Thursday, July 16, 2009
my place gets the evening sun so the house is getting hotter now.
can't complain tho. this has been one of the coolest julys on record.
not much going on, o.k. by me.
my daughter has had my car for the past few days. her's is in the shop. she took it to a car wash and the guys there ran it thru without opening the DOOR at the other end of the wash. crunch!
it's supposed to be done this evening.
can't complain tho. this has been one of the coolest julys on record.
not much going on, o.k. by me.
my daughter has had my car for the past few days. her's is in the shop. she took it to a car wash and the guys there ran it thru without opening the DOOR at the other end of the wash. crunch!
it's supposed to be done this evening.
it's very hot outside but we have a strong breeze and the aroma of my tomato plant(sam) is just making me smile!
NF Benefit
Sunday, July 19, 2009 11am – 5pm
American Legion Post 154
South Montrose, PA
Featuring: Chicken BBQ Dinner Auctions Raffles
Bake Sale Door Prize
Music by: DJ Jack Martin Door donation: $10.00
All proceeds to benefit the NF organization, providing awareness, support and research
In honor of Gabrielle Hughes and all families battling NF
Want to donate but cannot attend? Go to:
www.nfmidatlantic.org
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?Action=GC&CID=1477
www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?badgeId=113680
For more information call: Orianne Gibser 570-756-2554
Neurofibromatosis, Inc.-Mid-Atlantic
8855 Annapolis Rd., Ste. 110
Lanham, MD 20706
Tel: 301-577-8984
Fax: 301-577-0016
Toll-free: 1-866-261-1271
Website: www.nfmidatlantic.org
Email: info@nfmidatlantic.org
Sunday, July 19, 2009 11am – 5pm
American Legion Post 154
South Montrose, PA
Featuring: Chicken BBQ Dinner Auctions Raffles
Bake Sale Door Prize
Music by: DJ Jack Martin Door donation: $10.00
All proceeds to benefit the NF organization, providing awareness, support and research
In honor of Gabrielle Hughes and all families battling NF
Want to donate but cannot attend? Go to:
www.nfmidatlantic.org
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?Action=GC&CID=1477
www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?badgeId=113680
For more information call: Orianne Gibser 570-756-2554
Neurofibromatosis, Inc.-Mid-Atlantic
8855 Annapolis Rd., Ste. 110
Lanham, MD 20706
Tel: 301-577-8984
Fax: 301-577-0016
Toll-free: 1-866-261-1271
Website: www.nfmidatlantic.org
Email: info@nfmidatlantic.org
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

After the Earthquake
Erica Jong
After the first astounding rush,
after the weeks at the lake,
the crystal, the clouds, the water lapping the rocks,
the snow breaking under our boots like skin,
& the long mornings in bed. . .
After the tangos in the kitchen,
& our eyes fixed on each other at dinner,
as if we would eat with our lids,
as if we would swallow each other. . .
I find you still
here beside me in bed,
(while my pen scratches the pad
& your skin glows as you read)
& my whole life so mellowed & changed
that at times I cannot remember
the crimp in my heart that brought me to you,
the pain of a marriage like an old ache,
a husband like an arthritic knuckle.
Here, living with you,
love is still the only subject that matters.
I open to you like a flowering wound,
or a trough in the sea filled with dreaming fish,
or a steaming chasm of earth
split by a major quake.
You changed the topography.
Where valleys were,
there are now mountains.
Where deserts were,
there now are seas.
We rub each other,
but we do not wear away.
The sand gets finer
& our skins turn silk.
Whose Identity Politics?
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The only real suspense in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is whether the Republican Party will persist in tying its fortunes to an anachronistic claim of white male exceptionalism and privilege.
Republicans' outrage, both real and feigned, at Sotomayor's musings about how her identity as a "wise Latina" might affect her judicial decisions is based on a flawed assumption: that whiteness and maleness are not themselves facets of a distinct identity. Being white and male is seen instead as a neutral condition, the natural order of things. Any "identity" -- black, brown, female, gay, whatever -- has to be judged against this supposedly "objective" standard.
