Sweet Birmingham

I am in the process of moving back to Birmingham so I may not be blogging much in the next couple of weeks. I will still host Weekend Cat Blogging over the 4th of July weekend.

So, until then, here are some of Birmingham's architecture and landmarks with Billie Holiday singing Stars Fell on Alabama.

Weekend Cat Blogging #264

'Abner and Gladys Kravitz' are spying on the neighbors again. Although we don't have a Samantha and Darren Stevens in our complex, college students walking their yappy dogs can be just as entertaining.

Jules and Vincent are this week's entry for Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by Nikita Cat at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

Reminder:
Jules and Vincent will be hosting WCB next weekend. It is 4th of July weekend so plan now to stop by for the celebration and let us know how you are celebrating! We'll start accepting entries Friday morning, July 2nd with the round-up Monday morning, July 5th.

Maxine on Saturday

© John Wagner / Hallmark, Inc.

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

Book Review: Nomad

Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Every now and then, it helps to look at the United States through an other's eyes and to be challenged to re-examine one's beliefs. Whether this author reinforces what you already believe about Islam or not, she certainly engages you in an amazing story of her life to date.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Ayaan is the first name, Hirsi is the bloodline, son of Ali - was born in Somali and lived in Saudia Arabia, Kenya, and Ethiopia before fleeing to the Netherlands to avoid a marriage arranged by her father to a cousin she had never met. She was 16. Hirsi Ali thoroughly describes her family and how religious beliefs and a pre-modern society led her to that moment. We follow her through her introduction to a free and modern society, often told with great wit. She examines the conflict of separation and the price she pays today for her freedom.

This is a remarkable story from a remarkable woman. She carefully lays out the background, problems, and solutions for what she believes is preventing other Muslims from experiencing the freedoms that could be available to them and for preventing the continuation of violence among themselves, particularly women, and against the West or infidels.

In my opinion, this is a book that every woman should read.

5 of 5 stars

Audiobook Giveaway

This is a case of I know someone who knows someone who went to school with Scott Turow so his name catches my attention, whether it is a new book or touring with The Rock Bottom Remainders. 

Gwendolyn at A Sea of Books is currently giving away three copies of the audiobook, Innocent by Scott Turow and read by Edward Hermann. From the publisher:

The sequel to the genre-defining, landmark bestseller Presumed Innocent, INNOCENT continues the story of Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto who are, once again, twenty years later, pitted against each other in a riveting psychological match after the mysterious death of Rusty's wife.

Visit A Sea of Books to learn how to register for this giveaway. Note: You also might be interested in the other giveaways of other books and audiobooks posted on this blog.

Ain't Nobody Firing Our Coach*

Having lived away from Alabama for awhile, I had put Alabama politics out of my head. I saw a few campaign ads this election season, but mostly after they went viral and Alabama was being ridiculed nationwide (rightly so).

In the race for governor, we had a close election requiring a recount between: 1) the son of a former two-term governor, apparent foreign language hater, and Auburn graduate; and, 2) a Tuscaloosa state representative and physician. Let me just stop and say he is a dermatologist; I'm not saying dermatology isn't important, but still. The physician claimed victory after coming out ahead by only 300 votes.

The rumor mill has it that Mr. FLH made some disparaging remarks about the coach who took the Crimson Tide football team to their 13th National Championship...something about firing him or cutting his excessive salary? He apparently made those comments in front of an Auburn crowd and so he could have gotten a pass. But, when this hit sports radio, he made it worse by denying that he said it rather than it was intended as a joke..... (or was it, she asks, rubbing her chin).

I'd rather think Alabamians were more offended by his policy proposals (pause for gut-wrenching laughter). So, he could very well have lost those 300 votes for taking shots at The Man, cuz nobody talks trash about our coach and no Auburn graduate is going to threaten to fire him! Roolll Tide!

*except the fans, after he loses a few games

Denied!

From Bhamarchitect's Blog: The special appeals board upheld the Design Review Committee's decision to deny Chick-Fil-A the right to build a stand-alone drive-through restaurant on the corner of 20th Street South and Highland Avenue in the heart of the historic Five Points South neighborhood.

