Ghostly or Ghastly?

My cousin Sharon sent me the following:

You know you are too old to Trick or Treat when:

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.

9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.



8. You ask for high fiber candy only.




7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.




6. People say: 'Great Boris Karloff Mask And you're not wearing a mask.

5. When the door opens you yell, 'Trick or...' And can't remember the rest.




4. By the end of the night you have a bag full of restraining orders.



3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.



And the number one reason that tells you that your are to old to go Trick Or Treating:


1. You keep having to go home to pee.



What is on the agenda for you tonight? Going out to a party in costume? Staying home and giving the ghosts and goblins treats? If you are dressing up in costumes, tell us what you are wearing! Pictures are welcome!

I'm staying home and not only handing out treats but also I'm going to watch the USC vs. Oregon football game. I hand out full sized candy bars. It really is cheap insurance on my house. I've never had anything happen to my house on witches night. I owe that all to Snickers, Baby Ruth and Hersheys.

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

YESTERDAY'S ANSWER: Rita Dove.

I was born in 1655 and was executed in 1692. The owner of The Dahn Report lives not far from a city in Oregon that bears the same name of the city I was tried and executed in. I was described by the people of that city as being filthy, bad-tempered, and strangely detached from the rest of the village. I was often associated with the death of residents' livestock and would wander door to door, asking for charity. If the resident refused, I would walk away muttering under my breath. I maintained during trial that I was only saying the Ten Commandments. When asked to say the Commandments at my trial, I could not recite a single one. I was accused of my crime on February 25, 1692, when Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, related to the Reverend Parris, claimed to be under my influence. The young girls appeared to have been bitten, pinched, and otherwise tormented. They would have fits in which their bodies would appear to involuntarily convulse, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads and their mouths hanging open. When Reverend Parris asked “Who torments you?” the girls shouted out the names of townspeople, Tituba, Sarah Osborne, and myself. The trial started on March 1, 1692. When I was brought into the court room my accusers immediately began to rock back and forth and moan, seemingly in response to my presence. Others who testified in my trial claimed to have seen me flying through the sky on a stick. Even my husband testified against me, stating he had seen the Devil’s mark on my body, right below my shoulder. When I was allowed the chance to defend myself in front of the 12 jurors in the Village meeting house, I argued my innocence, proclaiming Tituba and Osborne were the real guilty parties. I was convicted and sentenced to death. I was pregnant with a second child at the time of my trial. I gave birth while awaiting my execution; the infant died shortly thereafter in the jail. On July 19, 1692 I was hanged along with four other women. While the other four quietly awaited their ill-fortuned death, I firmly proclaimed my innocence. I declared to my xecutioner: “You are a liar. I am no more a guilty than you are and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink." 25 years later the executioner died from a severe brain hemorrhage, choking on his own blood. Who Am I?

A Daunting Task

Spring forward, fall back. Welcome to my semi-annual bitch session. This is the weekend that you set your clocks back one hour. Sunday November 1 at 2:00 AM in the morning those that are currently under Daylight Savings Time go back to Standard time. You get a twenty-five hour day on Sunday.

The modern version of it was first proposed in 1895 by the New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson, whose shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects, and made him aware of the value of after-hours daylight. In 1895 he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society proposing a two-hour daylight-saving shift and after considerable interest was expressed in Christchurch, New Zealand he followed up in an 1898 paper. Many publications incorrectly credit the invention of it to the prominent English builder and outdoorsman William Willett who independently conceived it in 1905 during a pre-breakfast ride, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer day. Willett lobbied unsuccessfully for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915. Germany, its World War I allies, and their occupied zones were the first European nations to use Willett's invention, starting April 30, 1916, as a way to conserve coal during wartime. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year; and the United States adopted it in 1918.

Adjusting the clock twice a year can benefit retailing, sports, and other activities. However it causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations. It can complicate timekeeping, disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, sleep patterns and medication schedules for the elderly or other people with diseases that require medication.

Changing clocks and DST rules have a direct economic cost, entailing extra work to support remote meetings, computer applications and the like. For example, a 2007 North American rule change cost an estimated $500 million to $1 billion. Although it has been argued that clock shifts correlate with decreased economic efficiency, and that in 2000 the daylight-saving effect implied an estimated one-day loss of $31 billion on U.S. stock exchanges, the estimated numbers depend on the methodology and the results have been disputed.

Just an interesting side note. Both Idaho Senators voted for the extension of DST based on the premise that during DST fast-food restaurants sell more fries made from Idaho potatoes.

I don't really know if Daylight Savings Time is beneficial or not. I do firmly believe, however, that changing the clocks back and forth is harmful to the elderly due to their medication schedules and sleep patterns. I also know that I hate it. If Daylight Savings Time is beneficial and the beginning and end all of all benefits far and wide then keep it all year long. If Daylight Savings Time is more harmful than beneficial than let's just keep Standard Time all year long. I come down on the side of leave the damn clocks alone. What side do you come down on?


TODAY'S TRIVIA

YESTERDAY'S ANSWER: Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton

I was born in 1952 so I am younger than some of the other choices for the who am I of the day. Still I was the first of my nationality to be appointed as special consultant in my genre to the The Library of Congress and the second of my nationality to receive a famous prize in that genre. I was born to the first man of my nationality to work as a chemist in the tire industry. My mom always shared her passion for reading with me. I graduated from Buchtel High School as a Presidential Scholar, making me one of the 100 top American high school graduates that year. Later, I graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Miami University in 1973 and received my MFA from the University of Iowa in 1977. In 1974 I held a Fulbright Scholarship from Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany. I taught creative writing at Arizona State from 1981-1989. I received a Pulitzer at age 34 and at age 40 was appointed to that important consulting position to the Library of Congress. As that consultant I concentrated on spreading the word about the benefits of literature. My most famous work is a collection of poems loosely based on the lives of my maternal grandparents. In 1994 I published a play which premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon in 1996. For "America's Millennium", the White House's 1999/2000 New Year's celebration, I contributed in a live reading at the Lincoln Memorial, accompanied by John Williams's music, a poem to Steven Spielberg's documentary The Unfinished Journey. My latest work was published in April of 2009. I received numerous literary and academic honors including 22 honorary doctorates, the 1996 National Humanities Medal, the 3rd Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities, and most recently, the 2006 Commonwealth Award of Distinguished Service in Literature. I currently live with my German born write husband in Charlottesville and my daughter who was born in 1983. Who Am I?

I Am Who I Am.

All your good thoughts, good vibes, and prayers worked. Yesterday's doctor appointment for Mom turned out really well. They did a small procedure on her hand that worked. I was over to Mom's first thing this morning and there was no pain in her hand. Now the orthopedic surgeon is going to call the heart doctor to see if Mom is up to a procedure that in all probability will take the pain out of her hip.

On the sister front. They found a house three doors down from where Mom lives. It was a foreclosure and the bank accepted their offer. They are moving here after Thanksgiving. God love sister for being willing to come up here and help with Mom. It will definitely benefit me as it will create opportunities for me to have a life. It will also help tremendously during tax season. Last tax season with three jobs and mom it was just a little to much. I still with have my own business and two consulting assignments this tax season but not near the responsibilities with Mom.

I know the move will help and be good for me. I'm just not sure the move will be good for either Mom or Sis. One of the reasons that I know it will help me is that I have accepted the fact that they are going to be who they are and when they are doing something that upsets me it isn't my failing it is them being them. I love Mom and Sis. I will and have done anything for them. That has never been or will ever be a question. However, take a second to imagine what it is like to be with two people that constantly interrupt, that are constantly correcting almost everything you say (when an appointment is or what word you use as examples), and despite a college education being told how to do things that you have been doing correctly for years. It can be a real blow to your confidence if you let it be. I now have accepted the fact that despite the fact that I have been getting Mom and dad in and out of cars and handling them in a wheelchair and have never once allowed either of them to fall I will be told how to do it. Now I've accepted I'm being told that not because of my failing but because they are being who they are and apparently they need that for their confidence. I have accepted the fact that when I start a sentence that most likely I will be interrupted. That isn't because they don't want to hear what I have to say, it is because they are being who they are. I'm There. So I am great with the move and know it will help me.

Now maybe I can help them. Although I do wish one of them would have taught me not to put tin foil in the microwave both Mom and Sis have always been there for me. With a hug, a loan, encouragement, with gifts, with support. I've had that from them all my life. I treasure that. I treasure them. My mission before the move is to help Mom get to the point that she realizes when sis is telling her what to do it isn't criticism and it isn't personal, it is just her being her. And maybe if I can get Mom there she will handles it with patient instead of reaction and it will help to create a peaceful atmosphere instead of a blood pressure raising environment that can't be healthy for either of them.

