Happy Y2K10!!!!

Here in the "Pitt" the Food Lion is out of black eyed peas and that is about all the world can take on this New Year's Eve.

I don't know what to say about 2009 except that I am glad it will be leaving us in a few hours. We have had a great time in our new world and getting to know new people but 2010 has a very good ring to it. We have spent many wild and raucous New Years' Eves but 2000 is one of my favorites. We got all dressed up, Pat in his tux and me in my favorite black dress of all time. We started watching the new year arrive in Sydney and moving west...Hong Kong, Paris was fabulous...London amazing. We were there (at least in our minds). It was a Dom Perignon night. We got all of our neighbors to come out and celebrate. 2000 seems so long ago and at the time seemed to hold so much promise, but the last decade has been a very strange one for the world. Perhaps we have been adjusting for the last 10 years and the real millennium begins at midnight.

Happy, Happy New Year to everyone and as usual be careful my wonderful Brinkley and Emily.

If it doesn't move decorate it...

That has been my approach to Christmas decorating. When Winter nights are long it only makes sense to light everything and cover all surfaces with red and green. It must be my attempt to ward off the winter blahs.

Decorating was a tradition when I was growing up though nothing went up until after my brother's birthday on the 21st. Santa brought the tree on Christmas Eve and it was always beautiful and special. Santa (aka my father) always created a Christmas village under the tree with a train. The year of the fairies and angels coming down out of the tree and into the village was my favorite. Some of them are still in our tree. The decorations on the mantel and around the house were always real greenery and the neighbors would always come to our house to admire my Dad's work. Whether we were in Virginia, Japan, Okinawa, Ohio, Georgia, or North Carolina there were always magical decorations.

Pat and I started putting up our decorations the day after Thanksgiving the year we went to New York on the first weekend in December for the lighting of the Rockefeller Tree. We knew we did not have time to get everything up if we did not do it early so...a tradition was started. It is always nice to pull out the things that have been around forever like the Santa that my parents got in Japan. He has been out every Christmas since 1961 and memories always flash through my head when I pull him out of the box he has been in forever wrapped in a piece of the Richmond Times Dispatch from 1970. When all the "regular stuff" is put away and the house becomes Christmas it's as if we have moved. Then it is always nice to put it all away, clean and get everything back to "normal". It's a new beginning.

Peace on Earth, goodwill to all. (not just men).

I chased the rabbit down the hole but I am back.

Well, it has been quite a couple of weeks...the activities in the "Pitt" have been all consuming as you can imagine. Kristy and Brinkley just left to return to Atlanta and the house seems too quiet. Millie has gone and Katrina is an only dog again.

We had a wonderful Christmas as always. Emily and Brinkley are the best gifts any parents could have and we love them more than life itself. Kristy being with us is always a joy and we love her. Alonzo our elf still stays in our tree and writes his little notes. He has been enthralled with the deer since we moved to the "Pitt".

The thing we all miss most about Atlanta is our Christmas Eve party and the friends who came by. Maybe one Christmas Eve everyone will come. We did have a birthday party for my brother and it was great fun.

First Sunday

On the first Sunday of every month Pittsboro has a street fair. The shops are all open and craft people sell their wares on the street. Many knitted scarfs and hat sets offered yesterday. This past Sunday was a bit different because the Chatham Arts Studio Tour was taking place AND the annual Christmas Parade. The "Pitt"was the place to be! I must report on the parade...it was a parade like you have never seen. Pat and I were surprised that crowds were setting up chairs along the route as early as 1:30 for a 3:00 start. How did we miss this last year we wondered; it is huge for Pittsboro. The parade began with the city officials throwing candy at the crowd, followed by the local high school band, and fire trucks from every municipality in the county. Moving equipment from the NC Forest Service seemed a bit out of place in a Christmas Parade but I can assure you it was downhill from there. The Mustang Club was the strangest entry....many (30 or 40) cars that were supposed to be Mustangs, but all weren't, came by revving their engines and displaying no signs of the season. Inexplicable, random people and vehicles continued to pass. A local real estate company had the only REAL float and the Pittsboro Elementary School classes came by on flatbeds which was cute. I have to say it was the weirdest parade I have ever witnessed...pictures to follow.

The Chatham Arts Studio Tour was a different story!!!! there are fabulous artisans all over the area. we only got to one yesterday, Mark Hewitt a potter. We had heard about him when we visited the Seagrove Potters last year and were glad to finally get to his place. The setting is gorgeous and his work is as well. We purchased a piece and got to speak with Mark.

Raucus in the "Pitt"

It's a cold and rainy afternoon here in the "Pitt". Pat and I have turned on all the Christmas lights, are dressed in our best sweats, and watching UNC v Kentucky and East Carolina v Houston. Awaiting Alabama v Florida. Pat is making his famous stew. Come on over.

Flash from DC!

Brink is attending a fund raiser with Roy Barnes in DC today. The event was in a restaurant and low and behold Senator John McCain came in and began working the crowd. People were a bit confused (Barnes is a Democrat) and finally someone inquired as to why he was there....whoops, wrong room, wrong group. Roy told him that he could come to Georgia any time and raise money for the Dems.

There is a post in my head about Obama but I get so depressed when I start to write...so it will have to wait.

Meanwhile the ACC is not faring so well against the Big 10. Somebody must have put something in Clemson's Gatorade, they looked like a high school team at the end. But at least UNC beat Michigan State (again). Like I said, Michigan State should not have been #1. Bama v Florida will be exciting this weekend...roll Tide!!! (speaking of football) Are you going Brink? I am looking forward to Florida going down. I will never get over 2000...hate Florida.

Speaking of martinis, there must be a mea culpa speech that arrogant, asshole men can download and release to the public when the National Enquirer reports their obsession with women who have pumped their lips, boobs, and butts with collagen. They all say the same thing...it would be nice if one of them would come up with something a little different. Do these man children think that no one is going to find out and report it? This has become a business for the collegen endowed girls gone wild. John Edwards was at the UNC game the other night with Elizabeth.

Blog backup.....burp

THE Season has begun and there is just too much activity in the "Pitt" and environs to keep the blog updated.

Emily was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. It was a lovely ceremony and reception. The speaker was Dr. Oliver Smithie winner of the Nobel Prize for something to do with DNA...Emily explained it to me and said "don't you remember when you did an experiment in high school showing bla bla, guish meh ya ha?" Emily, I replied they didn't know about DNA when I was in high school. She just stared at me with an amazed expression. Dr. Smithie was adorable and a real inspiration.

Millie, Brinkley's supposed dog, is still with us. Katrina is fit to be tied because she was sure Millie was leaving after Thanksgiving. The Millster is really a great pup and has to date eaten no furniture. The yard is a different story, but I have given up. I just told Millie to go give Katrina a kiss, she did...Katrina's response, grrrrrrrr.

We have made our home tacky once again for the season and we love it!!!!! We went to a farm this year to get the tree and it is quite large. (we had to fight the Rockefeller Center people off). If you have ever given us an ornament you can be sure it is on this monstrosity. We took the dogs with us and that will be the end of that.

I wondered today as I motored down the 15/501 how all the dead dear end up on the median. Do they just automatically say to themselves "I've been hit by a car, get on the median." It's that time of the year again...dear running wild. We have put our pumpkins out in the woods for the darlings but they evidently do not care for them. Big orange lumps just sitting in the woods....looks like something from outer space, and definitely does not go with the Christmas decor.

The Food Lion has stocked up for the holidays...cans of green beans that are so large they would feed an army. I have never seen a can of anything so big. Many more types of Little Debbie products than usual and marshmallow cream coming out the wazoo.

