What is the most telling story about how deep the feeling and desire for change in America was that within minutes of Obama's victory was announced by the various news organizations was that a crowd gathered at Layfayette Square just outside of the fence at the White House for a boisterous and jubilant unscripted impromptu celebration that grew as the evening went on. The fact that the crowd was peaceful and no one was disrespectful of either those who voted to not change nor to the prevailing laws in America was another reason change has come to America.
Also, I must say that McPain found out what happened to McCain last night when he gave his concession speech which was eloquent and showed that the senility that was so prevalent throughout his campaign was fained for the most part - he is 72 years old so some degree of senility is to be expected - why he would fake it is confusing, but his handlers were some of the most rabid of the wing-nuts so the confusion isn't all that much.
Another telling point was the reactions of the crowds listening to McCain's speech: the hundreds of thousands gathered to celebrate with Obama listened to McCain speak in silence, respecting him and listening to what he had to say and nodding in agreement and clapping when he called for America to come together to move forward.
In contrast the small group gathered to see McCain booed and jeered when he called for coming together and there was one call from out of the group that was not quite audible enough to make out clearly (someone will enhance it I am sure) that had the negative and derogatory vibe to it that had become the hallmark of the campaign.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Cloning from the grave
Scientists create new life from a mouse that has been frozen for 16 YEARS
“Scientists have created clones of a mouse that had been dead and frozen for 16 years. It is the first time they have been able to clone a frozen animal. The Japanese researchers say their work will benefit mankind - and could be used to bring back extinct animals such as the woolly mammoth or sabre tooth tiger.
But ethical watchdogs branded the experiment disturbing. Critics say it brings the world closer to the day when people try to clone long- dead relatives stored in cryopreservation clinics. It could even lead to a macabre new industry - in which people leave behind ‘relics’ of their bodies in freezers in the hope that they could one day be cloned. The gullible might be persuaded that they themselves could be brought back to life, complete with their memories, even though a clone would be a different person in almost everything except appearance.”
Read more at The Daily Mail
The World reacts to Obama's election
Some quotes from the World's reaction to Obama's election
"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."
- Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president.
"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten. America is rebecoming a New World. ... On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."
- Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights.
"If it were possible for me to get to the United States on my bicycle, I would."
- Joseph Ochieng, a 36-year-old carpenter who celebrated in Nairobi's Kibera shantytown, one of Africa's largest slums.
"It's the beginning of a different era in the U.S. The United States is a country to dream about, and for us black Brazilians, it is even easier to do so now."
- Emmanuel Miranda, a 53-year-old police officer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"No doubt that Obama will be better for the Americans and the whole world, and being elected after the horrible policy of George Bush is enough by itself. Whatever change he can bring to the world after this catastrophic polices would be great."
- Hisham Abu Amer, 28, in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Reading the Forums
Perusing the open forums this morning I find the rabid wing-nuts are eerily silent today on them. Which is what I thought would be the case even though up through yesterday they were howling and screeching to the moon in full voice.
Over on the 'wing-nut' forums it is another story. Depending on on how rabid the poster is the more insane the posts are today ... of course dimblub, handjob and cuntler's heads are spinning like the little girl in the Exorcist's spun and the pea soup (read: bile and vitriol) is staining the walls of their padded cells today.
Meantime on the Progressive forums the talk is of joy and determination to work to realizing the change we voted for with the realization that it won't happen tomorrow and it won't happen without effort.
The rancor missing from the open forums is nice to read. It is a pity to think it will be short lived though, because the wing-nuts will be spewing hate and fear again all too soon and accusing everyone else of doing what they are doing.
I just wonder how long will it be before the Republicans take back their party from the repugicans because for now the repugicans will only grow more fanatical and fringe and that is frightening to imagine being as they are so far off the fringe edge now as it is.
Over on the 'wing-nut' forums it is another story. Depending on on how rabid the poster is the more insane the posts are today ... of course dimblub, handjob and cuntler's heads are spinning like the little girl in the Exorcist's spun and the pea soup (read: bile and vitriol) is staining the walls of their padded cells today.
Meantime on the Progressive forums the talk is of joy and determination to work to realizing the change we voted for with the realization that it won't happen tomorrow and it won't happen without effort.
The rancor missing from the open forums is nice to read. It is a pity to think it will be short lived though, because the wing-nuts will be spewing hate and fear again all too soon and accusing everyone else of doing what they are doing.
I just wonder how long will it be before the Republicans take back their party from the repugicans because for now the repugicans will only grow more fanatical and fringe and that is frightening to imagine being as they are so far off the fringe edge now as it is.
Reflections
Carolina Naturally is read in 137 of 196 (197 if you count Taiwan as a separate nation) countries in the world.
With the number of new readers finding Carolina Naturally every day it is going to be no time before we are read in every country on the planet.
That's cool and a little mind boggling as well.
After all I came into this world when there where still farmers who drove their produce to the farmer's market in horse drawn wagons (granted there weren't that many, most used trucks, but a few did), jets where still mainly a dream of the infant Air Force everyone else had propellers, you could tell the make of a car a mile away and to be able to communicate to someone in another part of the world was a very costly and time consuming affair.
This is so much better.
With the number of new readers finding Carolina Naturally every day it is going to be no time before we are read in every country on the planet.
That's cool and a little mind boggling as well.
After all I came into this world when there where still farmers who drove their produce to the farmer's market in horse drawn wagons (granted there weren't that many, most used trucks, but a few did), jets where still mainly a dream of the infant Air Force everyone else had propellers, you could tell the make of a car a mile away and to be able to communicate to someone in another part of the world was a very costly and time consuming affair.
This is so much better.
Excuses
I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear he excuses the repugicans will be spouting off as to why they lost the election.
One of the most idiotic has already been uttered right here in North Carolina where Liddy Dole blamed Democrats for funding 'attack ads' so vile and mean against her.
She who ran the most egregious and most vile 'attack ad' of them all (and we do mean 'them all' - nationwide from every campaign) against our senator Kay Hagan ... calling her "godless" manipulating a female voice to sound like Mrs., Hagan while her picture was on screen to say "There is no god."?!
And she is whining about 'attack ads'?!!!!
She lost because she pissed off the real powers that be in North Carolina and the rest of the state as well by being a true 'do nothing' congressman!
So what are your local repugicans mouthing off about as to excuses?
One of the most idiotic has already been uttered right here in North Carolina where Liddy Dole blamed Democrats for funding 'attack ads' so vile and mean against her.
She who ran the most egregious and most vile 'attack ad' of them all (and we do mean 'them all' - nationwide from every campaign) against our senator Kay Hagan ... calling her "godless" manipulating a female voice to sound like Mrs., Hagan while her picture was on screen to say "There is no god."?!
And she is whining about 'attack ads'?!!!!
She lost because she pissed off the real powers that be in North Carolina and the rest of the state as well by being a true 'do nothing' congressman!
