Spiders & Friends

I hope you all survived yesterday's celebrations with all your fingers, arms, and legs in tact. I was at Mom's last night and I am there today and tonight. Sis does Tuesday and Wednesday night and then the caregiver is back Thursday night. Now on to today's subjects, spiders and friends.

Are you scared of spiders? I'm not really scared of spiders but growing up once I was bitten by a brown one that caused me all sorts of problems. I even had to take drugs for a while. Still that didn't leave me afraid of the little critters because I am bigger than they are. There is now an Austrian university that is seeking young girls to participate in a study to figure what about the little dudes that scare us. Here is a brief article about the study:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100630/od_nm/us_spiders_fear

Maybe you aren't scared of spiders but are you lonely? Need friends? Here is an article to tell you how you can get a few friends:

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/07/02/rentafriend-com-find-a-friend-for-a-price/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl2|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2F02%2Frentafriend-com-find-a-friend-for-a-price%2F

I just want you all to know I will be your friend for free. No Charge. I'm loyal and can bark like a dog.

Questions of the day: Are you scared of spiders? Do you want to know why? Would you ever rent a friend? If they had two friends for the price of one coupons would that make a difference?

Enjoy the day!

Who Am I?

I was born in 1911 and died much to young in 1956. Oh the records I could have set if I lived longer. I am remembered as being as versatile as Lottie. I was the sixth of seven children born to immigrants from Norway. I moved to Texas when I was four. I am said to have acquired my famous nickname after hitting five home runs in a childhood baseball game. I gained my fame in other sports besides baseball. I could sew with the best of them and won the sewing championship at a State Fair. I made all my outfits. I was also a singer and a harmonica player that graduated from high school but never attended college. I recorded several songs including one where she felt like a kitchen appliance. I married a professional wrestler. After which I did some part time acting. We had no children. Besides the sport that I medaled in I was an excellent diver, roller-skater, and bowler. I won two golds and one silver four years before Jesse was snubbed by Hitler. I worked as a secretary for a company that allowed me to compete in the AAU championships in which one year I competed in eight of the ten events, I won five of them outright and tied for first in a sixth. I set five world records. After that I performed on the vaudeville circuit. I also competed in billiards though not winning a championship. I later would become famous in a sport that made Jack and Arnold famous. I was denied amateur status and was the first woman to compete in a men's event which wasn't duplicated until almost sixty years later. I was diagnosed with colon cancer at forty-two years old. After cancer surgery I made a comeback and become the second oldest woman ever to win a tour event. The cancer recurred two years later during which I still won two of eight events that I competed in. I died when I was sill in the front of all my female competitors. Before dying my husband and I established a Fund to support cancer clinics. I broke the accepted models of femininity in my time, including the accepted models of female athleticism. Although just 5'5" tall I was physically strong and socially straightforward about my strength. Although a hero to many I was also derided for my "manliness". I died ten years before the Second Wave of feminism that altered the social landscape of the United States. My real claim to fame is being mentioned in a Simpson's episode. I penned an autobiography that is no longer in print but is available in many libraries. Who Am I?

An Independent Update.

I know the Fourth of July has an important meaning. It is the day the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776 with the following document:

http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/document/index.htm

However, it is has become my least favorite holiday due to the idiot factor. How many stories are we going to hear this year of someone blowing a finger, an arm, or a hand off? How many fires are going to be started due to careless setting off of fireworks? How many purchases of illegal fireworks are going to be made? How many pets are going to be scared witless and run away? The meaning has gone from celebrating independence to embracing stupidity. Maybe it also has become a guys holiday:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/susan_nielsen/index.ssf/2010/07/fourth_of_july_trying_to_love.html


Enough of my rant now the weekly update:

I had a nice coffee meeting with Red Whistle on Tuesday, a nice birthday lunch yesterday (we had trouble meshing our schedules) with Naomi, spent Wednesday night at Mom's, met with the caterers on Tuesday, had a nice lunch with Mom on Friday, dinner out with sis and Mom on Monday, worked on the cousin letter on Thursday and stuffed, stamped and sent it out on Friday, there was also a lunch on Monday with a friend and I finished reading Janet Evanovich's SIZZLING SIXTEEN.

Next week it is tonight and tomorrow night at Mom's, putting together a package of events for the cousin reunion, the wonderful task of laundry, finishing two work assignments, and buying some of the staples for the reunion.

Not much on the entertainment front this week. This was men's week on Top Chef. Kenny won the Quickfire Challenge. Arnold won the Elimination challenge. Three men and one woman finished in the bottom four and of course the woman, Tracey, was sent packing. I was really sorry to see Tracey go because she really had a colorful personality.

The blog is now yours. Catch me up on your lives! I would really love to hear from Dona and The Dude (also known as The Shankster.) We also haven't heard from Snug and how her parents are doing for quite a while. This is your time to shine. Vent. Jump with joy. Introduce yourselves. Tell me what is on your plate. Both the fun and boring things you are doing. Post anything you damn well please. And answer two questions: Do you like the fourth? And has it become a man's holiday?

THE ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S WHO AM I WAS Ella Josephine Baker

Good News

Good news on the health front:

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/01/best-2-tests-for-predicting-alzheimers/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2F2010%2F07%2F01%2Fbest-2-tests-for-predicting-alzheimers%2F

They are making great strides in predicting who is at risk for Alzheimer's. While they can't now cure it there are several drugs and methods available to delay the onset of it. While I believe this is really good news, it won't be great news until we find a cure for it.

