Mauigirl's Meanderings

Haiku Saturday

2012-01-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, the day of the South Carolina primary. It is amazing to me that in such a short time, Newt Gringrich has surged to the point he may actually beat Romney despite all his morality-challenged past actions.

And it's not all because Rick Perry dropped out; it seems as if people down there just seem more excited about Newt than about Mitt. As columnist Paul Mulshine says in the linked article, "An excess of emotion trumps a lack of emotion every time in the Deep South. That might explain why Romney’s in so much trouble in a race he was expected to win in a walk."

It probably isn't helping Mitt much that Stephen Colbert is down there campaigning with former candidate Herman Cain, further confusing the voters, some of whom may not even realize he's a satirist.

And of course, in the meantime, Romney is still reeling from finding out he apparently didn't win the Iowa caucuses after all; Santorum apparently beat him by 34 votes.

It will be very interesting to see what happens today. Since I have no real news to talk about until after the vote, I thought it would be a good time for some haiku. And the first one I am going to post is by Jeremy over at Chew the Fat - and I'll send you over to his place to read it. Hint: It's about Newt and it is very good!

Now here are mine...

First snow of winter
Drapes cotton over the cars
And makes my feet slip.

The dogs aren't walking
We drove to get the paper
We are pathetic.

This is the Northeast
Snow is a normal event
But we were so spoiled.

One snowstorm in Fall
Nothing but good weather since
What do you expect?

It's warmer down South
Where things are getting hotter
Newt may beat Romney.

Running neck and neck
Santorum and Paul behind
But they're still trying.

After tomorrow
The race may get more narrow
We will wait and see.

That's all I've got today! Tomorrow is another day and will provide plenty of entertainment, I'm sure. In the meantime I'll post this highly amusing and very pertinent song by the Austin Lounge Lizards, "Gingrich the Newt." The ironic thing is, this song is from Newt's FIRST era in politics and is still true today. I love the reference to orphanages; apparently Newt said back in the 90s that kids would do better in orphanages than in the welfare system. Now he thinks poor kids should be janitors. Really, the more he changes the more he remains the same! (If I've posted it before, apologies for repetition, but it is definitely worth repeating. There isn't really any video to this but do listen to the words!)

A Cat's Eye View - of Ron Paul

2012-01-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

Baxter here. Sorry to have been Silent for so Long but I am at the Mercy of the Humans in terms of when I can Blog or not. Luckily my Female Human has taken it into her Head to get back to the Business of Blogging again and is giving me the Access I deserve to expound on My Opinions here. It's not that I can't Type, but I am not Very Good at the management of Software and I don't know HTML so my Human has to help a little when I want to do things like make things bold or whatever. And I have Strong Opinions so I need some bold now and then!

OK, so where was I? Oh yes, Ron Paul. The so-called Libertarian among the GOP field. As a Cat, I am sure you would understand that I like the idea of being a Libertarian. There is no one more Libertarian than Cats. Dogs are certainly NOT Libertarians. They do whatever their Masters want, or at least they try to. Sometimes their Brains are Too Relaxed to understand what is Wanted. But if they figure it out, they'll do it. Well, maybe except That Dog they call Diva. She tends to do what SHE wants. But the New One, Angel, she tries to Please; except for one thing - she still wants to chase Me and Bark. But I digress.

Many Humans who usually think Progressively tend to kind of like the idea of Ron Paul. Not Ron Paul himself, mind you, but their IDEA of Ron Paul. They think of him as Someone who would get Government out of their Hair and Leave them Alone. They also know that, unlike front-runner Romney, he thinks legalization of Marijuana should be left to the states and there should not be a federal law against it, which they think is kind of Cool - and that he was against the War in Iraq, also a Good Thing in many People's Eyes. But they may not have read the Details of his other ideas on the issues. If they did, they would be Much More Concerned about Mr. Paul. For instance:

He is "Pro-Life," saying he believes Life begins at Conception and Roe vs. Wade should be reversed. In addition, he opposes any Government Funding for Things People Don't Believe in - which in this case means:

"Ron Paul will also protect the American people’s freedom of conscience by working to prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for abortions, Planned Parenthood, or any other so-called “family planning” program."

Now, as a Neutered Cat, issues of Contraception have No Interest to Me. But I'm sure there are Many Progressive Female Humans who would find these Ideas Alarming. I also wonder, if Conservatives think the "American People" should not have to have their Taxes go toward Things they Don't Believe In, why does that only apply to Things Conservatives Don't Believe In? Shouldn't Liberals and Progressives have the Right to refuse having their Taxes go toward Things They Don't Believe In either? Like, for instance, My Humans would Choose not to have their Taxes go toward Wars and Military Spending. Why should the Consciences of Conservatives be the Federal Government's only Concern?

Ron Paul has More Ideas. Lots of them. For instance, he wants to Abolish the Income Tax, the "Death" Tax, the Capital Gains Tax, and the Federal Gas Tax. Oh, but he also wants to Balance the Budget. I Wonder how he would Do That? Sounds Confusing to Me; but of course, I am Only a Cat.

As for Energy, Paul is of the Drill, Baby, Drill! mindset. More Oil! More Gas! Nuclear Power! Coal! Oh, and Abolish the EPA - that's just a Lot of Troublemakers Ruining the Economy and keeping our Energy Prices up!
"As President, Ron Paul will lead the fight to:

* Remove restrictions on drilling, so companies can tap into the vast amount of oil we have here at home.

* Repeal the federal tax on gasoline. Eliminating the federal gas tax would result in an 18 cents savings per gallon for American consumers.

* Lift government roadblocks to the use of coal and nuclear power.

* Eliminate the ineffective EPA. Polluters should answer directly to property owners in court for the damages they create – not to Washington."

I particularly Love the idea that Property Owners would have to Go to Court to get Polluters to pay for the Damages they create. How would that work, exactly? My Humans would have to sue the owner of the local Gas Station or the nearby Industrial Brownfield for the contamination of the Groundwater? And wouldn't that Clog up the Courts indefinitely? Or better yet, for Mr. Paul, I guess he figures People would get Tired of having to Sue to get anything or wouldn't be able to Afford the Lawyer Fees and Big Polluters would just Get Away With It.

Home-Schooling? He's all for it.

"Ron Paul believes no nation can remain free when the state has greater influence over the knowledge and values transmitted to children than the family does.

And the truth is, no big government spending program can or will solve our nation’s education problems."

Personally, I would rather the Human Children be Taught by Professionals and not a bunch of Evolution-Denying, Anti-Intellectual Parents who will Brainwash the Kids to grow up thinking Just Like Them. And the More People who Homeschool, the fewer People will be paying for Public Education (Mr. Paul, of course, wants these Parents to get a Tax Credit for Homeschooling their Kids) and Public Education will Continue to Go Downhill.

What about Guns and the Second Amendment, you may ask. Well, of course, Ron Paul is all Pro-Second Amendment and Pro-Gun!

"With our gun rights under constant attack from our own government and the anti-gun United Nations, as well as the threat of rising crime due to our country’s economic woes, Congressman Paul believes it has never been more important that our President be 100% committed to defending our God-given right to keep and bear arms."

(Of course we All Know how much God likes us to have Guns; that's why it is our God-Given Right to have them!)

True, some Progressives and Liberals will like some of his Ideas on the Military. After all, who Among Us would argue that there is a lot of Waste in the Military Budget, and that we probably don't need to give Money to "Rich Dictators." And it probably IS a Good Idea to follow the Constitution and have Congress Declare War before actually going to War.

But to Me, as a Liberal Cat, his other Ideas are Just Too Dangerous. I hope my Fellow Liberals and Progressives will read Mr. Paul's positions Very Carefully.

So that's It from Me today. I hope you Enjoy Your Weekend and Have Enough Catnip to Get Through this Election Season. It's only going to Get Worse before it Gets Better!

Haiku Monday

2012-01-09T23:26:00.002-05:00

January is
Such a long and dreary month
But so far no snow.

It's global warming
I venture to speculate;
No complaints from me.

The Republicans
Have converged on New Hampshire
Tomorrow's the vote.

Mitt Romney screwed up;
Said he likes to fire people
Poor choice of wording.

Newt Gingrich cancelled
Because protesters showed up
He can't take the heat.

And Rick Santorum
Isn't faring much better
In the Granite State.

He heard the booing
Due to views on gay marriage
Over in Concord.

After tomorrow
The whole circus moves onward
Let's hope it ends soon.

"Santorum? Really?!"

2012-01-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

Well, the much-touted Iowa caucuses are over, thankfully, but the Republicans still haven't managed to admit they have to choose Romney. Sure, Romney won Iowa by a whopping 8 votes, but the fact that Rick Santorum nearly tied him should give all sane people pause. When I first heard that Santorum was even running, I couldn't take it seriously. The man was voted out of office in Pennsylvania by 18 percentage points in 2006 for a lot of good reasons (see link for a number of lapses in integrity and episodes of crass hypocrisy) and his history of homophobia was (and still is) so rabid that his opponents, led by Dan Savage, actually made his name a definition for an unsavory type of substance, which shows up pretty close to the top of any Google search you do on his name. (No, I won't link it here, but feel free to Google if you are one of the few who has not already heard about it).

So I may be forgiven if I thought we'd seen the last of him.But strangely, he's baaaack! Santorum is running for President and has managed to promote himself as the sole keeper of family values competing for the Republican nomination, thus siphoning off all of the hardcore right-wing evangelical Republicans in Iowa and managing to nearly topple Romney. You almost have to feel sorry for Romney; he's doing everything right and yet the GOP voters still don't want him.
Just in case anyone has forgotten what a nutjob Santorum really is, let's revisit a few of his positions. This link will take you to a site that lists a number of quotes by Santorum on various subjects. A few choice examples:

“The reason Social Security is in big trouble is we don’t have enough workers to support the retirees. A third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion.”- Rick Santorum on how abortion is responsible for Social Security’s problems, 3/29/11

“I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say ‘now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people’.”- Rick Santorum on President Obama’s race and pro-choice beliefs, 1/19/2011

“Is anyone saying same-sex couples can’t love each other? I love my children. I love my friends, my brother. Heck, I even love my mother-in-law. Should we call these relationships marriage, too?"- Rick Santorum comparing his love for his mother-in-law to the love that same-sex couples share, 5/22/2008

In case you wonder whether he really believes some of the things he says, you can see his beliefs on his own website, where he states he will do the following things, among others:

"Repeal Clinton-era Title X family planning regulations, and will direct HHS to restore the separation of Title X family planning from abortion practices and restore a ban on referrals for abortion
Reinstitute the Mexico City Policy to stop tax-payer funding or promotion of abortion overseas
Ban federal funding for embryonic stem cell research
Restore conscience clause protections for health care workers
Defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court
Ban military chaplains from performing same sex marriage ceremonies on military bases or other Federal properties
Repeal Obamacare mandate for contraceptive services in healthcare plans...
Veto any bill or budget that funds abortion or funds any organization that performs abortions including Planned Parenthood
Call on Congress to abolish the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Advocate for a Personhood Amendment to the Constitution...
Advocate for a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution
Call on Congress to reinstitute Don't Ask/Don't Tell
Call on Congress to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act
Call on Congress to reinstitute 2008-level funding for the Community Based Abstinence Education program
Advocate for a federal law permitting schools to allow prayer at graduations, football games and other school functions."

Anyone who cares about a woman's right to choose - including the choice of using birth control - should be very afraid if Santorum ever got elected. And forget separation of church and state - such as it is - this guy would love to see a theocracy.