"Thanks for the Memories", and the turkey

Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year was especially notable because the food was all hot when we sat down to eat. Brink and Em were here and it was wonderful to have them just hanging around. There were several movie clashes...Star Trek or Sandra Bulloch, but we got through them. You can be sure that we took no part in the so called "Black Friday" madness...no saving money in this household.

We are thankful for so many things...the list is just too long.

WMD! UGA VII could not have watched this.

oops

Roy, they need to watch the Syracuse tape every night until they get it!!!!!!!!

There seems to be a disturbance in the Force.....Carolina Football looks better than Carolina Basketball. UNC over BC!

Tarheels over Ohio State!!!!

...just barely.

UGA VII has died of a heart attack.

Pat, upon hearing this news said, "this years team broke his heart".

The person who answers the phone at Secretary of Defense Gates' office is really nice!

I am very upset that Sarah Palin is being allowed to appear at Ft Hood and Ft Bragg to sell her book. She has called the Commander in Chief a terrorist, she has criticised the people at Ft Hood about being more concerned about political correctness than the safety of the Post. This is not a matter of free speech....there is no free speech on a military installation. If you think there is, go to one and try to give a speech calling the President a terrorist.

I phoned the Department of Defense and when prompted to say who I wished to speak with, I paused and my brain said "what the heck", I replied, "Robert Gates". A voice answered Robert Gates office. Yikes! So I explained why I had called, the wonderful person told me that my concern would be given to Secretary Gates. Maybe it will not, but it made me feel better.

The World has Gone Mad

Virginia Foxx, US Congresswoman from the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina, has taken the floor and proclaimed that the Republicans were responsible for passing civil rights legislation in the 1960's with little help from the people across the aisle. Are you kidding!!!!???? This is a member of the Congress! Civil Rights legislation was proposed and pushed through Congress by John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson!!!!! Southern Democrats were opposed, but guess what party those people are now members of???!!!! The few Republicans that did support the Civil Rights Act of 1964, such as Everett Dirksen of Illinois were LIBERAL Republicans and would not be welcomed in the Republican party today. The Republican nominee for President in 1964, Barry Goldwater, voted against the bill. It is absolutely unbelievable that a member of Congress could actually make this statement.

Call her office and set her straight. 202.225.2071

To repeat my post on 9/30 ROGUE is not a good thing!!!!!

I do not want to pay for your vices!!!!

I do not want to pay for illnesses caused by smoking! I am vehemently opposed to smoking and believe it should be banned. I am passionate about this issue and do not believe these illnesses should be covered in the health bill before Congress. I want coverage removed immediately. Why should MY tax money go to these people who took up this habit knowing it would lead to illness and death. Aren't you thinking that this is stupid? Well the people who are so ridiculous about abortion and the health reform legislation before Congress sound really stupid to me.

And people who are injured on motorcycles shouldn't be covered either.

boo hoo

If Newsweek wants to put a picture of Sarah Palin in shorts on their cover they can...and they did with a warning about the danger this person poses. This was a photo that Palin posed for and had previously been printed. Is it okay for the right wing maniacs to flaunt posters portraying the President as a witch doctor, a clown, or the joker? Is it okay for these images to be broadcast or printed? It may be distasteful, but that's life with the 1st Amendment. I am sick of the whining by Palin and her imbecilic followers every time the press does or says something they do not like.

Do not buy the magazine or read the article if you think Sarah has been wronged.

The Kiss that Brought about the Two Party System

How dare the President of the United States bow to the Emperor of Japan. Just because it is a tradition in Japan to bow when meeting anyone, why should Americans sink to such a level? We should just insult a three thousand year old culture as Dick Cheney did when he visited Japan.

This controversy is nothing new. In 1794 John Jay was dispatched to Great Britain by Washington to settle lingering issues from the Revolutionary War. Wouldn't you know it, he kissed the Queen's hand!!!! The resulting treaty (Jay's treaty) was very controversial for many complicated reasons, (pull out your history notes or just google) but it was the kiss that captured the public's attention. It could be concluded that the differences between Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Party and Thomas Jefferson's Democratic Republican Party were cemented due to the public's outrage over THE KISS.

Are we ready for the swiss cheese defense!?!?

Well I am sorry.....the swiss cheese turned to gouda. Go Dawgs!

The real excitement begins!

Few of the so called experts are predicting that UNC will go to the Final Four....they are all over Michigan State. Well, where were they last year when Michigan State went to the F4? As I recall Pat predicted the UNC/Mich St final...how many of you can say that? There are probably 4 people in the country that made the call. Michigan State will not be there this year. I am aware that all their players are back but lets hear it for fresh, new players with enthusiasm! Tarheels ARE headed for the F4.

BUTLER!!!! is the team to watch.

Harrison Barnes...

...is going to be a TARHEEL!!!!!!!! Take that Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Iowa State.

Heroines of the right

Carrie Prejean, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann have become the female face of the right. How unfortunate for a political party that has, since its inception in the mid 1800's, seen talented, hardworking women make up a significant portion of its ranks. Women have been the backbone of the Party by filling the ranks of state and local committees and bringing unmatched organizational skills. It has always seemed ironic that the Democrats championed the rights of women but the Republicans gave them real power. Until 20 years ago there were as many Republican women serving in Congress as Democrats. For some strange reason the Republican Party of late has decided to embrace women who may look good, but are pure fools.

Sarah Palin will not appear on any live show. She will not allow any journalists, cell phones, cameras, recording devices, or anything that may actually provide a record of her performance brought into her appearances. She has given "speeches" in secret.

Carrie Prejean is glad to speak with Fox as long as people like Sean Hannity fall all over themselves to be really nice to her, but when Larry King actually asked her a question and had the nerve to invite callers to ask her questions as he does every night), she took off her microphone and threatened to leave the show. After making the threat she just sat there and continued to harp about Larry being inappropriate. She said "Larry, you're being inappropriate: about five times as if he were a small child saying a cuss word in church. Her behavior was childlike.

Michele Bachmann, unlike the other two, is everywhere making statements that make one shudder. She follows the press around trying to get on every news program. No one evidently has the nerve to tell her that her diatribes are ridiculous and that she might want to actually read the Constitution.

Bill O'Reilly has often made the point that the Left hates these women because they are nice looking...REALLY. These three women are ill informed. They have little historical or political perspective to make rational judgements regarding the serious issues facing our country. They repeat the conservative mantra...no taxes, no government, no abortion, no gay rights. Beyond that there is nothing. There are many Republican women who should stand up and demand that these three be subjected to real questions, real scrutiny, REALITY.

I get nervous when a President disliked by the right goes to Texas in November.

speaking of the shootings at Fort Hood....

The media seems to be ignoring the fact that this man had purchased two guns...doesn't someone in the army have enough guns around them? Once again easy access to hand guns has resulted in deaths of innocent individuals.

I must say that I am surprised that the right has not attacked President Obama, the Commander in Chief, for going to Ft Hood to speak at the Memorial Service. But the day is young and I am sure that someone from the wingnut right will accuse the President of playing politics.

A great day at Tybee!!!!

Happy Birthday to my dear and wonderful friend Carolyn....have a great day!!!!

Great Quote

"You're entiled to opinion. Not your own facts."

Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz

Victor Hugo would be proud.

Isn't it odd that all of a sudden, and out of no where, there appears to be an army of people who suddenly believe the President and the Democratic leadership of Congress are communists or socialists out to take over the United States and turn us into Nazi Germany? Where did these people come from? Why now?

