Congratulations, Northport!

According to Northport (Alabama) City Hall, there has been a 77 % return on the 2010 census thus far. Good job!

Maxine on Saturday

Getting up early has never been easy. On those mornings I go to the office, it would probably be better for everyone concerned if I just stayed home.  Have you ever felt like that first thing in the morning?

c John Wagner / Hallmark

Maxine on Saturday is hosted by Mary at Work of the Poet. Visit her blog to see other Maxine cartoons and/or to join the weekend fun.

Feel Good Friday

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings - Introduced to me on The Colbert Report. Love the old style sound. Check it out!

Damned If He Does, Damned If He Doesn't

My guy can't win. Fortunately for all of us, he isn't as petty and hypersensitive as I am when it comes to hypocrisy and doesn't let politics get in the way of his objectives.

Just yesterday - 24 hours - the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain sent out this email to reporters:

"DNC Chairman Tim Kaine gave voters a sneak peak at their 2010 strategy: Play the race card from the bottom of the deck. After promising to transcend the political debate in this country, President Obama and his hand-picked party boss plan to shamelessly engage in race-baiting." (source)

Today, RNC Coalitions Director Angela Sailor sent out a column written by former Virginia Governor Doug Wilder titled, "Why No Blacks on SCOTUS list?" (source)  Politics. What a ride!

SPLC Addresses Arizona's Racial Profiling

The Southern Poverty Law Center spends countless hours trying to fight against hate, bigotry, and domestic terrorists; to support the most vulnerable in our society; and, develop resources and educate others to reject hate and respect all humankind.

The bill passed in Arizona is direct slap in the face of their efforts. Mary Bauer, SPLC legal director, reviewed the bill and submitted the following:

Arizona’s newly adopted immigration law is brazenly unconstitutional and will undoubtedly trample upon the civil rights of residents caught in its path.


By requiring local law enforcement to arrest a person when there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally, Arizona lawmakers have created a system that guarantees racial profiling. They also have usurped federal authority by attempting to enforce immigration law.


Quite simply, this law is a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values. No one in our country should be required to produce their “papers” on demand to prove their innocence. What kind of country are we becoming? Continue reading....

Where are the GOP and the Tea Party supporters, the ones so outspoken against 'big government' in the lives of its citizens? Silent. Just like they are silent when they ignore 'big government' determining women's health choices or who we love or when/where/how we worship and pray. Big, big talkers then, aren't they? They are all up in our business then, aren't they?

Do schools even teach history anymore because it does not appear we are learning enough so as not to repeat it. Or, maybe it is the Christian schoolers/homeschoolers/unschoolers/no schoolers who aren't teaching history anymore? I will say it again, only in the U.S. are people PROUD not to be educated enough to speak a second language. And, history is in the eye of the beholder.

Reform, not raids. I support the boycott of Arizona.
(FYI - Not Arizona Tea, that is made in New York!)

Film Review: It's Complicated

(Warning: possible spoiler)

It has been established in previous posts that I am no longer ahead of the game when it comes to films; I can now wait for DVD and/or OnDemand.  I chose to watch this film after a somewhat trying day at the office when I just wanted to zone out and be entertained.

Summary: Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) reconnects with and has an affair with her married ex-husband (Alex Baldwin), while flirting with her architect (Steve Martin) in the first relationship she has had in ten years. High anxiety situations ensue.

In a modern day Doris Day/Rock Hudson film, directed by Nancy Meyers, team Streep/Baldwin/Martin take you along while they have fun making a movie. Casting can be everything. I have to mention John Krasinski (Harley), who is an almost too perfect future son-in-law but who brings some laughs to the adventure.  He, I suppose, would be the single friend or Tony Randall in my Doris Day/Rock Hudson comparison.

Most of the storyline was predictable and relied on easy, broad laughs; sometimes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I won't pick apart the Baldwin character, even though I soooo could. For me, the more perfect ending would have been at the moment Streep and Baldwin are sitting in the front yard swing. I imagine that would have been too vague an ending for a test audience, and so we got the ending that we did.

I suppose the same film about a divorced woman raising three children while her ex-husband marries a younger woman and starts a new family, and one without an interesting job, great salary, time for Pilates, and four close and funny female friends would be called an indie film. 

