Left a carload at the thrift store in Manahawkin, then stopped at BJ's for a few things. Pat got up when I woke him at 11:30 and I was able to get him fed, dressed, and settled before I left for our lunch date.
We had a great time. Besides the birthday girl, Julie, and me, there was Iris, Mary, Mary Ann, and Mary Jo (yes, a preponderance of Marys). We ate at Deborah's Dream Cafe in the Tuckerton Emporium and oh, yum. I had a scrumptious crab cake sandwich and hot tea, but skipped dessert. Three of my companions regaled us with descriptions of their coming cruises and cross-country trips. They don't know how lucky they are...sigh.
Got home about 3:00 and did a wash, made a big salad and otherwise occupied myself.
Wider: In case anybody is still wondering how "neutral" the "news" is, take a look at this from "comcast.net." (I have to use the quote marks to emphasize the falsehood that Comcast has even a nodding acquaintance with "news," rather than propaganda.)
The story (as in fairy tale) with the headline "Obama Considering At Least 2 Iraq Withdrawal Plans" includes this gem:
"The fact that Obama did not immediately order his generals to begin withdrawing--as some might have expected, given his emphasis during the campaign on refocusing the U.S. military on Afghanistan--is evidence that he recognized even before assuming office the dangers of precipitous withdrawal."
What a crock! This is nothing but propaganda vomited out by the government, then swallowed and regurgitated by the journalistic whore who wrote it. That's a pretty disgusting image, but not nearly as disgusting as acting as apologist without even attempting to pretend otherwise for the lying warmongers who must have Comcast in their back pockets. There's no attribution here, such as "Biden said" or "according to sources," or even "it is believed." Instead, Obama is given a free pass to delay any withdrawal of the murderous gang in Iraq and people are led to believe the "danger" isn't just an opinion, but a solid fact.
But geez, this isn't even the most blatant example of the corruption of the "news." The only "news" I trust is on some the blogs I follow, and I don't automatically agree with everything or blindly assume their integrity, either.
But at least I know they're not whores.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
What a feeling of accomplishment! I spent several hours clearing out the closet in the guest room and moving the children's toys to the other side. My whole back seat is loaded with things I'm going to take down to the thrift store and the trash container is half filled with the precious artifacts I couldn't part with for years. I still have plenty of stuff, but this has galvanized me and I want to continue my clean-out, throw-out rampage before I lose my momentum.
Got a lovely note from darling Vivian, along with passport pictures of her, baby sister, Mommy, and Dad. Mike included two calendars, one from Singapore Air and the other from the Mandarin Oriental--both are unique and beautiful.
Today, four friends and I are taking Julie L. to lunch for her birthday. It will be tricky getting Pat up at 11:00, then settling him in by 12:30, but he agreed I can go. I made Julie a card, and composed a verse, each line of which starts with the first letter of her name. I used to do this a lot and it's a fun challenge, as it must scan correctly, too. This turned out pretty good, starting with
J oin in the celebration
U nder these balloons,
L et's all sing the birthday song,
I t's a merry tune.
E verybody sing out now...
And so on, through her last name.
Got a lovely note from darling Vivian, along with passport pictures of her, baby sister, Mommy, and Dad. Mike included two calendars, one from Singapore Air and the other from the Mandarin Oriental--both are unique and beautiful.
Today, four friends and I are taking Julie L. to lunch for her birthday. It will be tricky getting Pat up at 11:00, then settling him in by 12:30, but he agreed I can go. I made Julie a card, and composed a verse, each line of which starts with the first letter of her name. I used to do this a lot and it's a fun challenge, as it must scan correctly, too. This turned out pretty good, starting with
J oin in the celebration
U nder these balloons,
L et's all sing the birthday song,
I t's a merry tune.
E verybody sing out now...
And so on, through her last name.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Low-key, but not a bad day yesterday. P. and N. called on the web cam, always an enjoyable event. P. said he'll "clean up" my computer when he's here in six more days--yay!--and I have a few other electronic chores for him.
