiant and positive aspects of this most intense of faiths still hold powerful sway but who just can't abide by the ridiculous and outdated and often homophobic and sexist doctrines hurled forth like so much flaccid manna from the unhappy red-robed automatons of Vatican City.
They are the moderate Christians, the ones who do not support illegal wars or the killing of all doctors who perform abortions and who are all for social justice and who think Bush is a bit of an imbecile, and even if they find themselves for some unfortunate reason in support of the Republican cause overall, they still think it's rather abhorrent that the man dares invoke God to support his lie-ridden wars and the smashing down of women's rights and gay rights and abuse of the environment et al.
How do I know they're out there? Because I hear from them all the time, especially when I get carried away and lump them all together in my often overly harsh criticisms of the faith and my utter lack of patience for its more rabid and small-minded and hateful practitioners and its more violently self-righteous elements, stuff so completely antithetical to what true Christianity, what true faith, true spiritual connection, is all about, it would make Jesus wince.
And these Christians -- let us call them "normal" or perhaps "natural" or even "organic" (i.e.;, devoid of poisons or preservatives or Sanctimonious Growth Hormones) -- they are filling all manner of funky or progressive (or Unitarian) churches across many a large city in America, right now.
They are streaming into huge beautiful nonjudgmental buildings all over San Francisco and Chicago and New York and Boston, etc., places that welcome gays and oddballs and spiritual nomads and pantheists and anyone else who might be feeling a divine pull, and please leave your Jesus extremism at the door and let's talk about Sufism.
And they discuss stuff that sounds much closer to mystical or cosmological or otherwise paganistic energy work than the narrow, spittle-filled believe-in-Jesus-or-burn-in-hell angles of approach you keep hearing about and that tend to slash at your heart and insult your soul.
They're not radical. They're not rabid. They're not full of venom and Rapture and they read books other than the childish Left Behind series and they don't loathe sex or despise other religions or hate their genitalia like Tom DeLay loathes congressional law, and they know full well that Mel Gibson is a rather insane misogynistic blood fetishist who knowingly swiped an illiterate 18th-century stigmatic nun's bizarre and ultraviolent hallucination to use as some sort of dangerous literal truth. Amen.
They are, in short, those who understand the deep irony that, when it comes to religion, the ones who scream and stomp and whine the loudest are often the ones who understand their faith the least.
But there is a reason these calm and moderate and private Christians don't make the news, why, despite their enormous numbers, they are not setting the cultural agenda like some sort of sanctimonious meth-addled monkey (hi, Sen. Santorum!) right now.
It's because they are not organized. They are not a club. They do not have a unified attack agenda. They do not have pamphlets or advertising budgets or congressional lobbyists or the complaint line of every TV network and program except Fox News and "The 700 Club" on speed dial.
They do not call themselves the Parent's Television Council or the Right to Life Marauders or the Family Values Coalition or some other dumbly misleading and patently bogus moniker. They are not attempting to cram already gutted public school textbooks with imbecilic "Intelligent Design" BS, nor are they writing uptight letters to the FCC en masse or ranting about nipples or dildos or low-cut jeans on teenage girls while at the same exact moment repressing their own gay fantasies and kiddie-porn collections.
They understand that our children are at much higher risk of moral and spiritual damage from, say, decimated school budgets and violent presidential warmongering and noxious Kraft Lunchables than they could ever be from Janet Jackson or Abercrombie and Fitch or healthy teen sex.
Most spiritually healthy Christians are simply living their lives, praying deeply, carefully, privately, seeing the divine all around them and choosing Jesus' teachings as the best moral compass, especially the parts about love and healing and empathy and acceptance and turning the other cheek, about how God is not some sneering angry bearded puppeteer but rather a radiant energy force inside everyone and every living thing, always, just waiting for you to tap into it. You know, just like every other religion in existence.
They are the ones who understand that Jesus was, quite simply, one hell of a powerful teacher, and healer, and mystic, and visionary, a pacifist, a liberal, a feminist, the ultimate outsider, one of the finest examples in all of history of how to radiate pure love and compassion and divine interconnection and Lord knows we could all use more of that.
The bad news is, the rabid evangelical set is growing, this cluster of lost and weirdly undereducated people for whom the Bible is literal word-for-word verbatim truth and the Rapture is imminent and the Earth is just a disposable lump and the flesh is a disgusting afterthought and should be ignored and loathed and made really really fat and sexless and sad. And, to my mind, these people deserve all the fiery verbiage and raw satire and intelligent ideological counterforce I can possibly lob their way.
But. Just as there are moderate and wonderfully articulate pro-choice Republicans and just as there are moderate and fiscally conservative liberals, so there are millions of Christians who don't adhere in the slightest to the narrow and spiritually numb worldview now being touted by the BushCo Right. And if we're going to get anywhere with this increasingly desperate and fractured American social experiment, we need to remember that.
I know they're out there.
I forget, often, too often, just how many there are but I know they exist in much larger numbers than you might be led to believe by current spiritually embarrassing headlines and I know they are just as, if not more, passionate and healthy and deeply felt in their beliefs than the overpublicized sects of angry and frothing "true believers" screeching into the megaphone of the culture, the ones yanking BushCo's chain and pounding their Bibles and hiding their warped porn fetishes and forcing their way into our lives and laws and bedrooms right now.
They are the decent Christians. They are the calm, morally progressive, compassionate, open-hearted Jesus-loving folk who don't really give a damn for archaic church dogma or pious noise or sanctimonious candlelight vigils, for repressing women or bashing gays or slamming Islam and. in fact, turned to Christianity precisely because they believe these things are abhorrent and wrong and, well, anti-Christian.
They are Episcopalians, for example, that most nimble and intelligent and groundbreaking of Christian churches, a rather revolutionary sect that recently elected its first openly gay bishop and supports gay marriage and dares to ordain women as priests.
And they're still deeply involved in amazing charity work, AIDS and orphanages and Africa and stuff that makes you humble and amazed and they have not, due to this seemingly blasphemous dichotomy and much to the shock of their homophobic conservative brethren, been struck by lightning or doomed to hell for all eternity -- or, rather, if they have, they'll go down happy and intelligent and singing and believing in Jesus anyway, all the way down.
They are the legions of recovering Catholics, people for whom the radiant and positive aspects of this most intense of faiths still hold powerful sway but who just can't abide by the ridiculous and outdated and often homophobic and sexist doctrines hurled forth like so much flaccid manna from the unhappy red-robed automatons of Vatican City.