Good news on another front. Well, some might say it isn't all that good news. Now sixty-three percent of all men enjoy something that a much smaller percent used to enjoy:

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/06/29/men-close-grooming-gap-with-women-study-finds/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stylelist.com%2F2010%2F06%2F29%2Fmen-close-grooming-gap-with-women-study-finds%2F

And the last good news of the day? When you are done painting your house and have some paint left over there a lot of things you can do with it:

http://www.diylife.com/2010/06/29/10-uses-for-leftover-house-paint/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl8|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diylife.com%2F2010%2F06%2F29%2F10-uses-for-leftover-house-paint%2F

Here are the questions for the day. Are you happy that us slobs are taking up more of your bathroom time so that we look nicer and smell better? Or does that just mean that we are becoming more vain? An are you going to use leftover paint to create the next Van Gogh? Or are you just going to paint the light switches in your house? Or throw it away? And finally do you thing we will ever find a cure for Alzheimer's?


Who Am I?

Yesterday's answer was Felisa Rincón de Gautier

I was born in Virginia in 1903 and died in New York in 1986. I was a behind the scenes civil rights worker who helped fight for equal rights over five decades. I worked alongside some of the most famous civil rights leaders of the twentieth century, including: W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King Jr.. I also mentored such then young civil rights stalwarts as Diane Nash, Stokely Carmichael, Rosa Parks and Bob Moses. As a young girl I listened to my grandmother tell stories about slave revolts. My grandmother had been whipped for refusing to marry a man chosen for her by the slave owner. I graduated from college as class valedictorian. As a student I challenged school policies that I thought were unfair. I would later protest Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and supported the campaign to free the Scottsboro defendants in Alabama, a group of young black men accused of raping two white women. In the 1960s, the idea of "Participatory Democracy" was created and I supported it. There were three principles of the Democracy (1) an appeal for grass roots involvement of people throughout society, while making their own decisions, (2) the minimization of hierarchy (leaders) and the associated emphasis on expertise and professionalism as a basis for leadership, and (3) a call for direct action as an answer to fear isolation and intellectual detachment. As a recruiter for the civil rights movement my ability to treat everyone with respect helped me. I helped initiate voter registration campaigns and identify other local grievances in the South. I believed in nonviolent protests. I was once called the "Godmother of SNCC." I helped to coordinate the region-wide freedom rides of 1961. I also helped organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) as an alternative to the all-white Mississippi Democratic Party. I lent my voice to the Puerto Rican independence movement, spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and allied myself with a number of women's groups, including the Third World Women's Alliance and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. I remained an activist until my death.
I differed in opinion and philosophy with the famous Martin and once claimed that the movement made Martin, and not Martin the movement. I also urged activists to take control of the movement themselves, rather than rely on a leader with "heavy feet of clay," which was widely interpreted as a denunciation of King. I was such a private person that people didn't know that I was married for twenty years. I am quoted as saying "You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders." Who Am I?

Human Trafficking

Multnomah County in Oregon has declared July as Human Traffic Awareness Month. Here is the article of why they were compelled to do so:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/07/multnomah_county_commissioners_4.html

Not in the article but from U.S. Department of Health And Human Services under The Administration for Children and Families section:

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines “Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons” as:

Sex Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years; or as

Labor Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

Also quoting from their web page:

"Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. These estimates include women, men and children. Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South America,and Eastern Europe. Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak and understand English and are therefore isolated and unable to communicate with service providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them."

You can read more about human trafficking at their web page:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human.html

As far as I know the six hundred to eight hundred thousand only included victims trafficked into the United States. When you add to that number the estimated two hundred thousand victims trafficked within the US the numbers reach a million. When I did an Internet search I saw one statistic that put the international number up to four million. The average age of a human trafficking victim is twenty years old. UNDP estimates that that trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation in the U.S. is a $7 billion/ year business.

As we celebrate our Independence this weekend let's just take a moment to think of these modern day slaves held against their will Your comments are appreciated.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Susan La Flesche Tibbles

I was born in Puerto Rico in 1897 and died there in 1994. I was the oldest of nine siblings. My father who was the nephew of an early Mayor of San Juan was my political influence. Mom died when I was eleven. After high school I went on to become a pharmacist. I moved to New York and learned fashion design. I returned home to open a style and flower shop. I strongly believed women should have the right to vote and was an active participant in the suffragist movement, motivating many women to register. When the law allowing women to vote was passed I was the 5th woman to officially register. I married a San Juan lawyer who served as the Assistant Attorney General of Puerto Rico. We had a long and happy marriage but produced no offspring. I later was elected mayor of San Juan. Under my leadership San Juan was transformed into a great Latin-American urban center. I designed innovative public services and established the first pre-school centers which would eventually become the model for the Head Start programs in the United States. I also renovated the public health system and was responsible for the establishment of the school of medicine in San Juan. During the Cold War era I ordered the establishment of the island's first Civil Defense system. Under my direction San Juan was awarded the All American City Award. I started a Christmas tradition which has continued. On the Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), celebrated on January 6 I would give gifts and treats to the poor and needy children. Once I even had a plane load of snow delivered to San Juan so that the children who had never seen or played in snow, would be able to do so. After my twenty-two years as mayor I served as a Goodwill Ambassador for four US Presidents. When I died I was given the burial honors of a head of state and dignitaries from all over the world attended my service. I have public structures in Puerto Rico named after me. In Brooklyn there is a school named after me. In New York City you can go to an Institute For Law & Public Policy named after me. Who Am I?