Let's look back to the demise of Enron and the subsequent disdain for corporate greed expressed by most. Congress responded by passing Sarbanes-Oxley and the American public assumed that the SEC would once again become a watchdog protecting them from corporate abuse. There was a great deal of talk about what needed to be done to further banking reform and most Americans did not see this needed change to be socialism or communism. There was no grassroots rebellion to stop reform. There was no crusade by the financial community to stop reform. Why? Because the banking and investment industry knew that nothing was going to change. The Bush administration and Congress (many Democrats included) had no intention of actually changing anything and everyone on Wall Street knew it. Sarbanes-Oxley was never enforced and eventually was gutted. Business as usual continued and the economy became nothing more than a casino bilking the public out of their future. The economy began to crumble and the American people were asked to bail out the very institutions responsible for the malay.

Fast forward to last November when Barack Obama won a REAL grassroots victory...a REAL electoral majority and REALLY had a mandate to govern. Healthcare and banking reform as well as actual regulation of the financial sector was front and center. The American people HAD voted for change and it was in the best interest of most that something be done to ensure that the average person was protected from predatory financial institutions.

Materializing from the underbelly of American society came an army of apparently disgruntled men and women organized by none other than Dick Army and his misnamed organization, Freedom Works. For the most part these "recruits" were the very people who needed the system to be reformed. They were not Wall Street moguls, many if not most were the recipients of earlier progressive reforms that had been put into place during the 20th Century to provide a social safety net and ensure a decent standard of living for all Americans... Social Security, Medicare, education, GI Bill of Rights, regulatory protection. But they were fed the idea that Obama was a danger to their way of life. The Bush Administration was responsible for the economic disaster but it was Obama who was getting the blame. Those who had made billions from the freewheeling, unregulated economy knew that something was going to happen...they might actually have to pay taxes and follow the laws. How to keep this from becoming reality?? Create a perceived grassroots movement against change. Take advantage of the leftover racism smoldering in all corners of the United States. Use the ignorance of people who spend their free time watching Wheel of Fortune. Locate and mobilize the paranoid remnants of the John Birch Society and Militia movements... remind these disgruntled individuals that their government is going to take away their freedom and at worst kill their elderly parents. Provide buses, signs, and Fox "News" coverage...make sure the number of rally attendees is grossly exaggerated and Voila!!! you have a movement. The mainstream press is more than happy to show people screaming at elected Representatives and Senators omitting the fact that the screamers had been coached and often bussed in from "somewhere".

This so called movement is not grassroots, it is a manufactured attempt to keep the economy unregulated by a cabal of wealthy, unprincipled individuals who are using people for their own gain. The tactic has worked so well. Bush et al mastered the art with the religious right; gaining their allegiance with promises to end abortion and turn the country into a Christian nation, while pushing programs and taking action that was not in their best interest. These people were used to get votes, just as the current protesters are being used to create a bandwagon effect to stifle reform.

The irony is that most of the people "protesting" are mere props for the financial, energy, mining, and healthcare industries. These are often the people who most need protection from predatory lending, high fuel costs, pollution, and an irresponsible health insurance industry. Many are so deluded that they actually think Medicare and Social Security have nothing to do with the government.

Just ignore the truth if it gets in the way.

Reading the New York Times, Washington Post, and the LA Times online this morning I found out that the alleged gunman in the Fort Hood shootings yesterday was a devout Muslim, had recently been very upset about being deployed to Iraq, and that the FBI had been investigating online posts credited to a person using the shooters name lauding suicide killings. Googling The story I came across a conservative blog that was ranting about "big media", especially the LA Times not reporting the previously mentioned items. Wondering if I had misread the articles I went back to the LA Times article and yes. the points were clearly made regarding the shooter's religion, ethnicity, and the FBI investigation. ?????

Did I hear a big thud last night?

"We've got trouble, right here in River City"; but not in the "Pitt"...Randy Voller won reelection as mayor of Pittsboro. The Republican opposition was weak to say the least and people who cast their vote in his direction were most likely voting against Randy just because he is Randy.

Is the country shifting right? No! Those on the far right are deluding themselves and will be very surprised when the next "go round comes round". The Democratic candidate in Virginia ran a ghastly campaign and was a poor choice; Corzine in NJ had baggage; the defeat was all about Corzine. Those who are contending that these two races were a referendum on Obama are off base. NY 23 is probably more indicative of the country than most of the races last night. A moderate Democrat defeating a wingnut conservative in a Republican district that went for Obama. The electorate is in flux and cannot be easily explained.

There is soooo much happening in the world and right here in the "Pitt"

...that I just do not know where to begin.

The Pittsboro Mayoral race is tomorrow; I'll let you know how it turns out.

Georgia Bulldog fans (especially those who went to Jacksonville) are all in treatment this week. I think they've dropped out of the top 50.

Democrats are going to get slaughtered tomorrow and its their fault. Virginia will be bleeding red. NJ may escape but it will not be pretty.

The UNC Tarheels (basketball) are ranked #4!!!!!

Bruz, Pat, and I watched Friday the 13th (the original) Halloween night. We had never seen it, and thought it was perhaps the worst movie we had ever seen. Emily was shocked that none of us had experienced this cinematic milestone and informed me that it is the template for all the slasher movies that followed...well, that makes it worth watching.

The leaves are beautiful...driving 15/501 is akin to a Fall paradise.

The Pittsboro Street Fair this year was quite nice. The Castaways were playing (Carolyn, remember them?) There was great food, interesting crafts, lots of people that we knew, and a great time.

I knew things were too quiet.

My time will now be spent learning Chinese because Millie dug a hole in the backyard to CHINA.

This is Millie rebutting!

I cannot believe Katrina is acting like she does not like me. After all how could anyone not think that I am the cutest thing on 4 legs!!!! I am trying my best not to be a pest, but I just can't help myself. I am going outside to "potty" as my mother calls it...by the way Mom where the heck are you? I do like the fact that I am not stuck in that stupid crate all the time, but I sure do miss you. Mom, I want you to know that I am particularly fond of those rag rugs in Pat and Jane's bathroom, but Jane keeps yelling at me every time I try to rip the fun little rag things out by their roots. Can't you speak to her and convince her that I should be able to tear them to sheds, they ARE ugly anyway...don't you think? I found this cool thing attached to a suitcase under the bed and Jane was upset at first but then she let me play with it...I do win some of these battles. I think if I start chewing on the leg of the bed I will die so I will be good but the temptation is really great. My bitting is getting better, but Mom, do you think I was supposed to be a crocodile? Jane is doing a great job of breaking me of this terrible habit but as you know I just can't help myself.

This is Katrina speaking!!!!!!!!!

HELP....my docile existence has been shattered by a wild puppy who will not leave me alone. Brinkley came last weekend and I was very glad to see her, but she brought Millie, her lab puppy, and left her here. Just to give you an example of what my life has become...Jane and I are calmly sitting on the couch which is our usual morning routine...she drinks her coffee and reads and I just relish the moment. But no more. Millie is out on the deck doing something that is causing a great deal of noise and this makes Jane crazy causing her to scream and keep getting up. Now she is pulling lamp cords out of the socket. I have retreated to the back of Pat and Jane's closet at night so she cannot get to me. She sleeps in her crate but I know it is only a matter of time before she figures out how to open it...she does appear quite bright. She tries to eat my food, she bites my ears, she doesn't share her toys. I am paying more attention to Pat and Jane hoping this will keep them on my side; for example, when they came home last night I was all over them with kisses and I acted like I had not seen them in a month, and it worked. I got to be on the couch. But natch the Millster was right up there too. I let her put half her body across my neck just so she would stop moving around like a snake on crack. Such is my life now.