They are the moderate Christians, the ones who do not support illegal wars or the killing of all doctors who perform abortions and who are all for social justice and who think Bush is a bit of an imbecile, and even if they find themselves for some unfortunate reason in support of the Republican cause overall, they still think it's rather abhorrent that the man dares invoke God to support his lie-ridden wars and the smashing down of women's rights and gay rights and abuse of the environment et al.
How do I know they're out there? Because I hear from them all the time, especially when I get carried away and lump them all together in my often overly harsh criticisms of the faith and my utter lack of patience for its more rabid and small-minded and hateful practitioners and its more violently self-righteous elements, stuff so completely antithetical to what true Christianity, what true faith, true spiritual connection, is all about, it would make Jesus wince.
And these Christians -- let us call them "normal" or perhaps "natural" or even "organic" (i.e.;, devoid of poisons or preservatives or Sanctimonious Growth Hormones) -- they are filling all manner of funky or progressive (or Unitarian) churches across many a large city in America, right now.
They are streaming into huge beautiful nonjudgmental buildings all over San Francisco and Chicago and New York and Boston, etc., places that welcome gays and oddballs and spiritual nomads and pantheists and anyone else who might be feeling a divine pull, and please leave your Jesus extremism at the door and let's talk about Sufism.
And they discuss stuff that sounds much closer to mystical or cosmological or otherwise paganistic energy work than the narrow, spittle-filled believe-in-Jesus-or-burn-in-hell angles of approach you keep hearing about and that tend to slash at your heart and insult your soul.
They're not radical. They're not rabid. They're not full of venom and Rapture and they read books other than the childish Left Behind series and they don't loathe sex or despise other religions or hate their genitalia like Tom DeLay loathes congressional law, and they know full well that Mel Gibson is a rather insane misogynistic blood fetishist who knowingly swiped an illiterate 18th-century stigmatic nun's bizarre and ultraviolent hallucination to use as some sort of dangerous literal truth. Amen.
They are, in short, those who understand the deep irony that, when it comes to religion, the ones who scream and stomp and whine the loudest are often the ones who understand their faith the least.
But there is a reason these calm and moderate and private Christians don't make the news, why, despite their enormous numbers, they are not setting the cultural agenda like some sort of sanctimonious meth-addled monkey (hi, Sen. Santorum!) right now.
It's because they are not organized. They are not a club. They do not have a unified attack agenda. They do not have pamphlets or advertising budgets or congressional lobbyists or the complaint line of every TV network and program except Fox News and "The 700 Club" on speed dial.
They do not call themselves the Parent's Television Council or the Right to Life Marauders or the Family Values Coalition or some other dumbly misleading and patently bogus moniker. They are not attempting to cram already gutted public school textbooks with imbecilic "Intelligent Design" BS, nor are they writing uptight letters to the FCC en masse or ranting about nipples or dildos or low-cut jeans on teenage girls while at the same exact moment repressing their own gay fantasies and kiddie-porn collections.
They understand that our children are at much higher risk of moral and spiritual damage from, say, decimated school budgets and violent presidential warmongering and noxious Kraft Lunchables than they could ever be from Janet Jackson or Abercrombie and Fitch or healthy teen sex.
Most spiritually healthy Christians are simply living their lives, praying deeply, carefully, privately, seeing the divine all around them and choosing Jesus' teachings as the best moral compass, especially the parts about love and healing and empathy and acceptance and turning the other cheek, about how God is not some sneering angry bearded puppeteer but rather a radiant energy force inside everyone and every living thing, always, just waiting for you to tap into it. You know, just like every other religion in existence.
They are the ones who understand that Jesus was, quite simply, one hell of a powerful teacher, and healer, and mystic, and visionary, a pacifist, a liberal, a feminist, the ultimate outsider, one of the finest examples in all of history of how to radiate pure love and compassion and divine interconnection and Lord knows we could all use more of that.
The bad news is, the rabid evangelical set is growing, this cluster of lost and weirdly undereducated people for whom the Bible is literal word-for-word verbatim truth and the Rapture is imminent and the Earth is just a disposable lump and the flesh is a disgusting afterthought and should be ignored and loathed and made really really fat and sexless and sad. And, to my mind, these people deserve all the fiery verbiage and raw satire and intelligent ideological counterforce I can possibly lob their way.
But. Just as there are moderate and wonderfully articulate pro-choice Republicans and just as there are moderate and fiscally conservative liberals, so there are millions of Christians who don't adhere in the slightest to the narrow and spiritually numb worldview now being touted by the BushCo Right. And if we're going to get anywhere with this increasingly desperate and fractured American social experiment, we need to remember that.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Boogers: A Celebration
Above is a link to cartoons. Below is a news piece. Little did you know!
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_903083.html?menu=
Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it
Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.
Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy, happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.
He says society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking and encourage children to take it up.
Dr Bischinger said: "With the finger you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner.
"And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body's immune system.
"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.
"Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it get a natural boost to their immune system for free."
He pointed out that children happily pick their noses, yet by the time they have become adults they have stopped under pressure from a society that has branded it disgusting and anti social.
He said: "I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their nose. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well."
And he pointed out that if anyone was really worried about what their neighbour was thinking, they could still enjoy picking their nose in private if they still wanted to get the benefits it offered.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_903083.html?menu=
Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it
Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.
Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy, happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.
He says society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking and encourage children to take it up.
Dr Bischinger said: "With the finger you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner.
"And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body's immune system.
"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.
"Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it get a natural boost to their immune system for free."
He pointed out that children happily pick their noses, yet by the time they have become adults they have stopped under pressure from a society that has branded it disgusting and anti social.
He said: "I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their nose. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well."
And he pointed out that if anyone was really worried about what their neighbour was thinking, they could still enjoy picking their nose in private if they still wanted to get the benefits it offered.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Get that man a hobby!
I returned from my 20 min lunch break to get a voicemail from my dad. I was busy going through my mail and answering work related calls. 10 minutes after his voicemail message he called me back. "I guess you you were at lunch when I called" "Did you know that Xena was a lesbian?"
Apparently he's at home watching something on TV and this tidbit of information came up. He needed to share this with me.
Why? WHY!
Please get me an unlisted work phone number.
Apparently he's at home watching something on TV and this tidbit of information came up. He needed to share this with me.
Why? WHY!
