Lost In Translation

My day is under construction, too.



It's a simple solution for a common problem.



Yes. It's best to close the door.



I've found that wringing in coleslaw doesn't work for me, either, but I had to learn the hard way, by trial and error, without instructions.



Well, I wonder. I'm of two minds about this sign. It's a warning to customers, but about what?

Thanks to Ann.

President Obama - Always Gracious

For those of you who have missed the news on the President, he is currently on a trip to Russia. Today, after a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama took a moment out of his official schedule to go out on his hotel's balcony and wave to Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin.

From Doug.

Gonzo Has A Job!

From the Austin American-Statesman:

Alberto Gonzales, who resigned as the Bush administration’s embattled attorney general nearly two years ago, has lined up a fall-semester teaching spot at Texas Tech University, the university confirmed today.
....

Lawrence Schovanec, interim dean of Texas Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted saying: “Judge Gonzales brings a unique experience to our classroom. His career in law, government and public service will provide our political science students a rich perspective of the executive branch and issues and challenges facing our nation. ”

There’s no hint in the announcement that Gonzales had difficulties as attorney general.

You can't buy a "rich perspective" like Gonzo's for mere money. He must have a soft spot in his heart for Texas Tech to grace their campus with his presence. I wonder if the students will heckle him in his classes.

Why We Need The Public Option In Health Care

From Paul Waldman at The American Prospect:

The single-payer and hybrid systems in place in every other country in the developed world have many admirable features: lower costs, universal coverage, and better health outcomes. But what ought to make us most envious is their security -- it's what they have and we desperately need. If you live in Canada or Germany or France or Japan, there are some things you need never fear. You need never fear that your insurance company will tell you it won't cover treatment for your asthma because you had asthma before they signed you up. You need never fear that you will bankrupt your family because of expensive treatments for a serious illness. You need never fear that you will find yourself without coverage after your insurer dropped you or you lost your job. You might fear getting sick, but you won't fear that your life will be destroyed by not being able to pay for getting sick.

In the United States, unless you're over 65, extremely poor, or a veteran -- thus, already covered by a government health insurance plan -- you do have to fear all that. That's because the central pathology of our deeply pathological health-care system is that most of us have no choice but to get health coverage from an entity whose sole reason for being is to take our money and then try to avoid paying for our care when we get sick.

Yes.

From Roseann

Thanks everyone
Your prayers and kind words mean so much to me. I just don't know what is going to happen but I guess none of us ever do. It is so hard to want to live when I am this sick. I broke down and cried yesterday. I want my mommy, I want to feel good, I want to walk in the grocery store instead of ride the go-cart thing. I want to whine and cry and pitch a fit because that always makes things better, right?

Thanks for listening to me and praying for me. When I get well I'll have a big bar-b-q and you're all invited.

Love, R

Roseann, go ahead whine, cry, and pitch a fit. You are one of the bravest people I know. You get to do whatever you want. I can't wait for the BBQ.

Much love and many prayers fly your way, my dear, dear Roseann. I love you and hold you in my heart.

Does God Change His/Her Mind?

In the Lectionary reading for today from 1 Samuel 15:24-35, v. 29 reads:

Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not recant or change his mind; for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind.’

And then in v. 35:

...And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Wenchoster Calendar For July

 

 

During my trip to England, when our group of bloggers met for lunch at the Tiled Hall in Leeds back in March, Canon Daphne Pullover, who writes the regular feature, The Word From Wormingdale in the "Pharisaios Journal", brought me a gift packet from the Diocese of Wenchoster.

If you click on the calendar, you will see the the larger view of the feast days and activities in the diocese. The names of certain of the saints are unfamiliar to me, but I'm sure that their calendar must be the most accurate.

I'm sorry to be a little late in posting, as I know some of you like to keep up. I'll try to do better next month.

For those of you who are too lazy to click, the feasts and activities are listed below.

1. Feria.

2. Feria.

3. St. Thomas the Apostle.

4. "Doubting Fair" at Farp.