On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart used a great analogy to point out that in the end, the Republicans just have to pick Romney. I'm just hoping he's right, for the sake of the country. While I do feel that Romney may have the best chance of beating Obama, which is not good from my perspective, on the other hand, the voters in this country are just crazy enough that they might actually elect a Santorum or some other equally unsuitable person as president, and that would be so much worse than having a President Romney that I can't even think about it. Of course, there are a lot of reasons Romney should not be the next president. We can get into that next time!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Indecision 2012 - Romspringa - Rick Santorum's Surge

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Another Year, Another Opportunity to Change

2012-01-01T22:28:00.003-05:00

Well, here it is 2012, and once again it is time for the New Year's Resolutions.

As you can guess, my first one is going to be to blog again! I had really been feeling distant from the whole political scene during the past year or so, and it was hard to get up any enthusiasm for writing about much of anything. Even with the heating up of the Republican race, it was hard to get interested in the competition when the competitors were so totally lame and none were really pulling ahead. Now it seems to be coming down to Romney, with Newt Gingrich and even Ron Paul still surprisingly strong. But in the end I think it will be Romney. We will see what happens after the first few contests, starting with Iowa this week. Once the competitor is identified it will be a lot easier to analyze the differences between the Republican contender and President Obama, and writing about them will be much more interesting!

Of course, I also have the usual resolutions to lose weight, exercise, eat at home more, and so on. But let's face it, those are boring, since I make them every year and usually don't stick with them. But I'll give it a try anyway.

I also need to resolve to earn some money - unemployment is running out in February and I need to be more diligent about getting freelance proofreading jobs; or even finding myself a real job. (Hopefully part time!)

Baxter also has a resolution. Here it is:

"I want to tame the New Dog, Angel, who still tries to chase Me if she gets upstairs past the Gate at the top of the Steps. My Humans have brought Angel upstairs on her Leash a few times and managed to get her to stop barking and sit while looking at Me while I make Scary Siren Noises and Loud Hissing to keep her in her Place. Over time I hope this will Subdue Her and maybe I will be able to come back downstairs and join the Family again. I like Sleeping on the Bed at Night but it's not the Same as having Full Run of the House."

So that's it for now, but I will be back again tomorrow and actually write something worthwhile.

In the meantime, Happy 2012 to all my blogging friends and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

R.I.P. Steve Jobs - The End of an Era

2011-10-06T10:25:00.003-04:00

I know everyone is probably writing about the death of Steve Jobs, and I didn't expect to be one of them. I have never been an Apple or Macintosh person, and have resisted the siren call of the iPhone. When my wireless carrier, Verizon, finally got the iPhone after its exclusive run with AT&T ended, I deliberately chose the Droid instead. I didn't want to be part of what I felt was kind of a cult.

When my husband and I decided to buy a personal computer back in 1989, we did consider the Mac and weighed our choice between that and a PC. We chose the PC (an IBM clone of some sort), mainly because of the large price differential, and we never looked back. Since neither of us were involved in graphics or design, we never reconsidered our original choice and stuck with the PC forever after.

So I was surprised at how affected I was by hearing of the death of Steve Jobs. It's not that it was a shock; the man had had pancreatic cancer and had miraculously survived since 2004. But his recent health problems and his decision to step down from running the company he originally founded made it obvious that things were not going well for him, healthwise. Nevertheless I didn't expect to see the headline on the New York Times page last night on my computer saying that he was dead at 56. 56. Two years younger than I am now; and yet look at what he had accomplished.

Listening to the radio today, I heard so many tributes to Jobs and what his vision had meant for the world, it made me realize how much of what we take for granted was inspired by Steve Jobs and his innovation and imagination. Sure, we use a Dell PC, but the Windows operating system that runs it was copied from the Mac, with its desktop and folders and other innovations that the old IBM PCs never had. Yes, I have a Droid, but the sleek design and touch screen and other features were all pioneered by the iPhone.

Alec Baldwin, in a tweet this morning, compared Jobs to Henry Ford, Carnegie and Edison. The comparison is apt; like these other visionaries, he thought of things that people wanted before they knew they wanted them, and then made them real.

Many people have been referring to Steve Jobs' commencement address at Stanford in 2005, so I had to find it and listen to it. It is definitely worth hearing, and if you haven't already watched it, here it is:

The most poignant part of the speech, to me, was his discussion at the end about death. He had already faced the possibility of death the year before, when he was first diagnosed with cancer, and had at that time apparently been cured. But the reference to death he talked about was something he had read when he was young that affected him deeply:

"When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'no' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important thing I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

I wish I'd heard those words about 35 years ago when I was graduating. I might have lived my life with a bit more purpose than I have so far. It's certainly something to keep in mind for the rest of whatever time I have left.

Steve Jobs changed the world through the elegant, fluid, usable technology that he envisioned and brought to life. People can change the world in different ways. While Bill Gates has left his company and is now working to save lives in Africa, Jobs basically died "in the saddle," so to speak, continuing to do the work he loved. While he didn't necessarily put his efforts toward saving lives, the technology he invented acts as the conduit for others' efforts to help people or change the world. No doubt many of the young people who led uprisings in Egypt and other parts of the world during the "Arab Spring" communicated and organized their uprisings using Steve Jobs' inventions.

Every day we live, whether we are using an Apple product or one of its imitators, we are benefiting from what Steve Jobs accomplished. I don't know whether his type of vision will be seen again in our lifetimes.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2011-09-08T15:39:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is September, and I didn't post all last month. This was partly due to an "upgrade" in technology that resulted in lack of internet access up at our cabin in the Adirondacks, where I ordinarily have lots of time to blog.

What happened is, we had been using Verizon's "MiFi" device to get internet access, which it accomplished fairly well, albeit somewhat slowly. Lo and behold, when July rolled around, I found I was due for an upgrade on the device, so I ordered a new MiFi that worked for not just 3G, but 4G, which we have in our area of New Jersey. I carefully asked the Verizon representative whether it would still work in non-3G areas, e.g., our cabin, and he assured me it would. So I ordered it and we took it up to the cabin and guess what? The old one worked MUCH better. The new one has only enough energy to pull in the New York Times on my Kindle, which is, of course, black-and-white, mostly text. When it comes to Blogger or Facebook, with all the graphics, forget about it. It just times out.

So we ordered a little antenna for it and an adaptor cord that connects to the MiFi. It improved access slightly, but still not enough. So we ordered a BIG antenna, which is supposed to work particularly on the 800 mhz wavelength that we have at the cabin. Guess what? It needed an adaptor to attach to the other adaptor that attaches to the MiFi. So we ordered that and it has arrived. I'm hoping that on our next trip we will be back to getting internet at the cabin and all will be well. We did manage to get down to the laundromat to do some laundry a couple of times and used their wifi, but that is not a long-term solution!

For anyone who wondered how we made out during Hurricane Irene (or I should say Tropical Storm Irene by the time it hit New Jersey), we were remarkably lucky. At home we just had a few downed branches and local flooding. Our basement remained blessedly dry and our power did not go out. Our friends in the next town did have water in their basement and lost power for 3 days. So we just got lucky. We were equally lucky up at our cabin, where the devastation that hit Vermont and farther up in the Adirondacks apparently skipped our area nearly entirely.

Anyway, now that I'm back here and it is the first week of school, I thought I would write the kind of essay teachers always used to make us write during the first week of school: "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." Since I am not trying to get into college, I don't have anything really impressive to tell you about, such as working in Guatemala or Somalia building homes or designing clean water systems for a village; or some kind of great internship at a prestigious company that would give me a leg up on the competition to get into an Ivy League school, as kids nowadays have to do. In fact, my summer was much more like what my summers were like in my youth when I used to read a lot, play Monopoly with my friends and hang out at the town pool. (None of which would have helped me get into college, but thankfully standards were lower then).

So. During August we basically relaxed a lot at the cabin on the weekends, went to Lake George for a dip, read a lot, and walked the dogs. The biggest summer events were attending the Washington County, NY Fair, and car shows. We actually went to two: the first was a general antique/custom car show held in Ticonderoga, NY, in their attractive town park by the waterfall where the waters of Lake George tumble into the LaChute River on their way to Lake Champlain. The other was held here in New Jersey at the Parsippany Hilton and was a Saab Owners Convention. We had never been to one, since they've usually been held in Minnesota or some other faraway place, but since it was right in New Jersey, how could we resist?

Here are some scenes from the Ticonderoga show:

A '57 Chevy I believe...not the classic with the "rocket launchers" in front; it's a lesser model but quite nice.
I liked this Jaguar...
Nice Mercury.
Great Corvette.
Chevy Nova. I think a friend of mine had this same model.
An Oldsmobile that is an ode to chrome.
T-Bird.
Another Nova.
A hot rod.
Two vintage Saabs at the Saab convention. The one on the right is similar to our '85 but is a few years older.
Another view....
Another Saab arriving at the show (we attended on its first day so not everyone was there yet).

Some oldies that are still goodies.

An old Saab station wagon!
Another vintage Saab. I don't know my years very well, it is probably early '70s.
A snazzy Saab Sonnet from the late '60s or so. They were the sporty Saab style.
That's me in the passenger seat, getting a ride in a '73 Sonnet. You can't tell but I'm wearing a Saab visor that I bought as a souvenir.
I also had a ride in this one. They were offering free rides in vintage Saabs as well as in some new ones. I still like the old ones best so didn't bother riding in the new ones.
This one and the next are both nice Sonnets, different years.

One last vintage beauty...

As for the County Fair, we went on a perfectly beautiful late August day and saw nearly all the sights. There were horses...
Dog agility contests...
Prizes for canned goods...
and arts and crafts...
We saw goats...
And sheep...

Roosters and chickens...
Some ducks...
and pigs...
and lots of cows. This one doesn't want to go where this little girl is trying to make it go!

And of course, lots of food and carnival rides!

Last, but certainly not least, we enjoyed the scenic beauty around us, and did some relaxing on our deck at the cabin!

I'll be back soon with, hopefully, a post that actually talks about issues...politics...the President...the Economy...or some other weighty combination of all of these. I am still in summer brain mode and have to confess I did not even watch the debate among the eight Republicans who want to be president. All but two make me want to run screaming or slit my wrists at the idea of them possibly winning. Romney and Huntsman are equally Republican but not quite as crazy. However, I have not really studied their beliefs or ideas, and that opinion may change radically once I do!

Hope you enjoyed your summer. I am already starting my Seasonal Affective Disorder a little early - must be all this rain. I can't believe it's September already. Where did this year go?

A Cat's Eye View

2011-07-21T15:14:00.004-04:00

Baxter here. I bet you didn't realize it, but I can actually Type with my Back to the computer. Aren't I Talented?

It's been Awhile since I Graced this Blog with my Presence. It's certainly not My fault, though. My Humans keep going Away and Leaving Me here alone, and it puts Me in a Bad Mood and I don't feel like Blogging. But I thought it was About Time I put My Two Cents' worth in. So here I am.

First of All, this whole Debt Ceiling Debacle is just Ridiculous, in This Cat's Opinion. I have never seen such Folderol in my Life. Here President Obama is willing to give the GOP practically Everything they want, including Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid - much to the Dismay of his Supporters - with the small catch that they have to Agree to - horrors - some Revenue raising! And we're not talking about a Huge Tax Increase here. We're talking about getting rid of Loopholes, and Oil subsidies, and taxing things like Corporate Jets.

But no. The Republicans have all Signed some kind of Pledge not to raise Taxes NO MATTER WHAT, and they are Cutting Off their Noses to Spite their Face. I have never seen such Stubborn Humans in My life. They're Stubborner than a Cat being stuffed into a Cat Carrier to go to the Vet. (And believe Me, that's Stubborn. Getting Me into my Carrier is a two-human job!).