Please get me an unlisted work phone number.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Send Congress A Strong Message
This request is from my mom - a public school resource teacher. Please send a message!
As I promised, I am reminding you to Email your U.S. Representative in Congress tomorrow, March 17, about the WEP/GPO. This is the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision that has "devastated otherwise carefully planned retirements for thousands of teachers." It needs to be repealed or a very large part of teachers' earned Social Security is wiped out when they begin to collect their STRS retirement. These 2 retirement funds cover different periods of employment - both have been earned.
I urge you to e-mail your Congressional Representative (US - not state) tomorrow, March 17, encouraging them to become a cosponsor of H.R. 147.
An informative website is http://calrta.org/WEPGPO.htm
As I promised, I am reminding you to Email your U.S. Representative in Congress tomorrow, March 17, about the WEP/GPO. This is the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision that has "devastated otherwise carefully planned retirements for thousands of teachers." It needs to be repealed or a very large part of teachers' earned Social Security is wiped out when they begin to collect their STRS retirement. These 2 retirement funds cover different periods of employment - both have been earned.
I urge you to e-mail your Congressional Representative (US - not state) tomorrow, March 17, encouraging them to become a cosponsor of H.R. 147.
An informative website is http://calrta.org/WEPGPO.htm
Costume Accessories for your Cleavage
Not only is the product somewhat terrifying - check out the models. eek. I do not want this for christmas.
Monday, March 14, 2005
BIG NEWS
Court invalidates California's ban on same-sex marriage: "Gay and lesbian couples in California have a constitutional right to marry, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled Monday. "
But It's SO Far Away
| You Belong in New Zealand |
 Good on ya, mate You're the best looking one of the bunch Though you're often forgotten... You're quite proud of who you are |
Friday, March 11, 2005
To all my currently pregnant or newly kid having friends
I just want you to know I may think these things but I'd never say it out loud to you or your talented child.....
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
String-Emil
If you speak German I'd appreciate a translation.... an explaination of any kind would be great.
The Commonly Confused Words Test
I scored 100% Beginner, 86% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 66% Expert!
HA HA - take that Mr. Myers. Take that D in 10th grade grammar and shove it.
HA HA - take that Mr. Myers. Take that D in 10th grade grammar and shove it.
i used to believe :
A collection of ideas that adults thought were true when they were children. It will remind you what it was like to be a child, fascinated and horrified by the world in equal parts. Be reassured, the things you used to believe maybe wasn't so strange after all.
What did you believe? What do you still believe?
What did you believe? What do you still believe?
Monday, March 07, 2005
1% For the Planet
You can shop red or blue. Or you can shop green. These are some companies who have dedicated 1% of their income to organizations that support the planet. Spend wisely.
Neighborhood Hangouts
If you are in Oakland and looking for a place to grab a bite & a drink these are my two favorite local hangouts.
Cato's Ale House: You can even take the kids to this one -- parents can drink one of their monthly feature brews while the small ones eat burgers and play checkers. The selection of 22 brews is sure to please the most discriminating lager-lover. One piece of advice: If you must order the catatoes -- those large, hard-to-swallow potato wedges -- make sure you have a pint of Guinness to help wash them down. 3891 Piedmont Avenue, (510) 655-3349. (website)
blogger note: on Tuesday nights they have "Pint Night" where you get to keep the souvenier pint glass of the brewery for the specialty beer of the night. Stock your shelves!
Kerry House: A true dive featuring dark interior, a gloomy pool table and a smoking room upstairs. 4092 Piedmont Avenue, (510) 652-4032.
blogger note: A true Irish bar with attached Indian Restraunt. If you hanker tandoori & a pint this is the place to go & relax.
I hope to run into you!
Cato's Ale House: You can even take the kids to this one -- parents can drink one of their monthly feature brews while the small ones eat burgers and play checkers. The selection of 22 brews is sure to please the most discriminating lager-lover. One piece of advice: If you must order the catatoes -- those large, hard-to-swallow potato wedges -- make sure you have a pint of Guinness to help wash them down. 3891 Piedmont Avenue, (510) 655-3349. (website)
blogger note: on Tuesday nights they have "Pint Night" where you get to keep the souvenier pint glass of the brewery for the specialty beer of the night. Stock your shelves!
Kerry House: A true dive featuring dark interior, a gloomy pool table and a smoking room upstairs. 4092 Piedmont Avenue, (510) 652-4032.
blogger note: A true Irish bar with attached Indian Restraunt. If you hanker tandoori & a pint this is the place to go & relax.
I hope to run into you!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Thursday, February 17, 2005
BiblicalSandals.com - Biblical Sandals. Comfortable enough to wander in for forty years.
Let's all go shopping! I know what I'm getting everyone for their next birthday!
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Friday, February 11, 2005
All About Me
IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? On the shore of a calm section of a river or a lake.
WHAT IS YOUR OF CLOTHING? Socks. Any of them. I love socks.
THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? The Waifs - A Brief History.
WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? Between 6:45-7am.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? Homebrew kit.
IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Guitar or Banjo
FAVORITE COLOR? Yellow
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? neither.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? I believe in resurrection.
FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK? Anything by Richard Scarey or Dr. Seuss.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Spring
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A healing touch.
IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
CAN YOU JUGGLE? yes but only three round objects.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Saturday!
WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Being happy - and I am.
WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? Usually just a lot of crap. At the moment few packs of soda, a jacket, cleats.
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Moo.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? cut - Alstromeria. in the garden - lavender or tulips
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? anything Jane takes all day to braise or bbq.
WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? May 8
WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN ON VACATION? Poland was very cool.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? using up vacation time on small trips to visit lots of friends.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU? I'm very shy.
WHAT IS YOUR OF CLOTHING? Socks. Any of them. I love socks.
THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? The Waifs - A Brief History.
WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? Between 6:45-7am.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? Homebrew kit.
IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Guitar or Banjo
FAVORITE COLOR? Yellow
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? neither.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? I believe in resurrection.
FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK? Anything by Richard Scarey or Dr. Seuss.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Spring
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A healing touch.
IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
CAN YOU JUGGLE? yes but only three round objects.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Saturday!
WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Being happy - and I am.
WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? Usually just a lot of crap. At the moment few packs of soda, a jacket, cleats.
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Moo.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? cut - Alstromeria. in the garden - lavender or tulips
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? anything Jane takes all day to braise or bbq.
WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? May 8
WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN ON VACATION? Poland was very cool.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? using up vacation time on small trips to visit lots of friends.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU? I'm very shy.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Happy Valentine's Day
What a perfect "gift" idea. Unfortunately my valentine will be in Dallas and I'll be in a Physiology exam so we won't get to celebrate this year.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Happy Anniversary...
I should have posted this yesterday. Forgive me. In talking with my mom last night she mentioned that "today is the 60th anniversary of your Dad's liberation". Yes, my dad was a child in a POW camp - information below. 60 years ago yesterday he was liberated. I suppose this date should "pop up" in my internal calendar but it's not. He doesn't talk about this experience so what I know about this piece of my family history I learn from research, the internet, overhearing conversations.
Happy Anniversary to my Dad & Thank you General Mac Arthur - I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Santo Thomas University (University of Santo Tomas)
Founded in 1611 as the College of the Holy Rosary, it became a university in 1645. It was the second university in the Philippines, and the oldest university in Asia, Santo Thomas predated Harvard by 25 years.
POW Camp
After the Japanese occupation of Manila, its main building was used to hold civilian POWs, and classrooms for sleeping quarters from January 4, 1942 - February 3, 1945. In total there were 3,787 prisoners: 3,792 Americans, 733 British, 200 Australians, 61 Canadians, 51 Dutch, 8 French, 1 Swiss, 2 Egyptians, 2, Spanish, 1 German, 1 Slovak. All were held for a total of 37 months, and 466 died in captivity. Three attempted escape February 15, 1942 and were shot, one successfully escaped in January 1945. Were you interned at Santo Thomas? Contact Us.
Hostage Situation & Liberation
On February 3, the university was liberated by the US Army 1st Calvary Division (8th Regiment, 1st Brigade). They were backed by five tanks from the 44th Tank Battalion. They were assisted by Filipino Guerrillas. The tanks entered thru the gate at Calle Espana after a brief skirmish, freeing many of the captives. The Japanese, commanded by Lt. Col. Toshio Hayashi gathered the remaining internees together in the Education Building, as hostages, exchanging pot shots with the Americans. On February 4th, they negotiated with the Americans to allow them to rejoin Japanese troops to the south of the city. Americans allowed this to save the hostages, allowing them to only carry their rifles, pistols and swords. On the morning of February 5, 47 Japanese were escorted out of the university to the spot they requested. Each group saluted each other and departed. The Japanese were unaware the area they requested was near the American occupied Malacanang, and soon afterwards were fired upon and several killed including Hayashi. Later in the afternoon, some of the same group returned to Santo Thomas, captured as prisoners during the same day.
Happy Anniversary to my Dad & Thank you General Mac Arthur - I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Santo Thomas University (University of Santo Tomas)
Founded in 1611 as the College of the Holy Rosary, it became a university in 1645. It was the second university in the Philippines, and the oldest university in Asia, Santo Thomas predated Harvard by 25 years.
POW Camp
After the Japanese occupation of Manila, its main building was used to hold civilian POWs, and classrooms for sleeping quarters from January 4, 1942 - February 3, 1945. In total there were 3,787 prisoners: 3,792 Americans, 733 British, 200 Australians, 61 Canadians, 51 Dutch, 8 French, 1 Swiss, 2 Egyptians, 2, Spanish, 1 German, 1 Slovak. All were held for a total of 37 months, and 466 died in captivity. Three attempted escape February 15, 1942 and were shot, one successfully escaped in January 1945. Were you interned at Santo Thomas? Contact Us.
Hostage Situation & Liberation
On February 3, the university was liberated by the US Army 1st Calvary Division (8th Regiment, 1st Brigade). They were backed by five tanks from the 44th Tank Battalion. They were assisted by Filipino Guerrillas. The tanks entered thru the gate at Calle Espana after a brief skirmish, freeing many of the captives. The Japanese, commanded by Lt. Col. Toshio Hayashi gathered the remaining internees together in the Education Building, as hostages, exchanging pot shots with the Americans. On February 4th, they negotiated with the Americans to allow them to rejoin Japanese troops to the south of the city. Americans allowed this to save the hostages, allowing them to only carry their rifles, pistols and swords. On the morning of February 5, 47 Japanese were escorted out of the university to the spot they requested. Each group saluted each other and departed. The Japanese were unaware the area they requested was near the American occupied Malacanang, and soon afterwards were fired upon and several killed including Hayashi. Later in the afternoon, some of the same group returned to Santo Thomas, captured as prisoners during the same day.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
They're in love. They're gay. They're penguins... And they're not alone.
So much for the only gay Eskimo....
Hangover Cure? Eww!
One of the downfalls of South Beach is that we don't drink as much as we used to. Apparently, now we can't drink as much as we used to. Jane had a coworker over for dinner and the three of us killed two bottles of wine and a few glasses of port. Ouch. Shhh, not so loud please.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Spatter Zone?
Beware of the hippo. While large with short legs they can run faster than you... and apparently they need to post signs to warn of their extreme "POO-POWER"
Monday, January 31, 2005
Easy riders -- casual carpooling rolls on with few hassles / 30-year-old social experiment rated high by commuters
Yes, I do this everyday. Ooooh scarey! Sorry - murderers aren't up before 8AM, just the weirdos who carry 4 or 5 store bags (Gap, Old Navy, Nordstrom...) rather than one briefcase type thing. Sheesh.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Answers.com - Online Dictionary, Encyclopedia and much more
My daily discovery. So far so good. Easy peasy.
Nothing beats the speed of 1-Click AnswersTM.
It's more than just a website. Once you download 1-Click AnswersTM, you'll have Answers at your fingertips from whatever program you're using:
The Old Way
1. Open Your Browser
2. Go to a search engine
3. Type in search terms
4. Hit 'Go'
5. Read the list
6. Choose a link, click on it
7. Were you lucky? You're done!
8. Otherwise, click Back and repeat from step 5
The 1-Click AnswersTM Way
1. Alt-Click on word(s)
2. Read your answer
Nothing beats the speed of 1-Click AnswersTM.
It's more than just a website. Once you download 1-Click AnswersTM, you'll have Answers at your fingertips from whatever program you're using:
The Old Way
1. Open Your Browser
2. Go to a search engine
3. Type in search terms
4. Hit 'Go'
5. Read the list
6. Choose a link, click on it
7. Were you lucky? You're done!
8. Otherwise, click Back and repeat from step 5
The 1-Click AnswersTM Way
1. Alt-Click on word(s)
2. Read your answer
Thursday, January 27, 2005
This American Life
Last weekend while running errands I had to stay in my car for the full of This American Life's Act Two. Go to the above link, into 2005 archives & listen to the story called "My Big Break".