So what are your local repugicans mouthing off about as to excuses?
Carolina Blue
2.1 million people turned North Carolina back to its true color yesterday - Blue.
Scraping off the red clown make-up!
Scraping off the red clown make-up!
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
*****
Read more here.
Daily Funny
Three men: an editor, a photographer, and a journalist are covering a political convention in Miami. They decide to walk up and down the beach during their lunch hour. Halfway up the beach, they stumbled upon a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says "Normally I would grant you three wishes, but since there are three of you, I will grant you each one wish."
The photographer went first. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living in a huge house in St. Thomas with no money worries." The genie granted him his wish and sent him on off to St. Thomas.
The journalist went next. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living on a huge yacht cruising the Mediterranean with no money worries."
The genie granted him his wish and sent him off to the Mediterranean.
Last, but not least, it was the editor's turn. "And what would your wish be?" asked the genie.
"I want them both back after lunch" replied the editor, "we have a deadline to meet!
The photographer went first. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living in a huge house in St. Thomas with no money worries." The genie granted him his wish and sent him on off to St. Thomas.
The journalist went next. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living on a huge yacht cruising the Mediterranean with no money worries."
The genie granted him his wish and sent him off to the Mediterranean.
Last, but not least, it was the editor's turn. "And what would your wish be?" asked the genie.
"I want them both back after lunch" replied the editor, "we have a deadline to meet!
President-elect Barack Obama's Victory Speech
Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama--as prepared for delivery
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois
*****
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
And I Quote
"George Monkey Bush, savior of democracy.
The current economic meltdown, a fumbled response to Hurricane Katrina and a banner reading "Mission Accomplished" are but a few of the things that will make up Bush's legacy.
But it can be argued that through his ineptitude, Bush has shaken the electorate out of their apathetic daze, and in doing so, strengthened democracy in the United States.
How's that for irony?"
~ Marc Kielburger
The current economic meltdown, a fumbled response to Hurricane Katrina and a banner reading "Mission Accomplished" are but a few of the things that will make up Bush's legacy.
But it can be argued that through his ineptitude, Bush has shaken the electorate out of their apathetic daze, and in doing so, strengthened democracy in the United States.
How's that for irony?"
~ Marc Kielburger
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The world is having a party
The party for Obama's victory is truly worldwide. Millions are jubilant and some have been up all night in Europe and Africa and Asia waiting for the 11pm EST announcement of Obama's Victory.
Senior scores two points
Ken Mink, a 73-year-old full-time student, scored two points Monday night in Roane State Community College's 93-42 victory over King College's junior varsity. Mink entered the game with about 16 minutes left in the second half and attempted one shot in about three minutes. Seven minutes later, he went back in the game, was fouled and made two free throws.
"I found myself on the free-throw line 52 years after my last college game," Mink said. "I said, 'Just relax and shoot it like you know how to all day long.' I just floated the shots in there. I'm in the books now. I can relax a little bit."
Mink, of Knoxville, last played college basketball 52 years ago at Lees College in Jackson, Ky. After someone soaped the basketball coach's office, he lost his spot on the team and was expelled. Mink still says he didn't do it.
Last year, after shooting baskets at a neighbor's house, he wrote to several area colleges, and Roane State coach Randy Nesbit agreed to give him a chance. Mink has practiced regularly with the team since school began in August.
Trailing the bacon
Swiss police can be excused for fearing the worst. Acting on emergency calls Monday night, they hurried to a rural road in northern Switzerland where horrified motorists reported a long trail of blood - what they believed was evidence of a brutal crime.
A police statement Tuesday said officers followed the blood for 12 miles to the town of Kuettigen only to find that a butcher's supply van had spilled its cargo.
A barrel of pork blood had overturned inside. The van had been headed for a local sausage factory.
Determined Texas woman, 92, votes in ambulance
Betty Owen is 92 and after a stroke four years ago, needs a feeding tube and can't walk. But she was determined not to miss Tuesday's election. She arrived at her polling place on a gurney in an ambulance, where an election judge and support worker climbed aboard with an electronic voting machine and let her cast her ballot.
"And you have voted," precinct judge Sam Green said after Owen pushed the red button finalizing her choices. "You know, you look so pretty in that red dress."
Owen grinned, the San Antonio Express-News reported in Tuesday's online edition.
Her daughter arranged for the ambulance ride at the last minute after Owen failed to get an absentee ballot.
Owen, a Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II, cast her first ballot for Wendell Willkie, a Republican running against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
She became a Democrat after voting for John Kennedy in 1960. She cast a straight Democratic ballot Tuesday.
This Lady is but one of the reasons the repugicans lost today
Working replica Nautilus sub
Pat Regan built a 1/10 scale working replica of the Nautilus from the film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.Kissell is our new Congressman
Larry Kissell defeats Robin Hayes in US House district 8 from North Carolina.
North Carolina Governor
Bev Perdue is the new governor in North Carolina.
She is our first female governor.
She is our first female governor.
Dole Lost!
Just as we all knew, Elizabeth Dole will not be returning to Washington as a senator from North Carolina.
Endangered turtle eggs seized
Malaysian marine police say they have seized 10,000 endangered turtle eggs believed to be from the Philippines.
Muhammad Sallam Spawi, an officer in Sabah state on Borneo island, says police surprised four smugglers as they were unloading bags of eggs Sunday.
But he says the men managed to flee in their boat.
Still, he said Tuesday the seizure was "the biggest ever" in Sabah.
He said the men were speaking Tagalog, which is spoken in the Philippines.
Abdul Karim Dakog, an officer with the state wildlife department, says the department hopes the eggs, from the endangered green and Hawksbill turtles, may still hatch in a conservation area.
Trade in turtle eggs is illegal in Malaysia but the eggs remain popular in local food markets.
They cost about 80 cents each.
Muhammad Sallam Spawi, an officer in Sabah state on Borneo island, says police surprised four smugglers as they were unloading bags of eggs Sunday.
But he says the men managed to flee in their boat.
Still, he said Tuesday the seizure was "the biggest ever" in Sabah.
He said the men were speaking Tagalog, which is spoken in the Philippines.
Abdul Karim Dakog, an officer with the state wildlife department, says the department hopes the eggs, from the endangered green and Hawksbill turtles, may still hatch in a conservation area.
Trade in turtle eggs is illegal in Malaysia but the eggs remain popular in local food markets.
They cost about 80 cents each.
Recipes for the Holidays
Now that the election is all but over for the crying our thoughts are turning to the victory parties and the holidays and parties during them.
So to bring a bit of culinary sophistication to your palette this year I present recipes from my cookbooks for your pleasure.