However, the guy who got them to sign the Pledge did leave some wiggle room for the GOP to let the Bush Tax Cuts expire and not have it "Count" as a Tax Increase. Perhaps that is the Way this can still be Solved and the GOP could Save Face. Time will Tell. (Seems to Me I remember another President who said "No new taxes! Read my lips!" and he raised Taxes, because he had to. And he didn't get Re-elected. So this might work out for Good in the End if the GOP loses some Seats in the House or Senate as a result of any Agreement!)

So, I am crossing my Paws and hoping for Some Kind of Resolution before the Debt Ceiling goes up and turns the Country into a Pawn Shop of some kind. I'm not quite Sure what would Happen but it isn't Good. They say a deal may be Imminent, but I'll Believe it when I see it.

Seems as if there isn't much else New to talk about these days. It's Hot. Very Hot. My Humans aren't even Outside on the Deck today, as they usually like to be in the Summer. I'm just as Glad, because that means they are Indoors with Me, which of course is a Better Place anyway. I'm hanging out in the Air Conditioning upstairs, and am Quite Comfortable. I think I heard my Humans talking about going to see the new Harry Potter movie later on. That may Cool them Down nicely.

So, with that, I will Sign Off, and wish you a Cool Weekend. Hang out in the A/C or in a pool, and keep your Catnip dry!

Summer Haiku Tuesday

2011-07-12T11:44:00.003-04:00

After a whole week up at the cabin in cool springlike weather, coming back to New Jersey was a shock. It's mid-July. It's hot. It's humid. The only good thing is, there is a nice breeze. In fact, it was such a nice breeze yesterday, apparently, that two branches broke off and fell in my neighborhood - one on the sidewalk around the corner and one on our front porch steps!

The brinksmanship between President Obama and John Boehner slogs along. I think the President is playing it right for a change - actually holding out and saying that he won't accept any budget that doesn't include revenue, i.e., tax, increases. I just hope he doesn't fold at the last minute. At some point the Republicans will have to either give in and accept some tax increases, even if only in the form of closing loopholes, or else they will take the blame for the economic mess that would follow if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

But in the summer heat it's hard to get worked up about anything in politics. In the back of my heat-drugged mind I have questions: "If the government defaults on its debts, does that mean investments in treasury bills will tank?" "Do I have any investments that would be stable if this happened?" but I can't bring myself to think any further than that or bother to Google something to find out. Maybe I don't want to know. After all, what can I do about it anyway?

So, I decided today would be a good day for some haiku. As part of my resolution to get back to blogging, haiku is always a good way to get over any writer's block I may have! So....

Summer has arrived.
Cicadas are chattering
High in the treetops.

The dogs are panting
Diva's too hot to walk far
We sit on the deck.

The news is dismal
Haven't read the New York Times
Or the Star Ledger.

Budget talks drag on
Boehner meets with Obama
No progress is made.

My computer's on
My MiFi is blinking green
Where shall I go next?

Facebook is sluggish
The blog world is beckoning
Time to go explore.

I often wonder what we ever did without the internet? Can anyone remember? And don't say we read, because I still read. But I find the world has opened up and become so much more accessible since the advent of the internet. It would be very hard to go back to the past.

It's About Time...UPDATED with pictures!

2011-07-03T16:21:00.022-04:00

Well, another month has sped by…and “the 4th of July crept up on little cat feet,” as Jean Shepherd paraphrased in his wonderful tale, The Legend of Ludlow Kissel.

I have to admit, I have become a Bad Blogger. Who would have thought that retiring would mean LESS writing of blogs instead of more? It’s just as the old adage says, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” Or in this case, a working person. I’ve even been lazy about checking e-mail these days.

It hasn’t been all sloth and lethargy, though. I’ve been doing some writing for a local blog, covering events in my town, and perhaps I have been expending my writing energy that way, leaving none left for my own blog.

Plus, DH, his dad, my aunt and I all went to Cape Cod during the second week in June – followed by my coming down with a dreadful, energy-sapping, soul-sucking cold that actually took two weeks to go away. It included a consumptive cough, a head cold, and a temporary loss of the ability to taste things, which was certainly not a pleasant way to spend the middle of June. (Luckily that sense has returned, along with my appetite, something that is rarely out of commission under ordinary circumstances).

I can’t say nothing happened in the past month worth talking about – far from it. Of course, the most important event of all was the recent passage of the gay marriage bill by the New York State Legislature, and immediate signing thereof by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had pushed so hard for the law to pass. The news of the law’s passage came late Friday night last weekend, when we were up at our cabin in the Adirondacks.

I was thrilled that this finally happened – especially in New York, which is so tied in with the gay rights movement, starting back in 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. It’s about time, New York! Now if only my home state of New Jersey would follow suit. Of course, our governor, Chris Christie, in his usual pleasant way, has said he’d veto any effort by the legislature to pass a gay marriage bill in his state. Remind me again how we ended up electing this guy? It certainly wasn’t a choice I made. I think I’ll start thinking of New York as my home state. It feels better.

It was inspirational to see Governor Cuomo go about his efforts to push through the bill. According to columnist Maureen Dowd, who recently interviewed the governor,

"The governor says he sold the marriage-equality bill as a matter of conscience and didn’t try to buy off any recalcitrant lawmakers with promises about roads or bridges.

He said Senator Roy McDonald, a Republican who grew up in public housing and represents a somewhat conservative district in the Albany area, told him that he wanted to vote for the bill because 'it’s the right thing. I believe my God is a God of love and acceptance.'"

The four Republicans who voted "yes" deserve a great deal of credit for bucking their party's line and doing the right thing.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg gets some credit as well, as he expended a lot of political clout on its behalf.

It’s too bad President Obama can’t get any further in his “evolving” viewpoint on the subject and come out strongly in favor of it. He still says it’s an issue best left to the states, and while there may be some political reasoning behind this, that wouldn’t stop him from at least saying honestly what he believes in. (Note to the President: “states’ rights” was the excuse given for ongoing segregation as well.) And now that 53% of Americans approve of gay marriage, the tide of popular opinion is starting to turn - not that people’s intrinsic rights as human beings should be decided by popular opinion in the first place.

It’s possible that leaving it to the states for awhile would still be a wise policy, until enough states passed gay marriage or civil union laws to reach a tipping point where the Supreme Court would be more likely to rule in favor of gay marriage.

But in the meantime, federal laws do not recognize those state-endorsed marriages, depriving spouses of federal pensions and social security benefits from their partners, and marital law in general will be a mess once people start moving around the country and try to get their marriages (or divorces) recognized in other states, as John Schwartz in the NY Times discussed in today’s paper.

And if the Administration is ostensibly no longer defending the Defense of Marriage Act, why doesn’t President Obama use his bully pulpit, as Cuomo did his, to try to get Congress to repeal it? I can only hope he is waiting till after the next election, when he no longer has to worry about being re-elected, before pushing for this. But if he wants to win that election, he’d do better by supporting his base, which includes many gay rights advocates, than kowtowing to a conservative populace that won’t vote for him anyway. Just once I'd like him to do something bold about this issue, which should be a matter of conscience for everyone, not a political calculation.

In other June news, Republican candidates continued to come out of the woodwork, but I am not paying much attention to them at this point. Wake me up next year when we have some idea of which way the wind is blowing. Right now the group includes rightwing ideologues like Michelle Bachman, perpetual candidates like Ron Paul and now Newt Gingrich; and a range of more mainstream candidates like Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, who are stepping all over themselves trying to be more rightwing so the primary voters will vote for them.

Then there's the botched rape case against the former IMF director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. At first it all seemed so simple: Aging lecherous Frenchman rapes innocent immigrant just trying to make a life for herself in the United States. Turns out she wasn't so innocent, had some unsettling ties to drug dealers, and had a history of lying to the government when seeking asylum a few years earlier. Her stories were inconsistent and her credibility damaged. So now Strauss-Kahn is leaving his house arrest and the case is in disarray. But the question remains: Just because she's a liar, do we know for sure he's not a rapist?

So, enough of all that...I will just concentrate on what we’ve been up to the past month. Our annual spring trip to the Cape was a big success. My aunt came with us this time and stayed in the cottage my mother always stayed in. She hadn’t been up to the Cape in about 15 years, so was happy to finally get back there. Her 18-year-old cat had just had to be put to sleep, and the trip helped get her mind off that. And, in fact, if she still had the cat, she might not have felt comfortable going away for a week, so it all worked out for the best in some ways. Amazingly, we had wonderful, warm, sunny, clear weather for 5 of the 7 days we were there, and even the other two days were just partly cloudy.

We did all the usual Cape things: went out for lobster, sat on the bay beach not far from our cottages, took a ride to Provincetown. We also spent a lot of time just relaxing on the serene grounds of the cottages, looking out at the pond.

I had a few gratifying chats with the lovely woman who is the owner of the cottages we stay at, a staunch Democrat who was a supporter of Barack Obama before I had even decided who to support in the primaries. Now she asked me, somewhat wistfully, "Do you think he can survive the haters? The Tea Partiers?" (We were there not long after the most recent kerfluffle about his birthplace.) I assured her I thought that wasn't going to be his problem, but that he should do more to support his own base. She agreed, saying she wasn't always happy with everything he's done, but continues to support him nevertheless. I think a lot of Democrats would agree with that sentiment. But I'm not sure about the indpendents, and there will his problem in 2012 if things don't improve.

Diva and Angel had a great time at the Cape also. Diva, as usual, loved her swimming sessions in the pond. We tried to get Angel to go in, but she apparently is not really a swimming-style of dog. She did go in up to her shoulders and at one point took off swimming toward a school of ducks (do ducks travel in schools? Herds? Bevies?). Her prey drive is stronger than her dislike of swimming, apparently.

Here are pictures of Diva and Angel, close up. In the second one you can see Diva is getting impatient with picture-taking and revving up her "demand bark." This picture definitely shows the difference in their personalities!

And a nice portrait of Angel lying in the grass near the deck of the cottage.

My aunt reading with Diva sprawled in front of her.

The ducks in the pond were very bold; one mama duck kept trying to come up to our cottage when we were sitting outside, followed by her babies. She kept coming even as both dogs went nuts barking at her. We kept having to get up and shoo her away. Someone who was previously in that cottage must have been feeding her!

DH’s dad had a good time too – he always does. We went twice to his favorite restaurant, and he ate lobster in all forms at every meal, including baked stuffed, steamed, in the form of a lobster salad roll, and more.

We had a low-key Father’s Day; just had Dad up for a pancake breakfast out on the deck. By that time my cold had improved enough that I was functional and able to be a hostess! Here's a portrait of DH and his dad and Dad's "grandchildren."

Now comes the real “cabin season.” We are finally getting warmer weather, after a long, cool, rainy spring. Even as recently as last weekend the weather was so cool at night up at the cabin that a fire in the woodstove was needed at least once a day to take the chill off.

Now it’s finally warmer, so we’re using the outdoor firepit out on the deck for our fires in the evening. But even still, the weather is unpredictable - yesterday, clear blue skies and sunny; today, thunderstorms, clouds and rain. But even then it is peaceful and beautiful at the cabin, and better than being in the hustle and bustle of suburban New Jersey. The dogs both love it here and like to lounge around on the deck and relax, looking out at the woods and occasional wildlife. Angel, who is so over-reactive to every human-generated noise at home, is calm here. Nature doesn’t trigger her alarm.

