Book Reviews: Bossypants and Then Again

My Kindle app and not being employed have increased my reading time considerably. For that, I am grateful.  These are numbers two and three of four celebrity memoirs I have chosen to read. The first was by Darrell Hammond (review). Each have had unique and gifted voices.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Even after reading this book, I'm not sure Tina Fey would consider herself a role model to women of all ages but I certainly believe so. Smart, clever, driven, and "exhausted" (to use her description), she has written her way to the top of a male-dominated industry. As she writes about her writing job interview with Saturday Night Live: “Only in comedy does an obedient white girl from the suburbs count as diversity.”

Filled with humor but also introspection beyond where many of us dare to go, she shares her insights and experiences as a teenager, an improv comedian, a writer, a producer, and a wife and mother. Best of all, she seems to really like and support women.

I had so many favorite quotes from this book that there are too many to repeat here. So, read the book. I dare you not to enjoy it.

5 of 5 stars

Then Again by Diane Keaton

I'll admit the gossip monger in me was initially interested in what Diane Keaton had to say about Woody Allen and Al Pacino. She does talk about them and their relationships in this book, although now I wish I didn't know that Allen used words like Snookums and Beet Head in his notes to her. It was only when I heard her interview on NPR's The Diane Rehm Show that I purchased the book with an interest in Keaton herself and her mother, Dorothy Deanne Keaton Hall.

Mothers and daughters can be a strange brew. It was obvious that Keaton adored her mother. Obsessed with one's own world, as young people tend to be, Keaton only began to wonder about her mother's dreams after her mother had died. Fortunately for Keaton, her mother left 85 journals throughout her years that offered a few clues, although no concrete answers, about who she was and what her dreams had been as a person outside of wife and mother.

Intertwined in writings by her mother and father, Jack, are stories about her own life, her career, her siblings, and her children. I heard Keaton's voice throughout and she gave her mother a voice as well. I believe this to be a beautifully written book, although as scattered as Keaton can appear at times in public.

Keaton has starred in several of my very favorite films: Annie Hall; Manhattan; Reds; and, of course, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. This book, however, is less about her films and more about her life as the daughter of Dorothy and Jack.

4 1/2 of 5 stars

NEXT: Cool, Calm & Contentious by Merrill Markoe

REMINDER: Support your local bookstores!

Addressing Women and Men Dressing

This is not a commentary on these particular celebrities. Someone does need to explain to me about the clothing choices. Did he just walk in from a snowstorm? Was she having hot flashes? Even his face looks cold, yet she doesn't have as much as a necklace on to keep her warm. It appears they are holding hands so I don't think this is photoshopped. What were the circumstances?

Below is another example of a man in three or more layers while the female is in a strapless. Considering the ages, she could be having hot flashes. I know I'd prefer strapless in most temperatures, including snow, these days.

The thing is, though, these are not uncommon photos I've seen of men dressed temperature-appropriate, tasteful, and comfortable while women have to suffer through stiletto heels and far too little fabric. Women are beautiful, no question. And, I get to see far too much of them most of the time.

Maybe there were extenuating circumstances in these particular photos. With all the photographers, she may have not had time to put on her coat and scarf. It is just that I usually hear women complaining of being the cold ones, yet they walk around in little to no clothes when they go out. Or, maybe this is at the end of this relationship and he is willfully saying '...if it is more important to you to make a fashion statement than stay warm then I'm certainly not loaning you my coat'. (been there, done that)

Hooray for women who embrace their ages - think Diane Keaton. Could anyone look any better or more stylish and lovely than Keaton? I'll bet she isn't cold.

Celebrating Blog Post #1500

Yes, this is my 1500th blog post. I have learned so much from other bloggers. I feel as if I know more about many of you than I do people I have actually met. I think there is something very special about that cyber-connection. Thank you!

Blog trivia

1. Memes do work to bring viewers to your blog. That certainly does not mean the viewers will hang around for anything else. Example: Maxine on Saturday started by Work of the Poet and shared Maxine cartoons. I participated for 26 weeks and all I was required to do was find and post a Maxine cartoon.

