Celebrate

Not much today as I am at my Mom's. Sister is in Utah and will be back tomorrow. As always with this caregiver she gets sick when we need her the most so she took off yesterday for her home with a supposed cold. I spent last night at Mom's and am spending today and tonight there. Since Mom had more to do with me being brought into this world on this day then I did, I am going to turn this change of plans into a celebration of her and make her day as plesant as possible. I do get a lot of food this week. Mom is taking me to lunch today. Sis is taking me to dinner tomorrow. My favorite cousins are coming up from Albany and taking me to lunch on Wednesday. And a friend is going to take me to lunch or dinner later in the week if her schedule allows. Food. My idea of a good birthday week.

Among the things I am celebrating today are good stories. Like this one:

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/06/15/philadelphia-story-straight-from-heart-of-dynamic-duo/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl9|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F06%2F15%2Fphiladelphia-story-straight-from-heart-of-dynamic-duo%2F

A lot of the last year I spent a lot of time getting in touch with my inner doofus. Going out into the world with two different shoes on and almost going out into the world with my panst on backwards. So today we celebrate a member of the stronger sex that got in touch with her inner doofus:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100621/ap_on_fe_st/as_odd_new_zealand_goldilocks

Abraham Lincoln once said when he was asked why he was so nice to his enemies and why he just didn't get rid of them, "Am I not getting rid of my enemies if I make them my friends?" So today's Who Am I celebrates a person that helped win a battle against us by helping a country that was an enemy at the time.

WHO AM I?

I am a war hero that has a chocolate company named after me. I was born in Massachusetts in 1775. Following the aftermath of the American Revolution, my father moved us to Canada. After the move I married a Loyalist. We lived in Ontario. When my husband was wounded in a battle I went searching for him. As I was tending to his wounds we ran into three U.S. soldiers who wanted to kill us but a Canadian captain stopped them. The American army launched another attack capturing Fort George. On the evening of June 21 I became aware of plans for a surprise attack on troops led by British Lieutenant James FitzGibbon at Beaver Dams, which would have furthered American control in the Niagara Peninsula. While my husband was still suffering the effects of his injury from the previous battle I set out early the next morning to warn Lieutenant FitzGibbon. I walked approximately twenty miles before arriving at a camp of allied warriors who led me the rest of the way. The account of my trek changed repeatedly throughout my life and I never divulged how I learned of the attack. I had to wait until age eighty-five before the Prince of Wales recognized my war of 1812 feat. I died in 1868. My grave marker reads: "To perpetuate the name and fame of, who walked alone nearly 20 miles by a circuitous difficult and perilous route, through woods and swamps and over miry roads to warn a British outpost at DeCew’s Falls of an intended attack and thereby enabled Lt. FitzGibbon on the 24th June 1813, with less than 50 men of H.M. 49th Regt., about 15 militiamen and a small force of Six Nations and other Indians under Capt. William Johnson Kerr and Dominique Ducharmes to surprise and attack the enemy at Beechwoods (or Beaver Dams) and after a short engagement, to capture Col. Bosler of the U.S. Army and his entire force of 542 men with two field pieces." Who Am I?

Things I Learned From My Dad.

My dad and my brother, Grover, not long before dad died. I took the picture:



Mom and dad's wedding picture, I didn't take the picture: (People say I look like him, I'm flattered.)



I wanted to honor dads today and wish them a very Happy Fathers' Day. The best way for me to honor dads is to honor my own dad. Things I learned from my dad:

NOBODY IS PERFECT BUT STICK UP FOR YOURSELF:

One summer vacation between my sophomore and junior year in high school we visited the Los Angeles area. Dad made a wrong turn and accidentally ended up on the Golden State Freeway going the wrong way. He immediately pulled off to the side of the freeway out of traffic. A man driving by yelled out to dad "Go back to Oregon, where you belong." Dad responded. "Where in the hell do you think I am trying to go."

SING A LITTLE:

You Are My Sunshine. She Will Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes. Songs my dad always sang to us when we were little. Either riding in the car or sitting on his lap.

PAY IT FORWARD:

W and S were high school friends of my sister. They married right after high school graduation. They came to say good bye to my parents. They were broke. When they were done visiting dad followed them out to their car. I was outside playing catch with a friend. I saw dad give them twenty bucks (a lot of money then) and I heard dad tell them, "This isn't a loan. You will be successful and when that happens give twenty dollars to someone who needs it."

BE CHARITABLE WITH YOUR TIME BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE DEVIL:

We were members of a very small Methodist Church. They really couldn't afford to hire chores around the church to be done so the parishioners pitched in. One day dad was helping to paint the church when he reached a little to far and the ladder went out from under him, he broke some ribs. When they took him to the emergency room the doctor on duty happened to be a friend of the family. "John, what happened?" The doctor asked. Dad responded, "I was up on the ladder making peace with the lord and the damn devil pulled the ladder out from under me."

YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO FOLLOW OTHERS' RULES:

Mom, dad, and I decided to go for a ride. Dad just took his checkbook and driver's license, left all his other identification at home. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things and for dad to cash a check. When we got up to the checkout stand the clerk said "I need two pieces of I.D.". Without missing a beat dad said "they are right here, my wife and my son." The clerk not only laughed, she said, "that's good enough for me."

DON'T BARK UP THE WRONG TREE:

I was maybe six. We lived in Pocatello, Idaho. We had a kid from hell living next door to us. He was seven and made you dream of retroactive birth control. He would come over almost every day and lean on our doorbell. It drove dad nuts. Dad finally had it and came up with a plan to scare the heck out Freddie. Dad enlisted me in his plan. One day we were sitting home when someone was leaning on the doorbell. We put dad's plan into action. Dad got down on his hands and knees and started doing an amazing imitation of a Pit Bull. BARK, RUFF, BARK, RUFF! Barking all the way to the door and when he got there I opened the door. BARK, RUFF, BARK, RUFF! It wasn't Freddie standing there, it was two people handing out religious material.

REAL MEN DON'T RUN FROM CRISIS:

I shared this with the readers of the blog before but the most traumatic time in our family is when I was eighteen. I was in car accident and not expected to live. The same day of the accident my sister had a baby that lived for a few minutes and then died. My Mom was recovering from a surgery she had three weeks earlier for uterine cancer. It is the oldest that I ever remember my dad looking. He could have split. He didn't. He drove the one hundred and eighty mile trip to see me daily, called and checked on my sister daily, went with Mom to all her doctor appointments, all while running the family business. I lived, my sister later had a beautiful daughter, and Mom beat the odds and recovered from cancer. That wouldn't have happened without dad's support.

CHOOSE A WIFE THAT ENDORSES YOUR QUIRKS:

It was an unscheduled party. Can't have a party without ice cream. Mom sent dad to the store to get chocolate ice cream. Dad came back with some weird flavor that wasn't chocolate. Dad assumed the brand name "Browns" meant it was chocolate. Instead of being mad, Mom said, "well, it wasn't what I asked for but it was still damn good ice cream."

LOVE YOUR WIFE:

His favorite saying was, "You can have anything I own but you can't have my woman."

MAKE HOLIDAYS MEMORABLE:

Another story I've told before on the blog. We always had big Christmas celebrations. My aunt and uncle and their children always joined us as did some friends. We usually had twenty or more people for Christmas Eve dinner. That was the night when Santa Claus came. With so many people there it made for a ton of gifts under the tree. I was seven. The gifts always appeared after we were asked to leave for a while. Then the youngest kids would hand out the gifts. After all the gifts were handed out I didn't get one. Just as I was trying to remember what horrible thing I had done to be ignored by Santa the doorbell rang. Dad, said "Bill, that is for you." I opened the door and looked out through the softly falling snow, tied to the tree in our front yard was a beautiful Shetland pony.

IF YOU ARE A GOOD MAN, PEOPLE WILL STILL LOVE YOU WHEN YOU AREN'T WHOLE:

Two months before dad died we just couldn't take care of him anymore. It was just to emotionally exhausting to care for someone with dementia. We found a really good facility with really good care. The people there loved dad. When dad died and the managers of the facility originally said the caregivers couldn't have the time off to go to dad's memorial there was a mini revolt. Several said they would quit if the didn't get the time off. Special arrangements were made and nine of the caregivers went to dad's memorial.

MAKE YOUR LAST WORDS A LEGACY:

When dad was getting ready to leave this world I was holding his hand thanking him for being a great dad and telling him that in heaven there was an endless supply orange slices waiting for him, he said to me. "You have been a great son." The last words he spoke to me. Every day I try to be as good of son to Mom as dad thought I was to him. When I leave this world, I hope they say I was successful.

What did you learn from your dad?

PS

Yesterday's Who Am I was Mary Todd Lincoln.

Saturday Updates.

Today is Update Day because tomorrow I am going to honor Fathers. Here is my week: Movie, The Karate Kid, one Lunch with Mom, one dinner with the family, one get together to say good-bye to my niece and her family, one accounting seminar, and forgettable tasks like paying bills.