In the world of films, I would consider it 'cute'. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Barry X

Seriously?  Is there someone working at The Washington Post who has never seen or can not recognize President Barack Obama? Apparently the slide photos and the text were out of sync. (source)

Let's Play A Game

Imagine was a game Tim Wise at AlterNet suggested yesterday:  Imagine that hundreds of black protesters descended on DC armed with AK-47s. Would they be defended as patriotic Americans?  Or, more specifically: What if the Tea Party were black?

Here's another one:  Imagine that a rap artist were to say, in reference to a white president: “He’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun.” Because that’s what rocker Ted Nugent said recently about President Obama.

As Mr. Wise reminded us, this is what white privilege is all about. To play more Imagine games, continue reading here....

Weekend Cat Blogging #255

Jules and Vincent, posing for just one more photograph before another

afternoon nap in their bed under my desk.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

Reform, Not Raids

What Southern Beale said in her post, Party Like It Is 1985.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's decision to sign SB1070 designed to identify, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants without regard to the rights of American citizens was appalling. Papers, please?

Arizona Boycott Begins

Everyone in Arizona will be presumed illegal and can be arrested on the spot if unable to present proof of citizenship.  American citizens may have to present documentation if deemed that they look illegal, even though Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer continues to repeat that "racial profiling is illegal". This is not reform; this is undemocratic. Shame on Arizona and Jan Brewer. Shame on John McCain for not standing up against this law.

It is a sad day in the United States.

Maxine on Saturday

In celebration of Earth Day 2010 and its 40th anniversary.

Maxine on Saturday is hosted by Mary at Work of the Poet. Visit her blog to see other Maxine cartoons and/or to join the weekend fun.

Miss Me Yet? Billboard in Alabama

My participation in Facebook's Logout for Civility starts tomorrow. In the meantime..... This photo was taken while driving in Friday afternoon traffic - literally.

A few months ago, you may have read about a billboard that was spotted in Minnesota that had a photo of George W. Bush and the question "Miss Me Yet?". The following was eventually reported by Bob Collins of Minnesota Public Radio about its sponsorship:

Mary Teske, the general manager of Schubert & Hoey Outdoor Advertising reports, "The Bush Miss Me Yet? billboard was paid for by a group of small business owners who feel like Washington is against them. They wish to remain anonymous. They thought it was a fun way of getting out their message."

Alabama took it a step forward and added photos of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and President Barack Obama: See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil Really!!. While I wasn't surprised to see the billboard in Alabama, this has caused me to reflect on what the yet unknown sponsor is trying to say. Certainly Do No Evil would have been a good motto for the former President Bush.

How do you interpret this billboard?

Sign up for Facebook's Logout for Civility: Saturday, April 24th, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.: Express your desire for a peaceful and civil facebook community! Join us in a 12-hour facebook logout to express our displeasure with facebook groups that broadcast hate speech and promote violence.

Laughing at a president and praying for the death of a president are not the same.  Can you say, not cool?

Feel Good Friday

Earth Day

April 22, 2010 - 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Click here to take action. It is up to you. It is up to me.

What's The Matter With Arizona?

I've never been to Arizona, but I know it is a beautiful area of our country. I will never go to Arizona if Governor Janet Brewer signs Senate Bill 1070 or what has been called the harshest enforcement bill in the country against undocumented workers. It specifically creating an environment that supports community division and suspicion.

I won't spend any money in Arizona and I will encourage others to boycott the state if this bill is signed into law.

The country's most retrogressive, mean-spirited, and useless immigration law. ~Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.

This radical new measure, which crosses many moral and legal lines, is a clear demonstration of the fundamental mistake of separating enforcement from comprehensive immigration reform. ~ Jim Wallis, Sojourners

A-Day Game 2010

Photo Credit - The Tuscaloosa News / Staff File Photo

The 2009 College Football National Champions took the field today for their Spring A-Day Game in front of 91,000-plus fans. I watched on ESPN.  Special teams need some work. I am fired up! Roll Tide, baby!  I only wish the State of Alabama would put as much money and energy into education and health care and infrastructure, but on a beautiful day like today, football is just fine.