We’ve planted a miniature raised garden here at the cabin, using bricks that were left lying around by the previous owner. Our crops include basil, rosemary, and oregano. We just extended this little garden and will now plant some beans to see if we can get a small crop of string beans. Plus we bought two patio tomato plants that we’re hoping will survive our absences long enough to yield some home grown tomatoes. Surprisingly, nothing seems to be eating our herb garden. It will be interesting to see if string beans are another matter.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I don’t know whether we will participate in any local festivities or not. Before we came up to the cabin we went with friends to the annual county display of fireworks in our local park, so we had our fix already. Up here, a couple of years ago before we had our own cabin, we stayed over in Schroon Lake and sat outside and watched their annual 4th of July parade go by, and later sat on the beach at the lake being eaten by mosquitoes and watched the fireworks there. But that’s kind of far away. So tomorrow may be another quiet day here…but that’s fine with me!

Angel by the pond - she is enjoying the country life.

Hope everyone has a happy, safe and fun Fourth! I'm posting this without pictures but will update tomorrow - when the sluggish internet connection here might be better - with pictures of the dogs and more!

What Happened to April?

2011-05-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

This is a first for me: an entire month went by without a blog post. I hope it isn't the beginning of a trend. Much as I love Facebook and other social media, I also love the interaction of the blogging world, where ideas can be more fleshed out and thoroughly discussed.

That said, I guess I didn't have enough energy in April to flesh out or thoroughly discuss any issues. Maybe it was the weather. April came, and after the long, cold winter, I was so happy it was spring again. But it wasn't. Day after day went by, with the weather as cold and nasty as it was in March, and no leaves showing up on the trees for what seemed like forever. Finally by mid-month, leaves and flowering trees started to appear. We went up to the cabin, expecting to hear the spring peepers, but it looked like the dead of winter there, and there wasn't a peeper to be heard peeping. Last year it was definitely warmer in April, even in the Adirondacks. We stayed in a lot and stoked the woodstove with logs!

We had intended to go back up to the cabin two weekends ago, but DH's dad got sick and ended up in the hospital for a week. Thankfully, he's OK, but we spent a lot of time driving back and forth to see him and visit my mother-in-law in the nursing home since Dad couldn't go. He's back to his old self, so we are hoping, fingers crossed, to go up to the cabin this weekend. I hope the spring peepers are still peeping.

I made it through Mother's Day, the first one without my own mother; we visited DH's mom and then had my aunt over for dinner. It was low-key but pleasant.

In the meantime, over the past month or two, I've gotten involved in "crossposting" shelter dogs, especially those from the NYC Animal Care & Control centers, where our Diva originally was rescued from by the Animal Farm Foundation. I started a separate Facebook page for the purpose.

Prior to getting involved in this form of animal rescue, I had no idea there was this national, even international, network of people posting dogs and cats on Facebook to share the plight of shelter pets in danger of being put down. Apparently it must work, because you never know when the picture or description of one particular dog (or cat) will touch the heart of someone else, and spur them to save the animal. Of course, it is also heartbreaking to know how many don't make it out. But at least I feel as if I'm making a small contribution to saving as many as possible.

So...I missed commenting on a lot of important events in the past 6 weeks. Of course, the biggest one was the killing of Osama Bin Laden. (Since it's old news by now and everybody and their brother knows about it, no need to link to a news article to refer to it!).

I was, frankly, somewhat surprised at the amount of celebration his death set off in this country. I felt more of a feeling of grim satisfaction. I didn't feel like popping champagn corks or rushing into New York City to be at ground zero. But I was also proud that President Obama was able to direct this accomplishment so efficiently and with such secrecy.

I have to say it probably would have been more "moral" on our part if we had captured him and tried him in our system of justice. But in all honesty, I can see what a mess that would have been. Look at the trouble President Obama had, just trying to try some of the Guantanamo suspects in a regular court. I realize that making things simpler is no reason to kill the man outright, but on the other hand, his death is certainly nothing I'm losing sleep over. He was evil, and he's dead, and I'm glad.

The other issue, of course, is this: Is it right to barge in on another sovereign country and kill someone who is living there (apparently with that country's blessing)? Again, probably not. But since Pakistan had to have known he was there, and didn't do anything about it themselves, I can't blame our government for taking matters into their own hands. And now that we know from the evidence captured at Bin Laden's compound that Bin Laden was continuing to actively encourage and direct terror attacks, it seems that this was the right thing to do.

As for the President's decision not to release pictures of Bin Laden to the public after his death, I agree with that. It would serve no purpose except to further satisfy our citizens' feelings of vengeance. Identification would not have been the reason to release the pictures, since, let's face it, when someone is shot in the head, they aren't very recognizable. In addition, people have not seen the man's face for a number of years, so how could they be sure, just from a picture, that this was Bin Laden? The DNA testing that was done should suffice. Sometimes people just have to actually trust their government.

The other reason not to release the pictures is, as President Obama said, we do not want to incite even more desire for revenge among Bin Laden's followers. We know he's dead. They know he's dead. No need to be carrying his head around on a pike, figuratively speaking.

On a lighter note, I've been enjoying the antics of the various possible contenders for the GOP presidential nomination. First there is Donald Trump, who made a kerfluffle over the long-standing debate (among those with few brain cells) over whether or not President Obama was born in this country, finally prompting the President to say, figuratively, "Oh, all right, for heaven's sakes, if you'll just shut up about this, here is my LONG-form birth certificate."

Of course, there will always be conspiracy theorists to deny the authenticity of any paperwork whatsoever that he may release, so I don't know how much good it did. But at least it shut Trump up on the subject, prompting him to then start claiming the President didn't do well at Columbia and Harvard. (Personally, I have no doubt this president is very intelligent, and I'm sure his grades were just fine. But I don't need to know what they were.) Luckily, Prince William married Kate Middleton, and Bin Laden got killed shortly after this whole incident, and the media were totally on to the next big thing. The Donald's further claims have gone unpublicized for the most part.

So, The Donald has been quiet for a week or two; in the meantime, Newt Gingrich has reared his ugly head. Or well-coiffed white head, if you prefer. Either way, his beliefs are darned ugly, so I feel justified in that description nevertheless. The Newark Star Ledger had a good editorial about Newt and his reactionary beliefs and outrageous statements, pointing out how far from the mainstream this man is, in his own words. Among the Newtonian statements quoted were:

"Bilingual education is teaching 'the language of the ghetto,' Gingrich said in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women in March 2007.

'Females have biological problems staying in a ditch for 30 days because they get infections, and they don’t have upper body strength,' Gingrich said in 1995, while teaching a history course at Georgia’s Reinhardt College. Males 'are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes.

'There is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us,' Gingrich said of those who protested California’s Proposition 8 banning gay marriage, on a Nov. 2008 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor.

Gingrich wrote that it is time to 'profile for terrorists' and to 'actively discriminate based on suspicious terrorist information' in a Dec. 2009 op-ed for Human Events.

Gingrich told a crowd of evangelical churchgoers in San Antonio: 'If we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time (my grandchildren) are my age, they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists and with no understanding of what it once meant to be an American.'"

And those are just a few of the quotes in the editorial. You can see the rest at the link. There are even more out there if anyone has the stomach to go look for them all. It is hard to imagine that Gingrich has the type of "family values" background that will appeal to the majority of right-wing conservatives, given his three wives and history of adultery. But his latest, and so far, last, wife, could be considered a plus for him these days. He converted to Catholicism and professes to be a changed man.

I think it's important to remember, adultery and multiple marriages aside, that Gingrich is not even close to being a moderate or normally conservative Republican. His viewpoints are far right and not appealing to the independents who will probably decide the next election.

I think the Austin Lounge Lizards do the best explanation of why Newt is not a good candidate. Enjoy:

Speaking of Catholicism, I was pleased to note in the New York Times that a group of over 75 Catholic professors wrote a letter to GOP Speaker John Boehner prior to his scheduled commencement address this Saturday at the Catholic University of America in Washington. The letter pointedly chastised him, saying the proposed Republican budget "will hurt the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable," per the Times. Specifically, it stated:

"'Mr. Speaker, your voting record is at variance from one of the church’s most ancient moral teachings,' the letter says. 'From the apostles to the present, the magisterium of the church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor. Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress. This fundamental concern should have great urgency for Catholic policy makers. Yet, even now, you work in opposition to it.'"

Kudos to them for pointing out what is obvious to me and most other liberals: The Republican Party policies do not reflect "what Jesus would do." I've never understood why so many evangelical Christians support the GOP, for that reason. Glad to see these Catholic professors standing up for what is truly "Christian."

On that note, I will close, and get this blog post up so people won't think I've disappeared off the face of the earth. I hope everyone is doing well and I will be by to visit your blogs now that I'm back from my unintended hiautus!

A Cat's Eye View

2011-03-30T13:27:00.007-04:00

Baxter here. I am finally ready to Blog again after a Long Absence. As you Know, my Humans have procured a New Dog, and I am Not Happy About It.

Because the New Dog, Angel (Ceiling Cat knows why they picked THAT Name for her), is Bad With Cats, I, Baxter, have to Suffer. I am confined to the Second Floor so the New Dog doesn't chase me down and possibly Do Damage to Me. Of course, I have my Own Room, complete with All My Toys and my Scratching Post Perch thing, my Box and everything I need. And I can go into the other Rooms on that Floor, including the Bedroom where my Humans and That Dog, the one they call Diva, sleep. So I do get Some Attention.

But I'd like to continue to come Downstairs and sit with the Humans when That Dog is sleeping, as I did Before. But until the New Dog gets used to Me, I guess I'll have to put up with the Situation. She has come to my gate when I was in my Room and looked at Me. Once I gave a Mighty Hiss and Growl and she seemed Intimidated. But the next time she just Barked at Me.

So. Here I am, finally ready to Blog about Current Events. But the Current Events have been So Horrendous in the past Few Weeks that I don't know where to Begin. I'm going to Skip the most Tragic events such as the Terrible Events in Japan. So, that leaves Me with...Libya.

OK, so like the other Countries where the people are Revolting (well, the PEOPLE aren't revolting, they are staging a Revolt), Libya has its own Revolt going too. Unfortunately the Human, if You can call him that, Qaddafhi or Gadhafi or whatever Crazy Spelling you want to Use for him, threatened to Kill all the people who are Protesting. So our Country, in its Infinite Wisdom, has decided to Get Involved. We didn't Get Involved with any of the Other Revolts, but who am I, a Mere Cat, to Question the Government?

From what I understand, Other Countries asked us to Get Involved. And it is a Coalition Force, acting on a UN Resolution. Sounds Vaguely Familiar to me. What was that war called? Korea? Oh, wait, it was a "Police Action." Wonder what they will call This after the Fact? Jon Stewart had a few ideas:

The Daily Show - Define and Conquer Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Turd Sandwich, Anyone?

Personally, as a Cat, I find it Foolish to Get Involved in what is basically a Civil War. If I am going along, Minding my Own Business, and see a big Catfight happening on the Other Side of the Street, you can bet I am not going to Get Involved. I certainly don't want to get in the Middle of it; it's a Good Way to Lose an Ear, or worse!

Of course, President Obama has said he's Not Getting Us Involved. He's just Protecting Civilians. He didn't seem to care that Much about Protecting Civilians in some of the Other Countries where Revolts are happening. Maybe we just Like their Dictators better.

At any rate, I hope this Ends Soon and we don't have another Big Mess on our hands. In the meantime, could the Pundits and Congresspeople ever think about the Economy once in awhile instead of Arguing over Every Last Thing that President Obama has ever supported or done? As My Favorite Human, Jon Stewart, noted, in the Eyes of the GOP, President Obama can't do Anything Right.

The Daily Show - America at Not-War Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

By the Way, my Female Human and her Friends were in the Live Audience at the show just Above. It was their Second Time there, and they are going to see Stephen Colbert next month. As a Cat, I would not be Allowed In, which makes me feel Discriminated Against. They also don't let Kids Under 18 in. I guess it's because All Those Words that get beeped on the TV show are said Quite Clearly in the studio. But Come On, what Teenager doesn't Already Know those Words?