My top number of views were:
1) 1992
2) 1791
3) 1785
4) 1047

2. Views do not equal comments. My maximum number of comments for the above named meme: 8.

3. I never put the "Followers" widget on my blog because when I started I didn't believe anyone would be interested enough to follow it. Now, I'm too embarrassed to add it!

4. Use a post title that sounds the least bit sexy and your number of views skyrocket. Example: Eye Candy

5. My blog existed to no one in 2008. That was long before I heard the term: search engine optimization.

6. Blogging gave me the confidence to: 1) take the risk of putting my thoughts out there and risk criticism; 2) enter a photo challenge even though I knew nothing about photography, and, 3) embrace the title "blogger" and actually put it on a business card. That is so unlike me!

7. Most embarrassing admission: I have used the words "I have a blog" to get a company's attention  and to take an action I wanted them to take. That is so unlike me! I was really nice about it.

8. No matter how hard I try, I can not follow a daily schedule with the exceptions of Feel Good Friday and Weekend Cat Blogging. Nor can I think of being a blogger as being a writer.

9. My Top 5 most viewed posts are as follows (in order by maximum views):
ABC Wednesday: Round 5 (meme)
Defining Happiness
Recipe: Calypso Cookies
Monday Night Football
Be An Organ Donor
Dressing for UA Game (Part 1)

10. I still haven't read or viewed any Blogger instructions. I keep intending to do this.


Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

A Comment Worth Repeating

The following is an anonymous comment to my post On the Web: Worth Reading where I recommended reading about GOP presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich's, comments at the Family Forum when he said Occupy Wall Street protesters should "...take a bath and get a job".

It read:

To "get a job", you must have a perfect work history with no gaps, no more than x number of jobs in the past x years, you must submit to a background check, a drug test, a personality test, a credit check which must be clear, you must be willing to accept a wage that can not possibly pay expenses and pay back any loans you have taken out at the same time, you must have at least five years of experience and a college degree for this job even if it is entry level, oh, and you MUST be currently employed too.

I would also add that one must be physically healthy so as not to cost the company extra in insurance premiums, if they offer insurance at all.

The reality of this comment resonated with me. Shouldn't someone who wants to be the leader of our country be concerned about helping people get back to work instead of so rudely ridiculing and dismissing them? Gingrich also needs to remember that the "hippies" he rails against are close to or in their 70s right now. The people "hippies" once frightened are dead.

Brad Morton Exhibition and Open Studio

Birmingham sculptor, Brad Morton, opened his foundry/studio, private courtyard, and private lot to the public on Friday night. Morton works in various metals, primarily bronze. His outdoor sculpture has been purchased and displayed on the UAB campus, Altamont School, The Harbert Center, St. Vincent's Hospital and V.Richards, among many other local public buildings, private residences, and sites across the country (source).

The photographs below are only a fraction of the art available for viewing that I captured with my iPhone and do not begin to relate the beauty of it all. I encourage you to stroll through one of the Birmingham Loft District's most beautiful courtyard with its New Orleans-style atmosphere; walk through a foundry/studio built and maintained by Morton; and, stroll the lot owned by Morton that is home to his larger pieces of outdoor sculpture.

Morton will provide two additional opportunities for the public to view his art:
Friday, December 2 - 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, December 3 - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Note: The piece above is still in the process of being built and has already been commissioned to be displayed in another Birmingham public location.

Sold!

76th Iron Bowl: UA Crimson Tide v Auburn Tigers

It has been a hard year in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After losing to Auburn last year following a 21-point lead and complete loss of momentum on our home field, the team claimed NEVER AGAIN! Auburn went on to win the BCS National Championship and the Heisman Trophy for Cam Newton.

