Needed a break from the political stuff, so I checked out some Discovery News stories. One in particular, an article entitled Squirrels Network Like Facebook Friends, caught my attention.
And the picture accompanying the article was just crying out for the lolcat treatment....
Gollum speaks (via an article in the New York Times)
Stunningly offensive remarks in so many ways.
The reaction of some of Mr. Clinton’s allies suggests that might have been a wise decision. “An act of betrayal,” said James Carville, an adviser to Mrs. Clinton and a friend of Mr. Clinton.
“Mr. Richardson’s endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic,” Mr. Carville said, referring to Holy Week.
Note from Renee: I happen to be home sick today, so I had time to add the Haloscan link, which I otherwise would hot have been able to add until this evening. So a quick reminder that I don't always have time to keep up with the blog, but I make a point of "growing" Haloscan links here. Those of you who know how this works, please help out those who don't.
(Detail of a wax design created by listener on a huge Paschal Candle for a church in Vermont.)
Let's hear it for new beginnings!
Well, this is as close as I can get to posting a picture of Spring flowers.
We are expecting 6" (or more) of snow!
For some reason I cannot fathom, that fact doesn't bother me at all.
So, HAPPY SPRING to all, whatever your circumstances!!
XOXOXXX
Haloscan comment thread
Would be nice if the media did a better job of dealing with "nuance". But, since they don't, I think it's important to hear what the current pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Rev. Otis Moss III, has to say in support of his church.
Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ. This does not include weekday worship services, revivals and preaching engagements across America and around the globe, to ecumenical and interfaith communities. It is an indictment on Dr. Wright’s ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite,” said the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.
During the 36-year pastorate of Dr. Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ has grown from 87 to 8,000 members. It is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ denomination.
“It saddens me to see news stories reporting such a caricature of a congregation that has been such a blessing to the UCC’s Wider Church mission,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a released statement. “ … It’s time for us to say ‘No’ to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends.”
Trinity United Church of Christ’s ministry is inclusive and global. The following ministries have been developed under Dr. Wright’s ministerial tutelage for social justice: assisted living facilities for senior citizens, day care for children, pastoral care and counseling, health care, ministries for persons living with HIV/AIDS, hospice training, prison ministry, scholarships for thousands of students to attend historically black colleges, youth ministries, tutorial and computer programs, a church library, domestic violence programs and scholarships and fellowships for women and men attending seminary.
Moss added, “The African American Church was born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery has been and continues to heal broken marginalized victims of social and economic injustices. This is an attack on the legacy of the African American Church which led and continues to lead the fight for human rights in America and around the world.”
On a related note, I highly recommend Booman's post about Rev. Wright, Barack Obama, and race in America.
Also, Barack Obama is set to give a major address on race and politics tomorrow in Philadelphia.
{listener's Granddaughter*in*NC at the St. Paddy's Day parade.}
Open Thread for all Leprechauns
and all others who need some good ol' Irish luck. ♣
Haloscan comment thread
I've already expressed my frustration with the "renouncing game" that the media likes to play, and some activists seem to support--if they think it might benefit their candidate. One of the main problems, in my mind, is the false equivalency. This business of "Has Obama done enough to distance himself..." seems like a hoop that people demand the candidate jump through. Because, well, they can, and that's how the game is played.
But some supporter statements are more relevant than others. There's a difference between "guilt by association", and people in key positions who make statements that give us a clue about how you will govern. I'm thinking of some of the more egregious remarks made by Carville, Begala, et. al.
If anyone has some of those at your fingertips, could you link them here? I'd like to start collecting those for a future post.
Haloscan comment thread
In advance of the Olympic Games in China, many in Tibet have begun
active protests calling for freedom for Tibet, hoping the world will help.
Violence has broken out, and has begun to spread to provinces outside Lhasa.
The non-violence movement itself is in peril. Please hold Tibet in the Light.
The Bush Administration has basically painted the United States into a corner, as regards China, because we now owe so much money to China at a time when we have depleted our military and our domestic resources and have outsourced many jobs.
