We Are Not the Top of the Food Chain...

If anyone is reading this blog, I hope that they can tell that I am a spiritual person, hoping for a world where human beings are striving to be better people and not wallowing in the depths of degradation. And I would hope that I'm not alone in that wish. This story about rape , actually two different events in India, could easily lead me to hate all men but I really don't want to live that way. But as a woman, reading about this hurts me to my core.

I have never been sexually assaulted, and I cannot imagine the hell these women went through. But an assault on one woman, is an assault on all women. One event after another this year, has made me feel like we have not made any progress at all in terms of prejudice and equality for women. Some countries are much worse than others in regards to how little respect women get, but no country is immune to the problem. I still cannot get over the fact that it is 2012, on the verge of 2013, and we still have so many people that are the equivalent of cavemen. We can be better than this, and we should be better than this.

Connie Schultz: Parade magazine, December 23, 2012

Connie Schultz: Christmas in July—and August and September ...

At the end of last holiday season, I couldn't bear to take down my tree. So I didn't.

It began as an act of laziness.

By early January, I had already packed away two of our Christmas trees. Yes, two. And you're about to learn about the third. Don't judge.

One of our trees is an ancient nine-and-a-half-foot-tall fake fir, which goes in our family room every year. It's almost animated—you might even say scary—the way it sways under the weight of all those handmade ornaments stitched, glued, painted, stapled, and baked over the past 30 years.

The other tree, a mere seven feet tall, fills our front window. My husband and I call it the White House Christmas Tree because it is decorated with ornaments issued annually by the White House Historical Association. Sometimes I call it the Rosie Tree, named for my hair colorist, who puts up nine Christmas trees, which she once told me after covering me in foils. Anyone who loves her hair colorist understands how easily we can fall under their spell.

By the way, this year's White House Historical Association ornament depicts President William Howard Taft riding in the back of the White Steamer, which was the first automobile introduced to the White House. See? A history lesson on every branch.

Last Christmas season, I decided to add a third tree. A wee one, barely four feet tall, to keep me company in the kitchen. Along with the "Ho-Ho-Ho" wall hanging I needlepointed in 1998, I mean. And my son's three-tiered Christmas tree mobile, circa 1982, which dangles upside down over the table. We almost lost that thing in the unfortunate candle caper of '94. Goodness, the memories.

I decorated the little tree with white lights and a single red bow at the top, then set it on a child-size chair and wedged it into a corner.

"Really?" my husband said the first he time he saw it. "We needed this?"

One look at my face and his punctuation changed. "We needed this!" he said, patting my back. "Makes the whole room come alive."

I married a good one, I tell ya.

One month later, there I was, at the end of a long day of packing away another holiday, staring at the kitchen Christmas tree. I reached for its red bow, rubbed the felt between my fingers, and pulled back my hand. Too tired, I told myself as I unplugged the lights. Tomorrow.

Only tomorrow never came. A week before Valentine's Day, I looked across the breakfast table at Sherrod and confessed: "I can't explain why, but I don't want to take down the kitchen Christmas tree."

He returned my smile, acknowledging my gift for stating the obvious. "Then don't, honey," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I like it, too."

With that, it was decided. The kitchen Christmas tree would twinkle its way through the year. Only one person ever asked why.

"Grandma," Clayton said, fingering the branches one hot, humid day in July, "why is this tree still here?"

I looked at our 4-year-old grandson and, just like that, I finally had my answer.

"Because we should act like it's Christmas all year round," I said. "We should feel it every day, in our hearts."

He tilted his head and gave me a long look.

"You're a little weird," he said, smiling. "I like that."

"I love you, too, buddy," I said. "Merry Christmas.

We get the Parade magazine in the Sunday Bellingham Herald now, and they have a small rotating group of writers that have a one page feature toward the back of every issue. I look forward to reading Connie's commentaries, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - Merry Christmas (everyday)!

Merry Christmas!