Then came the tree poisoning at Toomer's Corner in Auburn by a rabid Alabama fan. Many Alabama fans responded with concern, time, and money; many did not, I'm sad to say. In April, a tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa devastating property and too many lives. The University of Alabama football team and Toomer's for Tuscaloosa responded with their time, their money, and their spirit.

Football season started and the Tide responded again with win after win after win. Until the LSU Tigers came to town. After a close loss of 6-9 in a very hard fought defensive game and a demeaning game and post-game experience for UA kicker, Cade Foster*, a win against Auburn today could possibly result in a rematch with LSU for the BCS National Championship.

If the team did not have enough riding on this game.....

You have to live it to understand it.

2:30 CST on CBS

Alabama's Super Bowl - The Iron Bowl

I sat straight up in the bed this morning and thought "It's Iron Bowl Saturday!". Unfortunately, it was 3:20 in the morning. That is what we call Football Saturday in the South.

ROLL TIDE, ROLL!

*-Dear Cade, I hope you have an opportunity to redeem yourself today so that you don't get stuck in that awful regular season LSU game moment. It wasn't your fault the team put you in that position more than once. I know you have been practicing night and day. Haven't you? Please. We love you. We just have a mean way of showing it, I promise.

Weekend Cat Blogging #338

Welcome to Black 'Cat' Friday and 

Weekend Cat Blogging #338!

We hope everyone celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday had a wonderful day! It was beautiful a day in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jules, Vincent and I are happy to host this week's Weekend Cat Blogging. Please leave your link and comment in the comments section below so that our participants may visit your kitty's blogs and say hello.

Jules and Vincent will be enjoying the beautiful weather while awaiting your comments!

Feel Good Friday

Shop Small: Support Small Business Saturday

Forget Black Friday! Think about making a bigger impact on your community by spending your money at local stores, supporting your neighbors and their businesses.

Commit to Small Business Saturday on Facebook

In the Birmingham, Alabama, area: Shop Birmingham

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Cocktail: Ultimate Bloody Mary

Here is one more thing to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

The Ultimate Fully-Loaded Bloody Mary
Recipe, Serious Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon celery salt or (or plain kosher salt, if you prefer)
• 1/4 lemon, cut into two wedges
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or less to taste)
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Franks)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish (or 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish), optional
• 2 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces high-quality tomato juice
• 1 stick celery

Directions:

1. Place celery salt in a shallow saucer. Rub rim of 12-ounce tumbler with 1 lemon wedge and coat wet edge with celery salt. Place lemon wedge on rim of glass. Fill glass with ice.

2. Add Worcestershire, soy, black pepper, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and horseradish to bottom of cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice and add vodka, tomato juice, and juice of remaining lemon wedge. Shake vigorously, taste for seasoning and heat, and adjust as necessary. Strain into ice-filled glass. Garnish with celery stalk and serve immediately.

Things I've Learned Since Being Laid Off

1.  I really do need 10-12 hours sleep to feel my very best, as I always suspected.


2.  I am less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke if I wake naturally rather than to an alarm clock.


3.  One's largest meal should be eaten in the middle of the day, as recommended; however, a nap may be in order without adequate sleep the night before (see #1).


4.  I do not like to spend my time on housekeeping chores or exercise, even when I have the time. 


5.  Simple pleasures really are free (see Mighty Duck).


6.  I do not crave fast food when I am not stressed.


7.  Networking is still the best method of finding a job.


8.  The majority of my day is still spent in front of a computer.


9.  That nagging feeling that I should be doing something else or something more never goes away.


10. I prefer being at home more than anywhere else.

On the Web: Worth Reading

David Frum on the GOP's Lost Sense of Reality - New York Magazine

America desperately needs a responsible and compassionate alternative to the Obama administration’s path of bigger government at higher cost. And yet: This past summer, the GOP nearly forced America to the verge of default just to score a point in a budget debate. In the throes of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, Republican politicians demand massive budget cuts and shrug off the concerns of the unemployed. In the face of evidence of dwindling upward mobility and long-stagnating middle-class wages, my party’s economic ideas sometimes seem to have shrunk to just one: more tax cuts for the very highest earners. When I entered Republican politics, during an earlier period of malaise, in the late seventies and early eighties, the movement got most of the big questions—crime, inflation, the Cold War—right. This time, the party is getting the big questions disastrously wrong.