Thus it is irrelevant if Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. talks about the impact of his background as the son of Italian immigrants on his rulings -- as he did at his confirmation hearings -- but unforgivable for Sotomayor to mention that her Puerto Rican family history might be relevant to her work. Thus it is possible for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to say with a straight face that heritage and experience can have no bearing on a judge's work, as he posited in his opening remarks yesterday, apparently believing that the white male justices he has voted to confirm were somehow devoid of heritage and bereft of experience.
The whole point of Sotomayor's much-maligned "wise Latina" speech was that everyone has a unique personal history -- and that this history has to be acknowledged before it can be overcome. Denying the fact of identity makes us vulnerable to its most pernicious effects. This seems self-evident. I don't see how a political party that refuses to accept this basic principle of diversity can hope to prosper, given that soon there will be no racial or ethnic majority in this country.
Yet the Republican Party line assumes a white male neutrality against which Sotomayor's "difference" will be judged. Sessions was accusatory in quoting Sotomayor as saying, in a speech years ago, that "I willingly accept that we who judge must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage, but attempt . . . continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies and prejudices are appropriate."
This is supposed to be a controversial statement? Only, I suppose, if you assume that there are judges who have no opinions, sympathies or prejudices -- or, perhaps, that the opinions, sympathies and prejudices of the first Hispanic nominee to the Supreme Court are somehow especially problematic.
There is, after all, a context in which these confirmation hearings take place: The nation continues to take major steps toward fulfilling the promise of its noblest ideals. Barack Obama is our first African American president. Sonia Sotomayor would be only the third woman, and the third member of a minority group, to serve on the nation's highest court. Aside from these exceptions, the White House and the Supreme Court have been exclusively occupied by white men -- who, come to think of it, are also members of a minority group, though they certainly haven't seen themselves that way.
Judging from Monday's hearing, some Republican senators are beginning to notice this minority status -- and seem a bit touchy about it. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) was more temperate in his remarks than most of his colleagues, noting that Obama's election victory ought to have consequences and hinting that he might vote to confirm Sotomayor. But when he brought up the "wise Latina" remark, as the GOP playbook apparently required, Graham said that "if I had said anything remotely like that, my career would have been over."
That's true. But if Latinas had run the world for the last millennium, Sotomayor's career would be over, too. Pretending that the historical context doesn't exist -- pretending that white men haven't enjoyed a privileged position in this society -- doesn't make that context go away.
Yes, justice is supposed to be blind. But for most of our nation's history, it hasn't been -- and women and minorities are acutely aware of how our view of justice has evolved, or been forced to evolve. Women and minorities are also key Democratic Party constituencies, and if the Republican Party is going to be competitive, it can't be seen as the party of white male grievance -- especially in what is almost certainly a lost cause. Democrats, after all, have the votes to confirm Sotomayor.
"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," Graham told the nominee. He was right -- Republicans probably can't damage her. They can only damage themselves.
eugenerobinson@washpost.com
By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The only real suspense in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is whether the Republican Party will persist in tying its fortunes to an anachronistic claim of white male exceptionalism and privilege.
Republicans' outrage, both real and feigned, at Sotomayor's musings about how her identity as a "wise Latina" might affect her judicial decisions is based on a flawed assumption: that whiteness and maleness are not themselves facets of a distinct identity. Being white and male is seen instead as a neutral condition, the natural order of things. Any "identity" -- black, brown, female, gay, whatever -- has to be judged against this supposedly "objective" standard.
Thus it is irrelevant if Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. talks about the impact of his background as the son of Italian immigrants on his rulings -- as he did at his confirmation hearings -- but unforgivable for Sotomayor to mention that her Puerto Rican family history might be relevant to her work. Thus it is possible for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to say with a straight face that heritage and experience can have no bearing on a judge's work, as he posited in his opening remarks yesterday, apparently believing that the white male justices he has voted to confirm were somehow devoid of heritage and bereft of experience.
The whole point of Sotomayor's much-maligned "wise Latina" speech was that everyone has a unique personal history -- and that this history has to be acknowledged before it can be overcome. Denying the fact of identity makes us vulnerable to its most pernicious effects. This seems self-evident. I don't see how a political party that refuses to accept this basic principle of diversity can hope to prosper, given that soon there will be no racial or ethnic majority in this country.
