Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm thinking I'm most thankful at the moment that the work week is over. LOL.
I'm also thankful for my family, their health, and a roof over my head. And I'm thankful there is hope of getting Bush out of the White House in 2004. ;)
Within the last year an ancient burial box was brought forth that had an inscription that suggested it belonged to Jesus' brother James. Then later one person's analyses suggested the box was real, but the inscription was a fake. Now there is a new theory that suggests the inscription may not be a fake. So the plot thickens.
What I find the most interesting, is the implication that Jesus really did have a brother James. The Catholic Church likes to ignore the possibility that Mary and Joseph had children, instead idealizing Mary as the Virgin Mary, as in always being a virgin.
If it wasn't bad enough that she had a child while a virgin (ouch), these guys want to envision her never having had earthly pleasures. They seem to overlook that she was human, even if she 'was born without sin.'
I like to consider alternative, more plausable scenarios, LOL.
Adding to the circus of Congress we also have the Medicare bill. You may or may not be aware that the bill upon initial vote did not pass the house. But with some arm twisting (3 hours worth!) and calls by President Bush to Republicans who had voted against the bill, the wretched bill was pushed through the House. Why is it so wretched? It is an attempt to privatize Medicare...and to do this, we the American taxpayers are going to pay these HMOs to take the Medicare patients.
As health economist Marilyn Moon said: "It is very ironic. . . . To increase participation in private plans, we are going to overpay them for the foreseeable future."
Yep, you got it. They (our government) drive the Medicare system to insolvancy and the GOP plan is to make you and I, the taxpayers, pay for it. Ain't that sweet?
I love how Democrats were the ones who always got accused by Republicans of adding pork to bills in Congress, yet now when the GOP holds control of both houses we see more pork than ever. What hypocrites...but then, what else is new?
Posted this elsewhere, but decided to repost it on my blog:
When was the last time you sent a handwritten letter to someone? In the age of email and before that the age of the typewriter and telephone, people got away from handwriting letters as a means of communication.
For me the last time I recall handwriting letters was in high school (in the late '80s) when I had three penpals, two in Germany and one in Denmark. If I were to look at those letters now, I'd probably laugh at the innocuous stuff I included--stuff only a teenager would be concerned about. Which music artists were hot, who had a new album, what was on TV, what was the latest style and as a girl--shopping!
Just recently I picked up my pen again and composed letters containing words of a much more serious nature. I joined a group of men a women who are writing letters to express our unhappiness in how George Bush is leading the US (my home) and to show our support for the Democratic candidate who we think can lead the US in a more positive direction, providing protection without governing using fear--that candidate is Howard Dean.
Without going into much detail about Howard Dean, I'm going to focus more on our writing efforts for this posting, since this is a MB focussed on writing. What I found interesting about this experience is, a group of people can get together, write their own letters about the same subject, yet each take a unique approach to the letter. Each of us read our letters aloud, and everyone felt their letter wasn't as good as another person's. Funny how self-doubt is rampant in the world. ;)
In all honestly, all the letters were wonderful as they expressed the hopes and fears of the author in their own personal way. These letters were addressed to individuals who are undecided democrat voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, states whose caucus/primary are the earliest and may even determine who will be the Democratic nominee who will go against Bush in the general election.
Why am I bringing this up? Two reasons. First, to mention that I am a "grassroots organizer" involved in the Dean campaign--my first political experience ever. (Some of you know this fact already, LOL.) Second to express the satisfaction and pleasure that one feels handwriting letters expressing ones feelings and thoughts, even if to a complete stranger. Typing an email doesn't have quite the same effect. You don't get to pick out pretty stationary. Your hand doesn't hurt the same way, writer's cramp vs. carpal tunnel, LOL. ;) You get the idea.
I guess I'm also bringing this up also because I know the importance of letter writing throughout the ages and I hate to see the art of letter writing be completely lost. "See U soon" and "Thx, u2", simple TXT and email messaging seem to be taking over the human consciousness. Those things are fine as long as we don't forget where we came from and don't forget to use longhand from time to time, especially for those messages that are important--to those we love and even complete strangers.
Letter writing may be more time consuming....but think about the joy you'd feel knowing someone took the time to handwrite you a letter. A timely thought with Christmas coming. ;)
Schnee
Grassroots Organizer -- Ask me about Howard Dean! :)
Ever since director Jon Cassar indicated at Lights Camera Auction in Toronto this October that Surnow/Cochran et al. were trying to get Roy Dupuis (Michael, La Femme Nikita) to appear on 24 this season, I've been wondering if Roy would agree to it.
