What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

Time is not kind sometimes

I was reading today about how David Lee Roth, 80's Van Halen rocker extraordinaire, was fired recently from his gig replacing Howard Stern. Along with this story on CNN, they ran a recent photo of David and it made me gasp!

Could this be the same dude that would prance and jump and slither around the stage doing nasty things to the mic stand not so long ago? Is this the same guy that had every 80's chick wishing she had HIS hair? The guy that got to share the stage with heart throb Eddie Van Halen? Why, it was just yesterday that he was all over MTV singing "reach down, between my legs and...ease the seat back..." and "have you seen junior's grades?"

Good lord. It really has been 21 years since 1985, hasn't it? This is how David will forever look in my mind...windswept hair, sultry eyes, perfect cheekbones. Who the hell is that anorexic, short-haired, suit wearing freak pictured in the CNN story? Certain not DAVE! 'Cause if he is getting that old, then, gasp, so must I be.

Don't get me wrong. I feel like I'm just really beginning to become who I really am (I'll do another post later that redeems my teen-aged ranting here). But good god, reality can be a bitch sometimes. I remember playing nothing but Van Halen tunes at my 8th grade graduation party in 1981. There was a step down into our living room, which is where the stereo was, and we were taking turns running and jumping off of that step a la David Lee Roth, kicking our heels back towards our asses in mid air and landing with style and conviction as we lip synced "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love, my love is rotten to the core" (sing it with me) "ain't talking 'bout love, just like I told you before, before, before..."

TAGS>van halen, David Lee Roth,1985

Dr. McCreary, My Hero

Since South Dakota decided to deny every woman in the state the right to choose what happens in her own uterus, there have been all kinds of outcries and movements started...from Planned Parenthood to NOW to many grass roots movements.

But this woman, this heroic, 70 year old, kick-ass woman, Dr. McCreary, has decided to step up to the plate and come out of retirement. Read more here...

She flies from Minnesota once or twice a week to a clinic in SD that is allowing her to work there. I admire this brave woman. You go, Miriam!

TAGS: mccreary, abortion, South Dakota

A Rock and a Hard Place

"We either die by the Americans, the insurgents in the name of jihad, the security companies, which kill you and leave you laying in the street, the Iraqi police or...the death squads. Three years after the American invasion of Iraq, I have only one wish. I do not want democracy, food, electricity and water. I just do not want to die."

- Laith Muhammad, an Iraqi student.

"The toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime was worth everything. I have never felt as free to speak any day in my life as today. If George Bush did anything good, it was toppling Saddam Hussein. I am not pessimistic. But I'm upset, because the war and the occupation, which could have led to a new situation in Iraq, were squandered by the stupid mistakes committed by the American administration and military and the U.S. representatives in Iraq."

- Fakhri Fikry Kareem, owner and publisher of the daily Iraqi newspaper Meda.

Source: The Washington Post

When I hear Iraqis talk about how glad they are that Saddam is gone I am really torn. On one hand I understand that the end result of that crazy nut case no longer having controll over the people of Iraq is a good thing, a wonderful thing even, I still can't help but feel like the end does not justify the means. Not only that, but there isn't even an end to speak of. Saddam being removed from power turns out to be just a stepping stone, but I'm afraid that the next stone on this path is at the bottome of a cliff. We are in such a no-win situation right now. If we stay, we continue to screw things up and loose lives. If we go, we leave the country in such a shambles that it would be inhumane. WTF are we going to do? It's like we have a finger in the dyke and nobody around who knows how to fix the hole.

Enough with the metaphores. It's just so frustrating to not even have a clue as to what this situation should look like or how to get there. I'm not hearing it from any of the world's leaders. Nobody knows what the hell to do.

TAGS: Iraq, BUSH, Saddam

Good Bye Chicken Little

FINALLY! I'm sure this kid is a good person and I don't have anything against him except that I DON'T WANT TO HEAR HIM SING ANYMORE! Good by Chicken Little.