Fast Forward about 24 minutes to get to Act Two.
What Happens in Baghdad, Stays in Baghdad. Two young men, Jeff Newmann and Ray Lemoigne, decide it'd be interesting to be part of the rebuilding of Iraq. So they take a bus to Baghdad, during the war and the bombings and the kidnappings ... and try to make their mark. Jen Banbury, who wrote for Salon.com from Baghdad, met Jeff and Ray there. She tells the story. (11 minutes)
It'll make you laugh & cry.
Fast Forward about 24 minutes to get to Act Two.
What Happens in Baghdad, Stays in Baghdad. Two young men, Jeff Newmann and Ray Lemoigne, decide it'd be interesting to be part of the rebuilding of Iraq. So they take a bus to Baghdad, during the war and the bombings and the kidnappings ... and try to make their mark. Jen Banbury, who wrote for Salon.com from Baghdad, met Jeff and Ray there. She tells the story. (11 minutes)
It'll make you laugh & cry.
Happy Birthday Old Man!
Please attack his comments with birthday greetings! I don't care if you don't know him. Send a message!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
Goodnight Johnny
If you have been watching the clips on the news you may see my friend Patty. She was on The Tonight Show when we were in high school because she was the winner of the Leonard J Waxdeck Birdcalling Contest.
chirp chirp.
chirp chirp.
Shamings | The Olympics of Drunken Embarrassment
Shamings | The Olympics of Drunken Embarrassment: "Welcome to Shamings.com. Think of us as a museum of drunken defacement. The Olympics of drunken embarrassment. We showcase pictures (and accompanying stories) of you and your friends� best efforts at shaming each other and put it out there for everybody to judge. Go here to submit your photos!"
I hope this didn't exist when I was in college. I know there are a few photos that might qualify!
I hope this didn't exist when I was in college. I know there are a few photos that might qualify!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Knowledge is Power
In the news recently is the housing of a known sex offender out on parole. If you live in California... if you click on the above link & following the instructions you can search for registered sex offenders by name, address, crime, etc.
Don't use this to freak yourself out - use it to be aware. If you search by address you can click on the blue markers for pictures of the offender and details of their crimes as well as their home address.
Don't use this to freak yourself out - use it to be aware. If you search by address you can click on the blue markers for pictures of the offender and details of their crimes as well as their home address.
The Govt Working for YOU?
Wow, The IRS helps you find FREE online tax filing! Awesome. Fast refund. Free filing. Neeto!
Black Thursday
It's easy to make a statement any day of the year.
One of my favorite protests is to donate money in the name of President Bush to an organization he doesn't support... Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, Save The Redwoods, anything Gay or Same-Sex Marriage supporting, Stem Cell Researchers, etc. Be creative. For all donations made "in his name" Dumble-ewe will receive a card acknowledging the donation to the causes YOU care about.
Go out and make a difference!
One of my favorite protests is to donate money in the name of President Bush to an organization he doesn't support... Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, Save The Redwoods, anything Gay or Same-Sex Marriage supporting, Stem Cell Researchers, etc. Be creative. For all donations made "in his name" Dumble-ewe will receive a card acknowledging the donation to the causes YOU care about.
Go out and make a difference!
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Gays in the Military
As you know from my earlier post my friend Brian is off to Iraq. He leaves behind a wife and baby. Last night we watched a recorded Queer Eye for the Straight Guy... the episode was about a man getting married and preparing to go to Iraq. Leaving behind a new wife and baby.
The guys from QE provide a tips list of things you can do to support our troops away from home. I only wish the govt. cared about our gays as these gays cared about the people our govt is sending into harms way.
Hurry home, Brian.
If you know of anyone serving in the military click on the above link for tips on what to send to support them while they do the dirty work.
The guys from QE provide a tips list of things you can do to support our troops away from home. I only wish the govt. cared about our gays as these gays cared about the people our govt is sending into harms way.
Hurry home, Brian.
If you know of anyone serving in the military click on the above link for tips on what to send to support them while they do the dirty work.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
A Double Shot, Please.
Oh yeah, I discovered a new laudlum. The new severe cold night time formula has 2x the medication as NyQuil. I've found liquid heaven. I'm off to OD. See you later.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
120-year-old tortoise adopts baby hippo
Mother Nature brings comfort to those orphaned by the tsunami. This is the best news I've read in days. God bless! and there is a cute pic.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Peace, Please
This is a pic of my friend, Cute Brian (as all the high school moms called him). The wee boy is his baby, Jake. Brian is off to Iraq. I ask that you add him to your prayer list. Please return home soon!
Netflix: Welcome To Netflix
If you have Netflix and you are my friend... let me know what email address you use with Netflix so we can share recommendations!
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Friday, January 07, 2005
Remodel Ideas...
Thank God someone collected this gallery of interior design! Now I can start on my own abode.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Friday, December 31, 2004
I'm an old fart too!
Read the comic from 12/31/04
This has been our debate for the last week or so. What to do for NYE. We would love to "do something" but every year we plan "something" it becomes a let down. So we now plan to "do nothing" and we're ok with it. Tonight... fondue, a fire, a movie and asleep at a reasonable hour. Oh the joys of old age.
Happy New Year and to all a good night!
This has been our debate for the last week or so. What to do for NYE. We would love to "do something" but every year we plan "something" it becomes a let down. So we now plan to "do nothing" and we're ok with it. Tonight... fondue, a fire, a movie and asleep at a reasonable hour. Oh the joys of old age.
Happy New Year and to all a good night!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
retroCRUSH: The World's Greatest Pop Culture Place
The above link directs you to the 100 Greates TV Show theme songs. How awesome! This website is my new favorite place. If you are looking for me... start here!
Yahoo! News Full Coverage - Science - Tsunami Death Toll Climbs to 52,000
Click above to see amateur footage of the tsunami as it hits a resort beach. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it doesn't look that threatening. I guess Hollywoodisms set me to expect an enormous wall of water.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
mmmm "PARTIALLY DE-FATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE"
The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.: "'PARTIALLY DE-FATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE'"
My not so Secret Indulgence
Yes, I love reality TV. And this article lists the top six reality TV whores of 2004. How great.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Genghas Sarah?