 

These are my favorite holiday LOL's from LOL Cats, I Has a Hot Dog, and MemeBase - all in the I Can Has Cheezburger family of web-sites (Made from the finest Internets, don't-cha-know).

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wes Anderson's "Star Wars: Episode VII" Audition Tape - CONAN on TBS

Michael Moore's "Star Wars Episode VII" Audition Tape - CONAN on TBS

Happy Festivus

For any other Seinfeld fans out there, this is for you - Happy Festivus!

There Is No Simple Solution

Okay, it's finally time for me to sound off on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

I have read a lot of commentary from people far more eloquent than I am, and I don't have everything linked here, but these are two articles from The Huffington Post from today, that I think are worth reading. The first is from Janelle Ross featuring individual stories as well as statistics for gun related deaths of children in the U.S. The other article is about the National Shooting Sports Foundation that ironically is based in Newtown Connecticut.

It's hard to know where to begin. I posted Mitch Albom's editorial from the Detroit Free Press a week ago. He was asking when we were ever going to find it okay to talk about gun violence in the U.S. His subject was Bob Costas who was battered for bringing up the subject after the murder/suicide involving a football player. As Jon Stewart pointed out on The Daily Show, if conservative pundits think it's not appropriate to talk about gun control right after a shooting, then we would never be able to talk about it, since there is at least one every single day in the U.S.

Another Free Press writer, Rochelle Riley had a editorial right after the shooting took place, and she sadly ended up referencing one of her own previous articles after the mass shooting in Aurora Colorado this summer. And that was her whole point; that we keep having this kind of violence, but nobody wants to do anything real about it, and she's sick of that hypocrisy.

And so am I. We cannot as a nation, continually entertain ourselves with violent media, whether it be video games, movies, or television, and then ask why when it happens in real life. We are hypocrites to watch this stuff, and not think that life imitates art. Our tolerance for violent movies and television continually increases, to me it's not a coincidence that the violence in our every day lives has increased along with it.

And the irony is not lost on me that the first victim of Matt Lanza was his mother, who owned the gun that was used to kill her. It blew my mind, when a friend was quoted as saying that she had them for protection. Protection, from what? She lived in an upscale neighborhood in a nice community.

After the shooting in Aurora this summer, I saw on the news that gun sales had dramatically increased. Then the question came to mind; I wondered if there were people in the theater that had a concealed weapon, and if so, did they make any attempt to use it to disarm James Holmes. If the reason that most people get guns is to protect themselves, how many times does that actually happen?

The NRA thinks that we should have more guns to fix the problem, not less. Having armed guards at every school in America is their solution. If shootings only occurred in schools, then that might make sense, but that's not reality. In the last week, the shooting in Newtown was the only public shooting at a school. There were two people killed at a shopping mall in suburban Portland Oregon 4 days earlier. And this week, there have been at least three other shootings with multiple victims, and not at single one at a school.

The head of the NRA also said that "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun". I hope someone mails him a newspaper clipping about the shooting death of a girl here in Washington state earlier this year so he can see how wrong he is. A police officer's young daughter died in an accidental shooting when he left his loaded revolver in the family vehicle and another one of his kids shot her with it. If the police can't even be responsible with their own guns are there really any "good guys"?

When a mass shooting happens, every wants to arm themselves instead of take a serious look at why we have so much gun violence here. Having access to guns is a big part of the problem, but so is why they are used. Domestic violence and drug & gang related violence. When you consider that 1 in 17 Americans suffers from some level of mental illness, why should it be so easy for them to get their hands on a gun?

People that are driven to harm others will find a way, but should they be given such an easy route to harming as many people as possible in a matter of seconds? We want the freedom to have anything we want, but we don't want to accept the responsibility that comes with it.

It's The End of the World As We Know It

Of course we're still here, but it's a catchy tune from R.E.M., so why not have fun with it......

These are my favorite meme's for today from MemeBase.com, one of the I Can Has Cheezburger website's.

Now my world really would come to an end if I couldn't go on the web everyday!