A wondrous occurrence: I glanced out the dining room window at about five o'clock and there, eating the few grains of overflow from the bird feeder, was Bambi's mother. She raised her head and we stared at each other for several seconds, then she bounded away across the back yard. What a nice surprise! And this morning, Susan and I saw a number of deer tracks in the snow across several lawns. Nice.
The acting workshop last night was absorbing. Under our director's--well, direction, we enlarged on our presentations and added to them. I'll have to miss next week if I go with Alison to the airport, and am sorry about that.
Wider: This, from Stan Warford, at Anti-War.Com, is mind-boggling:
"The suicide rate for Iraq war veterans is twice the rate of nonveterans. At the time of this writing, more Iraq veterans have died by taking their own lives than have been killed in battle."
The full article, though is not about suicide, but about "The Christian And War" from a talk faculty member Warford (unfortunate name!) presented at Pepperdine University. In it, he argues that true Christians may not participate in, or support war.
Mr. Warford brings up a question I've been pondering for years: How can those who call themselves religious--maybe especially Christians, who say they follow Jesus--either accept or actively promote war? That includes, of course, Catholics and fundamentalists who are so vehement about abortion ("murdering innocents"), yet seem okay with slaughtering children in other countries. I've never been able to understand that.
A wondrous occurrence: I glanced out the dining room window at about five o'clock and there, eating the few grains of overflow from the bird feeder, was Bambi's mother. She raised her head and we stared at each other for several seconds, then she bounded away across the back yard. What a nice surprise! And this morning, Susan and I saw a number of deer tracks in the snow across several lawns. Nice.
The acting workshop last night was absorbing. Under our director's--well, direction, we enlarged on our presentations and added to them. I'll have to miss next week if I go with Alison to the airport, and am sorry about that.
Wider: This, from Stan Warford, at Anti-War.Com, is mind-boggling:
"The suicide rate for Iraq war veterans is twice the rate of nonveterans. At the time of this writing, more Iraq veterans have died by taking their own lives than have been killed in battle."
The full article, though is not about suicide, but about "The Christian And War" from a talk faculty member Warford (unfortunate name!) presented at Pepperdine University. In it, he argues that true Christians may not participate in, or support war.
Mr. Warford brings up a question I've been pondering for years: How can those who call themselves religious--maybe especially Christians, who say they follow Jesus--either accept or actively promote war? That includes, of course, Catholics and fundamentalists who are so vehement about abortion ("murdering innocents"), yet seem okay with slaughtering children in other countries. I've never been able to understand that.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
We got about three inches of snow--I think. Luckily, it didn't start until after our walk and I stayed snug in the house the rest of the day. Doesn't look as if it stuck to the sidewalk or street, but I'll have to check.
I made rice pudding, as Pat likes it so much. Never made it before, but got the recipe off a blog called "Joy the baker" and had all the ingredients. It takes a lot of stirring over heat, but turned out pretty good, although a lot firmer than what you buy. Think I'll look for another recipe that seems "looser." Pat liked it, though, so it was a success. While I was cooking and stirring, had a long talk with sister Betty. All seems well on the left coast.
Wider: Quoted by Norman Solomon in his "Why Are We Still At War" on Anti-War.Com:
"Early on, the writer Joan Didion saw the blotting of the horizon and said so: 'We had seen, most importantly, the insistent use of Sept. 11 to justify the reconception of America's correct role in the world as one of initiating and waging virtually perpetual war.'
"There, in one sentence, an essayist and novelist had captured the essence of a historical moment that vast numbers of journalists had refused to recognize – or, at least, had refused to publicly acknowledge. Didion put to shame the array of self-important and widely lauded journalists at the likes of the New York Times, the Washington Post, PBS, and National Public Radio."
Yes--yes! That covers it, that's it, and we ignore that simple truth at our peril. But of course, "our peril" is inconsequential as long as we can foist peril onto others, always and forever.
And the following is just too delicious not to quote, considering what you might call the secular worship of our dear leader . From the blog "The Last Ditch":
"Attaching oneself to the cause of some pol — who, let's face it, is just a character on TV for 99 percent of voters — is a species of what I like to call "statish thinking." Try using a similar kind of cognition when doing business at Friendly Sam's Pre-owned Auto Paradise. You'll wind up helping Friendly Sam — with $10,000 of your money straining his pocket — push your newly purchased junker off the lot." [Nicholas Strakon]
Can't help but chuckle at that one.
