Maria, Full of Grace

This is one of the finest Academy Awards shows I've seen in a
very long time. ( only a couple of unattractive gowns )

"Tasteful" as we used to say, with a wonderful multinational flavor.
music from 'motorcycle diaries' won best song - I agreed with that.
"Maria Full of Grace" is an incredible movie.
I'm sorry the young actress who played Maria
was not awarded. Please see this movie.

I can't believe I am still awake and watching.

wishing for Johnny Depp - he is so good-& soo attractive even in that awful scary movie - gosh that was a bad movie. He played the divorced writer losing it.
anyway- now we will all have to see million dollar baby and all the others- including the nominated documentaries...especially the documentaries.
We learn so much from those independent films.
one last note- Martin S- made a 'hollywood' movie and they still wouldn't give him an
Oscar!
With Jamie Foxx winning and Annette Benning not- I believe we saw the generational transition tonight.
Really, who cares what I think about the academy awards ? ha!
My friend for whom film is a passion- is unable to speak.
JVB- who gifted us with a subscription to Netflix.
I will call him tomorrow- and tell him who won. The nurse's aid will hold the
phone to his ear; he is making a little bit of progress.
........more on the kitchen re-make tomorrow.
.&.....maybe we will see Sophia soon. Sophia takes swim
lessons twice/week and shops at Costco ( discount emporium -blue )
see www.buyblue.org
Hello- across the pond to our european readers.
HHH & MGL
will e mail reply asap. ~~

if you live in the State of Michigan, USA

www.stabenow.senate.gov/socialsecurity/


feb 26 2005

american history 101

ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 24, 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the Senate later acquitted Johnson

solar powered boats for sale

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/10313.asp?pcat=&pcont=solar%20KWSP&cat=solar%20KWSP

more...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=18604&area=geov

if this link doesn't work- try : www.workingforchange.com
read article by G Parish.


Today is my 21,204th day on this earth.
Wow it's good to be alive!
well, that's how I feel about it today.

On my way today for the every 6 month m'ogram-
isn't that appealing information!? well- it was supposed to be every 6 months- but I have been procrastinating for about 6 months- so ...there you go.

I had signed on as survey subject at the Univ of Mich....
but "non-compliant" has always been my middle name- so we'll see

re: My pal in hosp JVB. I called the number in his room- the nurse held the phone to his ear- I said 'let the nurse know somehow if you can hear me.'
the next thing I hear is "OWW- don't PINCH ME" from the nurse!!
so this is good news. Now I will see if someone in SF can take a cd player into the room
and get some of his fav music playing. with instructions to not let it get too boring.
It is what I would do if I were there. All I could hear were rasps of breathing and attempts to make sounds. Anyone who knew him- knows he could talk the leg off a dog- so this is an interesting turn around- of course we hope his faculties will return. The nurses are starting him on physical therapy.
I have no idea who is reading this blog- it would be nice to hear from you
.... weather here continues to be intolerable.
at least another week promised.
thanks JGW(Sr)for the inspiring note rcvd first thing this morning.
Enjoy your day........

maybe we won't have to wait much longer !?

http://www.disclosureproject.org/dprepscontacts.htm

I just found this site: history:

this thursday Peter Jennings or one of the major network
people will present a "report" on UFO's - so public atttention is
now going that way...out of curiosity of course I googled 'ufo'
and the first site that came up gives a listing of different areas of interest.

!?one area is a group called the "disclosure project" which explains
or at least the stance is 'the powers that be' intend to scare the world into thinking there will be an 'alien' attack. This will allow gov'ts to engage in a "space war" which will 'have to be funded' by all countries - as a common enemy and will "unite" the world- but in fact will merely keep things going on earth as is- that is with power/technology in the hands of a few-
I know this all sounds so weird.....look for yourself-
the link above is a list of disclosure project contacts in each state where you
can, I guess, get more info. ??? I am just putting this info 'out there' making no claims!!!!
*_*

sunday # 21,202

Time........ is on your side.....yes it is.

ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, flying aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.

fyi .."on this date" items
are direct from the new york times

memory lane : in 1962 many of us 'boomers' were in high school.
just recently I read in a history text book (1999) that in 1960 there were still about 32,000 Europeans living in refugee camps from WW 2... I didn't know that.

we have a good friend, JVB, hospitalized in san francisco.
he has been there for 3 weeks..no change in his condition.
if he ever recovers they say 'he won't be the same'- I've heard that before and what does that mean ? is this a euphemism for 'totally disabled'?
if you would like to cheer our dear friend with a greeting card
pls e mail or post comment & I will send address.

all this talk about large #'s of retirees and soc sec. - 1/2 of us won't be around in 2014 to collect- so don't let this admn get away with voodoo economics and take away your safety net. People are dying from physician prescribed drug overdoses, environmentally caused diseases and illnesses and toxic treatments for cancers.
Darwin all over again. I hope you are one of the lucky ones- with strong genes.

If you live to be 100- you will have been granted 36,500 living Days.
In current american dollars, that is about the price of a luxury vehicle or one years' income for some. 4 years of college tuition at an out of state school. 91 round trip flights to Europe from the east coast ( or Chicago to Mexico City )
When you reach 60- you will have lived 21,900 days.
with presumably 14,600 remaining- fill them with laughter- at every turn.

Today's birthday: Happy Birthday to BML in D.C.

SRW: have fun in LA this weekend- stay safe.
JGW: enjoy the Wednesday Lunch.
RL in san antonio: Thinking of you.

it's going to snow again today. 4 weeks til the Equinox 3/21.


Time to be still ......
Enjoy this day -
whatever # it is for you........
ps- if you live in NY or Michigan- don't buy smokes on line- your state will bill you for the unpaid tax.
~~

www.undoit.org

Global Warming - The Evidence Mounts:
- 2004 was the fourth warmest year on record. The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990!
- Record heat waves responsible for some 26,000 deaths battered Europe in the summer of 2003 -- the hottest on the continent since Shakespeare’s time at least. The scorching temperatures caused over $16 billion in damages to agriculture and other industries. Global warming has doubled the risk of events like the 2003 heat wave, according to a recent paper published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
- A massive ice shelf the size of Rhode Island broke off from Antarctica in 2002. Rapidly warming temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula were blamed for the loss of the Larsen B Ice Shelf.
- Alaska’s worse fire year on record was 2004. A total of 703 fires consumed over 6.5 million acres of forest, an area the size of Maryland. Global warming will increase the risk of more intense, destructive wildfires.

if you read nothing else .......

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21273/

on these pages please go to the above site.

thank you.

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/peace/

JL's Blog

Dear Reader-
this morning I had time to visit
www.johnhleonard.blogspot.com

JL has created a personal tour of people and places
with wonderful photos. Keep it up JL.
"blog on" ........

This week we had to pass on a free concert invitation in
Ontario. We will be starting the kitchen project in earnest.
It will take a couple of months.
Mike, the contractor will be here tomorrow and we will
discuss cabinet surface, countertops, tiles, etc.
and his renumeration. hmm.
Exciting and terrifying.
Anyone with tales of this sort of project,
feel free to let us know about your adventure.
( click on 'comment' _ no obligation_ free)


Sophia sent us a beautiful home mom-made Valentine; she has her own
return address labels.
Theme for birthday party in April:
Elmo & co.

Dinner tonight ? Pasta with pesto.

enjoy.......

2/14 // personal notes

Valentine was a priest imprisoned for his christian faith.
His letters from prison, to whom we are not clear,
were the first "Valentines" sometime in the early christian centuries.

The catholic church decided to preempt a Roman holiday of
Fertility with a Day devoted to the martyred Saint. In those days women
were advised to remain chaste; to not marry, as they would become
no more than legal property.
thanks to J in Jerusalem for the tips on adding commercial links.
best wishes to JGW on 'new' new position.

Happy St.Valentine's Day to loved ones all over the globe

..off to HH duties.....pizza for dinner tonight ?
.... one can shape pepperoni into little red hearts.

Enjoy your day........

Saturday morning

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

Should be warming a bit today.
Sophia and her Mom will
be coming by after attending a 5 year old's birthday party.
Theme of this party will be "Hello Kitty",
an oft repeated phrase at Sophia's house. Two cats living there-Thelma and Louise.
Ever since her hysterectomy, Thelma has not been amiable. Loud and demanding.
Louise is shy, friendly with a muted voice.
Our feline, 9 y/o Xena, is very tired of being cooped up. Accustomed to ruling the house with outdoor privileges, she has been quarantined since Rocky the 75 lb Golden Retreiver/Chow mix moved in over a year ago. Rocky is dedicated to protecting us from small furry creatures. Winter is tough on everyone.