Cory Booker - Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

I want to follow up to last week's post, but first, I wanted to post the link to an interview on The Daily Show with Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey from December 12th. It's the third part of a three part interview.

Cory Booker

What he's talking about is not completely unknown, but needs to be better known. I've personally felt that government in partnership with business and schools could be leading our society, and in turn improving our economy. And it's not about hand-outs. What he is talking about is how we are not educating our young people to move into the 21st century job market. There are jobs that exist right now that are going unfilled, because of a lack of people with the training and skills to fill them. I've seen a few things on the news in relation to this as far back as two years ago, and it's still a problem today.

This interview reminds me of the interview that I posted about earlier this fall with Bill Clinton on The Daily Show. It's not just a cliche, we really do need to think outside the box and have a revolution of thought if we are going to fulfill our potential as a society and as human beings.

Mitch Albom - The Detroit Free Press

This commentary is from the Detroit Free Press this week. The writer is Mitch Albom who is not only a novelist, but a sports and commentary writer for the paper.

I thought this was a pretty thought provoking essay, I hope you enjoy it.

Bob Costas' “Sunday Night Football” halftime commentary supporting gun control sparked a Fox News Channel debate Monday, Dec. 3, 2012, on whether NBC should fire him. / Evan Agostini/AP

By Mitch Albom

Detroit Free Press Columnist

Stick to sports.

I've heard it often. So have many of my colleagues. NBC's Bob Costas just heard it in spades.

Costas focused his halftime commentary last Sunday night on the horrific murder-suicide involving Jovan Belcher.

The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, the day before, shot his girlfriend, drove to the training facility, and eventually shot himself. It was tragic. It was news. It certainly could elicit commentary.

Costas spoke for about 90 seconds, and mostly agreed with an online columnist who criticized our violent culture and said that if Belcher "didn't own a gun," he and his girlfriend would be alive today.

He never mentioned "gun control."

He never said "Second Amendment."

No matter. You bring up guns, you step on a landmine. Within minutes, Costas was being pelted on the Internet, and in the days that followed, it became a global hailstorm. He went on talk shows. He even called it a "mistake" to discuss that topic in a football game setting. But the more he explained, the more he was flooded by negativity. A Fox News person who called him "a sanctimonious ghoul."

At the core of this was a sentiment that even became a headline in several places:

Stick to sports.

If only it were that easy.

From Ohio State to Penn State

Here's the problem for folks in our positions. We'd stick to sports. But sports won't.

We'd much prefer a world where the Tour de France was just a bicycle race, where Plaxico Burress didn't shoot himself, where the showers at Penn State never saw anything worse than a towel flick.

We'd love a world where Barry Bonds was merely a home run hitter, where Josh Hamilton only chewed bubble gum, where Ohio State's football players never sold a piece of clothing, where Mike Tyson respected women.

Don't you think those who love the thrill of athletic competition -- and I believe most sports journalists do -- would rather cover a photo finish than a photo of Brett Favre's genitals? Handoffs over holdouts? Dunking instead of doping?

I've been around this business a long time. I don't know many who got into it to cover dirt.

But dirt comes with the job. Because real life doesn't stop at the out-of-bounds markers. Sure, you could comment on the Belcher story and not suggest guns played a part. But Costas felt it was relevant. He's not some apple-cheeked kid. He's 60 years old, a TV veteran commentator. Whether you agree with him shouldn't change his right to hold an opinion -- especially in a segment where he is supposed to give his opinion.

From Royko to McKay

But we are a knee-jerk society. When someone angers us, we feel obliged to yell back louder. It was sadly amusing to hear cable news commentators label Costas's calmly toned words a "rant" -- as they ranted like hyenas.

The truth is, in today's world, demanding a sports commentator "stick to sports" is hypocritical. Are you sticking to sports when you say that? Or are you saying it because you disagree with his opinion? A Nebraska newspaper writer pummeled Costas, saying "just shut your trap and tell me who scored." Does Costas tell him to shut his trap and talk about the corn crop?

