Summer Reading

The NY Times has a new column out that is sure to get the attention of all you parents and it's not one of those scary-themed write-ups bemoaning the lack of jobs in health care while they push taxpayers to mortgage their kids' and grandkids' futures...

This one is by Nicholas Kristof and it is actually, legimately, for the children! It's a fun one called The Best Kids' Books Ever. Being someone who has probably read more than an elementary school's share of children's books both when I was a child myself and since I've become a mother to my 4 girls I was immediately drawn to title and dutifully armed with my own opinions about what should be on the list.

Most of the titles were familiar,... out of the 13 I've read 8. It's a good list with solid titles for older kids who are onto chapter books. I was surprised that a few popular favorites were missing from this category: The Cricket in Times Square, The Little House on the Prairie, Runaway Ralph, A Bridge to Terabithia, Alice in Wonderland, The Lord of the Rings...

If you have younger kids who like their pictures in addition to a fine & fun story, we also love Petite Rouge, Little Pea, Cowboy & Octopus, Skippy Jon Jones and A Story for Bear.

Breakfast version 2.0

Photo credit: Jonas T.

Is that crazy-delicious looking or what? So sinful, it should be... dessert.

Recently I tuned into a new show on Food Network called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". I was immediately intrigued - especially with the bacon and BBQ episodes - and then disappointed when I learned that to try any of the amazing foods the hosts were reminiscing about through oodles of drool that I'd have to travel and not just print out a recipe.

I took one look at the Apple Maple Bacon donut (*above*) sold by Dynamo Donuts in the City on the Bay, San Francisco and knew that one day I'd be there to partake of that glazed goodness. Of course, I'd have to keep some diet pills close by to remind me not to buy, and eat, an entire dozen but I think I deserve to eat just one. And so do you!

Free Speech for me... not for thee

Shh. You might teach the children something they'd otherwise never learn in school. Truth.

Seventh Grader Sues School Over Right to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirt:

Anna Amador has gone to court on behalf of her daughter, who she says was ordered by her principal to change her shirt on "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." The shirt the girl was wearing displays two graphic pictures of a fetus growing in the womb.

The incident occurred in April 2008 at McSwain Elementary School, a K-8 school in Merced, Calif. Amador alleges in her legal complaint that school Principal Terrie Rohrer, Assistant Principal C.W. Smith and office clerk Martha Hernandez mistreated her daughter and denied the girl her First Amendment rights when they ordered her to leave the cafeteria and change her shirt.

"Before Plaintiff could eat [breakfast] she was ordered by a school staff member to throw her food out and report immediately to Defendant Smith's office, located in the main office of McSwain Elementary School," the complaint reads.

"Upon arriving at the main office, Defendant Hernandez, intentionally and without Plaintiff's consent, grabbed Plaintiff's arm and forcibly escorted her toward Smith's office, at all times maintaining a vice-like grip on Plaintiff's arm. Hernandez only released Plaintiff's arm after physically locating her in front of Smith and Defendant Rohrer...

"Smith and Rohrer ordered Plaintiff to remove her pro-life T-shirt and instructed Plaintiff to never wear her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Elementary School ever again...

"Completely humiliated and held out for ridicule, Plaintiff complied with Defendants' directives and removed her pro-life T-shirt, whereupon, Defendants seized and confiscated it. Defendants did not return Plaintiff's property until the end of the school day."

Two graphic pictures? I'd counter those are two images direct from Life Magazine's spread on ... Life. But we all know the real reason they don't want the girl wearing that shirt: The other kids in the elementary school might learn a thing or two about the truth of that "unviable mass of tissue" and realize what abortion really is, and what it really does. The fight will go on to the Supreme Court, but the school has technically won, for now. They got what they wanted - the girl humiliated & the shirt temporarily banned. By the time this hits the high court, she won't even be a student there any longer.

Kudos to the student and her mom for standing and fighting for their rights - and the rights of all of us. If I could, I'd reward them with one of those incredibly relaxing Orlando vacations for fighting the good fight.

A wink and a nod

Caption:

Masahiro Tomiyama, a staff member of Sunshine City International Aquarium, holds baby fennecs, who were born in mid-May, in Tokyo, Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Aquarium? Okay... well, whatever these are, I want one.

