President Obama's Speech on Libya

As sent to me via text by my brother and heard on Conan, this speech was titled, "No, I Was Not Born There".

To mimic the phrase President Obama is so fond of repeating: let me be clear. I am against what we so lovingly refer to as our military industrial complex. I am against any war or other military action that results in death and destruction. While I thought President Obama did an excellent job outlining the sequence of events that led to the decision with NATO and addressing many naysayers, I doubt it changed too many minds about the President himself.

Neither did cartoonists Mike Lester and David Fitzsimmons, as seen on NPR's Double Take: Will No Flight Fly?. In which camp are you?

Mike Lester,The Rome News-Tribune

 David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Sun

Pulp Fiction Action Figures

For fans of cult classic film, Pulp Fiction.

As seen on The High Definite:
Argentinian illustrator Max Dalton put together this pretty awesome poster, featuring action figures of  Pulp Fiction characters.  It will be part of Spoke Art’s Quentin vs. Cohen show at Bold Hype Gallery in New York City April 7-9, where prints will be available.

 Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield

Weekend Cat Blogging #303

Butch grooming Vincent

For those who follow WCB, you may remember Butch died suddenly a short while back. Vincent adored Butch and Butch, feeling anything but threatened, literally took him under his tutelage. Today, Vincent does not have alpha cat status merely by his presence the way Butch did, but I have recently come to realize how much they are alike. 

Cats are such mysterious and mystical beings. Butch came to me in an unexpected way shortly before my cat, Smushface, died. Vincent also came into my life unexpectedly after his birth in a Tennessee barn, not long before Butch died. It is as if cats with very similar personalities and temperaments find their way to us when we need them the most. Is there some cosmic connection that brings a devoted feline friend into one's life as another devoted friend departs? It is an interesting thought.

Vincent is this week's entry for Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by Kashim, Othello, and Salome at Paulchen's Foodblog?!

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Scrappycat at Sidewalk Shoes and Fridolin at Rosa's Yummy Yums. We will miss them and our thoughts are with Pam and Rosa.

RIP: Geraldine Ferraro

It was with great pride and tears that I watched Geraldine Ferraro accept the nomination for Vice President of the Democratic Party in 1984 on television. It was with equal pride that I had the opportunity, simply by chance, to meet and shake hands with Ms. Ferraro while eating dinner in New York City. She very graciously agreed to allow my dinner partner and me to approach her at the restaurant then came by our table to say goodbye as she and her husband were leaving.

I am sadden today to hear of her death. I will be forever grateful to her and her role in advancing women in the community and political arenas. Rest in peace, Ms. Ferraro.

Lights Out! Earth Hour Tonight.

This Earth Hour 2011: 8.30pm, Saturday 26 March, celebrate your action for the planet with the people of world, and add more to your Earth Hour. 

From its inception as a single-city initiative -- Sydney, Australia - in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change. Earth Hour 2010 created history as the world's largest ever voluntary action with people, businesses and governments in 128 countries across every continent coming together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the one thing that unites us all -- the planet.

Sign up to earthhour.org, switch off your lights for Earth Hour 2011, and share the positive actions you will sustain for earth beyond the hour. 

Check out Earth Hour 2011 on You Tube, Facebook, Twitter

Affordable Care Act - First Anniversary

In effect:

• banning insurance companies from denying coverage to children with health problems, dropping coverage for policyholders who get very sick or putting lifetime dollar limits on benefits;
• allowing young adults to stay on their parents' policies until age 26;
• offering access to health insurance for people whose medical conditions make them otherwise uninsurable;
• giving small businesses tax credits to help them insure employees;
• providing many free tests and screenings in Medicare;
• issuing $250 checks to everybody who fell into the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" in 2010;
• halving the drug costs of people who fall into the doughnut hole this year — the first step in closing the coverage gap completely;
• setting annual limits on out-of-pocket spending for people enrolled in Medicare Advantage health plans.

Plan for the future: Protect Our Progress

To find out more about how the law impacts you, check out www.HealthCare.gov and its special section on Better Benefits, Better Health.

Weekend Cat Blogging #302

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jules, struggling with the concept of push/pull

 (Sorry, Jules. I couldn't resist.)