My Idol Pick

Don't know if you are watching...I just can't seem to stop. American Idol is one of the few shows that the whole family enjoys and I have decided that although there are other contestants that are awesome (and some that still suck), I think that Chris Daughtry is the one who has the most potential and who can, week after week, rock the house. He is already a rock star. He's cute, talented and he knows how to do other peoples' songs in a way that makes them brand new and HIS!

This week he did "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash. Timely, yet not tired because he really did it in his own style. He just seems respectable and genuine.

Honorable mention to Mandisa who I think is also going to be a big star. She is all that! Catherine McPhee also did really well. Haven't seen god damn Chicken Little yet tonight...will be muting that for sure.

TAGS: american idol, Chris Daughtry

High Quality

I have become very cynical about main stream media sources over the last several years. I have found a blog by a relatively main stream media guy, however that I really have come to love. Anderson Cooper seems to be able to bring humanity to a story without compromising it's factual integrity. See for yourself...

If you disagree, I'd love to hear about it. In the mean time, I find his reporting and his commentary an oasis in a wasteland of crap.

Another news figure I find refreshing is Sanjay Gupta. Something about the way he delivers health news is so reasuring and easy to understand.

Who are your favorites?

TAGS: news, anderson cooper,sanjay gupta

129 Minutes of men not having sex with each other

Only 1 minute of guys making out and um, other stuff.

These are meant to be words of comfort for straight men who are being asked by their dates/girlfriends/wives/mothers/sisters etc. to see "Brokeback Mountain" with them. I found this hysterical article on MSNBC (which is not normally one of my favorite sites) that is called "The straigh dude's guide to 'Brokeback.'

Read it. It's worth it.

I think it is interesting that this movie is making even the most tolerant and "progressive" men cringe and get uncomfortable. When I saw the movie there were several eldery people in the theater and they were clearly uncomfortable!

I saw the movie and loved it. Loved the soundtrack. Loved Heath Ledger. Loved the setting.

Now I just have to decide if it is worth cashing in some brownie points to ask hubby to see it, too.

 

DUDE! It's a western.

brokeback, Movie, Straight Guys

Lest We Forget

From the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights:

LEST WE FORGET?

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, A 40 year old man watched his mother die in his arms on the roof of their home as helicopters passed overhead. On Christmas Eve, he returned to the rubble of his lower 9th ward home to find his mother's body, her skeleton, still wearing the tattered clothes she perished in...

A 27 year old man with five children waded through the toxic flood to get food and clean water for elders in his neighborhood. He has spent the last 96 days, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years being shipped to jails around the South. He faces a seven year sentence on a trumped up "looting" charge...

A 70 year old former Black Panther stayed through the storm. He spends days and nights tirelessly organizing in New Orleans. He has turned his flood damaged home into a solar generator powered communication center...

Let us remember
Lest we forget

It is so easy to go on about our everyday lives while the people of New Orleans, South East Asia, and Pakistan are still dealing with untold grief, sorrow, loss and a day to day exsistance that we can't even imagine. Never let them out of your hearts and minds. It is easier to forget; it is humane to remember. Ubuntu.

human rights, Ella Baker, New Orleans

The Hate, The Hate

So much nastiness in the world today. Name calling must be taught in Right Wing 101 these days. If I thought that this sad little person was worth getting upset about, I'd probably really have a case here. I hate even putting the link here. I almost didn't because I don't really want to perpetuate the ugliness, but in the spirit of transparency I did it anyway.

Can't a gal just point out that if you are going to call people names, you should at least do so with correct grammar?

Check out some of the other obsurdities this "woman" spued at Tales of the Stupid. Apparently Miss Ann would deny her own child if he/she turned out to be gay. Nice.

That's enough on this subject.

TAG: ann coulter

A Rosa by Any Other Name

I don't know much, but I just found out that one of my heros has just passed. Dear, sweet Rosa Parks. You have done more for this country than most people will ever do. Your courage (and fatigue) changed this country forever. Thank you, sister, for making this world a better place for me and for my children.