The NFL draft starts Thursday night in prime time.

Weekend Cat Blogging #254

Vincent uses a 12-step program to conquer his fear of the fireplace: I stay 12 steps away from the hearth until I hear the air-conditioner come on then I know it's safe. ~Vincent

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Othello Salome at Paulchen's Foodblog?!

Maxine on Saturday

It is no surprise that Maxine has some thoughts on taxes so I thought I'd share this with you here.

Maxine's Top Seven Gripes About Tax Season:

7. IRS doesn't accept IOUs.

6. Never enough room on my check to write in amount owed.

5. Can't remember where I left my calculator from last April 15th.

4. Tax help line doesn't help pay them.

3. No line on tax form where I can add my own two cents.

2. Black and white horizontal stripes make me look fat.

1. Can't claim sexy South American pool boy as a dependent.

Maxine on Saturday is hosted by Mary at Work of the Poet. Visit her blog to see other Maxine cartoons and/or to join the weekend fun.

Jennifer Knapp: Music, Faith, and Courage

Thanks to Southern Beale for introducing me to the music of Jennifer Knapp. The post, Christian Music's Loss in Mainstream Music's Gain, originated from USA Today's article on Knapp's coming out.

Unfamiliar with the Christian music industry, I had not heard this amazing talent. A video from her latest CD, Letting Go, may be heard at Southern Beale (see above for link).

Feel Good Friday

Instead of music this week, I chose a different medium to feel good. I hope you will feel it, too. "Birds flying high, you know how I feel...."

The Fox News Line: Who Knew?

Apparently, Fox News does have a line that it will not cross. Who knew? As reported by Media Matters:

Amidst a firestorm of criticism, reportedly "furious" Fox News executives have yanked Sean Hannity from taping his April 15 show at a Cincinnati Tea Party event which charged admission and had "all proceeds" benefiting the organization. As Media Matters for America had reported, Hannity's appearance, which was promoted on 18 different editions of his Fox News program, elicited criticism from news and broadcast veterans who questioned the ethics of raising money for a political organization during a production of a Fox News show.

From the coverage, I was under the impression they were one of the primary sponsors of these events. Journalistic integrity be damned! Not that they are journalists, of course.

April 15th - Tax Day, Part 2

Update: From The New York Times:

Tea Party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, and are no more or less afraid of falling into a lower socioeconomic class, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45.

The article goes on to say:

But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on “waste.”


Some defended being on Social Security while fighting big government by saying that since they had paid into the system, they deserved the benefits.

Others could not explain the contradiction.

“That’s a conundrum, isn’t it?” asked Jodine White, 62, of Rocklin, Calif. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I don’t want smaller government. I guess I want smaller government and my Social Security.” She added, “I didn’t look at it from the perspective of losing things I need. I think I’ve changed my mind.”

From The Tuscaloosa News this morning:

Congress cut individuals’ federal taxes for this year by about $173 billion shortly after President Barack Obama took office, dwarfing the $28.6 billion in increases by states.

In the next few years, however, many can expect to pay more. Some future increases were enacted as part of Obama’s health-care overhaul. And former President George W. Bush’s tax cuts expire in January. Obama and the Democrats want to renew only some of them, thus raising taxes for individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000. Continue reading

Yet, Tea Parties are being held across Alabama and the country protesting this imaginary unfair tax burden. 

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said conservatives didn’t see any need to wait before protesting.“I thought that we were going to have to wait until the tax increases started to see popular unhappiness,” Norquist said at a Capitol Hill forum Wednesday. “Last year, people started reacting, the tea parties started organizing, in reaction to spending too much. They didn’t wait for the tax increases to come.”

I guess that would be like protesting war in case one breaks out in the future? If this is what it is like with tax cuts then what will they do for an encore?  I suppose when the rich are called on to be accountable they get working people who are barely scraping by to do their dirty work for them.

Historically, war appears inevitable and so do taxes. We get a lot of services for what we pay for but, unfortunately, some things could use a lot of work... and thus money.