Drugs & Exercise

Thanks for all the responses yesterday regarding the cousin reunion and a special thanks to DR for her email. Really not much to write about today. Lately my creative side has been on vacation. Today we just have two cancer related stories.

The first story just makes want to take the executives at Walmart and ask them, what in the heck are you thinking? Read the story here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100701/od_nm/us_walmart_marijuana_lawsuit_odd

This isn't a case of a pot head smoking dope on company time. This is the case of a doctor prescribed pain management. Unless the person was exceeding the under the influence levels for the state he lives in there is no way he should have been fired. The person probably has a ton of bills left over from his cancer and brain tumor treatments and now he is jobless. Guess who is going to end up paying? We are. What is your take on the lawsuit? Do you want him to win the suit against Walmart? Do you want him to lose the lawsuit? Did Walmart have the right to fire him?

The next story is advise for Cancer survivors is to get up and get moving:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100629/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_cancer___exercise

It seems lately that exercise is the cure to a lot of ills. Do you exercise? If not get with it!

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Angelina Grimke

I was born in 1854 and died in 1903 who is known as a writer, lecturer, interpreter, artist, and progressive spokesperson for Native American rights. I am a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame. I was one of seven children born to the son of a French fur trader and a Ponca wife. Dad was the last chief of a famous tribe. After I went to a Presbyterian mission school I attended a girls' school in New Jersey. As a young woman I became interested in politics. Because my paternal grandmother was a Ponca, Dad and I traveled to Oklahoma to investigate conditions after the tribe's removal from Nebraska. I worked with a journalist to publicize the conditions we found. A Chief and his followers were arrested when they returned to their traditional territory. The journalists coverage of the chief's imprisonment was instrumental in gaining him prominent volunteer defense attorneys. I acted as the chief's interpreter during his trial as the chief successfully challenged the lack of grounds of his arrest and imprisonment, arguing that Indians were persons under the law, and had all the rights of U.S. citizens. Following the trial I accompanied the chief, the journalist, and others on a speaking tour of the Eastern United States. In addition to interpreting for the chief I spoke separately as an orator. During the tour, the journalist and I testified in Washington before a Congressional committee, where I spoke for the rights of Native Americans. I married the journalist and we went on a speaking tour of England and Scotland with the chief. My husband I did witness the Wounded Knee Massacre. After my death in 1903 I was eulogized in the US Senate. Ninety years later in recognition of my role as a spokesperson and writer about my people I was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. I was some times called Bright Eyes. Who Am I?

Cousins

Larry King retired, good! Elana Kagan is doing a great job at her confirmation hearings. When asked where she was at Christmas by Senator Lindsay Graham, she responded "Like most Jews I was probably at a Chinese restaurant." University of South Carolina are college baseball champions beating UCLA two games in a row to take the best of three series. Other than that I have nothing to talk about so I am just going to tell you what I have done today.

Just this morning I sent off my license renewal to those in charge so it looks like I will be a CPA at least until June 30, 2012. Then I've been working on a cousin reunion. These are cousins on my Mom's side of the family so many of them are in their eighties or nineties. There will be some second, third, and fourth cousins at the reunion which will be July 29 through August 1 at The Best Western Northwind in King City, Oregon. I really have great cousins and they realized it is really hard for Mom to travel to a reunion so they are bringing the reunion to Mom. I was sort of hoping we would have some prison escapees among our cousins to make our family tree more exciting. Instead we just have some really fun, intelligent, normal, and thoughtful cousins.

Because the cousins were so nice to bring the reunion to Mom I agreed to be the point person for the reunion. I had to think about it for a a while but I was able to say yes before the matches between all my fingers and toes reached the skin. It also helps that I have my cousin Belva to help me and bump ideas off of.

I've been checking out restaurants to hold our main dinner the Saturday night of cousin reunion weekend. There were a lot of nice restaurants. However, I decided that because of the age of the group it would be better to hold the dinner at the hotel and have it catered. Restaurants would work but then a lot of the elderly would have to get in an out of cars and we might make to much noise for a restuarant. I also think having the dinner at the hotel provides a more intimate atmosphere. Nancy, the sales manager at the hotel, has been absolutely marvelous and has made arrangements for us to have their conference room complete with buffet tables and enough tables and chairs to seat the expected fifty cousins. Just a note before we continue, I have been so impressed with Nancy that I would suggest that if any of you are going to attend or hold an event in the Portland area that you give her hotel a call.

This morning I decided on the menu and tomorrow at one I am meeting with the caterer to finalize everything. They are going to deliver, set-up, provide the place settings, and the chafing dishes to keep everything warm. I wanted to make sure there were choices because some people can't eat beef and some don't like chicken. This is the menu I chose:

A summer salad.
Dinner rolls
Meatballs
Lasagna
Grilled Chicken Breasts
Scalloped potatoes
Roasted seasonal veggies.
Two cakes for desert. Chocolate & White.
Soft Drinks
Water
Coffee

If there are a lot of kids that end up coming I will on the day of the event get some hot dogs that we can easily cook that night. I want it to be fun for the kids too.

I'm going to send out the final letter to the cousins on Friday to tell them how much to contribute to the buffet and to let them know what to expect. Then the next three weeks I am going to be scared stiff that I might have to get up and say something at the dinner.