Yet the Republican Party line assumes a white male neutrality against which Sotomayor's "difference" will be judged. Sessions was accusatory in quoting Sotomayor as saying, in a speech years ago, that "I willingly accept that we who judge must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage, but attempt . . . continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies and prejudices are appropriate."
This is supposed to be a controversial statement? Only, I suppose, if you assume that there are judges who have no opinions, sympathies or prejudices -- or, perhaps, that the opinions, sympathies and prejudices of the first Hispanic nominee to the Supreme Court are somehow especially problematic.
There is, after all, a context in which these confirmation hearings take place: The nation continues to take major steps toward fulfilling the promise of its noblest ideals. Barack Obama is our first African American president. Sonia Sotomayor would be only the third woman, and the third member of a minority group, to serve on the nation's highest court. Aside from these exceptions, the White House and the Supreme Court have been exclusively occupied by white men -- who, come to think of it, are also members of a minority group, though they certainly haven't seen themselves that way.
Judging from Monday's hearing, some Republican senators are beginning to notice this minority status -- and seem a bit touchy about it. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) was more temperate in his remarks than most of his colleagues, noting that Obama's election victory ought to have consequences and hinting that he might vote to confirm Sotomayor. But when he brought up the "wise Latina" remark, as the GOP playbook apparently required, Graham said that "if I had said anything remotely like that, my career would have been over."
That's true. But if Latinas had run the world for the last millennium, Sotomayor's career would be over, too. Pretending that the historical context doesn't exist -- pretending that white men haven't enjoyed a privileged position in this society -- doesn't make that context go away.
Yes, justice is supposed to be blind. But for most of our nation's history, it hasn't been -- and women and minorities are acutely aware of how our view of justice has evolved, or been forced to evolve. Women and minorities are also key Democratic Party constituencies, and if the Republican Party is going to be competitive, it can't be seen as the party of white male grievance -- especially in what is almost certainly a lost cause. Democrats, after all, have the votes to confirm Sotomayor.
"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed," Graham told the nominee. He was right -- Republicans probably can't damage her. They can only damage themselves.
eugenerobinson@washpost.com

The following is one of 10 powerful letters compiled by Amnesty International to boldly make the case against torture. They have been written by people from every walk of life - from an exiled poet to a former military interrogator to an esteemed actor and activist.
Dear Mr President,
"I came to Iraq with two things, and I'm leaving with both -- my father's last name and my integrity." Those were the words of a commander that I served with in Iraq, a military officer who shared my belief that we could accomplish our mission without sacrificing our principles. Together, this elite Army soldier and I, an Air Force interrogator, along with our teammates, captured several high ranking Al Qaeda leaders. We did it by applying our intellect and outsmarting our enemies. As Americans, we have a unique advantage in this conflict against Al Qaeda: our culture. It is a culture we can leverage, based on tolerance, cultural understanding, intellect, and integrity. There is no need for torture and abuse.
Torture and abuse were authorized and encouraged by senior leaders in the previous administration, and senior military officers followed unlawful orders to use these interrogation tactics. Some have argued a military necessity, but no short term military gain will ever outweigh the long term consequences of having used these unlawful and immoral methods. On a pragmatic level, I witnessed with my own eyes, while supervising over a thousand interrogations, a majority of foreign fighters state that the number one reason they came to Iraq to fight was because of our policy that allowed torture and abuse to occur at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. These foreign fighters killed hundreds, if not thousands, of American soldiers. Torture and abuse did not keep America safe. It cost us lives.
Additionally, these policies damaged our credibility as a nation that adheres to the law of armed conflict. A dangerous precedent has been established by setting aside the law. My family fought against lawless tyranny in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. As John Locke said, "Where the law ends, tyranny begins."
I agree with your desire to move forward, and based on my experience I believe we can improve our methods of interrogation. However, moving forward and examining the past are not mutually exclusive. In the military, we complete these tasks nearly simultaneously after every battle, with after-action assessments and subsequent improvements to our tactics.