Some News Leave People Knowing Less - Public Mind Poll

According to the latest results from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind Poll, some news sources make us less likely to know what’s going on in the world. In the most recent study, the poll asked New Jerseyans about current events at home and abroad, and from what sources – if any – they get their information. The conclusion: Sunday morning news shows do the most to help people learn about current events, while some outlets, especially Fox News, lead people to be even less informed than those who they don’t watch any news at all.

Newt Gingrich, speaking at the Family Forum

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has some advice for members of the Occupy Wall Street movement: take a bath and get a job. 

Mail Online: Two police officers suspended following UC Davis police pepper spray attack (with video)

Two campus police officers caught in shocking video footage using pepper spray on student protesters have been suspended, UC Davis announced today..

Mighty Duck

I was feeding bread to a few grumpy Canadian geese this afternoon when I spotted this duck swimming straight for me from across the lake. He could barely make it up the bank. After success, he came running to me for a few bites a bread. How did he see me so far away? If ducks have personality, I'd say this little guy has a pleasant one.

Flowers: Color on a Cloudy Day

UA Crimson Tide: Thank you, Iowa State!

Did anyone else stay up past midnight Saturday night to watch team after team after team struggle and/or lose to help put BAMA back into the race for the National Championship? Was it fun for you, too?

As sports columnist, Jon Solomon, wrote:

We're spoiled rotten in this state. We know it. Alabama's undefeated regular season in 2008. Alabama's national title and Mark Ingram's Heisman Trophy in 2009. Auburn's national title and Cam Newton's Heisman in 2010.

After receiving gift after gift after gift starting with Oklahoma State's loss to Iowa State, next Saturday's 2011 Iron Bowl in Auburn will hold even more significance. ESPN's GameDay will be there. Factor into all this the despicable act of poisoning Auburn's trees at Toomer's Corner and the devastating April 27th tornado in Tuscaloosa with its generous outpouring of support from Auburn and it is just another wonderful year in the life of college football in Alabama. Jealous?

My Facebook buddy from Little Rock reminded me not to count my chickens before they hatch, as Arkansas has also become a contender. I can assure him that he will have UA's support against their game next week against LSU.

It is going to be a long week of anticipation.

Weekend Cat Blogging #337

It is a rare, rare occasion when Vincent will choose to sit with me, so I had to try to capture it the best I could. 

He sat with me for about 20 minutes.

 Jules, on the other hand, usually prefers to sit on me!

Bonus photo: Cousin Eddy Mildew helps my niece around the house.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Billy SweetFeets Gingersnap.

UA Crimson Tide v Georgia Southern Eagles

Construction completed in Tuscaloosa for the last home game of the season.

Thank you, seniors! We love you!

Feel Good Friday

Herman Cain and The Simpsons

As tweeted by and seen on Talking Points Memo today:

Herman Cain has a new response to the media fallout over his bungled answer about his Libya policy. 

Susan Archer of ABC News reports that Cain declared at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire: “We need a leader, not a reader.” 

Corroborating the reports that this is something Cain…actually…said, Steve Peoples of the Associated Press also reports Cain saying that knowing every detail is not important: “We need a leader, not a reader.”

 

Fox News, et al, Talk Occupy Wall Street

Last night, on the eve of the Occupy Wall Street's Day of Action in New York, Fox News and Limbaugh were seen saying the following:

So, the Occupy Wall Street movement is dead, finished as a political force in this country. 

And, that's a good thing. 

~Bill O'Reilly

This is about anarchism, socialism, communism.. 

~ unable to identify announcer's voice

Obviously what they are trying to do is disrupt the lives of New Yorkers to make their point. One woman yelling at them saying, "Are you gonna feed my kids?" when they asked her to join their demonstration. 