To start off on a great footing I give you an old southern staple: Baked Country Ham
12- to 14-pound country ham or country-style ham
2 teaspoons whole cloves
8 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cloves
Red wine vinegar
Pears (optional)
Lemon leaves (optional)
HOW TO:
1. Place ham in a large container; cover with cold water. Soak for 16 hours in the refrigerator; change water once. Pour off water. Scrub ham in warm water with a stiff brush; rinse well. Cut skin from ham; trim off fat. Insert cloves in ham.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Place ham, fat-trimmed side up, in a large roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the ham, making sure it doesn't touch fat or bone. Pour apple cider or apple juice over ham.
3. Bake ham, covered, in the preheated oven for 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 160 degree F. Drain off the pan juices.
4. For glaze, combine brown sugar and ground cloves. Add just enough wine vinegar to make a paste. Spread glaze over fat side of ham.
5. Bake ham, uncovered, about 30 minutes more or until the meat thermometer registers 170 degree F. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. Transfer to a large platter and, if desired, garnish with pears and lemon leaves. Makes 25 to 30 servings.
So to bring a bit of culinary sophistication to your palette this year I present recipes from my cookbooks for your pleasure.
To start off on a great footing I give you an old southern staple: Baked Country Ham
Baked Country Ham
YOU NEED:12- to 14-pound country ham or country-style ham
2 teaspoons whole cloves
8 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cloves
Red wine vinegar
Pears (optional)
Lemon leaves (optional)
HOW TO:
1. Place ham in a large container; cover with cold water. Soak for 16 hours in the refrigerator; change water once. Pour off water. Scrub ham in warm water with a stiff brush; rinse well. Cut skin from ham; trim off fat. Insert cloves in ham.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Place ham, fat-trimmed side up, in a large roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the ham, making sure it doesn't touch fat or bone. Pour apple cider or apple juice over ham.
3. Bake ham, covered, in the preheated oven for 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 160 degree F. Drain off the pan juices.
4. For glaze, combine brown sugar and ground cloves. Add just enough wine vinegar to make a paste. Spread glaze over fat side of ham.
5. Bake ham, uncovered, about 30 minutes more or until the meat thermometer registers 170 degree F. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. Transfer to a large platter and, if desired, garnish with pears and lemon leaves. Makes 25 to 30 servings.
The tale of the long line
Long lines at the polls have always been a bad sign for repugicans and looking at the lines at the polls today ... they're fucked.
Lines that normally grow to encircle the polling stations by mid-day were already double that before the doors to the polls were open this morning around here - a scene that was repeated over and over again at polling stations throughout the eastern states.
Now, it is mid-day and the lines have not abated ... in fact they have grown!
The misty drizzle around the area has not deterred any as far as anyone observing the the numbers of people going to the polls can tell.
I don't think even a full-blown category 6 hurricane would keep people from voting this time and you know what there is no such animal as a category 6 hurricane - they just don't make'em that strong ... that is the mood of the people of this country.
When you couple today's extremely heavy voter turnout with the historic numbers who voted early where it was allowed ... well, let's just say it's not gonna be the repugicans best day.
Lines that normally grow to encircle the polling stations by mid-day were already double that before the doors to the polls were open this morning around here - a scene that was repeated over and over again at polling stations throughout the eastern states.
Now, it is mid-day and the lines have not abated ... in fact they have grown!
The misty drizzle around the area has not deterred any as far as anyone observing the the numbers of people going to the polls can tell.
I don't think even a full-blown category 6 hurricane would keep people from voting this time and you know what there is no such animal as a category 6 hurricane - they just don't make'em that strong ... that is the mood of the people of this country.
When you couple today's extremely heavy voter turnout with the historic numbers who voted early where it was allowed ... well, let's just say it's not gonna be the repugicans best day.
The First Votes Are In!
Obama wins in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, New Hampshire
Barack Obama came up a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, N.H., where tradition of having the first Election Day ballots tallied lives on.
Democrat Obama defeated Republican John McCain by a count of 15 to 6 in Dixville Notch, where a loud whoop accompanied the announcement in Tuesday's first minutes. The town of Hart's Location reported 17 votes for Obama, 10 for McCain and two for write-in Ron Paul. Independent Ralph Nader was on both towns' ballots but got no votes.
"I'm not going to say I wasn't surprised," said Obama supporter Tanner Nelson Tillotson, whose name was drawn from a bowl to make him Dixville Notch's first voter.
With 115 residents between them, Dixville Notch and Hart's Location get every eligible voter to the polls beginning at midnight on Election Day. Between them, the towns have been enjoying their first-vote status since 1948.
Read the rest here.
The World hopes for a 'less arrogant America'
A world weary of eight years of the shrub is riveted by the drama unfolding in the United States. Many are inspired by Barack Obama's focus on hope, or simply relieved that - whoever wins - the current administration is coming to an end.
From Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to the small town of Obama, Japan, the world gears up to celebrate a fresh start for America.
In Germany, where more than 200,000 flocked to see Obama this summer as he moved to burnish his foreign policy credentials during a trip to the Middle East and Europe, the election dominated television ticker crawls, newspaper headlines and Web sites.
Among the more irreverent festivities planned in Paris: a "Goodbye George" party to bid farewell to the shrub.
"Like many French people, I would like Obama to win because it would really be a sign of change," said Vanessa Doubine, shopping Tuesday on the Champs-Elysees. "I deeply hope for America's image that it will be Obama."
The shrub's administration alienated Muslims by mistreating prisoners at its detention center for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and inmates at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison - human rights violations also condemned worldwide.
"I hope Obama wins (because) of the need of the world to see the U.S. represent a more cosmopolitan or universal political attitude," said Rais Yatim, the foreign minister of mostly Muslim Malaysia.
"The new president will have an impact on the economic and political situation in my country," said Muhammad al-Thaheri, 48, a civil servant in Saudi Arabia.
Like so many around the world, he was rooting for Obama "because he will change the path the U.S. is on under Bush."
Nizar al-Kortas, a columnist for Kuwait's Al-Anbaa newspaper, saw an Obama victory as "a historic step to change the image of the arrogant American administration to one that is more acceptable in the world."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown clung to convention by refusing to say which candidate he wants to see win. Regardless of the outcome, he told Al-Arabiya television while on a tour of the Gulf, "history has been made in this campaign."
In Baghdad, a jaded Mohammed al-Tamimi said he didn't think U.S. policy on Iraq would change. Even so, "we hope that the new American president will open a new page with our country."
Kenyans made their allegiance clear: Scores packed churches on Tuesday to pray for Obama, whose late father was born in the East African nation, and hailed the candidate - himself born in Hawaii - as a "son of the soil."
"Tonight we are not going to sleep," said Valentine Wambi, 23, a student at the University of Nairobi. "It will be celebrations throughout."
Kenyans believe an Obama victory would not change their lives much but that hasn't stopped them from splashing his picture on minibuses and selling T-shirts with his name and likeness. Kenyans were planning to gather around radios and TV sets starting Tuesday night as the results come in.