Smell that aroma, that's how you know they are alive

Ahhh the State Fair. Needless to say we did not go into that "exhibit". Kristy, Kathy, Brinkley, and Emily joined us this year. The highlight of the adventure was Kristy getting LOST! Yes you read it right...we turned around and she was nowhere to be found. We were in the animal exhibit and we feared she had joined the cute goats or perhaps was milking a cow. But no, and she wasn't outside...we became very concerned since she did not have her cell phone. But alas, over the PA we heard (and mind you everyone at the Fair heard as well) "Pat and Jane Serkedakis come to the exhibition hall lobby to meet Kristy!" We went to get her and told the lady at the desk that she didn't get out much.

Brinkley and Emily were in line to ride some crazy ride when the operator took out a ladder and proceeded to fix something...out of that line they came real quick. Once again we couldn't get into the pig races. i guess we will try again next year.

We all intended to get some weird fried food but fried Oreos were the only thing we could find. Pat had his much talked about turkey leg and thought he was Attila the Hun.

no to the bow

After an afternoon of football I feel the need to inform all cheerleading squads that bows are out!!!!!

"let's go fly a kite..."

Just think...if the news media covered the relationship of members of Congress with the health care industry like they covered the "balloon boy" HOAX we would have real reform.

There's a thrill in the air

Here in the Triangle the people have something to look forward to when football is fruitless.....BASKETBALL!!!!! Late night with Roy was last night and the traffic in Chapel Hill was awful. Whatcha got to look forward to Georgia?

Witch Hazel

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Hazel. I vividly remember this storm. We lived at Pope Air Force Base near Fayetteville and through my mind's eye I can see things flying down the alley behind our house.

Harry Reid's poll numbers in Nevada are dismal and I say good! The best thing that could happen in order to advance progressive reform would be to change the Democratic leadership in the Congress.

peace is....

..."to be able to defend yourself and blow your enemies to smithereens."

Sean Hannity (and he wonders)

We are all rich again!

The DOW just closed a bit above 10,000...so no need to worry any more.

It's the coach, I've said it all along.

Things are always happening!

The political intrigue of the"Pitt" continues...The Mayoral election is underway and like Pittsboro in general there is no middle ground, Randy Voller v Bill Crawford. Very few people seem to know much about Crawford and he did not show up for a candidate forum held the other night by the League of Women Voters. He too lives in our neighborhood but I have never seen him. The issues are many and very complex. Actually there are important issues...the "Pitt" water is suspect, there are strange dwellings around town, local merchants need support, and there is that strange smell that keeps coming back over on the other side of town. There are many who will vote for Crawford simply because he is a Republican and they despise Voller, but I have no idea who will win. Will keep you posted; I know you will be sitting on the edge of your seats come election night.

When given a choice the "Pitt" deer love flowers...you guessed it, no flowers in my backyard. They neatly nibble every little flower leaving all the plants with nubs. Gotta love em.

We have 4, count them, 4 pending sales!!!!!

They have paved Thompson Street (home to the Wash & Fold) so when you come to visit you no longer have to avoid pot holes.

Give Peace a Chance

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Barack Obama! But I am sure the notecards are being distributed to the lemmings with instructions to disparage the venerable award. Think back to all the nasty words hurled Jimmy Carter's way and lets not forget the right's maligning of Al Gore.

"The Daily Beast" has determined that Raleigh Durham is the smartest city in the US.

"We need Democrats with guts"

.......Alan Grayson!!!!! You are the man!!!!

Going Rogue:

An American Life. This is the title of the book that has been written for Sarah Palin and will be released November 17th. Do you think anyone actually looked up what the word "rogue" means? As a noun rogue is a dishonest, knavish person; a scoundrel; a tramp or vagabond. As a verb rogue means to cheat and as an adjective rogue is having an abnormally saucy or unpredictable disposition, or no longer obedient, belonging, or accepted.

Perhaps she and her ghost writer think this is a good thing. The "book" is being published by Harper Collins owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns Fox News.

ACORNs

Somehow I have missed discussing the Oak Tree that lives in our backyard. It is a huge, beautiful tree that hosts all sorts of wildlife. As we know Oak Trees produce wonderful, adorable acorns every year and in the Fall they fall to the ground with the hope of producing another Oak Tree. Since the tree is so tall the acorns fall a long way before they hit the deck, the roof, or the ground. Good ole Newton taught us about this phenomenon, but with nice soft, squishy apples. These acorns fall at the speed of a bullet and sound like gunfire when they hit the deck and roof. This goes on for several weeks before the towering Oak has shed all the cute little nuts. It is a race with the squirrels to see who can get to them first.....they try to bury them and I try to pick them up and dump them into the woods. I am not sure who is winning but you can see what fun we have here in the "Pitt".

And you thought this post was going to be about that communistic terror group that is trying to take over our country.

Why were Civil War battles fought in National Parks????

...Pat Buchanan. (Now, doesn't that sound stupid? It was a joke Buchanan made on MSNBC this morning during a piece on Ken Burns' new series on National Parks. It was quite funny and rather clever. But when you take it out of context Pat sounds really stupid. That's what Republicans do all the time...take things out of context and make a huge deal out them.)

You must pay attention to know what to say.

I hope all conservatives have gotten their new marching orders......Medicare is not to be touched under any circumstances!!!!! After bashing the system and claiming it will be bankrupted sometime in the near future, they now want no cuts, no nothing! The socialistic, single payer, health plan is sacrosanct!

Climate change IS real

Exelon, one of the largest energy corporations, has withdrawn their membership in the Chamber of Commerce. They have taken this action because the Chamber, a very conservative organization, denies that climate change exists. Exelon is committed to addressing the issue of climate change and should be commended. Call them at 800.483.3220. A really nice woman answers the phone. They do not have a number to take these calls but she told me she would figure out who to get the comments to.

Sunday driving

The rain and gloom have gone and Fall is here. We decided to ramble around the roads south of the Pitt yesterday. Pat found the "House in the Horseshoe" on the map and wanted to go see what it was....well, it is closed on Sunday but is a home where a North Carolina revolutionary, Philip Alston, resided. http://www.nchistoricsites.org/horsesho/HORSESHO.HTM . Though we did not get to go in it is very typical of the "ordinary" dwelling indicative of colonial NC. Missing, for the most part, from this state are the elegant, colonial homes found in South Carolina and Virginia.

After not seeing the House in the Horseshoe we drove to Pinehurst. What a beautiful little village. Golf of course rules, but the houses are beautiful and cute little shops abound.

This is a test!

Find a liberal website and a conservative website...read the comments. Which side has more misspelled words? I'll give you a hint, "obamercare wont fex anethang".

Hey, Hey, EC, you look so good to me!

ECU 7 UNC 0. And that was the end of that....We decided to go to Chapel Hill to see if we could get tckets. Yes we did, great seats but the pirates just couldn't pull it off.

Flash!

Bill O'Reilly has come out for the public option...now pick yourself up off the floor.

No, No, No, No!

At some point sensible Republicans will say yes to something. There has to be something they are in favor of. No one is against everything unless they just want to be against everything to hurt the other side. Ahhhh, maybe they just want to be opposed to everything and anything the Democrats and Obama are in favor of. At some point the negativity has to become tiresome to most people.

Show him what real democracy is about!

"Joe" Wilson's website is finally back up, www.joewilson.house.gov. To his credit, you do not have to have a SC 2nd Congressional District zipcode to send him an email. Send him a message.....NOW

Peter, Paul, and...

Mary has died. The many hours spent singing along with PP&M in high school are all coming back. Went to see them at NC State when I was a junior in HS and thought I had gone to heaven. Jan, remember when you, Johnny, Carolyn, and I would sit around and sing to their music. I am sure her voice is "blowin in the wind".