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is host-less. Pam at Sidewalk Shoes has added a link-up and an invitation to share there.

Cartoon Credit: The Far Side by Gary Larson

The GOP: Less Than Zero

My Friday nights include watching HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. Tonight he compiled a list of "issues" in his New Rules segment that I have touched on here and laughed about elsewhere.

Amidst the multiple and crucial problems facing the United States, the GOP has focused on the following list with gusto. Look it up, for those who think this is just my perception of the events or that I am listening with a liberal ear.

Useless distractions that make up GOP policy:
Public Unions
Sharia Law
Anchor Babies
Mosque at Ground Zero
ACORN
Voter Fraud (Ignoring the fact that, "This is America. Nobody wants to vote.")
National Public Radio
The War on Christmas
The New Black Panthers
Planned Parenthood
Michelle Obama's War on Desserts
Conducting public functions in English

Real Problems:
Climate Change
Loose Nukes
Debt
Infrastructure
The Wealth Gap
Our addiction to oil, from weird distant places run by monsters who want us dead.


But, NPR? Not a problem. National Public Radio is not harming anyone, and here's why: the simple-minded sheep who take orders from the radio are already taken. ~ Bill Maher

Maher made the list and started the thought processes. Why do the GOP cater to both the top two percent of those with wealth and the lowest common denominator? I'm not suggesting everyone who supports the GOP fall into either one of these categories. Yet, one is their financial supporters and one is their base.

Money. Power. Money. Fear. How does one explain how they have managed to get the working class to turn on each other and support the corporations who exploit them and keep them poor? How else could anyone allow their representatives to talk about such non-issues without losing their lunches while ignoring the real problems that face the U.S.? How else could they lead someone to purchase and display a bumper sticker that reads "Democrats Equals Communism", which I actually saw this week and which could probably be added to the GOP's list of non-issues.

I say this with equal confusion as to what happened to the Democratic Party. I am attempting to support and more often defend a President who is closer to Ronald Reagan than I care to admit.

Why should I care? Should I just sit back and let it happen? 

Feel Good Friday

The Beatles in Paris, 1965
3,040,251 YouTube hits to date

For Japan, With Love

With the devastating events over the last week in Japan, we sometimes feel helpless in our desire to reach out and help. Here are a few ways to get involved:

For Japan with Love (see above)
American Red Cross
Mercy Corps
Watch Twitter for donation suggestions.

A View of the Weekend

After we were spring-teased with blooming flowers and trees, we had a torrential rainstorm in Birmingham. I could not tell what was rain and what was water running violently behind my house. I love that sound.

The blooms on a few of these trees were able to hold on through the storm. Most of the trees along my street have turned brown or blooms were beaten to the ground.

On the walk to the mailbox

 

Resting by the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs

There is a large neighborhood cat sound asleep in the shade about five feet from this beauty. 

I suppose that is called "coexisting".

Norton's Florist - Birmingham

I maneuvered a tricky move off a one-way street to see this window display.

Home again, just in time to see two deer grazing and activating the street lights. 

I find it amazing that they are so relaxed so close to a busy thoroughfare.

I always make a silent apology for moving into their home.

3.14 National Pi Day and PieCamp Birmingham

Believe me. I am the last person to know very much about this mathematical constant (words stolen from Google search). I vaguely remember for reasons I will not mention that Pi is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle; approximately equal to 3.14159265358979323846. Oh. What the heck. I saw it on a T-shirt. A T-shirt I once washed a lot and hung in the closet.

This is not about Pi nor is it really about pie. This is about another reason I love Birmingham. I stalk follow an energetic group of people on Twitter. They are young, socially conscious, inclusive, generous people who also love Birmingham and want it to be known for everything we love about it. This group has welcomed me as I have occasionally crashed their Lunch Bunch gatherings and Alabama Bloggers meet-ups. They are involved with FoodBlogSouth, Ignite Birmingham and, most recently, Alabama Social Media Association, among others. More importantly, they give back.