We are currently under pressure to make some design decisions on the new cabinets and counters for the kitchen. Certainly sounds like an enviable problem, but it is very difficult.
18 1/2 years of living with a Mc Donald's Orange counter from the 70's has driven us to believe we could live with any color, style, wood tone, door handle, flat panel, raised panel, rounded, squared, cherry, maple, oak, hickory, laminate, granite, corian, bracket, hinge, brass, chrome, pewter.........flecked, solid, country, contemporary, traditional- well, just about anything but....... '70's yellow/orange/green/brown "country"..........
If we order before the end of the month we get "free" : drawers that open full length! imagine the joy.


Enjoy your day............

2/11/'05

ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 11, 1945, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement during World War II.

It occurs to me, daily, there are readers today for whom the above has little significance.

For those for whom it does, eg the voting public in the US of A, who may benefit from becoming much more familiar with American / World History and Geography....here it is.

Where is Yalta? What resulted from this meeting ?
I guess I should sign up for the google link and make it easier to check the facts- and for me to make a few pennies on my key strokes. hmmm.

Healthy Seafood choices

http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm

Wednesday / Did you vote in the US elections 11/'04?

One needn't be affiliated with either political party to participate in
election reform.
Here is a place to go to help sponsor a bill that will assure a paper count
and that all voting precincts will have what they need so *everyone* has the opportunity to vote and all ballots will be counted.
I mentioned in an earlier post how some polling places had a 10 hour wait because there were not enough voting machines, etc.
Ohio and New Mexico are the places noted, but there seems to be problems in other states, as well. please sign a petition to help a bill co-sponsored in the senate by H Clinton and B Boxer. http://www.friendsofhillary.com
nothing more is requested than name, zip & e mail address
A participatory democracy doesn't work without participants.
Please pass it on to other slacktivists ..........
Whether you were happy or unhappy with the results of the elections does not matter- it is the Prinicple of one person /one vote & is a duty of our Fortunate and wired Citizenship.

the Buddha / Karen Armstrong/personal notes

As much as I enjoy sharing exciting discoveries, I am becoming a bit possesssive about these two.
K. Armstrong was my best kept secret. Now she has written an article for, of all things, the AARP magazine: published for the fortunate over 50 crowd who feel they need to be rewarded with hotel & car rental discounts for having remained alive.

In the past year I have read every one of K. A.'s books. We were familiar with "a History of God" from a few years earlier and I wanted to devour all of her work, especially *Islam* . *The Spiral Staircase* is a good introduction to the others.
Buddhism is no secret- but the NYX Book Review announced a "second coming" this weekend to the great unwashed via *An End to Suffering* by Pankaj Mishra.
Next on my list, but pls don't read it. Applying any lessons
could be dangerous, or, these days, even construed as treason.

Personal to JGW: 3 Cheers ! Congratulations...Best Wishes
on the new job.
to SMW: I think we may have 2 or 3 regular readers. c`est le vie.

Enjoy your day....

2018? 2042? 2052?

2018: The Magic Number
By Mark Weisbrot,
AlterNetPosted on February 4, 2005, Printed on February 4, 2005
http://www.alternet.org/story/21174/