Mike Royko wrote great pieces about politicians as well as athletes. Norman Mailer wrote great essays on war and on boxing. Tom Wolfe wrote as finely about racecar driving as about the space program. Jim McKay broadcast the Olympics and the Munich tragedy. Should they all have been told, "You're one thing. Do nothing more than that."?

Of course not. I wish, in this position, that I never had to deal with drunken-driving deaths, substance-abuse violations, gambling scandals, paternity suits, barroom brawls, suicides or the off-the-field behavior of everyone from Reggie Rogers to Pete Rose to Kobe Bryant, Michael Vick or Belcher.

But we have no choice.

Stick to sports?

This is sports.

Contact Mitch Albom: 313-223-4581 or malbom@freepress.com. 

Kate & Wills

I was sick to my stomach last night watching the news about the death of one of the two nurses caught up in the prank call involving Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. I did not think it was funny when the call made news earlier this week, and now it has cost someone their life. Was it worth it?

These two absolute flipping idiots on the radio in Australia had no problems with invading her privacy to get a laugh. And then to top it off, the station's owner thought nothing of broadcasting it on the Internet for the whole world to hear. Now in the fall out, the station owner has released a statement that they are providing counseling to the two DJ's, and points out that "they are humans, not machines. They are hurting too". Well, you know what, I have zero empathy for them, they brought this on themselves. They are now living the exact hell that they put her through. Do you think that they will make that connection? Probably not.

I read a blog on The Huffington Post earlier this week, when the news was first announced that Kate was expecting. The writer was feeling sad for Kate that this special time was no longer her secret, and that every woman should be able to have that. She had no way of foretelling what was going to come next. I'm scared to think that the stress of this entire situation would lead her to have a miscarriage. It's bad enough that her nurses' death will be forever associated with her pregnancy. It should have been a completely joyous time for her and the whole family. I'm not a mother myself, but I can relate to my own family history, and that excitement & expectation of a new baby.

Jacintha Saldana was a nurse; not royalty, not a celebrity, and I would have to assume that she probably never had to deal with the media spotlight. But what makes anyone think that it is OK to thrust themselves in to the personal lives of celebrities anyways? Jacintha didn't deserve this, but neither did Kate. This whole situation says how little respect we seem to have for each other as human beings anymore; we should be getting more civilized, not less.

The Daily Show - December , 2012

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Another hilarious and to the point commentary from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show skewering Fox News. I don't think I can sum it up any better than to sit back and enjoy!

If you watch the video, this will have even more meaning....

Benghazi and Susan Rice

It's always fun to see people's words come back to bite them in the behind....here's another pointed commentary from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Thanksgiving and Black Friday

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I have one more day left to a 4-day weekend, and have to admit I didn't get as much done as I wanted. This is the first year that I didn't make my pie the night before. I slept in and did not get my pie completely done until 3:30 on Thursday. I ate late, but it was all good.

I didn't go anywhere yesterday, but did go downtown this afternoon for shop small day. I'm glad I waited a day because yesterday was wet and windy and today was mild and sunny. For once my procrastination paid off. But I can't believe Christmas is a month away - I need to get organized!

Mike Luckovich - November 22, 2012

The Flying McCoys, 11/22/2012

Saturday Night Live - November 17th

I was catching up on the news online today when I caught this clip on The Huffington Post of New Jersey governor Chris Christie on SNL last night. It's pretty good.

Then I came across this other clip with guest host Jeremy Renner. I need to make it a point to catch up to this online.....

Post Election

I wanted to post this the day after the election, but it has been a hectic week for me.

I was on pins and needles election night, and almost thought Romney was going to win, and I had to turn off the television for a while. When I turned it back on an hour later, I was rather amazed at how quickly things turned around, and how, to my understanding Obama did even better than the first time in terms of the popular vote and the electoral college.

In regards to other election results, I personally was not happy that marijuana was legalized here in Washington. Time will tell of course, but I don't really see anything positive coming from it.