Well, that's About It from MY end Today. Oh, before I go, How do you Like the New Format? My Female Human suggested that I Make Some Changes in honor of Spring, to perhaps encourage it to Show Up. So far, she tells Me, all these Sunny Days I observe from my Window, are still Very Cold and Windy. Let's hope that Changes Soon.

In the Meantime, keep hitting the Catnip and hope we are not Now Involved in Yet Another Costly War in an Unfriendly Country.

"Slip-Sliding Away"

2011-03-09T17:44:00.008-05:00

I don't know what it is about this winter that seems so endless. Maybe it's because I'm not working, and unlike last year, I am not keeping busy taking care of my mother. Last year, although I noticed the winter was cold, I didn't care because I was indoors doing things for Mom anyway. And then it seemed to get much warmer much quicker in April, right after she came home from the nursing home, and we were able to be outside.

This year is different. Even though it is arguably almost the middle of March, the weather is cold, dreary and windy. Yes, it was above freezing today, but so dreary and cold it didn't matter. The other day there was ice on the deck again after the warm rain had ended and the cold front blew in.

So, I've been hibernating more than usual this winter. Whole days go by and I don't go outside the house except to walk the dogs. Now that there are two, at least that forces me to go outside twice since I don't walk them simultaneously.

I find I have let things slide...maybe I'm slip-sliding away, as Paul Simon would say. "The nearer your destination, the more you're slip-sliding away."

Well, I don't know if I'm anywhere near any kind of destination, but I do feel as if things are slipping. For instance, unless I have somewhere to go - I admit this publicly - I usually skip wearing a bra altogether. I mean, why bother? It's cold out, I wear fleece sweaters, no one can tell, and it's comfortable.

I also seldom take my shower until about 4:30 in the afternoon - again, depending on whether there's somewhere I have to go. Why bother? All I have to do is walk the dogs and sit by the computer.

The other thing is, the bunion on my right foot has become so painful that almost no shoes are comfortable. So I've been walking the dogs wearing my rubber-soled bedslippers. They're so comfortable. Who's going to see me anyway?

I asked DH the other day, "Honey, I've been wearing these (pointing to my feet) out in public. No one can tell they're bedslippers, can they?" DH: "Um, yeah. They can." Oh well.

I was walking Angel yesterday wearing said bedslippers, jeans (at least it wasn't sweats) and a bright red fleece sweater. I mean, bright orangey red. This look was topped off with a neon pink down jacket that I'd gotten on closeout from Lands End last winter. In addition, since I hadn't had my shower yet, my hair looked like an epileptic spider had walked through it in the midst of a grand mal seizure.

Unexpectedly, I saw someone approaching in the distance, and I saw she was heading in my direction. She was nicely dressed in a color-coordinated jogging suit and sneakers, apparently taking her afternoon's exercise. She did not meet my eyes as our paths crossed, although I smiled and said "hi," as I went by. Miffed, I thought, "How unfriendly." Then I looked down at myself and realized what I looked like, and couldn't blame her.

We have a weird guy in our neighborhood who wanders around at all hours of the day holding an umbrella up over his head (it doesn't matter if it's rainy, sunny, cloudy, or fair). He also usually has his shirt off and is carrying it over one arm. In addition, he frequently has on shorts, even if it is winter. He holds his hand to his ear and is talking at all times, as if to aliens. (No, he does not have Bluetooth.) I suddenly realized the unfriendly jogger might have thought I'm similar to this guy, and felt she should steer clear of me.

This made me think of the Madwoman of Chaillot. Maybe that's who I looked like. I didn't even know who the Madwoman of Chaillot was, just that it was a play that my parents were involved in as part of their little theater group back when I was a kid. Maybe my mother was in the play, I don't remember. But it sounded good.

I started thinking, maybe she was a character I could identify with during this miserable long winter of existence that seems to have no end. I've always had a tendency to narrate my own life as if I were in a novel. I started thinking thusly:

"Wandering aimlessly like the Madwoman of Chaillot through the streets of Bloomfield, Mauigirl felt the winter could not be any longer if it tried."

The only problem is, I had no frackin' idea who the Madwoman of Chaillot was and what made her mad, and I thought I should look it up. So when I got home, I went directly to the Google.

As it turns out, the play, The Madwoman of Chaillot, has a lot to teach us today, despite being written by some French guy back in 1943. From Wikipedia, here is a brief plot summary:

"The play is set in the Cafe de l'Alma in the Chaillot district of Paris. It is said that Molière, Racine, and La Fontaine used to frequent this cafe. But these days a group of corrupt corporate executives are meeting. They include the Prospector, the President, and the Baron, and they are planning to dig up Paris to get at the oil which they believe lies beneath its streets.

Their nefarious plans come to the attention of Countess Aurelia, the benignly eccentric madwoman of the title. She is an aging idealist who sees the world as happy and beautiful. But, advised by her associate, the Ragpicker, who is a bit more worldly than the Countess, she soon comes to realize that the world might well be ruined by these evil men—men who seek only wealth and power. These people have taken over Paris. 'They run everything, they corrupt everything,' says the Ragpicker. Already things have gotten so bad that the pigeons do not bother to fly anymore. One of the businessmen says in all seriousness, 'What would you rather have in your backyard: an almond tree or an oil well?'

Aurelia resolves to fight back and rescue humanity from the scheming and corrupt developers. She enlists the help her fellow outcasts, the Street Singer, The Ragpicker, The Sewer Man, The Flower Girl, The Sergeant, and various other oddballs and dreamers. These include her fellow madwomen: the acidic Constance, the girlish Gabrielle, and the ethereal Josephine. In a tea party every bit as mad as a scene from 'Alice in Wonderland,' they put the 'wreckers of the world's joy' on trial, and in the end condemn them to banishment—or perhaps, death.

One by one the greedy businessmen are lured by the smell of oil to a bottomless pit from which they will never (presumably) return. Peace, love, and joy return to the world. Even the earthbound Pigeons are flying again."

Wow, who knew The Madwoman of Chaillot was such a contemporary play with such contemporary, pertinent themes? Ah, well, I guess it's as the other Frenchman said, "Plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose." (The more things change, the more they remain the same).

I guess I could do worse than being the Madwoman of Chaillot. At least she had an optimistic attitude - which is hard to come by these days. Plus Katharine Hepburn played her in the movie. How can I go wrong?

Farewell to Little Cat -- And, Hello to a New Dog

2011-03-05T19:28:00.008-05:00

Sorry for not being around for awhile. I have some sad news - Little Cat (Zoe) started going downhill over the past few weeks, and about four days ago she lost interest in her food. So we took her to the vet on Thursday and they gave her IV fluids and nourishment, but it didn't help this time. She was just fading away. So we took her home and let her be in her own little bed. She spent a quiet day yesterday and slipped away a little after 7:30 p.m. last night. I'm glad she went so peacefully. She looked as if she was just asleep.

The vet had her down as 15 years old, but we've long thought she was older than that. My mother had gotten her at a shelter so her real age wasn't actually known at the time she adopted her. We knew when we got her after my mom died that she wouldn't be with us for that long. I'm just glad she had so many good times up at the cabin with us and that her last months were so pleasant.

In the meantime, we have decided to keep Angel, the pit bull who showed up at our house three weeks ago on a freezing cold night. She was probably used for breeding, as she had obviously recently had puppies. She was also emaciated, very smelly, and had very long toenails, as if she was never walked. After she had a bath we took her to the vet and she got her shots. She's completely housebroken, and sweet as can be. Her only flaw is she goes nuts when she sees cats and small dogs. But we hope training will help. Angel is gaining weight every week and is looking really good now.

Unfortunately, we also realized that she has an itchy skin condition which the vet and I think must be mange. The vet didn't find any mites when she did a skin scraping, but sometimes they don't show up. So we're treating her for mange. Luckily it isn't necessary to do horrible things like dip the dog in insecticide as they did in the old days. The vet gave her a shot of Ivermectin, which must be repeated in two weeks, and we have to shampoo her with a medicated shampoo once a week. It's always something! Sometimes I feel as if I live at the vet's office!

Luckily she and Diva get along well, amazingly enough. I thought Diva wouldn't put up with another dog, especially a female, but she is being surprisingly tolerant. We can even have them in the same room and they get along well. So we are keeping her. She is the most affectionate dog; all she wants to do is sit next to you and cuddle. She walks well on the leash, is great in the car, and just lives to please you. How anyone could have mistreated her like that is beyond me.

Here are her latest pictures. We gave her a toy and she was beside herself. She'd apparently never had one before.

This one is actually from about a week ago but I love the way she cocks her head (which is why it is a little blurry as we captured her doing it!).

So, that's the news from our household. I'll be back again soon and may actually write something of substance now that things are calming down around here. Hope to be visiting your blogs more too!

A Cat's Eye View

2011-02-15T09:30:00.004-05:00

Baxter here. I'm finally Back. Sorry to have been Out of Touch, but I had a Health Issue over New Year's Weekend. My Humans went away to that Cabin place with Little Cat and That Dog, and left me here to fend for Myself as usual. But I didn't feel Good.

When they returned, I hid under the Bed and wouldn't come out. Finally I did come out and then stayed All Night by my Litter Box, just lying there, and refused to Eat. My Female Human then stuck me in that Zippered-Up Bag they put me in to Travel in, and dragged me to that place they call "The Vet." I was Not Pleased; especially when they shaved some Fur off my chest and stuck me with a Needle. Most uncomfortable. It turned out I had Something called Anemia and they didn't know why, plus I'd lost 3 pounds; I was down to a svelte 19 pounds.

So my Humans started giving me some Pills that made me Hungry and I started gobbling down Wet Cat Food, something I don't usually like to do; I've always been a Dry Food Type of Cat. But I figured why not - Little Cat has been getting All the Attention. Now it's My Turn. I started being Finicky and only eating Fishy Tasting Stuff. (I'll sneak Dry Food once in awhile when I'm sure the Humans aren't watching though). I'm off the Appetite Pills and doing Fine.

They still don't know what was wrong but I'm back to my Old Self and am feeling Quite Perky. Losing a little Weight didn't hurt me any; I have started Running up and down the Stairs again in the Middle of the Night as I used to do when I was Younger. My Human says she'll take me back for a Check-Up in a month or two and make sure my Anemia is gone. But since I'm acting Healthy she isn't as worried now.

However, something Else has happened since then. My Humans seem to have found Another Dog. Mind you, I haven't gone anywhere near It. But I've seen It from my safe perch on the Bed in the Spare Room.

From what I understand, The Other Dog appeared out of the Dark on Thursday Night and seemed lost, so the Humans took It in. Apparently It's a Girl because my Humans say she recently had Puppies. She was Very Skinny, had Really Long Nails and could hardly walk on them Properly, and smelled Very Bad. They gave her a Bath and took her to the Vet. Now she's getting ear drops for an Ear Infection, but is Very Healthy otherwise. I heard my Female Human saying something about her having had Shots and that she will be Spayed in a month, whatever THAT is.

My Personal Dog, the one I usually complain about, is Unhappy. I think she's Jealous of the New Dog. If she's Not Happy the Humans will have to find Another Home for the New Dog. I think they call her Angel. I don't really know why, because, as a Cat, I can vouch for the fact that NO Dog is an Angel. Far from it. But that's what they call her.

So, the Household has been Disrupted ever since the New Year. Little Cat and I are eating lots of Wet Food and there are Dishes of food lying around All Over, the New Dog is kept in the Kitchen to keep her Separate from the Old Dog. The Old Dog can't get out in the Yard through the Kitchen so My Humans have to walk her more than Ever. (That she's probably Happy about). The New Dog gets Jealous if the Humans pay attention to the Old Dog, and Vice Versa. It's a Real Circus around here.