A recent conversation on Twitter led to celebrating the fourth anniversary of The Terminal and Pi Day with the first PieCamp Birmingham or, in the new language I am learning, #piecampbhm. Ted's Restaurant on Southside is providing the space and people are encouraged to bring pie (and milk) if possible to meet and share ideas.

This is what caught my eye, though, and is so typical of this amazing group of people:

Instead, if you can’t bring a pie with you on Monday evening (though I’d love for you to), I’d ask that you consider making a donation to the Birmingham Education Foundation (BEF). BEF grew out of Yes We Can, Birmingham is taking on what I believe to the major issue facing our metro area at this time – education. If you can’t give, I’d at least like to make sure that folks are aware of its existence and efforts.

I see a good future for the city I love and call home, Birmingham.

NPR: More Than News

I sat in my car to listen to the end of two incredible stories, something I've done many times since my twenties. Today, I was listening to This American Life.



The description from the website: Will They Know Me Back Home?

Stories of people who've grown so accustomed to wartime that the lives they've left behind no longer make sense. Including a US battalion going home on leave after 15 months of deployment, and an Iraqi translator's story of life after the gig is up.

When it was over, I got out of the car. If these stories had been told anywhere other than NPR, I thought, those who are so determined to cut off government funding would be in tears.

NPR is more than reporting news. There are these incredible stories shared on This American Life. There are thoughtful interviews with writers, musicians, scientists and other people of interest. A friend of mine said that listening to Jazz Profiles helped him get through a difficult period in his life. I won't list all the wonderful contributions that NPR offer other than news. But, I wonder if I would have heard of Bailey White or David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell or Ira Glass or Diane Rehm had it not been for public radio. How many recipes might I have missed if not for The Splendid Table?

As with many of the things the right attacks, it usually only hurts poorer people. In this case, cutting the funding for public radio will mainly hurt the smaller markets, the ones that reach rural areas. It hurts those smaller markets where people might not get a lot of news about their local or state governmental agencies. Public radio might inspire an amazing musician who may have never heard classical music or world music or jazz otherwise because arts programs are no longer considered 'necessary' in schools. An interview with an author might inspire someone to read. There are the stories of real people, not like those on TLC that we gawk at like a bad automobile accident. The story like the grandson who kept his grandfather's library card to remind him that it is never to late to achieve something amazing. His grandfather had learned to read late in his life and was so proud of the day he received his first library card.

Many claim they do not want their tax dollars to go for public radio because it is perceived as "left-leaning". I wish my tax dollars did not go for war or tax cuts for the wealthy, but they do and that is part of living in this society. War kills and maims and destroys families. Tax cuts for the wealthy contribute to a larger deficit. Public radio educates and inspires and comforts.

All the buttons on my car radio are set on NPR. I can't imagine my life without it. As of this date, I am fortunate enough to have the money to access public radio programs through other venues. Other people in rural areas may not have access to cable or broadband or wireless, or maybe they couldn't afford it if there was access. And, they lose. We all lose. We lose because that aspiring musician might not hear and be influenced by the musical greats who came before. They may not realize that there is something outside of their isolated little towns, that there is a world outside to behold. And, we will all be lesser for it.



On The Media from NPR transcription, "Oy, What a Week for NPR".

Weekend Cat Blogging #301

Wasps to the left, wasps to the right, and it's the only fun around. 

Apartment living reduces Jules and Vincent to stalking and hazing the easy prey. Through the windows, they still get to dodge low flying birds, and they stalk and growl at the occasional opossum, deer, dog, and maintenance worker. They can conquer anything! Except weed eaters.

This week's host for Weekend Cat Blogging is Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

Stand Up For Teachers!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crisis in Dairyland - For Richer and Poorer - Teachers and Wall Street
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crisis in Dairyland - Apocalypse Cow
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Stand with teachers in Wisconsin and across the country! You have a voice.

Feel Good Friday

Dedicated to those teachers who are getting bashed and to the people of Japan.

Tax Breaks v Budget Cuts

Infographic: Tax Breaks vs. Budget Cuts

From the Center for American Progress via The Rachel Maddow Show blog.

Note: Tax breaks are not on the table during any budget negotiations, per this article.