Tell the truth Jimmy!!!!!

ECU v UNC...

...This Saturday! Carolyn, I think it was 1974 when we went to the game and ECU smeared UNC!!!!! That was Pat Dye time. There is a buzz in Chapel Hill, people are actually talking about tailgating.

Archie & Veronica

The invitations have gone out so it is true, Archie and Veronica are getting married.

Pay Per Click

Joe Wilson is advertising on conservative web sites to raise money.......cost him money; click on his ad, and click again, and again. His google bill will be enormous.

Why Georgia MUST beat south carolina

First Steve Spurrier's visor is sooooo out of style. Second it's south carolina (now relegated to lower case) home of Anniston Wilson, racist. Some sc history is needed (because everything comes down to history in my world). South carolina (a sentence has to begin with a capital letter) was very different from the other North American British colonies. Sugar planters from Barbados fled north for fear that slaves would revolt on the island and settled what would become Charles Towne. They brought with them the extremely harsh Barbados slave code, began cultivating rice and importing more African slaves than any other colony. Slavery in the other colonies developed very slowly but in sc it came lock stock and barrel from Barbados. It was a different mindset. For much of colonial and ante bellum history there were more African slaves in sc than Whites. Fear of Black revolt was ever present. The Stono Rebellion in 1739 was the worst slave rebellion in early America. The south carolina planters captured the rebellious slaves, had them decapitated, placed the heads on pikes, and put the pikes along a road to deter any future rebellion. Slave codes were strengthened and punishments became more harsh.

These rice planters became the wealthiest and most influential group in Colonial North America. It was this group that exerted its power and convinced Jefferson not to include a condemnation of slavery in the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution will be written to include the heinous three-fifths compromise, protection of the slave trade until 1808, and provision for fugitive slave laws without using the word slave because the Southern slave owner had so much power.

As time went on the economy of the United States changed. John C Calhoun (Senator, Governor, Vice President of the US from sc) realized that the South's representation in the House of Representatives was diminishing because their population was not increasing like that of the North. He knew the South was doomed if they did not begin to embrace industry and develop a manufacturing economy. Southern Planters resisted this because it would challenge their social, political, and economic status as well as bring in paid labor. Failing to bring about the industrialization of sc Calhoun devises the Doctrine of Nullification in the South Carolina Exposition. As sc and the rest of the South diminished in size and influence relative to the North and developing West, Calhoun felt the only way to protect their increasing minority status was nullification and interposition. The State over the nation. States should be able to declare null and void any act of Congress that went against the interests of a state. Calhoun saw this as the only way to save his beloved sc and its slave based society. It should be noted that the idea of nullification, that had been put forth in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts in the late 1790's, was quite different. Jefferson and Madison were concerned about the Congress passing laws that violated the Bill of Rights and putting the very nature of freedom in jeopardy. (The Supreme Court had not yet exerted its power of judicial review) Sc freaked out when the 1828 tariff was passed by Congress and surmised that if Congress could pass something so egregious to sc then it could outlaw slavery. When the tariff was lowered a bit it was not enough for sc so they NULLIFIED it. They threw around the idea of secession and Jackson had to send troops to put down the "nullifiers". Calhoun digs in, resigns the vice presidency and returns to sc.

The south and especially sc felt very secure in their position prior to the Civil War. The Presidents that served until Lincoln were either from the South or were pro south northerners (Pierce for example). the Supreme Court was dominated by pro slave justices (Dred Scott Decision) and the South was able to protect themselves as long as they were not outnumbered in the Senate. The Missouri compromise guaranteed that territory included in the Louisiana Purchase below the 36-30 latitude would enter the union as slave states. When Congress passed the Kansas Nebraska Act in 1854 negating the sacrosanct Missouri Compromise Line, not only was the Republican Party created, but it ignited a firestorm. Preston Brooks a Congressman from south carolina stormed onto the floor of the Senate during debate on the act and savagely beat Senator Charles Sumner (staunch abolitionist from Mass) over the head with a cane, That's how they do it in sc, beat the hell out you. Calhoun was dead by this time and sc was in the hands of a group called the "fire eaters" who were hell bent on seceding from the union. ( It needs to be noted that Calhoun was a very complex individual. He never advocated secession which is surprising to most. He was wedded to his state and his way of life.)

sc was the first to secede and they even threatened to secede from the confederacy during the Civil war. The state has always been a bit different. More like the colonial west indies than British North America.

Anniston Graves Wilson...

....not sure where the Joe comes from. Let it be noted that this racist, yes, I have decided unequivocally that much if not most of the bruhaha is RACIST based, is not in any way sorry he called the President of the United States a liar. He is using the supposed spontaneous scream to raise money! He is now the hero of the "lunatic fringe"!

On August 19th a fundraising event was held at the home Darla and John Oldham in South Carolina and guess what? It was sponsored by the South Carolina Medical Equipment Association!!!!!!!!! "Joe" Wilson has received more than $428,000 from the healthcare industry according to opensecrets.org. In addition, he and his entire family are recipients of TRICARE, a government run heathcare program for military personnel. He benefits from what he doesn't want anyone else to have.

It is difficult to find numbers to call "Joe" and the numbers you find are always busy, his Congressional website is down. You CAN however easily give him money. I did speak with one person, Sunny Philips. She is a fundraiser for "Joe" and other fine SC Republicans. She will hang up on you but you can call her at 803.377.3734. She claims he is VERY popular in the 2nd District of SC.

Rob Miller was his opponent and garnered 46% of the vote against "Joe". He has reportedly raised a million dollars since the slipped, spontaneous, scream.

Support Rob Miller! He is a veteran and a reasonable person.

So many thoughts

9/11 brings so many memories and so many raw feelings. After the second tower fell I walked out on a balcony down the hall from my classroom into the crystal clear day, and the silence was deafening.

September 10, 2001

A hot, humid day in Tuscaloosa Alabama. Kristy and I had gone to Bid Day to be with Brinkley. It was fun and Brinkley got the sorority she wanted. Kristy and I were a bit amazed at the hoopla surrounding this event. Police were out, streets were closed, bids were given out in the stadium! It was a busy day and as we were leaving we had a flat tire, couldn't get it fixed and had to trade cars with Brink. It was really late when we finally headed back to Atlanta. Dreading having to go to school the next day and teach, I jokingly mentioned to Kristy that maybe we would have a bomb threat tomorrow........

Joe Wilson's website is still down. Be sure to look at the Republicans around him last night as he accused the President of the United States of lying. They do not look shocked or upset in any way! Today they are acting like this was bad but while it was happening they were just fine. While the country gasped they played with their blackberries. Watch it. And by the way, I LOVE Pelosie's reaction.

This morning an interesting group of right-wing individuals were waiting outside Wilson's office to offer support...Randall Terry, the anti-abortion radical for one.

In the past, members of Congress have booed or hissed when a President was speaking, but NO ONE HAS SCREAMED "You Lie"!!!!! There is a difference and if you cannot see the difference I am sorry.

All these Republicans are saying they do not know what Obama said last night.....I guess they don't, they were all too busy texting or tweeting. Perhaps if they had paid attention they would know what was said. I know what he said.

Someone on Fox said the speech was too long....Yes, too long for the 30 second attention spans of their usual audience.