Well, one of the LFN fans I know online swears she saw a glimpse of Roy in the promo for next week's episode. Now I'm gonna have to watch to see if he's really in the episode. Knowing Joel Surnow, he's going to give skant glimpses of Roy in the episodes throughout the season, just to tease the Roy Dupuis fans, LOL. He's certainly a prick enough to do it. But I'll forgive the prick if he actually gives Roy a meaty role to sink his teeth into. Either that or gives me lots of eye candy scenes, LOL.
Oh BTW...here you can buy Season 1 of LFN. Trust me, just buy it. And Season 2 will be available this summer. (Anything past the 4th episode of the 4th season isn't worth watching, but prior to that the show was great. ;) ) La Femme Nikita was ahead of it's time, created by the same folks that now bring you 24.
More than 2,500 casualties in Iraq. Some 2.5 million jobs lost. Nearly half a trillion dollars in federal budget deficits.
And George W. Bush could still be a solid bet to win reelection next year.
The day-to-day news about violence in Iraq and lingering economic worries at home obscure a fundamental reality about next year's election: Historically speaking, it should belong to President Bush. Since the presidential primary system became influential in 1952, an incumbent president has never lost a reelection bid if he did not face significant opposition in the primaries. --Washington Post
Oh please. The only reason McCain didn't run against him was because he is up for reelection in the Senate. And the sad thing is I think McCain could have made mincemeat out of Bush. Do you know how many times I'ves heard folks lament that if McCain were running they'd vote for him?
And on C-Span on Sunday, there were 3 Republican callers who said they were seeking more information on the Democratic candidates because they were so unhappy with Bush. All those fiscal conservatives are up in arms with what Bush is doing, ballooning the deficit.
The comparison of Bush to earlier Republican presidents is a flawed one. While those other presidents did represent the views of their base, Bush represents the radical right. By far, this country is one with moderate views.
It's been another Dean filled week. Watched the JJ Dinner on C-Span on Saturday, via the internet. Where the newspapers focussed on Hillary Clinton's presence, it was Dean who really commanded the attention, bringing 43 buses of supporters to rally around him.
Last night, I attended the late night Birthday Party for Dean, where Jesse Jackson, Jr. and other legislators/local leaders spoke of their support for Dean and wished him a a happy 55th birthday. The crowd was pretty pumped as Dean delivered another iteration of his stump speech. A Latino gentleman shouted out "Yes We Can!" in spanish at one point during the speech. Dean picked up on what the guy said and got everyone chanting the spanish phrase and then explained what was being said. At the end, Dean did the honors of making a wish (which he insisted we all knew what he was wishing for), blowing out the candle, and eagerly cutting his cake.
Today, one day after his birthday, Dean learned that his brothers remains may have been found in Laos. Charlie Dean was captured, held prisoner, and eventually killed in Laos almost 30 years ago. While I'm sure his family will find some closure to this painful experience, I'm sure the timing is strange in a way. Perhaps it is one door closing as another is opening. Things sometimes happen for a reason.
The final Dean event of the week to this point, was a group of us got together to write letters to undecided Iowa voters. And the week is not over yet. I'm certainly keeping busy. :)
The outside trim on my house needs to be painted. We did start to paint it over a month ago. But I've been too busy to call someone up to finish it. Part of the problem is I know some of the wood is going to need replacing. The question is, how much will need replacing? After paying for Tabitha's surgery and restitching, I don't have much extra cash.
Now with the bad winds last week, we lost a shutter off the house. It only broke a tiny piece off. (The shutters are plastic. Go figure.) But it is still sitting inside my house waiting for Brian to get a ladder so he can reattach it to the house. So the outside of the house looks odd at the moment, minus a shutter and partially painted.
Inside the house, I'd like to paint the kitchen. I'm still debating on the color. And whether to install a back splash behind my stove. I need to do something since we have a few grease stains on the wall. Yeah, the moronic person who painted the walls prior to us buying it, used a flat paint instead of a gloss or semi-gloss. Real rocket scientist.
I did send Brian out to buy some shelving units so that we can organize our storage area in the basement. (Yeah, I had to harp on him a few times before he went, LOL.) I'm pleased with the results...less clutter! Woohoo.
Little by little....
One of my dearest friends from college and her husband just welcomed a new baby into the world Wednesday. Rachel was almost 9 lbs! Lucky for Tiffany, she was delivered via C-section. I'm thrilled for them both and must say from the picture I saw, she looks just like her father. LOL.
This news story about an Italian base in Iraq being attacked by a suicide bomber demonstrates that the Fadayeen and/or al Qaida will target any foreign presence in Iraq, not just the American one. But what caught my eyes wasn't as much the story itself but this paragraph:
Italy has sent about 2,300 troops to help rebuild Iraq. About 340 Carabinieri are based in Nasiriyah, along with 110 Romanians. No Romanians were reported wounded in Wednesday's attack.