The biggest event I've ever been in charge of until now was my Mom and Dad's fiftieth anniversary complete with a harp playing during dinner and a dance band playing music from the big band era after dinner. It was pretty successful and I am really hoping when all the cousins leave to go back home they will look back on cousin weekend as one hell of a good weekend.

Have you ever planned an event? Am I on the right track?

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Ida Saxton McKinley

I am a political activist, abolitionist, and suffragist that was born in 1805 and died in 1879. I was born to a dad that was an Episcopalian judge, planter, lawyer, politician, slaveholder, and Revolutionary War veteran. I was the youngest of thirteen children. My older sister begged our parents to allow her to be my Godmother. My parents consented when sis was thirteen and we maintained a very intimate relationship throughout our lives. As a young child I was described in family letters and diaries as the most self-righteous, curious and self-assured of all my siblings. It never occurred to me that I should abide by the superior judgment of my male relatives or that anyone might consider me inferior simply for being a girl. When time for my confirmation in the Episcopalian Church came I refused to recite the required pledge. I concluded that I could not agree with the pledge and would not participate in the confirmation ceremony. In my new church the Preacher advocated patience and prayer over direct action against the system. That was unsatisfactory to me. In 1829 I addressed the issue at a meeting in my church and stated that all slaveholding members of my congregation openly condemn the practice. My third church was of the Quaker faith. After my widowed sister moved in with me I was struck by the lack of options for widowed women – during this period they were mostly limited to remarriage or joining the working world – and realized the importance of education for women. I decided to become a teacher and briefly considered attending a Female Seminary. My sister and the traditional Quakers disapproved of my newfound interest in radical abolitionism but I became steadily more involved in the movement. I wrote a letter to my hero who published the letter in his publication without my permission. The letter put me in great standing among many abolitionists but its publication offended and stirred controversy within Quaker society, who openly condemned such radical activism. Sis even asked me to withdraw the letter, concerned that such publicity would alienate her from the community. Though I was initially embarrassed by the letter’s publication, I refused, and the letter was later reprinted in several puiblications. The letter gave me a considerable amount of national recognition as a figure in the abolitionist movement, which enabled me to participate in many anti-slavery events, even though I was female. At one of these events I met my husband. I was invited to speak at the Massachusetts State Legislature and testified there, becoming the first woman in the United States to address a legislative body. I was quoted in one letter "Man cannot rightfully hold his fellow man as property. Therefore, we affirm that every slaveholder is a man-stealer… To steal a man is to rob him of himself." In another letter I wrote “it is because I love the colored Americans that I want them to stay in this country; and in order to make it a happy home to them, I am trying to talk down, and write down, and live down this horrible prejudice.”
Who Am I?

Religion

I don't usually talk politics or religion on the blog because they are just subjects that lend themselves to arguments instead of discussions. We all have our political leanings and most likely we aren't going to change them because of something somebody writes or says. We all have our religious beliefs and we aren't going to be browbeat in to changing those beliefs by someone else. I did find this article in yesterday's USA Today on religion extremely interesting:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-28-column28_ST_N.htm

Quoting the article:

"the focus of untold generations of well-intentioned Christians compelled to live out the Great Commission that Jesus laid out in the Gospel of Matthew ("Go and make disciples of all nations"). The standard argumentative approach — built around "spiritual laws," A-to-B-to-Z logic, and black-and-white propositions about the one religious truth — seems more counterproductive with each passing year, more likely to repel than persuade."

Further quoting the article:

"What do Christians learn when they start listening to atheists? Henderson, author of the forthcoming book The Outsider Interviews, has found that the "I'm right/you're wrong" model is a conversation-killer par excellence. So is speaking of non-converts as "lost." "Nothing sets off an atheist more than hearing a Christian say, 'I know Jesus is God and that I'm going to heaven when I die," Henderson says. "They also notice that we often say it loudly and arrogantly, which only serves to reinforce their negative opinion of our certainty."

The two quotes really hit home with me. I do have strong religious beliefs. I believe living with a good heart. I believe in treating your fellow men and women with respect. I believe in charity. Love your fellow men and women. None of us are perfect so understand and forgive. I believe in accepting people for what they are instead of judging them for their beliefs. I believe in witnessing not brow beating. I witness by the way I lead my life, not by making you feel like you are going to hell if you have the gall not to believe the way I do. There is room in this world for people to believe differently than I do, it is what makes the world interesting and a better place. That is why I have so much trouble with some evangelists. Like my Mom's caregiver. She believes basically unless you believe the way she does you are going to hell. Any conversation starts with "I'm right and everyone else is wrong." Unless you are reborn you go to hell. You can be Ten Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or an untold number of serial killers and go to heaven just as long as you are reborn before you die. You can lead a perfect life and go to hell if you aren't reborn before you die. Frankly, that is bunk. Whenever someone starts with I'm right and you are wrong they basically are making the determination themselves of who is and who is not going to heaven. By doing so they are placing themselves on a higher level than God. They are also defeating what they believe is their purpose on this earth, making you believe the way they do.

The reason I love this article is that two people with completely different views are listening to each other. Now if only Republican and Democrats could do the same thing. Let's start with getting rid of political talk radio shows and political talk television shows that serve no useful person other than to divide us.

Your comments are always appreciated.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Marian Wright Edelman.

