Found this one volunteering for an event on a boat called the "Queen of Hearts."
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Equus on Broadway
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tragedy in Tanzania
Love, Rick
We write to advise you of disturbing human rights violations against people with albinism in Tanzania that call out for action by the genetic community and ask for a few minutes of your time to make a difference.
Recent reports from Tanzania published by BBC News, New York Times and the Washington Post tell of the murders of persons with albinism, including children, on the orders of witchdoctors peddling the belief that potions made from the legs, hair, hands, and blood of people with albinism can make a person rich.
In mid-October, Positive Exposure's Rick Guidotti (http://www.blogger.com/www.positiveexposure.org) will be traveling to Tanzania in partnership with Under the Same Sun
(http://www.blogger.com/www.underthesamesun.com) to collaborate with national and local government officials, authorities and interests groups to develop effective strategies to end these crimes against humanity.
Please sign the online petition which the team will present to the government of Tanzania. We need 10,000 signatures for this to be effective.
http://www.underthesamesun.com/petitions.php
This petition will also let the albinism community in Tanzania know that they are NOT ALONE and that many throughout the world are standing with them in defense of their fundamental human right to safety, security and freedom.
Positive Exposure is a non-profit organization that challenges stigma associated with difference by celebrating the richness and beauty of human diversity.
Here is a link to the NY Times Story...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/world/africa/08albino.html
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Across Cliques and Clubs and Classes
Anyway, I got a kick out one of her recent posts about Sarah Palin and wanted to share it here... (scroll down to the bottom of her post for the photos.)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Fantastic book. Oprah did an interview with McCarthy that was pretty interesting. You can find it, and info about the book on her Book Club page for The Road.
McCarthy's writing style took a little getting used to, but there is something about it that lingers in your mind after you put it down.
It requires the reader to stay focused on the words or you'll miss profound passages before you realize it, so make sure you commit when you sit down to read. It's not something you want to read when you may find your mind wandering.
It's what I want a book to be, but my next read will be something a little more light.
I'm eager to see what they do with the movie.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lipstick On A Pig
Ok, ok. Barack Obama has crossed the line with the "Lipstick on a Pig" comment. I don't think I can vote for him any more. Watch the above video to see my new candidate... It comes abotu 35 seconds in.
GIVE IT A REST PEOPLE! Is McCain really so senile that he will get all outraged about Barack's "lipstick" comment when he said the same thing about Hillary last year? REALLY?!?!
Obama 2008!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
It's Not her Lack of Experience...
From MoveOn.org:
Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot
about her.
It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers
with the best of them.
It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd
be a great pick.
It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work
Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us
that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax
cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than
McCain's.
But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell
us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people
know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list
below.)
Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked
her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away
from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right
base of the Republican party.
Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even
admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted
saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much
on the war in Iraq." 1, 2
Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence
Party. Six months ago,
Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from
the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she
called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3
Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear
whether she thinks evolution is a fact. 4
Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking
about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to
being manmade." 5
Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6
Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the
case of rape or incest. 7
Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will
only support abstinence-only approaches. 8
As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the
library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate
language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time,
"news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not
giving "full support" to the mayor." 9
She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin
claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere.
But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should
take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong
position to assist." 10
The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job
delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her
a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for
voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in
the White House.
P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's
worth a watch http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24753&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=5
(I've also embedded it in my earlier Jon Stewart post).
Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated
Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=6
2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war,"
ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=7
3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September
3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=8
5. Ibid
6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4,
2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
7. Ibid
8. Ibid.
9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time,
September 2, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=9
10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Campbell Brown Interviews Tucker Bounds on Sarah Palin
Dad said in an email:
"By the way, did you see Campbell Brown's near meltdown on CNN? She was so livid that she was not getting the answer she wanted that she was practically spitting. (she was hissing!)."
Really? I kinda think he made a fool of himself and McCain by not answering the question. I have posted a poll about this above. Share your opinion.
Let's be very clear...
"Decision?!" Doesn't "decision" imply that there was choice involved? Sarah Palin is adamantly anti-abortion. Even more estreme in her stance that McCain. This poor girl never had a choice. I resent the fact that Sarah Palin is even suggesting that her 17 yo daughter had any options. You don't get to be an extreme opponent of abortion rights and then insist that you support your pregnant unwed 17yo daughter's "choice."
Addendum: 9/4/08-- last night Jon Stewart pretty much made the same case point by point on his show (almost as if he read my blog first--- lol, doubt it). He said it's unreasonable of her to state that her daughter's pregnancy is a private family matter and then go to work on policy that takes away that same right to privacy from the rest of Americans. BAM! That's it in a nutshell! Go Jon, GO! I posted the link to the video clip above.
And looking back now, the "deer in the headlights" look on this poor girl's face standing on the stage masking her pregnancy by holding her "little brother" as her mother stood before America being introduced for the first time as McCain's running mate makes perfect sense. She was terrified about what she knew was coming.
And what about the boy? I saw this interesting tidbit about him on the NBC news last night, and found the quotes they used on the Huffington Post, among other places. "On his MySpace page, Levi Johnston boasts, 'I'm a f - - -in' redneck' who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess. Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass," he added. He also claims to be "in a relationship," but states, "I don't want kids." Interestingly, the MySpace page is no longer available.
He sounds like a typical teen, lookin to hang with his buds and get a little tail when he can. Now he finds himself being dragged off to Minneapolis to be trotted out in front of the RNC as the noble unexpected soon-to-be father who is doing the "right thing" and marrying his knocked-up girlfriend. Yeah, SURE they were already planning on getting married! The awkward images of them "posing" for the distant cameras holding hands and waiting to get on the plane to head to the convention say it all. This kid is STUCK!
But let's get back to the original issue. I am anti-abortion as well. I think it's fair to say that most "pro-choice" people are anti-abortion. But I am not arrogant and foolish enough to say that there aren't times when terminating an unplanned pregnancy is a better option. And the self-righteous, indignant SOBs who oppose abortion AND birth control AND comprehensive sexuality education have NO BUSINESS making this choice for others!
If we would spend a little more time addressing the issue of PREVENTING UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN THE FIRST PLACE, this would be a NON-issue! So for this reason, the story of this pregnancy (and believe me when I say that I think there is much more to the story than we will ever know, or even have a right to know...) is NOT off limits.
Fromcaglepost.com:
"Of-course, the cartoon isn't about the daughter, it is about the Palin's opposition to birth control and sex education in schools, and her "abstinence only" stance. Social conservatives like to make the point that 'abstinence' as birth control "always works," but realists can see that 'abstinence-only' sex education works only as well as it did with Palin's daughter."
I am hearing a lot of people criticize Palin as a mother for "missing the abstinance talk" that she promotes. I don't thin kthat's the case at all. I don't question that she is a good mother. I don't question her ability to juggle the career and the job. NOT AN ISSUE as far as I am concerned. However, the point to be made is that her "abstinance only" stance to birth control is misguided. Parents are in a total state of denial. Telling your child you don't want them to have sex does NOT MAKE IT SO!!!!!! Doe we need any more proof?!?!??