She's so weird! This email just came to me from Jane...
"You know that volunteer outfit I found that will place journalists at newspapers
in developing countries? (I'm lusting after the two-month assignment to
Mongolia...)? It also has positions for summer camp counselors for 1+ weeks.
Wanna go to Mongolia in 2007?"
"You know that volunteer outfit I found that will place journalists at newspapers
in developing countries? (I'm lusting after the two-month assignment to
Mongolia...)? It also has positions for summer camp counselors for 1+ weeks.
Wanna go to Mongolia in 2007?"
Scared of Santa photo gallery
Since my cutest 2yr old neice has recently tapped into the fear of Santa I laughed when I found this website. Enjoy!
Monday, December 20, 2004
Santas Little Helper Christmas Name Generator
At this magical time of year, the elves are busy wrapping up the toys and packing them on the sleigh. If you were one of Santa's little helpers, what would your name be?
Click the above then type in your name and find out...
Click the above then type in your name and find out...
Friday, December 17, 2004
Monday, December 13, 2004
E-mail the FCC. Stop the Parents Television Council before it gets beyond the TV.
"Mediaweek reported on Dec. 6 that of all the 'indecency complaints' to the Federal Communications Commission in 2003, a startling 99.8 percent of them came from one conservative group, the Parents Television Council. "
OH MY GOD.
OH MY GOD.
Make-a-Flake - A snowflake maker by Lookandfeel new media
Virtual kindergarten art project. Have fun!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
jew-heyya
A song to celebrate the festival of lights.... turn of the speakers and get ready to rock the menorah! Oy.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Monday, December 06, 2004
Shop Wisely
Choose The Blue
Thanks, Gabe (www.gabeanderson.com), for this inforamtion - I'm quoting directly from his site.
http://www.choosetheblue.com/main.php
Politics, like many other things in life, gets its lifeblood from money. We can all make contributions directly to the political candidate or party of choice, but think about this: Every time you go to a store, buy gas, pay your utility bills, you're indirectly making a contribution to a political party, whether you like it or not
Want the skinny on which companies support which political party? Want to make more informed consumer buying decisions?
Now you can with Choose the Blue.
You can search for a brand or browse shopping categories. What's interesting (and expected) is to see how many oil companies are straight up red. In fact, of those oil companies tracked, only Shell Oil leans Democratic (57% of contributions are blue vs. 43% red).
So along with boycotting brands like Kraft and Bocca (owned by Philip Morris), next time you need gas or a new TV, be sure to Choose the Blue .
Thanks, Gabe (www.gabeanderson.com), for this inforamtion - I'm quoting directly from his site.
http://www.choosetheblue.com/main.php
Politics, like many other things in life, gets its lifeblood from money. We can all make contributions directly to the political candidate or party of choice, but think about this: Every time you go to a store, buy gas, pay your utility bills, you're indirectly making a contribution to a political party, whether you like it or not
Want the skinny on which companies support which political party? Want to make more informed consumer buying decisions?
Now you can with Choose the Blue
You can search for a brand or browse shopping categories. What's interesting (and expected) is to see how many oil companies are straight up red. In fact, of those oil companies tracked, only Shell Oil leans Democratic (57% of contributions are blue vs. 43% red).
So along with boycotting brands like Kraft and Bocca (owned by Philip Morris
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Cold Feet - Empty Bed
I'm a warm person. I typically run warmer than the next. I can go out in short & t-shirt when most people are bundled in fleece. I don't need the heat on most of the time. I usually loung around the house barefoot and according to Jane my feet are usually ice-cold. But I don't notice that they are cold... that is until I get them into bed - brr they are cold then.
One of my favorite things to do when I notice my feet are freezing is try to sneak them under Jane. It never works but I keep trying. Why won't she warm my little tootsies on her warm legs? Well she will under one condition - when I'm sick.
Well I woke up Monday AM with a sore throat. I made it through most of the workday but by the time I got home I was achey, shivering, freezing. I bundled into sweats, turtleneck, fleece pullover, socks and fleece booties. Still cold. Wraped in a blanket... still cold.
So here I am freezing cold, sick, achey and home alone. I need my foot warmer. I need someone to coddle me. Someone to make me soup and rub my back. Damn you, RSNA! Send my Jane home. I need TLC.
Also, I don't like being the one to yell at Timmy to shut up and go to sleep at 11:30, 12:15, 1:10...
One of my favorite things to do when I notice my feet are freezing is try to sneak them under Jane. It never works but I keep trying. Why won't she warm my little tootsies on her warm legs? Well she will under one condition - when I'm sick.
Well I woke up Monday AM with a sore throat. I made it through most of the workday but by the time I got home I was achey, shivering, freezing. I bundled into sweats, turtleneck, fleece pullover, socks and fleece booties. Still cold. Wraped in a blanket... still cold.
So here I am freezing cold, sick, achey and home alone. I need my foot warmer. I need someone to coddle me. Someone to make me soup and rub my back. Damn you, RSNA! Send my Jane home. I need TLC.
Also, I don't like being the one to yell at Timmy to shut up and go to sleep at 11:30, 12:15, 1:10...
Monday, November 29, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Buried Lede | The KFS Sweater Project
Pick your favorite ugly sweater! Hey, I think I had that one... and that one too!
Monday, November 22, 2004
Gag Gifts, Pranks and Practical Jokes From The Prank Place Gag Shop
Wondering what to get me for christmas?
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
The Animal Rescue Site : Feed an Animal in Need
Click on the above link then add that website to your bookmarks and visit it daily. All you need to do is visit once a day to help save the lives of animals, cure breast cancer, protect the rainforest or feed a hungry person. Do the little things evevery day to make a difference!
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
McMurray Hatchery - Partridge Rock Bantam
My cousin is raising a pretty bird for me since Jane refuses to let me have my urban farm.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Straight male seeks Bush supporter for fair, physical fight - m4m
I love the "Best of" craigslist. Thanks, Elmar!
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Nicky Hilton ends marriage with New York businessman
Wow I'm shocked. I really thought this one would last. As least longer than Skanky Federline!
Monday, November 08, 2004
True Election 2004 Results (not the depressing electoral map)
There appears to be more "blue" in the middle of the country than is depicted in the electoral map results. This makes me feel a little better.
Friday, November 05, 2004
We Both Like Soup....