Next week. A lot of time at Mom's. She hasn't been walking real well lately and I'm uncomfortable leaving her alone. The caregiver is doing nights and I am doing days. Sister and her husband took off for Utah yesterday. Sis and her husband wanted to spend Fathers' Day with her daughter. He really has been more of a father to her than her real dad and my niece wants to honor that. I support that. They will be back Tuesday.

I do have a selfish task on Monday. Hide from everyone. I just don't want to spend a day answering phone calls where people tell me how old I am or ask me how old are you? I mean I will accept all gifts left on my doorstep but for heaven's sake don't remind me of an age I don't want to be. I have come up with a stock answer: "Some days I feel eighty, other days I think I can do things a thirty year-old can do, my mind is stuck on twenty-one and I can't divulge my real age because it is a matter of national security."

Entertainment update. Top Chef started and sadly it looks liked they stacked the deck against a woman winning this season with their choice of candidates.

Now three quick movie capsule reviews:

SURPRISINGLY DIFFERENT:.

ROBIN HOOD. Loved the movie. Directed by Ridley Scott. Great performances by Russell Crowe, William Hurt, and Cate Blanchett. Blanchett's performance was so brilliant that I didn't know it was her. I had to look it up on the Internet when I got home. This wasn't your normal story about Robin Hood. Instead it was the story of how he became a legend. What led him to be Robin Hood. Brilliant take on an old story. Good battle scenes. Good history. I liked it better than the critics. Five Footballs.

SUPRISINGLY GOOD:

THE KARATE KID. Remake. Directed by Harald Zwart. Jackie Chan gives a career changing performance as maintenance man and Kung Fu instructor, Mr. Han. Will Smith's son, Jaden, gives a charming breakout performance as the shy kid being taught Kung Fu. Wen Wen Han gives a great first performance as Jaden's love interest. Beautiful cinematography. I liked it as well as the critics. Well paced, well acted. Four Footballs.

SUPRISINGLY BAD:

KILLERS. Hated the movie. Dumb. OK, it would have to improve to be dumb. I'm with the critics on this but the fan reviews seem to like it much better than I did. Stars Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck, and Catherine O'hara. Directed by Robert Luketic. The basic plot from Yahoo: Spencer Aimes is just your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women until he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage until the morning after Spencer's 30th birthday. That's when Spencer and Jen learn he's the target of a multi-million dollar hit. Promising plot but stupidly written. One football for being willing to put this stupid of a movie out in public.

The Blog is now yours. Tell me everything that is going in your lives. Introduce yourself. Vent if you need to. Shout joys if you want to. Post anything you damn well please.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Fannie Lou Hamer

Born in Kentucky in 1818 and died in Illinois in 1882. I was the fourth of seven children. My Mom died after the seventh child was born. My dad was a state senator. A year and a half after Mom died, dad married again and they had nine children. My stepmother was not kind to us stepchildren and this lead to me having many insecurities later in life. Despite growing up with slaves in my house, I hated slavery. Because dad went against society trends I began my formal education when I was eight. At fourteen I went to a select academy for young ladies. After school I went to live with my sister and became a popular belle. That is where I met my future husband who was ten years my senior and an aspiring lawyer. We became engaged but because of his poor background, the young lawyer asked for the release from our engagement. After much depression, a friend arranged for us to get together again. After a year of clandestine meetings and secret preparations, I informed the family that we were getting married that day. We had four sons. Because of his income we first lived in an $8-a-week room at a tavern. Three years later we moved to the only home we would ever own. My husband's work kept him away but we stayed in touch through letters. I successfully predicted my husband would one day become president. We moved to D.C. when he was elected to The House. My husband decided not to run for re-election. My dad died of cholera and soon after my son died of diphtheria. I could not speak my son's name without crying. My husband's dream of the presidency continued which is way I convinced him to decline the governorship of The Oregon Territory. I wanted a proud entry in to D.C. but because of an assassination attempt we had to sneak into the city. Nobody loved me with Southerners thinking I was a traitor and Northerners thinking I was a spy. I lost a second son who died of a fever. My three half-brothers and a half-sister's husband were killed in a war. This impaired me both physically and emotionally. Despite my own failings I frequently visited hospitals, bringing food and flowers, reading to the soldiers, writing them letters, and once raised $1,000 for a Christmas dinner. My closest friend, was a former slave who made me aware of the thousands of Virginia slaves who had moved to Washington but lived in harsh conditions. I raised money for them through the Contraband Relief Association. After the war another son died from a respiratory infection. I had now lost my mother, father, husband, three half-brothers, and three sons. “One by one,” I said, “I have consigned to their resting place my idolized ones, and now, in this world there is nothing left for me but the deepest anguish and desolation.” My remaining son had me declared insane and I was confined to a
nursing home. My supporters believed the son had ulterior motives and worked to get me released. They were successful and I was released to live with my sister in the same house where I had married my husband. I died at age 63 and was buried next to my husband and three sons. My wedding ring, thin from wear, still bore the words “Love Is Eternal.” Who Am I?

Sex And Cancer

Not much today as I am off to an accounting seminar about bankruptcy. It is the last one that I have to attend for a few months and boy am I glad that my education month is almost over!

Interesting article about selfishness and sex. The article pretty much destroys everything I had learned before I read the article. Basically the article states that your sex life and your partner's sex life will be better if you ignore their needs and concentrate on your own. Doesn't that go against everything we have learned for years? You can read the article here:

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/06/17/study-selfish-lovers-have-more-fulfilling-sex-lives/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl3|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2F2010%2F06%2F17%2Fstudy-selfish-lovers-have-more-fulfilling-sex-lives%2F

The other article is on cancer but this one doesn't surprise me as much as the above article does. This article states that when doctors find cancer and it is in the early stages that the doctors have a tendency to overtreat it. You can read the article here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-17-cancer-detection-treatment_N.htm

As always your comments are appreciated.


WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, Andrew Jackson's wife.

I was born in 1917 and died in 1977. I am often remembered for the quote "Nobody's free until everybody's free." I attended the 1964 Democratic National Convention to fight for the right for the Freedom Party that I helped found to be seated. My plain-spoken manner and fervent belief in the Biblical righteousness of my cause gained me a reputation as an electrifying speaker and constant champion of civil rights. Without my knowledge or consent, I was sterilized in 1961 by a white doctor as a part of the state of Mississippi's plan to reduce the number of poor blacks in the state. In addition, at the time black people who registered to vote in the South faced serious hardships due to institutionalized racism, including harassment, the loss of their jobs, physical beatings, and lynchings. Despite that I was the first volunteer to register. I later said, "I guess if I'd had any sense, I'd have been a little scared - but what was the point of being scared? The only thing they [white people] could do was kill me, and it seemed they'd been trying to do that a little bit at a time since I could remember." I traveled on a rented bus with other attendees of Bevel's sermon to Indianola, Mississippi to register. I began singing Christian hymns, such as "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "This Little Light of Mine," to the group in order to bolster their resolve. The hymns also reflected my belief that the civil rights struggle was a deeply spiritual one. I was falsely arrested and beaten close to death by white jailers. It took me a month to recover. That didn't stop me. I formed a new party whose purpose was to challenge Mississippi's all white and anti-civil writes delegation to the 1964 Democratic Convention. I kept up my activism and ran for Congress in 1964 and 1965 and was seated as a member Mississippi's legitimate delegation to the 1968 Democratic Convention where I spoke out against the Vietnam War. I continued to work on other projects, including grassroots-level Head Start programs, the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign. I was also inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. I died of breast cancer in 1977 in Mississippi. My tombstone reads, "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired." I had an opera written about me. Who Am I?

I'm Cool!

Is there anything better than a five year-old young girl telling you she loves you, that you are cool and amazing? My brother's eldest daughter stopped by Mom's last night with her three children. They are moving to Pittsburgh where her husband starts a new job on June 28. This was kind of a good-bye meeting. Mom has a mobile wheelchair that she really doesn't use. All of my niece's kids wanted to go for a ride in the wheelchair. So I fired the thing up and spent about a hour going around Mom's house with young rugrats taking turns sitting in my lap. Before they left this is the note I got from the youngest daughter, Charlie. Click on the photo to enlarge it.



I've waited all me life to be called cool! Speaking about cool, the following article about the different uses of beer is kind of cool too!

http://www.diylife.com/2010/06/15/unusual-uses-for-beer/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diylife.com%2F2010%2F06%2F15%2Funusual-uses-for-beer%2F

I'm heading right out now to get a six pack of beer and then I'm going to start my slug banishment program. What about you? Are you cool? Are you going out and buy a six pack of beer? When you get home are you going to use it to polish furniture or are you going to just sit down and just drink one or two?

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Stagecoach Mary Fields.

