tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39093122024-03-04T22:09:44.352-06:00Brain DroppingsMy own little piece of the web where I can say what I want when I want about who I want. I like it!
<p><p>
"If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut."
--Albert Einstein,
German-born Swiss-American physicist</p></p>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.comBlogger516125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-49064027983387371922011-09-06T23:10:00.000-05:002011-09-06T23:10:24.323-05:00TestingIt's been quite a while since I posted. I updated my template. Maybe it will inspire me to write more, share more. Let's see what the future holds.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-84900514478639153992008-07-29T12:42:00.002-05:002008-07-29T13:06:19.721-05:00New LookMy template broke. I'm more than a little bummed about it. It would appear that The Blog Cafe went out of business. That's too bad because I liked their templates. Well, I'll just play around until I get something else I like.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-24845521977728794082008-06-24T12:41:00.003-05:002008-06-24T12:51:41.484-05:00I didn't think anything could be worse than my Friday post but this takes the cake:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Children fed 'silly pills,' forced to perform sex shows</span><br /></span><ul><li class="cnnhiliteheader"><span style="font-size:85%;">Story Highlights</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Defendants convicted of grooming kids for sex shows in "kindergarten" classes<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">They gave Vicodin to the kids and called the drugs "silly pills"<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Residents thought there were swinger parties going on; didn't know children involved<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">The kids are now in therapy, a Texas Child Protective Services caseworker says<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>MINEOLA, Texas (AP)</b> -- In the windowless front rooms of a former day care center in a tiny Texas community, children as young as 5 were fed powerful painkillers they knew as "silly pills" and forced to perform sex shows for a crowd of adults.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Two people have already been convicted in the case. Now a third person with ties to the club, previously known in town only as a swingers group, is set to go on trial Monday not far from Mineola, population 5,100.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"This really shook this town," said Shirley Chadwick, a longtime resident of Mineola. "This was horrible."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Patrick Kelly, 41, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, tampering with physical evidence and engaging in organized criminal activity.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In all, six adults have been charged in connection with the case, including a parent of the three siblings involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Jurors this year deliberated less than five minutes before returning guilty verdicts against the first two defendants, who were accused of grooming the kids for sex shows in "kindergarten" classes and passing off Vicodin as "silly pills" to help the children perform.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Jamie Pittman and Shauntel Mayo were sentenced to life in prison. Kelly also faces a life sentence if convicted, and Smith County prosecutors hope for another swift verdict.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Thad Davidson, Kelly's attorney, said his client passed a lie-detector test proving his innocence and worries about getting a fair trial in Tyler, 25 miles southeast of Mineola, which is in Wood County.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"I think it's impossible to get a fair trial within 80 miles of Smith County," Davidson said.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mineola, about 80 miles east of Dallas, is a close-knit, conservative bean-processing town of with more than 30 churches. Residents there want to put the scandal behind them as quickly as possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The one-story building where prosecutors say four children -- the three siblings, now ages 12, 10 and 7, and their 10-year-old aunt -- were trained to perform in front of an audience of 50 to 100 once a week has been vacant since the landlord ousted the alleged organizers in 2004.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Down a slight hill is a retirement home, and even closer is the office of the local newspaper. Doris Newman, editor of The Mineola Monitor, said rumors of swinger parties spread around town but that no one mentioned children being involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Newman, who can see the building from her office window, said she remembers the parking lot filling up with more than a dozen cars at night.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In August 2004, an editorial under the headline "Sex In the City" opined that if the swingers left quietly, "we'll try and forget they've infiltrated our town with their set of moral standards."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"It's not that we're trying to look the other way," Newman said. "But there's a lot more to Mineola than that."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">According to a Mineola police report, the department first investigated a complaint in June 2005 in which the siblings' foster mother said one of the girls described dancing toward men and another child saying that "everybody does nasty stuff in there."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In the second trial, Child Protective Services caseworker Kristi Hachtel testified, "I've seen a lot and I never in my wildest dreams imagined this. They were preyed upon in probably one of the most heinous ways possible."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The children are now doing better, the welfare agency said.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">"Through counseling and therapy sessions, these children are now finally feeling secure and safe," agency spokeswoman Shari Pulliam wrote in an e-mail.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Permanent custody of the three siblings was given to John and Margie Cantrell. This week, prosecutors in California charged John Cantrell with sexually assaulting a child in the state 18 years ago. Margie Cantrell said her husband is innocent.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Kelly's attorney moved Friday asking to postpone the trial in light of the allegations against Cantrell, a state witness. Texas Child Protective Services said it would be "common" for the agency to investigate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Rev. Tim Letsch is opening a church in the yellow-plastered building where the children were abused. He acknowledges that building a congregation might be difficult because of the stigma attached to the property.</span></p><p class="cnninline"><span style="font-size:85%;">"You got to decide whether you're willing to forgive those kind of things," Letsch said. "It's a hard deal. Especially for a spiritual person to walk in and say, 'This happened here."'