"We will feast if Obama wins," said Robert Rutaro, a university president in neighboring Uganda. "We will celebrate by marching on the streets of Kampala and hold a big party later on."
In the sleepy Japanese coastal town of Obama - which translates as "little beach" - images of him adorned banners along a main shopping street, and preparations for an Election day victory party were in full swing.
A son of bin Laden is seeking asylum
The Interior Ministry says a son of Osama bin Laden is in Spain and seeking asylum.
A ministry official says Omar Osama bin Laden requested asylum immediately after arriving at Madrid airport Monday on a flight from Cairo, Egypt, that had been going on to Casablanca, Morocco.
The official says Omar Osama bin Laden was traveling on a passport from Saudi Arabia.
The official says he cannot say on what grounds bin Laden is requesting asylum.
The 27-year-old remains at the airport while the ministry considers his petition.
The ministry has 72 hours to make a decision, and the petitioner has a right of appeal.
A ministry official says Omar Osama bin Laden requested asylum immediately after arriving at Madrid airport Monday on a flight from Cairo, Egypt, that had been going on to Casablanca, Morocco.
The official says Omar Osama bin Laden was traveling on a passport from Saudi Arabia.
The official says he cannot say on what grounds bin Laden is requesting asylum.
The 27-year-old remains at the airport while the ministry considers his petition.
The ministry has 72 hours to make a decision, and the petitioner has a right of appeal.
Daily Horoscope
My daily horoscope says ...
Damn, they're good!
You're one lucky buckaroo, and your friends appreciate your dry sense of humor.
Damn, they're good!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Mouse in hot dog bun or just dough?
Bruce Van Dyne of Charlotte, North Carolina found this mouse-shaped form in a bag of Arnold Bakers hotdog buns. The company released a statement claiming that it's "pan accumulation, a deposit of hardened dough, on a hot dog roll." Best Wild Animal Photos of 2008
The above photo, titled "Deadlock," landed David Maitland a 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. The winners of the contest, run by the Natural History of London and BBC Wildlife Magazine, were announced last week. A photo of a snow leopard won best overall while Maitland's shot took the prize in the "Animal Behavior: All Other Animals" category.From National Geographic:
Maitland observed from midnight to 3 a.m. as a rare Morelet's tree frog doggedly refused to become supper for a cat-eyed snake--and still didn't see the conclusion.
"I would love to have seen them go their separate ways, but I was exhausted," the photographer said. "The frog was all the time trying to pull the snake off, but the snake just wouldn't let go.
And who said Politics wasn't funny
Jim Yeager posted the following over on Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
And who said Politics wasn't funny!
And who said Politics wasn't funny!
In today's weather...
A cold front has descended upon hell, and is expected to last through Tuesday evening...
Late Night Zingers
"Last week, McCain campaigned in the Ohio town of Defiance.
Next comes Anger, then, finally, Acceptance."
~ Jay Leno
Next comes Anger, then, finally, Acceptance."
~ Jay Leno
Undecided voters!?
"Who could possibly be undecided at this point? It's difficult to imagine that,
at this late date, a voter could learn anything dispositive about these two men.
In fact, we know them a little too well. I've had sex with people I know less about."
~ John Cloud
at this late date, a voter could learn anything dispositive about these two men.
In fact, we know them a little too well. I've had sex with people I know less about."
~ John Cloud
Mister Cloud has a good point. Only a moron would be undecided at this point and only an idiot would have decided to vote for McPain.
And I Quote
"What most Americans, I think, realize, is that you don't offer a job, let alone
the vice presidency, to a person after one job interview. Even at McDonald's,
you're interviewed three times before you're given a job."
~ Former Reagan Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein, endorsing Obama.
the vice presidency, to a person after one job interview. Even at McDonald's,
you're interviewed three times before you're given a job."
~ Former Reagan Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein, endorsing Obama.
Repugican Senate Candidate Puts Himself On Democratic Ticket
From the "repugican bag of dirty tricks" Department:
Republican Senator Roger Wicker is facing the fight of his life for reelection in Mississippi. So what is he doing to ensure another six years in Congress? He's apparently painting himself as a Democrat.
A sample ballot reportedly put out by the Senator -- who has been in office for less than a year and could very well lose his race to former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove -- seems designed to deceive voters into thinking he is on the same ticket as Obama-Biden.
Canadian father pleads guilty in freezing deaths
A man who left his two daughters to die in a frozen field pleaded guilty Monday to criminal negligence, weeping as he held his bandaged, frostbitten hands to his face.
As the wind chill hovered at 58 degrees below zero, Christopher Pauchay lost his 1-year-old and 3-year-old daughters last Jan. 29 while walking to a neighbor's house. Pauchay's family said he was drunk at the time. The girls were wearing only diapers and T-shirts.
He eventually made it to the house and was taken to hospital suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia. Eight hours later, when he was able to speak, he asked about his children.
That set off a frantic search that ended hours later when the girls were found dead in a snowy field.
Pauchay was charged with a single count of criminal negligence for causing the deaths of both children by failing "to provide protection from exposure to the elements."
The 24-year-old sobbed in his courtroom chair after pleading guilty. Pauchay, a member of the Yellow Quill First Nation, stood and nodded "yes" to the plea at what was to be the start of his trial in a makeshift courtroom.
Pauchay's lawyer, Ron Piche, said he believes his client should serve a conditional sentence in the community and will ask the judge to allow an aboriginal sentencing circle to recommend his client's fate. The application is to be heard Dec. 5 in Rose Valley.
Prosecutor Marylynne Beaton said she opposes such an arrangement and will argue that Pauchay should serve more than two years in a federal prison.
"There is part of the public out there that says, `Hang him at dawn,' because he's committed a crime and two people lost their lives," Piche said outside court. "There's the other contingent out there - I would say the majority - who say he's suffered enough.
"He made a tragic mistake. It did indeed cost the lives of his young girls, but he's paid for that. He'll pay for it for the rest of his life."
Piche said Pauchay was a doting father, feels tremendous guilt and didn't want to go through the pain of a trial.
A sister, Sheila Pauchay, said her brother has stopped drinking and is working hard to improve his life. But she expressed doubt that however the case ends will bring any closure to her family.
Pauchay's common-law wife, who publicly said she would stand by him when he was charged, did not attend court Monday. The couple had another baby girl earlier this year.
The 900-member Yellow Quill First Nation has been plagued for decades by alcohol abuse, high unemployment and a lack of housing.
Following the girls' death, Chief Robert Whitehead called for an addictions treatment center on the reserve. A plan is still in the works and in the hands of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, he said.
Paid Repugican Workers Say They Misled Wisconsin Voters
Four employees hired by a temporary staffing agency to encourage absentee voting for Sen. John McCain in Wisconsin say they were instructed to tell people they were Republican volunteers.
As if we didn't know this was going on all ready!
*****
As if we didn't know this was going on all ready!
Read the rest here.