I was born in 1767 in Virginia and died in 1828 in Tennessee. I was considered both beautiful and vivacious when I was young. I was married twice. With my second husband we adopted two sons and were legal guardians for eight more children, six boys and one girl. The first marriage was to a Captain that was subject to irrational fits of jealousy and we separated in 1790. I met my second husband when he was a boarder in Mom's Tennessee home. I married him before the divorce from my first husband was final. Because of my second husband's political standing we made the marriage official after my first divorce was final. In the election of 1828 my husband's political opponents had a field day accusing me of being a bigamist among other things. Because of my second husband's military record and despite the accusations against me he won the election in a landslide. I died right before the electoral ball for the new President. He blamed his opposition for my death. The 1828election is considered by some historians to be one of the meanest in American history. While it lasted my second husband and I enjoyed a genuine love match. In 1813 I wrote, "Do not my Beloved Husband let the love of Country, fame and honor let you forget you have me. Without you I would think them all empty shadows. You will say this is not the Language of a Patriot but it is the language of a faithful wife..." When I died, He was inconsolable. He refused to believe I was actually dead and insisted that blankets be laid on my body in case she woke up and needed warmth. He built a tomb for me in my flower garden. According to his granddaughter he visited my grave every night at sunset. He hung my portrait at the foot of his bed so I would be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night, and said, "Heaven will be no heaven for me if she is not there." Who Am I?

Elections In The Tank

I don't know what is going on in this world but is just seems like there is to much trauma going on to close to me. Got word last night that my brother has an elevated PSA and is going under exploratory tests today. Please send vibes, prayers, good thoughts, and what ever you can muster his direction. It would be appreciated. Now on to today's blog entry.

I really think the game plan for elections that is written about in the following article is misguided. Everyone in this one county in New York gets six votes per election in this year's elections. The reason they did this was to end up with more diverse elected officials. I am pretty old school, one person, one vote. I can see so much wrong with giving everyone six votes. Seems like there should be a better way.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100615/ap_on_el_st_lo/us_voting_rights_election

When I think about elections I can't help but think about commodes. I mean the way the politicians have run the country the past nineteen years they have put the country in the tank. Maybe we can improve the country the same way this inventive company is improving the commode:

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/06/13/made-in-the-usa-the-toilet-goes-high-tech/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl6|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fsmallbusiness.aol.com%2F2010%2F06%2F13%2Fmade-in-the-usa-the-toilet-goes-high-tech%2F

I'm seriously considering buying three of these for the two and a half bathrooms in my townhouse. You sure wouldn't have to struggle for conversations if you had guests!

What do you think? Vote early vote often? Or stick with one vote? How about your next remodeling project going with the new fangled bathroom?


WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Susan McKinney Steward

I was born a slave in Tennessee in 1832, grew up an orphan and never married. My family were nuns. I was referred to as a gun toting, hard drinking female of the wild west who was heavy, six feet tall and short tempered. I shared a penchant for physical altercations on a regular basis. I had no formal education. After gaining freedom after the Civil War I traveled North to Ohio. There I worked for a convent and formed a close bond with Mother Amadeus. When the nuns moved to Montana and I learned of Mother Amadeus' failing health, I went west to help out. Having nursed Mother Amadeus back to health I decided to stay and help build the St. Peter's mission school. When turned away from the mission because of my behavior, the nuns financed me in my own business. I opened a cafe. My big heart drove my business into the ground several times because I would feed the hungry at no cost. In 1895 I found a job that suited me, as a U.S. mail coach driver for the Cascade County region of central Montana. My mule, Moses, and I never missed a day which lead to my nickname. According to the Great Falls Examiner I broke more of others' noses in fights than any other person in central Montana. When I became to old to deliver the mail, at age seventy I opened a laundry service. I died of heart failure in 1914. Who Am I?

Dating & Cheating.

I found these two articles interesting. The first article is about how we are influenced by strangers in our romantic choices:

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/06/08/study-strangers-influence-our-dating-choices/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2F2010%2F06%2F08%2Fstudy-strangers-influence-our-dating-choices%2F

According to the above article if a member of their own sex finds a member of the opposite sex attractive other members we will find him or her attractive too. If men are at a party and several men are looking at a particular woman then men not looking will eventually follow suit. If there are five men talking to one woman then other men will glide over to talk to her too. I find that surprising because when I am at the party I don't go were all the men are, I go to the woman standing alone. First, I don't like competition. Second, I've learned over time that the most physically beautiful women can become ugly as you get to know them and that the woman standing in the corner that has nice features can become absolutely beautiful as you get to know her. What is interesting about the article is that in this case women are exactly the same as men. If they find five women talking to a man they are heading is direction too.

The next article is about cheating. About women cheating on men. I found the statistics kind of surprising. Twenty-two percent of men cheat. I thought that was kind of low. I really don't know why I thought it was low because none of the married men in my circle of friends cheat. It just seems low. According to the article eighteen percent of women cheat. I also find that kind of low. In the article four men report in on what it was like to be cheated on and what they learned from the experience. In the first case to much attention to work to little attention to the woman, he second it was to much booze for the woman, in the third case be aware during rough spots, and in the last case a history of cheating didn't change.

http://www.asylum.com/2010/06/14/when-women-cheat-what-4-real-guys-learned-from-infidelity/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asylum.com%2F2010%2F06%2F14%2Fwhen-women-cheat-what-4-real-guys-learned-from-infidelity%2F

I also found interesting the poll that they took at the end of the article asking if you should give a cheater a second chance. At the time I read the article (it could change as more votes come in) forty-nine percent said no way, forty-five percent said it depends on the circumstances, and only six percent said mistakes happen work it out. I honestly think I could forgive my partner but I could never forget it. That would be so bad for the relationship that I would end it. I'm pretty sure I could remain friends with her, however, if we were still together the trust I had would be gone and the suspicion would be to great to be fair to her. Could you forgive a cheating spouse or significant other?

I would love your comments on either article.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Freda McDonald aka Josephine Baker

I was born in 1847 and died in 1918, both in New York. I was the seventh of ten children. I was a mix of European, African and Indian heritage. While there isn't anything on record about my early education, in 1867 I entered the New York Medical College for Women, graduating in three years as class valedictorian. The students and faculty voted me to be the 1870 class valedictorian. I earned this honor by studying at all hours, especially when my classmates slept. I also refused to let the taunting of male medical students during shared clinic hours at Bellevue Hospital deter me. Despite my achievement, New York newspapers did not print my valedictory. I did my postgraduate work at Long Island College Hospital. After graduation I established my medical practice in my Brooklyn home. It was slow to start, but soon word spread about my skill and patients grew more diverse: young and old, Black and white, poor and rich. My first husband was a traveling preacher and we had two children, a boy and a girl. Despite my full medical practice I also attended to seniors at the Brooklyn Home for Aged Colored People. My first husband died in 1892 and I married again in 1896. My second husband was an infantry chaplain. I often followed him in to battle and treated wounded soldiers. I was New York's first female doctor and the nations third. Who Am I?

Health Notes.

Hope this day has been and will be a good one for you. Today on the blog we have health issues on the agenda but first I want to ask for some positive thoughts, prayers, and vibes for Dona. I received an email from her husband, Frank, also known as The Shankster. He told me that Dona got some bad news last week and is having tests today. Let's get those famous blog healing powers in high gear and in Dona's direction!

Now on to three health subjects.

First up is that the AMA wants more accuracy from insurance companies. One in five claims is filed in error. Yup, we all suspected that the insurance companies filed our claims wrong and now we have proof! You can read the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_he_me/us_med_ama_insurer_report_card

Next up is that some blood pressure medicine can cause cancer. Just be aware and double check your medication to make sure yours isn't on the list. If your blood pressure medicine is on the list it would be a good idea to consult with your doctor about a change in medication. You can read the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_blood_pressure_pills_cancer

The last health note is kind of sad but a sign of the times and the economy. Cancer survivors are delaying treatments because they can't afford the treatments. I find that just tragic. Certainly there has to be a way to help them. Here is the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_bi_ge/us_med_cancer_costs

As always your comments are appreciated.