I was born in 1847 in Ohio and died there in 1907. I was born the elder daughter of a prominent banker. Granddad founded the city's first newspaper. I graduated from a finishing school. I was refined, charming, and strikingly attractive. I met Bill at a picnic and married him when I was twenty-three and he was twenty-seven. We had two children, both daughters. One died at age four, one never lived to see her first birthday. I had a fragile, nervous temperament and broke down when Mom and my two daughters died within months of each other. I developed epilepsy and became totally dependent on my husband. My seizures at times occurred in public including one at an inaugural ball for my governor. Although an invalid the rest of my life, I kept busy with my hobby, crocheting slippers, making gifts of literally thousands of pairs to friends and acquaintances. When my hubby became head honcho he took great care to accommodate my condition insisting that I be seated next to him at state dinners instead of at the other end of the table. At receiving lines I alone remained seated. Guests noted that whenever I was about to undergo a seizure hubby gently placed a napkin or handkerchief over my face to conceal my contorted features. When it passed, he would remove the napkin and resume whatever he was doing as if nothing had happened. My husband's patient devotion and loving attention was the talk of the capital. Someone remarked that he made it pretty hard for the the husbands in the city. Unfortunately my husband didn't finish his term thanks to his assassination. After his death I lost the will to live. Although I bore up well in days between the shooting and the president's death I could not bring myself to attend his funeral. My health eroded as I withdrew to the safety of my home in Ohio. I was cared for by my younger sister. Who Am I?

Helping Children.

Because the following article is so long I am not posting much today. The article is well worth the read and it is one of those feel good ones. Read this very heartwarming story here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/haiti_quake_aftermath_boy_forg.html

Before closing I wanted to wish the University of South Carolina's baseball team good luck in the College World Series Baseball Championship series against UCLA.

As always your comments are welcome. They don't even have to be about the subject of the day!

WHO AM I?

To celebrate children and South Carolina I chose an appropriate Who Am I for today.

I was born in 1939 and as far as I know I haven't died yet. I am most known for being a children's rights activist and was the founder of a famous defense fund. I was the youngest of five children in the same state that DR now resides. My father was a Baptist minister who installed in me that Christianity obligates one to service to others. Dad died when I was fourteen, speaking his last words to me "don't let anything stand in way of your education." I didn't having a B.S. degree, a Yale law degree and traveling the world on a scholarship. I went to law school after being arrested for my activism. I was the first of my nationality to be admitted to the a southern state's bar. I worked on racial justice issues and established a Head Start Program in my community. I moved to Washington, D.C. to help Martin Luther King, Jr. with some issues. While there I founded a research center. The poverty stricken children became my issues. I became their voice.
I persuaded Congress to overhaul foster care, support adoption, improve child care, help homeless children, and also help abused and neglected children. My most famous quote is "If you don’t like the way the world is, you have an obligation to change it. Just do it one step at a time.” I still contineu to advocate youth pregnancy prevention, child-care funding, prenatal care, greater parental responsibility in teaching values and curtailing children’s exposure to the barrage of violent images transmitted by mass media. I met my husband during a tour of Robert Kennedy of the poverty ridden Delta slums. My law professor husband and I have three sons. I have many awards including Barnard Medal of Distinction, Albert Schweitzer Prize of Humanitarianism, The Presidential Medial of Freedom, Community of Christ International Peace Award, and The Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo Award. I currently serve on the board of New York's Robin Hood Foundation, Who Am I?

Update Day

Hope things are going well with today and at the end of today you will look back on a great day! The answer to yesterday's Who Am I was Dolley Madison.

MY UPDATE:

Last week, two nights at Mom's, a nice dinner with Mom on Sunday, A great birthday lunch on Monday with Mom, A birthday dinner with Sister Tuesday, A birthday lunch with my Albany cousins on Wednesday, the movie Knight and Day on Thursday, and two days of rest on Friday and Saturday. I wasn't really feeling that well later in the week so outside of a little over an hour with Mom on Saturday I rested. I'm still not one hundred percent so a few vibes and prayers would appreciated. Speaking of vibes and prayers please send some Red Whistle's way. She is a reader of the blog and posts sometimes. Her Mom has cancer. So muster up the famous blog healing powers and send them her way.

On the agenda for next week: One night at Mom's. Finalizing the dinner plans for the cousin reunion Mom and I are hosting the last week in July. Now that I have completed all my education I need to fill out the license renewal and send the State one hundred and fifty bucks so that I can keep using the CPA designation. The cost of the education was over a thousand bucks. It's expensive to have some titles. If I changed my title to Education Bum it sure would be cheaper.

HEALTH UPDATE:

I thought this was extremely good news so decided to share it today:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100624/ap_on_he_me/us_med_stem_cells_blindness


ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE:

Good news for Pat and I on the entertainment front. Joan Rivers is being sued. She is being sued for saying she was being sued:

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/06/25/joan-rivers-sued-by-ex-manager-in-ironic-twist/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl8|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2F25%2Fjoan-rivers-sued-by-ex-manager-in-ironic-twist%2F

On Top Chef it was a good week for women. Tracy won the Quickfire Challenge and my gal Kelly won the elimination challenge! I'm still rooting for her.

I didn't like the movie Knight And Day near as much as the critics did. I was in my realistic mood and it just bothered me how a car could go down the freeway at hundred miles an hour when nobody has their foot on the gas pedal. I did find out during the movie why I love my Mom so damn much and that sometimes it is expensive being her son. Tom Cruise comes on the screen, Mom says "you are better looking them him." I dropped my popcorn all over the floor on that one and then had to take out a second mortgage on my house to go by another bag of it. But how can you not love a Mom that sees you that way? It was worth two bags of popcorn.