Sometimes a number can take on great significance as a symbol. The number on a famous athlete's uniform, or the date of an historic event. Anniversaries, the turn of a century, or fears associated with such events – remember the Y2K scare?
"Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in," declared President Bush in his State of the Union speech.
President Bush, along with others who want to cut Social Security benefits and partially privatize the program, wants Americans to believe that 2018 has some significance for the Social Security system. But according to the numbers that the president is using – from the Social Security Trustees – it doesn't.
What President Bush is saying is that in 2018, Social Security will have to pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes. About $16 billion more, according to his (Social Security Trustees) estimates. What he did not say is that the Social Security Trust Fund in 2018 will have more than $3.6 trillion in assets, as well as $206 billion in interest income that year. (All numbers are expressed in today's dollars.)
So even if Social Security cruises along on auto-pilot for the next 13 years, 2018 will arrive and depart quietly and without notice. In 2018 a small fraction of Social Security's interest income will be used to pay benefits.
According to President Bush's numbers, the program can pay all promised benefits until 2042, using its interest income and assets, as well as payroll taxes. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, it's 2052. This is exactly what was intended when our Congress raised the payroll tax in 1983. The idea was to accumulate a surplus (currently more than $1.6 trillion and rising) in order to help finance the retirement of the baby boom generation. By law, the Social Security Trust Fund can only invest in U.S. Treasury obligations.
But 2042 and 2052 are much too far away for those who want to create the impression of a Social Security "crisis." Hence the tricks that have been used to move the program's potential shortfall forward to 2018.
Over the years, I have confronted these tricks hundreds of times on talk shows. They haven't changed at all. The bonds held by the Social Security Trust Fund are dismissed as "I.O.U.'s" or "pieces of paper," as if the credit of the U.S. Treasury, which has never defaulted in the history of this country, is something rather shaky.
"The Trust Fund money's been spent!" they exclaim, as if exposing some kind of scam. Guess what: So has the $720 billion that Japan loaned to the U.S. Treasury. The Japanese government will be repaid, interest and principal. And so will Social Security.
"But where will the money come from to repay the Trust Fund?" they demand. But this is another subject altogether. Where will we get the money to pay the Chinese and Japanese governments or other creditors as they collect interest payments and redeem their Treasury bonds and notes? Mostly we will borrow, but that's not their problem. To blame Social Security for any future debt problems we may face as a country is like blaming your credit card company for your oversized spending habits. If you want to blame the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts or the war spending, that makes some sense; but Social Security is the lender here, not the spender.
Of course 2018 is only one of several tricks that Social Security's detractors have successfully deployed. These devices get plenty of unchallenged play in the media – especially the broadcast media. No wonder most Americans are so confused. The latest Zogby poll shows 61 percent believe the system faces "serious problems" and 14 percent think it's "in crisis." In fact it is financially stronger than it has been throughout most of its history, according to the Trustees' (President Bush's) numbers.
Conspicuously absent from the Social Security portion of the President's speech was the word "crisis," which has provoked a backlash as a symbol of the administration's exaggeration. The year 2018 is every bit as misleading as the word "crisis" in the debate over Social Security. It's time to retire that number.
© 2005 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/21174/

friday

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher(1844-1900)

How to Join In

Hit the 'Comment' link- at the bottom right of a post.
You will be asked to register with an email address and password-
that's it. Return to the blog and post.

Dieting? / Birthdays / personal notes

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21148/

I have had a couple of requests about a regimen I used
some 20 years ago. The book is titled *Fit for Life*
I don't remember the authors...& have not searched it out.
I recommend it- if you can find it-I gave away my copy.

The above link is a good article on how confusing the new
government 'nutritonal' guidelines may be.

I would think the best source of advice for heart health and
diet would be the oldest person you know. *_*
& I truly hope that isn't me!

Happy Birthday to JGW in NC-TODAY
& Lee P in CA on the 7th.

to: Leah R, MI and Jamie J in Vancouver BC
thanks for the feedback. C'mon back now, y'hear?

Sesame Street Live at the Fox Theater tonight.
Grover is Sophia's favorite Blue entity.

Busy day ahead-
Enjoy yours.

this'n that

Last night CBC ran a story about General Romeo Dallaire- the man whom the UN sent to command UN peacekeepers in Rwanda after a peace agreement had been signed. This man witnessed the genocide and was unable to stop it. He had sent many and frequent requests to NY- and was refused any kind of help- financial, with arms or personnel. The Academy Award winning Canadian documentary tells the story *Hotel Rwanda".

The (b/w)1948 movie version of Tolstoy's classic *Anna Karenina* is probably most enjoyed by film historians. Although true to the dialogue, only the scenes with hollywood appeal were lavished; considering the daunting job of translating this masterpiece to film, a commendable effort. Costume design rated an Oscar. (IMHO )



www.sojo.net Sojourners has been around a long time. Check it out.


www.snopes.com > this is a good place to check on 'urban legends' showing up in your mail box from caring people with good intentions, but sometimes harmful misinformation.


ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 1, 1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service.