April 15th - Tax Day

Whine and whine some more, but your sky isn't falling! According to the Tax Policy Center:

About 45 percent of households will owe no federal income tax in 2010, according to our estimates. Half of them earn too little, while the other half -- mostly middle- and lower-income households -- will take advantage of tax credits such as the earned income credit, the child and child-care credits, the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning credits, which help pay for college, and the saver's credit, which subsidizes retirement saving.


But even citizens who pay no income tax still pay other kinds of taxes. They pay Social Security and Medicare taxes when they work, sales taxes when they buy things and property taxes on their homes. Drivers pay gasoline taxes, and smokers and drinkers pay excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol. According to our research, more than 75 percent of us will pay at least some form of federal tax in 2010.


Those who pay no federal taxes are mostly the low-income elderly or very poor families with children. Even about half of those with annual incomes under $10,000 pay some federal tax, most often payroll taxes on wages.


And yes, the richest Americans pay taxes, too. Though a tiny minority manage to avoid federal income tax through elaborate tax planning, 99.7 percent of those with annual incomes above $1 million will pay federal taxes this year, surrendering 27 percent of their earnings to the government. The average American taxpayer pays 18 percent.

Also, as reported in The Atlantic online, 47% OF TEA PARTIERS PAY NO INCOME TAX. Sweet. However, they are the loudest about the so-called unfair tax burden.

There are more than a dozen Recovery Act tax cuts to take advantage of this tax season. Use the Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool to see what may help you.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Press Release:

Alabama is planning to celebrate Earth Day this spring by helping residents replace older, inefficient appliances.

The state will offer mail-in rebates toward the purchase of Energy Star-qualified appliances starting April 19 to coincide with Earth Day on April 22. The program will continue through May 9, unless funds are exhausted before then.

Eligible appliances and rebate amounts will include:

•Room air conditioners - $25
•Freezers - $50
•Dishwashers - $75
•Clothes washers - $100
•Refrigerators - $150

If funds remain after the initial program, the state may hold a second rebate period in October 2010 during Energy Awareness Month.

The state encourages residents to recycle the old appliances, but is not requiring it as part of the program.

Eligible applicants must be Alabama residents who are 18 years or older and must be replacing an existing appliance to apply for rebates. Rebate forms and instructions will be obtained at the time of purchase.

The program is one of 56 State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Programs, popularly known as Cash for Appliances, that are being set up in the United States and six U.S. territories with the help of federal stimulus money.

Alabama will receive about $4.5 million of the nearly $300 million in stimulus funding available nationwide from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

For more information on the Cash for Appliances program, visit the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Web site or call 334-242-5290.

Recipe: Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and Apricots

Today on my blog - Dear Kitchen: Let's Be Friends

Recipe: Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and Apricots

Information about the dish, the complete recipe, and the video on how to prepare this dish may be found at The Minimalist.  This is an "expedited tagine", per Chef Mark Bittman. The spices are incredibly aromatic, almost sensual. My only changes were garnishing with cilantro instead of parsley and with sliced scallions.

Apartment Hunting

I'm a renter. I move way too often to be anything but a renter, so I have this process almost down to an art.

After a failed relationship, I moved back to my familiar comfort zone until I knew I was strong enough to get back into the world again. I'm now ready to move back to the "home of my heart", Birmingham. The worst things about Birmingham are that it is in Alabama and it is soooo hot. Yet, I love it.

Things I've discovered in this latest apartment search:

1) Pets are expensive - $600 to $800 nonrefundable fees

2) The coolest buildings (in my price range) rarely have washer and dryer connections. Seventh floor loft, reasonable price, utilities included
Note to self: Day care center on the ground floor (YIKES)

3) One is now expected to pay a water/trash/sewer fee, in addition to monthly rent. It has been anywhere from $58-100/month. I don't know if this is a common trend or a result of the Jefferson County sewer debacle that ended up with its mayor being sent to prison.

Stay tuned. Don't I have just the most exciting life....NOT.

Informed Rednecks (Their Words, Not Mine)

The sign reads: We are NOT racists, religious nuts, or ignorant rednecks. We are informed rednecks! (So does that mean they are still racists and religious nuts or is that just a given?)

This is the front page photo of the online Tuscaloosa News with the headline: Fiery words mark Tea Party rally. An editorial in yesterday's edition encouraged people to attend to "offer their ideas".