Uncensored

I can't get my political news fix today. Apparently the only thing happening in the world is MJ's funeral out in California. That bankrupt state is forking out $2 million taxpayer dollars for the event. They can make money out of thin air but not water for the farmers apparently. I wonder if the memorial created any jobs for the over 11% unemployed out there?

I'm just wondering: Did everyone forget that this was a grown man who admitted on television that he enjoyed having young boys sleeping in his bed? And that he recommended it to everyone? If this was a non-celebrity you can bet he would have been castigated & shunned... certainly not celebrated in word, song and dollar as MJ is today.

And people like Al "Double Standard" Sharpton are out there acting as if there is some sort of double standard in how MJ is being talked about now that he is dead. What? The man's name is worth something like half a billion dollars. What double standard, Al?

When Elvis (who MJ is compared to frequently) died we found out about his drug & alcohol use & abuse, his gluttony and his marital problems. What's different? If only these two had gone to drug rehab they might have survived a little longer. No one person is emotionally equipped to survive the level of fame and celebrity and success that MJ amassed in his life. It's no wonder he had so many personal problems and resorted to drugs. If only the people close to him stopped enabling him and helped him with his demons, he might've incorporated some healthy living methods into his lifestyle and would still be here today as a father to his 3 children.

Shock & Awe: Alaskan Style

Fireworks've come early to Alaska! America's best-known governor Sarah Palin today shocked & awed talking heads everywhere when she announced she would be resigning her position as Governor in just a few weeks:

Palin, regarded as a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, made the announcement from from the backyard of her home on the shore of Lake Lucille in Wasilla.

The governor emphasized she has been the target of 15 ethics complaints -- all dismissed -- at a cost of $2 million to the state and some $500,000 to her family.

"It has all been pretty insane," she said.

"And the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime."

Sirius' Patriot channel played what was probably most of the Governor's statement. Various foes of Governor Palin's are already accusing her of resigning due to some unforeseen/upcoming scandal or health issue, while others speculate she may be readying herself for a run for the Presidency.

I'm wondering if this is a move not just to remove herself from the line of fire and the Alaskan taxpayers' burdens but to make the most of the private coffers who are sure to offer her untold dollars in speaking fees... all which can be used to cover the nearly 1/2 a million dollar pricetab her legal defense has amassed. MSNBC has shot its own load over the beltway, declaring Mrs Palin to be "out of politics for good." Wishful thinking mayhaps? Never has a vice presidential candidate been more maligned, ridiculed, scorned... or feared.

Sez the Governor herself? From Twitter:

We'll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election... this is in Alaska's best interest, my family's happy... it is good, stay tuned

On again, off again

Image courtesy: First Friday Collective

I'm starting to wonder, as you might be, if this blog's focus is going to the bugs!

Less than a week after our 6 yr old was finishing up her Lyme disease antibiotics and on the day of our oldest's high school graduation, my husband started showing signs of a flu or Lyme disease too. I know, I know, it isn't contagious, but we live in the woods so it may as well be. Sure enough by the time we got the tests back confirmed they thought he had meningitis it was so bad. He started his medications and a week later I found another tick on my own leg. I'm in limbo waiting for symptoms or for enough time to have passed before it will show up on any blood test. Not a lot to look forward to when you're simultaneously nursing a baby!

With all the talk in the news about health care and the President's plan, I can't help but wonder if we will still be able to choose our own health insurance and purchase insurance online like we can now. We keep getting different answers from the media and the administration: yes you'll be able to keep your own plan, no you won't be able to, you might be able to under certain circumstances, etc etc. I'm not looking forward to whatever they have cooked up. I can't imagine my children having to wait 6-8 weeks for a dr's appointment so we can get the ball rolling for Lyme disease tests. All the horror stories about socialized medicine and having to wait months for what we have here --
have we all taken our health care for granted here in America?

More Good News!

Image courtesy of an Artist's rendering for AFP.

Earth and Venus May Collide:

A force known as orbital chaos may cause our solar system to go haywire, leading to a possible collision between earth and Venus or Mars, according to a study released on Wednesday.