Mrs. Dunham has passed
Our heartfelt condolences go out for Barack Obama upon the death of his beloved grandmother.
Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, 1 day before the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86.
Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C.
Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, 1 day before the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86.
Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C.
Watch:
Home Remedies
Somehow I feel the following Home Remedies just don't quite cut it ...
1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic! Simply pour a cup of
boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost
instantly removed.
2. Are you clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by
getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs about lifting the toilet seat by simply
using the sink.
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: just cut yourself and bleed for a
few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins.
5. A mousetrap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you
will be afraid to cough.
7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will
forget about the toothache.
HOME REMEDIES
1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic! Simply pour a cup of
boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost
instantly removed.
2. Are you clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by
getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs about lifting the toilet seat by simply
using the sink.
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: just cut yourself and bleed for a
few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins.
5. A mousetrap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you
will be afraid to cough.
7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will
forget about the toothache.
World closely watching US presidential elections
When Sri Murtiningsi asked her third graders what they wanted to be when they grew up, the answers ranged from doctors to a pilot. One boy in the class raised his hand: Barack Obama said his dream was to be president of the United States.
Forty years later Murtiningsi - like the rest of the world - is watching closely as Americans prepare to head to the polls Tuesday."Barry was the only one who said he wanted to be president ... I hope his dream comes true," Murtiningsi said of Obama, who spent four years living in Indonesia as a child.
Many believe Obama's international experience would go a long way in helping repair damage caused by the unpopular U.S.-led war in Iraq, with recent opinion polls from more than 70 nations favoring him a resounding three-to-one over Republican John McCain.
Newspapers across the globe came out in support of the Democratic candidate Monday."Obama the best hope for U.S. revival," said an editorial in The Australian Financial Review.
The Gulf News, an English-language paper in the United Arab Emirates, agreed, saying only he could "undo the great damage done by the Bush administration to America's image," especially in the Middle East.
Obama "deserves to win," declared The Irish Times.
Obama's presidential bid has sparked excitement in Kenya, home to his late father, with thousands turning out for the Democratic candidate's last visit in 2006.
"Everybody is extremely happy and excited and looking forward to celebrating the day after the elections," said Malik Obama, the candidate's half brother.
In the sleepy Japanese coastal town of Obama - which translates as "little beach," images of the Democratic candidate adorn banners along a main shopping street and preparations for an election day victory party were in full swing Monday.
Koichi Inoue, who makes traditional sweet bean cakes, said his factory was working at double normal production because he had promised free handouts for every customer if Obama came out on top.
"It looks like he is going to win from the polls so I've got to be ready," he said.
Many in Pakistan, a close ally in the U.S. war on terror, will be glued to television sets on Election Day.
The results, they say, will have broad implications for their own country and neighboring Afghanistan, where American forces have been battling the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies.
The last eight years have "affected our economy and our peace," said Mohammad Zubair, a 33-year-old lawyer in Lahore, who anticipates an Obama win. "I hope the election will bring change to Pakistan as well."
Forty years later Murtiningsi - like the rest of the world - is watching closely as Americans prepare to head to the polls Tuesday."Barry was the only one who said he wanted to be president ... I hope his dream comes true," Murtiningsi said of Obama, who spent four years living in Indonesia as a child.
Many believe Obama's international experience would go a long way in helping repair damage caused by the unpopular U.S.-led war in Iraq, with recent opinion polls from more than 70 nations favoring him a resounding three-to-one over Republican John McCain.
Newspapers across the globe came out in support of the Democratic candidate Monday."Obama the best hope for U.S. revival," said an editorial in The Australian Financial Review.
The Gulf News, an English-language paper in the United Arab Emirates, agreed, saying only he could "undo the great damage done by the Bush administration to America's image," especially in the Middle East.
Obama "deserves to win," declared The Irish Times.
Obama's presidential bid has sparked excitement in Kenya, home to his late father, with thousands turning out for the Democratic candidate's last visit in 2006.
"Everybody is extremely happy and excited and looking forward to celebrating the day after the elections," said Malik Obama, the candidate's half brother.
In the sleepy Japanese coastal town of Obama - which translates as "little beach," images of the Democratic candidate adorn banners along a main shopping street and preparations for an election day victory party were in full swing Monday.
Koichi Inoue, who makes traditional sweet bean cakes, said his factory was working at double normal production because he had promised free handouts for every customer if Obama came out on top.
"It looks like he is going to win from the polls so I've got to be ready," he said.
Many in Pakistan, a close ally in the U.S. war on terror, will be glued to television sets on Election Day.
The results, they say, will have broad implications for their own country and neighboring Afghanistan, where American forces have been battling the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies.
The last eight years have "affected our economy and our peace," said Mohammad Zubair, a 33-year-old lawyer in Lahore, who anticipates an Obama win. "I hope the election will bring change to Pakistan as well."
Sign O'the Times
With all the 'Hype' about North Carolina being a battleground state I thought you should know that is all it is, hype.
That and wishful thinking on the part of the repugicans (if they are even capable of thinking that is).
North Carolina has always been 'BLUE' and this year we are going to reassert that in a very big way.
Like he says ...
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
*****
Just a little appropriate music for the times, don't you know. For the times they are a-changin'.
E-day, D-day, Keep the Home-fires Burnin’ !
E-day, D-day, Keep the Home-fires Burnin’ !
Election day, November 4th! It’s going to be D-day, deliverance day from the insane neo-con nightmare of the last eight years.
The moon is in Aquarius on election day, that’s gonna be some kind of revolution there for sure. I think we really have a chance to turf out the incumbents, and replace them with actual living ,breathing, and, most importantly, thinking beings. Right now it’s looking up to be a landslide for Obama, but the Rethug-dirty-trick-vote-suppressing-vote-flipping-central-counting-computer-techno-chad-fiasco-machine is still active, and waiting in the wings to take a stake in how it all shakes down. I must say, however, that it actually looks like we-the-people are on the move. Stay tuned, stay awake folks, and don’t go to sleep now. ALL HANDS ON DECK!
We need a landslide for Obama, a clear mandate against monkey-business-as-usual. We need a clear mandate against the rape of our commonwealth. Obama, and the rest of America, have done a heck of a job getting out the vote. We the people need to follow through, and exercise our democratic mandate. We can’t stop there though, we have to make sure our votes are counted and counted correctly.
Back in the bad old days when they were stealing the second election for dubya, I about dropped my jaw to my knees when I heard some politician quote, just prior to the election, on national TV, (in front of the white-house no less!) “it doesn’t matter who votes, it matters who counts it.” I thought for sure the media would pick it up then, but apparently Cheney had all their kids in his undisclosed location or something, because we never heard a peep about it until the mighty blog-o-sphere started adding up all the bits and pieces of the coup. So remember this, and make your vote count; check in with your neighbors, and make their vote count. Then check in with the county, and then the state. Keep watching, and keep them honest.
Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t believe them when they say the election is too close. It’s really not. I’ve heard things in the last couple of days from dyed in the wool red-necks, lumberjacks, loggers, farmers, housewives, business people, gas station workers, waitresses, you name it, everyone is talking about it. I’ve had life-long republicans say to me I can’t vote for McCain Palin, I don’t know who else to vote for, so I’ll vote Obama. People are tired of politics as usual, and they are voting for change. Let’s see that they get it.
Democracy isn’t a one day event, folks. First we have to get the vote out, get it counted, and get Washington to stick to it. That’s why we need that landslide on November fourth. But then we have to make sure Obama takes office. Someone’s gotta get Cheney outta that bunker. I don’t care if you believe in the invisible cloud being or not, I figure we should all utilize our powers of visualization, and visualize Obama taking office. (Is it too much to ask for to have the thugs indicted on the way out of office?)
Obama was not my first choice for president. But he’s our only choice right now, so after we get him into office, we gotta hold his feet to the fire. We need him to act, not to shift the war over the border, but to shift to war over, and bring the troops home. Let’s hold his feet to the fire over the bailout, just so he can pass it on to wall street. Trickle down economics is some Republican bathroom humor, so tell Obama not to let the corporations piss all over us. If we’re going to have welfare for the rich, then Obama needs to take away their non-essential toys. Let’s give the taxpayers the golden parachutes, and tell the greedy CEOs to go to hell, or, better yet, to get a job.
We’re going to have to do our part as citizens and voters, and make our mandate heard. We are America, of, for, and by the people. And you know what? We the people have a chance to take our country back. So, Obama? We’re holding your feet to the fire. We don’t mind sacrifice, so long as everybody makes one. We don’t mind working for the common good. But we aren’t going to take politics as usual, ’cause we’ve got no place left to go, our backs are against the wall. So, stay in it folks. Vote, make your voice heard, make it stick and keep the President’s (and Congress’s) feet to the fire. Democracy is both a participatory and a contact sport. Place your bets, and take your places!
Astrologically, this election’s all about revolution. These are exciting days— E-day, D-day, let’s go get ‘em!
*****
From over at BartBlog
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Only You Can Prevent Election Fraud
From www.breadwithcircus.com#votefraud/
There are only a couple of days until the US Election, and I’ve become convinced of one thing: if the vote is fair, Barack Obama can not lose. Obama is way ahead both in polling and general public sentiment. Poll after poll in state after state shows him carrying enough of the electoral college to easily win Tuesday’s election. There’s just one thing. The election is not going to be fair. Republicans have stolen the last two elections and are actively working to steal this one too.
There have already been reports of voters (mostly in low-income or ethnic neighbourhoods) being “purged” from the voting list for no apparent reason. If you are one of these people, it means that you’ll show up at the polls, and the official will tell you that you’ve been removed from the voting list, and that in order to correct this, you should have sent paperwork away last week. This happened in Florida in 2000. If someone called John Smith committed a crime, and you are a John Smith in a predominantly black neighbourhood, you’ve been purged. Names with a certain ring about them were also taken off the list. If your name is Shaniqua, Jamal, or DeShawn, chances are good that there’s going to be an issue when you finally get to the front of that long line on Tuesday. I recommend going early if you can.
There have been reports of voting machines (why in the hell do you Americans still use those things?) “flipping votes.” It works sort of like this. I encourage people to watch Hacking Democracy to see how easy it is to tamper with the machines.
There are also many cases (again in low income and ethnic neighbourhoods) where there are not enough voting booths. This leads to very long lines that discourage people from voting. If a vote costs many hours waiting in line, many people will walk away from the poll. Votes are also suppressed through demanding perfect matches in identification. If your name is Herschel Johnson and the bureaucrat who filled out your voter registration form misspelled it as Hershel Johnson, you don’t get to vote. This is disenfranchisement by clerical error. Also if you’ve moved in the last little while, even within the same neighbourhood, and your new address doesn’t match up with the one on the voter form, (even if you can prove who you are through your driver’s license, social security number, birth certificate etc) you don’t get to vote. Consider all of those whose houses have been foreclosed in the last months. They all have new addresses. Do you think they were going to vote Republican?
Keep in mind that these measures seem to be introduced only in neighbourhoods that tend to vote Democratic. Add them all together, and then consider the fact that the McCain campaign, along with the mainstream media, has been questioning the accuracy of polls in the last few days. “Never mind that Obama has a 15 point lead,” they say “maybe some people are secretly racist so they lied to the pollsters about their intention to vote for Obama.”
Perhaps the most disturbing talking point has been along the lines of “you can’t trust polls because in the last election, John Kerry was leading but then on election day he lost.” Given what we now know about the ‘04 election theft, they might as well quote Joseph Stalin. “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” The campaign is trying to plant the idea that the vote will be much closer than polls indicate. If people start to believe this, then they won’t be surprised if they are told that the vote was actually about 50/50, and McCain won a narrow victory.
A close election is more easily stolen. In previous elections, the margin of victory has been small enough that the purging/flipping/suppression of maybe one hundred thousand votes in key states was enough to have Bush carry the day. However, an Obama land-slide can not be overturned. If enough of the voters who say they were going to vote for Obama
actually show up at the polls, he will win, simple as that. My message is, don’t be complacent. Drag friends and family to the polling station. Even though you may think that Obama has this one locked up, make sure that you and everyone you know gets out and votes. Obama must win big to overcome the fraud that will take place.
Now, the what if. If somehow the story on Wednesday is McCain’s last minute surge, the low turnout of likely Obama voters, and strange circumstances leading to a McCain win in Pennsylvania, DO NOT SURRENDER. Democrats rolled over twice before and look what it did to their country. They may have to call in the lawyers. You may have to take to the streets and protest. Be prepared to do this! There is no way that McCain can win legitimately. You may have to fight this time, and no matter how ugly it may look, this is what democracy demands. The whole world is counting on you not to screw this one up. Only you can prevent election fraud. Yes you can.
*****
From BartBlog
Elizabeth Dole's "'Godless Americans' Ad Is Blowing Up In Her Face"
Liddy Dole deserves to lose for so many reasons. But, in the end, Dole really did herself in with that "godless" ad she ran against Kay Hagan. Public Policy Polling's blog, (PPP is based in North Carolina) had this analysis:
It is pretty clear to me based on our polling this weekend that Kay Hagan will be headed to the US Senate unless something very bizarre happens in the next 72 hours. While numbers in the races for President and Governor are basically unchanged from last week there has been clear movement away from Elizabeth Dole, a sign that her 'Godless Americans' ad is blowing up in her face.
Here is Kay Hagan's ... our next senator from North Carolina ... response to Dole's lies.
Obama on the 'Daily Show'
This is from last week but shows Obama to be an intelligent man who can have a laugh on himself and still remain dignified while maintaining respect for others and decorum.