Great Quote by Gloria Steinem

Republicans want to control production and reproduction in this country. ~ Gloria Steinem

Union Busting: Shame! Shame! Shame!

Real Breaking News:  The Wisconsin GOP voted to strip union rights. The Senate voted 18 to 1 without Democrats present in order to strip collective bargaining. Proving this bill was never about the budget, the GOP took fiscal issues out of the bill and stated the Democrats were not needed for the vote. The legislature is expected to vote on the bill tomorrow.

The people of Madison have begun gathering in the streets. I am hoping that anyone within easy access to Madison will stand with their neighbors and say, Enough! The working people of this country will not take it anymore! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!

The GOP made a conscious decision to be the party of the top 2 percent of this country. They use culture war issues to keep the religious right stirred up and voting for them and against their own financial interests. The other 98 percent have had enough.

My computer: Do I need an intervention?

Toothpaste for Dinner via The High Definite

In defense of my computer..... it allows me to do so many awesome things! Do I need a 12-step program? And, don't call it stupid!

International Women's Day. 2011

Celebrations were held around the world today for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. This year's global theme is: Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. This is only one theme, as countries may select their own themes to address specific needs and celebrate women.

I am so proud of what women are capable of accomplishing alone and together. Here is a quote from a woman I greatly admire:


There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country. [July 11, 1997] ~ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

The Roving Grocery Cart

Pet Peeve: An irritating experience caused by others in which you cannot control. Urban Dictionary

Bill Gates on State Budgets

Many years ago, Time magazine ran an article about Bill Gates and Microsoft where they interviewed his parents. His mother recalled that when Bill was a young boy she would realize she had not seen him in awhile and would call to him, "Bill? Bill?". He would respond. "What are you doing?", she'd asked. "I'm thinking", he would respond.

Boy, was he thinking. He was thinking about things that many of us still can't comprehend.

Thankfully, Gates is still thinking. He is thinking about how we can save ourselves, well, from ourselves. We should listen. Here he is speaking at TED (Technology Entertainment and Design): Ideas worth spreading. The topic of state budgets doesn't sound interesting but it is worth hearing (10 minutes).

Hey, Gomer! No Sharia Law in Alabama

It appears that the State of Alabama has jumped on the bandwagon to propose a ban on Sharia Law. No surprise to anyone, right? I'm no scholar on Islam or our Constitution but common sense tells me Sharia Law is no threat to the United States or even Alabama because:
1) Our recognized profession called the Law and our rights to a lawyer,
2) A jury of our "peers",
3) Evidence, and
4) Cross-examination, just to name a few off the top of my head. (Cross-examination is where religious-folk generally run into trouble.)

Alabama State Senator Gerald Allen, Republican from Tuscaloosa, even contradicts himself by starting out with a reasonable statement: "Our state and national constitutions are adequate", Allen said. Yet, I believe that he believes there may be a threat of foreign laws. Disclaimer:  I met Gerald years ago and I was friends with his wife in junior high school. I am not making fun of him, just this proposed law... and some of the other things he supports. On second thought, I'm not making fun of my friend, his wife, but her husband seems like a wingnut.

Maybe today's GOP sees a threat where there is no threat because they are constantly trying to insert Christian "morality" into governing the country. It is about as useful to governing the country as Sharia Law would be, which is why religious beliefs rarely, if ever, hold up in court. I would suggest these legislators turn off Glenn Beck, turn off the Christian Broadcasting Network, and turn off Fox News (although  hard to escape in the City of Tuscaloosa), and concentrate on governing their states and the country in this realm called reality. Study the law. Study the constitution. Study history. Tune out the people who are screaming what they have read on bumper stickers.

This is just basic elementary school Civics. Our Constitution states it is the supreme law of the land, and our legislators and judges raise their hands and promise to uphold it. Case closed.

(Or, at least they are suppose to take an oath...in person and not just in front of a television: GOP House members 'apologize' for missing oath.)

Me in a Word Cloud

1. An overview.
2. What I do when I'm trying to avoid housecleaning.
3. Typical black/white

Wordle

Weekend Cat Blogging #300

Captivated by the early tease of Spring, I washed and stored Jules' blanket too soon. After a couple of cooler nights, he decided to stay warm by sleeping on mine. I'm not sure what he did with the tip of his tail here.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Mind of Mog.