WHO AM I

I was born in Missouri in 1906.and died in Paris in 1975. Both my parents were former slaves. I dropped out of school at age 12 and lived as a street child in the slums of St. Louis, sleeping in cardboard shelters and scavenging for food in garbage cans. I was married five times and adopted twelve children. My family was referred to a The Rainbow Tribe. I was decorated for my undercover work for the French Resistance during World War II. I was the first American-born woman to receive the French honor, the Croix De Guerre. I helped a lot of people who were in danger from the Nazis get visas and passports to leave France. Later in 1941 I went to the French colonies in North Africa; the stated reason was my health but the real reason was to continue helping the Resistance. From a base in Morocco I made tours of Spain and pinned notes with the information I gathered inside my underwear (counting on her celebrity to avoid a strip search.) Later I toured to entertain Allied soldiers in North Africa. I even persuaded Egypt's King Farouk to make a public appearance at one of my concerts, a subtle indication of which side his officially neutral country leaned toward. Later I performed at Buchenwald for the liberated inmates who were too frail to be moved. After the war I was a civil rights activist. I made charges of racism against the Stork Club in New York, where I had been refused service. Actress Grace Kelly, who was at the club at the time, rushed over to me and, took me by the arm and stormed out with her entire party, vowing to never return. We became close friends after the incident. I refused to perform for segregated audiences and integrated the Las Vegas nightclubs. I am better known in France then I am in the United States and although I am most remembered as a singer I was also a dancer and was the first African-American actress to star in a major motion picture. I was bi-sexual having a confirmed affair with Frida Kahlo. Ernest Hemingway called me "… the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." Who Am I?

Weekly Updates.

The day of rest means no Who Am I. Yesterday's answer was the late and great Marian Anderson. My update: last week there were two days and nights at Mom's, two days at a boring accounting seminars, one lawn mowing experience, one movie (Killers, don't bother), two chapters written, and other things that I am sure I did but don't remember them. Next week is one night at Mom's and on Friday my final accounting seminar until probably December. YEA!!!

Now some updates from people that are part of the blog here. I read Mary Z's blog and she is having an eye problem. She has one more appointment with a specialist and then goes back to her regular eye doctor. DR is in Indiana reconnecting with her Mom and meeting relatives. I am really looking forward to hearing all about it when she returns. I got an update from Maryanne, the lady that they thought would lose her hand after a dog bite, here is the first paragraph:

"The hand specialist released me from care after my appointment this past Wednesday. The wound still has a bit to go, but now I can cover the whole thing with a single 2" x 2" gauze pad. Originally it took 3 overlapping 4" x 4" pads."

If there is any change in the news about The Shankster and Dona, I know they will bring us up to date!

Now some of my family concerns. My cousin L, the one that is dealing with two active cancers, is heading to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for some special treatments. Please wish her well and successful treatments. I also received a phone call from another cousin and her husband has late stage prostate cancer. So prayers and good vibes J's direction would be completely appreciated.

Entertainment Update:

The winner of Top Chef Master was Marcus Samuellson. Top Chef starts this coming Wednesday at 9, 8 Central time. I tried to watch America's Got Talent again but just didn't finish it. It is just to painful for me to watch people embarrass themselves. I will review Robin Hood this coming week. I also plan on going to The Karate Kid tomorrow.

One final thing. Next week the Update Day will be Saturday. Sunday I want to honor fathers on Fathers' Day.

The blog is now yours! Tell me about your lives. Introduce yourself. Vent. Complain. Share. Post anything you damn well please!

PS:

Speaking of updates here are some updated statistics on the BP Oil Spill:

11,300 miles: The distance around the world the current amount of leaked oil would stretch if it was placed in milk jugs lined up side by side. To quantify, that's farther than New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and back

102: The number of school gymnasiums that could theoretically be filled floor-to-ceiling with oil from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

11: Number of workers missing and presumed dead following the BP rig explosion.

You can read the article where I found these statistics here:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-facts

Deleting Data From A Printer's Hard Drive.

Some days I have to look high and low to find a subject to discuss on the blog. I look at The Oregonian, The USA Today, Yahoo.Com, AOL News, different Internet sites, various large city newspaper sites like the LA Times, Chicago Sun Times, and The NY Times. I also examine my life closely to see if there is anything hiding in the boredom that might interest or help someone. Then they are days like today where the subject for the day just miraculously appears in my mail box.

I really admire men like my brother-in-law, Bob, and Dona's husband, The Shankster. They have that ability to fix things around the house that has seemed to have escaped me. I can fix a tax return with the best of them. Want someone to stand in your place before the IRS and eloquently argue your case, then I am your man. Want an expert witness that has an honest face to help you win your case? I'm there. Seldom lose. OK, I lied. I'm being humble. I never lose. Although I've been known to expertly change some light bulbs, do a darn good job of mowing the lawn, and getting a stain out, you basically want to keep me away from anything else that needs fixing in any house. Around any house, I'm useless. How good am I at taking any machine apart and putting it back together? I can do it if you want to end up with an unworkable machine with a lot of leftover parts. But to actually take any machine apart and put it back together correctly just file me under useless and call The Shankster or Bob.

A couple of weeks ago after going to a seminar about protecting data I posted an entry on the blog about the dangers of having hard drives on copy machines. Here are the links to that post and to the article within that post where some dude bought three used copy machines and what he found one them:

The post:

http://thedahnreport.blogspot.com/2010/05/protecting-data.html

The article:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/19/eveningnews/main6412439.shtml

Since the seminar and since reading that article I've been losing sleep over how in the world to get rid of the data on the hard drive of my copy machine should I decide to trade it in for a newer version. Been praying almost every night for someone to step up to the plate and show me how. God love Dona and The Shankster because just a couple of days Dona sent me an email showing me The Shankster's three step plan to get rid of data on a hard drive of a copy machine. Enjoy The Shankster's three step plan:

STEP ONE



STEP TWO



STEP THREE



Don't you love The Shankster's method? Are you going to use it?

We are still sending prayers, positive thoughts, and good vibes Dona and The Shankster's way for good reports from their recent visit to the doctor.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Maria Mitchell.

I was born in Philadelphia in either 1897 or 1902 and died in Portland, Oregon in 1993. Despite my city of death my memorial was held in front of over 2,000 admirers at Carnegie Hall. I was the eldest of three daughters born to a loader at a Terminal Market and teacher. Dad suffered a head wound at work and died shortly after my birth. Since teaching didn't pay that well Mom found work cleaning, laundering, and scrubbing floors. My high school education was focused on getting a job until people heard me sing. They had me sing at assemblies. I graduated at age 18 and applied to a local music school where I was rejected because of my color. I started singing in church when I was six. They soon called me "The Baby Contralto." Because we couldn't afford a music instructor I taught myself how to sing. I would often perform at three places in one night. I eventually had the confidence to charge five bucks per performance. I eventually toured black colleges and churches in the South. Soon that five bucks turned in one hundred bucks a performance. It lead to my first solo recital at Carnegie Hall. A New York Times critic wrote: “A true mezzo-soprano, she encompassed both ranges with full power, expressive feeling, dynamic contrast, and utmost delicacy.” Despite this success, my engagements were stagnating; I was still performing mainly for black audiences. I went to England to study which lead to a performance at London’s Wigmore Hall. Throughout my life I experienced racism, but the most famous event occurred in 1939. We tried to rent Washington, D.C.’s Constitutional Hall, the city’s foremost center, but was told no dates were available. We would have walked away with that response but a rival manager asked about renting the hall for the same dates and was told they were open. The hall’s director told us the truth, even yelling before slamming down the phone, “No Negro will ever appear in this hall while I am manager.” The public was outraged, famous musicians protested, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), who owned the hall. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes arranged a free open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Easter Sunday. I sang before 75,000 people and millions of radio listeners. Several weeks later I gave a private concert at the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was entertaining King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain. During World War II and the Korean War, I entertained troops in hospitals and bases. On Easter Sunday in 1965 I gave my final concert at Carnegie Hall. Among many awards I have the American Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. Who Am I?

Around The World

Abby Sunderland, the sixteen year-old girl that set out to be the youngest woman to sail around the world, on the day before yesterday she lost contact with the world and set off emergency beacons. Yesterday she was spotted, she is fine, and rescue boats on the way to her. Should her parents have let a daughter that young go off by herself on a grueling trip around the world? I'm on the fence. Part of me says let the girl go for her dream and then another part of me asks, are you freaking crazy?

Kyron Horman, a seven year-old boy that went missing on June 4, 2010, is still missing. Search teams from several counties in Oregon met yesterday and have expanded the search for him. The Missing Kyron Horman Facebook Page now has over thirty-three thousand members. When I went to the page I was surprised at the number of messages making accusations towards the family. There also seems to be a lot of judgments about the family not speaking out yet. They have issued a statement through the police but haven't held a press conference. The other bone of contention is that the step mom went to an exercise class. Some people found that unusual. Do you find that unusual? Do you think the family should speak out? Here is what I think. People react to tragedy differently and cope differently. Some just can't face the world and roll up in a ball avoiding all contact with the outside. Others stand on the tallest building and yell at the top of their lungs. Some people cope by being with family, others cope by going swimming. I think the judgments and accusations should stop and people should let the family handle the situation the best way they can for them. The thing that trumps all is the boy's safe return. Your take on it?