5. Trinity 4.

6. Diocesan Church Schools Festival.

7. Feria

8. Apparition of Our Lady at Wenchoster Parva 2004.

9. Feria. It always is.

10. Feria.

11. St. Catherine of the Wheel.

12. Trinity 5.

13. Feria.

14. Cathedral Refectory cleaning day.

15. St. James the Throttler.

16. Feria.

17. Feria. Also.

18. Ferret racing at Mollusk.

19. Trinity 6

20. Feria.

21. Feria.

22. Mary Magdaline.

23. St. Vivian with the Walk.

24. Feria. It always is.

25. James the Apostle.

26. Trinity 7.

27. Feria.

28. St. Mark of the Deluge.

29. Flower Festival at Duncan Sands.

30. Feria. Again.

31. St. Otto the Gruff.

From Roseann

Health declining

I am now having problems with blood clots. I couldn't do dialysis today because of blood clots in my catheter. At least they sent me home from the hospital as there is nothing they can do and I'm more comfortable at home.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant Roseann, and give your power of healing to those who minister to her needs, that she may be strengthened in her weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p.459)

A Theme Song For Our Meet-Up In Anaheim?

The Friends of Jake Song

♫ From the tables down at Louie's,
To the place where Disney dwells,
And the dear, old Hilton Bar we love so well,
Sing the Friends of Jake assembled,
With their glasses raised on high!
And the magic of their singing, casts a spell.

Yes the magic of their singing,
Of the songs we love so well:
"The Strife Is O'er" and "Come, Ye Faithful" and the rest!
We will serenade our Louie,
Till health and voices fail,
And we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest.

We are poor little lambs
Who have lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We are little, black sheep
Who have gone astray!
Baa! Baa! Baa!

Saints and sinners, off on a spree,
Saved from here to eternity.
Lord! Have mercy on such as we,
Baa! Baa! Baa! ♫

(To the tune of "The Whiffenpoof Song")

"...we are not fighting flesh and blood...."

From Ruth Gledhill at the Times Online:

Greg Venables, primate of the Southern Cone, has just spelled out the issues at stake in the launch at Central Hall of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. See our report today . 'In North America and here, true orthodoxy is being outlawed' warned Bishop Greg who has taken many congregations and even a diocese or two fleeing liberal episcopalianism under his conservative wing. 'We must remember we are not fighting flesh and blood. This is about principalities and powers.'
....

John Broadhurst bishop of fulham is now on the platform, about to introduce Archbishop Bob Duncan. Broadhurst said he did not believe in the devil when he was first ordained. 'I now believe Satan is alive and well and he resides at Church House.'
(My emphasis)

Principalities and powers is us?

UPDATE: Church House is the Church of England administrative headquarters.

"Pop Quiz - Compare And Contrast..."

Andrew Gerns, at The Lead, has a brilliant post comparing the views of two bishops of Rochester, Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester (New York) and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of the Anglican Diocese of Rochester in England.

Bishop Singh:



Video from IntegriTV.

Bishop Nazir-Ali:

"We want to uphold the traditional teaching of the Bible. We believe that God has revealed his purpose about how we are made.

"People who depart from this don’t share the same faith. They are acting in a way that is not normative according to what God has revealed in the Bible.

"The Bible’s teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature.

"We welcome homosexuals, we don’t want to exclude people, but we want them to repent and be changed."

The bishop added that it is not just homosexuals who need to repent, but all who have strayed from the Bible’s teaching.

He said: "We want to hold on to the traditional teaching of the Church. We don’t want to be rolled over by culture and trends in the Church. We want a movement for renewal. We need a reformation of the Church and the life of the Communion."

From Thinking Anglicans.

Which message is life-giving? Which message is the Good News?

Karen Akers - "Somewhere" (West Side Story)

Grandpère and I have seen Karen perform four times, twice in theaters, and twice at Le Chat Noir, a small cabaret in New Orleans. She's a terrific singer, with a poised and graceful presence. She's beautiful and quite tall, at least six feet. Her style is much better suited to the ambiance of a cabaret, rather than a theater. On one occasion at Le Chat, she came over to our table and sang to Grandpère, to his intense embarrassment.

Karen sings beautifully in French, too, having attended school with the Mesdames of the Sacred Heart, where French lessons were compulsory from early on and having listened to Edith Piaf's records played by her mother throughout her childhood and youth. She's married to a Frenchman and lives part of the year in France.