Our country needs an independent investigation into the past in order to send a strong message to the next generation of American soldiers that torture and abuse are morally wrong and, just as importantly, that members of the military have an obligation not to follow unlawful orders. This is an advancement in human rights that we, as Americans, established at the Nuremberg Trials.
Sir, I have carried the legacy of our forefathers into battle four times--Bosnia, Kosovo, and twice to the war in Iraq--always aware of the sacrifices of the men and women who went before me. I served under the watchful, lofty eyes of a friend and fellow brother-in-arms who gave his life in the service of his country early in our careers. We owe it to our fallen brothers and sisters to serve with honor.
Our tradition of honorable military service has been tarnished by those senior leaders who authorized and permitted torture and abuse. An independent investigation is an opportunity not for retaliation or punishment, but for renewing our expectation that future soldiers will adhere to the rule of law.
Very Respectfully,
Matthew Alexander,
Former senior U.S. interrogator in Iraq
2 must view segments if you've been too busy to catch up on the current events:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
opened up the screen door to go outside with max and startled a HAWK sitting on the walk by the door! don't know who was more startled-me and max or mr. hawk! looks like he was stalking one of my chipmunks or one of the snakes that live in the foliage by the front door. geeeeezzzz

All horror enthusiasts are formally invited to participate
in The Third Annual South Side Zombie Walk.
The event will take place in Pittsburgh's South Side on July 18th.
Itinerary of the Living Dead:
7:00 - 8:00 PM - All Zombies report to the Town Tavern
2009 East Carson Street
Apply make up if you haven't already. Practice saying groaning and saying "Braaaiiinnnss....need braaaiiinnnnssss". Enjoys some yummy Straub beer.
(Under 21 zombies can congregate outside or at the Bee Hive a few blocks away)
8:00 PM - Begin Walk.
Professor Emcee Square will start the walk.
Zombies exit and shamble about for a period of one hour. Eat, drink, explore the shops, but when on
the street you must stay in Zombie Mode.
9:00 PM - Zombies Disperse.
The Zombie Walk is over. But wait! There's more...
The Concert for the Living Dead at The Rex Theater
(1602 E. Carson Street)
Showtime will be 9:00 PM
Festivities at The Rex will include:
Live Filming of the It's Alive Show
The Comedy Stylings of Stiffy The Dead Clown
The Jack N Dick Show featuring Mister Neighbor
Zombie Burlesque Girls
Andrew the Impaled
Live bands:
DEATHMOBILE
The Botched
Amoeba Knievel
The Cheats
Tickets will be $13.00 at the door
No advance ticket sales so don't be late!
The Rex show is an over 21 event.
The Zombie Walk is all ages.
Anyone under 21 attending the Rex show must
be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The Rex Theatre
1602 E. Carson Street,
South Side Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Phone:412-381-6811
Monday, July 13, 2009
made spaghetti with little meatballs for dinner.
my head has finally eased up a lot from whacking it off the cement stoop the other day.
nothing much else going on-fine by me!
my head has finally eased up a lot from whacking it off the cement stoop the other day.
nothing much else going on-fine by me!
Love After Love
by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2007/May/Mirror--Mirror-on-the-Wall--An-International-Update-on-the-Comparative-Performance-of-American-Healt.aspx
Sunday, July 12, 2009
my little sweetie is UP!
a breakfast of bacon and strawberries and tooth brushing-fine/ hair brushing- hates that!
a breakfast of bacon and strawberries and tooth brushing-fine/ hair brushing- hates that!
well the little lady is still asleep(thankfully)
we were up til 1 a.m. watching cartoons in bed(she likes little bear and blue's clues before she sleeps) THEN after she crashed she rolled out of the bed! i heard a thunk and got up, picked her up(she never even woke up) and put her back into bed where she promptly moved horizontally across the middle of the bed and i couldn't budge her-
SO i tried going out and sleeping on the couch but my back was having NONE of that.
i ended up sleeping at the foot of my bed like a doggie!