Cool!

Are You Smarter Than A Seventh Grader?

My niece who lives and works in Sweden brought this bit of news to my attention following President Obama's speech on the BP Oil spill and Gulf relief efforts last week: CNN Asks: Was Obama’s 10th Grade Level Speech too Smart for America? Apparently, living in another country causes one to forget that this could very well be true in the U.S.

According to the report:

CNN relied on the analysis of “language guru” Paul J.J. Payack, president of Global Language Monitor. Payack determined that Obama’s oval office speech was written at nearly a 1oth grade level, specifically a 9.8 grade level. CNN concluded that “President Obama’s speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience…”

Payack’s analysis found that the President’s “professorial” speech on the Gulf oil disaster used too many words in each sentence and each word was too big:


“Though the president used slightly less than four sentences per paragraph, his 19.8 words per sentence “added some difficulty for his target audience,” Payack said.

How low should he go? According to Payack, our President should speak to us at a seventh grade level.

I've always appreciated that President Obama talked to us like we were adults and that he didn't talk in bumper stickers (i.e., Drill Baby, Drill) and one-liners. In case you missed it, here is the complete text of his remarks.

What level do you think a statement like this would be?
"Well, let's see. There's ― of course in the great history of America there have been rulings that there's never going to be absolute consensus by every American, and there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So, you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but ―" --Sarah Palin, unable to name a Supreme Court decision she disagreed with other than Roe vs. Wade, interview with Katie Couric, CBS News, Oct. 1, 2008


Or, this?
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

Please, President Obama, continue to speak in the eloquent and knowledgeable way that you do. Unlike others, you truly understand the situation. Personally, I don't want the President of the United States to sound like a dumb***.

Weekend Cat Blogging #263

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.  ~Joseph Wood Krutch - Twelve Seasons

Vincent is also a good tipper. He brought this gift to me while I was sleeping.




Vincent is our entry for this week's Weekend Cat Blogging hosted by Othello at Paulchens FoodBlog?!.

Maxine on Saturday

© John Wagner / Hallmark, Inc.

Plus, Maxine on current events:

© John Wagner / Hallmark, Inc.

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

The Middle-Aged Woman Video
This is a change from my usual FGF videos but if, like me, your body betrayed you then you might enjoy it.

No TV = A Life

The sound board in my two-year-old television had been in remission but finally succumbed this week. Unlike most households, I only have the one.

First night, I was totally anxious. I was forced to watch President Obama's speech online on the second night. By the third night, I was more relaxed, baked cupcakes, and got a few other things done. Tonight, I am enjoying the silence, getting more things done, and actually finishing a book!

With the Internet, I'm beginning to wonder if I even need a television or that monthly cable bill.  Hahahahahahaha! Please.  It is 78 days, 10 hours, 57 minutes, 30..29..28..seconds until Alabama's season opener against Penn State.

Review: Amazon Customer Service

One advantage of having a blog is that you have the opportunity to interject that little bit of information when you are interacting with customer service departments. Fortunately, I have never had a negative experience in which I felt I needed to use this (knock on wood).

People tend to share the bad experiences but not necessarily share the good experiences.This is my praise for Amazon. I have ordered from Amazon often; I had always received what I ordered until this last order. Missing was my book:

Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I didn't realize this until several days later, after I had discarded my packing slip. I contacted them through their online chat and let me just share that I love the online chat option. I was fully prepared to write this loss off as a learning experience, but I had an immediate chat response, address confirmation, and replacement promise with prompt delivery within minutes.

Good job, Amazon! I greatly appreciate it, and I am happy to share it with others here.

Wordless Wednesday

(source)

Here's Another Alabama Sensation

He begins this ad with "I would impeach him". Is that treason? Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks didn't come close to this with her comment about George W. Bush, but she certainly paid the price with lost sales and death threats.