The World Cup starts today. This is soccer's premier event. For us here in the states the main match this weekend is USA vs. England. What are the referees for that game doing to prepare for their job? They are learning American cuss words so they know when they are being abused. Think I am kidding? Read the following article:

http://blog.taragana.com/sports/2010/06/10/referees-for-england-us-world-cup-match-learning-english-swear-words-that-players-might-use-109949/

From sports to driving. We do it all here. According to the GMAC web site 20% of licensed drivers failed GMAC's driving test. That translates to thirty-eight million drivers nationwide. Here is the article:

http://autos.aol.com/article/study-driving-test/

I got sixteen of the twenty questions right for a passing score of eighty percent. On three of the missed I was more cautious then their answers. You can take the test here:

http://www.nationaldriverstest.com/national-drivers-test/ndt-test.php

What was your score?

WHO AM I?

I was born in 1818 and died in 1889. I was the first cousin four times removed from Benjamin. I had nine brothers and sisters. My parents were Quakers. The Quakers believed in equal education for women so my parents insisted that I receive the same quality of education as boys received. The Quaker religion taught, among other things, intellectual equality between the sexes. Additionally, Nantucket's importance as a whaling port meant the wives of sailors were left for months and sometimes years to manage affairs while their husbands were at sea, thus fostering an atmosphere of relative independence and equality for the women who called the island home. Women still lacked the right to own property or to vote. When I was eleven dad built his own school. I was both a student and teaching assistant at his school. Dad taught me astronomy using his personal telescope At age twelve and a half, I aided dad in calculating the exact moment of annular eclipse. One year after opening my own school I was offered a job as first librarian and worked their for eighteen years. I once discovered my own comet and it was named after me. This gave me worldwide fame. I was the second woman to discover a comet. I was the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During my life I left the Quaker faith and followed Unitarian principles. In protest against slavery, I stopped wearing clothes made of cotton. I was posthumously inducted into the U.S. National Women's Hall of Fame. I was the namesake of a World War II Liberty ship. I was known for the famous quote, "We have a hunger of the mind. We ask for all of the knowledge around us and the more we get, the more we desire." Who Am I?

What I Learned.

I have spent the last two days becoming informed in various accounting subjects and this is what I learned that had nothing to do with accounting:

Boredom is exhausting.

Philadelphia lawyers are better speakers than Georgia accountants.

Men are slobs and have very bad aim. Could I get away with using the women's rest room at future seminars? I'm not a neat freak but come on men hit the damn urinal and don't forget to flush.

Men don't read instructions. The sign under the rest room light that says "to save energy turn out the light when you leave" means, guess what? Turn out the light when you leave. Why was I the only one turning out that light all day?

Even a bad book makes the day go faster. Harlen Coben is a good author but his GONE FOR GOOD was so far fetched that even I didn't believe it.

When you first arrive at the seminar introduce yourself to the administrator who keeps track of attendance. Then if you sneak out for an hour or two they will know you were there first thing in the morning.

When they make that announcement at the beginning of the seminar, "please shut off your cell phone or put it on vibrate" nobody think it means their cell phone.

Pack a lunch because usually the food they serve there isn't all that hot.

Who Am I will return tomorrow. Yesterday's answer was Harriett Beecher Stowe.

To keep you busy is a following article that suggest what five TV shows should be made into movies:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100610/ap_en_tv/us_film_five_most

My five are: The Good Wife, 24, Lost, Glee, and have to throw a comedy in there, How I Met Your Mother. What are yours?

Lost Loves - The Final Chapter

He remembered how they felt the first time they kissed. He felt like he had been given a gift more precious than the finest piece of Cyrstal. So beautiful, yet so fragile. Despite the strength in her beauty he felt an overhwhelming need to proctect the gift he had just been given. It was one of those moments in time frozen on the heart. It was then he knew he had met the woman that he wanted to share his life with.

As their relationship grew he helped her enroll in college and paid for her tutition. She was studying to be a para-legal. She quit King's. He helped her get a job as a secretary at a law firm. Now it was his birthday. He was going to make the night as special for her as she was sure to make it for him. She had made reservations at Comstock's, the most prestigious and newest restaurant in Century City. A night of dinner and dancing. It was going to be the most important night of his life and he was sure for her too. While she no doubt called ahead and ordered a birthday cake he hadn't called ahead to arrange his moment. He was a private person and he sure in the hell wasn't going to turn a private moment into a public one. The night no doubt was going to cost him at least a week's pay.

They arrived at Comstock's in time for their six o'clock reservations. The place was beautiful. The decor could easily be describe as lusciously romantic. They ate a leisurely dinner, he eating a perfectly cooked Filet Mignon and she the perfectly cooked Lobster Tail. While waiting for desert they decided to try the dance floor. The restaurant was featuring big band music with a lead vocalist professionally spilling out Sinatra tunes. The dance floor was dimly lit under the most incredibly looking chandeliers. He was dressed in a tailored suit with a tie that she had boiught for him. She was dressed in a glamorous tight fitting powder blue evening gown. He held her hand as they walked to the dance floor. When they arrived at the dance floor he bowed and she curtsied. He took her left hand and placed his right hand gently in the middle of her back. They started their waltz, the dance floor was packed, for him as they glided across the floor there was only one person in the room. He looked into her magnetic eyes as she smiled back with love in her eyes. The words of the song just seemed so appropriate:

"With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart."

He whispered, "I love you."

"How did I get so lucky to find a man like you?"

"I'm the lucky one. I'm the envy of every man here."

"You look so handsome in that tie."

Lost in the moment he could barely hear the music but he knew the words. He had thought of that song so many times when they were together.

"There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight."

They continued their in sync dancing oblivious to others on the floor stopping their dances to watch them. He gently kissed her cheek. She gently put her head on his shoulder. The music stopped and the room broke out in applause.

He walked her back to the table. This was the perfect time. After they sat down he took her hand, "I have something I want to ask you."

"Yes?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled at a small box. He opened it and said. "Will you marry me?"

She started to cry. She hugged him. Their embrace seemed to last forever.

"I've waited for this moment since the first day I met you. When you walked into King's looking so lost. I fell in love with you the minute you asked if we served food."

He took out his hankerchief and wipped the tears from her eyes and silently said:

"Is that a yes?

Still sobbing, she took a deep breath. "In my dreams I always said yes but I can't. I can't risk destroying the only man I have and will ever love. I love you to much to say yes."

"Come on beautiful, yes is such an easy word to spit out."

"We are from two different worlds. Before I met you when didh't have enough to eat on I did more than dance to make ends meet. I have no family and you are from the perfect Leave It To Beaver family."

He had always suspected that secret about her past and it didn't make a difference to him. This was just the first time she confessed it to him.

"I don't care. Love overcomes all. We can still learn from each other."

"You are such a romantic but I can't outrun my past. If it ever came out about what I did for money what we know would be destroyed. Your family would be embarassed, they would disown us."

"My family wants what is best for me, they would grow to love you as much as I do,"

"That is a nice thought but I know what the reaction to my past has been and would be. Even if your family accepted me your career wouldn't. You are going to be successful, you are going to be an important part of your community, and if we had kids I know you would be part of their school. If my past came out that world would come crumbling down. The only way to pick up the pieces would be for me to leave you then. It will hurt you less if I leave your now."

She passionately kissed him and then she got up to leave turning to him to speak those dreadful words through the sobs.

"Thank you for the most the two most wonderful years of my life. Know in your heart that I will always love you. It will be easier for both of us if you don't call anymore."

She hurried towards the door. He got up to run after her. At the door she turned around, shaking her head, and he could read her lips as she mouthed, "No! No", disappearing into the night.

He stood there not knowing what to do or where to go. The waitress grabbed his arm "Would you like a drink." He proceeded to get drunk and didn't sober up until he moved to Oregon.

He was startled back to today by those words "you have waited to long to dial, please hang up and try your call again." He hung the phone up and looked at the paper with the number on it that a friend of hers had given him a couple of years ago. He stared at the phone. Could he make the call?

(off to the seminar will respond to messages after five tomorrow, unless they have
Internet hookup at the hotel where the seminar is.)


WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Emma Goldman.

I was an American abolitionist born in 1811 in Connecticut and died there in 1896. I was the daughter of an outspoken religious leader and a deeply religious woman who died when I was four. I was the sister of an educator and author and three clergymen brothers. I enrolled in the seminary run by my eldest sister where I received a traditionally "male" education. At twenty-five I married a professor at the seminary and an ardent critic of slavery. Our family supported the Underground Railroad and housed several fugitive slaves in our home. When Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law, prohibiting assistance to fugitives I was moved to present my objections on paper. The first installment of my most famous work appeared in the antislavery journal, National Era. Upon meeting me, Abraham Lincoln allegedly remarked, "So you're the little lady who started this great war." After the war I created an integrated school in Mandarin for children and adults. The novel that made me famous had a lot of people crying uncle. Tom would have been so proud. I lived that last of my twenty-three years next to Mark Twain. Who Am I?