The good news is that the likelihood of such a smash-up is small, around one-in-2500.

And even if the planets did careen into one another, it would not happen before another 3.5 billion years.

Indeed, there is a 99 per cent chance that the sun's posse of planets will continue to circle in an orderly pattern throughout the expected life span of our life-giving star, another five billion years, the study found.

After that, the sun will likely expand into a red giant, engulfing earth and its other inner planets - Mercury, Venus and Mars - in the process.

Astronomers and meterologists are all so cheery lately, aren't they? Of course we'll all be dead due to natural causes before any of their predictions gambles come 'round for payment, so what's the point of any of this?

le jeu de la désinformation

I guess "we have found no evidence of terrorism" doesn't translate to the French language. Or they just have a different way of doing things over there: like confronting possible ISLAMIC terrorism head-on.

Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on the Air France flight which crashed with the loss of 228 lives, it has emerged:

agents working for the DGSE (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure), the French equivalent of MI6, were dispatched to Brazil.

It was there that they established that two names on the passenger list are also on highly-classified documents listing the names of radical Muslims considered a threat to the French Republic.

A source working for the French security services told Paris weekly L'Express that the link was "highly significant".

Agents are now trying to establish dates of birth for the two dead passengers, and family connections.

I hope and pray that the agents and investigators of this tragedy are able to determine what led to the plane's demise and the deaths of 228 people.

So many stories have come out pointing to possible terrorism that I am reminded of the ill-fated TWA 800:

• A bomb threat had been phoned in 4 days before the crash


• Pilots report seeing fire/ several orange spots on the ocean


• A pilot reports an intense white flash

Whether the cause is determined to be from terrorism... er, excuse me, a "man-made disaster"... or weather-related or caused by a computer malfunction, I hope that the truth even if politically incorrect is made public. Unfortunately too many people read the headlines and don't follow the story. Too often, when the news is so far afoot from the morning's regime of Starbucks, the recommended daily diet pill and Facebook, people lose interest. May truth prevail.

What Moms want

Not sure about the ingredients in those pancakes, but it's the thought that counts.

Tall Tales with Uncle Joe

Never one to disappoint for those who shirk boring politicians, Joe Biden is adding to his impressive gaffe collection. Today the VP spoke to multiple law enforcement groups and made the following pronouncement mid-speech to those in attendance: know that Judge Sotomayor has your back as well.

In Joe Biden's world Lady Justice is neither blind nor unbiased. In his world, She gets it". Though it's not completely opposed to his boss' statement that he was seeing a seat for empathy on the high court.

He Who Has A Much Higher IQ Than You! sure doesn't know when to stop talking let alone know how branches of our government work (including his own). I wonder if he can navigate the expansive reaches of his own mind without reliable gps systems?

No matter. Every time Joe is yearning for the taste of shoe leather the media (if they even acknowledge the gaffes) are learning the best way to handle these ubiquitous stories: nod, wink, chuckle and give good ole Joe a noogie. He's slowly becoming that great uncle that every family has and laughs fondly about come Thanksgiving: good ole Uncle Joe.

Hope and Change prevail!

HOPE: Hollywood's largest actors union strongly endorsed a new film and TV contract, closing the chapter on a yearlong dispute with the major studios:

The two-year contract was patterned after similar agreements negotiated last year with three other talent unions.

It includes an immediate pay increase of 3% and, for the first time, gives actors residual pay for shows that stream on websites such as Hulu that enable viewers to watch them free of charge.

and

CHANGE: Chrysler set to close 789 of its dealerships:

a bankruptcy judge approved Chrysler's plan to terminate 789 of its dealer franchises.

U.S. Judge Arthur Gonzalez's order says the franchises, which represent about 25 percent of the company's dealer base, can no longer act as authorized Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers, effective immediately. A written ruling explaining the decision was expected to be filed later.

Earlier in the day, more than 25 attorneys representing hundreds of dealers from across the country argued in court that little would be gained by terminating the franchises, while Chrysler maintained that the move is a necessary part of its plan to cut costs and quickly emerge from Chapter 11.