Just thought I should check in and let you know What's Happening around the Maui Household. There has been Lots of News I haven't been able to keep up on, but either my Human or I will be back soon with some Updates. Oh, and here is a Picture of The New Dog. Anyone want to Adopt her so this Place can get back to Normal?

Haiku Tuesday

2011-02-01T18:08:00.004-05:00

I just spent about an hour trying to find a suitable cartoon or other illustration of how totally dreary the weather is today. However, I couldn't decide on any one thing and finally gave up. It was fun trying though.

In the meantime I'll provide a few February-themed haiku to tide myself over till the next time I actually get up enough energy to write something.

Freezing rain today
Drizzling on the grayish snow
February's here.

Huge mounds of old snow
Obscure everyone's driveways
Driving is risky.

Snow looks so pretty
Right after the snowfall ends
Then it gets dirty.

I'm tired of winter
Spring is still so far away
Days are creeping by.

Sooner or later
Even this much snow will melt
Hard to imagine.

People in Egypt
Having a revolution
Too cold for that here.

It Went Viral!

2011-01-22T23:04:00.004-05:00

Hi all,
Just wanted to let you know, if you ever e-mail me on my e-mail address, it has changed. I had to cancel my Yahoo account because it was contaminated somehow by a virus that proceeded to send all my contacts a nasty little executable file. Luckily a couple of people warned me they received it, and I sent out a note to everybody telling them not to open it. Hopefully no one got infected with some rotten virus.

The new e-mail is available via the "email me" link to the right under my "About Me" profile description. So if you have my old one saved somewhere, just delete it and replace it with this one. If for whatever reason the link doesn't work, the new e-mail is: Mauigirl5224 at gmail.com.

Sorry if anyone got one of those phony e-mails!

Meet the New Year - Worse Than the Old Year

2011-01-13T13:17:00.020-05:00

After the holidays I had planned to write a typical New Year's post reflecting on the past year, and talking about this year's resolutions. I hadn't gotten around to it before the tragedy in Tucson took place. Now it seems like a moot point. Given the larger issues surrounding us, my paltry resolutions to have more self-control, eat less, drink less, etc., now seem totally petty.

So here we are, barely into 2011, and six people have been killed, and 13 wounded, at a "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tucson, AZ, hosted by Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was badly wounded in the attack by a 22-year-old man, Jared Loughner.

I spent two days on Facebook, reading and commenting on a myriad of links, articles and other people's postings. Immediately after the shooting, many of us on the left, including myself, blamed those on the right who have fomented violence through their hateful rhetoric.

But as time went on, it became apparent that Loughner was not particularly political, despite the fact that he talked about currency and other subjects sometimes discussed by the far right; he seemed to be mentally unbalanced, possibly a schizophrenic. His obsession with Gabrielle Giffords did not seem to be directly in response to any right wing speech, but instead tied in to his bizarre beliefs about government, the currency, and other strange delusions that he had harbored for several years. In fact, he had attended one of Giffords' Congress on Your Corner events as long ago as 2007, and disliked her response to a question he had asked. Friends said he had changed radically from the person he was earlier in high school, consistent with the age at which schizophrenia often begins in young men.

Could the partisanship and hateful rhetoric, the gun imagery and other events have given him encouragement? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know. If anything, he seems to have been out of touch with reality and living more in a world of "lucid dreaming," which was a subject he was most interested in during the last few months, according to acquaintances. There is no evidence that Sarah Palin's "crosshairs" map had anything to do with him shooting Representative Giffords.

I have to admit I was as riled up as anyone right after this happened, and was posting links to petitions saying Sarah Palin should be prosecuted for being an accessory to murder. But the more strident these accusations became against Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and the rest, and the more I read about Loughner, I realized it just wasn't their fault that this troubled man pulled the trigger.

That said, do I believe that hateful rhetoric COULD lead to violence among radical followers of these rightwing pundits and politicians? Absolutely, yes. We know this can happen, we've seen it before. Did it happen in this case? Hard to say.

So, how have the spokespeople on the left and right reacted to this tragedy?

The first responses from the right were to strike back against the left for accusing them of fomenting this madman's rage. Bill O'Reilly called out the New York Times, Paul Krugman, and the left in general, calling them "merchants of hate" and castigating them for accusing the right of causing the shootings. Later he said that he himself has to have security at all times due to threats he receives but the New York Times never mentions that.

Rush Limbaugh attacked the Democrats directly, saying the gunman had the "full support" of the Democratic party.

And what did Sarah Palin do? After her first response (on Facebook) expressing her condolences for the victims and their families on January 8, on the 12th she posted a video, which probably was meant to make her look Presidential, in which she took the opportunity to reaffirm her right to exercise her freedom of speech. There was no inkling that maybe, just maybe, she might have gone too far in her gun-related metaphors; that maybe she, among others, had contributed to a climate of violence in this country not seen since the 1960s. Oh no, it was all about her being the victim of people who were "attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event." And on top of that she called this an attempt to establish a "blood libel." She has to have known this was a painful reference for people of Jewish heritage, since it refers to the canard that Jews murder Christian children and use their blood in their religious ceremonies. Did she know this? Did she care? If you can stomach it, here is Palin's speech:

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.
OK, so what about the left? Are they innocent of fomenting a climate of hate? Maybe not completely. During Bush's tenure as President, there were many left wing radicals who did post hateful rhetoric and protesters carrying signs that urged others to "kill Bush," showing him as a Nazi, etc. (See below for a few examples:)

However, there is a big difference. The left has never had the kind of media pundits that the right has had, nor as many; these signs were carried by ordinary people - shameful, yes, wrong, yes, but people who did not have a lot of power to influence others. In addition, during Bush's administration, protests were often carefully kept at a distance and out of the headlines. We didn't see these signs on television all the time the way people have seen the Tea Partiers and their signs during the Obama administration.

The left has various publications and blogs to get their message out; and Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann and a few others on television. But liberal talk radio has never really taken off, for whatever reason. Maybe liberals are just less apt to waste their time calling in to spout off their views on the radio. Maybe liberals are more apt to write rather than talk. I don't know the reason.

What I do know is, that Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann, although clearly liberals, don't go around comparing the Republicans to Nazis and implying death threats. And how did they react to the Tucson shootings?

Rachel went through a litany of previous horrific killings that have all taken place since Jared Loughner was born, showing that he did grow up surrounded by violence, and that America is a violent country. She also pointed out that, after Yemen, the United States is THE most heavily armed country in the world.

And what of Keith Olbermann, the more outspoken partisan of the two? He called for an end to using gun metaphors, and called for violent rhetoric to end. But in addition he apologized for any times he himself has gone over the edge in this regard.

You'll never hear Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly or Sarah Palin ever apologize for anything. Yes, they were right to say this tragedy should not be politicized. But they are the ones politicizing it themselves and refusing to share in any regret for the possibility that their words could spur violence - maybe not for this particular incident, but for another incident yet to come. And that is one of the differences between the left and the right.

Overall, the right has a stronger effect on the national discourse than the left and the results have been skewed against the left.

As S.W. Anderson says over at "Oh!Pinion,"

"Despite words to the contrary from CNN’s Jon King and others, there is no equivalence of violence-inciting rhetoric from the left and right. Nor is there anything remotely approaching equivalence when it comes to violent acts against public officials and political candidates."

But he goes on to warn that if the current climate continues, it's only a matter of time before both sides get in on the violence. Please take the time to go read his excellent post.

The hateful rhetoric needs to stop to keep us, as a country, from going over the edge into chaos.

Jon Stewart summed up his reactions on Monday night's Daily Show. His thoughts were what made me start to rethink my initial reaction to blame the right for the shooting.

"Did the toxic political environment cause this?...I have NO f*cking idea."

He then points out that the urge to blame is understandable, because it would mean that there could be a way to prevent this kind of incident. However, he goes on to say that unfortunately, that's not the case: "You can't outsmart crazy."

But the other important thing he said was that it would be "really nice if the ramblings of crazy people didn't in any way resemble how we actually talk to each other on TV."
Watch:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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At the end Stewart says:

"For all the hyperbole and the vitriol that's become a part of our political process, when the reality of that rhetoric, when actions match the disturbing nature of words, we haven't lost our capacity to be horrified...Let us hope we never become numb to what the real horror, what the real blood of patriots looks like..."

He goes on to say that it would be a "shame if we didn't take this opportunity...to make sure that the world we are creating now...isn't better than the one we've previously lost."

Once again Jon Stewart, a comedian who is starting to be the voice of reason in our time, struck the right tone in the face of this tragedy.

Below is President Obama's speech at the memorial yesterday in Tucson. The President was comforting, inspiring and non-partisan in his speech, encouraging us to heal and not to blame. I hope everyone who heard this speech will really listen to him and take his message to heart, on both sides of the aisle.

And with that, I'll sign off. I'll save till another day my thoughts on what can be done, if anything, to prevent these ongoing tragedies in our country. During my days on Facebook earlier this week I got into some long conversations with a conservative friend of mine about gun control, and of course there is also the issue of how we address the problem of mentally ill people in general.

Members of Congress are proposing laws about having a gun within 1000 feet of an elected official (impractical and rather self-centered I would say), adding Plexiglass to the Congressional chamber (what, on top of the metal detectors I'm sure are already in place?), and worst of all, trying to pass a law outlawing certain types of speech and images (First Amendment rights, anyone?). But those are topics for another day.

I hope that in the coming days Representative Giffords will continue the amazing progress she has made so far, and that she eventually recovers completely. I hope that's not too much to hope for. I also send my deepest sympathies to the families of those killed and injured and I hope that the political discourse will calm down of its own accord in the wake of these events and maybe, just maybe Congress might try to work together for a change. I know, probably too much to ask for. But one has to have hope.

California Dreaming...On Such a Winter's Day

2010-12-29T16:24:00.007-05:00

I have to tell you, if I haven't already done so, I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. This year, for a brief few weeks, I actually thought now that I'm not working and could actually enjoy preparing for Christmas, that maybe I'd beat it. Maybe this time, I wouldn't get those winter doldrums, the cabin fever that hits me every winter without fail. But I was wrong. It doesn't matter if I have to go out in the winter weather or not, whether I'm working or not, I still hate winter.

Yes, the blizzard was exciting, and fun, for a day or so. And it sure looks pretty. But I'm afraid to walk on the ice, I hate bundling up to go out, and now that I don't have to work, my tendency to hibernate in the winter is worse than ever. I don't want to leave my house for any reason whatsoever. But at the same time I hate being cooped up and held prisoner in the house.

I need to move somewhere that doesn't have winter; a place where I can go outside all year, and maybe, just maybe have to put on a light jacket or raincoat from time to time.

Yes, I'm talking about San Francisco, of course. Some of you already know that San Francisco is my favorite city, at least here in America. The climate isn't too hot and isn't too cold; the views are spectacular, and if I lived there, the constant walking up and down hills would probably get me in shape without any effort on my part, unlike my habits living in car-dependent suburban New Jersey. San Francisco has great restaurants, lots of things to do, and beautiful scenery. And if you get tired of the city (hard to imagine), the surrounding areas are equally wonderful to visit.

Since today is the middle of the week of lost time between Christmas and New Year's, my cabin fever has risen to new heights, and I decided to immerse myself in daydreaming, via Realtor.com.