UPDATE: She's going to be at Le Chat Noir in New Orleans while I'm at the convention in Anaheim. Had I known, I may have skipped the convention. I'm on her email notification list now for future performances.

More Prayers For Roseann

Sue sent you a message.

Subject: Roseann

June,

I had gotten a note from Roseann this afternoon, saying the doctors are having a hard time getting the right drug to treat her staph infection, the nausea is raging again so she is remaining on the feeding tube.

I see entries on FB for the mafia wars that she has been playing, so that is a good sign, I hope.

I'll keep you posted.

Sue

Dare We Hope?

From The Hill via Americablog:

by Joe Sudbay (DC) on 7/05/2009 05:04:00 PM
The thing about Senator Chuck Schumer is that he's a political creature. All Senators are to some extent, but Schumer sees all things through a political lens. So, when Schumer supports the public option in legislation to reform health care, it makes political sense. And, Schumer not only supports the public option, today, he guaranteed it:

The healthcare reform bill that emerges from Congress this year will include a government-run public health insurance option, regardless of the bipartisan negotiations seeking a compromise in the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday.

"Make no mistake about it, the president is for this strongly. There will be a public option in the final bill," Schumer said on CBS News's "Face the Nation."

Schumer made his prediction just days before the Senate returned to the work of getting a bill passed by the first week of August amid significant disagreement between Democrats and Republicans -- and among Democrats themselves -- over controversial issues such as the public option.

We already know the policy reasons for including the public option. Nothing says the public option is good politics more than Schumer's blessing.

I do hope that Schumer is right.

Adult Content, But Don't Overexpect

Did I ever claim mine was a family blog?

Franken's Noise Will Hurt Broder's Tender Ears

From the Washington Post:

Now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has ended the long count on the 2008 Senate race by awarding the seat to Al Franken, Democrats -- at least on paper -- have the power to pass whatever bills they want, without a single Republican vote.

Nothing would be a bigger mistake.

Franken, the loud-mouthed former comedian, will be the 60th member of the Senate Democratic caucus -- just enough for them to cut off any filibuster threat if they can muster all their members. With solid majorities in both houses, the Democratic leaders, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, could dismiss Republican objections to any bill without a second thought.

So. According to the wisdom of Dean Broder, if the Democrats CAN do it, they shouldn't. All bills must be bipartisan, or else.

Yet when it comes to the big initiatives -- energy, health care and the rest -- the risks of such a choice are obvious. When no Republican votes are in play, the price individual Democratic legislators can extract from the White House goes up. We saw plenty of that with the stimulus bill and the energy bill, both of which were weakened substantively by the concessions Obama had to make to get the last Democratic votes.

It's true that bills may be weakened substantively by the concessions Obama will have to make to the likes of the Blue Dog Dems, but does Broder believe that Republicans can be brought on board without concessions? He doesn't make any sense. Time to think about taking a long vacation, David.

Press on Mr. President and Democrats, and dare to take risks for the sake of doing the right thing, even the enormous risk of not being bi-partisan.

Oklahoma Folks Still Like Bush

From the LA Times via the AP:

Woodward, Okla. -- Former President George W. Bush was greeted by thunderous applause on the Fourth of July as he told thousands of spectators in a rural Oklahoma rodeo arena that the U.S. was "the greatest nation on the face of the earth."

Bush was given six standing ovations as he spoke in GOP-friendly Woodward, a town of about 12,000 residents in northwestern Oklahoma.

About 9,200 tickets were sold for the event -- the biggest crowd for Bush since he left office in January.

Bush spoke of the bravery of injured troops he had met as president, and thanked members of the military for their service. He told the crowd it was nice of them "to give a retired guy something to do."

You should thank the brave troops, George. You sent them to fight.

Please! Give the retired guy something to do. I wonder if Laura is yet tired of having him underfoot.

I wonder, too, if God has the same opinion about the US being "the greatest nation on the face of the earth".

UPDATE: A little bird told me that Ellie was not in the crowd applauding.

Clerical Group In Iran Challenges Election Results

From the New York Times:

The most important group of religious leaders in Iran has called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment.

The statement by the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult — if not impossible.

“This crack in the clerical establishment and the fact they are siding with the people and Moussavi in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic,” said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. “Remember they are going against an election verified and sanctified by Khamenei.”
....