Okay, last I checked, Romanians are from Romania, not Italy. Romans are from Rome, Italy. *snicker*
This morning in my bulk mail folder I received an email from AmberAlertsOnline titled "MISSING: Braeden Wood - Amber Alert -". Almost looks legit when I look at the actual email. And it includes a way to suscribe to get these alerts as they are issued. But then I look at the from address which has a long numbered email address from the domain shysterbob.com. Shyster? Makes me very suspicious. I didn't find it at Snopes, but I did send it on to them.
When the US is at war, the meaning of Veterans day really hits home. Justified or not, war takes the lives of brave young men and women. Those that survive may have their physical wounds heal, but the emotional toll may be with them for the rest of their lives. And even those without physical wounds may have to deal with feelings of 'why them and not me?'
Our veterans have made huge sacrifices to serve our country. And in spite of my disgust with this administration and their war based on lies, I salute these brave young men and women who put their lives on the line as part of the US military. They are not superheroes with special powers, but everyday men and women who honor their country by serving the call to protect it. They are our heroes. :)
Somedays this blog is uncooperative. Today is one of those days. Thing keeps freezing up whenever I try to rebuild. Grrrr....
Not sure whether to blame my ISP or my host. *sigh*
I've been paying college student loans now for 7 years. Most of that time has been without incident. I received the lowest rates because I paid my account on time. However this year, Sallie Mae has become a nightmare. I guess with the low interest rates, they decided they needed to devise ways to make more money.
In July I received my payment book. In it I noticed my interest rates had gone up a point instead of down. I was like WTF! Then I received a notice that I owed about $14 that was past due. Again I was like WTF!
This was after receiving a notice that Sallie Mae had screwed up on everyone's loans and had been charging too low a minimum payment for their accounts for last year. I had been suspicious of the low amount and had been paying extra anyway.
It seems that Sallie Mae tried to fix this by sending out a set of three coupons with higher minimums around April to fix this problem. In April, I had moved, so I never received the coupons nor did I know of their existence.
Fast forward to July when I realize that they have screwed up. I call their customer service. I ask why my rate went up. The lady explains about the coupons etc. I explain that I never received them. She indicates that if I pay the $14, she will fix the account to have the lower interest rate.
Of course I have been busy and I didn't check up on this. I never can remember my password and have changed it every time I log in. Finally I remembered to check it this morning. And the rate is wrong. %$#@!
So I look for the toll free number. Turns out they don't accept calls on weekends. I decide to email them using their form. After I finish writing my letter, before I submit it, I read what they have written below the submit button:
" E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting your personal account information. Requests submitted here are not encrypted or protected in any form. If you choose to provide your personal account information, we will take that as your approval to respond by e-mail even if the response includes personal, account-specific information such as your Social Security Number."
Well considering their system automatically includes you acount number aka your SS#, then how can I be expected to email these fools if I risk my SS# in doing so?!?! How the fuck do they get away with still using people's SS# as account numbers, I honestly don't know.
I may have to wait until tomorrow to call them. I kept a copy of the letter I wrote in case I decide to snail mail them as well. *sigh*
The whole situation has me pissed. It's so tempting to go consolidate my loan with someone else. And if they don't get it right this time, I just might go do that. The only problem is I don't owe much more than $5000 at this point.
I have 3 more years to go on this loan. And just over 2 years on my car loan. I'll be soooo happy to have them both paid off. It'll be over $500 a month I'll have extra to spend! :)
I just need to get through this without strangling the customer service person on the other end of the phone tomorrow, LOL.
I'm in such a funk right now. Or more off kilter. Something's missing. Just not sure what. I think I need to find myself again. And I don't think looking in the white pages is gonna work. ;)
A nasty thunderstorm rolled through the area, spawning a tornado which tore off a few roofs off some townhouses in the area.
As the storm approached my workplace, the sky just turned black. Very ominous as the rain pulled in. The wind gusts hit 65mph and the rain came pouring down.
By the time it was over, all the leaves that had been left on the trees were now littering the grown along with some tree limbs. Quite a nasty storm, late in the season.
Are you aware of the issues surrounding the new touch screen voting machines? Here's a comprehensice article that discusses their flaws and some events of the 2002 elections that will make anyone nervous about the next presidential election. And the scariest thing is this stuff is fact, not fiction. I've recently read a few other articles on the topic, including this op-ed piece and this one from Wired.com which had me seriously considering whether our democractic elections are in jeopardy
What can you do to keep these questionable voting ptactices from becoming a reality in 2004 for the presidential election?...Write your elected officials and tell them your concerns.
Wired.com has a new article about Australia's open source e-voting that appears to work. That's more along the lines of what we need.