It is now you turn to update me on your lives. Post whatever you damn well please today (or any day for that matter). Introduce yourself today if the mood strikes you (or any day for that matter). Looking forward to learning about your lives.

PS

In addition to being touched by Mom's comment at the movie, I was also touched my the birthday card my sister sent me. I hope I can live up the way the two most important women in my life view me. You can click on the card to make it larger.

Page One:



Page Two

Man Up Portland!

According to the second annual joint survey by Mars Chocolates, Combo's Snacks and research expert Bert Spelling of the fifty most manliest cities in the United States Portland, Oregon comes in last. Charlotte, North Carolina is first. Los Angeles is forty-eighth, Seattle is thirtieth, Memphis is twenty-eighth, Nashville is third, Indianapolis is eighth, Milwaukee is sixth, and Columbia, South Carolina comes in thirteenth. You can read the article here:

http://www.mars.com/global/news-and-media/press-releases/news-releases.aspx?SiteId=94&Id=2087

The study used criteria like the number of home improvement stores, steak houses, pickup trucks, motorcycles per capita and the number of "manly jobs" like fire fighters, police officers, construction workers and EMT personnel.

What do you think of the survey? Is your city manly? Do you think I need to move to a different city to become manly?

The next subject I am going to file under an extremely stupid Facebook joke gone bad.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/facebook-photo-of-baby-with-bong-sparks-outrage/19532074?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Ffacebook-photo-of-baby-with-bong-sparks-outrage%2F19532074

OK, It was extremely stupid of the to young mother to post a picture of her baby smoking a bong on Facebook. But are the authorities making way to much over it? Should she lose custody of her baby because of it? Yes and no are my answers.

Hope this turns out to be a good Saturday for you. I am going to spend the day trying to man up.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Marie LaVeau

I was born in North Carolina in 1768 and died in Washington D.C. in 1849. My maiden name is the same as Thomas's last name. I was born to Quaker parents and had no formal education. We moved to Philadelphia when I was fifteen. I am considered one of if not the most colorful firsts. I possessed a sparkling personality and a kind heart. I married a Philadelphia lawyer and fellow Quaker. We had two sons. A yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia, claiming the lives of my husband and one of my sons within weeks of each other. My characteristic optimism enabled me to get through this tragedy and continue to live life to its fullest. I attended various social functions in Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States. At one of the events through a then duel senator I was introduced to a representative from Virginia. Despite him being seventeen years my senior we soon began a courtship, culminating in his proposal of marriage and my acceptance. Despite my strict Quaker upbringing because he was an Episcopalian I was ostracized from the Society of Friends (Quakers) for marrying outside my faith. Freed of the quaintness of the Quaker doctrine my liveliness began to manifest itself in my appearance as well as my personality. I began taking snuff, and wearing bright clothing and turbans adorned with jewelry or feathers. When my husband was appointed Secretary of Sate we moved to a city and I took to its society like a duck takes to water. The then single president asked me to serve as hostess at the famous house's social events. My extroversion served to enliven the often austere atmosphere of the administration and in addition providing the harmony needed to quell the political tensions. Through my special inviting manner the often tense political, as well as social, atmosphere of the time could become wonderfully calm. When I became first I made the White House a most delightful place to visit. I was beautiful gregarious, buoyant, and cheerful, the regular social gatherings I hosted were lively events at which anyone would feel welcome. I had an expansive memory for names and the ability to make everyone at home in the House. I began holding Wednesday evening "drawing rooms" (receptions) that became immensely popular with politicians, diplomats, and the citizenry. I was renowned for my charm and knowledge of politics and current events. I was an asset to my husband's political career as my outgoing demeanor complimented his reserved and stonefaced disposition and my political insight influenced his decisions. When British troops invaded the city I courageously stayed behind until vital state documents and famous portraits were removed to safety. After fleeing the city with my husband we returned three days later to find the House burned down. Though my second marriage was childless it was always romantic. Unfortunately my surviving son from my first marriage had such awful spending habits that he reduced me to poverty. To survive after my second husband's death I had to sell both his home and his papers to pay off creditors. I was buried in the Congressional Cemetery with all the dignitaries attending. Later my remains were moved to another state to be next to my second husband. Who Am I?

Have I Met You Before? Weird Food.

Have you ever been in the grocery store when you run into someone that seems familiar but for the life of you, you not only can't remember who they are but whether or not you have even met them? The chance are if you had that happen to you then you are neither a gay man or a woman. Read the following article and then tell me if you fit the mold or are you the exception that proves the rule?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599199884800;_ylt=AlqRqfuBGjnEL4npKJDGE.as0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNrdGY3NmJmBGFzc2V0A3RpbWUvMjAxMDA2MjQvMDg1OTkxOTk4ODQ4MDAEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDaGF2ZXdlbWV0YmVm

OK, before you read the next article, even though it is about eating make sure you aren't eating at the time you are reading the article. This is a gag me with a spoon article. You can comment on it if you like.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100624/od_nm/us_france_cannibal

The questions of the day. Have I met your before? What is the weirdest thing you have eaten? I ate snake one time. Notice I said one time.