I made rice pudding, as Pat likes it so much. Never made it before, but got the recipe off a blog called "Joy the baker" and had all the ingredients. It takes a lot of stirring over heat, but turned out pretty good, although a lot firmer than what you buy. Think I'll look for another recipe that seems "looser." Pat liked it, though, so it was a success. While I was cooking and stirring, had a long talk with sister Betty. All seems well on the left coast.
Wider: Quoted by Norman Solomon in his "Why Are We Still At War" on Anti-War.Com:
"Early on, the writer Joan Didion saw the blotting of the horizon and said so: 'We had seen, most importantly, the insistent use of Sept. 11 to justify the reconception of America's correct role in the world as one of initiating and waging virtually perpetual war.'
"There, in one sentence, an essayist and novelist had captured the essence of a historical moment that vast numbers of journalists had refused to recognize – or, at least, had refused to publicly acknowledge. Didion put to shame the array of self-important and widely lauded journalists at the likes of the New York Times, the Washington Post, PBS, and National Public Radio."
Yes--yes! That covers it, that's it, and we ignore that simple truth at our peril. But of course, "our peril" is inconsequential as long as we can foist peril onto others, always and forever.
And the following is just too delicious not to quote, considering what you might call the secular worship of our dear leader . From the blog "The Last Ditch":
"Attaching oneself to the cause of some pol — who, let's face it, is just a character on TV for 99 percent of voters — is a species of what I like to call "statish thinking." Try using a similar kind of cognition when doing business at Friendly Sam's Pre-owned Auto Paradise. You'll wind up helping Friendly Sam — with $10,000 of your money straining his pocket — push your newly purchased junker off the lot." [Nicholas Strakon]
Can't help but chuckle at that one.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Was able to get to Home Depot for the furnace filters, then stopped at BJ's. Found frozen chicken strips that I'm hoping Pat will like. Somebody was offering samples and they tasted great--very tender and moist.
Ray came over about 12:30, after calling first. He stayed 45 minutes or so, chatting with Pat at the kitchen table. I'm sure he thought Pat was finishing lunch, but it was actually breakfast. He brought Pat a lottery ticket, good for five thou. Well, good if you win, that is, which he didn't. Pat enjoyed his visit. however. Ray is a neat guy.
I really dislike Comcast's latest e-mail "improvements." It takes more "clicks" to get to the inbox and it's much more laborious to delete messages, unless I'm missing something. Similarly to the much-publicized change to digital T.V., it's more complicated, it takes longer, and there seems to be no reason for the change except to benefit the corporation. (So what else is new?)
Wider: There's a very long article by Chalmers Johnson about the stupendous and crippling over-spending by the Department of "Defense" (read "War" or "Aggression") and how it got that way. It's mind-boggling and needs to be read:
http://www.tomdispatch.com/
Ray came over about 12:30, after calling first. He stayed 45 minutes or so, chatting with Pat at the kitchen table. I'm sure he thought Pat was finishing lunch, but it was actually breakfast. He brought Pat a lottery ticket, good for five thou. Well, good if you win, that is, which he didn't. Pat enjoyed his visit. however. Ray is a neat guy.
I really dislike Comcast's latest e-mail "improvements." It takes more "clicks" to get to the inbox and it's much more laborious to delete messages, unless I'm missing something. Similarly to the much-publicized change to digital T.V., it's more complicated, it takes longer, and there seems to be no reason for the change except to benefit the corporation. (So what else is new?)
Wider: There's a very long article by Chalmers Johnson about the stupendous and crippling over-spending by the Department of "Defense" (read "War" or "Aggression") and how it got that way. It's mind-boggling and needs to be read:
http://www.tomdispatch.com/
Monday, February 02, 2009
Better yesterday, not because of any particular change in activities, but because it was so balmy out. Must have been in the high sixties, and sunny. The weather always affects my mood; I hate dark, overcast skies and love intense sun. Goes to show how primitive my persona actually is, I guess.