~ unable to identify announcer's voice

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it was not blood on the occupier on MSNBC but rather ketchup or stage blood. 
~Rush Limbaugh

We are dealing now with part of the global socialist movement.

~Monica Crowley

What do we see here? Violence, rape, arson, destruction of property, sex in public, masturbation in public, naked people. drugs. drug paraphernalia, anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, anti-capitalism. 

~Sean Hannity

Really, Hannity? It must suck to be you.

Oh, and OMG! ACORN is involved in this movement. ACORN? They are pulling out all the scary words. This must mean we - the Occupy Wall Street protesters and supporters - are having an impact.

Here is A Guide To The Smear Campaign Against Occupy Wall Street, compiled by Media Matters. 

In the meantime, as I type, OWS protesters estimated to be 10,000 to 30,000 are marching in New York City for the rest of us. Thanks!

Right Wing Site Comments on Occupy Wall Street

Walk the street with us into history. Get off the sidewalk.

~ Dolores Huerta

While NBC is New York is reporting the New York Police Department has closed the airspace over the protesters in Foley Square and while it is being reported that #OccupyWallStreet and #ows have been blocked as trending topics, here is what one right wing site is saying about the protests:

From a WorldNetDaily column (no links will be given on this blog):

This is no longer a question of freedom of speech. This has long ago ceased to be an issue of the right to assemble. No American citizen has the right to terrorize and threaten his fellow Americans in this way. No mob of Americans should be permitted to endanger and to harass the public the way these hateful "Occupy" hippies have done for months.

Call out the National Guard. Turn on the fire hoses. Send bulldozers. Bring flame-throwers, for pity's sake. Men and women who give a damn about their country, wearing Hazmat suits and respiratory gear, empowered by the lawful government of this nation, should be marching in ranks on every Obamaville this very moment, prepared to beat with truncheons and shoot with rubber bullets every last filthy hippie. Put a stop to this miserable army of miscreants before they are permitted to rape, infect, or ruin one more person.

The "Occupy" movement is a cancer. The "occupiers" are criminals and terrorists. The Obamaville is a creeping death made of Nylon, placards and human waste. This movement is a third-world rot that will infect us all if we do not sterilize it now.

Okay, I realize this is WorldNetDaily but don't think for one minute their right-wing cousins aren't saying similar hateful things. Their hypocrisy amazes me! Their fear puzzles me.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. ~Yoda


Watch Occupy Wall Street's Day of Action protests in New York City live here.
Thank you, protesters! I am with you in spirit!

92% Agree: This Sucks!

A common misconception about the Occupy Wall Street supporters is that they are against success. There is nothing further from the truth. Hooray for success! For me, I know that is true. I think anyone who knows me personally would agree that I delight in the success of people who are or have been in my life. What is of concern is the actual distribution of wealth (see above).

Report after report after report tells us there is income inequality in this country, who it benefits and who it doesn't. This chart seen on Moveon.org and published on Mother Jones shows us that the majority of the people polled agree. It is all in how the question is asked.

Ask yourself: Did my income rise by 275 percent from 1979 to 2007? Neither did mine.

Book Review: God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked

When you remember watching the first Saturday Night Life (now simply called SNL), you can't help but be curious about these wonderful writers and comedians who have been part of your life for greater than 25 years. I still remember talking about the first episode with my cooler co-workers on the following Monday. We asked each other about it as if we had seen a UFO, unsure if we had really seen what we thought we had seen. It was a Saturday night in Mississippi and it was the 1970s, after all. Did they really do that on television? I've been hooked ever since.

