have a good week!

out of town until july 2- i'll see ya next thursday!

lovely day out so far...

going to the fam's to do yard work and hang out as we are leaving for a week- tomorrow. i am going to pre-post a couple of posts at the peace tree (tues) and the sirens chronicles (thurs)- so, feel free to wander around those great sites. i will be around today- so feel free to check out the peace tree- a buddy of mine sent me a great cartoon that i shared over there :)

rainy days and mondays

the sun is finally shining here for a bit- perhaps the soggy ground will dry out. ran across a couple of newsy gems this morning- thought i would share. it's a little dose of reality to go with the cream in the cuppa :)

christian republicans (ha ha) believe 'hunger can be a powerful motivator' to find a job

chris hedges always the truth teller- iran had a democracy before america took it away

brits tackling a tough issue- euthanasia

on that note- off to get another cuppa...

fyi

sago palms are deadly to pets and small children

looks like i must be an 'anti semite'

because i find this behaviour reprehensible

case for self sufficiency

got green?: food shortages and starvation coming up

at least we would have a shot at not starving to death.

just so ya know

over 9,000 pathogens are unaccounted for in an infectious disease lab

change- not so much

while i believe two thirds of the blame rests solely on congress' shoulders- i admit i have been disappointed at the leadership in the white house. not surprised though- obama never ran as a progressive.

incentive for me to eat more

i hate flying- almost as much as i do 'the big dick' cheney

update: apparently, there are more reasons to avoid american airlines at all costs- in fact, these days, anything with american in the title. it just screws you over.

welcome to surrealville

seriously- this is what is going on amongst the iranian elections, american health care debacle, the new york state coup, and well, the ongoing saga of my sister's front steps:

picture of white house dog bo- yeah?!

the justice department shields cheney from jon stewart- who knew?

single mom ordered to pay $1.92 million dollars for illegally downloading music on the internet- where do i even start?

florida mayor attacked by live in cross dressing significant other- just wanted to throw some sensationalism in for good measure

now, the cnn headlines are about india firing on maoists, iranians being warned to desist protesting, and africa is going to hell in a hand basket. i can't wait to read the british press....

only the good friday

yes, jim, it is chilly and rainy here too. the tomatoes and peppers are not doing great- in fact, the only things doing well- potatoes and beans. such is life. :) i am going to go and do yardwork at the fam's today- i must mow between rain drops. i have been pretty busy lately with preparing for our trip next week to puerto rico. hubby's company sends folks to convention every year at a nice resort so, we are going to go for a few days and then stop off and see the new niece in florida on the way home. i hate traveling so, i will be glad when it's done and i am back home safe and sound. one can't drive to puerto rico.

the world situation still looks grim- so, i am ignoring it. i am focusing on downsizing and i can't change the world- so i am changing my piece of it. i don't know how successful i will be but i do know i am happy overall so, i will continue to ignore the world at large. whatever happens, happens. i get to see a bird ballet in my yard every day and this morning- a doe tip toeing through my back yard. the only thing i have lost in the garden so far- spinach to the bunnies. that's my life and it's a good one and it's all i have. and life is good.

still a colony

my mother has an intriguing theory- we have never stopped being a colony of england much in the same vein as canada, australia, and the like. she read history books quite a bit- and then sends me off to research what she gleans- and she started looking at british history. if you look at an interesting period in that history- you see charles dickens' stories were based on fact- folks were poor and starving and there was a two class system- the haves and the have nots. it was feudalism dressed up to look like democracy. the serfs still served the masters and social reform was frowned upon. which brings me to the six acts of parliament. i am not well versed in british history, and indeed, i know little specifics about what really went down at the peterloo massacre- but i do know that taking a quick peek at the six acts gave me a sense of deja`vu.

take a quick peek at this book excerpt to get a bit of background. start with page 188- it's illuminating. 3 guys were pretty much the most powerful folks in england at the time- liverpool, sidmouth, and casterleigh. history does have a way of repeating itself over and over and over. human beings are not an imaginative bunch. at least, not since the guy/gal who invented the wheel.

neat

going along with rethug coups

armed 'minutemen' kill father, daughter

yep.

ramifications

please read this article.

'Republicans and Espada contended that they legally were elected to the majority in the June 8 coup and will not relinquish power. They said they told Paterson that new rules they approved as part of the coup will create power sharing between the minority and the majority parties.'

here's the thing- these people- allegedly elected representatives- staged a coup; seized control of the state government; and are now passing legislation without the full senate. and law abiding people- working within the confines of the law that doesn't seem to constrain republicans- are standing around with their thumbs up their asses doing nothing.

if this works here in new york- they will do it elsewhere. think that we already don't have a democratic republic- what do you call this? this should scare the hell out of people. instead, it doesn't even make them mad.

fyi

i am at the sirens today- and glenn greenwald should get journalism's highest honor. screw that- give him something that actually has respect these days.

just a typical day in new york

i seriously don't even know what to say

he's back

mark morford is one of my favorite columnists- and truth be told, i haven't been reading everything in my google reader these days. i have been scanning. this latest post caught my eye- and my weekly dose of mark is back in the rotation.