Feel Good Friday

I H8 Thursdays: Gotta Smile

Many of you already know that Thursdays are my bad days. In lieu of a stiff drink or a plate of mega-calories, I chose to snicker at a few funnies I totally ripped these off from The High Definite. I hope they have a sense of humor.

I was born in Mississippi so I can make fun of it. You can't.

Dog people won't understand this.

via bizzybblogs

I apologize for the language, but this is sooo me.  I don't know why I have such a hard time

getting people to understand this little personality trait.

Demonizing American Citizens

I don't generally give radio personality and hate-monger, Rush Limbaugh, a platform, yet I wanted to post what he is saying about the protesters in Wisconsin - the nurses, custodians, firefighters, police officers, students, social workers, and other union employees - who agreed to the proposed pay cuts but are requesting to retain the right of collective bargaining.

Wisconsin’s Republican State Senator Glenn Grothman last night appeared on MSNBC and called protesters who stayed over night in the Capitol building “slobs.” Rush Limbaugh agreed with the description and was appalled by the “descent into barbarianism” going on amongst the “union thugs.”


Rush, not surprisingly, went a bit further in his description of the “bunch of slobs,” suggesting that despite Democrats and the media wanting the public to think that it is average, hard-working teachers and firefighters protesting, instead it is actually “long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking, FM rock and roller types.” Now that’s a cruel insult, does anyone actually listen to FM radio anymore? Furthermore, Rush put his anger into a much broader context:

“It makes me sick to watch angry, militant, ungrateful state employees with jobs complain that they can’t receive extravagant benefit and pension contributions from people who have no money because they are out of work.” (source and audio)

This is what the GOP does best - demonizing other people. Interestingly, they have no way of knowing how many people in that group of protesters identify themselves as conservatives or Republicans.

The GOP decided to become the party of the top two percent and hold out culture war carrots to the extreme religious right to get votes. The other 98 percent of the country - the rest of us - do not appreciate the governor of Wisconsin or any other state governor addressing their budget deficits on the backs of  working people, ESPECIALLY when they have given millions of dollars in tax cuts to corporations. It is a losing move. It is a losing move to refer to citizens as "long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking, FM rock and roller types".

The GOP approach: when you have no solutions, policies or personal decency, you demonize. Nobody does it better.

Fox News Misleading Viewing Audience....Again

A picture is worth a thousand words. If what Bill O'Reilly claims is not getting through to his audience when he dismisses the union protesters in Wisconsin by calling them those "left wingers" then this image should accomplish that for him. How does he explain the palm trees and sunny weather in the otherwise snowy city of Madison? The video, O'Reilly admits, is from California. O'Reilly should also be reminded that the Wisconsin police officers are UNION members, are responsible for ensuring that the state capitol remains open for those protesters, and are not being confronted by any violence.

The Fox News version:



Wisconsin's version - These are nurses, teachers, students, police officers, fire fighters, clerks, waste managers.... these are working people who are not thinking in terms of left or right. They are thinking in terms of right and wrong.


WISCONSIN from @pawlmadethis on Vimeo.

Interesting: Today's WSJ/NBC News Poll

Just as I suspected all along! According to the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released today, Americans polled on what they support when addressing the deficit:

81%  Would Raise Taxes on Millionaires

68% Would Eliminate Bush Tax Cuts

74% Would Cut Oil/Gas Tax Breaks

77% Support Public Union Bargaining 

Wow! What is significant about this, you ask? Thirty-six percent identified themselves as conservative with only twenty-four percent identifying themselves as liberal. The interesting conclusion? If one does not label an issue or a policy or a poll question as Democratic/Liberal or Republican/Conservative then We, The People support economic populism. We are the people who work for a living day in and day out. We are the other 98%.

Economic Populism: The interests of people who work for a living.

Warren Buffett (billionaire) understands he should not pay less in taxes than his secretary? (source)

"A union worker, a member of the Tea Party and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, looks at the Tea Partier and says, "Look out for that union guy - he wants a piece of your cookie." ~ Mike Wrona