Your thoughts? Your Comments?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

I was born in 1835 and went on to become a writer, teacher, reformer, part of the women's suffrage movement and was a white supremacist. I also served in the senate for one day and as of 2009 was the only woman to have served as a senator from that state. I was over 87 years old when I served my one day as a senator which made me the oldest freshman senator to enter the Senate. I once claimed that the more money that my state spent on black education the more crimes they committed. While seeking suffrage for women I decried black suffrage. Despite my awful views on blacks I was a respected leader in the women's suffrage movement. My state was the first state to reject the Nineteenth Amendment when it was proposed in 1919. Unlike most states in the Union my state did not allow women to vote in the 1920 presidential election. I criticized what I saw as the hypocrisy of Southern men who boasted of superior Southern "chivalry" but opposed women's rights. I expressed my dislike of the fact that Southern states resisted women's suffrage longer than other regions of the U.S. In 1922 Senator Watson died prematurely. Seeking an appointee who would not be a competitor in the coming special election to fill the vacant seat, and a way to secure the vote of the new women voters alienated by a candidate's opposition to the 19th Amendment the candidate chose me to serve as Senator. Congress was not expected to reconvene until after the election, so the chances were slim that I would be formally sworn in as Senator. However the winner of the special election rather than take his seat immediately when the Senate reconvened on November 21, 1922, allowed me to be officially sworn in. I then became the first woman seated in the Senate, and served until the winner of the special election took office on November 22, 1922, one day later. My tenure was the shortest for any Senator in history. I was also the last former slaveowner to serve in the U.S. Senate. I died in 1930. Who is this woman that the owner of The Dahn Report in all probability wouldn't like?

Heads Up

If there is a post other than this today it won't be until later this afternoon. I'm leaving right now to take Mom to the orthopedic surgeon to explore her options. Sis and her husband are going back to Utah as soon as they sign papers for a house they made an offer on. That makes the doctor appointment today mine.

Would appreciate good thoughts, positive vibes, and prayers if that is your cup of tea that we get good news for Mom at the doctor.

Also send some of the same in DR's sister-in-law's direction. She has a cyst on her spine. She sees her doctor on November 3 to discuss surgery and other options. DR herself is having surgery that day so send everhthing her direction too.

The answers to yesterday's fact and crap:

Religions are true.

Eastenders story is crap,

Walt Disney and Roy Kroc story is true.

The Prince Andrew story is crap.

Isle of Woman is fact.

Will have a new trivia question in my next post which will be either mid to late this afternoon or first thing in the morning depending on Mom, the doctor, and how well I am dealing with the news we get at the doctor's.

Selfishness

I'm not sure these would qualified as feel good stories but the first one is certainly inspirational and the second one is a very touching memory of an amazing animal.

The first story is about a soccer league and one of its players. I think I love this woman, certainly her spirit.

http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/10/23/grandma-soccer-league-rocks-south-africa/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2009%2F10%2F23%2Fgrandma-soccer-league-rocks-south-africa%2F

The second is a video tribute to Baxter, the worlds best, most devoted, and oldest therapy dog, 19 years and 6 months, eased peacefully from his life on Friday afternoon, October 16th. He was adopted from a shelter and spent his life helping people in Hospice. He had several ailments himself, including arthritis, and even when he couldn't walk he still provided companionship to humans. Get the tissues out before viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrDbzoOxZc&feature=player_embedded

A few questions for the day. If you were put in a position of knowing if someone did something it would be great for you but terrible for them, what would you do? Keep silent and let them make their own choice? Encourage them to towards the task that would help you? Encourage them away from the task that might be harmful to them? Hope you will be proven wrong and everyone will benefit? And what do you do if you wanted to stay out of it, but were asked point blank what your opinion was? Tell the truth? Tell a half-truth? Outright lie?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Founder of Girl Scouts, Juliet Gordon Low.


TODAY'S IS FACT OR CRAP, TELL ME IF THE FOLLOWING ARE FACT OR CRAP:

There is a parody religion dedicated to the Flying Spaghetti Monstor, and another dedicated to the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

Queen Elizabeth once had a cameo role as an angry housewife on the British soap opera Eastenders.

The founder of McDonalds served in the same World War I ambulance unit as Walt Disney.

Prince Andrew is ineligible for the royal succession, because a strike prevented the publication of his birth announcement in The Times Of London.

In 2005, The Isle of Man briefly renamed itself The Isle Of Woman.

Stories

Before the stories I wanted to ask for prayers, good thoughts, good vibes, and positive thoughts for a friend of mine. I found out yesterday that the dad of Mark, one of the accountants that bought my business, has taken a turn for the worse. Please send anything you can muster Mark and his dad's direction.

The feel good story. Parents adopt several children and two families become one. Read the story here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/10/love_builds_the_thomas_family.html

The are you kidding me story. A man holds a man that owes him money hostage, kills his friend, and sued his hostage and won in arbitration. Personally, I think the should have thrown the case out of court and told the idiot that sued if her ever sued anyone again he would be castrated. You can read the story here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/crime_victim_now_being_sued_by.html

They why I hate political talk radio story. The hosts give out information like it is hard news and factual when it is just hyperbole. Their avid following believes every word they say. Then when the story is false they don't correct the information. This particular host has referred to a white senator as black when it would only have taken two seconds to go to the senate web page and look at pictures. That is about how much checking the hosts do of their facts. Two seconds. Other hosts have twice called people having affairs as being from a different political party then they actually are. We know what both sides have done with healthcare reform. Read the story that doesn't surprise me but upsets me here:

http://news.aol.com/article/limbaugh-falls-for-obama-thesis-hoax/735565?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl2|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Flimbaugh-falls-for-obama-thesis-hoax%2F735565

The heads up story. Top Chef Masters is returning to The Bravo Channel for season two. Here is the article:

http://insidetv.aol.com/2009/10/23/top-chef-masters-season-2-set-for-2010/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl2|link6|http%3A%2F%2Finsidetv.aol.com%2F2009%2F10%2F23%2Ftop-chef-masters-season-2-set-for-2010%2F#

Do you have any stories to tall or share? Do think that someone should be able to sue a person they once held hostage? Where do you stand on political talk radio shows? Should the shows be preceded by a warning, "half of what is said during this show is bad information, liste at your own risk"? Are you glad Top Chef Masters is returning?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Author of The Age of Innocence and numerous other books and articles Edith Wharton.


TODAY'S WHO AM I?

I am another woman who had a liberty ship named after me during World War II.
My father was a Confederate captain during the United States Civil War. I was known as Daisy but that had nothing to do with my birth name. I also acquired another nickname while living with my grandparents, Little Ship. Because my grandfather was Native American I often played with Native American Children. I was born in 1860 and as a child was always jumping into new games, hobbies, and ideas. I was educated in several prominent boarding schools. When I was about 25 years old I suffered an ear infection that was treated with silver nitrate. The treatment damaged my ear and I lost most of my hearing. At age 26 I married Bill on my parents' twenty-ninth wedding anniversary. At the wedding a grain of rice thrown became lodged in my good ear. When it was removed my ear drum was punctured and became infected, causing me to become completely deaf in that ear. My hearing was limited for the rest of her life. My marriage was childless. Although we moved to England, I divided my time between the British Isles and America. During the Spanish-American War I came back to America to aid in the war effort. I helped Mom organize a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers returning from Cuba. Due to my husband's drinking and philandering I intended to get a divorce. However, my husband died from a stroke before the divorce proceedings could be finalized. When I read my husband's will I discovered that my husband had left his money to his mistress. I founded a famous organization in 1912. The first meeting had eighteen young ladies in attendance. I served as president of the organization from 1915 until 1920 when I was granted the title of founder. I was known for being eccentric and charming. One story said at a board meeting of the organization I stood on my head to display the new organizational shoes that I was wearing. I wrote poems; sketched, wrote and acted in plays. I also became a skilled painter and sculptor. I developed breast cancer in 1923 but kept it secret and continued to work for the organization that I founded until I died in 1923 and was buried in the organization's uniform. I was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York in the mid 1970's. A federal building is Savannah, Georgia is named after me thanks to President Ronnie. In 2005 I was honored as part of a new national monument in Washington, D.C. named The Extra Mile Points of Light Volunteer Pathway. The monument's medallions, laid into sidewalks adjacent to the White House, form a one-mile walking path. It is OK to Scout around the Internet to find out Who I AM?

Updates

My main update was yesterday. I've spent this morning with my brother-in-law doing what DR suggested, talking over responsibilities should they move up here. We really had a very nice time. Since you got my update yesterday on to the entertainment update thing.