You are the embodiment of what every common person can do if they just have the courage and opportunity to stand up (or sit down) for what they believe is right. I admire you and hope that you are wherever it is you hoped to be after leaving this world.

A beautiful soul has left this world. Rest is sweet peace dear Rosa.

tags:rosa parks

Kepler's is Re-Opening!

Brian over at The Bay Area is Talking broke the news (for me at least) that our beloved Kepler's is re-opening next Sat!   This is beyond good news.

For those of you who aren't Bay Area locals, Keplers is an independent bookstore that has been open for 40-50 years and had recently shut it's doors because it could no longer compete with the Monster Big Bookstore Chains. There was a huge outcry and some angel investors have stepped in to save it.

The news now is that it will re-open on Oct. 8th!

The world is a good place. Now I just have to figure out how the heck I'm going to be able to find the time to volunteer to make this happen.

Again?

I woke this morning in a relatively good mood, considering. Considering we are still in the midst of a national emergency/tragedy. Considering it is the 4th anniversary of 9/11, a day that effected me beyond my wildest imagination.  All things considered, I was feeling pretty good. I was getting ready to drive out to Vacaville with Payton for the 4th and possibly 5th baseball game of the weekend. Looking forward to the drive, just the two of us. Sitting in the sun, watching a ball game and maybe indulging in an ice cream.

Then I blew it. I started reading the news via the web. I happened on this CNN story that sent me through the roof.

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Read the whole story. Or not. I don't want to ruin your day, too. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not so naive as to think that Clinton's cronnies didn't get some favors from the White House. But the scale at which the Bushies are making money on the tragedies of America sickens me to my core. The outright lack of ethics that this administration shows on a day to day basis is unforgivable.

Is it really 3 whole years until the next election? If this guy were running a company, he would have been fired by now. But then again, he would have found himself a nice new cushy job at Halliburton or one of its subsidiaries.

I'm going to a baseball game now.

What if you don't have a boat?

During this time of national emergency, it is important, of course to solve the immediate problems. Then there comes a time to look at the underlying cause of those problems. Although it is easy to point fingers and blame the current administration (which is deserving IMO of the finger pointing), it is also important to dig deep and identify all of the wrong turns we made. And so I give you this...

"To be poor in America was to be invisible, but not after this week, not after those images of the bedraggled masses at the Superdome, convention center and airport. No one can claim that the post-Reagan orthodoxy of low taxes and small government, which does wonders for the extremely rich, also inevitably does wonders for the extremely poor. What was that about a rising tide lifting all boats? What if you don't have a boat?"

- Eugene Robinson, columnist.

Source: The Washington Post

Don't forget...we may be next

I loved this blog entry on  SFist. It reminded me that I live in an area that is highly likely to experience a HUGE disaster in my lifetime. I have an emergency kit, but it dawns on me now that I haven't checked it out, added to it, or replenished it in several years. Shame on me.

What I've learned from Katrina is that we need a much larger emergency water supply. Must get to it.

Chaos in the Astrodome

This just in from badgerbag who is right now in the Astrodome.

"They locked out the people out of the dome, evacuees and volunteers. we have not had volunteers able to come in all morning. people just screaming broke into the gate to get in and all the people and volunteers ran into the dome. hundreds, at least 200 or 300 people started pushing in. no one was on the other side of the locked gate, no traffic no guards, etc. my volunteer guy telling the story from the human rights campaign ran in too. finally one police officer tried to corral people and push them back out. and in ffact everyone was pushed out. except my guy who pretended he had been in all along. and the people who had been in were pushed out and locked out."

Go to her site to read more...

Mommy bloggers in action

Please keep an eye on a new blog called Hurricane Katrina Direct Relief. It will have updates from a Gulf Coast Mom on what is happening and how to help. She has some great ideas already. Our rock star Mommy Friend, Grace, is hosting and posting the updates from this Mom whom she met on Craigslist.

Technology is a wonderful thing...