"It's like you can't swing a dead economy these days without hitting some new decree set up by the ever-prying government, some new commandment ostensibly designed to stop harmful or stupid behavior and make it tougher for good, law-abiding citizens to, say, smoke, stab, scream, urinate in public, kill themselves, pollute, make a mess of things in general.

Don't you hate that? No? You really should."

one of many reasons

to keep your cats inside if they are pets. i don't see the point in having a cat if you let it run outside. outside cats are prone to getting run over or in fights with other animals. they also kill hundreds of songbirds- because that's what they do- they hunt. keep your cat inside.

on a related note- many serial killers get their start on small animals. just sayin'.... this kid does have a bit of the charming bundy in his eyes.

only in new york

could a government be this dysfunctional. reading this news story is like reading a soap opera- hostile takeovers, physical assaults, prostitutes, betrayal, etc. unfortunately, this is what passes as reality in our state capital of albany

whoops!

at the peace tree today- and hubby's sister had her little girl last night. the family is abuzzzzzz..... don't get too excited- his whole family lives in florida. we have to wait to meet her. :)

media disparity

this is why i get my news from alternative sources- foreign and domestic

the nation we deserve

"we watch impassively as the wealthy and the elite, the huge corporations, rob us, ruin the environment, defraud consumers and taxpayers and create an exclusive american oligarchy that fuses the wealth and political power. we watch passively because we believe we can enter the club. it is greed that inspires us. it is greed that keeps us silent. our greed is devouring us."

chris hedges, 'losing moses on the freeway'

indeed

memo to the right wing: put up or shut up

mmmm.... interesting approach

us cities may have to bulldoze

before you drink your orange juice

take a quick peek at this- and no, it isn't gross or disgusting- just interesting

i did enjoy this headline

poll: gop risks loss of respect if it goes after sotomayer

where has mcclatchy been?

"only the good" friday

another week rolls around.... :) well, my sister's front walk steps are not done. but they will be if ever the rain holds off long enough to pour the cement. the good part is- i spent all week with my mom and that means a lot. i also got yardwork and gardening done over there and i got my garage cleaned out and swept. my neighbors up the block re-connected (we met them when we first moved in) and i found out that the nice lady works for cornell cooperative extension. unfortunately, i forgot her husband's name. sigh. he's retired.

for those who don't know- today is the day analog tv goes the way of vinyl. we are in the digital age baby! but don't trash the tvs- recyle them. they can be used elsewhere in the world or probably right here in some capacity. there are days when i admit- the world issues look hopeless and i am a bit gloomy- but i found two articles that made me smile. one- a 16 year old discovers a microbe that feeds on plastic and two- a teenaged girl finds her own diagnosis after years of pain and no answers.

despite a culture that values compliance and conformity- despite the attempts to 'dumb down' the population through creationist bullshit and underfunding schools- we have folks who are hungry to learn. they are curious and they are scientists. truthseekers despite the old school fear and paranoia. that makes me happy indeed.

brother tim has his post up for friday and thornie is probably up and running too. she's good like that :) if you have a post up- drop it in the comments if you want and i will give ya a link :)

the ole gag reflex kicked in

prejean 'fights back'- good god cnn sucks

i have to live in my own world

because what passes for reality- i can't wrap my mind around. i can't fathom how people refuse to see that we have no real representative government- and haven't for some time. if you call what the folks at the federal, state and local levels are doing 'governing'- hey, you must live in your own world too. good for you.

in my world, americans are brave and patriotic and don't whine in fear and cede their civil liberties to 'stay safe'. they fight back against corruption and greed instead of getting caught up in it to make a fast buck in order to buy their odious suvs, mcmansions and every electronic gadget known to man. they don't stand for being lied to or stolen from and they speak the truth and defend the constitution. in my world, the party i voted for- allegedly the party of the people- doesn't force or mandate free, democratic individuals to do anything.

"House Democrats are weighing a new proposal in response to Obama’s call for legislation to be enacted by August. An outline of the plan obtained by Bloomberg News would require Americans to have insurance with some exceptions.