Now Tibet is in peril and the United States is too impotent to truly help. With the Olympics taking place soon in China, it would have been good for the United States to be able to take a stand. Instead there is only weak rhetoric:
International criticism of the crackdown in Tibet so far has been mild, with no threats of an Olympic boycott or other sanctions. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Sunday on China "to exercise restraint in dealing with the protests."
Rice said she was "concerned by reports of a sharply increased police and military presence in and around Lhasa." Her statement urged China to release those jailed for protesting.
The government will construe according to its wit. I, for one, plan to boycott the Olympic Games as well as all Chinese goods.
Hubby and I watched the movie 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama this week.
We highly recommend it!
(BTW, Cafe Press has many Free Tibet designs...such as the flag and the Dalai Lama photo featured here.
If you know of more, please post the links in this thread.)
Haloscan comment thread
Of course I take this election seriously. But it's beginning to wear on me, and I'll take my chuckles where I can get them. I just found this "Hillary in da house" video via Excellent News for Hillary. I think it's funny. But it's rainy and yucky out, and I'm bored.
Basically, this is an open thread.
Haloscan comment thread
A post by Subway Serenade/Astral Technician
I've been away from the internets for a few weeks and while I was gone I had the chance to log some quality time with Gizmo. In my further experiments I discovered how to operate what is called the "Spectrum" screen. You see, the butterfly game is really meant for two people, so that they can learn to link their hearts in a phase lock, which is what I refer to as the "Full Snuggle Position." As great as this is, it isn't as exciting when played alone, even though you can learn a lot when your butterfly is flying solo.
So Dan Winter added a wonderful game of Solitaire called "Spectrum."
Whereas the Butterfly game shows the harmonic frequency and amplitude that your heart is "singing" at in real time, the Spectrum shows how that charge is distributed across the heart's harmonic range. The graph at the bottom indicates the bandwidth. Between 1 and 3 is the Delta band, between 3 and 7 is Theta. From 7 to 13 is the Alpha and above 13 is Beta. As you can see, the peaks tend to be lower in the Alpha and Beta ranges. The object of Spectrum is to increase the Alpha and Beta peaks. This process is identical to the goal of meditation. Only here you get to chart your progress in real time.
As 13 is the start of the Beta band, I decided to concentrate there, as the graph didn't seem to rise much above .15 on the horizontal scale. After taking a little time to get intuitive with the game, the graph was looking like this:
The key to Heart Coherence, therefore is to learn to increase the peaks in the Spectrum across the harmonic range (left/right motion) of the Butterfly. Increasing the Spectrum peaks is, as a Jedi would say "stretching out with your feelings."
Haloscan comment thread
Increased demand for biofuels is driving up food prices and accelerating climate change, as rainforests are destroyed to grow fuel. But with strong global sustainability standards, we can ensure that biofuels help, rather than hurt.
You can watch it here, and read the transcript here.
And this picture has nothing to do with anything, but I found it when looking for images for my psych class, and felt like posting something whimsical.
Haloscan comment thread
SusanD's response to a My Left Wing diary about what it takes to be Commander in Chief
...nobody knows what they'll have to face as CIC because Bush/Cheney have been so secretive. Who knows what tangled mass of snakes awaits them?
What qualities must you have to deal with what is unknown? I would think a steadiness would be necessary. Not decisions make in a temper, or for personal reasons (like Bush). Good judgment, of course. Willingness to listen to experienced people (unlike Bush) The ability to weigh consequences and long-term effects (unlike Bush). The self-confidence to change course if you see your plans are not working, or are having unforeseen consequences (unlike Bush). A larger view of the United States as one country among many, not a view of "U.S. uber alles". A willingness to cooperate with other countries rather than ruling them. The guts to recognize REAL dangers, to guard against them, and to respond appropriately to REAL, not imagined, threats.
I didn't end up working a full day today, so I wanted to do a quick post before getting ready for tonight's class.
First, before I forget to mention it, here's a link to a Clinton Attacks Obama Incident Tracker. I don't think everything is there, but it might jog our memories about the long history of such attacks.