The clerics’ decision to speak up is not itself a game changer and could fizzle under pressure from the state. Some seminaries in Qum rely on the government for funds, and the supreme leader and the man he has declared the winner of the election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have powerful backers there.
....

The clerics’ statement called not only for the election results to be thrown out, but also chastised the leadership for failing to adequately study complaints of vote rigging and lashed out at the government’s use of force in crushing public protests over the election.

Perhaps more threatening to the supreme leader, the committee called on other clerics to join the fight against the government’s refusal to reconsider the charges of voter fraud. The committee invoked powerful imagery, comparing the 20 protesters killed during demonstrations with the martyrs who died in the early days of the revolution and the war with Iraq. In doing so, they effectively cast the government as betraying the ideals of the revolution.

Fareed Zakaria answered a question put to him at CNN:

CNN: What about a military strike?

Zakaria: It would be bizarre to bomb Iran-- which means bombing Iranians -- now that we have seen the inside of that country. Moussavi and his supporters want a less confrontational approach to the world. So do many members of the establishment.

Moussavi attacked Ahmadinejad repeatedly for his aggressive foreign policy. So we now know the answer to the question, "Are there moderates in Iran?" Yes, millions of them.

For years now, I've read that there were a good many moderates amongst the people of Iran, but the members of the Bush maladministration were having none of it. Attack was the way to go, and since Iran is quite a large country, invasion was out of the question. What was the alternative? Attack with bombs and missiles from the air and sea.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

I felt a little guilty, thinking that I may not have posted enough about the holiday, so here's more for you.

Mwah! Happy Fourth!

Making It Real - From Марко (Mark)

From Mark in the comments:

Марко Фризия said...

I have seizures from a traumatic brain injury I suffered in the U.S. Army. I also have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am on the Department of Defense email list and I receive casualty reports. Each name is very painful to read. The last four casualties (all from the same North Carolina National Guard unit) died June 29 in Baghdad from an improvised explosive device planted by the roadside. Their names: SFC Edward Kramer, SGT Roger Adams, SGT Juan Baldeosingh, SPC Robert Bittiker. These men were all in their 30s. I posted a pic of me in uniform taken when I served as a United Nations peacekeeper:

Mark's picture and comment show us a real person behind the numbers mentioned in Mark Harris' post below.

May Edward, Roger, Juan, and Robert rest in peace and rise in glory. May God give comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to all those who loved them.

Mark, may the ever-powerful love of God heal you in spirit, mind, and body.

Lest We Forget The Cost Of War

Read Mark Harris at Preludium:

As of this 4th of July 4,321 American service personnel and 318 other allied personnel have died in Iraq - 4,639 in all. In Afghanistan 719 US personnel have been killed, and 488 other allied personnel, for a total of 1,207.

These two wars have now cost 5,040 American lives. The number of US wounded in Iraq stands at over 31,368, in Afghanistan 3,023. Total wounded over 34,391.

For those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 823)


For Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 815)

Ads From The 30s

Always a major turn off for me. Do not blow smoke in my face! I hated the smell on my clothes and in my hair. Of course, both my parents smoked, so I never really got away from it for a good many years. At least, we kept the windows open back in the olden days.



I remember the men swearing when the "church key" couldn't be found. Fortunately, one of the guys usually played it safe and carried the object on his key chain and came to the rescue of all the thirsty folks.



Just do it. I'm old enough to remember folks saying that, however, I don't remember the "You could get hit by a bus tomorrow" part.



Who would know better than the docs that Camels are good for you?



I know I was happy when I ate lard. My grandmother's Creole cooking was delicious and full of lard.

Thanks to Doug. Happy Fourth, my faithful stringer!

"Dunlap Print" Discovered In British Archives

From the AP via The Huffington Post:

British researchers have announced the discovery of a rare original copy of America's Declaration of Independence - just in time for the Fourth of July.

Katrina McClintock, a spokeswoman at the National Archives, said Thursday that a researcher accidentally discovered the "Dunlap print," named after a printer, several months ago. The find was announced only after it could be properly catalogued.

Edward Hampshire, the National Archives' specialist in colonial materials, said the find was "incredibly exciting."