This week on Top Chef was the Restaurant Wars. The Quickfire Challenge was a relay where one person starts the dish, have ten minutes, then at the end of the ten minutes the next member of the team continues the dish. The trick was that the contestants were blindfolded until their turn at the dish. Team one consisted of Jennifer, Laurine, Kevin, nd Michael I. Team two consisted of everyone's last choice, Robin, The V brothers, and Eli. Team one won the relay and the choice to take ten grand total for the team or let it ride and if they won the restaurant challenge each would get ten grand. They let it ride. The Restaurant War was between Team One's Mission and Team Two's Revolt. Team one stunk it up and team two despite their lousy name for restaurant won the Restaurant War. Michael V won ten grand which he wanted to share with the team but his brother refused the money. One of the losing ream was going home. My heart skipped a beat praying that it wasn't going to be Jennifer and it wasn't, it was Laurine.

On The Amazing Race Lance and Keri got sent packing after they got lost everywhere they went. I wasn't sad to see them leave. I just hated the way he treated her, any woman in her right mind should stay at least one hundred miles away from him. Tonight I hope the poker players get sent home.

Natalie sadly got sent home on Dancing With The Stars. This week I would like to see either Aaron or Michael get the axe. I do hope the dancing this week is as much fun as it was last week.

Now it is your turn to update me. What is going on in your life? Any concerns? Any joys that you would like to share? Any movies or TV shows we all should check out? I'm all ears!

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Jeannette Ridlon Piccard

TODAY'S WHO AM I?

I was born before the age of innocence in 1862. I was one of three children. I married at age 23 to a man twelve years older than I. When he began spending money on younger women it took a toll on me and we divorced in 1913. After the divorce I suffered a nervous breakdown and was confined to a hospital. Upon my release I moved to Europe. Despite being married for twenty-eight years it was my biggest mistake. Although I was a highly regarded landscape architect, interior designer, and taste-maker of my time the pen is mightier than the sword. I built my own estate in Massachusetts which still stands as a supreme example of my design principles. I once entertained novelist Henry James there. I eventually moved to France where I was one of the few foreigners allowed to travel to the front lines. I wrote a series of articles about the French fighting from Dunkerque to Belfort. Throughout the war I worked tirelessly in charitable efforts for refugees, and, in 1916, was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in recognition of my commitment to the displaced. I returned to the U.S. only once after the war, to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Yale University in 1923. I was the first woman to win a certain prize for one of my works even though I was no longer innocent and but was of a certain age. In 1934 I took A Backward Glance in my autobiography. I continued writing until my death, lying in bed and dropping each finished page to the floor to be collected when I finished. My last work was finished by Mr. Mainwaring after my death in 1936.
Who Am I?

Karma

OK, I decided to fess up about what may or may not change my life instead of waiting until tomorrow. It could be either crap or fact depending on whether or not it comes to fruition.

Today's question. Do you believe in Karma? According to my Mom and my sister I have amazing parking karma. I seldom have trouble finding parking spots. It has become so noticeable that both Mom and sister frequently comment on it. I've been to venues where there are thousands in attendance and found a parking spot right by the stadium. I've been to malls on their busiest days and found parking right by the store we were visiting. It just happens. Parking karma.

My sister believes in Karma. One of the reasons I am late posting today is that I was at Mom's giving her house a thorough cleaning. Nobody cleans like I do. I clean everything. I wanted Mom's house to shine when sister walks through the door tonight. Karama. Yes, sister and her husband are visiting from Utah tonight. They will be here until next Wednesday.

What led to their unexpected visit? According to my sister Karma. They sold their house in Utah a couple of months ago. They needed a little cash and that was the best way for them to get money. Her and her husband are marvelous at buying run down houses, fixing them up, and then selling them. There put an offer on a house in Utah that they were going to live in for a year or so, fix it up, and then sell it. The deal fell through. Sister decided that was a sign that they needed to move here. Therefore, the unexpected trip. They are coming up here to look at houses. They have decided if everything comes together they will move here.

Sure there are some drawbacks that I see to them moving here but the good things that I see are:

One. One of the things that has been bothering me a lot is what would happen with Mom if something happened that I landed in the hospital for a few days. If they move here that worry is subsided. We can be each other's support system.

Two. I can now have a life. If they move here I will no longer have an excuse not to travel once in a while or go to different classes.

Three: Shared duties with Mom. I will make sure sister and her husband get weekends off. The duty no longer falls mainly on me.

I'm an excited about the possibilities but I am not getting to up because if they change their minds or if something better comes along in Utah it will be a disappointment.

The questions for the day. Do you believe in Karma? Do you believe in what goes around comes around? Do you have any advise for me should sister and her husband move here?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Julia Ward Howe

TODAY'S WHO AM?

I was born in 1895 and although I was a teacher, a scientist, and a priest I am most noted for being higher than a kite and I would have popped a balloon at a recent news story. My dad was a noted surgeon and he and mom had nine of us including my twin, who died at age three. I received a masters degree in 1919 and my doctorate in 1942. I was elated to be part of the 1933 World's Fair during which I was hoping to be elevated to new heights thanks to Dow Chemical, Goodyear, Union Carbide and sponsors NBC and Chicago Daily News. The exhibition never happened. I took an undertaking that could lead to where human lungs have a hard time functioning and my vehicle was guided by a flammable gas. Forty-five thousand spectators came to see my efforts. I became famous as the first woman to reach stratosphere. Because of my experience I developed a frost free window. I later designed a vehicle made of cellophane. In 1943 I was briefly secretary at the housing section of the Minnesota Office of Civil Defense. In 1971, one year after the Episcopal Church admitted female deacons, I was ordained a deacon, and in 1974, under remarkable circumstances, I was ordained a priest when three retired priests ordained eleven of us women. I died of cancer at age 86. Among my many awards are being in the International Space Hall of Fame. Who Am I?

Thank You & Loaded Questions.

I wanted to thank the posters and readers here because you make me a more informed and better man. I do many things now that I never used to do to bring stories to the blog. While I've always read at least two newspapers a day, I now read them with more vigor as I try to find interesting tidbits for the blog. The Daily trivia that you suggested has turned into a tremendous learning too for me. I now know more about women in history than most men. The good news stories that DR suggested that I continue to do has helped me to keep a positive outlook in a negative world. When I've sought out your help with my mom, you have been there with advise. Today I thank you for making me better.

We are playing a new game today. Because the game doesn't have correct answers there is a Who Am I at the end of the blog. The game today is called Loaded Questions. It is designed to help people get to know each other a little better. Today I would like you to answer the following loaded questions:

What would you like to keep the rest of your life? (My eyesight and what little sanity I have left)

If you were the host of a news show, what would you call it? (The Good News Report)

What is something you only need one of? (A car)

What is something your mother said that you will never forget? (You are a good man)

What would have been a more productive way to spend your time yesterday? (Cleaning house or writing)

How would someone describe the experience of meeting you for the first time? (Shy, Nice)

If your house was on fire what would you save first? (My laptop)

Your turn. Answer one, any, or all. Your choice. Then may you go through the rest of the day without anyone asking you a loaded question:

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answers:

McDonald's lawyers fought with McDavid's, a burger chain in Israel, over the trademark to the name. FACT

A drug created from Gila monster salva is helping diabetics control glucose. FACT

Saddam Hussein once used Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You: as campaign theme song. FACT

The world's most dangerous snake, the black mambo-like, named for the mambo-like dance moves it makes. CRAP

During World War II, copies of the board game Monopoly were adapted to help POWS escape Nazi camps. FACT

Lemmings commit mass suicide. CRAP

The US Military studied the Frisbee to see if the same idea could be used in warfare. FACT

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Was originally a very adult Japanese comic book before it was a kid's cartoon. CRAP

Julia Roberts once thanked 112 people in a 12 minute Oscar acceptance speech. CRAP

President Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the White House but President Ronald Reagan took them down. FACT

WHO AM I?

Born in 1819. Although I was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet I am more known as the woman who wrote a song during the Civil War. I was the fourth of seven children. My father was a well to do banker but mother died when I was five. When I was young I learned many languages: Italian, French, German, and Greek. I married a hero of the Greek revolution, a physician, in 1843. We had six children but only five lived until adulthood. The war song that I wrote was set to already existing music. The song was published in a magazine in 1862 and quickly became one of the most popular songs of the Union. In 1870 I was the first to proclaim a certain holiday to honor some women. We still celebrate that holiday every May. From 1872 to 1879, I assisted Lucy Stone and Henry Brown Blackwell in editing a Woman's magazine. I died in 1910 at the age of 91. Among my honors are being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. I was inducted posthumously into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. It may be a battle to figure out who I am unless you sing a hymn to honor a republic. Who Am I?