Got a call from Ray and Barb, who insisted on cutting us big hunks of sub, as we won't be at their Super Bowl party. Walked down there and became melancholy remembering what fun we used to have at their gatherings. Took two big slices only to hear from Pat, "I hate subs." How could I have forgotten? Made him soup and tuna sandwich for casual, Super Bowl dinner. Sat down with him to watch the game with meatless, non-Oriental kind of stir fry with "crumbles," asparagus, tomatoes, and mushrooms--very tasty. However, before the kickoff, got Ellen's weekly call, got back to her her on the web cam, and we had a good long talk.
Coming out of my slump.
Wider: The following, by David Cay Johnston, is quoted in "A Tiny Revolution." It's mind-boggling.
"From 1950 to 1970, for example, for every additional dollar earned by the bottom 90 percent, those in the top 0.01 percent earned an additional $162, according to the Times analysis. From 1990 to 2002, for every extra dollar earned by those in the bottom 90 percent, each taxpayer at the top brought in an extra $18,000."
I can barely understand that. Being a mathmatical illiterate, I'm trying to figure out if it means the ultra-rich are EIGHTEEN THOUSAND TIMES richer than the poor. If so, how is that possible? Incredible.
Got a call from Ray and Barb, who insisted on cutting us big hunks of sub, as we won't be at their Super Bowl party. Walked down there and became melancholy remembering what fun we used to have at their gatherings. Took two big slices only to hear from Pat, "I hate subs." How could I have forgotten? Made him soup and tuna sandwich for casual, Super Bowl dinner. Sat down with him to watch the game with meatless, non-Oriental kind of stir fry with "crumbles," asparagus, tomatoes, and mushrooms--very tasty. However, before the kickoff, got Ellen's weekly call, got back to her her on the web cam, and we had a good long talk.
Coming out of my slump.
Wider: The following, by David Cay Johnston, is quoted in "A Tiny Revolution." It's mind-boggling.
"From 1950 to 1970, for example, for every additional dollar earned by the bottom 90 percent, those in the top 0.01 percent earned an additional $162, according to the Times analysis. From 1990 to 2002, for every extra dollar earned by those in the bottom 90 percent, each taxpayer at the top brought in an extra $18,000."
I can barely understand that. Being a mathmatical illiterate, I'm trying to figure out if it means the ultra-rich are EIGHTEEN THOUSAND TIMES richer than the poor. If so, how is that possible? Incredible.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
High point of Saturday was Dennis calling to remind me to get a new filter for the furnace so he can install it. Otherwise, just nothing going on. Very bored. Anxious for spring.
Wider: "Truthdig" has a very provocative article by Robert Fisk called "When Did We Stop Caring About Civilian Deaths?" He writes:
"I wonder if we are “normalising” war. It’s not just that Israel has yet again got away with the killing of hundreds of children in Gaza...we seem to have lost the sense of immorality that should accompany conflict and violence. The BBC’s refusal to handle an advertisement for Palestinian aid was highly instructive. It was the BBC’s “impartiality” that might be called into question. In other words, the protection of an institution was more important than the lives of children. War was a spectator sport whose careful monitoring – rather like a football match, even though the Middle East is a bloody tragedy – assumed precedence over human suffering."
But see the whole article at http://www.truthdig.com/
Wider: "Truthdig" has a very provocative article by Robert Fisk called "When Did We Stop Caring About Civilian Deaths?" He writes:
"I wonder if we are “normalising” war. It’s not just that Israel has yet again got away with the killing of hundreds of children in Gaza...we seem to have lost the sense of immorality that should accompany conflict and violence. The BBC’s refusal to handle an advertisement for Palestinian aid was highly instructive. It was the BBC’s “impartiality” that might be called into question. In other words, the protection of an institution was more important than the lives of children. War was a spectator sport whose careful monitoring – rather like a football match, even though the Middle East is a bloody tragedy – assumed precedence over human suffering."
But see the whole article at http://www.truthdig.com/
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