Apparently, I missed the big star and last speaker, Ten Commandments Judge and gubernatorial candidate Roy Moore. According to the News, Moore criticized President Obama with the usual rhetoric around health care and his "openly Socialist agenda".

Note: I support this group's right to protest, even though I don't agree with what they are saying. I find them woefully uninformed. I hope that they understand the very government they are protesting against is the same government that is allowing them the right to gather, protest, and speak. And, I must mention, not the government that put protesters in a "free speech zone" away from and unseen during the Bush administration.

21st Century Hippies: Part 2

Part 1 is here but, unfortunately, I couldn't edit and therefore couldn't finish. For the Daily Show with Jon Stewart video, if you can't watch the entire video at least watch starting at 7:20.

I wanted to include this photo. The man in the long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs turned up, I believe, is Robert Bentley, an Alabama Republican gubernatorial candidate. His political ad claims he will not take a salary until Alabama has reached full employment. Nice. He also says the people of Alabama are hurting and we need a doctor. The first time I saw this I shouted, "you're a dermatologist!". (I know because I've gone to his partner for years.) If, by chance, I have not identified Dr. Bentley correctly, please advise I will correct and/or take down this post.

So, that was my day with the Tea Party. They had hot dogs, but no one to cook them. I only saw one car decorated with Confederate flags. Crackers and tea - you betcha' (wink).

Beck on Supreme Court Pick

Glenn Beck of Fixed News says he believes that President Obama will--"if he's smart"--select a "gay-handicapped-black woman who's an immigrant" to energize Obama's base, i.e., me. I suppose this is intended to radicalize Beck's viewers as that appears to be scariest thing of all, as I posted here. 

No, Glenn, we'd much rather have a white male, high school graduate, former substance abuser and previous radio announcer with no clear grasp of history, policy or the law, who will do and say anything for money.  Dance for them, Glenn, dance!

21st Century Hippies

There was a Tea Party rally today in Tuscaloosa and I decided to attend. My ex advised, "don't get shot" because, he said, "you don't have a poker face". My brother asked, "what will you tell the FBI when they show up at your door"? Both had good points.

I thought I'd see for myself before I blast the tea baggers (giggle), I mean the tea partiers. I didn't stay the full four hours, but as you can see, not many people had shown up one hour into the rally.

It was certainly a beautiful day, wasn't it? Minus the sponsors and media, I would say there were less than 50 people at that hour. I heard two candidates for office speak and a woman from the American Family Rights Association (AFRA). I was standing by their booth, but I didn't see any questionable literature. She spoke about a child's right to have two parents even in a divorce situation. I agree. She also pointed out that many people think their racist but suggested everyone read from a conservative website, whose writer happens to be black (apologies for forgetting the name).

Instead, I went to AFRA's website and WOW! I was expecting anti-abortion but I found they have a huge issue with Child Protective Services (CPS). If this is not the correct website for this organization, please direct me elsewhere.

Alabama SB233, an amendment to the Alabama state constitution, could be voted on by the people as part of the general election in November 2010. If Alabama could ad this statewide referendum to the ballot, why not hold a national referendum on the issue of healthcare?

SB233 proposes an amendment to the Alabama constitution to "prohibit any person, employer, or health care provider from being compelled to participate in any health care system." SB233 also revokes all penalties and fines for not participating in a national healthcare program. Any amendment to our state constitution which passes the Alabama legislature must be voted on by the citizens of Alabama directly in a referendum. Continue reading here....

A very nice woman held this to keep it from blowing so I could take a picture. She had a sign below that said we were being "Alinskied". Not knowing what that meant, I asked her about it. She explained to me that she had heard the name Saul Alinsky in Montgomery (Alabama's capital) and he had been a community organizer who influenced Obama. It was obvious that she knew very little about him and wasn't sure if she had spelled his name correctly, but she told me it was her way of saying we were being screwed. I complimented her for being so creative and thanked her for explaining it to me.

This nice lady told me she had gotten "the book" so she could read more about Alinsky. It appears the book would be Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky as used for inspiration by Tea Party organizers.