And what should have surprised me, but didn't, is how quickly Republican candidates were pointing the finger everywhere but at themselves for losing. A perfect example is this article I read in today's Seattle Times about a call that Mitt Romney made to donor's of his campaign.

I was so happy that every single candidate that made idiotic comments about rape lost (including John Koster here in Washington). The sad part is, at least in Koster's case, he was whining that he lost because he felt that the Republican Party did not send enough funding his way. There was absolutely no recognition on his part that he lost because of what he thinks.
To hear the beliefs these guys were expressing in this day and age makes me wonder if they all are misogynistic neanderthals under the surface. I honestly am not holding my breath that they are going to look inside themselves and change and grow.
With the Republican Party, pretty much all I've been hearing the last week is about how they feel like they lost the election due to "changing demographics", and that they need to run a better election next time.  You can wrap crap in a new package, with a pretty bow, but it's still crap. And when they were claiming the day after the election that the Democrats were supressing the vote I about went through the roof!! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. They REALLY need to hold a mirror up to themselves, OMG!

But enough about politics....

Tom Cat and his injured leg

Two weeks ago Thursday, I had let Tommy out during the day while I was at work, and when I came home, he came in limping. I couldn't see any outward signs of an injury, so was in a wait-and-see mode before contacting the vet.
It didn't get any better over the weekend so I made an appointment to bring him in last Saturday. On Friday, the cause of the limp revealed itself; he had an infection that finally popped the surface. Obviously he got into it with another cat and was bitten.

We had to take the bus to the vet, and he actually did really well. I was worried that he was going to be yowling the whole time, but he didn't make a sound. They shaved his leg, cleaned the wound and gave him an antibiotic shot, and sent me home with medication to clean his leg twice a day.

I had to take off work this afternoon to take him back for a check-up to make sure that it was healing properly. He got a thumbs-up from the vet that he it is okay. He will be taking antibiotics for 3 more days. I'm relieved he did not have to have stitches, he's happy because he finally got to go out after being stuck inside for 5 days.....

Whine Country

Little Big World - Pocket Poland

I was on the I Can Has Cheezburger site today, and they had this video. I love this Tilt-Shift filming it is so cool, take a look.....

More Election 2012

I don't want to say that I enjoyed  This blog post from October 29th on The Huffington Post, in the sense that it's not entertainment; but for me it really hits the nail on the head. I don't for a second believe that Mitt Romney really gives a rip about most Americans, and in making our lives any better, I think he just wants to be President for the power.

Mike Luckovich, October 31, 2012

 The B.S. that has come out of his mouth, along with Paul Ryan is astounding. I'm going to try and articulate it as best I can; it dawned on me this past week that to hear them talk, most of the Republican candidates and pundits act like the sky is falling, ALL THE TIME. They act is if the world is going to come to an end for every single decision that President Obama makes. The level of fear that they seem to be operating under would cause so much stress you would think it would shorten their lifespan. It would be a lot more comical, if you they weren't serious, but they are.
President Obama has not accomplished everything he intended in his first term, and not as much as I hoped he would personally, but I know that his intentions are good, and that he will continue to try. And he did try, but has been demonized by Republicans from the beginning. If Obama gets re-elected, are they going to continue to fight him every step of the way? It's become the new normal to just slap a label on your opponent, and then react to everything they say or do as if it is actually fitting that stereotype, even when it's not. For me, the most offensive was to compare Obama to Hitler. Really? Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. Yeah, he and Obama have so much in common, I don't know how I could have missed that.

Mike Luckovich, November 1, 2012

Then they even threw Chris Christie under the bus for praising President Obama's handling of the clean-up for Hurricane Sandy. How dare he not continue the party line of criticizing every single thing Obama does?
This would be a perfect time for Romney to put his money where his mouth is and donate billions of dollars to help out the victims of Hurricane Sandy since he thinks it's not the government's job.
You know who is helping out? It's neighbors helping neighbors. Every single major natural disaster it's the folks that don't have much that give the most. The rich stay that way, because they all think they don't have enough money, and therefore hang on to it for dear life.