For those of you who are conservative and are reasonable, i.e you read, watch news coverage from a variety of sources, understand how the American system really works, and are willing to actually carry on a conversation with a person that does not agree with you, you need to look around and understand that you are being defined by the nutjobs that are now the picture of the Republican Party. Just as the crazies in the 1960's came to define the Democrats and brought about a dramatic change in the political landscape, the same thing is happening to you today. It is impossible for me to understand how people find no problem running up an astronomical deficit to fund a war, but are so vehemently opposed to their fellow Americans having access to decent health care. Think about it...what is really going on here? Health insurance companies make obscene profits and yet people are out screaming to protect these profits. Most people have stories...mine are few but we have been reasonably healthy. Emily had her tonsils out a couple of years ago and United HealthCare balked on paying the $1,000 anesthesia bill. This was clearly covered but they indicated that the provider had not put the correct code on the bill. My response was "give me a break!!!" get it straight, I am NOT paying the bill if you want the money fix the problem!!! United HealthCare does this all the time and many if not most people pay the bill and never see the money they are entitled to. Ka-ching for the insurer. Imagine how much money is made by doing this over and over. I did not give up and they paid the money, but why should people have to fight for their benefit?.

You need to step back and listen carefully to what people are saying. You need to know that elected Republicans are actually supporting the "birthers" and the screamers; are those the people you want to be associated with. Imagine what you would have done or how you would have felt if a Democrat yelled at President Bush during a speech before A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS "you LIE". I would have been appalled and I am sure you would have been appalled as well. It's time to step back and be reasonable.

Joe Wilson's website is down due to "maintenance" but you can certainly get to a site to donate money to him.

It's Joe Wilson of South Carolina...you cannot get to his website. If a Democrat had yelled out at Bush..."you lie!!" It would be treason.

OOOBAMA!!!!

One of the greatest political speeches I have ever heard,. He was not petty even though a numskull called him a liar. He was great.

A member of the United States Congress has yelled out" liar" to the President of the United States in a speech before a Joint Session on Congress.

09/09/09

I guess I have to say something on this day of 9's....I continue to be amazed at the stupidity of a significant number of Americans. Birthers, death panels, keep government out of my medicarers...I just do not know what is going on. Where are the sane people? Someone has got to come forward and stop these maniacs. To actually not allow schools to listen to the President is outrageous. Most of this is in the South. Could racism be behind alot of the rhetoric? Before you knee jerk into no, think about it.

The very people who are most negatively affected by corporate wrongs are the ones out protecting the obcene profits of banks, health insurance companies, oil interests, etc. It is very puzzling....but then most of the people who fought for the Confederacy to protect the right of a handful of wealthy planters to own slaves never owned a slave. Go figure. (Bernie if you say something about the Civil War not being fought over slavery I will vomit)

Get rid of Medicare immediately!

All of these morons who are screaming and yelling in the so called townhall meetings, and the members of Congress who oppose the public option should DEMAND the dismantling of Medicare. If they want the government out of health care, the single payer, government run system must go.....and while they are at it, get rid of Veterans' hospitals, Medicaid, public health departments, any government grants to fund doctor and nurses training, and we certainly do not need the CDC. Why doesn't someone actually investigate who these so called protestors are. Wouldn't it be interesting if we found out that health insurance companies are paying them?

Football Season is here!

I have a love/hate relationship with college football. I hate the game with its macho grunting and not so bright players but I love the hoopla of the game...the bands, the fans, the cheering, the tailgating. It is soooo Fall. Football season in Chapel Hill is much more relaxing than Athens. This year the Tarheels should be pretty good so things may get out of control on occasion, but be assured that it will be reserved excitement. At least there is ECU coverage here. Go fighting Pirates!

What in the hell is going on?

School systems around the country are kowtowing to the lunatic fringe and either not showing Obama's speech on September 8th, or allowing parents to write letters to the school asking that their child not watch THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Some are keeping their children at home so they will not be exposed to the elected President. What!!!???? I cannot for one minute believe this. Schools should show the speech and tell parents they can keep their brats at home and accept whatever action comes with missing school. I cannot begin to imagine what would have happened if I had REFUSED to show speeches by President Bush or Reagan. Check the policy your local school system has regarding this issue and make a call! Fulton County has adopted a namby pamby statement which acquiesces to the right.

Atlanta

I went back to Atlanta this weekend for the first time in almost a year. The traffic is still horrible and everything is still manicured. But the downtown area is really booming and that's good because the rest of Atlanta exists because of the city. That was always one of my beefs...people rarely felt an obligation to "downtown". Complaining about paying for Grady Hospital, the sewers, or anything in the city is a major pastime of OTPers (outside the perimeter) forgetting that their little enclaves would not exist if it weren't for downtown. But it was wonderful visiting with friends who I miss and it was good to get back to the land of moderate traffic and very few billboards. Funny...I did not see any double wides in the atl.

My Em

Emily is a Phi Beta Kappa!!! So proud. Two Phi Beta Kappa children make a Mom proud.

My Brink

The most recent Brinkley move has little blog material. It went smoothly with the movers coming right on time and being very efficient. See, that's not very funny. There was a small problem with her car, but even that got solved with little problem. The newest new place (number 7 since college) is great. It's in VaHi and in walking distance of many restaurants and bars. We are so glad and proud that she has a great job with people she likes. Go Roy...win one for the sane people!!!! Call her Leonard and take her to dinner.

Just some thoughts

PBS is not renewing the 26 year old program Reading Rainbow. You may remember the wonderful show as a child or a parent. It was lovely, and I wonder how many kids picked up a book because of the show? Why is it ending? During the Bush administration it was determined that teaching reading must be about phonics and vocabulary and funding dried up for the idea of getting kids to want to read. I am not saying that phonics and vocabulary are not important, but there should be room for different approaches. Is television the place to actually teach the basics anyway?

The "news" women on CNN are single-handedly keeping the makeup industry in business.

It's "steak night" at Virlie's. They grill out the back on Fridays. Isn't that cute?

If naked people in public bother you, don't look at them.

What If?

What if someone had checked all the floors in the Texas Book Depository on November 22, 1963? What if security had checked the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel on June 6, 1968? What if friends had not let a friend drive drunk on June 18, 1969? What would the world be like today?

Goodbye Teddy

The Kennedys have been such a part of my life that it's hard to imagine the last of the brothers gone. I do long for Camelot. But we know it never really existed.

You've got to be kidding!

Dick Cheney says Obama is politicizing the Justice Department???!!!! REALLY! The right has no shame. The most politicized Justice Department EVER, more so than even Nixon's, existed under the Bush administration.

This is great. Watch it!!!!!

Buttocks or Ballots - Democratic Underground

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Garden Updates

Our water bill this month is out of sight, but the garden is green and healthy. I see it as the price for serenity. My Japanese Maple that lost all its leaves due to those pesky white flies has rallied and the leaves have come back! The little Impatiens plant that somehow made it from Jackson's Creek in the Jade Plant, has become huge and is blooming like crazy...its my link to my Marietta garden. We have a ton of tomatoes that are getting ready to ripen. The Carolina Jasmine has made it to the top of the trellis. All the cute little things that I planted around the pond have gone crazy, I must say, it is beautiful. We put in another small pond and a sitting area in the back that is really nice. I have been getting cedars out of the woods at the top of the hill and putting them in strategic places and they seem to be doing well.

What a wonderful hobby...to watch things grow

the waning summer

As August comes to an end the real columnists return from vacation and ONCE AGAIN Frank Rich has hit the nail on the head. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/opinion/23rich.html

I want to scream, but there is no one to hear me.

I am so disturbed about the state of my country. I just cannot comprehend how the euphoria of November has turned into total chaos.