I read about Alinsky when I returned home and, of course, he would have been a hero of mine had I known about him. Wikipedia noted,

"Alinsky described his plans in 1972 to begin to organize the White middle class across America, and the necessity of that project. He believed that what President Richard Nixon and Vice-President Spiro Agnew called "The Silent Majority" was living in frustration and despair, worried about their future, and ripe for a turn to radical social change, to become politically-active citizens. He feared the middle class could be driven to a right-wing viewpoint, "making them ripe for the plucking by some guy on horseback promising a return to the vanished verities of yesterday." His stated motive: "I love this goddamn country, and we're going to take it back."

What insight, huh? 

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Nationwide Tax Protests
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Review: Kuk's Dog Days

There is a culinary ray of hope now in the midst of all the hamburgers and BBQ in Tuscaloosa, and it is shining from the corner of Greensboro and University. It is Kuk's Dog Days, hot dogs as they were meant to be enjoyed in a casual, friendly, and unassuming atmosphere. 

Although it opened in May 2009, I have just had the opportunity to eat there, but I feel fairly certain this will become a weekly splurge - in fat calories, not money. For $5, I got a brat, fries, and large soda.

By appearance, I thought the fresh cut fries would taste too greasy. They were a little, but they were greasy fantastic! The meats are advertised as Red Hot Chicago meat products and Supreme Tamale products direct from Chicago. The brat was deliciously spicy and perfectly cooked.  A+

Duplicate post from my blog, Dear Kitchen: Let's Be Friends.  I'll eventually figure out how I want to manage two blogs.

Weekend Cat Blogging #253

It's a bird!

It's a plane!

It's Spring!

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's Party!". ~ Robin Williams

It's hard to believe these two used to hide under the clothes in the closet all day and night.  Jules and Vincent are now enjoying the fresh air, while I'm dusting off the thick yellow layer of pollen that covers all the furniture.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Breadchick and LB, together with Othello and Salome, at The Sour Dough.

Maxine on Saturday

Maxine on Saturday is hosted by Mary at Work of the Poet. Visit her blog to see other Maxine cartoons and/or to join the weekend fun.

Feel Good Friday

Facebook - South Park Style

South Park addressed Facebook in last night's episode: You Have 0 Friends.  As usual, they pretty much nailed it. Our daily realities always sound so bizarre coming out of the mouths of South Park writers. You can watch the full episode here. Even better, watch episode 1403: Medicinal Fried Chicken.

(Please don't post on Facebook that I'm a bad influence and have a moronic sense of humor or defriend me for the same!)

Tea Party Rally in Tuscaloosa

Sponsoring the event:

Tuscaloosa Property Rights Alliance
Danny Hembree, Tuscaloosa, Alabama property rights activist presents the Biblical foundation for property rights. These fundamental principles, common knowledge in the 1700s’ are all but forgotten in these modern times. Watch video

League of the South:
The League of the South is a neo-Confederate group that advocates for a second Southern secession and a society dominated by “European Americans.” The league believes the “godly” nation it wants to form should be run by an “Anglo-Celtic” (read: white) elite that would establish a Christian theocratic state and politically dominate blacks and other minorities. Originally founded by a group that included many Southern university professors, the group lost its Ph.D.s as it became more explicitly racist. The league denounces the federal government and northern and coastal states as part of “the Empire,” a materialist and anti-religious society. Source

Constitution Party of Alabama
Its extremist platform calls for banning all abortions, extinguishing the "homosexual agenda," abolishing income taxes and stopping all immigration. (Most appealing to Moore,) the party wants to make Old Testament code the law of the land. Source

Liberty Coalition
Alabama Family Rights Association

This is about taxes? Really? It is their government-protected right to gather and protest.  It is very clear from the "take back our country" posts on Facebook where their fear lies and it ain't taxes.

As of this posting, the AP just released the following:

An Alabama attorney who has spoken to white supremacists who believe slavery is ordained by God withdrew Thursday from a planned appearance at a Wausau (Wisconsin) tea party rally next week after organizers questioned his views.

John Eidsmoe of Pike Road, Ala., was scheduled to speak at the April 15 event alongside Jefferson County Circuit Judge Randy Koschnick and others.  Continue reading here 

....and make sure you read the last paragraph. You won't believe it.