Fact Or Crap?

Although I don't really have a lot to write about today I do have big news for my Sunday update. It is news that possibly could change my life. You will just have to wait until Sunday to find out what it is. I also couldn't find a feel good story but am looking for one from the past for the blog for next week. I did, however, find a very inspirational story. Fair warning, it is a tearjerker:

http://www.gnn.com/article/killian-mansfield-cuts-album-while-dying/729636?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnn.com%2Farticle%2Fkillian-mansfield-cuts-album-while-dying%2F729636

I couldn't find a cut from the charity album but you can hear this young teen play here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngcgq8mO7kU

Yesterday's trivia answer was Belva Ann Lockwood, the first woman to be allowed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Today I an introducing a new trivia game to the blog. The game is called fact or crap. I make a statement and you tell me whether the statement is fact or crap. To introduce the game there are ten statements. Which are the following statements are fact? Which are crap?

McDonald's lawyers fought with McDavid's, a burger chain in Israel, over the trademark to the name.

A drug created from Gila monster salva is helping diabetics control glucose.

Saddam Hussein once used Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" as campaign theme song.

The world's most dangerous snake, the black mambo-like, is named for the mambo-like dance moves it makes.

During World War II copies of the board game Monopoly were adapted to help POWS escape Nazi camps.

Lemmings commit mass suicide.

The US Military studied the Frisbee to see if the same idea could be used in warfare.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles was originally a very adult Japanese comic book before it was a kid's cartoon.

Julia Roberts once thanked 112 people in a 12 minute Oscar acceptance speech.

President Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the White House but President Ronald Reagan took them down.

Questions for the day. Do you think it is fact or crap that I have news that could possibly change my life? What do you think it is? And what is more prominent in your life fact or crap?

Hooters & Dancing Till Dahn.

First the feel good story of the week a week early. One man's journey to find the person that saved his life:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/10/more_than_60_years_after_the_r.html

Now on to a somewhat controversial subject. A man that writes a parenting blog took his wife and eleven year-old son to Hooters after the son's football game. He then wrote about the experience on his blog. He was hammered by posters. He also received support. At first I was in the "it is the wrong thing to do to take a boy that young to Hooters" camp but after reading his defense in a column in today's USA Today I am not so sure. Read the column here:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/10/column-sex-ed-and-a-trip-to-hooters-.html

Now on to Dancing With The Stars. This was without a doubt the best performance week this season. The dancing was just top notch. The judges, even Len the Grouch, were really nice. If memory serves me correctly the lowest score was twenty-one. Three stars tied for the high score. If the performance shows continue like this the audience will come back! Now on to the results show. Highlight was the tribute to Michael Jackson with the professionals dancing to Thriller using all the famous Jackson moves. Top notch entertainment. The lowlight was the elimination of Natalie. It should have been either Louie, Aaron, or Michael. I hope one of them goes next week.

I am looking forward to Top Chef tonight and maybe this is the week Robin goes. Or maybe the guy whose goat she gets the most, Michael I will go. Remember tonight it is restaurant wars.

Questions for the day. Is Hooters an appropriate place to take an eleven year-old boy? After reading the dad's reasoning, does that change your mind? And would you search for over sixty years for the person that saved you life?

TODAY'S TRIIVIA:

Yesterday's answers:

Mr. Mom, Tootsie, and Young Frankenstein. Besides all had Teri Garr in them.

General Electric Theater, Death Valley Days, and The First Patsy Awards were all hosted by Ronald Reagan.

A balloon, a cork, and a question can all be popped.

Angel, Ribbon, and Glass are all waterfalls.

Monkey wrench, mason jar, & Morse Code were all named after their inventor.

Today's Who Am I?

Born in New York in 1830 I was an attorney, politician, educator and author. I worked for for women's rights before the term feminist was not in use. I overcame many social and personal obstacles related to gender restrictions. After college, I became a teacher and principal, working to equalize pay for women in education. In 1879 I became the first woman to be allowed to perform before a legal body. I also ran for president of the United States. I started teaching by age 14 and married my first husband at age 18. My first husband died five years into our marriage, three years after our daughter was born. I was left with no money and quickly realized that I needed a better education to support my daughter and I. I graduated with with honors in 1857 and soon became the headmistress of a school. I found that whether I was teaching or working as an administrator I was paid half of what my male counterparts were. In 1866 we moved to Washington D.C., as I believed it was the center of power in the United States and would provide good opportunities to advance in the legal profession. I remarried to an older man in 1868. We had a daughter together but she died before she was two. I was refused admittance to one law school as the staff believed I would be adistraction to male students. I later was admitted to what is now e George Washington University Law School) along with several other women. I completed my studies in 1873 though the law school was unwilling to grant a diploma to a woman. Thanks to President Grant's interference I received my diploma later that year. I an anti-discrimination bill to have the same access to the bar as male colleagues. From 1874 to 1879 I lobbied Congress to pass it. It was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes. It allowed all qualified women attorneys to practice in any federal court. In my later life I was a well-respected writer. I strongly believed in working for world peace co-editing a journal called The Peacemaker. I in 1917 and was buried in Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Among by awards is several communities were named after me, a merchant marine ship was named after me and in in the nineteen eighties I was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. My inscription reads: "Using her knowledge of the law, she worked to secure woman suffrage, property law reforms, equal pay for equal work, and world peace. Thriving on publicity and partisanship, and encouraging other women to pursue legal careers, She helped to open the legal profession to women." Who Am I?

Help & Royalty

Sorry for being late today. I was at Mom's last night and this morning kind of got away from me helping Mom get ready for her bridge club.

OK, posters and readers. Pat needs our help. Yesterday she wrote the following comment:

"A woman at my mother's facility occasionally goes inward and mutters to herself, "Hody, hody, hody" over and over. I have no idea where this comes from and can't ask the lady herself, as she's quite deaf and probably not even aware she's saying it when she does. Googling only produced a Czech song with a video of decorating eggs, but DR thought it might be a midwestern thing. Only other thing I can think of is "hodie" in Latin, which I think means "today". Anybody got any ideas?"

I know from the Who Am I's of the day that you out there are marvelous researchers. Can you use your research skills to help Pat out? Post your answers here.

On to another subject. You can read an interesting article here:

http://news.aol.com/article/us-nurses-aide-charles-wesley-mumbere/721004?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl2|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fus-nurses-aide-charles-wesley-mumbere%2F721004

The article brings up the questions for the day. First, if you were working a normal job would you hide the fact that you were really a King or Queen? And what would you do if you woke up one morning and discovered that you were royalty?

My answers. I might or might not hide the fact that I was a King. I can see reasons for hiding it. People would treat you differently if they knew you were royalty. I can also see reasons for coming clean about being was royalty, it might help me get dates. If I woke up one day and found out I was royalty? I would immediately try to think of ways to use my new found title to help people and I would make every effort to keep my life as normal as possible.

Looking forward to your answers. My you be treated like royalty today!


TODAY'S TRIVIA

Yesterday's Answer: Letitia "Lettie" Pate Whitehead Evans

I didn't really have time to do a Who Am I, so for today were are back to what do these three things have in common.

What do these three things have in common:

Mr. Mom, Tootsie, and Young Frankenstein. Besides being movies.

General Electric Theater, Death Valley Days, and The First Patsy Awards. Besides being television shows.

A ballon, a cork, a question.

Angel, Ribbon, Glass.

Monkey wrench, mason jar, & Morse Code.

What Makes A Hero?

I am going to try to find one feel good story each week to post on the blog. There was one in this morning's Oregonian, you can read the story here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/a_purple_heart_comes_home_to_v.html

The two guys that worked so hard to find the owner of the medal are in my mind heroes.

I watched the Amazing Race last night and my new favorites are the interracial married couple. He is just so nice and she shows her love of him in many ways. I am now officially rooting for them. The couple I liked the least were eliminated last night. I just couldn't stand him and didn't like her enough to overcome my dislike of Lance.

In honor of the two guys in the above story today we are going to discuss what makes a hero.

I am using he and and himself in this paragraph as inclusive of all sexes. My definition is someone that is always true to himself and his beliefs. They do things not for fame or fortunate but because what they are doing is the right thing to do. They are good people. He helps people when others turn a blind eye. He is kind. He is humble. They often put others before themselves.

Some of my heroes. Mother Theresa. My Dad. Our Soldiers. The Kennedy family (they were wealthy and could have stayed in the background enjoying their wealth, instead they gave their lives to our country.) Rosa Parks. My Mom as she ages. A lot of the answers to my Who am I of the day. And the list goes on.