Today's Parade magazine had a cover article on the election, and this was a side feature that I thought was pretty good food for thought:

Illustration by Yarek Waszul

Fixing Government
GOP strategist Mark McKinnon
• Pass “No Budget, No Pay” legislation that would dock legislators every day they fail to pass a budget on time.
• Require an up or down vote on presidential appointments within 90 days or the nominee is confirmed by default.
• End the use of filibusters to prevent a bill from reaching the Senate floor for debate.
• Allow members the ability, if they have a majority, to anonymously override a leader or committee chair’s refusal to bring a bill to the floor. The names would be made public after the bill passes.
• Make members come to work five days a week in session. Sync House and Senate schedules, with three weeks in D.C., one week at home.
• Introduce a “Question Time” for the president; on a rotating basis, the House and Senate would host televised sessions. And schedule monthly news conferences for the president.
• Have the comptroller general present an annual televised fiscal report to a joint session of Congress.
• Allow no pledges but the Oath of Office.
• Introduce monthly bipartisan gatherings, bipartisan seating, and a bipartisan leadership committee.
• Expand presidential power to reorganize or eliminate redundant parts of the federal government.

Mark McKinnon is a co-founder of No Labels, a movement dedicated to ending partisan gridlock.
http://www.parade.com/news/

Election 2012

SPARK - (Museum of Radio and Electricity)

I want to do this sometime at the (formerly) Museum of Radio and Electricity here in Bellingham; I think it's $5 to do this. That would totally be worth it!

SNL - Saturday November 3rd

Catching Up

Boo, Sunday October 21st

Woody, Saturday October 27th

Tom Cat, Saturday October 27th

I thought it was funny catching Boo sitting in the chair on the back deck like this. She's out there sitting in it right now as well, thanks to a mild afternoon.

Woody loves the quilt that Denise made for me, and he always cuddles up against the stuffed polar bear too. And surprise, surprise, he's sitting in the same spot today!


As usual I am playing catch-up on the weekend and trying to work in a fun project for work. I have to go get my mail at the post office and get my ballot, this is an election I obviously can't miss, and feel strongly about.

This is a good clip from The Daily Show from this past week. I had read a really good blog on Huffington Post towards the end of the week, but could not find it again today to link it here. It was about the reality of rape and statistics from around the globe, and the numbers were very sickening.
 There were references to several stories that I was already familiar with. One of them had to do with the on-going civil war in The Congo in Africa, and a doctor who treats women who have been so brutally gang raped by soldiers that they require surgery. I was reading that article within a day or two of reading about how someone had tried to assassinate him in an attack that left his bodyguard dead.
Sometimes, I just can't take reading about this subject, because it makes me so sick at heart. Last month there was a girl about the age of my niece that was gang raped in an apartment 6-7 blocks from where I live. I sat and cried thinking about her, and hoping that something like that never happens to Jennifer. I was talking to my good friend Gerry yesterday, and I told her that sadly, I don't think that we will ever get to a place and time where women will be able to truly live free, even here in the US.

Bits & Pieces

So fall has finally really hit this weekend with rain and wind galore. The weather cooperated for a short while on Saturday for the cats to go out, but not today, and of course they can't make the connection when they are looking out the window at it.

Munchkin's Tail

This picture is actually from a few weeks ago, with Munchkin hanging out under the folds of my quilt.
I think Boo looks like a seal when she lays like this with her back legs out behind her.

Boo

I've still been tying up loose ends from my major "spring" cleaning from two weeks ago. It feels good to get stuff done, no matter how small. I have no lack of things that I need to get to that's for sure.

I updated the slideshow for I Can Has Cheezburger so that the newest additions play first.