Traits of a true leader, by the way.
Religious people are the really best people don't you know
Gotta love those faith-based initiatives:
A 13-year-old girl who said she had been raped was stoned to death in Somalia after being accused of adultery by Islamic militants, a human rights group said.Dozens of men stoned Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow to death Oct. 27 in a stadium packed with 1,000 spectators in the southern port city of Kismayo, Amnesty International and Somali media reported, citing witnesses.
The Islamic militia in charge of Kismayo had accused her of adultery after she reported that three men had raped her, the rights group said.
Five people found fatally shot in a Long Beach homeless encampment
Police say five homeless people were found shot to death in a makeshift camp near some Los Angeles-area freeway ramps.
Long Beach police say they responded to an anonymous call Sunday morning.
They found the bodies of five adults in a brush-filled area between some commercial buildings and a freeway interchange.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna says all five had been shot.
Long Beach police say they responded to an anonymous call Sunday morning.
They found the bodies of five adults in a brush-filled area between some commercial buildings and a freeway interchange.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna says all five had been shot.
Painting by Italian master turns up in Texas
A painting by Italian master Sebastiano Ricci, long presumed to be lost, has turned up in Texas after a 300-year journey from the hands of a European nobleman playboy to a fur trader and finally through generations of one family.
Ricci's "The Vision of St. Bruno" will be offered by Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries on Nov. 20. Heritage officials say the painting has been conservatively estimated to fetch at least $600,000.
The family that owns the work asked Heritage chairman of fine arts Edmund Pillsbury a year ago to take a look at a painting they had stored in a warehouse.
They thought it could be a Ricci, but Pillsbury was skeptical.
He was floored when he realized that the 3-by-4 foot painting - depicting a robed St. Bruno looking up at a colorful grouping of angels - did indeed appear to be the work of the famous Venetian painter.
Not only 'appeared to be', but in fact was.
Just goes to show - your never know what is in the attic or the basement or the storage shed, now do you?!
Ricci's "The Vision of St. Bruno" will be offered by Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries on Nov. 20. Heritage officials say the painting has been conservatively estimated to fetch at least $600,000.
The family that owns the work asked Heritage chairman of fine arts Edmund Pillsbury a year ago to take a look at a painting they had stored in a warehouse.
They thought it could be a Ricci, but Pillsbury was skeptical.
He was floored when he realized that the 3-by-4 foot painting - depicting a robed St. Bruno looking up at a colorful grouping of angels - did indeed appear to be the work of the famous Venetian painter.
Not only 'appeared to be', but in fact was.
Just goes to show - your never know what is in the attic or the basement or the storage shed, now do you?!
Obligatory Blond Joke
A PLANE IS ON ITS WAY TO TORONTO , WHEN A BLOND IN ECONOMY CLASS GETS UP, AND MOVES TO THE FIRST CLASS SECTION AND SITS DOWN.
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WATCHES HER, AND ASKS TO SEE HER TICKET. ATTENDANT TELLS THE BLOND THAT SHE PAID FOR ECONOMY CLASS, AND SHE'LL HAVE TO SIT IN THE BACK.
THE BLOND REPLIES, 'I'M BLOND, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE.' THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT GOES INTO THE COCKPIT AND TELLS THE CO-PILOT THAT THERE IS A BLOND BIMBO SITTING IN FIRST CLASS, THAT BELONGS IN ECONOMY, AND WON'T MOVE BACK TO HER SEAT.
THE CO-PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLOND AND TRIES TO EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE SHE ONLY PAID FOR ECONOMY SHE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE AND RETURN TO HER SEAT.
THE BLOND REPLIES, 'I'M BLOND, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE.' THE CO-PILOT TELLS THE PILOT THAT HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THE POLICE WAITING WHEN THEY LAND TO ARREST THIS WOMAN WHO WON'T LISTEN TO REASON.
THE PILOT SAYS, 'I'LL HANDLE THIS, I'M MARRIED TO A BLOND AND I SPEAK BLOND.' THE PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLOND AND WHISPERS IN HER EAR, AND SHE SAYS, 'OH, I'M SORRY.' AND GETS UP AND GOES BACK TO HER SEAT IN ECONOMY.
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND CO-PILOT ARE AMAZED AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE SAID TO MAKE HER MOVE WITHOUT ANY FUSS.
'I TOLD HER, FIRST CLASS ISN'T GOING TO TORONTO .'
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WATCHES HER, AND ASKS TO SEE HER TICKET. ATTENDANT TELLS THE BLOND THAT SHE PAID FOR ECONOMY CLASS, AND SHE'LL HAVE TO SIT IN THE BACK.
THE BLOND REPLIES, 'I'M BLOND, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE.' THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT GOES INTO THE COCKPIT AND TELLS THE CO-PILOT THAT THERE IS A BLOND BIMBO SITTING IN FIRST CLASS, THAT BELONGS IN ECONOMY, AND WON'T MOVE BACK TO HER SEAT.
THE CO-PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLOND AND TRIES TO EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE SHE ONLY PAID FOR ECONOMY SHE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE AND RETURN TO HER SEAT.
THE BLOND REPLIES, 'I'M BLOND, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE.' THE CO-PILOT TELLS THE PILOT THAT HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THE POLICE WAITING WHEN THEY LAND TO ARREST THIS WOMAN WHO WON'T LISTEN TO REASON.
THE PILOT SAYS, 'I'LL HANDLE THIS, I'M MARRIED TO A BLOND AND I SPEAK BLOND.' THE PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLOND AND WHISPERS IN HER EAR, AND SHE SAYS, 'OH, I'M SORRY.' AND GETS UP AND GOES BACK TO HER SEAT IN ECONOMY.
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND CO-PILOT ARE AMAZED AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE SAID TO MAKE HER MOVE WITHOUT ANY FUSS.
'I TOLD HER, FIRST CLASS ISN'T GOING TO TORONTO .'
In Dark Financial Times, Americans Still Willing to Fight Climate Change
Most Americans believe that fighting climate change will help boost the economy, a survey released by the Climate Group shows. And a majority are more committed to combating global warming than ever before, despite the financial crises on Wall Street. The survey yields some surprisingly positive results—and offers evidence that climate change has evolved into a truly important issue to most Americans.
Article continues: In Dark Financial Times, Americans Still Willing to Fight Climate Change
Daily Horoscope
My horoscope for the day says:
Kewl! But again, how do they always know!?
You're leading the enterprise, because you're the best one for the job.
Kewl! But again, how do they always know!?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Don't forget
Don't forget to "Fall Back" tonight to Standard Time by turning your clocks back one hour before going to bed!
Punk'd
Another 'How DUMB is Sarah Palin' Moment
The popular Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, aka "The Masked Avengers" ( Les Justiciers Masqués ) are notorious for prank-calling heads of state and celebrities who take themselves a little too seriously. Surely none take themselves so seriously as Sarah Palin. She was pranked by the pair today when they social-hacked their way past security and convinced her she was speaking to Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France.