What is your definition of a hero? Who are some of your heroes?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

1953

Yesterday's answer: Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards

Born in 1872 I was known as an American businesswoman and philanthropist. Born to one of Virginia's most established families I enjoyed private education and other luxuries. I married an attorney in 1895. We had two sons. My husband and an associate came up with the idea of bottling Coca Cola beverages and was granted an exclusive contract. When my husband died I took over the family's business affairs and real estate assets. I remarried in 1913. In 1934 I was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of a major American corporation. During my lifetime I donated millions of dollars to more than 130 different organizations. In 1945 I formed a foundation in my name that was dedicated to charity, education and religion. I survived both my husbands and my two sons. Upon my death the corporation that I served on the Board of Directors for noted of me "Endowed with material things, she had a conviction that she held them as trustee for the poor, the meek and the unfortunate." A special collection in the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University holds many of my papers and writings. Several academic buildings are named in my honor including an administration building at Georgia Tech and a new freshman residence hall on Emory University's main Atlanta campus that opened in 2008. I died in 1953. Who Am 1?

Updates

Not much to update you on this week that we haven't already discussed. I am anxious to hear how things are with all of you and how things are going in your lives. Now some entertainment updates.

On Dancing With The Stars Chuck was eliminated. He and Aaron were in the bottom two. The drama right now on Dancing With The Stars is just how long is Michael Irvin going to last. Some news about old Dancing With The Stars contestants. Mellissa Rycoff has the swine flu, we wish her well in her recovery. Gilles the hunk from last season is joining the cast of Brothers and Sisters.

On Top Chef Ash was eliminated. He was in the bottom with Robin and a couple of the other contestants. The drama now on Top Chef is just how long is Robin going to last. All the contestants have wanted her to go for weeks now. She just keeps hanging in there. It is driving Michael I nuts, which in my mind isn't a bad thing. I am rooting for Jennifer to win, I've kind of developed a crush on her.

On the Amazing Race Zev and Justin were eliminated despite finishing first. When they finished first they discovered one of their passports was missing and since they couldn't find the passport before the last team arrived they got the boot. I was kind of sad because I really liked the respect they had for each other and how they treated each other. Anyone else wonder how long the poker players are going to last?

I don't know how I can do an entertainment update without mentioning the Balloon Boy. I am in the hoax camp. Even if it isn't a hoax I wonder about the father's parenting skills. What kind of father would parade a son out there minutes after a traumatic experience?

Do you think Balloon Boy is hoax? Who do you want to win Top Chef? Amazing Race? Dancing With The Stars? The blog is now yours. Post anything you damn well please!

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Marek Edelman

I was born in 1842 and died in 1911. I was an environmental chemist in the United States in the 1800s, pioneering the field of home economics. I attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later taught there. I was a "pragmatic" feminist, as well as a founding "ecofeminist" who believed that women's work within the home was a vital aspect of the economy. I would have been awarded the first doctoral degree but MIT balked at granting this distinction to a woman, and did not award its first doctorate until 1886. I married in 1875 the chairman of the Mine Engineering Department at MIT. I paved the way for women to be admitted to MIT in 1883. I was a consulting chemist for the Massachusetts State Board of Health from 1872 to 1875 and the official water analyst from 1887 until 1897. My interest in the environment led in 1892 to introduce into English the word ecology which had been coined in German to describe the "household of nature" My' interests also included applying scientific principles to domestic situations, such as nutrition, clothing, physical fitness, sanitation, and efficient home management, creating the field of home economics. In 1908, I was chosen to be the first president of the American Home Economics Association. I was a founding member of the AAUW which today has more than 100,000 members, 1,300 branches, and 500 college and university partners nationwide. In my honor, MIT designated a room in the main buildings for the use of women students, and in 1973, on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of my graduation, established a Professorship for distinguished female faculty members that was named after me. Who Am I?

Ethical Dilemmas

Today let's discuss ethical dilemmas. A Louisiana justice refused an interracial couple a marriage license. You can read the article here:

http://news.aol.com/article/interracial-couple-denied-marriage/719806?icid=main|htmlws-sb|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Finterracial-couple-denied-
marriage%2F719806

Personally I think the justice is a racist pig but he was being true to himself and his beliefs. I just think this is a case where you suppress your beliefs and do what the law allows. What do you think?

Just for fun what would you do in the following situations: (My answers follow each question)

You are on a country road and see two neighboring farm houses on fire. One is yours and the other belongs to a new couple who just moved in. Your wife and child are at home as are your neighbors. You can only save one house. Which one do you save? (Of course I save my house and call 911 for the other house)

You run an orphanage and have had a hard time making ends meet. A car dealership offers you a new van worth $15,000 for free if you will falsely report to the government that the dealership donated a van worth $30,000. You really need the van and it will give you an opportunity to make the children happy. Do you agree to take the van? (Nope)

You are shopping and notice a woman stuffing a pair of stockings into her purse. Do you report her? (I should report her but in all reality I wouldn't because I wouldn't want to get involved.)

You discover a wallet lying on the street. It contains $1000.00 and has his id in it. Do you send it back to him? (Yes. I've actually done this before.)

It is 3 a.m. and you are late getting home. As you approach the intersection you notice that no one is around. Do you drive through the red light? (I know the correct answer but I'm going through the damn light)

You can only rescue one of each of the following, which do you save?

a) A child or an adult (I'd cheat and rescue them both)

b) A stranger or your dog (the stranger unless it was Limbaugh or O'Reily)

c) Hitler or lassie. (Lassie)

d) Your spouse or a Nobel Laureate (Spouse. No hesitation.)

It is going to be interesting to see if your ethics are as flexible as mine! May your day be filled more with joy then ethical dilemmas!

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's answer: Amelia Jenks Bloomer

Today's is from Connie. If any of you have a hero or someone that you think would make a good Who Am I please go ahead and send them to me.

I was born in either 1919 or 1922. After my mother died when I was 14 I was looked after by other staff members at the hospital where she had worked. I went on to become a cardiologist. After World War II I authored books documenting the history of wartime resistance against the Nazi German occupation. In 1939, after the German invasion of Poland I was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto. In 1942 I founded an underground group. With the help of my comrades we began obtaining weapons and organizing into units that would make up for lack of training and munitions with an intimate knowledge of the Ghetto. In 1943 we started an uprising. On the second day of the Uprising a prominent insurgent was killed. Over the next three week the fighting was intense. We killed dozens of Nazi soldiers. On May 8 my commander was surrounded by Nazi soldiers and killed himself leaving me in charge. The Germans proceeded to flush out the remaining fighters by burning down the Ghetto. We escaped through the sewers and made our way to the non-Ghetto part of Warsaw. After World War II the Uprising was sometimes given as an unusual instance of active Jewish resistance in the face of the horror perpetrated by the Germans. We knew perfectly well that we had no chance of winning. We fought simply not to allow the Germans alone to pick the time and place of our deaths. When asked of my heroics I was quoted as saying: "We knew we were going to die. Just like all the others who were sent to Treblinka.... Their death was far more heroic. We didn't know when we would take a bullet. They had to deal with certain death, stripped naked in a gas chamber or standing at the edge of a mass grave waiting for a bullet in the back of the head.... It was easier to die fighting than in a gas chamber." In mid-1944 I participated in another Uprising when Polish forces rose up against the Germans before being forced to surrender after 63 days of fighting. In 1981 despite it being dangerous to speak out in the country that I lived in I denounced racism and promoted human rights and later was interned by the government. In 1983 I refused to take part in the official celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the aforementioned Uprising sponsored by the Communist government. I believed that this would be an act of cynicism and contempt in a country where social life was dominated throughout by humiliation and coercion. Instead I walked with friends to the street where a comrade's bunker had been located. In my old age I spoke up for the Palestinians as I felt that the Jewish self-defense for which he had fought was in danger of crossing the line into oppression. In August 2002 I wrote an open letter to the Palestinian resistance leaders. Though the letter criticized the suicide bombers, its tone infuriated the Israeli government and press. I wrote in a spirit of solidarity from a fellow resistance fighter, as a former leader of a Jewish uprising not dissimilar in desperation to the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories. There was a howl of rage in the Israeli press, especially since I had consciously used the terms that described the structures of the resistance movement in WWII. I was awarded the Order of the White Eagle and the French Legion of Honour. I was married and had two children. When my wife and children emigrated from the communist country we lived in to France I stayed behind and each April I laid flowers in my country for those who had served with me in the uprising. I died October 2, 2009. Who Am I?

Let's Play Favorites.

Today I want to know some of your favorites. Some of mine are:

Favorite Movie: To Kill A Mockingbird.

Favorite Book: A Civil Action.

Favorite Male Author: William Bernhardt, Richard North Patterson, David Baldacci.