Alabama must have really wanted Bill Maher's Stupidest State Award, only Rick Barber didn't make the deadline. Quick! Somebody get Barber his meds and a history book (not one edited in Texas where, BTW, Barber grew up). I looked at his website and my reactions were, "how closeted (gay) is he? how full of self-hatred is he? and, how much damage can he do?"  I can't say Alabama won't elect him; the state elected a Primitive Baptist preacher with a high school education for governor. We don't like no book learnin'.

On the plus side for him, he is yet another YouTube sensation along with the Tim James' ads in the Alabama campaign world.

Looking Out My Backdoor

The photo below is always a good clue that I might need to check the patio, particularly since I had the adult snake recently.

The cats have a daily lizard watch, but this one almost got by me. Not Jules or Vincent, though.

Do you work for UPS? I could have sworn you were checking out my package.

(cheezy lizard pick-up line)

When males display for territory or females, they turn bright green. Both males and females have dewlaps although males' slightly larger; used for breeding and territorial displays. The Green Anoles in our area have pinkish dewlaps. (source:Wikipedia)

Lizard on lizard, so to speak (see back leg). Lizard art by Robert Taylor.

I Demand A Recount!

In this season's finale of Real Time with Bill Maher, the winner of the Stupidest State contest was announced. With the Tim James commercial*, I was confident of Alabama's victory as we had racist, ugly, stupid, and fact-free. "There were a lot of strong contenders this year," said Maher. "We thought Alabama might be the Cinderella victory. But it is Arizona. Arizona has won." The trophy, a man with his head up his ass, will be sent to Arizona's governor, Jan Brewer.

Don't get me wrong. I love so many things about the State of Alabama and even Maher realizes there are some good things about these southern states. But, Alabamians take their guns and shoot us in the foot over and over and over again.

*Blogger Osborne Ink called Doris Teague at the Alabama State Troopers HQ in Montgomery, who told him that driver's license manuals are printed only in English -- and the tests are auto-translated by a computer.
When you pay $5 to take the exam in any language, the kiosk you use is the same whether you take the test in Farsi, French, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, or English. The system was funded by a federal grant, has been in use since 2003, and came with the translating software pre-installed. So much for "saving money" by offering tests only in English.

Weekend Cat Blogging #262

Happy 5th Birthday, Weekend Cat Blogging! We are in our third year of blogging. Flashback to 2008.......

Butch, now at Rainbow Bridge

Butch and Vincent, May 2008

Jules, March 2008

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging flashback celebration is hosted by Breadchick and LB at The Sour Dough.

Maxine on Saturday

© John Wagner / Hallmark, Inc.

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

Pushing My Buttons

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) writes:

The ACLU vigorously defends the right of all Americans to practice their religion. But because the ACLU is often better known for its work preventing the government from promoting and funding selected religious activities, it is sometimes wrongly assumed that the ACLU does not zealously defend the rights of all religious believers to practice their faith. The actions described {here} – over half of which were brought on behalf of self-identified Christians, with the remaining cases defending the rights of a wide range of minority faiths – reveal just how mistaken such assumptions are.

Within a few short weeks, my workplace moved from an employee prayer "list" to an employee prayer "meeting" held in our Conference Room. I didn't react well; in fact, I was livid. Let me explain. My questions were how long would it be before employees shunned other employees who did not attend or employees were passed over for jobs because they did not attend? How long before it became mandatory? Some think that is jumping to a very broad conclusion.  It is my belief that Christians running in a pack can be vicious, i.e., I am more likely to have a greater faith in their God than I do his followers.

Who could possibly be against praying? "I happen to be one who believes in the power of prayer," said one co-worker. That is not really the point, though, is it?  If someone cares enough to raise my name to whatever higher power or send any kind of positive energy into the universe for me, I appreciate that and certainly could use it.  I do not, however, understand why people have to display their faith in every possible venue when, particularly in the Southern US, there must be a place of worship on every corner. Look at me! I'm praying!

Sometimes God's followers throw up roadblocks to people like me ever having any chance of having a spiritual connection in whatever way. One co-worker advised that I might eventually get to a place to have the freedom to let all that go. That is something I can understand. But, it is very hard for me, which is why I turned to the ACLU for some direction of what is supported as religious freedom/belief.