Lost Loves - Part II

As he reached for the phone his memory drifted to her. It had been at least fifteen years since he had seen her. He hadn't contacted her but he had kept up with what she was doing through mutual friends. She was the perfect person for the case that had found its way into his office. She was really the only one he trusted that also knew the exotic dancing business. Had enough time passed to erase that terrible pain of their last meeting? Or at least had the paid subsided enough that he could handle seeing her again? The pain was the worst he had ever dealt with, it entered his heart every day since that dreadful night. Each day it got a little easier but was he all the way back yet?

He recalled the day they had met. It was his first day of work after graduation from law school. He wasn't the best student, nor the worst. The best first job he could find was at a small law firm in Gardena, California. He asked his co-workers where a good place to have lunch was. In unison they all replied, "Kings, it is right on the corner, you can walk to it."

He walked into a pitch black "restaurant," so dark that he couldn't see anything but total darkness. After what seemed like an eternity his eyes adjusted enough that he could see a young scantily clad woman probably not at the age of majority gyrating on a well lit stage to extremely loud music. He quickly determined that the crew at the office had pulled a fast one on the hick from the sticks. Just as he was planning his exit, the hand of a woman dressed in a light pink bikini touched his arm. She was stunning. 5'3" with a compact body, light brunette hair, and hazel eyes that were so bright that the darkness of the room disappeared.

Her first words to him were:

"You don't belong here."

"Where do I belong? It is a question I've been asking myself all my life."

"I don't know where you belong, I just know it isn't here."

"Do you really serve food here?"

She laughed "Yes, we have the best hot turkey sandwiches."

"Should I stay or should I go somewhere where I belong?"

Smiling, "I'm sure an hour here won't corrupt you."

In the next two years they had become inseparable. She was married to an excessively older man. She was from Louisiana. The marriage was arranged for her when she was fourteen. Her parents were just to dirt poor to afford to raise a teenager. She was amazingly intelligent, having taught herself to speak five different langauges. She had gotten her GED. She was working at Kings to support her husband's gambling habit. Her dream was to go on to college. She didn't really care about majors, a formal education was her only goal.

At first because of the respect for her marriage their time togehter was limited to lunches, phone calls, and to his many visits to Kings. About six months after they had met the phone rang a little after midnight at his apartment.

He was jarred out of a deep sleep:

"Hello, this better be good."

"He's dead."

"Whose dead?"

"My husband. He died of a heart attack this afternoon."

"I'm so sorry, are you all right?" It is one of those dumb questions that we ask in stressful situations. Of course she wasn't all right, her husband had just died.

"Will you come over. I don't want to be alone. I don't know anyone else."

"I will be there in fifteen minutes."

(to be continued. Well, maybe if I have the guts it will be continued. Off to an accounting seminar and won't be able to respond to messages until after five tonight.)


WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Dorothy Dandridge.

Once called the most dangerous woman in America I was born in 1869 in Russia and emigrated to the States when I was twenty-six. I lived in New York City, and joined the anarchist movement. I became a writer and a renowned lecturer on anarchist philosophy, women's rights, and social issues, attracting crowds of thousands. With my lover I planned an assassination as an act of propaganda of deed. The intended target survived but my lover went to prison for twenty-two years. I was imprisoned several times in the years that followed, for "inciting to riot" and illegally distributing information about birth control. Once I was sentenced to two years in jail for conspiring to "induce persons not to register" for the newly instated draft. I was deported back to Russia after my release. I originally was supporting of the Bolshevik revolution but quickly voiced my opposition to the Soviet use of violence and the repression of independent voices. Although I distanced myself from first-wave feminism and its efforts toward women's suffrage I developed new ways of incorporating gender politics into anarchism. My dad died of TB. Dad used violence to punish his children, beating us when we disobeyed him. He used a whip on me since I was the most rebellious. Family poverty forced us children to work and I took an assortment of jobs including one in a corset shop. After making it to New York I met and married a man. Our relationship faltered when we moved in with my family. It also didn't help that I discovered on our wedding night that he was impotent. We didn't make it to our first anniversary. I later began a several year affair with a man I met at a political rally. Later I would fund political activities through prostitution. Because of the Panic of 1893 the US Suffered one of its worst economic crisis ever. I began speaking to crowds of frustrated men and women in New York. I encouraged unemployed workers to take immediate action and to us force. I was charged with inciting a riot. The jury frightened by my politics found me guilty and sentenced me to one year in the Blackwell's Island Penitentiary. Later when an unemployed factory worker shot McKinley some thought I had planned the assassination. The worker was executed. After his execution I withdrew from the world. That was until John Turner was arrested under a new act. That led me to join forces for free speech. I would later fall in love with the hobo doctor. I joined Margaret Sanger in crusading for women's access to birth control; both of us were arrested for violating the Comstock Law. I was deported for encouraging people not to sign up for the draft. I suffered a stroke in 1940 and a great orator was silenced. A second stroke led to my death in Toronto. Who Am I?

Lost Loves

First, the good story of the day:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/at_age_15_portland_student_chr.html

Now the movie reviw. The official web site for the movie Letters To Juliet:

http://www.letterstojuliet-movie.com/

From that web site is this description of the movie: "Letters To Juliet is an enchanting love story -- a tale of encountering new sparks and rekindling old flames. When Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, a young American, travels to Verona, Italy --the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet -- she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson (Christopher Egan) to find the fiance she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire's quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire's long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it's never too late to find true love."

The moved was expertly filmed with absolutely incredible scenery. The principal locations included the Relais Borgo Scopeto, a four-star luxury hotel a few miles north of Siena, and around the town of Montalcino and the Caparzo winery there. All are located in Tuscany. Filming was also conducted at the Casa di Giulietta in Verona. Some scenes were shot in New York in Bryant Park and on Elizabeth Street in the Bowery.

The movie is Directed by Gary Winick. Of course by far the best acting was done by Vanessa Redgrave. My next favorite performance was by Egan. Seyfried is not bad but not great. The women that played Juliet's secretaries also did OK but none of them really stood out, the were Lida Biondi, Milena Vukotic, Luisia Ranieri, and Marina Massironi.

I went to Letters To Juliet with my Mom and her caregiver. We should have left the caregiver at home so she could have used her cell phone in a more appropriate place. Mom enjoyed the movie and I have a "Mom factor" when reviewing movies. If Mom likes it and I get embarrassed less than five times during the movie it gets a better rating. The movie was your ultimate chick flick. Kind of sappy. Here is my rating: One star for the Mom factor, one star for the incredible scenery in Italy, and one star for Redgrave.

Did you know that people write to Juliet for romantic advise and they actually have secretaries that respond to the letters? I didn't. Do you have any lost loves that you would like to write to? I have one but I haven't really decided if I want to be that open and share it here. I did write about her as part of the book I'm. If I feel I want to expose myself you may read about that love here. Because of literary license it is about sixty-percent true. I just haven't decided yet if I won't to post an intimate part of my life.

WHO AM I?

I was born in 1922 in Ohio and died in 1965. I was raised by my Mom and my Mom's woman friend. I had one sister and we were Wonder Children and performed together.
Our act included singing, dancing, acrobatics, and skits. I met and married my husband while performing at the famous Cotton Club. I was nineteen when I got married. He was an atrocious husband, he carried on affairs and avoided spending time at home. My only daughter was brain damaged and I had to put her in someone else's care. I divorced the scumbag and pursued my career. I was the first black woman to perform at the Waldorf Astoria. Harry and I then starred in a movie together. Two years later I played Carmen. I was nominated for best actress for the role, the first black women so nominated. I found that despite my fame, it was hard finding work as a black actress. The forces of racism were too strong. I filed for bankruptcy after a failed second marriage a series of bad investments. I began to drink heavily and was found dead in my apartment of an overdose of Tofranil, an antidepressant that had been prescribed for me. Who Am I?

Sleep Week 2010.

As always a day of rest results in there being no Who Am I of the day. Yesterday's answer was Elizabeth Monroe.

The coming week is going to be a tad busy starting with today. Caregiver is on a mini-vacation so from this afternoon until Tuesday morning I am at Mom's house. When when I get up on Tuesday morning I head directly to an accounting seminar. The dreadful thing is I have another accounting seminar on Wednesday. And yes I did check the dates and I am right this time. Tuesday's subject is a Practical Guide To Sleeping During An Accounting Seminar and not get caught. OK, I lied, it is "A Practical Guide To Trusts." On Wednesday I will be paying the utmost attention to some doofus in a monotone voice talking about "Applying The Risk Assessment Standards Using A Case Study Approach." The biggest risk for me is passing out from boredom. After the two seminars this week only one more is on the horizon, thank goodness. That one is June 18 and is about bankruptcy today.

Last week was one night at Mom's, a dinner out with the family, a trip to the casino for lunch and the movie Robin Hood. I did fit in two days of writing. Mostly about the blog but also a couple of chapters of Searching For Justice.