Favorite Female Author: Janet Evonovich, J.A. Jance, & Margaret Atwood.

Favorite Current TV Show: Tied. Top Chef, Dancing With The Stars, Flash Forward.

All-Time Favorite TV Shows: Barney Miller, The Fugitive, Murder She Wrote, The Rockford Files, Matlock, Perry Mason.

Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving. Christmas without the shopping.

Favorite Actor: George Clooney, Tom Hanks.

Favorite Actress: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams. Sandra Bullock.

Favorite Childhood Memory: Riding my Shetland Pony to school for show and tell.

Favorite Get Away: Ashland, Oregon.

Favorite Day of The Week. May through December, Sunday. January through April Saturday.

Favorite Meal: Turkey with the trimmings. Ham and scalloped potatoes.

Favorite Male Comedian: Currently Jeff Foxworthy, all time Bob Newhart.

Favorite Female Comedian: Currently S.D., All time Lucille Ball.

Your turn. Answer any or all of the above. Or create you own list and answer them. If there is a favorite of mine not listed that you would like to know fire away. May you be everyone's favorite today!!

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's answer: Lydia Marie Child

There is an article of clothing that is associated with my name even though I didn't invent it. Born in 1818 I was an American women's rights and temperance advocate. I came from a family of modest means and received only a few years of formal schooling. I married an attorney at the age of 22. My husband encouraged me to write for his New York newspaper. I spent my early years in New York. We moved to Iowa in 1852. I am commemorated with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman in the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church. In 1849 I began publishing my views on temperance and social issues in my own bi-weekly publication. While my newspaper initially focused on temperance I allowed Elizabeth to contribute articles on the broader issues of women's rights. My newspaper contained a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, including topics such as marriage law reform and higher education for women. My paper circulation was over 4,000. When asked what it was like to be the first woman to own, operate and edit a news vehicle for women, I said. "It was a needed instrument to spread abroad the truth of a new gospel to woman, and I could not withhold my hand to stay the work I had begun. I saw not the end from the beginning and dreamed where to my propositions to society would lead me." In my publication I promoted a change in dress standards for women that would be less restrictive in regular activities. I felt the costume of women should be suited to her wants and needs. Their dress should conduce at once her health, comfort, and usefulness, and while it should not fail to also conduce her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance. I remained a suffrage pioneer and writer throughout my life, writing for a wide array of periodicals. I led suffrage campaigns in Nebraska and Iowa, and served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association from 1871 until 1873. Susan B. Anthony used my publication as voice for many women reformers. I died in 1894. Who Am I?

Mom In Limbo, Women In Space.

I took Mom to her neurologist last Monday. Her hands have gotten a lot worse since we were last their two years ago. Surgery on her right hand was recommended by Dr. Zorba (our nickname for him because he looks like the doctor from the old Ben Casey series on TV). Mom really doesn't want to have the surgery because she is worried about the rehab and whether or not she will be able to grab her walker and walk. I think if it improves her lifestyle she should have it and between sister, myself, the caregiver, and if necessary additional health we all can survive the rehab period. The next step is to meet with the surgeon on the 28th of October. The deal is that the same neurologist suggested that mom have the surgery two years ago, the surgery was scheduled, and then Mom canceled it. I can't help but wonder if Mom had went through the surgery then if her hands wouldn't be better now. I would lover your input in how to handle Mom. Should I encourage her to have the surgery? Should I back off and let her make her own decision? I would also appreciate your prayers, good thoughts, good vibes, and anything you can muster up to send my direction!

On to an interesting news article. Had a secret program not been canceled women might have been the first Americans to be in Space. Maybe that would have led to a woman being the first American to take a step on the moon. Here is a link to an article about the subject.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-10-14-astronauts-women_N.htm

A more in depth article written by Brandon Keim can be found here:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/mercury-13/

The question for the day. How do you think history would have changed had the secret program not been canceled and instead of Neil Armstrong being the first person to walk on the moon it had been a woman? Would that have led to more equality for women not only in aeronautics but in other industries and occupations?

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's answer: Margaret Brent

Born in 1802 I was an abolitionist, women's rights activist, opponent of American expansionism, Indian rights activist, novelist, and journalist. My writings in journals and about anti-slavery fiction reached wide audiences from the 1830s through the 1850s. I shocked my audiences by taking on issues of male dominance and white supremacy. Despite my efforts I am most remembered for a Thanksgiving poem. I was born in Medford. I received my education at a local dame school and later at a women’s seminary. When Mom died I went to live with my older sister where I studied to be a teacher. I married a lawyer whose political activism and involvement in reform introduced me to the social reforms of Indian rights and Garrisonian Abolitionism. I was a women's rights activist that did not believe significant progress for women could be made until after the abolition of slavery. I believed that white women and slaves were similar in that white men held both groups in subjugation and treated them as property instead of human beings. However, I did not care for all-female societies. I believed that women would be able to achieve more by working alongside men. I am sometimes said to have been the first white person to have written a book in support the freeing of slaves. I was elected to the executive committee of the American Anti-Slavery Society, and became editor of the society's National Anti-Slavery Standard. I left the paper I because I refused to promote violence as an acceptable weapon for battling slavery. Later after the beating of a good friend I changed my mind about the use of violence to protect the antislavery emigrants in Kansas. I sympathized with the radical abolitionist John Brown but did not condone his zealous violence, I deeply admired his courage and conviction. My first novel was about an interracial relationship between a white woman and a Native American man, who was the father of her son. They divorced and the heroine remarried, reintegrating her and her child into Puritan society. This issue of miscegenation, or mixed relationships, was a theme I used in later anti-slavery fiction. During the 1860s I wrote pamphlets on Indian rights. I died at age 78. Who Am I?

Stories From The Internet

Just news items today.

First up we bring to your attention a hospital error. Officials oof Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California issued a statement fessing up that a computer error caused radiation overdoses in over two hundred patients who underwent CT Scans there. In a written statement Monday, hospital officials said "a misunderstanding about an embedded default setting applied by the machine" resulted in a higher than expected amount of radiation." The patients received eight times the normal dose of radiation and the error went undetected for 18 months. According to the statement several patients lost patches of hair as a result of the error. The scanner's manufacturer, General Electric, says the machine was not defective. The FDA issued an alert urging hospitals nationwide to review their safety protocols for CT scans.

Next up is misguided ads. Some Louisville, Kentucky officials don't find ads for their city all that funny. One ad mentions Louisville as a "Possibility City" that understands why a man wants a better life with a girlfriend that has a tatoo on her butt. The erectile-dysfunction ad promotes their city as one where happiness lasts more than four hours.

Those that own Fords should be aware that Ford has recalled 4.5 million cars due to a faulty part that could cause fire. Among the cars recalled are Ford Windstar Mini-vans, and Lincoln and Mercury autos. If you own a Ford, call your local Ford Dealer to see if your car is on the recall list.

That is all for the day. Looking forward to Top Chef tonight. Questions of the day. Do hospital errors worry you? We have been pretty happy with the hospital we go to here so I don't worry much about errors there. What about the ads for Louisville, over the top or acceptable? I am in the over the top camp. Hope this is a great day for you without any recalls!

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's answer: Frida Kahlo

I had a Liberty Ship of World War II named after me in 1943 over two hundred and fifty years after my death. I was born in 1601 and was the first woman in the English North American colonies to go before a body. I was also a significant founder of two of the original thirteen colonies. I was said to rank with Anne as being among the most confrontational and controversial women figures to rise to prominence in early Colonial American history. The period of emigration of myself and my siblings occurred during a period of agitation against those suspected of a recusancy preceding the English Civil War. I was one of six daughters of and thirteen children of a Lord. I was a direct ancestor to relative knighted in 1066. Due to by our lineage account we were said to be descendants of William the Conqueror. We arrived in the colonies in 1638. A Proprietary Governor appointed me his executrix while on his death bed entitling my sisters and I to land grants of equal size to those that arrived in the colonies in 1634. On October 4, 1639 I became the first female land owner in the colony I lived in. I assembled armed volunteers to assist the Governor's forces in suppressing a rebellion. In 1648 the Provincial Court appointed me attorney-in-fact to a Lord. On January 21, 1648 I entered the Provincial Court's assembly and entered a plea for voice in the assembly's council and a second plea for two votes in its proceedings (one as landowner and one as the Lord's attorney in fact), Governor Greene flatly refused me as they considered by the assembly at the time to be privileges reserved only for queens. I left but not before I protested against all proceedings unless I wase present and had my votes. I appeared a final time as the Lord's attorney on February 9, 1648 in a case against Mr. Cornwallis and was replaced by a man. Though I was more of a businesswoman than a lawyer I entered more lawsuits than anyone in the colony. I founded a community across the bay called "Peace. I was one of very few English women of my time never to marry. Who Am I?