Hope this is great Friday for you.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer was Clara Booth Luce

I was born in maybe New Orleans in 1801 and died there in 1881. I was the daughter of a white planter a free Creole woman of color. I married a free person of color. After my husband died I became a hairdresser to rich white folk. I took a lover and we lived in a common law marriage with a reportedly fifteen children, including my namesake daughter. Both that daughter and I practiced the same art although Pat might scoff at me calling it an art. My daughter and I had great influence over our multiracial following. In 1874 as many as twelve thousand spectators, both black and white, swarmed to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to catch a glimpse of my daughter performing our legendary rites. Scholars believe I had more powerful powers than my daughter but she arranged more elaborate public events. Most of my magical career is unsubstantiated. I was said to have had a snake named Zombi after an African God. Oral traditions suggested that part of my magic mixed Roman Catholic beliefs, including saints, with African spirits and religious concepts. Some scholars believe that I feared magical powers of divination that were actually based on my network of informants which I developed while working as a hairdresser. Some assert that I ran my own brothel and cultivated informants in that way as well. I excelled at obtaining inside information on my wealthy patrons by instilling fear in their servants whom I either paid or "cured." I was reportedly buried in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans in the Glapion family crypt. The tomb continues to attract visitors who draw three "x"s (XXX) on its side, in the hopes that my spirit will grant them a wish. Some others state that I am buried in other tombs, but they may be confusing the resting places of other priestesses of New Orleans. Don't you dare call me a witch but you can answer the question, Who Am I?

2050

First, wanted to wish DR some luck today. Here is an email we got from her today:

"Any good vibes and positive thoughts you could send this direction this afternoon will be appreciated. Dr. R is doing the procedure on my foot at 2:15 (let's hope he's running on time. The only thing he said was it would create a very large blister and walking would be "uncomfortable" for several days. He did NOT define uncomfortable. I admit to a low pain threshold (I'm a wimp) and memories of the lip surgery/recovery are not pleasant, so I admit to being a major twitch this morning. Hopefully, I've awfulized it in my mind to the point where it will be a walk in the park, compared to my imagination ."

You have all my thoughts and prayers, DR!

What will the world be like in 2050? World War III will be going on and cancer will be history as a cure will have been found. Limbs will be easily replaced. Computers will talk to each other just like humans. We will be in the midst of an energy crisis. Here is an article where fifteen hundred Americans were polled about the future:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/pew-future-poll-world-war-iii-cancer-cure-are-on-the-way/19526759?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fpew-future-poll-world-war-iii-cancer-cure-are-on-the-way%2F19526759

Do you agree with the article? What other things are you predicting for 2050? I am predicting flying cars and a cure for diabetes. I also think people will be living long into their hundreds. Both national and local elections will be done by computer.

Your turn.

WHO AM I?

The Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind was yesterday's answer. Elvis Costello was the Elvis that wrote an opera about her that was originally performed in Oakland.

I was born in New York in 1903 and died in 1987 in Washington, D.C. of a brain tumor.
My father was a businessman and Mom was a violinist. I became famous in many careers. I gained equal fame as an editor, playwright, politician, journalist, and diplomat. All those careers came after I was an understudy of a famous actress of that time. Acting was my original ambition. I soon lost interest when my parents wanted me to tour Europe with them. There I decided that I wanted to work in the women's suffrage movement. It was also there that I married a man twenty-four years my senior. After we had one daughter I divorced my abusive husband. Then I joined the staff of Vogue, as an editorial assistant. Having found direction in the wake of a tragedy I developed a serious interest in writing. I became associate editor of Vanity Fair magazine, and began writing short sketches satirizing New York society and its figures. I resigned to become a playwright. I remarried at age thirty-two to a man five years my elder who was a world renowned publisher. In my first month of my second marriage my first play opened on Broadway and was panned by critics. My second play was also panned by critics but was loved by audiences and ended after six hundred and fifty-seven performance. During WWII I served as a journalist for LIFE magazine. I went to both France and China. When the US entered the war I went through Africa, India, China, and Burma. These travels lead me to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. I won with ease by alleging FDR brought the country into the war unprepared. After visiting American troops in Italy I advocated immediate aid to Italian war victims. I was reelected. During my time in office my only child, my daughter, was killed in a car accident. I was so devastated by the loss of her that I suffered a nervous breakdown. After leaving the House I wrote a wrote a screenplay that received an Academy Award nomination. I followed that with a play. I went back into politics to campaign for Ike. After he won he appointed me as an ambassador to Italy. After settling a serious dispute between two countries I became seriously ill with arsenic poisoning and resigned. I occupied my time after that painting and creating mosaics until I was appointed again to an ambassador position. A senator from Oregon fought against that appointment and after I said that he was kicked in the head by a horse I had to resign due to all the fallout from the remark. I showed up again in politics when Ronnie appointed me to an advisory board. Who Am I?

A Relative Good Lunch

I had a great lunch with my cousins from Albany today. Of course Mom joined us. Don & Belva bought the lunch for my birthday. They are just two of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. They are in the good relative column. Here is the nice card they bought me, page one first, and page two second. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.






Do you think someone should be fired for posing for Playboy? What kind of judgment do you think a person uses by posing nude without getting the employer's permission?
After reading the following article weigh in with your opinion.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/playboy-pictures-of-arkansas-jailer-jessie-lunderby-could-jeopardize-her-job/19526603?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fplayboy-pictures-of-arkansas-jailer-jessie-lunderby-could-jeopardize-her-job%2F19526603

Normally I come down on the side of what a person does on their own time as long as it is legal is their own darn business. However, in this case I do think it would have been better judgment to ask the employer's permission before posing in Playboy. I do think firing is a little severe. I am really hoping administrative leave and a warning is as far as it goes

Now if the above lady ends up unemployed she will have a lot of time to drink coffee. According to the following article that can be really healthy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/coffeesmysteriousbenefitsmount;_ylt=Am7u5YW_3C0mlCOlwN4Lau6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTRiOW9hbDJ1BGFzc2V0A2xpdmVzY2llbmNlLzIwMTAwNjIyL2NvZmZlZXNteXN0ZXJpb3VzYmVuZWZpdHNtb3VudARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzkEcG9zAzYEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNjb2ZmZWVzbXlzdGU

Are you going to start drinking more coffee now? And will it be right after you pose for Playboy?