Entertainment front. Top Chef Masters is down to the final three. The final is on the same day that Top Chef starts. Wednesday night. The finalists for Top Chef Master's are Rick Moonen, Susur Lee, and Marcus Samuellson. I have kind of thought all year that Rick was an annoying jackass but he redeemed himself with the way he treated Jonathan this week. Susur is very creative and he probably should win but I am going to change gears and root for Rick. If you want to see the new chefs on this season's Top Chef which starts at 9 (8 central) Wednesday, you can read the bios of the contestants here:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-7/bios

I really want a woman to win since so few women have won the Top Chef title. After reading the bios the chef that gets my cheers is Kelly Liken. I do reserve the right to change my mind each week.

I did watch America's Got Talent this week but shut it off after about forty-five minutes. Some of the contestants were so bad it just wasn't worth my time. I will return to the show after they weed out the people without talent.

The blog is now yours. What's going on with you and those around you? Sure would love a new poster or two to introduce themselves!

A Charitable Escape.

Two feel good stories for the day:

They could have escaped and didn't:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/two_inmates_who_rescued_strick.html

When I read articles like the following one, my heart glows because I know long after I leave this world I will leave it in good hands:

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2010/06/top_portland-area_high_school.html

Have you ever wanted to escape but doing the right thing held you back? I know there have been many times in my caregiving of Mom and dad that I wanted to pack up, get on the road and take off. Escape. But I didn't, I did the right thing and stayed. What about right now if money wasn't an object where would you like to escape to? My choice would be the weather of the LA area or the charm of Ashland or after attending a recent movie the beauty of Italy.

Charity is always a favorite subject of mine. I really respect the high school students in the second article. Right out of high school going where their heart tells then to go instead of having the dollar lead their ambitions. We have had the talk before about what you would do if you won the lottery but I've never really asked what your favorite charities were. Mine would be anything dementia related, anything to do with abused women or children, cancer research, education of poverty stricken children, and the arts (writing, music, painting, etc.)

Hope you get a little escapism today!

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's Who Am I was Anne Sullivan.

I was born in 1768 to a New York merchant. I was a combination of Belgian and Dutch. Although the birth order remains unknown I had three sisiters and one brother. I had to stretch to be five foot tall, had black hair and blue eyes. I was raised in the Dutch Reformed Church but married in a Episcopalian service. My paternal grandmother who owned and managed her own vast real estate holdings in old Harlem raised me. Although my education wasn't documented it was probably considered important enough to provide me with something of a formal education; in light of my ease with life in France and Spain, I was likely instructed in French and Latin as well as the traditional "social graces" for young women of my class in literature, music, dancing and sewing. There is no documentation of my life previous to marriage but considering my family's wealth and social status it was likely as a young woman that I was part of New York City's elite circles. It is unlikely I was socially prominent once the American Revolution had begun, since my father was a Loyalist officer. I married at 17 to a Lieutenant Colonel during American Revolution who later became a U.S. Congressman from Virginia. Upon his retirement from Congress we returned to his native state where he practiced law. We had two daughters and one son. When husband was named U.S. Minister to France we relocated to Paris. During the last days of the French Revolution I made a name for myself by a courageous visit to Adrienne de Noiolles de Lafayette, the imprisoned wife of the Marquis de Lafayette. Not wishing to offend the U.S. the French government used my unofficial interest in Adrienne de Lafayette to release her. My husband would eventually serve a six year term as Secretary of State meaning we had to live in D.C. I was not known to play any role during my husband's campaigns for the head honcho. Back then the winner of elections were decided by members of Congress as electors. Despite being the main lady of the land for eight years there is little primary material about me during that time. No correspondence by me to my husband or our family or the general public. If there was it didn't survive. The few documents in which my name appears relate almost exclusively to legal, financial and property matters. The most frequent commentary of me related to my physical appearance. I looked youthful and contemporary accounts, supported by the material evidence, detail the regal costumes and jewelry I wore at public occasions. I didn't do social which kind of ticked off a lot of people but some people say my lack of be social was because I suffered from epilepsy. My oldest daughter married the man that prosecuted Aaron Burr. My husband is said to have burned all of my papers after my death. I did form enough of a close relationship with the popular hero of the Battle of New Orleans, to always be mentioned in his presidential letters. Due to my health we stayed in the famous house three weeks after we were voted out. I died in 1830. Who Am I?

Let's Dance, Let's Talk.

Let's dance:

http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/index.ssf/2010/06/87-year-old_forest_grove_woman_gets_to_dance_with_a_sailor_again.html

Who would you want to dance with? For me it would be either Kym or Anna from Dancing With The Stars or S.D. a lesser known celebrity that I won't use her full name out of respect. I also wouldn't mind dancing with Sandra Bullock or Betty White. My guess is Pat is going to say Antonio Banderas and DR might go with Garth Brooks. Dona. Connie, Mary Z, Mary, Ellen, Belva, and the rest of the crew her I'm not so sure about.

Let's Talk:

Should nuns be allowed to speak out on social topics? Read the following article before you decide:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/06/catholic-nuns-sisters-bishops-vatican-health-care/1

What brought the survey about is bishops have criticized the women for taking public stands favoring the new health reform legislation and last month a Sister of Mercy was publicly rebuked by the Bishop of Phoenix for allowing an emergency abortion at a Catholic hospital to save a mother of four in danger of dying from a rare heart condition.

I'm going with the majority here. I'm not for censorship of anyone or of any kind. I would love to hear whatever is on the Nuns or anyone else's mind for that matter. You?

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Louisa May Alcott. Which most of you said I made it way to easy. Easy is my middle name.

I am an educator born in Massachusetts in 1866 and died in 1936 in New York. I was the daughter of an Irish immigrant. I had one brother who was crippled from T.B. During my childhood I was subject to poverty and physical abuse by my alcoholic father and at the age of five, trachoma struck. Two years later my mother died and my father abandoned us to an orphanage in Tewksbury where my brother died shortly. Despite being left in a orphanage with no formal educational facilities I prospered. When the state board of charities chairman visited the orphanage I literally threw herself in front of him crying, " I want to go to school." I graduated valedictorian and began teaching. My most famous student was seven years old and highly undisciplined. First, I had to teach her obedience, followed by teachings of the manual and the alphabets. I tutored her through The Cambridge School for Young Ladies and Radcliffe College. People were amazed at my teaching skills. Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Henry H. Rogers and John Spaulding were only a few of those who met my famous student and I and supported us. Throughout my student's formal education and after I was often viewed with suspicion and speculation. Many believed that I was trying to control and/or use student. After my student's formal education I continued to assist her by accompanying her on her travels and to various lecture tours. I married a Harvard instructor and the student lived with us. The owner of The Dahn Report was once given an award named for my student. Who Am I?

Auto Safety.

Off in few minutes to lunch with Mom, Sister, and Brother-in-law for lunch at Spirit Mountain Casino. It is about a ninety-minute drive. The trek leaves very little time for a post today. However, since we are going to be in a car for three hours today auto safety is on my mind. The Center For Excellence In Rural Safety at The University Of Minnesota conducted a survey about what kind of safety features Americans would endorse. An article about their findings was in today's USA Today. How about you here? What would you be for. Here are some things reported on in the USA Today:

Eighty-eight percent were for ignition interlocks for those convicted of drunk driving, add me to the list, I'm all for this.)

Eighty-eight percent were for phased-in privileges for new drivers, (I'm there too.)

Eighty-four percent for mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists, (hesitant to endorse this.I don't know why, I just am.)

Eighty-two percent were for sobriety checkpoints, (against this, this kind of violates the right to search and seizure.)

Seventy-two percent for police being able to ticket someone for not using seat belt (in most states this is a secondary offense meaning that they can't stop you just for the seat-belt, they can only ticket you if they stop you for another offense. Make it a primary offense)

Sixty-four percent where for using cameras and radar to ticket people. Cameras at red lights for instance. (I'm against this due to there being to much room for error. What if you loan your car to your children or a friend?)

Things not mentioned in the article that I would be all for:

Blind spot sensors in all cars.

National ban against cell phone use and texting in cars.

How many of the above items would you be for? What items would you add to the list? Drive safely today and watch your blind spot!

resources for today's post:

http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu/

http://www.usatoday.com/

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Jane Addams.