What Would You Say For $32 Million?

Reported salary from 2009:  $32 million

Glenn Beck of Fox News told Forbes that he is more interested in the business than the politics of what he does. "I could give a flying crap about the political process," he said. "We're an entertainment company." Source

Too bad many of his viewers do not understand this.

Nike Releases Tiger Woods Commercial

I haven't talked about Tiger Woods because I didn't have anything to say. He's an amazing athlete, I'm told.  He's a handsome man.

Money, power, celebrity, and adulation can breed bad decisions. Woods held his press conference. What's left is personal reflection.

I appreciate that Nike and Electronic Arts did not drop him, unlike his other sponsors. Yet, I haven't been so annoyed by a Nike commercial since the jogger ran to the song Revolution by The Beatles. It just seems exploitative of Tiger, his father, the situation, and its audience. Watch the commercial and let me know what you think. Exploitative or appropriate?

{Script, Father's voice from 2006: Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything.}

My New Blog

One day out of the blue, I decided I would start this blog. Then, out of the blue, I decided I would start a second blog. I have a tendency to edit endlessly so, ready or not, it is officially launched today.

My interest in food and nutrition waxes and wanes, but it is my intention to start slow and see where it takes me. Let's get it a try, shall we?

Early Morning Surprises

This Week On The Television Machine

Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover. ~Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

I declined the numerous social invitations I received this week so that I could stay at home, watch this week's television offerings, and perspire through the leftover Easter chili. What can I say? I had the ingredients and it wasn't 85 degrees outside when I purchased them.

In addition to my usuals (Damages, Rachel Maddow, Daily Show), I must see:

Monday night, April 5: 
7:30 CT (station? we'll eventually find it): NCAA College Basketball National Championship Finals - Butler Bulldogs v Duke Blue Devils
I could care less about basketball but I can make it through a final game. What better time in this country for an underdog win! Cue Rocky theme. Go Bulldogs!

Wednesday night, April 7:
7 p.m. CT: The Buddha on Alabama Public Television (PBS), A film by David Grubin
Two and a half millennia ago, a new religion was born in northern India, generated from the ideas of a single man, the Buddha, a mysterious Indian sage who famously gained enlightenment while he sat under a large, shapely fig tree. The Buddha never claimed to be God or his emissary on earth. He said only that he was a human being who, in a world of unavoidable pain and suffering, had found a kind of serenity that others could find, too. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin tells the story of his life, a journey especially relevant in our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. Richard Gere narrates.

THE BUDDHA | Preview | PBS @ Yahoo! Video

9 p.m. CT on Alabama Public Television (PBS): The Dhamma Brothers
East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison in Alabama is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient Buddhist meditation program. THE DHAMMA BROTHERS tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely documents the stories of a group of prison inmates who enter into an intensive 10-day silent meditation program. This inspiring film challenges assumptions about the nature of prisons as places of punishment rather than rehabilitation and raises the question: is it possible for these men, some of whom have committed horrendous crimes, to change? In the words of Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking), "it gives you hope for the human race."

Friday night, April 9:
9 p.m. CT on HBO, Real Time with Bill Maher
Maher is hosting another one-on-one segment and has interviews with three of my very favorites:

Billie Joe Armstrong - Green Day's lead singer and lead guitarist

Alice Waters - Pioneering cook, restaurateur, and food activist

Chris Rock - comedian, actor, producer, writer

If you read a lot of books, you're considered well-read. But if you watch a lot of TV, you're not considered well-viewed. ~Lily Tomlin

Maxine on Saturday

Maxine on Saturday is hosted by Mary at Work of the Poet. Visit her blog to see other Maxine cartoons and/or to join the weekend fun. Have a wonderful weekend (and try to stay out of trouble)!

Weekend Cat Blogging #252

Gee, this is embarrassing!

Jules and Vincent caught in an embarrassing situation for this week's Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by Nikita Cat at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

Doctor Denying Care To Obama Voters

From Huffington Post, as reported in The Orlando Sentinel:

Florida urologist Jack Cassell posted a sign on his office door reading, "If you voted for Obama ... seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your health care begin right now, not in four years."