I am not watching any of the debates, but have of course seen clips on the news, including Mitt's comments about PBS. Then I read about the SNL News skit with Big Bird from October 6th, and it is pretty cute if you want to check it out here. Then this morning I read about the skit they had last night that was a bit about the I-Phone 5 that's pretty good.

Felix Baumgartner Free Falling From Space

In case you didn't already see this, here is a 14 minute YouTube video of Austrian Felix Baumgartner free falling from 24 miles above the earth's surface. This guy has quite a set of cajone's on him to do this; I teared up watching this, it is amazing~

Interview with King Abdullah II of Jordan

This is the first part of a three part interview from September 25th with King Abdullah II of Jordan on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It is interesting to get viewpoints from outside the US on world events. Part two and part three that are web-only. 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Election 2012

My friend Tina sent me the link to a very funny (and to the point) You Tube video from Sarah Silverman about Voter ID laws, Let My People Vote 2012 - Get Nana A Gun. There is some profanity, but it's worth it.

My step mom Susan sent me this right after the Republican National Convention. I thought it was priceless.

I have to dig a little and update this post later after I find the segment from the Daily Show the week after the RNC with Jon Stewart's take on Clint Eastwood at the convention.

I did not watch this week's debate, but have been reading some of the analysis and enjoyed Washington Week on PBS last night, including the Webcast Extra where they were giving their take on it's impact for both candidates. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the generally bad reviews of the President, but there were some positive things observed too.

I've felt for the last 4 years that Obama has always been so careful not to appear as the "angry black man" and fulfill the negative stereotypes, that he has been labelled as ineffectual in the process. The fear and paranoia of all the idiots who couldn't stand the thought of a black president instantly came out after he was elected, and it's been like he is walking on egg-shells ever since.

I was truly happy in 2008 that we had finally come to a place in America where we could elect a black president. But ever since then it's been so evident that racism is still alive and well, that it feels like we haven't made any progress at all.

*Update October 13th
I finally got off my can and found the clip of the Daily Show I was looking for. It was from August 31st, and he so brilliantly sums it up around the 2 minute mark, enjoy....

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt on SNL

I didn't watch the show last night, but saw these on line this morning. Joseph Gordon Levitt hosted Saturday Night Live last night and there were two parody ads that they did for Dos Equis Beer's Most Interesting Man of the World. Part One and Part Two, enjoy!

The Big 5-0

Guess Who?

So today was my birthday; I turned the Big 5-0. Not Hawaii Five-O, the other one.....

I'm actually okay with it. Of course I'm still reflecting on my life to date, and what I wanted to have accomplished by now; and my hopes - and reality sure don't match up. It's the more recent setbacks that are influencing my overall picture right now...

But on the positive side, it has been kind of freeing for me. I still want to try and put my best foot forward, but I don't sweat the small stuff as much as I used to. I've gotten more comfortable in my own skin. It didn't happen overnight, it's been a gradual process. A journey, not a destination point.

I had wanted to make a trip down to Seattle and the Space Needle to celebrate my birthday, but that unfortunately did not end up happening. At some point after my last birthday I apparently looked at the calendar wrong, and thought my birthday was on Saturday (I don't know what I was thinking, or what year I was looking at). But also, financially I was not in a good position to make it a reality, so I had to let that idea go.

My team-mate at work, Amber, asked me why the Space Needle; and aside from the fact that I think it is about the coolest thing in Seattle, we both had our debuts in 1962.

I have been up to the observation deck once, and really enjoyed it. This picture is one that my dad took on a visit out here before he married Susan, but I can't remember if that was the same time that we went up with my brother Mark or not.

I think losing both dad and Mark two years ago has also added to the bittersweet feelings I've had for the last week. Not having married and had a family of my own has made it harder to lose the family I grew up with. I truly value my friendships, but there are times when they can't fill the void.

Lake Michigan

But I did have a good day. The sun was shining and it was warm and beautiful, and I was thankful for that. And Amber and Terry treated me to lunch and espresso at work, and I received well wishes from friends. So just like the rest of my life, everything did not go as planned, but I still had a good time...