we were up til 1 a.m. watching cartoons in bed(she likes little bear and blue's clues before she sleeps) THEN after she crashed she rolled out of the bed! i heard a thunk and got up, picked her up(she never even woke up) and put her back into bed where she promptly moved horizontally across the middle of the bed and i couldn't budge her-
SO i tried going out and sleeping on the couch but my back was having NONE of that.
i ended up sleeping at the foot of my bed like a doggie!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
well, been a busy day.
my little sweetie went to the playground and hiking on trillum trail, then lunch, and rode her bike-blew bubbles tried her hand at shooting baskets. then- dinner of steamed dumplings and rice, some nick jr. a bit of learning solitaire on the computer- the store- back here just now, strawberries and whipped cream a bath and right now she's happily bouncing around on my bed and watching, "olivia" a cartoon.
me? i'm pooped and taking advil. but it's been fun!
my little sweetie went to the playground and hiking on trillum trail, then lunch, and rode her bike-blew bubbles tried her hand at shooting baskets. then- dinner of steamed dumplings and rice, some nick jr. a bit of learning solitaire on the computer- the store- back here just now, strawberries and whipped cream a bath and right now she's happily bouncing around on my bed and watching, "olivia" a cartoon.
me? i'm pooped and taking advil. but it's been fun!
fell AGAIN! i feel like i'm regressing back to my early grade school days when i literally would trip over my own feet. large bump on the top of my head but it's been about an hour and a half, so far-so good.
besides, my little sweetie will be here soon.
besides, my little sweetie will be here soon.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Sea-Child
by Katherine Mansfield
Into the world you sent her, mother,
Fashioned her body of coral and foam,
Combed a wave in her hair's warm smother,
And drove her away from home
In the dark of the night she crept to the town
And under a doorway she laid her down,
The little blue child in the foam-fringed gown.
And never a sister and never a brother
To hear her call, to answer her cry.
Her face shone out from her hair's warm smother
Like a moonkin up in the sky.
She sold her corals; she sold her foam;
Her rainbow heart like a singing shell
Broke in her body: she crept back home.
Peace, go back to the world, my daughter,
Daughter, go back to the darkling land;
There is nothing here but sad sea water,
And a handful of sifting sand.
by Katherine Mansfield
Into the world you sent her, mother,
Fashioned her body of coral and foam,
Combed a wave in her hair's warm smother,
And drove her away from home
In the dark of the night she crept to the town
And under a doorway she laid her down,
The little blue child in the foam-fringed gown.
And never a sister and never a brother
To hear her call, to answer her cry.
Her face shone out from her hair's warm smother
Like a moonkin up in the sky.
She sold her corals; she sold her foam;
Her rainbow heart like a singing shell
Broke in her body: she crept back home.
Peace, go back to the world, my daughter,
Daughter, go back to the darkling land;
There is nothing here but sad sea water,
And a handful of sifting sand.
it doesn't feel like a friday to me, odd that.
my little sweetie is coming tomorrow to stay overnight, big fun's a coming!!!
my little sweetie is coming tomorrow to stay overnight, big fun's a coming!!!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
this has been very well researched.
friday funny:
A man was driving when a traffic camera flashed. He thought his picture
was taken for exceeding the speed limit, even though he knew he was not
speeding. Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same
spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. He thought
this was quite funny, so he slowed down even further as he drove past
the area, but the traffic camera flashed yet again. He tried a fourth
time with the same result. The fifth time he was laughing when the
camera flashed as he rolled past at a snail's pace.**
Two weeks later, he got five traffic fine letters in the mail for
driving without a seat belt.
A man was driving when a traffic camera flashed. He thought his picture
was taken for exceeding the speed limit, even though he knew he was not
speeding. Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same
spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. He thought
this was quite funny, so he slowed down even further as he drove past
the area, but the traffic camera flashed yet again. He tried a fourth
time with the same result. The fifth time he was laughing when the
camera flashed as he rolled past at a snail's pace.**
Two weeks later, he got five traffic fine letters in the mail for
driving without a seat belt.


























July 2005
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