"It is likely that only around 200 of these were ever printed, so uncovering a new one nearly 250 years later is extremely rare, especially one in such good condition," he said.
....

The last Dunlap print to be found was sold at an auction for $8.14 million in 2000.

A spokesman for the National Archives helpfully reminds us that the document is important because it "marks the birth of the United States", which would be an item of information, rather than a reminder for perhaps more than a few of the citizens of the US. More's the pity.

Thought For The Day - Richard Rohr

It’s quite clear that in the final analysis it’s the grace of God that liberates us. It’s the experience of divine and unconditional love that really sets us free. No political system can offer us this inner liberty.

Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr. (Adapted from Simplicity, p. 121)

Happy Fourth Of July!

John Trumbull - Oil-on-canvas - commissioned 1817; purchased 1819; placed 1826 in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.


When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Full text of the Declaration of Independence.

Demographics of the signers of the Declaration.



A celebration before even my time. Have a wonderful holiday!

Trumball's painting from Wiki.

Note: As many of you probably noted and were too kind to say, in my original post I made un grand faux pas by posting a quote, a link to the text, and the names of the signers of the US Constitution. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! Publish in haste; repent in leisure.

Sarah Palin Resigns

From The Huffington Post:

After Sarah Palin's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week she has announced she will be stepping down in a few weeks. In a press conference call this morning, Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin has announced she will not run for re-election and is stepping down as governor.

She had a brief statement. She took no questions.

Her commissioners and Lt. Governor were with her at her home. Palin did not relinquish the reigns of the state to the Lt. Governor while running for vice president.

Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will step in as governor at the end of the month. He was defeated by Congressman Don Young in the Republican primary last year.

Rumors of an "iceberg scandal" have been circulating.

What on earth is an iceberg scandal?

Thanks to Göran for the tip.

Wow! More Obama Secrecy On Cheney

From TPM Muckraker:

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at this point. But the latest example of the Obama administration mimicking the Bushies in opting for secrecy over openness feels like one of the most infuriating yet.

The Justice Department is declining to release Dick Cheney's interview with federal investigators looking into the Valerie Plame leak, arguing -- as it did under President Bush -- that doing so would discourage future high-level officials from cooperating with criminal investigations.

Extremely weak defense. And what about Obama's promise to be open and transparent?

Outing Valerie Plame as a covert CIA officer was a despicable act, all for the sake of discrediting her husband, Joe Wilson, who stated that, despite the Bush maladministration's claims to the contrary, Saddam did not purchase yellowcake from Niger in the 1990s, a statement that was later proved to be true. We need to know the full story of Cheney's machinations in this ugly affair.

"Lebanese Lesbians Take New York"

From Air America:

In the wake of a major gay rights victory in India, members of a Lebanese gay rights group called Meem have arrived in New York to speak out for similar progress in their homeland. They are also promoting their book, Bareed Mista3jil, translated as "Mail in a Hurry." It contains 41 true stories of LGBT life in Lebanon, many of them surprisingly hopeful and humorous. It's also a first-of-its-kind book in the Arab world, and a bestseller at the Virgin Megastore in Beirut.

Today Air America's Jack Rice spoke with Nadine Moawad, a member of Meem and the editor of Bareed Mista3jil.




Dear me! It seems teh gay is contagious after all - or, at least, teh gays wanting to be who they are and out of the closet. It's spreading to the most unlikely places. Think of the children!

Rice's interview with Nadine Moawad is worth a listen. It's nearly 17 minutes long, so save it for when you have time.

Thanks to Georgianne for the link.

"That's Not Bad...."

A golfer playing in Ireland hooked his drive into the woods. Looking for his ball, he found a little Leprechaun flat on his back, a big bump on his head and the golfer's ball beside him. Horrified, the golfer got his water bottle from the cart and poured it over the little guy, reviving him.

'Arrgh! What happened?' the Leprechaun asked.

'I'm afraid I hit you with my golf ball,' the golfer says.

'Oh, I see. Well, ye got me fair and square.. Ye get three wishes, so whaddya want?'

'Thank God, you're all right!' the golfer answers in relief. 'I don't want anything, I'm just glad you're OK, and I apologize.'

And the golfer walks off.