An Article From The Bellingham Herald

This article is from yesterday's The Bellingham Herald, and it is about a guy from work. Ivan is very creative, and he and his family have been featured in the paper several times in the last year; enjoy!

Bellingham man's goal: Open-source guide to making prosthetic fingers

Ivan Owen has been working on the design of Rich Van As' prothestetic finger for about 8 months. It works via a system of cables, pulleys, lever arm and a spring/bungee. The black plastic hand in the picture is an exact copy of Van As's injured hand that he cast from a polyurethane resin and shipped overseas to Bellingham.

JEN OWEN — COURTESY TO THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html#storylink=cpy

Published: September 10, 2012

By MICHELLE NOLAN — FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

When South African woodworker Richard Van As lost four fingers in an accident, Ivan Owen soon realized his mechanical skills were not just a hobby; they could improve thousands of lives.

The result: A partnership the inventive pair will use to create an open-source Internet site with directions for creating relatively inexpensive prosthetic fingers.

Owen, 27, a lifelong Whatcom County resident, is a businessman by day and a mechanical special effects artist in his spare time. He and his wife, Jen, live in Bellingham with their three children.

Question: Ivan, why did you produce your YouTube demonstration of playing the piano with a prosthetic finger?

Answer: I want people to see what Richard and I are doing to create affordable, practical prosthetic fingers.

Q: How did you meet Richard?

A: After he lost four fingers last year, he realized it would cost him $20,000 for two prosthetic fingers for the fingers he lost at the first knuckle (the other two fingers were entirely lost). So he sought solutions on the Internet, and he came across a large artificial hand I had created (not for use). Richard sent me a picture of his hand and asked if I could help.

Q: What did he see in your work?

A: He felt that together, perhaps we could create artificial fingers for much less money. Soon we both realized this was more than about us, but rather a way to help people worldwide.

Q: How much progress have you made?

A: Just working together on the Internet we have created both longer and shorter prosthetic fingers that work well, though we have a ways to go to create special hinges and to fine-tune the fingers. We're about 75 percent there.

But to really finish our project we need to spend some time working together. Richard's close friend, Mark Cowley, generously donated his frequent flyer miles and I am now booked for a flight to South Africa on Nov. 17, returning on Nov. 23. We are still fundraising for the cost of various tools and materials that we'll need.

Q: Why are you publishing everything open source on the Internet?

A: We aren't interested in trying to make money off people's miseries. We want everyone in the world who needs prosthetic fingers to have a way to see them created by others for very little money. Our real dream is a nonprofit fueled by donations and devoted to open-source information about prosthetics. What I'm really interested in doing is perfecting artificial fingers.

Q: Why fingers?

A: I've been a musician for 18 years, and I especially know how important the use of fingers can be. I've been inspired by people like my former music teacher Robert Lundquist and his wife, Pat, who showed me how unselfish and caring people can be in helping others.

Q: Have you always had such an exceptional mechanical aptitude?

A: When I attended Sehome High School I was mostly interested in music, but I also developed a fascination for creating replicas of medieval armor. I belonged to the Society for Creative Anachronism for a while.

Later, on assignment, I created a spider mask with movable mandibles. That, in turn, led me to build an artificial hand a foot-and-a-half long. While I attended Whatcom Community College I continued working with mechanical special effects art, and now I do creative work for small filmmakers.

Q: Richard seems to have quite a sense of humor.

A: He has an incredible mind and he's very mechanically oriented. The website comingupshorthanded.com shows what a great sense of humor he has. I really can't take much of the credit for all this, because Richard has been the catalyst.

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WATCH THE VIDEO

LEARN MORE, HELP OUT

• The fundraising page to help Richard Van As and Ivan Owen is fundly.com/JLSFOAEU.

• The blog where the open-source design is located is chaincrafts.blogspot.com.

Michelle Nolan is a Bellingham freelance writer.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/10/2680098/bellingham-mans-goal-open-source.html#storylink=cpy