It would probably exempt those who can prove they can’t find an affordable policy. There could be a tax penalty for those with adequate financial resources who don’t elect to get insurance, according to the outline."

i mean seriously- i thought we were going for universal healthcare- this is bullshit in the highest degree.

so, i have to stay in my world because the anti-democratic, fearful, easily manipulated, corrupted people who live in the country we used to call america- with pride- aren't people i want to live next to. and, i don't have representation in the 'real' america. common sense and free thinking is definitely unwelcomed.

internets and intertubes are still free- in france

i can see why the rabid knuckledraggers hate france

hallelujah!

stop being distracted by loudmouths like limbaugh- it's the dems stupid! isn't that the 'elephant' in the room? democrats are in the majority and yet, the will of the people still isn't being done. this has allowed crap like the coup d'etat here in albany to happen and it makes the right look good. go 'progressives!'

oh- did i say 'progressives?' i meant blue dogs

it would be nice

if they would just disappear and go away forever- but i really believe that there are more crazies than we know about. it sure does make the gun and bullet hording in the south a bit more scary.

going to rain again today

and i am at the sirens with a post on powdery mildew.

indeed

UncommonSense: Shepard Smith: DHS report on right-wing threat was 'a warning to us all, and it appears now they were right'


but they don't win everytime :) courage.

meanwhile...

while people are talking about carrie prejean ;) and the damned airbus story is still the headlining news story- i get these issues in my inbox:

democratic fuckery on healthcare- this is the probably the straw that broke my back. i am linking to huffpo because i won't link to the associated press

and, as if the odious patriot act and military commissions act- oh and the rescinding of habeas corpus- oh, and the fema camps, and torture and whatnot..... weren't enough- and the new idea to force people to pay for healthcare

readying americans for forced vaccinations

now, most of these acts happened under cheney/bush with the full complicity of the reid/pelosi congress and the rubber stamp congress of tom delay before that. the healthcare bullshittery is all democrat.

now that's a damned shame

"you're fired"

guess her t & a wasn't enough for the donald

watching my blood pressure go up again

i have had a period of much calm since january. now, not so much. i admit, i have not been following my state government's coup as closely as i should because apparently, the people in this state and in my own area are morons. why they continue to vote for some of these people is absolutely beyond me.

"MEANWHILE, what does this mean to the Bronx, where Mr. Espada owns a cooperative apartment on 201st Street in the Bedford Park section? Probably not much. His cars are registered at a house in Mamaroneck; he has signed an affidavit saying he lives in Mamaroneck; his bank statements go to Mamaroneck; he has said that’s the home his wife wants to live in. However, last year, when he ran for the State Senate and his Bronx residency was challenged, a court-appointed referee ruled that all his Mamaroneck connections did not amount to proof that he did not intend to return to the apartment in the Bronx, the standard under the election law."

the fact that libous has only been looking out for himself and his rise to the gop machine here in albany- and continues to get 're-elected' year after year- disgusting. the smear campaign is in full form and upstate new york tends to be a conservative lot (huntin', fishin', small minded folks) and now, paterson's polls are slipping. go figure. obama probably isn't popular here either and not because of his policies. of course, they are probably more enamored with clinton these days than i am. really, hillary- ANOTHER invasion? just what we need.

there isn't any doubt as to why repubs have 'soured' on their party. obstruction, double dealing, scheming, etc.. my guess is the next polls they do will find dems feel the same way about theirs.

fighting for fair trade

got green?: peruvians massacred protesting

political movements in iran

tens of thousands in the streets of tehran- huh. we have to get a permit here first, then be at least 2 miles away from whatever it is we are rallying for, and then stand behind police barricades, ....

but hey, they are the hub of the axis of evil, right? should i label that irony?

glenn greenwald on open government

defeat of graham-lieberman

sweet jesuis in a thong!

'cause this is a god- i mean good- idea

h/t to tex betsy

i am around

but i am at the peace tree today :) love the pic i found

beyond disgusted

libous is from binghamton

he never had my vote- never will

neglectful

so, today i spent my day at the fam's- because mr. fixit was working on the front steps and needed to plug in an extension cord at the fam's- mom doesn't and can't do stairs- and sister had to work late and mr. man is slow, slow, slow. i ended up planting her garden-- finally! trimming the neighbor's trees out of my backyard and sideyard fence since they won't keep their own trees trimmed, and i pulled weeds out of the 'flower bed' on the side of the house. the whole yard is a big like a jungle. i have a feeling it will take me all summer to tame it.

i also trimmed and fertilized mom's two surviving houseplants and put the ends in a root cup. i am pooped.

mom and i already had this one figured out

shit all started under reagan. good thing he got an airport named after him and a new statue.

nice to see censorship knows no party

liberals don't like putting out there what they don't want to hear- and they are just as bad as the conservatives when it comes to censorship. little wonder pelosi's polls mirror cheney's. i find it amusing and interesting that much censorship comes under the guise of not wanting to appear antisemitic. what we need is less thought of jewish sensibilities and hurt feelings- and more open dialogue about the absolutely abysmal and ungodly way that the entire state of jewish israel has treated the palestinians.