'What a nice guy,' the Leprechaun says to himself. I have to do something for him. I'll give him the three things I would want... a great golf game, all the money he ever needs, and a fantastic sex life.'

A year goes by and the golfer is back. On the same hole, he again hits a bad drive into the woods and the Leprechaun is there waiting for him.

'Twas me that made ye hit the ball here,' the little guy says. 'I just want to ask ye, how's yer golf game?'

'My game is fantastic!' the golfer answers. 'I'm an internationally famous golfer now.' He adds, 'By the way, it's good to see you're all right.'

'Oh, I'm fine now, thank ye. I did that fer yer golf game, you know. And tell me, how's yer money situation?'

'Why, it's just wonderful!' the golfer states. 'When I need cash, I just reach in my pocket and pull out $100 bills I didn't even know were there!'

'I did that fer ye also. And tell me, how's yer sex life?'

The golfer blushes, turns his head away in embarrassment, and says shyly, 'It's OK.'

'C'mon, c'mon now,' urged the Leprechaun. 'I'm wanting to know if I did a good job. How many times a week?'

Blushing even more, the golfer looks around then whispers, 'Once, sometimes twice a week.'

'What?' responds the Leprechaun in shock. 'That's all? Only once or twice a week?'

'Well,' says the golfer, 'I figure that's not bad for a Catholic priest, who doesn't own a car and is in a small parish.'

Posted with fond memories of the good parish priests I have known during my long years in the Roman Catholic Church. A good many of them would share a laugh with me over this one.

Sent by Doug.

Herman Put Down The Gun

From Georgianne Nienaber at The Huffington Post:

A while back I posted a commentary and review on Indie music as a soundtrack and metaphor for troubling financial times. In today's atmosphere of music industry giants swallowing the little Indie guys and the news about Ticketmaster's Echomusic shutting down the websites of 200 mid-level artists with barely a "slam, bam thank you guys and gals," a little band from Atlanta proves that all it takes is heart to produce art and great PR.
....

I came across the "Lonely Street" video on Facebook, and since I am a huge fan, I wrote to front woman Sonia Tetlow and asked how much time and money it cost to put the thing together. Plus, I wanted to write something positive about the music business for a change.Turns out it cost zip. A week ago, instead of having band practice, the band met at Tetlow's house and went for beers in their Atlanta neighborhood while taking turns with an eight year old camera that had not seen much service.

Now the video is going viral on Facebook and elsewhere on the net. I love what the musicians did with no resources but their talent and creativity. Thanks to Georgianne (the woman who made me famous!) for spotlighting them at The Huffington Post.

From SOVO (Southern Voice):

Herman Put Down The Gun with lead singer Sonia Tetlow is making viral waves on the internet thanks to a DIY video for their song “Lonely Street.” Tetlow, a lesbian, was featured in Southern Voice as one of its “next generation of gay Atlanta.”

With no money and using an old video camera in making the just over 3-minute video, the Atlanta-based rock band was written up by the Huffington Post about its use of Facebook and Myspace to spread the video that has now been linked to numerous other sites as well.

That's how to do it, guys.

The woman lying on the ground in the video is Sonia Tetlow, the band's front woman. They were playing in 99° heat in Atlanta, and she suffered a minor heat stroke, but she revived quickly after a dose of Gatorade. By the way, Sonia has the right roots. She is a native of New Orleans.

If You Ever Feel Stupid....

If you ever feel a little bit stupid, just dig this up and read it again; you'll begin to think you're a genius.

(On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.)

Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: 'I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,'
-- Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest .
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'Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.'
--Mariah Carey
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'Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life.'
-- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
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'I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body.'
-- Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.
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'Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.'
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington , DC
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'That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it.'
--A congressional candidate in Texas
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'Half this game is ninety percent mental.'
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark
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'I love California . I practically grew up in Phoenix'
-- Dan Quayle while campaigning
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'We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?'
--Lee Iacocca
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'The word 'genius' isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.'
--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
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'Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 2009 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.'
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
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'Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.'
--Keppel Enderbery
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'If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record.'
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
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Feeling smarter yet?

Send it on to your brilliant friends.

And you, my readers, are my brilliant friends.

Sent by Doug, who obviously thinks I'm brilliant.