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer: Idawalley Zorada Lewis

I was the illegitimate daughter of a schoolteacher who married my father. I was born in 1820 and died in 1887 I was a Swede whose voice brought me fame. My nickname incorporated my Country and the last name of a nurse. I sang soprano across Europe. I was invited to America by a circus man where I gave ninety-three large-scale concerts. I earned $250,000 from these concerts. When I returned to Europe I became a philanthropist, and professor of singing. I sang from a very early age. My Mom ran a day school for girls out of her home. When I was nine I was overheard singing by the maid of the main dancer of the local Opera. The maid was astounded by my extraordinary voice and returned the next day with the ballet dancer, who arranged an audition and who helped me get accepted at the Royal Theater School. My first stage performance was at age 10. I became famous even though I fought stage fright my entire career. I had many men after me, including Hans Christian Anderson, but my only marriage was at age thirty-one. We had three children together. Most of the 1840s I spent in Germany. In 1847 we gave my first London performance in front of the Queen. Mendelssohn was pleased. His premature death that year devastated me. I once gave a free concert to raise money to open a twenty bed infirmary for sick children named after me. After visiting Paris I became the only female member of a classical Germany fraternity. When the circus man mortgaged all his property and called in all his favors to bring me to America, he said. "A visit from such a woman who regards her artistic powers as a gift from Heaven and who helps the afflicted and distressed will be a blessing to America." The circus man made a cool half of million on my concerts and I garnered a quarter million. One of my concerts helped build a church in Chicago. After my second visit to America I returned to Europe and ceased my professional singing career but continued to perform in a number of oratorios, concerts, and choruses, with a particular interest in Bach. Even though I only performed on the East Coast of America a town in California is named after me. Not to mention a Polka being named after me. Elvis, not that Elvis, wrote an opera about me. Who Am I?

Dangerous Jobs For Teens

I'm back on the home front. Sis and her husband are back from Utah so I just got back from Mom's. I really did have a nice day yesterday. Great lunch, lot of emails, lot of Facebook posts, and a lot of phone calls. We also had a nice dinner. Tonight Sis and Her husband are taking me to Rose's, tomorrow lunch with cousins. Thursday is a day of rest. I'm going to need it!

The following article kind of scared the heck out of me. There was a lot of bashing of Abby Sunderland's parents for letting her sail around the world. I almost think what the parents in the following article are letting their daughter do is worse.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/06/22/samantha-young/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fjobs.aol.com%2Farticles%2F2010%2F06%2F22%2Fsamantha-young%2F

I was stunned by this statement in the article: "More youths ages 10 to 19 die from injuries than from all other causes combined"

Now on to one of my favorite subjects, texting while driving. It is those damn teenagers right? They are the ones that are texting the most. Not according to the following article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_distracted_driving

What do you think about the above articles? What was the most dangerous job you had as a teenager? Believe it or not mine was weeding onions. I worked in the onion fields in Northern California. The working conditions were awful. The pay was a buck an hour. I had to quit when I got a third degree sunburn. Then I found a job as box boy (now called courtesy clerks) at a grocery store and what a relief that was.

WHO AM I?

Yesterday's answer: Laura Ingersoll Secord.

I am a keeper of a house and was credited with saving eighteen lives (some say twenty-five) in my time. I was once called the bravest woman in the world. I won the Gold Lifesaving Medal. I was born in Rhode Island in 1842 and died there in 1911. On the night of my death all the vessels that were anchored in my Harbor tolled their bells in my honor. My dad was the original keeper and Mom followed suit but after they both died within four months of each other I stepped up to the plate. My exploits were detailed in national newspapers such as Harper's Weekly, the New York Tribune, and Putnam's Magazine. I met President Ulysses S. Grant, Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, General William Tecumseh Sherman and Admiral George Dewey. I was married once but it was brief so I was childless. I am the only keeper to have a house named after me. I am also the subject of a folk song. Where we lived was completely surrounded by water which meant as the oldest of four children I rowed my siblings to school every day and returned with supplies that were needed. When I was officially appointed keeper of the house my salary was a light five hundred bucks a year. I was the best known keeper of my era, that was due to the rescues that I performed. One time I rescued four young men that couldn't swim after their boat capsized when one tried to rock the boat to scare his friends. I also rescued a sailor in the dead of winter. Then there was the time I saved three sheepherders and all their sheep as well. The boat turned over in storm. That rescue was the subject of a painting commissioned by the U.S. Coast guard. That rescue also lead to a parade in my honor and the gift of a Mahogany rowboat with red velvet cushions, gold braid around the gunwales, and gold plated oarlocks. The boat was named The Rescue. My reputation was such that the house was overloaded with sightseers trying to catch a glimpse of me. After the stories of my feats spread The President and The Vice President visited me. When President Grant landed he said as he steeped out of his boat "I have come to see the heroine of the house, and to see her I'd get wet up to my armpits if necessary." Who Am I?

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?