Did you know that the prices for houses and condos in San Francisco are lower than I have ever seen them? And believe me, moving to San Francisco has been DH's and my fantasy for over 20 years, so I've been watching real estate prices out there ever since Realtor.com ever came on line, whenever that was. Up until about 2 years ago, when all hell broke loose in the economy, there was not a single condo or house in the City of San Francisco that would be remotely affordable no matter how valuable our house in New Jersey might be. I saw prices of $500k and up for the tiniest studios. Well, that's not the case now! Prices are so low out there from what I see that we could actually buy something right now if we could sell our house immediately and move out there.

Unfortunately, what with DH's aging parents and my aunt still in the picture, that possibility is not going to happen in the near future. And certainly I don't want to hasten the time when aging relatives are no longer with us. So what is the solution to my winter daydreams? Any suggestions are welcome. Because with our luck, by the time we can sell our house, the prices in San Francisco will be back to the stratosphere.

In the meantime, enjoy a few pictures of affordable pieds-a-terre in the City by the Bay. It's the way I'm getting through my Seasonal Affective Disorder, for today anyway. Tomorrow I think I'll move on to Hawaii, where prices have also dropped dramatically!

Here's a condo at 240 Lombard Street, right near Telegraph Hill, for just under $350k. Here's one for $339k on McAllister Street, right near Alamo Square, where people take that famous picture that's on the postcards (see below).

And if we want to be near the ocean and Golden Gate Park, check out this one, a 2-bedroom condo for $343k.

Now, I know these prices may still sound high, especially if you live outside the metro NY area; but the 1-bedroom condo in that last building is only $209k, and there are plenty of others in the low $200s and even below, if you aren't looking for an ocean view or a short walk to Telegraph Hill.

For instance, this studio for $199k with views of the city, a swimming pool, community exercise room, and other amenities in Diamond Heights. Or, if you're willing to be a little farther from downtown, here's a one-family house for only $239,000.

Oh, I know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The condos with the low prices probably have high monthly homeowner's fees, the single family house probably is in need of TLC, and so on. But the fact remains, suddenly San Francisco is at least in the realm of possibility. And that helps get me through my winter blues.

And, since this is how I spent my afternoon, here are the Mamas and Papas singing "California Dreaming."

Blizzard of 2010

2010-12-27T13:38:00.003-05:00

Well, for once the predictions of a real blizzard came true. Usually they start with the dire predictions and then it turns out to be a bust. This time they went in the opposite direction. First they said the storm would probably miss us and be out to sea. The next thing we knew they were saying 11 to 16 inches of snow and then they upped it to 18-24!

I think we got closer to 24 inches than 18. I'm posting a link to our local placeblog, Baristanet, which features a lovely slide show of the conditions in our northern New Jersey area.

And here are a few pictures of my own. Enjoy the snow, everyone!

Merry Christmas and a belated Happy Chanukah, Festive Festivus and Whatever Else You Celebrate

2010-12-24T13:20:00.004-05:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Jon Stewart

www.colbertnation.com

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March to Keep Fear Alive

For your viewing enjoyment, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart sing a holiday duet for you. May all you who celebrate Christmas have a lovely Christmas Eve, a Merry Christmas Day and a wonderful weekend of fun, festivities and family get-togethers. And everyone else enjoy their weekend and time off!

The Democrats Finally Get It Done!

2010-12-18T16:07:00.007-05:00

After all the compromising on other issues, the Democrats have finally passed legislation to end the Armed Forces policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." By a vote of 65 to 31, including eight Republicans, the up or down vote passed the Senate and will go to President Obama's desk for his signature.

Finally, an important promise made during his campaign has been kept by President Obama, righting the wrong that was done back under the Clinton Administration that forced gays and lesbians in the services to hide who they are.

For anyone who once respected Senator John McCain, I think his opposition to repealing DADT will be the final straw; his reinvention as a right wing idealogue is complete. From the article linked above:

"Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and his party’s presidential candidate in 2008, led the opposition to the repeal and said the vote was a sad day in history. 'I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage,' Mr. McCain said. 'And we could possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said, and as I have been told by literally thousands of members of the military, harm the battle effectiveness vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.'"

Needless to say, some day people will look back on that comment and note the absurdity of it, especially since gay and lesbian service members have already been serving honorably in the armed forces all along, side by side with their heterosexual comrades in arms.

Even Joe Lieberman was on the right side of history, voting to repeal the act, and saying:

"'We righted a wrong,' said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut who led the effort to end the ban. 'Today we’ve done justice.'"

Of course, the day wasn't all good - the DREAM Act that would have allowed young immigrants to gain a path to citizenship by joining the armed forces or attending college for two years, among other stipulations, was voted down. Despite passing by a majority (55-41), it lacked the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Something has to be done about the ability of opposition parties to filibuster just by saying they will. But that is a problem for another day.

Today is a day to rejoice.

A Cat's Eye View

2010-11-26T14:58:00.003-05:00

Baxter here. Yes, I know. I've been Gone a Long Time. Not MY idea, let me tell You. My Humans have been in the Dumps for the past three weeks what with the Election Results and all. Plus they've been taking that Little Cat and That Dog up to their Cabin for the weekends and leaving Me here Alone. I have been Annoyed for weeks now with this Behavior. So I've been taking it out on Them by leaving Turds on the Carpet in the Foyer. I intend to keep Doing This until they Get the Message and stop all this Traveling. I don't mind it once in awhile but This is Ridiculous.

OK, so here I am, and High Time it is. I too am Disgusted with the Midterm Election Results but that isn't going to stop Me from Blogging. All the more Reason to be Involved, I say. I know my Female Human had hoped that the Rally to Restore Sanity might actually inspire Younger People to get out to the Polls on Election Day. Unfortunately it apparently didn't, since more stayed Home and didn't vote compared to 2008. However, those Younger People who did vote, still tended to vote Democratic, so that was still Encouraging.

In Fact, Democrats in General didn't turn out at the Rate one would have hoped, resulting in the "Shellacking" that Democrats received in the Election. Everyone has a Story as to Why this happened. But you know what? I don't care. To Me it just shows that that apparently most Humans are Stupid and have the Attention Span of a Gnat. Economy not fixed in less than Two Years? OMG, Massive Fail! Let's vote out the Democrats! Puh-leeze, it took eight years to get INTO this Mess; Ceiling Cat Himself couldn't have fixed it in two.

So now instead of the BiPartisanship and Kumbya spirit Touted at the Rally to Restore Sanity - or even a Return to Real Values that maybe the folks who showed up at Glenn Beck's rally may have Wanted - we get Two More Years of Total Gridlock in Washington. This isn't really what the Humans were voting for on November 2nd, in My Opinion. It's going to be like a couple of Tomcats sitting in opposite corners of the Yard caterwauling at each other for the next Two Years. And then who knows? The Humans may throw all those New Guys out too. You live by the Revolt, you die by the Revolt.

Of course, it would be Nice if President Obama finally realized the Republicans will NOT work with him come Hell or High Water, and finally started just Doing Stuff because it's Right instead of watering Everything Down to make the GOP happy - since it didn't Work anyway. Hey, President Obama: When you have a Senate Minority Leader saying Out Loud that his main purpose is to make you a one-term President, doesn't that give you a Hint that maybe it won't help to try to Compromise with his Party?

I mean, I'm as BiPartisan a Cat as you can find; I try to look for Middle Ground with other Cats - but I do draw the Line at Dogs unless they are willing to Meet Me Halfway.

On Other Subjects, it is Almost Winter, and as an Indoor Cat, it really doesn't bother Me at all. But the Humans are acting Dejected. Soon they won't be able to go up to That Cabin they go to. I'll be Happy but Little Cat will probably not be. She'll have to share the house with Me for the next few months with no Breaks. But so far we are getting along a Bit Better. She minds her Business and I mind Mine, and That Dog has been pretty much keeping out of our Hair altogether. I think Little Cat has cowed her and she's more Respectful to Me these days. Guess Little Cat wasn't that bad an Addition to the Family after all.

So, that Holiday the Humans call Thanksgiving was yesterday, and as Usual they had that Cooked Bird they make in the Oven. My Humans don't use the Oven much so I always know it's some kind of Holiday when they turn it on. At least when they're not heating up Pizza.

I had a few Scraps of Turkey but I'm really not big on Human Food. Little Cat enjoyed hers, as did That Dog.

Next I think comes that other Holiday where they put a Tree up in the House. I've never quite Understood this but it Smells Nice for awhile until it dries out.

Of course Today is what is known as Black Friday to the Retailers. I Personally have never understood why Anyone would purposely go to a Mall or other Large Store on a day when EVERYONE ELSE would Be There. Of course, I am a Private type of Cat and prefer having a Lot of Personal Space. But my Humans agree with Me on this. In fact, my Female Human has done all her Holiday Shopping On-Line for at least the last 10 years.

So, in the Meantime since Nobody here is Shopping, I thought I'd try to find some Bits of News that you might like to Know About that have nothing to do with Politics. Let's face it, we're all kind of Burned Out now, and it is only going to get Worse as the 2012 Election approaches. Right now I have No Idea who'll be running for the Republican nomination, except the possibility of Sarah Palin. Makes my Fur Twitch to even think about it.

So...other News.

Of course you are All aware of the Big Furor over the new TSA Scanning and Pat-Downs at the airports. Humans everywhere are talking about what an Intrusive thing this is and how it is tantamount to being Felt Up or Violated by the TSA. Well, now there is a Solution! The wonders of American Capitalism at work. Yes, it's Underwear with "Fig Leaves" to cover the Important Parts. (Actually for Women it's Clasped Hands over those Parts - strange, to Me. Why not Fig Leaves for Everyone?). It also makes Me wonder, if it can cover your Parts, can't this same Material cover the Plastic Explosives? It would seem that having this Underwear on would just make You subject to one of those Feeling Up Pat-Downs You don't want to have either.

Anything to do with Private Parts always bothers Humans. Apparently down in Australia they are having a Big To-Do because of some Art depicting Humans with the Heads of Dogs. It wouldn't be That Big a Deal since the Dog-Humans aren't doing anything Obscene, but apparently they are Naked and since Humans have no Fur their, um, Parts are showing. Check out the Link for more Info.

As for News in the Animal World, out in San Jose, California a Family got featured on the TV Show "Hoarders" for having so many Rats that they were Tearing Apart the House. Afterwards the Humane Society rescued 1000 of the Critters and they are now Available for Adoption. Oh come on, just let Me, Little Cat and That Dog at them. We'd make Short Work of them and there would be no further Rat problem in San Jose!

In a Report that hits - ahem - Rather Close to Home, a recent Study reports that not just Humans, but also Animals that live near them, are getting Fatter. This even applies to Lab Rats, whose Diets are Controlled and have not Changed much over Time. There are several Hypotheses as to Why. Scientists think it could be Pathogens, Hormones or even Temperature that is causing it. Maybe my Humans are keeping the House warmer these days. Or perhaps Global Warming is making us Fat? Either way I'm relieved of Any Responsibility since my Humans control the Food I eat and the Temperature! (For those that don't know, I am a Bit Overweight Myself - 22.5 lbs. last time I went to that Vet Office).

So that's All for Now. I hope you All had a Wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the Long Weekend. Stock up on your Catnip to get you through the Holidays and I'll be Back Soon.

The Rally to Restore Sanity - What Did It Mean?

2010-11-01T18:54:00.027-04:00

Now that I've had a day to think about the meaning of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, it's time for a summary of my experience there.

We went to Washington DC with very good friends of ours, who were kind enough to drive. We had booked our hotel about a month earlier not long after the rally was announced, and found some inexpensive hotel rooms at a very pleasant Holiday Inn near Old Town Alexandria, VA. That turned out to be a great decision, since downtown Washington would have been a complete zoo. We were a 20-minute Metro ride from the rally, and since we were so far out we had no problem getting comfortable seats before the crowds started piling on.