Yummy & Easy
Beef, Barley & Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef stew meat
1 pound meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones)
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup pearl barley
4 cups water
2 14 1/2-ounce cans beef broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 10-ounce package frozen veggie mix (peas, carrots, corn, lima beans, green beans...)
2 small bay leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add stew meat and bones; sauté until beef is dark brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer beef and bones to plate. Add celery, onion, and barley to pot. Sauté until onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups water, beef broth, tomatoes with juices, veggies, bay leaves, and garlic powder. Return beef and bones to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce to soup. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.
Beef, Barley & Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef stew meat
1 pound meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones)
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup pearl barley
4 cups water
2 14 1/2-ounce cans beef broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 10-ounce package frozen veggie mix (peas, carrots, corn, lima beans, green beans...)
2 small bay leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add stew meat and bones; sauté until beef is dark brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer beef and bones to plate. Add celery, onion, and barley to pot. Sauté until onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups water, beef broth, tomatoes with juices, veggies, bay leaves, and garlic powder. Return beef and bones to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce to soup. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.
Californa's Election Results 2004
It's nice to know I live in a county that overwhelmingly voted for the more moral candidate. And by more moral I do not mean a fundamentalist, war-mongering, greedy, christian.
We barely recognize each other
I think she sums it up pretty well for me.
We barely recognize each other
- Joan Ryan
Thursday, November 4, 2004
Like others in the Bay Area, I was huddled with friends around the television set Tuesday night, my son pressing a blue-donkey or red-elephant sticker on each state as the returns rolled in. As we held out hope for Ohio, one friend related a story that, in retrospect, helped me understand Bush's convincing victory as well as any I have heard.
A young man, my friend said, was walking door to door on her street a few weeks ago to raise money for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. When he knocked on the door of one house, the owner responded to the young man in a huff.
"I'm a Republican!'' she said. "Didn't you see my flag?''
That, in the end, is what it boiled down to.
Somehow, as Bush and his party cut taxes to the rich, sent young Americans to their deaths in a war based on untruths (and managed with stunning incompetence), reneged on its financial commitment to education, and plunged the nation into crushing debt, they became symbols of morality and patriotism. They sold themselves as the party of God and country, offering comfort to people who wouldn't need comforting if the Bush administration had not created the very problems for which it then offered spiritual refuge.
Give them credit. They are like PG&E nabbing the candle concession for a blackout the company caused itself.
It is a confounding time to live in a place like the Bay Area. Watching the returns Tuesday night, and listening to voters across the country, I saw that John Edwards was right about the two Americas. But the two Americas are not divided by money but by belief systems that have drifted so far apart we barely recognize each other anymore.
In exit polls Tuesday, morals topped the list of voter concerns, and an overwhelming majority believed Bush is more moral than Kerry. Thus the resounding victory for the incumbent.
Here in the Bay Area, we, too, place a high priority on values and morality. But clearly, many of us define morality differently from much of America. It is not about church membership. The evidence of morality is in one's actions, not one's Sunday-morning rituals. Morality means more than prayer and more than proclaiming a personal relationship with God.
It is social as well as religious. Is it moral to wage war on a country that did not attack us, and to wage it on false pretenses? Is it moral to stuff more money into the pockets of the wealthy while teachers buy their own crayons and patch their own classroom walls, and while people with mental illness live on the streets and in prison cells for lack of services?
Is it moral to deny two people the joy of committing their lives to one another in marriage? Is it moral to prevent scientists from pursuing cures to devastating diseases because of our leaders' personal religious convictions?
Our country has always included a mix of religious and political beliefs. But we shared a foundation of certain "truths to be self-evident'' that allowed us to meet on common ground. Today, I don't know. Our belief systems - - what is right and wrong, what is patriotic and what is not, what is truth and what is not -- are so different and so dramatically shape how we interpret news and information that we seem no longer to be living within the same culture.
I can't for the life of me, for instance, figure out how anyone could watch those three presidential debates and even entertain the thought that Bush is qualified to lead the free world.
I am puzzled, too, by the reaction to the bin Laden tape. When bin Laden showed up on a video just days before the election, I figured it would remind Americans that Bush had yet to capture the man responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, that he got us sidetracked in Iraq, which had nothing to do with Sept. 11. Instead, the tape seemed to deepen many Americans' belief that ... what? Bush is doing such a good job on terrorism that we should renew his contract?
Some have suggested that the Democratic Party needs to reconnect with middle America and its values, that we should take a page from the Republican playbook and talk more about God and faith. Yes, the Democrats need to revamp their strategy. But I would hate to think we would try to win next time around by emulating politicians who get away with destructive and amoral acts by passing them off as directives from God.
Faith and flags won this election. But I haven't lost my belief in another f-word -- facts. They're bound to come back into fashion sooner or later.
E-mail Joan Ryan at joanryan@sfchronicle.com.
Page B - 1
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/04/BAGOK9LGGR1.DTL
We barely recognize each other
- Joan Ryan
Thursday, November 4, 2004
Like others in the Bay Area, I was huddled with friends around the television set Tuesday night, my son pressing a blue-donkey or red-elephant sticker on each state as the returns rolled in. As we held out hope for Ohio, one friend related a story that, in retrospect, helped me understand Bush's convincing victory as well as any I have heard.
A young man, my friend said, was walking door to door on her street a few weeks ago to raise money for the Kerry-Edwards ticket. When he knocked on the door of one house, the owner responded to the young man in a huff.
"I'm a Republican!'' she said. "Didn't you see my flag?''
That, in the end, is what it boiled down to.
Somehow, as Bush and his party cut taxes to the rich, sent young Americans to their deaths in a war based on untruths (and managed with stunning incompetence), reneged on its financial commitment to education, and plunged the nation into crushing debt, they became symbols of morality and patriotism. They sold themselves as the party of God and country, offering comfort to people who wouldn't need comforting if the Bush administration had not created the very problems for which it then offered spiritual refuge.
Give them credit. They are like PG&E nabbing the candle concession for a blackout the company caused itself.
It is a confounding time to live in a place like the Bay Area. Watching the returns Tuesday night, and listening to voters across the country, I saw that John Edwards was right about the two Americas. But the two Americas are not divided by money but by belief systems that have drifted so far apart we barely recognize each other anymore.
In exit polls Tuesday, morals topped the list of voter concerns, and an overwhelming majority believed Bush is more moral than Kerry. Thus the resounding victory for the incumbent.