Understanding Poverty

This article is a good one for getting your head around the demographics of Katrina's victims. I hope that the rich, white folks around the country who think that these people were just stupid for not getting out read this and like articles so that they can get a better grip on the reality of the situation.  Unfortunately, imagining poverty at this level is a very difficult thing for many people. I get it. I'm sure you do, too.

More thoughts on Katrina

So here we go with links to other places to read and find info and disaster relief ideas. Andy Carvin has done a rock star of a job with his Katrina Aftermath site. I won't even try to describe all of the info he has there, but the man has instructions for folks on how to document the missing and the found in NO and post it to the blogosphere for people to access. I can't say enough about what Andy is doing. Give him props.

Heifer International has many programs in the gulf coast and donating to them right now would be very timely. These folks do great work. Read about them if you don't know what they are doing.

Oxfam has a special fund set up for Katrina victims. Another stellar, international organization that I highly recommend.

World Vision, The Louisiana Recovery Foundation, and Catholic Relief Charities are all doing great work too.

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So at work we have had several conversations around what a catastrophe like this can and will do to communities both from a micro level as well as a macro level. (for those of you who don't know where I work, it might help you to have an understanding of what we do in order to understand why we are involved in deep discussion on this issue. Visit both omidyar.net and omidyar.net/home to check it out.

We were wondering who would emerge from this tragedy as the true leader. So far, my money is on Roy  Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans (see my previous post). That's the macro level. But what about the groups of people who are stranded on the roof an apartment complex? They may have known each other on some level before this nightmare, but now they are intimate. Suffering together will bond people, or tear them apart like nothing else. This is evident when couples divorce after the death of a child etc. So let's say that there is a group of folks stranded in an apartment complex. Once they don't have running water, or any water for that matter, and no food, and they aren't sure if help is coming in 10 minutes or 10 days, how do they act as a group? Who steps up and decides, Ok, we all need to crap (or maybe not after several days of not eating), so where are we going to crap? I say let's all crap in Joe's apartment and keep the doors closed so that we can at least contain it there.

Does everyone agree? Does Joe get pissed off? Does Joe throw this person who has made this decision into the water? What about Mary's (ok, so I know that there are very few people in this situation named Joe and Mary, but the beautiful, more ethnic and interesting names are more time consuming to type, so I'm going with Mary and Joe)...secret stash of candy bars. Does she decide to share them with everyone, or does she keep them to herself? Does Henry, who is the only strong swimmer, decide to brave it and try to swim for help, or does he stay with the group?

And what about the damn mail? Where is all of the mail that has been sent to NO in the last week? The post office must be a zoo. And what about all of the bills that are accumulating? Is corporate America going to forgive late payments? Are they going to ruin Mary and Joe's credit rating (that they just starting building after being broke for so long) because they didn't make payments for 6 months?

This is why I don't sleep at night. Must...stop...for...now...

International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day

Blogging for relief...

I'll probably do this in several parts today as time allows.

First I want you to read the transcript from an interview done with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on CNN. Brilliant. Read the whole thing, it's worth it. He calls for people (George et. al.) to get off their asses and do something. I like this guy.

Blogging for relief day 9/2/05

Hey, Let's get this puppy started. Blogging for relief day is tomorrow, Sept. 2nd. The idea is to get bloggers everywhere to post about their thoughts, feelings, worries, hopes (but not politics, please. There will be enough time for that soon). Post links to relief efforts and such. Here is a post by Andy Carvin explaining his thoughts. Make sure you include this link to the Technorati tag so that many folks will see it.

My husband and I had planned on going to New Orleans in about 6 years as our "The kids are grown and gone to college" celebration. Neither of us have ever been there. Last night we decided that no matter what state that wonderful city is in 6 years from now, we are still going. Over the next several years that city will need so much help with jobs and such. It will suffer a significant loss of tourist dollars and we want to pledge our resolve to go there anyway.

Enough for now. I'll save some of my thoughts for tomorrow.

International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day