The excitement mounted as we approached the National Mall. We were surrounded by others who were also obviously heading for the rally; many wore T-shirts and other "Rally to Restore Sanity" or "Fear" paraphernalia. We arrived at the National Mall a little before 10 a.m. and walked along, heading toward the direction of the stage,taking pictures of signs that we thought were noteworthy, and finally realized we'd reached a spot as close as we could get; the front section was already packed with people and was closed off. We eventually ensconced ourselves in front of a Jumbotron, behind a crowd control gate. As it turned out, this was an excellent decision, since later arriving attendees were so far back they weren't even close to a Jumbotron and had trouble hearing any of the performances, let alone seeing them.

So, what was it all about? It was a combination of musical acts (The Roots, Sheryl Crowe, John Legend, Kid Rock, Ozzie Osborne, Yusuf - formerly Cat Stevens in his previous life, the O'Jays, Mavis Staples), Daily Show/Colbert type skits (Fear vs. Sanity) and more. The crowd was warmed up by the music of The Roots, then by the guys from Discovery Channel's show "Mythbusters", who got the crowd to do a "wave" from front to back, then from both ends of the crowd. They also had everyone jump and land at once to see if it caused a seismograph to register the impact as a slight earthquake (it did; very slight, like a 35 mph crash of a car into a wall).

There were a number of points made in the course of all this. I sent an update to our local "placeblog," Baristanet.com, where they kindly published my comments. Here is what I had said about the rally:

"The rally seemed to attract a truly like-minded crowd full of people who really did feel as if things have gone way too far beyond insane in politics. Jon Stewart’s main message, based on his final speech, was that the 24/7, all-hype all the time, news media is doing us a disservice; that most Americans are willing and able to compromise in order to get things done. He used the example of a stream of traffic gradually narrowing down to one lane to get through a tunnel – no matter what their beliefs, they are all just trying to get to their jobs and get things done, and they are able to give a little in order to get a little.

A lot of great points were made – that just because people of Muslim descent happened to be the terrorists who blew up the Towers, doesn’t mean all Muslims are terrorists. That individuals should be considered, not groups.

The guest stars were all great, the music was too. It was a huge crowd. I’ve never gone to something like this before, so can’t judge, but it sure looked as if an immense number of people attended this rally. There were people for peace, people for irony, people who were pro-Democrat, people who were pro-nonpartisan. It was all good. Everyone was polite and no one littered as far as I could see (a special request from Jon Stewart). We were thrilled to see and hear the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens (now called Yusuf) sing “Peace Train.” There were a lot of amazing musical acts and the crowd enjoyed it all."

At the end, when Jon Stewart got serious, it was very inspiring. I know this was not a Martin Luther King moment or anything like that; don't get me wrong. Jon Stewart is a comedian, I know all that. But he was serious about this. And he said it so well. This article describes the effect of the speech better than I could. If you haven't heard the speech yet, please click on it below:

I know, I know, you want pictures. So here are the ones I took:

Yes, I admit, between the Christine O'Donnell ones and stuff like this one below, not all the signs were nonpartisan. But the majority of the ones I saw were in the spirit of the rally.
This sign said "Pray God is on EVERYONE's side!"
Then there were silly ones like this....
These twin Obama signs listing his accomplishments were held by two red-headed twins, who unfortunately walked by too fast for me to get the full effect.

Many signs referenced the origins of the sign-holders. They came from all over the country.

One of the Jumbotrons showing videos from the shows leading up to the rally before the rally actually began.
Loved this one. I know it's hostile and not in the spirit of the rally, but it was good nevertheless.

People of all ages were there, from kids up to seniors who were probably at the 1963 MLK march.
Also Canadians.

Below is my friend's daughter with her ironic handmade sign (we found cardboard and a Sharpie at the event for her to make a sign). It says "Notice. This is a really bad notice. Thank you for noticing this notice. Your notice will be noticed.* *This asterisk means nothing, Mr. Ates." Mr. Ates is her history teacher. Don't ask me what it all means but she was proud of it.
It also came in handy when our feet got tired, as we were able to sit on it instead of on the damp grass.

This is her dad holding up the shirt he bought on the way in to the rally, which shows a picture of Bush and says "I screwed you all, but thanks for blaming it on the black guy."
Crowds on the steps of what may be the National Gallery of Art (or possibly the Museum of Natural History), taken as we were leaving.

Leaving the Mall at the end of the event was not an easy task. The crowds were packed tightly and moved slowly; yet everyone was polite and in a good mood. Then once we finally made it to the Metro, it was even worse - people were packed in like sardines. Again, everyone was still patient and pleasant. We finally got on a train back to Alexandria, arrived at our hotel, and settled in to the bar for a couple of drinks and nachos, followed by dinner in the hotel. We had hoped to go into Old Alexandria for dinner but couldn't face walking another step.

Naturally, since the rally, there have been hundreds of articles written, blog posts posted, and discussion about the event.

Keith Olbermann was not happy that Jon Stewart showed clips of him as well as Fox News pundits, as an example of extremism. He says, with some justification, that it really is a false equivalent to compare his show to, say, Glenn Beck's. His contention is that he reports on actual facts, not made-up stories, and adds emotion to them, which is not the same as the kind of fear-mongering done over at Fox. However, he has announced that he will suspend the "Worst Persons in the World" segment of his show and replace it with something that is less over the top. If you click on the link it also includes a video clip of his comments.

Rachel Maddow also weighed in on the rally. In her show, she concluded with praise for Stewart, saying (paraphrased slightly since I couldn't find an exact transcript):

"I have two things to say about Jon Stewart's speech: Number 1: Bravo. And Number 2: Bravo. I'm a small l and capital L liberal and that 'you go, I go, you go, I go' principle, I believe it and I am really happy that in my country over 200,000 people turned out to cheer that. No joke."

Now, I know a lot of liberals are unhappy that Jon Stewart skewered the Left along with the Right in his show. But I also know a lot of liberals who don't admit that there is some nasty extremism on both sides. Maybe Jon would have been better off showing a few clips like these, instead of Keith Olbermann or Ed Schultz:

Because, let's face it, a lot of us liberals don't like to think about the fact that there are nutjobs on both sides of the fence. "Oh no," we say. "We're not like THEM. Besides, we're right! Bush IS a serial killer - and a war criminal!" Well, yes, technically if you consider sending people to war as being a serial killer, he has killed a lot of people - indirectly. And yes, we shouldn't have gotten into that war in the first place. It's a complicated issue and yes, more should have been done to bring to justice people who committed atrocities on Iraqis. But no matter what, he's still NOT HITLER. Which is Jon's point. (Now Cheney...he comes a little closer, in my opinion....)

So let's see...what else has caused controversy? Oh yes, of course. Yusuf. The former Cat Stevens, turned Muslim 30+ years ago. Back in 1989 he seemed to agree with the fatwah against author Salmon Rushdie. He claims to have been taken out of context and misunderstood. From the abridged video clip on the internet it's really hard to tell what his intentions were in the British television show in which he participated. The full episode link cannot be found.

If you go to the Frequently asked questions section of his website you can get his responses to many of the controversies surrounding him. Personally I tend to believe in his sincerity. But you know what? It was over 20 years ago. Since he now says he did not believe that, even at the time, I have to take him at his word. And even if he did believe it at the time, his actions since then have been about peace and philanthropy. Funny how we can always forgive someone's foibles (the late Senator Robert Byrd's racism comes to mind) unless, of course, they are a Muslim.

Yusuf was one of the many Muslims who expressed their deepest sympathies and sorrow over the 9/11 attacks. He issued a press release, as follows:

"I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist attacks committed against innocent people of the United States yesterday. While it is still not clear who carried out the attack, it must be stated that no right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action: the Qur'an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity.

We pray for the families of all those who lost their lives in this unthinkable act of violence as well as all those injured; I hope to reflect the feelings of all Muslims and people around the world whose sympathies go out to the victims at this sorrowful moment."

He also performed an a capella rendition of "Peace Train" for the Concert for New York City in memory of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

From his other website, here are his comments on his participation in the rally:

"The show was a huge success. At a time when battle clouds are gathering and the country is bracing itself for another dangerous political showdown, about one hundred and fifty thousand ‘sanity seekers’ converged on the Capital and enjoyed a blissfully sunny, bright and funny Autumn afternoon on the lawn.

This event may not change the world, or the destiny of the elections, but it was great reminder of the peaceful hopes of many, to rise up and re-state their ardent wish for more sanity and less fear. Glad I was there."

So, given his controversial past, why did Jon Stewart choose to have Yusuf at the rally? Personally I think that he was part of the point Jon Stewart was trying to make; that we all have different beliefs and yet we manage to get along during our daily lives.

And besides, he needed him to sing "Peace Train," so Ozzie Osborne could interrupt with "Crazy Train," and then both be driven off the stage with the O'Jays singing "Love Train." It wouldn't have worked without the "Peace Train" part.

It was not the first time Yusuf has been involved with Stewart/Colbert. He appeared on Colbert's show in May of 2009.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Yusuf

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

March to Keep Fear Alive

I hope people who still can't forgive Yusuf for a controversy that is two decades old will not magnify his appearance all out of perspective and castigate Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for including him in the show. I can tell you, the attendees went nuts when he started singing "Peace Train" and actually booed when Colbert interrupted the song!

The main point Jon Stewart was making, besides toning down the rhetoric and trying to work together, was that we need our news to be news, not commentary. It seems as if there is nowhere to turn anymore for truly unbiased news - news where the reporters TRULY report, and let YOU decide, ironically copying the Fox News motto.

I have to say, even the New York Times, which I used to really feel was the "paper of record," has been disappointing me in this regard in the past several years. More and more, stories appearing on the front page that should be straight news reports, include a level of subjectivity and bias that is obvious. Sometimes they have articles labeled "news analysis," which is OK because at least it warns you that this is what you are reading. But more and more I'm seeing this tone in articles with no such labels.

Come on, Fourth Estate. You can do better. Let's get back to real news and stop telling us what it all means. Let US figure it out. And go vote accordingly.

Last, many people who weren't at the rally are commenting on blogs and other forums that this was a corporate sponsored event, that it wasn't grassroots, that the people who attended are just silly and didn't even know why they were there. I disagree. While Comedy Central and The Daily Show and Colbert Report initiated this rally, it took off beyond their wildest expectations. They only had a crowd permit for 60,000 people. They got almost 3 times that many. Many people I know through the progressive blogs and Facebook pages I read immediately decided to go - some made their reservations to fly the morning after the announcement of the rally. I was at that rally, I saw signs from people all over this country and from other countries as well. There were satellite rallies in other cities. Whatever Colbert and Stewart envisioned this rally to be (and I do think Stewart was completely sincere in his final speech, that he really does want to restore some semblance of sanity to this country), it succeeded beyond their expectations and tapped into something deep in the American psyche, especially among moderates and progressives.

No, it wasn't the Martin Luther King march for civil rights in 1963. But it was something important, and it sends a message to Congress - whoever may control it after today - that the American public is sick to death of what's been going on for the past - heck, 10 years. Thirty years? More?

Biggest message of all, which wasn't stated, but I think implied by holding the rally right before the election - GO VOTE FOR SOMEONE SANE TODAY.

Haiku Thursday - Autumn Leaves

2010-10-28T17:40:00.007-04:00

October Autumn
Means bright yellow leaves against
A royal blue sky

While red maple leaves
That turned rosy weeks sooner
Are quickly falling.

Some trees are now bare
Showing dark against the sky
Dramatically stark.

Some days are still warm
But you can smell the dead leaves
Wafting on the air.

Winter's not here - yet
But it's around the corner;
November looms close.

I'll be back next week to let you know how the Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear) goes. Hope the weather is good in DC!