Many of the dealers were trying to sell the last cars on their lots and preparing to shut their doors for good at the end of the day, while others planned to sell used cars or other brands after severing ties with Chrysler.

At Tuesday's hearing, Chrysler attorneys also said the automaker would extend until Monday its program to help the affected dealers send any unsold vehicles to other dealers.

Doesn't matter if said dealerships were purchased and owned by private citizens. They will lose their stake, without reimbursement, while their dealership is given to another party. No hope here, but plenty of change. The full list of change can be found here:


Chrysler Dealer Closing List -

Hundreds of Chrysler dealerships are closing their doors today but at least Hollywood rewrote its contract. Doesn't mean anything of quality or substance will be coming out of there, but hey, that's entertainment!

In _________ We Trust?

Image courtesy: Editorial Cartoonist Zeg

Sometimes your faith in humanity is restored, just a little.

Rasmussen: GOP More Trusted on Economy, more...:

Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on six out of 10 key issues, including the top issue of the economy.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% now trust the GOP more to handle economic issues, while 39% trust Democrats more.

This is the first time in over two years of polling that the GOP has held the advantage on this issue.

I'm not entirely on board with Republicans as a party per se, but this was a nice change while we taxpayers watch the Congress as a whole act like dotcommers with a limitless credit line and the ubiquitous Total Merchant Services raid the piggy banks of our children. What does a $10 an hour job translate to under the burden of the ever-growing national debt?

And today we have the new brain-child of the O-admin: "Cash for Clunkers." Billions more down the drain to incentivize us all to go out and buy new cars.

Even if you don't need one, they're sweetening the pot with a tax break: something we're all going to want next April under this new regime.

Remembering: the Unknown Rebel & the Tiananmen Square Massacre

If you were alive 10 years ago today, this image is one you have surely never forgotten: "The Unknown Rebel" facing a line of Chinese tanks in what the world came to know as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The photo was taken by AP photographer Jeff Widener and to this day is firmly ingrained as one of the lasting pictures of our times as a symbol of man's struggle for freedom and democracy.

Reports vary as to exactly how many pro-democracy students and protesters were killed by the violence, which the Chinese government describes as "the June 4th Incident." Was it hundreds or thousands murdered by the government? Accusations of censorship and coverups of human rights abuses still cloud the annals of history regarding the events even as rubber stamps of approval are tacitly given by fellow governments not wanting to dirty their hands in someone else's business. We all know the end result. The protesters were shut down, communism prevailed in the land.

Remember the victims today by revisiting the news broadcasts:

Tiller the Killer is dead.

One of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' biggest political donors, Kansas abortionist George Tiller was shot to death this morning on his way into church:

George Tiller, the Wichita doctor who became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion, was shot to death this morning as he walked into church services.

Tiller was shot just after 10 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation. Witnesses and a police source confirmed Tiller was the victim.

No information has been released about whether a suspect is in custody.

This story, that headline immediately brought to mind this cartoon about a previous abortionist's murder:



Yes, this murder should be condemned by all.

I do not believe that George Tiller was a good man. His clinics were responsible for thousands upon thousands of deaths of unborn and preborn babies and commonly, even as recently as two months ago, delivered yet another victim of a botched abortion to a hospital emergency room. He was one of the most prolific late-term abortion clinics in the country once making Wichita, KS "The Abortion Capital of America."

He was however, politically protected through the abortion lobby and due to his prolific fundraising and so was never properly brought to justice for his multitude violations of the few abortion laws that stand.

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly covered Tiller's crimes and activities extensively even inviting women to the show who had had abortions performed by Tiller as teenage girls, to describe their terrible ordeals.

But his death does not serve any purpose for the pro-Life movement which has very few friends at all in the MSM.

I have no doubt that Tiller's killer will be painted by them with the broad brush label of being a "Christian/conservative/extremist".

This is no more properly analagous than painting Al Gore the same as Ted "Unabomber" Kaczynski when he bombed in the name of global warming...

or all environmentalists with the same brush when Manson family member Squeaky Fromme tried to assassinate Gerald Ford to save the redwoods...

...don't hold your breath expecting to hear any different however.