Here in the Bay Area, we, too, place a high priority on values and morality. But clearly, many of us define morality differently from much of America. It is not about church membership. The evidence of morality is in one's actions, not one's Sunday-morning rituals. Morality means more than prayer and more than proclaiming a personal relationship with God.
It is social as well as religious. Is it moral to wage war on a country that did not attack us, and to wage it on false pretenses? Is it moral to stuff more money into the pockets of the wealthy while teachers buy their own crayons and patch their own classroom walls, and while people with mental illness live on the streets and in prison cells for lack of services?
Is it moral to deny two people the joy of committing their lives to one another in marriage? Is it moral to prevent scientists from pursuing cures to devastating diseases because of our leaders' personal religious convictions?
Our country has always included a mix of religious and political beliefs. But we shared a foundation of certain "truths to be self-evident'' that allowed us to meet on common ground. Today, I don't know. Our belief systems - - what is right and wrong, what is patriotic and what is not, what is truth and what is not -- are so different and so dramatically shape how we interpret news and information that we seem no longer to be living within the same culture.
I can't for the life of me, for instance, figure out how anyone could watch those three presidential debates and even entertain the thought that Bush is qualified to lead the free world.
I am puzzled, too, by the reaction to the bin Laden tape. When bin Laden showed up on a video just days before the election, I figured it would remind Americans that Bush had yet to capture the man responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, that he got us sidetracked in Iraq, which had nothing to do with Sept. 11. Instead, the tape seemed to deepen many Americans' belief that ... what? Bush is doing such a good job on terrorism that we should renew his contract?
Some have suggested that the Democratic Party needs to reconnect with middle America and its values, that we should take a page from the Republican playbook and talk more about God and faith. Yes, the Democrats need to revamp their strategy. But I would hate to think we would try to win next time around by emulating politicians who get away with destructive and amoral acts by passing them off as directives from God.
Faith and flags won this election. But I haven't lost my belief in another f-word -- facts. They're bound to come back into fashion sooner or later.
E-mail Joan Ryan at joanryan@sfchronicle.com.
Page B - 1
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/04/BAGOK9LGGR1.DTL
Thursday, November 04, 2004
"How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" or 'U.S. election disaster.'"
Pick the headline of your choice. I don't hate the whole of the "red state" that elected that loser. But I question the "morality" of those who did.
What about the morality of homelessness, welfare, equality, human rights, peace on earth. Where's the love?
What about the morality of homelessness, welfare, equality, human rights, peace on earth. Where's the love?
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
The Onion | Election Day Guide
This one cracks me up (and is particularly true since my dad is a poll worker!): The new electronic voting machines are complicated. But don't worry: Octogenarians will be on hand to troubleshoot any technological problems that might arise.
Federal court clears the way for GOP representatives to challenge voters' eligibility in Ohio
Please please please do not repeat the 2000 election!
Monday, November 01, 2004
Please let today bring regime change at home!
Click above for a link to watch the video of this song...
On January 20th, 2001, George W. Bush, appointed President of the United States formally took office. I had been asked to sing a song that night at the Bazaar Café in San Francisco where Les, the proprietor was producing a counter-event called “The Night of the Burning Bush”. That afternoon, depressed and restless, I couldn’t make myself practice the song I intended to sing, Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”. Instead, I sat down and turned on the TV. I had honestly forgotten that I would be subjected to live coverage of the inaugural parade. It was a bleak day in Washington, and I remember experiencing an overwhelming feeling of sadness and fear as I watched the Presidential limousine drive down Pennsylvania Avenue. I turned off the TV, sat down at the piano and wrote this song in about 25 minutes. I performed it for the first time that night. Last spring, I wrote an additional verse that addresses the war in Iraq and we recorded the new version of the song for this video.
— Monica Pasqual, Blame Sally
If you tell a lie again and again
It does not become the truth in the end
If your voice is loud and your lies are well heard
Still it does not mean transformation has occurred
Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told
If you take the forest, if you steal it tree by tree
If you blacken the river if you desecrate the sea
You can wave your arms, you can shout out from on high
But the truth is still the truth and a lie is still a lie
Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the priceless things you sold
You can speak of God while you lead your Holy War
As if your hands weren’t stained by the oil you adore
More innocents will die and more soldiers will fall
You name your church for God but it was greed that built those walls
Water isn’t wine
Brass isn’t gold
One day you’ll account for all the lives that you stole
Two faced yes fool
Pin striped suit ghoul
You can make a promise and some people might believe
That you are not beholden to the power, to the greed
But if they should fall ill, or their schools should fall down
Should they fall on hard times well I doubt you'll be around
Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
And it's wrong that we should pay for that crown that you stole
Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told
On January 20th, 2001, George W. Bush, appointed President of the United States formally took office. I had been asked to sing a song that night at the Bazaar Café in San Francisco where Les, the proprietor was producing a counter-event called “The Night of the Burning Bush”. That afternoon, depressed and restless, I couldn’t make myself practice the song I intended to sing, Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”. Instead, I sat down and turned on the TV. I had honestly forgotten that I would be subjected to live coverage of the inaugural parade. It was a bleak day in Washington, and I remember experiencing an overwhelming feeling of sadness and fear as I watched the Presidential limousine drive down Pennsylvania Avenue. I turned off the TV, sat down at the piano and wrote this song in about 25 minutes. I performed it for the first time that night. Last spring, I wrote an additional verse that addresses the war in Iraq and we recorded the new version of the song for this video.
— Monica Pasqual, Blame Sally
If you tell a lie again and again
It does not become the truth in the end
If your voice is loud and your lies are well heard
Still it does not mean transformation has occurred
Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told
If you take the forest, if you steal it tree by tree
If you blacken the river if you desecrate the sea
You can wave your arms, you can shout out from on high
But the truth is still the truth and a lie is still a lie
Water isn't wine
Brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the priceless things you sold
You can speak of God while you lead your Holy War
As if your hands weren’t stained by the oil you adore
More innocents will die and more soldiers will fall
You name your church for God but it was greed that built those walls
Water isn’t wine
Brass isn’t gold
One day you’ll account for all the lives that you stole
Two faced yes fool
Pin striped suit ghoul
You can make a promise and some people might believe
That you are not beholden to the power, to the greed
But if they should fall ill, or their schools should fall down
Should they fall on hard times well I doubt you'll be around
Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
And it's wrong that we should pay for that crown that you stole
Water isn't wine, brass isn't gold
One day you'll account for all the lies that you told
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