It seems as though a great number of people listen to ONLY a few voices on the radio and look at (as opposed to reading) ONLY a few websites and believe, parrot, and act on whatever instructions are given to them. They do not seem to question or research anything that they are told. If these people really believed that the government is spending too much money and the deficit is out of control where were they for the 8 years of George W Bush's Presidency? They cannot really think that this all just happened. The TARP program and the "takeover" of the automobile industry was started while GEORGE W BUSH WAS PRESIDENT. Why weren't these so called believers out on the streets screaming and carrying ridiculous signs then? More than a few "protesters" have gone ballistic over "government takeover health care" but then indicate that they are on Medicare, A SINGLE PAYER GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Some of these people are unbalanced and do not live in the world that you and I live in, but most are reasonably intelligent people who participate in society but are so ill informed that it has become dangerous. They do not read. They would NEVER actually see what the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek or any information outlet had to say about an issue. They only believe Rush or Sean or emails that come to them from like-minded individuals. They are forever referencing the Constitution and the Founders, but they really have no idea what the Constitution really says or what the Founders wanted. For example Michele Bachmann recently told Sean Hannity on Fox that members of the House had to represent their constituents' wishes, IT IS IN THE CONSTITUTION. No it isn't. No where in the document does it state this. She also went on to say that Health care reform as it is proposed is unconstitutional because the enumerated powers do not include funding health care. to quote Barney Frank, "what planet do you live on?" Does she not know that there is The Preamble and implied powers? Article I sec 8 clause 18 was interpreted by the Supreme Court in McCulloch v Maryland to say that Congress could pass laws that were implied by the enumerated powers, hence a national bank could be created. And that pesky Preamble with the call to "promote the general welfare". Why does Michele Bachmann think the Court has not declared Medicare unconstitutional? Where does she think national roads, paper money, aid to education, national institute of health, EPA, Social Security, the FED, or any other government agency that performs a function not specifically enumerated in Article I, sec 8 clauses 1-17 come from. I am sure that all those regulars who heard her did not question, did not think, they just went out and repeated it to someone else.

I am putting blame on President Obama, the Democratic Congress, and the Media. Obama should not have believed for one minute that these people would compromise. He needs to take a stand and get it done. What in the world are the leaders of Congress doing? When will someone stand up and do what is right? Those in the media who are actually journalists and understand the political system and the history of this country need to report what the Constitution actually says, they need to call into question the ridiculous rantings of the right. Donations from the health care industry to every member of Congress need to be reported.

it's an interesting day in the neighborhood...

...to paraphrase a famous television personality. My "Pitt" neighborhood is very different from the rather homogeneous one in East Cobb. Having walked almost everyday with my trusty Katrina down every street I can size up this eclectic development.

There are political and cultural extremes. The right-wing conservatives with their perfectly manicured lawns who fence off their lawns with crime scene tape on Halloween to force little children to use the driveway, to the leftover hippies who never cut the grass (unless its grass) and park very old and battered cars on the street. I have made it a point to converse with both and if I happen upon people from both groups in the same day I experience a rather schizophrenic moment.

I have come across Asians, Blacks, Hispanics; elderly, young, middle aged; retired, working, existing; married, single, gay. Just on our street there are people from New York, France, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and of course NC. There is a guy whose parents live in Alpharetta. There are husbands who are stay-at-home Dads (alot of them). It seems that many people work at UNC and Duke hospitals. There are professors, writers, a church music director, computer people, teachers, a principal, an editor for a tax publication, a policeman, a school bus driver, a couple of builders, real estate agents (beside us), farmers, the mayor and several city councilmen. And these are the people I have met.

Very few people put their cars in the garage. This seems to be everywhere. There are BMW's, Volvos, Toyotas, alot of American cars, Lexuses (whatever the plural is), a mercedes or two, a porsch, a corvette, many pickup trucks of all sizes, but the greatest number of cars seem to be Hondas. Like the people, the cars are varied.

It seems that every house has a dog or dogs. Some are nice and some are very agressive. You name a dog breed and it lives here. Katrina is very selective in the dogs she will speak to. Her favorites are Spike and Salem an adorable Pug that lives across the street. I am not sure what kind of dog Spike is.

There is a handicapped women that lives by herself and can often be seen "walking" her dog in her wheelchair. The 97 year old man who lives with his daughter rides his 3-wheeled bike every day and always has a cheery hello. Do not think that everyone is pleasant...there is a person who will not speak. She lives with her mother and is a "Christian"...I know this because she has John 3:16 plastered on the back of her car and bumper stickers lauding the family values of sarah palin.

There are several foreclosures and houses on the market for $869,000, $499.000, $400,000 $349,000, $329,000, $275,000, $179,000.

What can I say, its just sooooo interesting.

And oh by the way, Archie's daughter is fine.

sad to say....but

What does it mean when my "favorites" include the National Enquirer and Gawker? At least I know that John Edwards is moving his mistress and love child into his 2 million dollar home in Wilmington. Elizabeth evidently threw a fit. AND Sarah Palin has thrown her wedding ring into Lake Louise and is really divorcing Todd.

nazis?

What is with these maniacs who insist on calling Obama and anyone who supports health reform a nazi? Do they know who the nazis were and what they did? They certainly were not socialists. Adolph Hitler and his party were on the RIGHT, they were FASCISTS. The nazi party included the word socialism in their name but that was just a ruse......just like the conservatives using words like freedom, democracy, fairness, liberty, etc. in the names of groups that do their bidding... to throw people off track. Most often these groups have nothing to do with freedom, democracy, fairness, liberty or anything that has to do with these concepts. They are designed to push their anti-freedom, anti-fairness, anti-liberty, anti-democratic agenda onto the public. They know, just like Hitler knew, you can throw people off with the "Big Lie".

Wednesday morning in the "Pitt"

It is soooo humid, but Katrina and I do not mind because the weather this summer has been wonderful considering the geography. While we were walking NPR reported that Archie has proposed to Veronica after all these years. Naturally Betty is very upset and has said so on her blog. We all knew that money and beauty would win out over "the girl next door". Will Veronica accept is the question.

August is becoming a "suburb of September" says NPR. (I love it) August used to be the month of doing nothing...schools did not start until after Labor Day, there was no news, everyone was on vacation. But no more.

We ran into our friend Archie (not of comic book fame) on his way to the Food Lion. Bad news is that his daughter had just been in an automobile accident on 87. Hopefully all will be well.

The magazine 15/501 has designated Pittsboro "a hotbed of rural charm". I do not think I can comment.

I am paying attention to the hurricane Bill as it works its way to the west. If it were to hit the coast just think of the weather reports....wild Bill slams into the coast of North Carolina.

"scuse me while I kiss the sky"

Everyone who was alive 40 years ago today has some sort of Woodstock story real or imagined. My recollection is most likely the most common...I almost went. Carolyn, Stevie, and I am not sure who else were sitting in the "parlor" of the Alpha Xi house at ECU several days before (the picture is so Woodstock). Someone, maybe Stevie, said there was a music festival in New York and we should all take a roadtrip....thinking went on but it was decided that it was too far. Oh well we coulda been there.

Who else was there Carolyn? If we had gone would we have turned around?

I just do not know what to say...

"These are the times that try mens souls"

For some reason I believed that there would be calm in the cosmos after November

Mama Mia makes me happy...

Never saw the play, but on this very hot afternoon I am watching it on HBO and smiling. I love my girls soooo much. Thanks for coming Brink.

I want to have a beer with Obama.

enough said

Why there will be no real healthcare reform.

Most people (including myself) do not understand the issue and are not going to really try to get the real picture. Many, if not most, are simply going to repeat what they have heard from the echo chamber they exist in.