If Only

Thanks to a column by Margie Boule in today's Oregonian I came across an interesting blog. The owner of the blog is writing a book that is a collection of letters sent to her by people writing the things they would have said to someone. So many letters, some funny, some revengeful, some amazingly touching. If only you had the chance to go back in time and say something you should have said would you? This blog gives you a chance to do just that.

http://www.thethingsyouwouldhavesaid.blogspot.com/

It has been a fun but busy day. That is why I am a late posting today's entry, to mcuh work, to little time. The day started out with me getting Mom's breakfast together. Then I went home and did a few some things. Next on the agenda was Mom's grocery shopping. Then it was checking out hotels with Mom, Bev, and Belva. The later two are cousins from Albany. We are planning a cousin reunion in July of next year and I have been designated the point person. Of course we stopped and had lunch. The hotels we visted were the Northwind Best Western, The Century Hotel, and The Courtyard by Marriot in Tigard. I think we are all leaning towards the Best Western. While we were out and about we chose July 29-30-21 of 2010 as the date for the reunion. I have great cousins. They were willing to make a two hundred mile round trip just to help me choose a hotel! They also offered to help. I'm really very thankful for and to them.

Only a couple of questions for the day. Is there anyone that you would like to write to, to say the things you should have said at some point in the past? And what would you look for in a hotel, if you were the point person on a reunion that might have forty people in attendance and you needed fifteen rooms?

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Antoinette Brown Blackwell, first woman to be ordained as a minister in the U.S.

I was born in 1907 and died much to young in 1954. My works have been said to articulate my own pain and sexuality. I was born in a different country than my father and mother. My mother and father married shortly after the death of my father's first wife. Although my parents were in a unhappy marriage they had four daughters, I was the third. I also had two half sisters. I often lied about the year of my birth so that people would associate my birth with the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. I contact polio at age six, which let my right leg smaller than my right. Despite my handicap I participated in boxing and other sports, In 1922 I enrolled on of Mexico's premier schools were I was on of thirty-five girls. During school I witnessed armed struggles in the street as the Mexican Revolution continued. In 1925 I was riding a bus that was in an accident. I suffered a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in my right leg, a dislocated shoulder and other injuries. After the accident I turned away from the study of medicine and began a career as a painter. The accident left me in a full body cast and I painted to occupy my time. I painted myself because I was often alone and I am the subject that I know the best. My mom had a special easel made for her so I could paint in bed and dad lent my brushes and oil paints. My miscarriages, numerous operations, and my marriage my works are characterized as stark portrayals of pain. Of my 143 paintings 55 are self-portraits incorporating symbolic images of physical and psychological wounds. I never painted dreams, I painted reality. I married my mentor in 1929 we divorced after my husband had an affair with my sister but remarried in 1940. I was a communist sympathizer and Trotsky once stayed in my home. Despite my talents my works were not widely recognized until years after my death. In became prominent in the early 1980s after the artistic movement known as Neomexicanismo began. On June 21, 2001 I became the first Hispanic woman to be honored with a stamp. Who Am 1?

"The Only Girl I Loved"

A real love story, read it, smile , then shed a tear for one of the great loves of our time:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/portland_couple_built_a_love_t.html

On to a lighter tone. According to The Edge Column in the October 9, 2009 Oregonian the average number of hours a week of housekeeping a live-in boyfriend does is 10, while the average number of hours a week of housekeeping a husband does is 9. Also in the same column, the number of pairs of underwear the average American man owns is 15. While the average number of holes he will have in his underwear before tossing them is 7. And remember if Snoop Dogg married Scooby Doo, he'd be Snoop Dogg-Doo.

There are some phrases that are often used wrong, do you know what I mean? Or couldn't you care less? In a fun article, author Jeremy Taylor gives us eight phrases that we use and then describes what we really mean. The phrase that hit number one on the list was "you could care less" when you really mean you couldn't care less. It begs the question and let's table this are other examples that he uses as phrases we frequently use wrong. You can read the entire articles here:

http://www.asylum.com/2009/10/06/phrases-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-mean/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asylum.com%2F2009%2F10%2F06%2Fphrases-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-mean%2F

This brings to mind something that I noticed the last couple of times I went to the movies. Before the previews came on there was always a warning "this preview has been approved for all audiences." That phrase as now been replaced with "this preview has been approved for appropriate audiences." What the heck is an appropriate audience? All three year-olds? All people over 100? Drives me nuts.

Questions of the day. Are you surprised that men do less housework after they get married? Does it shock you that we own fifteen pairs of underwear and won't ditch them before they have seven holes in them? What phrases on Mr. Taylor's list do you agree with? What phrases would you add to the list? I want you all to know that this blog entry has been approved for appropriate audiences. Are you appropriate?

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's answer: Herta Mueller

I was born in 1825. I was a well-versed public speaker on the paramount issues of my time, and distinguished myself from my contemporaries with her use of religious faith in my efforts to expand women's rights. After daring to inject a prayer into my family's religious observance, I was accepted into my family's branch of the Congregational Church at age nine. Shortly after becoming a member of the congregation I began to preach during Sunday meetings. At the age of sixteen I taught school. I was not content to be a schoolmarm so I wanted to receive a degree in theology and wanted to start a career in the pulpit. Despite the college administration opposed the idea of a woman engaging in any kind of formal theological learning and training the college eventually capitulated but with a specific set of pre-conditions. I could enroll in the courses, but she was not to receive formal recognition. Despite the stipulations made regarding my participation in the theology course I was a prolific writer and charismatic public speaker. I believed that the Bible and its various pronouncements about women were for a specific span of time and certainly not applicable to the 19th century. Without a preaching license following graduation I decided to pause my ministerial ambitions to write for an abolitionist paper, The North Star. I spoke in 1850 at the first National Women's Rights Convention. I eventually given a license to preach in 1851. At my ordination Pastor Lee delivered a sermon testifying to my suitability as a preacher and my calling from God. Unfortunate I failed in my first ministerial appointment. Following my separation from the ministry I focused on women's rights issues. Many women's rights activists opposed religion on the basis that it served to oppress women but I was steadfast in my belief that women's active participation in religion could serve to further their status in society. Unlike many of my peers I cared more about improving women's status in society than for suffrage. I believed that the inherent differences between men and women limited men's effectiveness in representing women in politics; thus suffrage, would have little positive impact for women, unless it was coupled with tangible leadership opportunities. Despite believing a single woman had more independence I married in 1856. We had seven children, two dying in infancy. Family obligations lead me to quit lecturing and start writing. My writing was my outlet for initiation positive change for women; I encouraged women to seek out masculine professions, and asked men to share in household duties. In 1875 I wrote The Sexes Throughout Nature. I argued that evolution resulted in two sexes that were different but equal. At the last National Woman’s Rights Convention held before the outbreak of the civil war I engaged in the heated debate about divorce with her colleagues and contemporaries, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I was a staunch abolitionist and suffragette but supported the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which did not include the right of free women to vote. In 1920, at age 95, I was the only participant of the 1850 Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, to see the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. I died the next year. Who Am I?

Sunday Update.

Happy Sunday. Looking forward to hearing about your lives today. I am not going to repeat what this day is about because you all know the drill. If you are new to the blog this is the day the blog becomes the readers' blog and you can post anything you darn well please. If you are new to the blog or have read the blog for a while and haven't posted please take an a minute or two and post an introduction.

Sis has been here since last Monday and left this morning to return to Utah. I was able to get out and about. Went to the coast one day for a nice lunch. I also went to two movies. Then I got some much needed rest. There were a couple of dinners out with Mom, Sis, and her husband. But on four days I disappeared in to the no contact zone for some pressure withdrawal and me time. Everything returns to normal this week.

The big event of the week is that I received a phone call from the CPA firm that I worked for last year. The one where on the first day of the job I fell and ended up with a concussion. The call was kind of unusual because most firms don't start getting their tax season staff together until late November. The firm offered me more money to come back to work for them. They also offered to pay for a tax seminar for me to attend. I was feeling pretty good about my abilities and the good work that I do until they said they wanted me back because without me there it was really boring. So they want me back not because I work hard and am smart but because I am not boring. Should I be flattered? I agreed to work for them three to four days a week. I go to the seminar in January and start work middle of February.