</span></p><p class="cnnattribution"><span style="font-size:85%;">Copyright 2008 The <a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</span></p></blockquote><p class="cnnattribution"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></p>Is there a special place in hell for people like this? I mean REALLY now people. This world is going to hell in a hand basket. I have several problems with this situation.<br /><ol><li>That parents pimped their kids for this</li><li>That ADULTS paid to watch this</li><li>That parents got paid for their kids to do this</li><li>That these children were DRUGGED with Vicodin</li><li>That ADULTS paid to watch this AND not one thought it was wrong and went to the police</li></ol>I'm just very angry and saddened. It's like a blow to the spirit. If Jesus showed up tomorrow, I would not be surprised.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-15250114709570410542008-06-20T19:21:00.005-05:002008-06-20T19:33:39.270-05:00A Friday WTF MomentI read the following article and I had to pause. Enough so that I wanted to actually blog about it. i mean it broke me of my addiction to social networks.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mass. girls may have made pact to get pregnant </span><br />By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer<br /><br />The girls showed up repeatedly at the high school health clinic, asking for pregnancy tests. But their reactions to the test results were puzzling: high-fives if they were expecting, long faces if they weren't.<br /><br />School officials in this hard-luck New England fishing town say an alarming 17 girls — four times the usual number — became pregnant this year. And even more disturbing: Some of the girls may have made a pact to have babies and raise them together.<br /><br />"A typical girl you would think would say, `Oh my God! What am I going to do now? How am I going to support this baby? How am I going to finish school?'" Superintendent Christopher Farmer said. "These young women clearly have not seen that."<br /><br />The story exploded after Joseph Sullivan, the principal of Gloucester High School, was quoted by Time magazine this week as saying the girls confessed to making such a pact. Sullivan was on vacation Friday and did not return calls for comment.<br /><br />The superintendent said he had no independent confirmation of a pact. But he added: "What we do know is there was a group of students being tested for pregnancy on a regular basis, which would suggest they were not taking steps to avoid becoming pregnant, and that when some of them had their babies, they appeared to be very pleased."<br /><br />None of the girls or their families have come forward to confirm any type of pact, and school and health officials have not identified any of the youngsters.<br /><br />The girls are all 16 or under, nearly all of them sophomores. The superintendent said they have been reluctant to identify the fathers, many of whom are older. But one of them "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," the principal was quoted as telling Time.<br /><br />City and school officials in this town of about 30,000 people 30 miles north of Boston have been struggling for months to explain and deal with the pregnancies, where on average only four girls a year at the 1,200-student high school become pregnant.<br /><br />Just last month, two officials at the high school health center resigned to protest the local hospital's refusal to support a proposal to distribute contraceptives to youngsters at the school without parental consent. The hospital controls the clinic's funding.<br /><br />Mayor Carolyn Kirk said Friday there are many contributing factors to what she called a "blip" in the pregnancy rate, from glamorization of teen pregnancy in pop culture to cuts in funding that have reduced teachers and health classes in Gloucester.<br /><br />"We have fallen on hard times," Kirk said of her city, which has suffered in recent decades with the decline in the fishing industry that has defined Gloucester since the colonial era.<br /><br />Gloucester is the town that lost six fishermen in the 1991 shipwreck that inspired the book and movie "The Perfect Storm." Its high school teams are known as the Fighting Fishermen.<br /><br />Student Council member Emily Spreer said many of the girls came from difficult socioeconomic circumstances: "Their circle or clique, they're not the most fortunate family-wise."<br /><br />"If you're a young person who really is struggling to find an identity for herself, absent the support and the guidance, it can become almost a default option for some to become a mom," said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. "We need to do more for young people and show them more paths."<br /><br />Gloucester — a heavily Roman Catholic town with a large Italian and Portuguese population — has long been supportive of teen mothers. The high school has a day care center for students and employees.<br /><br />Christen Callahan, a former Gloucester High student who had a child when she was 15, said on NBC's "Today" show that some of the girls would ask her about her own pregnancy. "They would say stuff like, `Oh, I think my parents would be fine with it and they would help me,' stuff like that," Callahan said.<br /><br />Sarah Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, suggested some of the blame lies with the nation's Hollywood-obsessed culture, in which stories about pregnant celebrities abound.<br /><br />Just this week, 17-year-old TV star Jamie Lynn Spears, the unmarried sister of Britney Spears, gave birth. "Juno," a wry comedy about a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant, was one of the most acclaimed movies of the year.<br /><br />"Baby bumps get written about the same way designer handbags do. It's just one more lifestyle choice, just another personal expression: these shoes, this bump and that handbag," Brown said. "It's not surprising that teenage girls can get confused or even seduced by the allure of celebrity pregnancy."<br />---<br />AP reporters Pauline Arrillaga in Phoenix and Nancy Kelsey and Karen Testa in Boston contributed to this report.<br /><br /></span></blockquote>I don't know if these girls really know what they are getting into. Having a baby is easy - raising a baby is a different story. What would you do if your found out your daughter was trying to get pregnant on purpose and couldn't even legally drive a car? Here is my train of thought:<br /><br /><ol><li>She isn't allowed to get an abortion. She got pregnant on purpose she gets to see the pregnancy through to the end. But - would you let her put the baby up for adoption?</li><li>I'm split on adoption. One part of me says that realistically, grandma would be raising the baby while my daughter tries to finish school and work (cause sister needs a job to buy diapers and clothes and pay for daycare). Another part of me thinks that someone else might be able to give the baby the love and care that he/she needs</li><li>My child would not know freedom any more - although with me she wouldn't have known it in the first place but she would be under even stricter who, what when and where's. As in who are you going with. What are you going to be doing? Where are you going to be and when will you be home? Plus surprise visits to verify her story</li><li>You have to finish school and you need to be working on college plans</li></ol>That's it for now. This whole story makes my children's lives that much harder because I'm going to be even more vigilant.