Book description:

A raw, poignant, and often hilarious look inside the troubled life and mind of an American comic icon

From his harrowing childhood filled with physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his parents, to a lifetime of alcoholism and self-mutilation, psychiatric hospitalizations, and misdiagnoses, to the peak of fame and success as the longest-tenured cast member of Saturday Night Live, Darrell Hammond delves into the darkest corners of his life, both in front of and behind the camera, with brutal honesty and fierce comic wit. On the back of his hilarious dead-on impressions of Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Chris Matthews, and a hundred other prominent figures, Hammond was invited into the inner sanctums of the country's political leaders, including three presidents, all the while suffering debilitating and largely undiagnosed mental anguish that resulted in horrifying flashbacks, shocking benders, a hair-raising stint in a Bahamian jail, and ultimately a dark night in a Harlem crack house. His long fight for sobriety, filled with heartbreaking relapses, was propelled by a desire to do right by his young daughter and to set the record straight about how he fell so low while achieving such heights. Throughout, Hammond lays bare the real inner workings of an iconic television show.

I can't imagine the courage it took to put one's life out there for everyone to judge, particularly when book reviewers have become somewhat snobby of late about celebrity biographies. Hammond writes candidly about the long-term effects of child abuse, the best and worst of the mental health profession, and how recovery is progressive with peaks and valleys. He shows his courage by auditioning for SNL. He shows his courage every time he picks himself up after a fall. 

Hammond takes us on a tour behind the scenes of SNL and walks us through the chaos of pulling together a sketch; he walks us through how he does these amazing impressions, even during those times he was feeling such pain that cutting himself helped him focus. Despite all this, he speaks highly of his cast members and the guests. One thing that struck me was that no matter how much praise he received and how many famous and powerful people he met, he never felt his worth. I hope that will change for him. 

I once toured the SNL studio. I wanted to break away from the group and stand on that stage and scream (which, I discovered, is called a cold open) "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night Live!". I'm glad Darrell Hammond was there to do it for so many years. 

4 stars of 5 - Recommended

Recommended: The Mindfulness App

Scheduling time to be mindful, you ask? Yes, sort of. It is not really a bad idea as we all forget to be mindful during our busy and stressful lives.

The best part of this app for me is the guided meditation. A set of noise-control headphones, placing one's phone on mute or airplane mode, and following the voice of Catherine Plan Orzech, MBSR teacher, are how this works best for me. If you prefer to sit quietly, you can set the silent meditation with bells. The bells, as I understand, help bring you back to focus on your breathing if your mind has wandered.

Meditation does not have to be time-consuming. You can select times set from 3 to 30 minutes or you may personalize your time and the bells.

iPhone app is $1.99

Namaste

Tea Party v Occupy Wall Street

Source

I was happy to see this chart, as I had been working on something similar and this is much nicer! Following the events across the country on Twitter, my mind kept going back to the men with assault rifles showing up at an Obama protest and the people spitting on Congressman and Civil Rights icon, John Lewis, on the day healthcare reform was signed into law. My experience speaking with supporters of the tea baggers* is  they haven't heard about certain events (Fox News viewers). Then, when they hear about it, they don't believe it. It becomes a perception, not a fact. Or, it becomes false reporting or conspiracy.

*I have adopted Bill Maher's stance that I will stop saying teabaggers when they stop saying Obamacare.

Brad Morton Exhibition and Open Studio

Tree of Life

Brad Morton, sculptor

From the invitation:

Located since 1990 in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Brad Morton has created a studio which is both a foundry where clay, wax and plaster become bronze, and a fabrication workshop where steel plates, bars, rods and beams become enduring masterworks. Join us for one or all of the public receptions and tour Brad's lot, studio, and beautiful private courtyard! Many works on exhibit are available for purchase.
A portion of sale proceeds benefit programs of Bare Hands Inc.

Friday, November 25, 2011     5 pm - 9 pm
Friday, December 2, 2011        5 pm - 9 pm
Saturday, December 3, 2011  11 am - 4 pm

2115 & 2119 1st Avenue South
Birmingham, Alabama

Penn State: Culture of Cover-up

Let me first say, I do not condone the events or cover-up that happened at Penn State University. I am only examining it here. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

It was with great sorrow that I learned of the events that unfolded at Penn State last week. Coach Joe Paterno, his staff, his football team, and his university have played a huge role in the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football tradition and legacy, my alma mater.