Geraldine Ferraro, who supports Hillary Clinton, has said some downright offensive things about how lucky Barack Obama is that he's black.
If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.Tim Russo at Buckeye State Blog wonders who this is meant to appeal to, musing that it might be designed to push certain buttons with the white blue-collar demographic in Pennsylvania.
Regarding superdelegates, the common refrain from people speaking on Clinton's behalf is that they are supposed to use their independent judgment, based on what's best for the party. So, rather than voting to reflect the wishes of their constituents, they are supposed to vote for the person who is most "electable".Presumably, if Hillary Clinton keeps up the attacks on Obama (which have been a lot more negative and unrelenting than Obama's NAFTA/healthcare mailer that she found so egregious that she had to hold a big press conference/photo op. You know, the one where she made strategic use of my governor as a nodding backdrop, while she waved the offending mailer in the air and scolded "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" Hillary Clinton's attacks, however have been constant and disturbing, saying that she and John McCain have passed the "commander in chief threshold, but Obama's entire campaign is built on a speech he made in 2002.
Is it possible that Clinton's goal is to get Obama "bloodied" enough by (or before) the convention that she and her surrogates could make the case that he's simply not electable?
Wow, you all sure are chatty tonight! Since I have a long day tomorrow and won't have much opportunity to get online, I figured I should just post another thread before turning in tonight.
Update: Just found out about this
Space shuttle Endeavour was poised for a rare nighttime launch Tuesday to the International Space Station and the longest visit ever to the orbiting outpost.Hope it goes well. "Traveling mercies", and all that.
Good weather was forecast for the 2:28 A.M. liftoff. The odds were 90 percent in NASA's favor.
This article captures the pure absurdity of Bill Clinton's suggestion of the ticket with his wife at the top of it.
The picture accompanying the article says it all.
Be my VP
Hillary and Bill Clinton are again teaming up on Barack Obama - this time saying the first-term US lawmaker, whom they have derided as inexperienced, would be a strong running mate on a Democratic presidential ticket headed by the former first lady.Daschle and Rendell had differing views.
In hailing Obama as a possible vice president, the Clintons are reaching out to him and, perhaps more importantly, to his backers, whose support she would need to defeat Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the November election.
Obama leads Clinton, a fellow Democratic senator, in a bruising race for their party's presidential nomination, but neither is likely to reach the 2,025 delegates needed to become the nominee in the remaining state by state contests.
The candidate said last week she and Obama may end up on the same ticket, with her on top.
Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, an Obama backer, mocked the idea.Speaking of Rendell, did you hear that he and Corzine are going to be raising millions for the do-overs in FL and MI? They are both Hillary supporters. I think people should be getting some uncomfortable vibes about these do-overs about now.
"It may be the first time in history that the person who is running number two would offer the person running number one the number two position," Daschle told Meet the Press.
..."Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, a Democratic who has sought to rally support for Clinton in his state's April 22 primary, backed the idea of Clinton and Obama teaming up. "It would be a great ticket," Rendell told NBC's Meet the Press.
From yesterday, but hope interest in the story can carry into the week, when more people will be paying attention.
This is too good not to pass along. Remember that "who do you want answering the phone at 3 a.m. ad"? Remember this sleeping girl?
According to a report on KING5, an NBC affiliate station in Seattle, Washington:
The first girl in the ad is young Casey Knowles. It's stock footage from 8 years ago when she worked as a TV extra - footage owned now by Getty Images and used by the Clinton campaign.Here's Casey today. She's 17 years old and an Obama supporter (and will turn 18 well before the general election in November).
"It's perfect timing because I have a candidate that I really identify with,"; she said. "I've been campaigning for Barack Obama for a few months now," she said. "I was actually a precinct captain at the caucuses a few months ago. I attended his rally a few months ago and I'm, a very, very avid supporter."The Knowles family admit they have no control over how the footage is used. And while they see the humor of it all, they are mildly annoyed.
"I think it would be really wonderful if me and Barack Obama could get together and make a nice counter ad," she laughed.