"Queer Vs. Christian"

Thanks to SCG for the link. She says:

This video was a big hit at the Mickee Faust Club's "Queer As Faust2" cabaret this summer. If it strikes a chord with you, pass it on!

So I pass it on.

Mary, It's Time To Be A Democrat

From the Huffington Post:

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said on Tuesday that she is opposed to the creation of a public health care plan patients could opt into that would compete with private insurance.

"No, I'm not open to it. I'm not open to a public option," said Landrieu. "However, I will remain open to a compromise, a full compromise. Public option is not something that I support. I don't think it's the right way to go."

As some of you know Mary Landrieu is the senior senator from the State of Louisiana. David Vitter is the junior senator. Neither of them support the inclusion of the public option in the health care plans which are being considered by the Senate. The difference is that David is a Republican, and there's absolutely no hope that he will vote for the public option, no matter that the government provides him and his family with decent health insurance.

However Mary is a Democrat. It's true that she's a Blue Dog Democrat, which means that she often votes with the Republicans. I gave her money during her first run, but not for the second run, because she voted to allow torture. But my donation was only a pittance compared to the donations Mary receives from health care and health insurance industries. She has participated in government sponsored health insurance plans at least since she was a member of the Louisiana State Legilature. Why does she want to deny her constituents what she has benefited from for so many years?

Later in the HP article Mary is quoted as saying:

"I know there are some people really pushing this public option, but I think it really undermines the essence of our efforts to create a real market-based private sector model but with strong, I guess, safeguards for consumers," she said.

And don't we all know how perfectly the market operates? I like her phrasing "...with strong, I guess, safeguards for consumers".... Why safeguards for consumers? The market polices itself so well. I guess. But perhaps she is yet persuadable, if the pressure is great enough.

From Public Campaign Action Fund:

* According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Landrieu has raised $1,668,693 from health care and insurance interests throughout her federal political career.

* Of the $1,668,693 in health care and insurance money Sen. Landrieu has raised, just 36% came from in state donors, with 64% coming from out of state interests.

* Sen. Landrieu has received substantial contributions throught her career from leading health care industries, including HMOs and pharmaceutical companies:

Health Professionals $600,366
Insurance $376,731
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $266,645
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $228,446
Health Services/HMOs $160,005

* Sen. Landrieu has also received $677,014 from registered lobbyists and their political action committees throughout her career.

* Sen. Landrieu has received large contributions from some of the largest companies and groups in the health care and insurance industries.

There's more at the link.

In addition to the money that she received from the health care and health insurance industries, several of Mary's former staff members now work for health care industries or with firms which lobby for the industries.

Could it be that the donations carry weight in helping her decide how to vote on this issue? No, it couldn't be. But wait! I wonder.

This vote is crucial, as crucial as the vote on Social Security, and it's time Mary paid her dues for calling herself a Democrat. It's time she paid more attention to the needs of her constituents than to her corporate and lobby donors.

A Word From Roseann

From Roseann to Sue:

Well, later this afternoon they're going to take out the catheter. Leave it out a few days, then put in a new one. They're really loading me up with antibiotics. I'm fairly certain if a germ of bacteria came within 50 yards of me I could zap it. ha!

The putting in and taking out of the catheter is not so bad. They'll put me in twilight, I'll have my iPod on and probably sing really loud and off key. But hey, that's what they get for leaving me partially awake.

I can't post on my blog, only read so please let my peeps know what's up.

Love you so much, Roseann

That's our Roseann. Sue says that she's really unhappy about not being able to read her favorite blogs on the internet connection at the hospital.

The picture is from Roseann's Facebook page. I hope it's all right with her for me to use it.

Grace Brings Freedom

The freedom to fall is also the freedom to rise. It’s precisely in our failure, our experience of poverty, weakness, emptiness that we come to experience God’s restoration and healing love.

From Daily Meditation by Richard Rohr

Bonne Fête du Canada!

To all our dear friends north of the border:

HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY CANADA DAY!

More Prayers, Please - From Arkansas Hillbilly

Hey guys. I posted this on my blog, but thought I'd save you the trouble of trying to find it. Mrs. H's dad was admitted to the hospital last night with trouble breathing and has been diagnosed with emphysema. Would you please add Chris to your prayer lists today?

Blessings,

Dave

Arkansas Hillbilly