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-77625291118460533672008-06-20T19:05:00.002-05:002008-06-20T19:21:01.520-05:00Long Time, No BlogIt's been a while since I blogged about anything significant. I blame the following:<br /><ol><li>The Brook on ning.com</li><li>Illinisoul on ning.com</li><li>The Brook on ning.com</li><li>Illinisoul on ning.com</li><li>Mix in a little Facebook</li><li>This little thing called work</li></ol>Essentially I have become addicted to a social network for people that grew up in my hometown and one for my alma mater. Pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. It's ridiculous. Now that the growth of the sites have slowed down - a little - I want to get back to blogging on the regular. I just need to decide what I want to talk about. I say this all the time but I REALLY mean it this time.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-47219877144884227562008-05-16T19:18:00.002-05:002008-05-16T19:20:00.497-05:00You Say It's Your Birthday...Well today it is my birthday. For once I have plans outside of family dinner. For those wondering why I dropped off the face of the earth, I've been sucked into ning.com. All about the social networks. If one of your so-called friends invites you to join a ning.com network don't be friends with them ANYMORE. Real friends don't introduce friends to ning.com. :)Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-61541818955055262122008-04-18T14:27:00.002-05:002008-04-18T14:30:14.985-05:00BrainteasersThis is an interesting test. I got 10 out of 11 correct. You are going to hate yourself over this. It scores automatically, too. Take this advice - be sure to think before you answer.<span id="EC_EC_EC_EC_role_document" style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:180%;color:black;" ></span></span><span id="EC_EC_EC_EC_role_document" style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Bookman Old Style;font-size:100%;color:red;" ><br /><br /><a title="http://www.mikescomputerinfo.com/inteltest.htm" href="http://www.mikescomputerinfo.com/inteltest.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><b><i><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);font-family:Bookman Old Style;font-size:180%;" >Click here: How Smart Are You?</span></i></b></strong></a></span></span><br /><span id="EC_EC_EC_EC_role_document" style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Bookman Old Style;font-size:100%;color:red;" > </span></span><span id="EC_EC_role_document" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><blockquote><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"></div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote> <span id="EC_EC_EC_EC_role_document" style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Times-New-Roman;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-30556728394298133472008-04-02T10:09:00.002-05:002008-04-02T10:12:34.037-05:00Be BlessedEvery time I hear "Be Blessed" by Bishop Paul Morton, I feel the spirit move within me. It moves me to tears. Prayer is so powerful. I sometimes wonder if people realize how much so. As the song says "I pray for you. You pray for me. And watch God change things." It doesn't say right away but God will answer you in His own time. Since this has blessed me, I want to bless you. Enjoy and BE BLESSED...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/co89kVq6dgs&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/co89kVq6dgs&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-3069165757294806952008-03-19T17:13:00.003-05:002008-03-19T17:19:09.034-05:00Say What?!I personally haven't heard the speech Senator Barack Obama gave on race. I've read and heard snippets but finally had the opportunity to read the speech in its entirety. Here it is as found in the <a href="http://www.chicagodefender.com/view.php?I=552" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chicago Defender</span></a>. I'm posting this because I believe in sharing the knowledge and letting people make educated decisions for themselves. I'm also sharing because I believe he says - FINALLY - what many people think but are afraid to say: That race is an issue in America that won't be solved until it is openly acknowledged and dealt with. I hope this is the first step in a new direction.<br />---<br /><h1>Barack Obama gives speech on race in U.S.</h1><span class="sAuthor"></span> <p><a style="margin: 10px;" href="http://www.chicagodefender.com/imgs/art/552.jpg" rel="lightbox" txt=" "><img style="margin: 10px;" src="http://www.chicagodefender.com/imgs/art/552b.jpg" align="right" /></a></p> <p>Text of Obama's March 18 Address on Race Text of Barack Obama's remarks in Philadelphia. "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union." Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy.</p> <p>Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787. </p><p>The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations. </p><p>Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.</p><p> And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. </p><p>What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time. </p><p>This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. </p><p>I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction- towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. </p><p>This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story. I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. </p><p>I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. </p><p>IT'S A STORY that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one. Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. </p><p>Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans. This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. </p><p>At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. </p><p>And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. </p><p>On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.</p><p> I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. </p><p>Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed. But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice.</p><p> Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. </p><p>As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all. </p><p>GIVEN MY BACKGROUND, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. </p><p>Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. </p><p>The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. </p><p>He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. </p><p>In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity: "People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters . . . And in that single note- hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. </p><p>Those stories -of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. </p><p>Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about . . . memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild." That has been my experience at Trinity. </p><p>Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor.</p><p> They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America. </p><p>And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. </p><p>Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years. </p><p>I CAN NO MORE disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. </p><p>These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love. Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable.</p><p> I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias. </p><p>But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality. </p><p>The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. </p><p>And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American. Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." </p><p>We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African- American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. </p><p>SEGREGATED SCHOOLS were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students. </p><p>Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. </p><p>That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities. A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. </p><p>And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us. </p><p>This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African- Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. </p><p>What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. </p><p>But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. </p><p>That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. </p><p>Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. </p><p>That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings. And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. </p><p>The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. </p><p>That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. </p><p>But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.</p><p> IN FACT, A SIMILAR ANGER exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race.</p><p> Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. </p><p>They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense.</p>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-17584355488082352792008-03-13T14:48:00.002-05:002008-03-13T14:50:32.960-05:00Long Time, No PostI know that I haven't posted in a while but I wanted to give Matthew some top billing since his news was so awesome and I was so proud. Anywho, I got this in the mail today and I knew I had to post it. Just in time for Easter. Enjoy!<br />----<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PEEP SHOW!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhqma4Z-_PJCDN7wvMo7UlFYBn55jYq2gJMKJSaiyDujQhqZTjP0cAHh2rsfDOhjOk_hAX3VuDq5JtGCJ2kkBYpBBAUUs2He-5M2YGgkH8i7f6xllnZwiXt1V6N2M3dYxHh35/s1600-h/peeps.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhqma4Z-_PJCDN7wvMo7UlFYBn55jYq2gJMKJSaiyDujQhqZTjP0cAHh2rsfDOhjOk_hAX3VuDq5JtGCJ2kkBYpBBAUUs2He-5M2YGgkH8i7f6xllnZwiXt1V6N2M3dYxHh35/s320/peeps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177315941389920178" border="0" /></a>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-76380225090728444302008-02-19T15:13:00.003-06:002008-02-19T15:16:28.936-06:00Matthew Jones - Supastar!I'm proud to say that I know a movie star - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428799/" target="_blank">Matthew Adam Jones</a>. Actually we've known that he was a star for a while. Now everyone will know.<br /><br />-----<br />it has been a while<br />the time has come for good news<br />and it's really big<br /><br />just shot a great film<br />the character name - haiku<br />all lines, in this form<br /><br />the movie's called BREAK<br />i'm a badass assassin<br />you can check it out<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nocleanbreak.com/" target="_blank">www.nocleanbreak.com</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtp5fLu7UnkbLdmaipY-IIxMfLjcSDqu4PJvpRbpnBdOzJlh2uG_gQuarhyphenhyphenfaHyeoGqTB50BMplf3lfhSclbXqIsIueZqV7zvOEtrqRmwb-d1hN9qCqd-WPGXkZO9fYJGn1XN/s1600-h/break_wallpaper_bg_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtp5fLu7UnkbLdmaipY-IIxMfLjcSDqu4PJvpRbpnBdOzJlh2uG_gQuarhyphenhyphenfaHyeoGqTB50BMplf3lfhSclbXqIsIueZqV7zvOEtrqRmwb-d1hN9qCqd-WPGXkZO9fYJGn1XN/s320/break_wallpaper_bg_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168803111435802690" border="0" /></a>Matthew is the handsome fellow on the left...<br /></div>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-79747143386257963292008-02-19T12:45:00.002-06:002008-02-19T12:49:20.668-06:00Tuesday TickleAs usual, I was perusing my emails and this one made me laugh - out loud. So I am sharing. Enjoy!<br /><br />-----<br />Wash and Curl<br /><br />A woman stuck her head into a hair salon and asked, "How long before I can get a wash & curl?" The beautician looked around the salon full of customers and said, "about 2 hours." The woman left.<br /><br />A few days later, the same woman stuck her head in the door and asked, "How long before I can get a wash & curl?" The beautician looked around at the salon and said, "about 3 hours." The woman left.<br /><br />A week later, the same woman stuck her head in the salon and asked, "How long before I can get a wash & curl?" The beautician looked around the salon and said, "about a hour and a half." The woman left.<br /><br />The beautician turned to her girlfriend and said, "Hey Juanita, do me a favor. Follow that woman and see where she goes. She keeps asking how long she has to wait for a wash & curl, but then she doesn't ever come back."<br /><br />A little while later, Juanita returned to the salon, laughing hysterically. The beautician asked, "So, where does that woman go when she leaves?" Juanita looked up, wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Your man's house!"<span><span><span><span id="EC_role_document" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><span style="background-color: transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Lucida Sans;font-size:100%;color:#ff00ff;"></span></span></span></span></span></span>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-69503278543685421052008-02-14T11:36:00.003-06:002008-02-14T12:30:26.705-06:00It's All About LoveHappy Valentine's Day! When we were growing up, my mom would always tell my brother and I that this holiday isn't just a "lover's holiday". It's about love and anyone can celebrate that, right? So with that said, happy valentine's day to one and all and I give you this:<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYxr6K389_o3jKSIHl-ZUb2jOnPHDp8W4LkWWtD6hntSr_mp7_XOLuYbOXzMXy531qBP8wOd72h8iefWMB4i84uriPwsTPx9rum8PzHT3EEcbMdI1kYutml2wJJxzsg6EzwCl/s1600-h/Slide1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYxr6K389_o3jKSIHl-ZUb2jOnPHDp8W4LkWWtD6hntSr_mp7_XOLuYbOXzMXy531qBP8wOd72h8iefWMB4i84uriPwsTPx9rum8PzHT3EEcbMdI1kYutml2wJJxzsg6EzwCl/s400/Slide1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166904950639335474" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-86520543937911011082008-02-08T13:09:00.000-06:002008-02-08T13:10:47.567-06:00How Fast Are You?Test your reaction time with this special test. Supposedly, the automobile driving manual says the average driver's reaction time is: .75 seconds....... or 1 car length for every 10 mph..........<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf%20" target="_blank">Click here to test your average reaction time.</a>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-74026063871288209572008-02-07T10:53:00.000-06:002008-02-07T10:55:52.170-06:00Aisha Lewis - The Next Triad IdolMy friend and children's godmother (Godmommy to them) is participating in the Triad Idol. I got this message from her the other day:<br /><blockquote>In case you want to take a 1 minute break from your busy day, please check out my audition from the first round of the Triad Idol 2008 competition, held in Greensboro, NC. There are 4 rounds total, and the winner gets a really nice prize in addition to singing at some local performances in the area. I will be moving on to the quarter-final round next week. </blockquote>Because I am such a good friend, here is said audition:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LCNJP4jJZUQ&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LCNJP4jJZUQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />You go Ms. Lewis!Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-36659533731553106302008-02-05T08:56:00.001-06:002008-02-05T09:19:10.152-06:00Super TuesdayIf your state is part of Super Tuesday, I strongly encourage you to vote today. Whether you are a supporter of the Republicans, Democrats or Green Party, your voice makes a difference.<br /><br />Personally, I am supporting Senator Barack Obama. I'm one of those people that chooses based on the issues that concern me. Senator Obama is speaking my language right now. If you haven't seen the following video, check it out:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jjXyqcx-mYY&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jjXyqcx-mYY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />While I would love that everyone support Senator Obama, my concern is that you are part of the process and get out and vote! People worked too long and hard for African-Americans to get a right to vote not to vote. It's like a slap in the face. Vote, vote, vote!<br /><br />Did I mention you should vote? Happy Super Tuesday!Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-55705805072283109642008-01-31T17:41:00.000-06:002008-01-31T17:48:24.073-06:00Vote ChooserNeed help deciding which candidate to support in 2008. <a href="http://www.votechooser.com/" target="_blank">Votechooser.com</a> has a 10 question quiz that makes it pretty easy. Whoever your candidate of choice is, I encourage everyone to get involved in the election process. You need to vote to make your voice heard.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-18200311829852531742008-01-29T16:15:00.001-06:002008-01-29T16:17:42.134-06:00Let Them Eat...DirtFor all the complaining we are doing about the economy, we should be lucky that we are blessed by the best we don't live in Haiti (or any 3rd world country for that matter).<br />-----<br /><!-- BEGIN OUTTER WRAP --> <div id="ynwrap"> <!-- BEGIN MAIN CONTAINER --> <div id="yncont"> <!-- BEGIN MAIN CONTENT --> <div id="ynbody"> <!-- BEGIN PRINT HEAD --> <div class="source"> <div class="logo"><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/;_ylt=AuFUkdJGtsRGlwMc6OqYgwW9IxIF"><img id="ygmalogo" src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nt/ma/ma_nws_1.gif" alt="Yahoo! News" border="0" height="33" width="208" /></a></div> <div style="float: right; height: 60px;"><!-- SpaceID=85074877 loc=LOGO noad --> <script language="javascript"> if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['agSACtG_RuQ-']='&U=128mkgi16%2fN%3dagSACtG_RuQ-%2fC%3d-1%2fD%3dLOGO%2fB%3d-1'; </script><noscript></noscript></div><img src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/p/ap_logo_106.png" border="0" height="27" width="106" /></div> <!-- END PRINT HEAD --> <div id="ynstory" class="printstory"> <!-- BEGIN HEADLINE --> <h1> In hungry Haiti, dirt is food </h1> <!-- END HEADLINE --> <div id="ynmain"> <!-- BEGIN STORY BODY --> <div id="storybody"> <div class="storyhdr"> <p> <span>By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer</span><em class="recenttimedate"> 21 minutes ago</em> </p> </div> <p>It was lunchtime in one of Haiti's worst slums, and Charlene Dumas was eating mud.</p> <p>With food prices rising, Haiti's poorest can't afford even a daily plate of rice, and some take desperate measures to fill their bellies.</p> <p>Charlene, 16 with a 1-month-old son, has come to rely on a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs: cookies made of dried yellow dirt from the country's central plateau.</p> <p>The mud has long been prized by pregnant women and children here as an antacid and source of calcium. But in places like Cite Soleil, the oceanside slum where Charlene shares a two-room house with her baby, five siblings and two unemployed parents, cookies made of dirt, salt and vegetable shortening have become a regular meal.</p> <p>"When my mother does not cook anything, I have to eat them three times a day," Charlene said. Her baby, named Woodson, lay still across her lap, looking even thinner than the slim 6 pounds 3 ounces he weighed at birth.</p> <p>Though she likes their buttery, salty taste, Charlene said the cookies also give her stomach pains. "When I nurse, the baby sometimes seems colicky too," she said.</p> <p>Food prices around the world have spiked because of higher oil prices, needed for fertilizer, irrigation and transportation. Prices for basic ingredients such as corn and wheat are also up sharply, and the increasing global demand for biofuels is pressuring food markets as well.</p> <p>The problem is particularly dire in the Caribbean, where island nations depend on imports and food prices are up 40 percent in places.</p> <p>The global price hikes, together with floods and crop damage from the 2007 hurricane season, prompted the U.N. Food and Agriculture Agency to declare states of emergency in Haiti and several other Caribbean countries. Caribbean leaders held an emergency summit in December to discuss cutting food taxes and creating large regional farms to reduce dependence on imports.</p> <p>At the market in the La Saline slum, two cups of rice now sell for 60 cents, up 10 cents from December and 50 percent from a year ago. Beans, condensed milk and fruit have gone up at a similar rate, and even the price of the edible clay has risen over the past year by almost $1.50. Dirt to make 100 cookies now costs $5, the cookie makers say.</p> <p>Still, at about 5 cents apiece, the cookies are a bargain compared to food staples. About 80 percent of people in Haiti live on less than $2 a day and a tiny elite controls the economy.</p> <p>Merchants truck the dirt from the central town of Hinche to the La Saline market, a maze of tables of vegetables and meat swarming with flies. Women buy the dirt, then process it into mud cookies in places such as Fort Dimanche, a nearby shanty town.</p> <p>Carrying buckets of dirt and water up ladders to the roof of the former prison for which the slum is named, they strain out rocks and clumps on a sheet, and stir in shortening and salt. Then they pat the mixture into mud cookies and leave them to dry under the scorching sun.</p> <p>The finished cookies are carried in buckets to markets or sold on the streets.</p> <p>A reporter sampling a cookie found that it had a smooth consistency and sucked all the moisture out of the mouth as soon as it touched the tongue. For hours, an unpleasant taste of dirt lingered.</p> <p>Assessments of the health effects are mixed. Dirt can contain deadly parasites or toxins, but can also strengthen the immunity of fetuses in the womb to certain diseases, said Gerald N. Callahan, an immunology professor at Colorado State University who has studied geophagy, the scientific name for dirt-eating.</p> <p>Haitian doctors say depending on the cookies for sustenance risks malnutrition.</p> <p>"Trust me, if I see someone eating those cookies, I will discourage it," said Dr. Gabriel Thimothee, executive director of Haiti's health ministry. </p><p> Marie Noel, 40, sells the cookies in a market to provide for her seven children. Her family also eats them. </p><p> "I'm hoping one day I'll have enough food to eat, so I can stop eating these," she said. "I know it's not good for me."</p> </div> <!-- END STORY BODY --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END MAIN CONTENT --> <!-- BEGIN FOOTER --> <div id="ynfeet"> <p id="copyright"> Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.<br /> </p> <!