Fake Sarkozy tells Palin that his wife is "hot in bed," drops plenty of hints it's a fake call, and suggests Palin would make a good president "one day you too." She replies, "well, maybe in eight years!"
Here is a partial transcript:
He tells Palin one of his favorite pastimes is hunting, also a passion of the 44-year-old Alaska governor."I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun," the fake Sarkozy says.
He proposes they go hunting together by helicopter, something he says he has never done.
"Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done," Palin counters. "We can kill two birds with one stone that way."
The comedian jokes that they shouldn't bring Cheney along on the hunt, referring to the 2006 incident in which the vice-president shot and injured a friend while hunting quail.
"I'll be a careful shot," responds Palin.
Playing off the governor's much-mocked comment in an early television interview that she had insights into foreign policy because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska," the caller tells her: "You know we have a lot in common also, because ... from my house I can see Belgium."
She replies: "Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes."
(...) He also tells the Alaska governor that he loved the "documentary" made about her and referred to a pornographic film with a Palin look-alike made by Hustler founder Larry Flynt. She answers tentatively, "Ohh, good, thank you, yes."
How stupid can she be? Well, these two just proved how stupid - not to mention the idiots around her.
Did You Know ...
It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships.
But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem.
The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.
The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey.
But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it.
The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled.
Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.
Thus,it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?
But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem.
The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.
The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey.
But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it.
The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled.
Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.
Thus,it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?
Ronald Reagan endorses Barack Obama
Not that there was any doubt, but Ronald Reagan Jr. has made his endorsement official.
It's all in the numbers
From the Political Wire:
Brian Adams, a mathematics and computer science professor at Franklin & Marshall college, reports that there's a 99.98% chance that senator Barack Obama will win the presidential election on Tuesday.
Adams has developed a simulation model that involves running 50 million simulated state-by-state races, using the late-October poll results for each state.
He ran his simulation 50 million times to allow him to calculate all the different combinations of electoral votes that might result, even long shots.
While the number of possible outcomes is very large, the result is always the same.
Obama receives 270 or more electoral votes 99.98% of the time.
Using intervals of electoral vote results, there is a 95 percent chance that the outcome will have Obama winning between 303 and 381 electoral votes.
Brian Adams, a mathematics and computer science professor at Franklin & Marshall college, reports that there's a 99.98% chance that senator Barack Obama will win the presidential election on Tuesday.
Adams has developed a simulation model that involves running 50 million simulated state-by-state races, using the late-October poll results for each state.
He ran his simulation 50 million times to allow him to calculate all the different combinations of electoral votes that might result, even long shots.
While the number of possible outcomes is very large, the result is always the same.
Obama receives 270 or more electoral votes 99.98% of the time.
Using intervals of electoral vote results, there is a 95 percent chance that the outcome will have Obama winning between 303 and 381 electoral votes.
There is no one as Irish as Barack Obama!
There is no one as Irish as Barack Obama!
Just ask the Irish ...
Just ask the Irish ...
Top o'th'mornin' tae ye
Obama 'congratulates' McPain on Cheney endorsement
At an event in Laramie, Wyoming, on Saturday, Vice President Dick Cheney said he will cast his ballot for the McCain-Palin ticket.
In Pueblo, Colorado, Obama had this to say about the endorsement:
"I'd like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement, because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy," he said. "George Bush may be in an undisclosed location now, but Dick Cheney's out there on the campaign trail because he'd be delighted to pass the baton to John McCain."
"He knows that with John McCain, you get a twofer: George Bush's economic policy and Dick Cheney's foreign policy. And that is a risk we cannot afford to take."
Bold-Face Liars
Just picked up the mail and got nauseated by the 'fliers' from the repugicans saying that Obama and the Liberals caused the economic crises, raised and are going to raise taxes, gave tax breaks to companies that shipped jobs overseas and so on and so forth.
Accusing everyone else of doing exactly what they have been doing - and it is a matter of public record that they were the ones that did everything they are accusing the Liberals of doing.
The economy is a direct result of their polices.
The highest taxes rates and increases in history - in fact ALL history setting tax increases EVER have been done by the repugicans.
Tax breaks to corporations, yep them too.
We the American people are wiser than that, but the repugicans are not.
We see through the lies and we are telling them NO MORE in a loud and clear voice.
You have fucked us over for the last time and the 'perfect storm' has developed and WILL sweep the halls of the White House and Congress clean!
Accusing everyone else of doing exactly what they have been doing - and it is a matter of public record that they were the ones that did everything they are accusing the Liberals of doing.
The economy is a direct result of their polices.
The highest taxes rates and increases in history - in fact ALL history setting tax increases EVER have been done by the repugicans.
Tax breaks to corporations, yep them too.
We the American people are wiser than that, but the repugicans are not.
We see through the lies and we are telling them NO MORE in a loud and clear voice.
You have fucked us over for the last time and the 'perfect storm' has developed and WILL sweep the halls of the White House and Congress clean!
A reader responds
Anonymous responds to the post about "How DUMB is Sarah Palin" with this hooey:
Both the SAT scores and IQ test are exposed hoaxes.
And even if those scores were real (which they are not) it would be impossible for someone with an 83 IQ (mildly retarded range) to achieve that high a score on the SATs
One ... SAT and IQ scores are not hoaxes - only those who are in the 70-80 score range think they are.
Two ... the scores for Sarah Palin are quite real and a matter of public record.
Third ... isn't odd that one so gullible as to swallow the notion that Sarah Palin is NOT DUMB would be scared to leave their name - then again no it isn't odd at all.
Addendum:
The anonymous one still is afraid to leave their name and still won't admit they have a problem with reality ... still claiming the idiot is not dumb. Something that is apparent to everyone else on the planet even with her IQ scores unknown, her scores just re-enforce what everyone all ready knows.
Point of fact ... I have a friend who works at the local RenFaire who has a IQ score of 74 and is more intelligent than is Sarah and he has wondered how such a dumb person 'got by' in the world himself ... even he said it was because of her gender, albeit he used a more colorful phrase to say so.
Two ... the scores for Sarah Palin are quite real and a matter of public record.
Third ... isn't odd that one so gullible as to swallow the notion that Sarah Palin is NOT DUMB would be scared to leave their name - then again no it isn't odd at all.
*****
Addendum:
The anonymous one still is afraid to leave their name and still won't admit they have a problem with reality ... still claiming the idiot is not dumb. Something that is apparent to everyone else on the planet even with her IQ scores unknown, her scores just re-enforce what everyone all ready knows.
Point of fact ... I have a friend who works at the local RenFaire who has a IQ score of 74 and is more intelligent than is Sarah and he has wondered how such a dumb person 'got by' in the world himself ... even he said it was because of her gender, albeit he used a more colorful phrase to say so.
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