no, israelis, it isn't your land- it is land that you need to share with the folks who lived there before you. not their problem that you lost a war a few milennia ago- they don't deserve to be treated subhuman anymore than your people did under the third reich. i don't give a rat's ass if you like america or obama- i do give a rat's ass that my country still considers you an ally. you certainly don't deserve it.

um newt, mike

we aren't pagans- we are post christians. i'll let you in on a wee secret that you apparently haven't figured out yet-- americans are fairly tech savvy. somewhere along the way, they realized that science gives them a lot more than superstitious bullshittery. americans like not being christian newt because like belief in santa- they eventually grow up with nostalgic memories of the days gone by. unfortunately, there is about 20% of the population who haven't made the jump into adulthood yet and that god myth is a bit pervasive.

americans don't like god anymore than they like you- and i have a feeling that the two aren't mutually exclusive.

sharing good news

if you are like me- you have a water filter. i use brita as i already had the pitcher. i am thrilled that they now recycle used filters. and the company they chose- is in cortland, ny a mere 45 minutes from my house. that's great because i have to send in my used filters- and it doesn't have as far to travel.

not that much change happening here

for all of those americans who believed that everything would change into the way things were before the stripping of civil liberties and ubermilitarization and nationalism- i am sorry to burst your bubble.

military backed public schools on the rise

judge rules for telecoms in illegal surveillance suits

bloggers- this is for you- blogger's rights

and, i won't even get into tribunals continuing, gitmo still operational, mercenary outfits still being used by the military, ice raids going on with mega roundups, etc....

uh oh

christian heads everywhere will explode- quick! open a new front in the war against gays!

i live in my own world

because i feel like i woke up in a different time sometimes. like back to the future sort of. i am 38 years old- and i only say that for a reference point. it is so difficult for me to really wrap my mind around the fact that i grew up with vinyl records, clotheslines, rotary phones, no remote, cassette tapes, cars where you actually had to roll the windows down by hand and lock the doors, no cable, etc..

there are young people out there today who haven't a clue how to use a manual can opener or apparently that there was a time when many folks did not have a clothes dryer. i am not being critical of them- i am flabbergasted. i had no idea i would ever live to see a time where municipalities pass laws ALLOWING home owners to dry their clothes outside. and i find it ironic that the party who allegedly champions individual rights over government took so many rights away or allowed so many rights to be taken away. but that's a different post.

technology moved so very fast that we didn't bother to lay down any history for these folks. i don't advocate sitting idle or not moving forward- but i also think that there is something to be said for learning about where you came from and how you got to where you are. otherwise, you end up with rootless folks who don't have any sense of belonging; of community; of society- and without some cohesiveness- you get civil war and worse.

but i digress. i have a clothesline that hopefully, will be fully operational soon.

only the good friday

the view from my back deck- enjoy- and leave it in the comments for a linkie

just an fyi

and hat tip to diane

privacy study shows google's eyes are everywhere

"A U.C. Berkeley report shows that most Internet users don’t understand web site privacy policies, and that major online businesses like Google Inc. freely gather data and share it with affiliated businesses via loopholes in those policies.

Using trackers called “web bugs,” third parties collect user data from many popular web sites, and sites often allow this, even though their privacy policies say they don’t share user data with others."

life is fragile

david carradine will be missed

update for you if you want it

but i am at sirens today :)

i also updated at poets4peace oh, and betmo's corner

because he's a good boy

my little lovey isaac enjoying a brief moment of sunshine this last week

let's remember back, shall we?

remember how i used to write scathing post after scathing post about this guy? and this guy? one of the bigger issues i had was with blackwater and other mercenary groups armed and dangerous-- with little to no oversight.

well, the more things change- the more they don't. i think obama may as well have used that as his slogan.

these 'people' make me sick

DOMESTIC TERRORISM- THAT'S WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS

go ahead and try and dispute it

fyi on 411

thanks to diane- why i live where i do- for this tidbit

411 for free, free, free

fyi

i am at the peace tree today

and if you haven't found it yet- go and read at dandelion salad. always timely and always spot on.

obama's support for the new secrecy law

war is sin

away for the week

i'll be back thursday july 2- for better or worse ;)

happy monday

got much accomplished this weekend- the kitchen is almost back to normal. i rearranged cupboards and mopped and wiped everything off. washed the window too- inside and out- and the curtain. cat barfed on my new steam cleaned rug- sigh. it was my fault- i forgot to feed them last night. sigh.

anyhoo- my feet hurt from being on them yesterday- but i have a pile of rummage sale stuff i have to sort and tag now :) not a bad problem to have actually. trying to streamline and downsize- and we are getting there. hope the start to the week is good- sunshine here for a change. going to try and plant my sister's garden today. wish me luck.