-- start footer --> <script language="javascript"> var ADFadids = "-1,1030392"; function ADFlaunch() {var w; var l="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=14su03lmg/M=224039.1983420.3465435.1919853/D=news/S=85074877:FOOT/_ylt=Alr7cpe5TWjiM93.4XIfiK69IxIF/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1201652095/L=XgeJ8tG_Rt1A0kb.RlWnEQhV0MQ8KkefpV8AC1Ei/B=awSACtG_RuQ-/J=1201644895759489/A=1030392/R=0/id=adfeedback/SIG=12gfhkl97/*http://surveys.yahoo.com/user_ad_feedback?source=85074877:FOOT&.q28=news&.q26="+ADFadids; w=window.open(l,"AdFeedbackWin","toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable,location=no,height=400,width=640"); }</script><table width="750"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><span style="font-size:8;">Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. 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Considering how close we are to New Year's and resolutions, it's very a propos. But you know what it made me think of? It made me think of this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh2cSe0KF1fUHDxmyBnYCipICWpInu2-8DSjSTAgk1UDH_z__CvCqg_5Abbfe_VcukIs4qWp14KyQhDe619cOiKOp0_smusG9pBngQozI6FWT0aQc1wcNT-C0Ti0w-KqHaU9U/s1600-h/labyrinth.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 86px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQh2cSe0KF1fUHDxmyBnYCipICWpInu2-8DSjSTAgk1UDH_z__CvCqg_5Abbfe_VcukIs4qWp14KyQhDe619cOiKOp0_smusG9pBngQozI6FWT0aQc1wcNT-C0Ti0w-KqHaU9U/s320/labyrinth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161020632246491042" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and this<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUindlR2bzPguubHSNpXvAiKgk9K4_Wp5UXNx5jpHgG25diafpIbl1QBkDYAKYgyYKrLLcgzxMqHUrdd3l2ZRALfm4krcNPwWLc2e2NjIyX-89tpGKWdFYkTH14LjGdFjZlta/s1600-h/labyrinth2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUindlR2bzPguubHSNpXvAiKgk9K4_Wp5UXNx5jpHgG25diafpIbl1QBkDYAKYgyYKrLLcgzxMqHUrdd3l2ZRALfm4krcNPwWLc2e2NjIyX-89tpGKWdFYkTH14LjGdFjZlta/s320/labyrinth2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161020825520019378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and this<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBG4kEs4aG8dfbvhQ4vwjD7coEqhBjBBWCGOkyQGSB7eSR2kMsKdlgCP9APhi6YQWyo2L5qqNyiCbzp6xYYVUKoyC7xiT4WewVor8vqf6uR0gOrlnjrxPXZGdIwz1k6SHKohk/s1600-h/labyrinth3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBG4kEs4aG8dfbvhQ4vwjD7coEqhBjBBWCGOkyQGSB7eSR2kMsKdlgCP9APhi6YQWyo2L5qqNyiCbzp6xYYVUKoyC7xiT4WewVor8vqf6uR0gOrlnjrxPXZGdIwz1k6SHKohk/s320/labyrinth3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161021156232501186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Still don't know what I'm talking about. The movie is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/" target="_blank">Labyrinth</a> with a very young Jennifer Connelly and not so young David Bowie. I loved, loved, loved that movie. Gonna have to add it to the queue on NetFlix. For those that still don't remember, check out the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/trailers-screenplay-E14193-310" target="_blank">trailer</a>.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-39340310495424111752008-01-29T13:49:00.000-06:002008-01-29T15:33:36.516-06:00National Mental Health Care WeekI know it's not nice to make fun of those who have mental problems but this made me smile. So I apologize in advance for laughing but if you laugh too, that makes you just as bad.<br />---------<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">This coming week is National Mental Health Care week.<br /></div><br />Please post this new menu near the phone for the Voice Mail service on our switchboard has changed. This new menu allows for faster response to your special needs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Mental Hospital Phone Menu<br /></div><br />Please select from the following menu options:<br /><ul><li>If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.</li><li>If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.</li><li>If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.</li><li>If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.</li><li>If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.</li><li>If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.</li><li>If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.</li><li>If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.</li><li>If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.</li><li>If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.</li><li>If you have low self-esteem, please hang up our operators are too busy to talk with you.</li><li>If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.</li><li>If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up.</li></ul>You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable person to show you care.<br /><br />Well, I did my part. it’s your turn now.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-988390811618662212008-01-29T13:00:00.000-06:002008-01-29T13:09:48.932-06:00Know the Signs to Save a LifeSometimes a little knowledge can make a difference.<br />--------<br />STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.<br /><img id="EC_EC__x0000_i1025" src="http://by124w.bay124.mail.live.com/mail/SafeRedirect.aspx?hm__tg=http://207.46.11.249/att/GetAttachment.aspx&hm__qs=file%3df79f6f7d-6b5e-4ad3-abe6-2e64c436d2c5%26ct%3daW1hZ2UvanBlZw_3d_3d%26name%3dQVRUMDAwMDE_3d%26inline%3d1%26rfc%3d0%26empty%3dFalse%26imgsrc%3dcid%253a1.3475210743%2540web30306.mail.mud.yahoo.com&oneredir=1&ip=10.1.106.222&d=d2369&mf=0" height="290" vspace="5" width="434" /><br /><br />My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.<br />If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously... Please read.<br /><br />STROKE IDENTIFICATION:<br />During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.<br /><br />They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.<br /><br />Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps In grid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.<br /><br />It only takes a minute to read this...A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... <u>totally </u>. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.<br /><br />RECOGNIZING A STROKE:<br />Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!<br /><br />Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.<br /><br />Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:<br /><ol><li>Ask the individual to SMILE.</li><li>Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE - Coherently. (i.e. It is sunny out today)</li><li>Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.</li></ol>If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 <u>immediately</u> and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.<br /><br />New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue<br />NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-31613161575016705122008-01-25T11:25:00.001-06:002008-01-25T11:28:25.667-06:00Delete, Delete, DeleteOn another note, don't use company-issued electronics to conduct your extra-marital affair. Apparently, this is just one of the texts they found on Chief of Staff Christine Beatty's city-issued pager:<br /><div id="section_label"></div><blockquote><div style="font-weight: bold;" id="section_label">'You made me feel so damn good'</div> <p>The Detroit Free Press obtained nearly 14,000 text messages from the pager of Christine Beatty, chief of staff of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, many of which describe a sexual relationship. Excerpts posted on the paper's Web site:<br /></p><p><b>9/28/2002, 11:53 p.m.