Say what you will, but none of us know what we would have done faced with the situation witnessed by that graduate student. We all would like to believe in our hearts we would have intervened to protect the child. We would all like to believe in our hearts that we would have called the police, beaten the perpetrator to a pulp, and saved the young boy so we could help him reach a scarred-free, productive and happy life. In retrospect, we are certain this is what we would have done faced with a similar situation. I sincerely hope it would be.

In an institution with big money, big reputations, future careers, and the fear of drawn out legal entanglements and TV reporters' microphones in our faces, I can't help but believe even a 28 year-old-man might pause to reflect on what steps he should take to contain the inevitable damage. People have covered up crimes to save their reputations and bank accounts before, however soiled they have now become (think Catholic Church). Morally, we all know what he should have done immediately. Always. No questions asked. That was not what happened.

This caused me to wonder if the scenario might have played out differently had the child been female. The moral responsibility of taking action should not have been different, but it causes me to question if one might have intervened more expediently had it not been a boy. Men are weird about gay sex, even rape. I didn't think, however, that anyone was weird about pedophilia.

Why Coach Paterno was fired and that he hired a criminal defense attorney rather than a civil law attorney leads one to believe there is more of this sad incident to be revealed. Maybe Paterno and the University president are sacrificial lambs to demonstrate to an upset public that the University is managing the situation. The actions of Jerry Sandusky are apparently not new, nor is the incident witnessed by the graduate student. Greater than 10 years (2002) have passed with the only punishment being to confiscate his locker room keys and not allow him to bring children on campus. Out of sight, out of mind, and out of the range of university responsibility. I am never one who thinks jail is the first or final solution. No one has mentioned whether anyone tried to get psychological counseling for Sandusky, before, during or after.

As for the student protest reactions, they loved their coach, no doubt. I loved him, too. (I loved O.J. Simpson once as well and look how that turned out.) I am sure it is confusing and painful and certainly cause for anger, even if one is unsure about the true root of the anger. It is a more honest response than any candlelight vigil or ribbon they might begin to wear. Here is just one more institution they believed in to let them down. I am sure these are the same emotional responses felt by the child held against the shower wall by Sandusky. Can we trust no one? Where are the adults? Why doesn't someone help me?

Regardless, Jerry Sandusky molested eight boys between 1994 and 2009. He continued to do so after an incident in 1998 known to law-enforcement AND after the 2003 incident in the Penn State athletic facilities, according to the indictment. Someone knew. No one took action.

All children are entitled to:

protection from abuse

protection from neglect

protection from harm

protection from the threat of harm

source

UA Crimson Tide v MSU Bulldogs

Today is a college football gameday nightmare! No DirecTV service until Monday! Fortunately, I have access to a beautiful apartment office with several televisions and comfortable chairs for the early games, plus sympathetic friends for tonight's big game. With that resolved... ROLL TIDE!!

Weekend Cat Blogging #336

As those who follow Weekend Cat Blogging know, Jules and Vincent are bed dwellers. They love, love, love their own pet beds. I'm not sure how much power posturing it took to get to this point, but they look pretty happy now.

This week's Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Pam at sidewalk shoes.

Feel Good Friday

Amos Lee covering GNR's "November Rain" at the Academy of Music 11/05/2011.

I've seen Lee in concert where he appeared only slightly more into the music he was singing, but I don't need flashy entertainment with a good voice, a good band, and a good song.

Say it ain't so, Birmingham

There are so many wonderful things about my 'hometown' of Birmingham. I have not kept up with this long running saga, but it apparently had to do with a water/sewer contract, toxic loans, shady deals, and poor oversight. In the short term, as I understand it, our water and sewer bills will still go up more - my water/sewer bill went from $21/month consistently in another Alabama county to closer to $121/month when I moved to my three-room apartment in Birmingham. Actually, I live in Shelby County but my address is Birmingham and I have Birmingham utilities.... don't ask. I live here and even I don't know how to explain all that.