The media is influenced by big pharma, health insurance companies, and every organization that makes money off the current system. If you doubt this watch Fox, CNN, and MSNBC for any hour of any day and count the number of commercials that are health related. Do you think for a moment that they are reporting the real story when MOST of their revenue comes from the health industries. How much money do the proponents AND those who are quietly standing in the background letting reform fail get from the health care industry? No one reports that.

Those who are adversely affected by the current system are powerless...they only provide anecdotal cover for politicians who pretend to be working on reform.

A Giant Step......

40 years ago we landed on the moon but I did not see it. I was at Virginia Beach with college friends working in a restaurant...Neptune's Corner I think. A Greek family owned the establishment. This was an old world family, the "women" lived in Greece because American society would have surely corrupted them and the sons only spent the summers at the restaurant. The waitresses were seen as slaves and under no circumstances would we be allowed to leave to see the FIRST MEN LAND ON THE MOON. Looking back I am not sure why I didn't just leave but we had to pay rent, Oh well I think we heard it on a radio.

life is good

It's another beautiful day in the "Pitt". we have had great weather this summer but a little rain would be nice.

Getting a handle on those white flies.

Watching Le Tour de France and finding it really exciting. My brother rides L'Etape du Tour tomorrow. It takes the route of stage 20 of the Tour. I hope he makes it up Mont Ventoux. Good Luck Bruz!!!!

...and that's the way it is.

I am saddened that Walter Cronkite is no longer here. I feel like he was part of my family. We watched him every night and there was just something about him. He took you with him and believe me there were places to go in the 60's and 70's... the killing of JFK and the funeral, the civil rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the Vietnam war, the anti war movement, and the politics. If you remember Cronkite as an unbiased, just report the "facts" journalist you do not remember Cronkite. It was Walter Cronkite who saw the futility in the Vietnam War by 1968 and said so on his news broadcast. He did not scream and call anybody an idiot, he just calmly said what he believed to be the truth and a nation listened and realized that he was right. President Johnson said at the time that if he had lost Cronkite he had lost the country. Walter was appalled during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago at the antics of Mayor Daley. He made this very clear as he anchored CBS's coverage from his booth high atop the convention floor. He loved the space program and did not hesitate to show it. He almost jumped out of his chair the night John Glenn won the senate seat in Ohio. I can see his face right now smiling. He did not take me to the moon but that's a story for Monday, the 40th anniversary of the first men on the moon.

The world seems a little less comfortable.

10 Pictures that rocked the world - Democratic Underground

10 Pictures that rocked the world - Democratic Underground

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Wonkette : Yet Again, Email Republican Elected Officials = Repulsive Racism

Wonkette : Yet Again, Email Republican Elected Officials = Repulsive Racism

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White Flies!!???

My garden has been attacked by white flies and I am sure this has been caused by Obama. Everyone should check their yards for these WHITE flies immediately. They have proven impossible to get rid of and are on their way to wrecking havoc with every living thing in the backyard. Oh to go back to the days when there were only harmless black flies. Oh Obama!

As soon as I get over this I will comment on the Senate Judiciary Committee and its Latina fetish.

"Allons enfants de la patria, le jour de gloire est arrive.

Vive la France!

Cap and Trade...

Sarah Palin has an oped piece in the Washington Post this morning...yes Wapo. I know it hurts but that's what has happened to journalism. I read this editorial and if Palin wrote it I will eat my car. This is really getting ridiculous. I want Palin on a LIVE show to explain cap and trade and then take questions.

Republican "history"

Yesterday I came across the website for the Cobb County Republican Women and their newsletter "Elephant Tatter". Glancing through the site I noticed that there was a section written by Michael Zak who has penned a book on the "history" of the GOP. The first edition that I looked at posed the question "Where does the idea of separation of church and state come from?" "The Constitution doesn't say anything about it." The article goes on to quote the preambles of the 50 state constitutions all making some reference to God. I am assuming that this must infer that there is no separation of church and state. There is one thing to say to these women and Mr Zak...The FIRST AMENDMENT to the Constitution of the United States!!!! The Establishment Clause clearly states that Congress shall pass NO law respecting an establishment of religion. The intent was not to have the same situation that existed in England with a state church, the Church of England. The idea of separation of Church and State was embedded in the mindset of colonial America. Roger Williams left Massachusetts Bay and founded Rhode Island because he was very much opposed to the theocratic nature of the Bay Colony. Thomas Jefferson was determined that there was to be a separation and Madison wrote it into the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has upheld this doctrine and it exists! Iran has no separation of church and state.

I went on to read another edition of the "Elephant Tatter " and became even more disturbed. The article was lauding the Republican Women's participation in the Juneteenth celebration in Cobb County. It was noted that the history of the real Republican Party was much in favor of supporting Blacks and that Lincoln's program of reconstruction after the Civil War was dashed upon his death by the DEMOCRAT Andrew Johnson. Zak contends that history books almost always ignore the fact that Johnson was a Democrat and blamed the entire era of "Jim Crow" on Johnson and Democrats. First, there are no credible history books that ignore the fact that Lincoln selected a Tennessee Democrat who had not seceded with his state as vice president. This was an attempt to bring the country together and gain votes in the 1864 election. The early Republican Party that formed in 1854 in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act was nothing like the party today. The Republican Platform in 1860 called for things like NATIONAL banking reform, a National transcontinental railroad, rights of all immigrants acknowledged, and though it disparaged slavery it did not call for its abolition. The actual abolition of slavery and enfranchisement of freedmen was pushed by a group of "Radical Republicans" who had disdain for state governments. They favored taking All land away from those who had supported the Confederacy and REDISTRIBUTING it (OMG) to the freedmen. Gee I bet that would go over real well with all the Southern Republicans today. Johnson was an inept President and became powerless after his impeachment. He was not removed by one vote, a Republican from Nebraska. (should we blame all ills of the world on this one Republican because he caused Johnson to remain in office?) When Reconstruction was over the Republican presidents, Grant, Hayes, Arthur, Harrison, Garfield, McKinley, T Roosevelt, Taft, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover made sure the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were ignored and not enforced. Now a real historian would point out that both political parties and American society in general, were responsible for "Jim Crow" and segregation. Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson certainly did nothing to prevent segregation.

The 1964 Republican Platform and the candidate Barry Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act, and every other piece of legislation that attempted to bring an end to segregation. The "Southern Democrats" in the 1950's and 1960's were the children and grandchildren of the Confederacy and began to filter into the Republican Party as the national Democrats advocated and pushed civil rights legislation. During the 1948 Democratic Convention a group of young Democrats led by Hubert Humphrey included in the party platform a provision calling for the passage of civil rights legislation. This did not go over well with many Southern Democrats so they left, formed the Dixiecrats, held their own convention , and nominated Strom Thurmond to run as their presidential candidate. Thurmond and most of his followers then became Republicans. Zak makes a big deal about the Democrats nominating Senator Sparkman from Alabama as Vice President on their 1952 ticket, and it is true that the Dems were trying to hold on to and appease the votes of Southern Democrats. This was not right but it is a lot like the current Republican Party placating their far right wing's xenophobic rantings and threats to keep the votes. By 1980 the South was a Republican stronghold.

There is very little resemblance between the Republicans today and those before and after the Civil War who advocated the strength of the national government and using the power of the national government to affect dramatic societal change. As a matter of fact, the current Republicans look alot like the pre-Civil War Democrats. History is almost always complex and never simple. Mr Zak, and Republicans in general, have decided that isolating bits of history that "prove" their points, taking them out of context to blame the other side, and never looking at the entire picture makes them right.

It is very dangerous when people change history to validate their agenda. I believe that is what happened in Nazi Germany, Mao's China, and the USSR, wasn't it?