The entertainment updates: The Internet Dating couple was eliminated from The Amazing because they chose the wrong roadblock. Jennifer won a fifteen grand gift card from Macy's as the winner of this week's elimination challenge on Top Chef. She said she would use part of the prize to buy her cooking partner for this week, Kevin, a suit. Ashley got the axe from Top Chef. On Dancing With The Stars even though he got the votes to stay on the show Tom Delay gracefully dropped out of the show due to injury. There was an Internet rumor going around that ABC pushed Delay out the door because they attributed a drop in viewership to him being on it. Voted off of Dancing With The Stars this week was Debie Mazer. I was kind of hoping she would stay on a while longer and that Michael Irvin would be the one taking a hike.

The question for the day, would you rather be respected for your mind or because you aren't boring? The blog is now yours. Introduce yourself! Update me on you lives! Post anything you damn well please and have a day that isn't boring.

TODAY'S TRIVIA;

Yesterday's Answer: Jerry LeVias.

Today's Who Am I.

I am a novelist, poet, and essayist. I was born in 1953 in German speaking town in Romania. My dad served in WWII and my mother survived five years. in a Gulag slave labour camp in Ukraine in the Soviet Union after World War II. My writings have been translated into over twenty languages. In 1976 I began working as a translator for an engineering factory, but I dismissed in 1979 for my refusal to cooperate with thee Communist regime's secret police. After I dismissal she I earned a living by teaching kindergarten and giving private German lessons. My first book, published in 1982, was about a child's view of the German-cultural Banat. In 1987 I left Romania for West Berlin with my husband due to pressure of the Romanian government. I still live in Berlin. This year one of my novels was nominated for the German Book Prize and is now among the six finalists. This describes the journey of a young man to a Gulag concentration camp in the Soviet Union as an example for the fate of the German population in Transylvania after World War II. The President of The United States and I were recently in the news for the same reason. Who Am I?

The Cost Of Silence, The Benefit Of Lying.

Today I am writing about the cost of silence and the benefits of lying.

Portland, Oregon has several unsolved murders. Many remained unsolved because people don't come forward even though they have information that could solve the crime. Last week the Portland Police produced a video titled "The Cost of Silence" and sent it out to various sites, including You Tube. The video was made to encourage people to come forward and to tell the truth. I like the idea of the video but will it be helpful to crime solving? I just don't know and in spots the video was a little confusing. If the video helps to solve one crime than it is deserves to be shared. You can watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyRYN7SByuM

Following along the lines of truth telling, I recently attended the movie THE INVENTION OF LYING. The movie is a comedy film, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. It stars Gervais and Jennifer Garner. The film is set in an alternate reality in which no one has ever lied. Not only does no one tell a lie, but people often tell the entire truth, or blurt out very blunt remarks and opinions that people in normal society would normally keep to themselves. Organized religion does not exist, nor are there any forms of fiction, in both film and literature. Ads for commercial products tell the truth. I am not going to review the movie because it really wasn't that good. Really not worth the money the theaters now charge. However, the concept was interesting and it brought about several questions.

Could we live in a world where everyone told the truth about everything? Would we want to? I try really hard to be truthful in all areas of my life but I will admit to both white lies to avoid an argument or to avoid hurting someone's feelings. I will also admit to lies (not really lies, but just not volunteering information) to help my clients. Would I want to have that option taken away? I honestly don't know.

Would I want to hear for example, "I don't want to date you because you are out of my league" instead of "we just don't have chemistry?" Would you want to hear, "yes your butt looks big in that outfit because it is big in any outfit", instead of "honey, you look good in anything." What about "that is the dumbest idea I've ever heard of" rather than the idea has potential? When you turn on TV and the ad appears before you would like to hear "Go ahead and buy this soft drink even though it has more sugar than anything on earth and leads to bad health and may lead to diabetes." Would you buy the product? Remember the decline in sales of the company leads to job loss and unemployment, which in turn could lead to higher prices. And the list goes on.

I am often been described by friends and relatives as "honest to a fault." I never really thought about it until I went to THE INVENTION OF LYING. Now I am wondering if there is a room in this world for some form of untruthfulness and maybe my friends and relatives are right. It is a fault to be as honest as I try to be.

Questions for the day. Will the video THE COST OF SILENCE lead to some crimes being solved? Would you want to live in a world where all forms of lying was banned? Are you always honest? Tell me the truth.

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Amazing Grace. Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Today's Who Am 1?

This is from Connie. Today we are going to honor college football Saturday with a male barrier breaker. I was born in 1946. I was the first football player of my race to be recruited by a Texas University. I had over one hundred scholarship offers but none from traditionally all black football powers because I was considered to small by those universities to be a football player. In 1966 I made my debut as the first football player of my race in the conference of the university I attended. I lead the university to our first Cotton Bowl appearance in two decades. I was consensus all conference the times and an All American as a senior as well as an Academic All-American that year. HBO produced a documentary about the integration of college football which highlighted my struggles while I integrated my conference. I played my first season of professional football with the Houston Oilers, later in my career I played with the San Diego Chargers. After my football career ended, I became a successful businessman. I was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and to the National College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Who Am I?

Speeding To Whatever.

"How does a $200,000 speeding ticket grab you? For driving a mere 25 mph over the limit? Well, we're not talking about the U.S. -- this world-record speeding fine was levied in Finland"

That is the first paragraph of an article that you can read at the following link:

http://autos.aol.com/article/highest-speeding-fines

Other highlights of the article are that in Canada speeding tickets can cost up to twenty-five grand. In England speeding tickets can reach eight grand. In Norway ten percent of your income. In Ireland they can reach $2,700. In France, Switzerland, Italy the speeding tickets can reach $2,100.

The United States? The highest Fines are twenty-five hundred smackers. Drivers clocked at high speeds in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire all are liable to be fined up to $1000 for their actions. Drivers clocked at speeds deemed unsafe in Michigan, New Jersey and Texas all are subject to a second fine being imposed a year later that often can tally more than the original $1000 once court costs are included.

Now that we are all going to slow down in our cars once we get out of the cars we need to speak slower and reconsider some words in the English language that we use daily.

Pollsters at the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., college surveyed 938 U.S. adults by telephone Aug. 3-Aug 6. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points. The five choices included were chosen by people at the poll discussing what popular words and phrases might be considered especially annoying. As the most annoying word whatever with forty-seven percent easily beat out "you know," which especially grated a quarter of respondents. The other annoying contenders were "anyway" (at 7 percent), "it is what it is" (11 percent) and "at the end of the day" (2 percent).

I don't agree with the poll. This is how I am ranking them: You Know (not until you told me and if I do know there is no need to tell me), At the end of the day (I don't want to wait that long), anyways (plural, I am OK with it in singular form), whatever is fourth on my list, and the one that bothers me the least is "it is what it is."

The questions of the day, does the cost of speeding tickets in some countries surprise you? Would people stop speeding if we had the outrageous fines other countries do? And what phrase bothers you the most? The least? Whatever,you know I'd like to hear your opinion anyway because it is what it is.

TODAY'S TRIVIA:

Yesterday's answer: Ernest Hemmingway's third wife and journalist, Martha Gellhorn

Today's Who Am 1?

My nickname will bring to mind a famous religious song. A Navy destroyer is named after me. I was born in 1906. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics in 1928 and pursued my graduate education at Yale University, where I received a Master's degree. I taught mathematics at Vassar in 1931, and by 1941 I was an associate professor. I married my husband in 1930 and divorced him in 1945. I earned a PHD from Yale in 1934, graduating with honor. In 1938, I obtained a leave of absence from Vassar and was sworn in to the United States Navy Reserve, one of many women to volunteer to serve in the WAVES. I reported in December and trained at the Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. I graduated first in my class in 1944, and was assigned to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard University as a Lieutenant, junior grade. My request to transfer to the regular Navy at the end of the war was declined due to my age (38). I continued to serve in the United States Navy Reserve. From 1967 to 1977, I served as the director of the Navy Programming Languages Group in the Navy's Office of Information Systems Planning and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1973. I retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of Commander at the end of 1966. I was recalled to active duty in August 1967 for a six-month period that turned into an indefinite assignment. I again retired in 1971 but was asked to return to active duty again in 1972. I was promoted to Captain in 1973. In.1983 due to a joint resolution in the House of Representatives I was promoted to Commodore. In 1985, the rank of Commodore was renamed Rear Admiral, Lower Half. I retired (involuntarily) from the Navy in 1986. At a celebration held in Boston on the USS Constitution to celebrate my retirement, I was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest non-combat award possible by the Department of Defense. At the moment of my retirement, I was the oldest officer in the United States Navy, and aboard the oldest ship in the United States Navy. I was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery in 1992. Before my death I became the first person from the United States and the first woman of any nationality to be made a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. There is a building named after me at the Naval Academy. The famous quotation "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission" is often attributed to me as is the quote, "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is built for." Who Am I?