</b><br />Beatty: Where are you now?<br />Kilpatrick: At home waiting for all [executive protection unit officers] to leave. Where are you?<br />Beatty: At the residence inn in Madison hgts.<br />Kilpatrick: What rm?<br />Beatty: I'm in room 311 in bldg 3 in the back.<br /></p><p><b>10/7/2002, 11:20 p.m.</b><br />Beatty: OK, I'm feeling like I want another night like the most recent Saturday at the Residence Inn! You made me feel so damn good that night. As you can see I can't let it go!<br /></p><p><b>10/16/2002, 11:48 p.m.</b><br />Kilpatrick: I've been dreaming all day about having you all to myself for 3 days ... relaxing, laughing, talking, sleeping and making love. </p><i>AP</i> </blockquote>Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting your freak on. It helps to be single or being freaky with your significant other.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-55683034874305105552008-01-25T10:50:00.000-06:002008-01-25T11:25:18.529-06:00Don't Hate the Playa?This is an interesting story. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick appears to have gotten "caught up" as the young folks say. According to my Detroit folks, Mayor Kilpatrick has all the attributes of a playa playa so I am interested to see how this situation pans out.<br />---<br /><h1 class="story_headline">Detroit mayor's steamy texting puts him in Clinton-style scandal </h1> <h3 class="story_subhead">PERJURY? | He swore he wasn't having affair with aide </h3> <p> <!-- Article Publsih Date --> </p><div class="date">January 25, 2008</div> <!-- Article By Line --> <div class="byline">BY COREY WILLIAMS </div> <!-- Article's First Paragraph --> <p>DETROIT -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick bristled in the witness chair last year when asked whether he had an affair with a top aide. No, the mayor confidently told jurors, the two were never romantically involved.</p> <p>But a trove of 14,000 text messages that emerged this week tell a different story: The mayor and his chief of staff carried on a flirty, sometimes sexually explicit dialogue about where to meet and how to conceal their numerous trysts.</p> <!-- start sidebar --> <div class="sidebar"> <!-- begin poll --> <!-- end poll --> <!-- Fact box starts here --> <div id="section_label">'You made me feel so damn good'</div> <div class="smtext"> <p>The Detroit Free Press obtained nearly 14,000 text messages from the pager of Christine Beatty, chief of staff of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, many of which describe a sexual relationship. Excerpts posted on the paper's Web site:<br /></p><p><b>9/28/2002, 11:53 p.m.</b><br />Beatty: Where are you now?<br />Kilpatrick: At home waiting for all [executive protection unit officers] to leave. Where are you?<br />Beatty: At the residence inn in Madison hgts.<br />Kilpatrick: What rm?<br />Beatty: I'm in room 311 in bldg 3 in the back.<br /></p><p><b>10/7/2002, 11:20 p.m.</b><br />Beatty: OK, I'm feeling like I want another night like the most recent Saturday at the Residence Inn! You made me feel so damn good that night. As you can see I can't let it go!<br /></p><p><b>10/16/2002, 11:48 p.m.</b><br />Kilpatrick: I've been dreaming all day about having you all to myself for 3 days ... relaxing, laughing, talking, sleeping and making love. </p><p><i>AP</i><br /></p> </div> </div> <p>Now the mayor's indiscretion has landed him in a Clinton-style scandal that could cost him his job and his law license and even bring perjury charges.</p> <p>The Detroit Free Press did not explain how it obtained the messages, which were sent or received in 2002-03 from Chief of Staff Christine Beatty's city-issued pager.</p> <p>The mayor's denial came last summer during testimony in a lawsuit filed by two police officers who alleged they were fired for investigating claims from two former bodyguards that the mayor used his security unit to cover up extramarital affairs.</p> <div class="story_subhead">'Profoundly embarrassing'</div> <p>On the witness stand, the mayor also went on the offensive about the allegations, defending his reputation and that of Beatty. ''I think it was pretty demoralizing to her ... but it's demoralizing to me as well,'' he testified. ''My mother is a congresswoman. There have always been strong women around me. My aunt is a state legislator. I think it's absurd to assert that every woman that works with a man is a whore.''</p> <p>Late Wednesday, Kilpatrick issued a more subdued statement. ''These five- and six-year-old text messages reflect a very difficult period in my personal life,'' he said. ''It is profoundly embarrassing to have these extremely private messages now displayed in such a public manner.''</p> <p>Kilpatrick is married with three children. Beatty was married at the time and has two children.</p> <p>Last summer's lawsuit ended with the jury awarding $6.5 million to the officers. </p> <p>Judge Michael Callahan, who presided over the lawsuit, said it is up to prosecutors to decide whether to seek perjury charges against the mayor. The county prosecutor's office declined to comment on Thursday, but scheduled a news conference for today. <i>AP</i></p> <!-- Start Bottom Story --> Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-79091932079262781212008-01-24T14:32:00.001-06:002008-01-24T14:34:49.159-06:00Surprise! Surprise!Actually, this isn't a surprise. This is a relief. If I had gotten a message that Amy Winehouse was found dead (instead of Heath Ledger), I wouldn't have been shocked. I know it's sad but it's true. Her problems with controlled substances are well documented. I hope that she is truly able to get the help she needs. She is a talented artist. In fact, she is one of my daughter's favorites.<br />----<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amy Winehouse enters drug rehab program</span><br /><br />By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press Writer<br /> <p>Amy Winehouse, beset by allegations of substance abuse, entered a rehabilitation facility Thursday to battle drug addiction.</p> <p>The announcement came just days after the 24-year-old singer was pictured in British tabloid The Sun inhaling fumes from a small pipe. Police have launched an inquiry into the matter.</p> <p>"Amy decided to enter the facility today after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors," Universal Music Group said in a statement.</p> <p>"She has come to understand that she requires specialist treatment to continue her ongoing recovery from drug addiction," the statement said.</p> <p>Winehouse, who is nominated for six Grammy Awards for her acclaimed "Back to Black" album, seems to be as famous for her drug problems as for her music. Since the album's U.S. release last year, she has canceled a slew of appearances amid reports of drug use.</p> <p>The album's most popular song, "Rehab," references her struggles, and is a defiant anthem against entering a treatment facility.</p> <p>"Amy is the most talented and important musical artist of her generation and has made huge strides on her road to recovery," the statement said.</p> <p>Universal said it hoped Winehouse would "come back to full health and fulfill her incredible potential with the label."</p> <p>The statement also indicated Winehouse still planned to attend and perform at the Grammys, to be held Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.</p> <p>She canceled a scheduled appearance Saturday at the NRJ music awards ceremony in France, Universal said.