Even the owner of The Dahn Report has heard of me? Isn't that novel? I do know a lot more about little women then he does. Although you have already been given enough information to solve this riddle shouldn't you learn more about me? I was born in 1832 and died at the young age of 55. I was influenced by Emerson, Thoreau, Dickens, and others. My birthday was the same as my father's and I was the brother-n-law of a noted abolitionist. I was dad's second daughter. Second of four. My early education included lessons from the Thoreau. I also received instruction from writers and educators such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller. I later described these early years in a newspaper sketch. As an adult I was an abolitionist and a feminist. We even housed a fugitive slave for one week. Poverty made it necessary for me to go to work at an early age as an occasional teacher, seamstress, governess, domestic helper, and writer. My first book was originally written for Ellen Emerson, daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. When the American Civil War broke out,I served as a nurse in a Union Hospital. I wrote passionate, fiery novels and sensational stories under another name. My protagonists for these tales were willful and relentless in their pursuit of their own aims, which often include revenge on those who humiliated or thwarted them. I alos produced wholesome stories for children. The heroine in my most famous novel is based on myself. The only difference is the heroine married and I remained single. I explained being single all of her life with the quote "... because I have fallen in love with so many pretty girls and never once the least bit with any man." When my sister died I took in her two year old daughter. I became an advocate for women's suffrage and was the first woman to register to vote in Concord. I continued to write until my death despite chronic health problems. I died of what was thought to be at the time mercury poisoning. Later reports said I suffered from Lupus. The man that wrote a book about my father and I won a Pulitzer Prize for that book. Who Am I?

Simple & Green.

Get the tissues out, she says why for me instead of why me. Today's hero:

http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/06/01/friends-family-race-against-time-for-mandi-schwartz/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnhl.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F06%2F01%2Ffriends-family-race-against-time-for-mandi-schwartz%2F

On to a less emotional subject. Simplifying you life while turing it green. Today's USA Today had an article about Wanda Urnbanska and her new book "The Heart of Simple Living: 7 Paths To A Better Life." You can read the entire column here:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/environment/2010-06-02-urbanska02_ST_N.htm

Some of the things that she suggests are as follows:

Pay bills immediately.

Spend time outdoors.

Celebrate your victories.

Save you spare change.

Hang clothes outside.

Buy used.

Stop and chat.

How many of the things above do you do? I do almost all of them with three exceptions. I don't celebrate my victories, hang clothes outside, or buy used. I can improve! What other things would you put on the list to live simply?

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Mary Eliza Church Terrell.

My last name is often confused with another famous family. I was born in 1860 and died in 1935. I am known as the first American woman to win a famous prize. I was considered a mover and shaker in the labor movement and was a charter member of the NAACP I was the daughter of a very well-to-do gentleman; my mother was a kind and gracious lady. I had five brothers and sisters at the time of my mother's death when I was two. Father remarried and my new stepmother brought two new step-brothers to the already large family. I was especially devoted to my father who taught me tolerance, philanthropy, and a strong work ethic. He encouraged me to pursue higher education but not at the expense of losing my femininity and the prospect of marriage and motherhood. I attended the Rockford Seminary for young ladies and excelled. I developed strong leadership traits. My classmates admired me and followed my examples. I wished to pursue a degree in medicine, a choice that caused a great stir in our household. My parents felt that I had had enough education and were concerned that I would never marry. I became despondent. I wanted more in life and felt if my brothers could have careers in medicine and science, why couldn't I? Hoping to change my mind my parents took me and several of my friends on a long tour of Europe. They hoped that I would settle down and realize that my duty was to marry and have a family. During this time I began to show signs of serious illness. Dad died upon my return from Europe, which set me into a deeper depression and a sense of guilt that somehow I had upset him with my insistence upon a vocation. My illness grew to the proportion of "invalid." I could barely walk or move without great pain. I did have a slight curvature of the spine and for which I sought treatment. I had surgery and was strapped into a back harness from which I could not move for about a year. This year gave me time to think. When I recovered, I headed to Europe. While in England, I was introduced to the founders and the workings of Toynbee Hall, a settlement house in the slums of London. A friend and I committed to starting a settlement house in Chicago. I was able to procure all I needed with the generosity of patrons. Money poured in. Within a few years, The House offered medical care, child care and legal aid. It also provided classes for immigrants to learn English, vocational skills, music, art and drama. When in the late 1800s a severe depression rocked the country the House was serving over two thousand people a week. I worked for legislation to protect immigrants from exploitation, limit the working hours of women, mandate schooling for children, recognize labor unions, and provide for industrial safety. This led to the right to vote for women. I worked for Chicago municipal suffrage and became the first VP of the National American Women Suffrage Association. I became a very controversial figure while working on behalf of economic reform. When horrible working conditions led to a riot I was personally attacked for my support of the workers. It resulted in a great loss of donor support for the House. I supplemented House funding with revenue from lecture tours and article writing. I foresaw World War I and in an effort to avert war, I organized the Women's Peace Party and the International Congress of Women. When the U.S. joined the war in 1917, criticism of me rose. I was expelled from the Daughters of the American Revolution, but it didn't slow me down. I was a founding member of the ACLU. When the depression of the 1930's struck I saw many of the things that I had advocated and fought for become policies under President Franklin Roosevelt. I received numerous awards including the Prize. I am known for the quote: "I am not one of those who believe - broadly speaking - that women are better than men. We have not wrecked railroads, nor corrupted legislatures, nor done many unholy things that men have done; but then we must remember that we have not had the chance." Who Am I?

Cures, Talent, & The Edge.

Some really great news! Inspiring article here:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/cleveland-clinic-doctor-reports-a-possible-vaccine-to-prevent-breast-cancer/1

American's Got Talent starts tonight. Rumor has it that the talent this year is higher than any previous year. I usually don't watch the show until later on after they have weeded out the awful acts that are just put on to embarrass themselves. I'm into talent, not embarrassment.

This morning in The Oregonian's Edge Column they had some pretty funny things. It is one of my favorite columns. Here are two excerpts from today's column:

How do you know when you're staying in a Kentucky hotel? When you call the front desk and say "I've gotta leak in my sink" and the person at the front desk says "go ahead."

Emily Sue passed away and Bubba called 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 operator told Bubba that she would send someone out right away. "Where do you live?" asked the operator. Bubba replied, "At the end of Eucalyptus Drive." The operator asked, "Can you spell that for me? There was a long pause and finally Bubba said, "How 'bout if I drag her over to Oak Street and you pick her up there?"

You can read the entire edge column here:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/edge/2010/06/tuesdays_edge_theres_about_a_c.html

That is it for the day. I am starting to be really optimistic about a cure for cancer. I think we may see the cure for breast cancer in our lifetime and maybe the cure for some other forms of cancer. What do you think? Are you going to watch America's Got Talent from the get go or are you going to wait for when the real talent comes on? The excerpts from The Edge, vote funny or not.

Who Am I?

Yesterday's answer was my second cousin, Lt. Edward Grover Delong.

I was the daughter of two former slaves and born in 1863. I died in 1954. I was one of the first of my nationality to earn a college degree which lead me to become activist for suffrage and civil rights. My dad was said to be the son of his white master. After his freedom there are reports that dad became a self-made millionaire from real-estate investments. He was married twice. My mother was his first wife. I majored in classics at Oberlin College among mostly white male students. Despite me being in the minority the freshman class nominated me as class poet, and also to two of the college's literary societies. I earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from Oberlin. I would also later study in Europe where I became fluent in French, German, and Italian. In 1891 I married a lawyer who became the first black municipal court judge in Washington, DC. I had three children who died in infancy but soon gave birth to a daughter. We later adopted a second daughter. Through dad I met Frederick and Booker T. As a high school teacher and principal I was appointed to the Board of Education. I was the first black woman in the United States to hold such a position. I was the first president of the newly formed NACWC. Members established day nurseries and kindergartens, and helped orphans. I also founded the NAUW. The NAUW started a training program and kindergarten before these were incorporated in the Public School System. Although written sources about me primarily highlight my role as an activist and clubwoman during the progressive era, it is important to note that I had an active and prosperous career as a journalist. The white publications I contributed to include the Washington Evening Star and the Washington Post. In 1904 I was invited to speak at the International Congress of Women, held in Berlin, Germany. I was the only black woman at the conference. I received an enthusiastic ovation when I honored the host nation by delivering my address in German. I then proceeded to deliver the speech in French, and concluded with the English version. I was a founding member of NAACP. In World War I, I was involved with the War Camp Community Service, which aided in the recreation and, later, the demobilization of Negro servicemen. I worked actively in the suffrage movement. In 1950 I started what would be a successful fight to integrate eating places in the District of Columbia. In 1949 myself and two colleagues entered a segregated Restaurant. When we were refused service we promptly filed a lawsuit. Our attorney argued that the District laws were unconstitutional and later won the case against restaurant segregation. In the three years pending the decision I targeted other restaurants. My tactics included boycotts, picketing, and sit-ins. Finally the court ruled that segregated eating places in Washington, DC, were unconstitutional. After the age of 80, I continued to participate in picket lines, protesting the segregation of restaurants and theaters. During my senior years I also succeeded in persuading the local chapter of the AAUW to admit black members. I lived to see the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, holding unconstitutional the segregation of schools by race. I died two months later at the age of 90. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower paid tribute to my memory in a letter read to the NACW convention, writing, "For more than 60 years, her great gifts were dedicated to the betterment of humanity, and she left a truly inspiring record." I am also listed on list of the 100 Greatest African Americans. Who Am I?