This is one more black eye on the city I love and the State of Alabama. We are morally bankrupt with the passage of HB 56 law and now we are financially bankrupt. There is always football, I guess.

A Trend Worthy of Support

College students, young professionals, and the Internet have had a profound impact on me. Their idea of the workplace just happens to coincide with how I work best.

Infographic from Mashable

Cisco surveyed 2,800 college students and young professionals world wide about their workplace expectations, as reported by Mashable Business and where you can view the Infographic in its entirety.

69% believe being in an office regularly is unnecessary
68% employees/71% college students believe corporate devices should be used for social media and personal use, too
56% will not accept a job that bans social media or will circumvent the policy
80% college students want to choose their device for the job
33% employees use at least three devices at work

I have always preferred a certain amount of flexibility in how I organize and plan my work day, if available. Now, I realize I am not alone! I can dare to dream a different dream! Certainly, many jobs do not lend themselves to this flexibility all the time, but it certainly could be used some of the time. If these 2,800 are reflective of the upcoming workplace, it will have to adapt to attract and keep talented employees.

How do you like to work? What are your workplace preferences?

A Good Night for Progressives

To avoid being demonized, I have gone from being a Liberal to a Democrat to, now, a Progressive in terms of political identity. Never one to back away from my political leanings, I still live in a very red county in a very red state so you pick your battles.

Last night's election results once again reassured me that we are not going to go down the far right's conservative road to personal hell. Whether or not any of this will have an impact on the Beltway, the lobbyists, or their agendas is yet to be seen.

What happened last night? People got out and voted! Our apathy at the voting booth sometimes puts us in these positions of losing what we obviously take for granted - our personal rights. It is apparent no one in politics really has the middle-of-the-road people's best interests in mind.

Ohio - Restored union rights
Mississippi - Protected their reproductive rights
Georgia - Beer may now be purchased on a Sunday in Atlanta
Arizona - Kicked out the "papers, please" guy. (Did you hear that, Governor Bentley?)
Maine - Restored same-day voting registration
Montana - Declared corporations are not people
For other 'progressive' victories last night, see The Maddow Blog's wrap-up.

Ebbs and flows, I know. As a progressive, I haven't had too many celebrations recently. Last night, I celebrated.

Lessons learned? Say it with me.... VOTES HAVE CONSEQUENCES!

Therefore, we have to listen AND be mindful of what is being done. Many of the candidates ran and won on the very issues in which, last night, they were recalled (see Arizona). We often use the rhetoric that we are a government by the people, but last night that was not rhetoric. It was reality. No doubt that today the reactive, far-right GOP is working together more diligently to make it harder and harder us to vote and to tear down the contributors of progressive causes. Do not relent! Say what you want about Liberals/Democrats/Progressives, but we never try to prevent you from your constitutional right to vote.

Job Search: The Heat Is On

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. ~ Winston Churchill

How was your weekend? What did you do this weekend? Did you have a good weekend? These are the questions one hears over and over at the office on Mondays. You become too embarrassed to say what you really did - stare at the television while surviving on soda and potato chips, when you weren't asleep. You start to feel that you have let down the team if you did not accomplish something big or, at the very least, a lot of little things.

How is the job search going? Have you found a job yet? Going for any interviews this week? Same idea, different questions. It has only been five work days. I realize it is out of concern for my situation; I just don't move very fast on certain decisions.

My idea of taking time to mourn the lost of a job I've had for the majority of my adult life, off and on since 1981, time to regroup, to think, to prepare, to enjoy, to design my third act may no longer be looked upon as a wise thing to do in this economy. I keep holding my ground, explaining, rationalizing, and reassuring everyone.

On the plus side, I attended a workshop, a festival, and a party last week, all good for the soul. Now, I have forms to complete, a resume to perfect, and job search websites to peruse.