Scrubbed the kitchen floor, went to B.J.'s and Shop-Rite (again) to pick up a few more things for Tuesday. Think I'll made an apple crisp for dessert. Talked to sister Betty, brother Larry, Mike and his adorable little girls (Violet said, "Hi!"), and my adorable little girl, Ellen.
Funny family story: My cousin, John, who's into genealogy, researches often at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Philadelphia, where a lot of our ancestors are buried. He discovered that a cousin of my father's (and his father's, as they were brothers), was killed during WW II and was interred there in 1948. What's incredible is that, according to cemetery records, THE HAND of somebody named Edward Werner is buried in the same plot! Why? Who is Edward Werner? What were the circumstances of the hand loss? To add to the mystery, it seems the Werners (there's a Frederick C., also) and several members of the Byrne family all lived at the same address in Philadelphia. Intriguing, no?
WIDER (Since Blogspot won't let me use the bold key anymore, I'll just put it in caps.) The NYTimes (sorry, it won't let me use italics, either) carried some interesting stories today. One was on the troubles of families who are drowning in medical debt. A young couple with a baby, for instance, may be forced declare bankruptcy and lose their home; they suffered injuries simultaneously. Get this: they pay $840 a month--that's more than $10,000 a year--for health insurance AND have a $4000 deductible! Insanity.
Second story: The O.'s had a fancy state dinner for the Indian head of state. Some of the guests--gussied up and showing all their teeth, of course--were pictured and they included Katie Couric. I don't know how many other "news" anchors were there--or regularly attend these affairs--but wouldn't be surprised if there were plenty.
My point? When members of the mainstream media rub reverent elbows with scum-of-the-earth politicians at dinner parties and other social events, how likely is it that they're going to demand answers to the really important questions? No, I don't mean what papers Sarah Palin reads, that's not important. I mean things like, "Do you have any idea of the number of children killed and maimed because of your decisions, Mr. President?" Or, "Senator, what percentage of your income is from the health care industry?"
May they choke on the foie gras.