While I voice that I support every one's right of expression, this is one area where I struggle. I don't need a psychologist to point out that this is an unresolved issue from my childhood (preacher's kid, without my consent).  Or, maybe it is the fact that historically women have not been treated kindly by religions. Or, maybe it is I've heard more about religious people using the government to push a religious agenda into our personal social lives than I do about any good deeds they might perform, which I understand might be a direct result of my exposure.  Yet, I see nothing in that agenda that could possibly be good for me.

There is this joke about someone stepping over a homeless person to get into a church where they sit to hear about our loving one another. If Christians could prove their love by their deeds without having to "witness" or try to convert someone else then maybe I wouldn't be so hard on them.

But, I'm trying, Ringo. I'm really trying. ~ Jules Winnfield

The Sopranos Redux

No man for any considerable period
can wear one face to himself
 and another to the multitude,
without finally getting bewildered
as to which may be the true.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I remember where I was when.... The first scene I watched of HBO's The Sopranos was in 1999's Episode 5: College. Meadow Soprano asked her father if he was in the mafia and I was hooked. The episode ended with a hauntingly beautiful cello instrumental, Gold Leaves by Michael Hoppe. I watched the first four episodes as quickly as available and Sunday nights became an event until the last episode.

I watched the first season of The Sopranos again this week through OnDemand, unedited. Watching a new series in the moment may be entertaining and challenging; rewatching a series of this caliber is an experience, unmatched.

Strange Bedfellows an exhibit of collaborations

On Friday night, Bare Hands Gallery opened a new exhibit featuring the collaborative partnerships of the following artists:

Pinky Bass and Jonathan Purvis
Doug Baulos and Ila Faye Miller
Michael Bonadio, Andrea Paschal and Daisy Winfrey
D. Spider Bradford and Chris Lawson
Shea Goodwin and Chris Stewart
Wendi Flowers Goodwin and Tracie Noles-Ross
Wes Frazer and John Lytle Wilson
Lucy Jaffe and Jane Marshall
Janice Kluge and Brad Morton
Tracy Martin and Byron Sonnier

From their website: Bare Hands is a non-profit alternative space for the exhibition of contemporary works in all media, unique in its focus on Birmingham area artists. Founded in June 1996, the local gallery was committed to providing a positive and professional venue for local contemporary visual artists who were seldom shown in retail galleries due to their emerging status and non-traditional approach to making art.

The photos below are a few of the exhibits that can be seen at Bare Hands Gallery from June 4 - July 17, 2010.

In The Woods - Janice Kluge and Brad Morton

Wes Frazer and John Lytle Wilson

Pinky Bass and Jonathan Purvis

Tracy Martin and Byron Sonnier

Look closely. Yes, that is a live chicken.

Maybe I Can Go Home Again

On Friday night, I did something I haven't done in a very long time: I attended an art show opening. For about 15 minutes, I felt a little like my old self again. I even told my same old story of how we used to stand around and complain about Birmingham not supporting the visual arts and then years later complain about how crowded it had become.

Bare Hands Gallery was celebrating its 14th Anniversary. It had been 14 years ago T&J were preparing that space. They've moved on, but the gallery is still going strong.

There are many places in Birmingham I have been unable to go over the last two years. They were my favorite places. Then, they can became our favorite places.

As I prepare to return to Birmingham, I look forward to finding my new favorite places.  Maybe it will be Flip Burger or sitting by the lake or at the Salvatore's Pizza at the end of street. Maybe it will be Fresh Market. It could be a brand new place I've yet to discover. Whatever or wherever, never say never or you will end up living off Highway 280 in Shelby County. Oh, the humanity!

Weekend Cat Blogging #261

Jules is the obvious choice for this week's Weekend Cat Blogging hosted by Amar and Luna at CatSynth.  Jules and Luna have something special in common.

Maxine on Saturday

John Wagner / © Hallmark, Inc.

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

Dig Baby, Dig

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky/Grand Isle, LA

Plus 11 oil rig workers.