Cassell, a registered Republican, quickly backpedaled in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, but said he's perfectly happy to lose business over the sign. "I'm not turning anybody away, that would be unethical," he told the Sentinel. "But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it."


Patients who continue past the sign on Cassell's door find a waiting room stacked with Republican pamphlets opposing health care reform, underneath a sign reading, "This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it."

His office, his choice. It is my choice as to whether I want to see a physician who discriminates on basis of political beliefs. What's next, GOP? Armbands?

Have you seen this man? Does he accept Medicare? It is my sense from something this blatantly discriminatory - despite if he is only trying to be funny and/or allowing patients to make their own choices - that the AMA might want to revisit his medical license to practice.

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. ~ Albert Einstein

Gray is the New Blonde

Imagine how excited I was to see the headline in yesterday's online New York Times: Young Trendsetters Streak Their Hair With Gray! 

Writes Ruth La Ferla....

....In embracing a tint their mothers would have shunned, such role models are lending gray new cachet, giving shades from ash to ermine an unlikely fashion moment. Now, some say, the trend, which trickled down from the runways of Chanel, Giles Deacon and their rarefied ilk to fashion hot spots around the country, seems poised to go mainstream.


At Whittemore House, a vanguard salon in Manhattan’s West Village, models and bohemian types began asking for gray streaks about six months ago, said Victoria Hunter, an owner, adding dryly, “When one gets on the bandwagon, they all do.”


Sharon Dorram, an influential New York colorist, said that among her downtown New York patrons, it is mostly younger women, renegade types, who request gray. Not lost on Ms. Dorram is the irony that their older, more conventional counterparts spent $1.3 billion to cover their grays last year, according to Nielsen....

While trendsetters will move smoothly into the next trend, it is my hope that it will catch on in the mainstream and women will embrace their gray hair, particularly maturing women. Going gray is a lot like coming out of the closet - one needs to be allowed to do it in their own time and comfort zone. With hair, once one becomes accustomed to seeing a certain style, everybody follows. Come on women! Show me what you can do!

Tribault Camus/Associated Press
Kate Moss

Feel Good Friday

Five Stages, One Day

You are probably familiar with the Kubler-Ross model or the five stages of grief introduced in the book On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. In the last 24 hours, I have bounced around these stages like a ball in a pinball machine.

Kubler-Ross says when confronted with a catastrophe or illness one will go through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance, although not necessarily in that order. When you've known about the chronic illness of a loved one for over 40 years, wouldn't you think you'd be at acceptance by now?

After receiving news last night that I didn't want to hear, I was first hit with depression and denial. I was in full crexting mode - crying and texting. Today at work I found myself "bargaining", i.e., when Moose gets better, I'll go to church with her, I'll even pray with her...... well, I'll go with her if she switches to the Episcopal Church.... Okay, I've never been a good bargainer.

By the afternoon, I was angry. F**k Diabetes! Diabetes isn't just about avoiding sugar or taking shots of insulin or checking one's blood sugar numerous times a day. It is about blindness and neuropathies and renal failure and heart disease and gastroparesis and limb loss. It is about doctors' appointments and hospital admissions and numbers. 

I talked to Moose and she was hoarse but optimistic. Speeding on high doses of steroids, she felt okay and then I felt better. I may get to acceptance again, but it still hurts.

b's {blog} boutique

So, what do you think? Plain Jane Judi stepped out of my comfort zone and added a little flare to my blog. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Bailey at b's {blog} boutique for helping me add this splash of color. Prompt and professional, I would highly recommend her for your blog design needs. Thanks, Bailey!

Feeding America - April Food Day 2010

Here are the facts about food and hunger in the U.S.:

•Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.

•That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.

•Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.

•Thirty-six percent of the households served have at least one person working.

•More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.

•The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

•Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters.

•68 percent of pantries, 42 percent of soup kitchens, and 15 percent of emergency shelters rely solely on volunteers and have no paid staff.

•55 percent, are faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 33 percent are other types of non-profit organizations.

What you can do:  Volunteer at a local food bank, donate to Feeding America, or lend a voice as bloggers are doing today.

Read or listen to Photographer Captures Stark Portraits Of Hunger as reported by NPR on March 30th.