</p> <p>According to The Sun, video of Winehouse apparently using drugs was shot before she attended a court hearing to see her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, appear on charges of assault and lying to police.</p> <p>Winehouse was photographed walking outside her London home last month wearing only a bra and jeans, with no shoes, looking distressed.</p>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3909312.post-71284041788948226562008-01-24T13:33:00.001-06:002008-01-24T16:12:58.917-06:00Too Little, Too Late?<span style="font-size:100%;">Not that I'm one to knock getting a tax rebate. I'm enthusiastically looking forward too it, I wonder if this will really be the shot in the arm that the economy needs.<br />----<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tax rebates deal announced</span><br /><br />By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer<br /><br />Congressional leaders announced a deal with the White House Thursday on an economic stimulus package that would give most tax filers refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children.</span><p></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would act on the agreement — hammered out in a week of intense negotiations with Republican Leader John A. Boehner and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson — "at the earliest date, so that those rebate checks will be in the mail."</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The rebates would go to 117 million families, according to a Democratic summary. That includes $28 billion in checks to 35 million working families who wouldn't have been helped by Bush's original proposal, the analysis estimated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Republicans, for their part, were pleased that the bulk of the rebates — more than 70 percent, according to an analysis by Congress' Joint Tax Committee — would go to individuals who pay taxes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Individuals who pay income taxes would get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those with children an additional $300 per child under the agreement. Workers who make at least $3,000 but don't pay taxes would get $300 rebates.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The rebate part of the plan would cost about $100 billion, aides said. The package also includes close to $50 billion in business tax cuts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The package would allow businesses to immediately write off 50 percent of purchases of plants and other capital equipment and permit small businesses to write off additional purchases of equipment. A Republican-written provision to allow businesses suffering losses now to reclaim taxes previously paid was dropped.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed to drop increases in food stamp and unemployment benefits during a Wednesday meeting in exchange for gaining the rebates of at least $300 for almost everyone earning a paycheck, including those who make too little to pay income taxes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">"I can't say that I'm totally pleased with the package, but I do know that it will help stimulate the economy. But if it does not, then there will be more to come," Pelosi said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Boehner said the agreement "was not easy for the two of us and our respective caucuses." He added, "The two caucuses have to come together and to work in a bipartisan way and to reach a compromise that I think is in the best interest of the American people."</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Paulson said he would work with the House and Senate to enact the package as soon as possible because "speed is of the essence."</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The Treasury Department has already been talking to the IRS about getting the checks out "as quickly as possible, recognizing that the tax filing season is ongoing," said Treasury spokesman Andrew DeSouza.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The rebates would phase out gradually for individuals whose income exceeds $75,000 and couples with incomes above $150,000, aides said. Individuals with incomes up to $87,000 and couples up to $174,000 would get partial rebates. The caps are higher for those with children.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">The agreement left some lawmakers in both parties with a bitter taste, complaining that their leaders had sacrificed too much in the interest of striking a deal. Many senior Democrats were particularly upset that the package omitted the unemployment extension.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">"I do not understand, and cannot accept, the resistance of President Bush and Republican leaders to including an extension of unemployment benefits for those who are without work through no fault of their own," Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., the Ways and Means Committee chairman, said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee Chairman, said leaving out the unemployment extension was "a mistake," as he announced plans to craft a separate stimulus package in the Senate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />EDITED TO ADD:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stimulus package: What's in and out</span><br /><br />By The Associated Press <p>Congressional leaders have reached a deal with the White house on a bipartisan economic stimulus package that is expected to move swiftly through Congress and give most tax filers rebates of $600 to $1,200.</p> <p>WHAT'S IN</p> <p>_Tax rebates: Checks of at least $300 for almost everyone earning a paycheck, including low-income earners who make too little to pay income taxes, so long as they earned at least $3,000 in 2007. Families with children would receive an additional $300 per child, while those paying income taxes could receive higher rebates. The full rebate would be limited to individuals earning $75,000 or less and couples with incomes of $150,000 or less, but a partial rebate would go to individuals earning up to $87,000 and couples earning up to $174,000. The caps are higher for people with children.</p> <p>_Business tax write-offs: Spurring business investments with so-called bonus depreciation and more generous expensing rules.</p> <p>_Housing rescue: Allow more subprime mortgage holders to refinance into federally insured loans by raising the limit on Federal Housing Administration loans from $362,000 to as high as $729,750 in expensive areas. Increase the availability of mortgages by providing a one-year boost to the cap on loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy, from $417,000 up to $729,750 in high-cost markets.</p> <p>WHAT'S OUT</p> <p>_Permanent tax cuts: Republicans conceded that their top priority would have to be left out.</p> <p>_Unemployment insurance: Democrats wanted to extend benefits past 26 weeks.</p> <p>_Food stamps: A boost for benefits.</p> <p>_Medicaid: Democrats gave up on including Medicaid payments to states.</p> <p>_Low-income heating subsidies: Democrats are surrendering the fight to include them.</p> <p>_Infrastructure spending: Spending on transportation or repair projects already under way is off the table.</p> <p>_Republicans' proposal to allow businesses suffering losses now to reclaim taxes previously paid was dropped.</p> <p>(This version CORRECTS housing numbers in paragraph 6.) )</p></span></p>Ayabahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17050785586686846436noreply@blogger.com1