Dawn on a February Morning

A particularly stunning dawn in Fort Lauderdale:

A Private Party

I am celebrating, privately and alone, some exciting personal news.  Can't say what, but I can share these photos of the elements - some champagne, my journal, strawberries, a baguette, and some humus.   Oh yes, and that is incense ash.  

And beams of sunshine.  

Finally, after much longing, some sunshine in my life.  Yeah!   

Retooling at the White House

This is worth a read. I've always liked and admired Plouffe. And this made me laugh out loud:

Plouffe’s take is a bit more sanguine, but far from Pollyannaish. “The president right now is sitting with a job approval rating of just over 50 percent, despite the economy,” he says. “In a presidential-election-year electorate, the Latino vote is playing a stronger and stronger role. So from an Electoral College standpoint, right now I’d rather be us than the other side. That said, we live in an enormously close, 50-50 country. So we should assume—and it may be hard for me to take this approach if Sarah Palin is their nominee, but I will try—that whoever runs against us is a deadly serious threat and we’ll be in a very close election. You have to assume that you’re gonna have to do everything right to get 270 electoral votes.”

The article, the cover story of New York Magazine, is a good piece of reporting, not withstanding that the author was one of the two authors of Game Change (which can never be the definitive report of the campaign because it omitted entirely the Michigan and Florida delegate controversy)

What has Obama Learned?

And does he like his job?

Interesting bits about Larry Summers lack of self-awareness (though he was good on Fareed Zakaria's GPS this past weekend), about how the activity of the lame duck session begs the question of the effect of Emmanuels' absence, and that poll! All in the context of a review of Richard Wolfe's book Renegade.

You can read in full here

Happy 150th Birthday Vassar!

Yeah! Happy Birthday Vassar!

This video is actually pretty and fun to watch. With Meryl and Lisa too.

Why Roots Are Important

This film is beautiful and cool. Enjoy!


Growing is Forever from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

FM on Los Angeles CBS News

check this out:

World War I Officially Ends Today

Very intriguing bit of history - of the past and, as it turns out, the present.  Today Germany makes the last of reparations as set forth in the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. 

Check out the full implications of the first World War.  Pretty remarkable when seen in summary like this. 

Science Fiction Predictions That Came True

h/t The Daily Dish.  Here are 11 sci-fi predictions that have seem to come true.  Not surprisingly HG Wells and Arthur C. Clarke have the most...they are fun to read and contemplate, which you can do here.

Ignorance about History, Religion and the Constitution

I find the discovery from Pew that anesthetists know more about Christianity than Christians do - not all surprising, unfortunately.  Even Catholics, nearly a majority, don't understand the doctrine of transubstantiation. 

Here the Atlantic Wire gathers up the various accounts for why this may be. 

It's very disturbing yet mirrors the ignorance of history and the writing of the US Constitution as recounted by Bradford Plumer in The New Republic's story The Revisionaries - The Tea Party's Goofy Fetish for Amending the Constitution. 

Ignorance is not a badge of honor.  

Is ME/CFS a type of AIDS?

St. Paul's Music Program

Here is a video about the wonderful music at my church. 

"I Love Lucy" Clip - More REAL

Time Lapse Sunset in Sunnyside of Queens, August 18, 2010 (19:49 - 20:35)

New Apartment at 22 West

Well today was the closing on my new apartment.  My dad didn't come.

All went smoothly.   Mark and Libby came over early and did my home blessing with me.  Prayers, saging and holy water.

Here is a photo of the special items I brought that first day:

Yoga mat, champagne, yankees cap, candles - one lavender scented and one in lotus dish, sage, compass, red bowl (for prosperity), Amercian flag and an album of photographs of my mom.

Later, Lorenzo and Adam came, and Ali S. and Gabriel.  We sat on the empty floor and drank champagne.  Thanks guys!

Re British Election

"You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment" 

 !!!!

Wow.  

(reference here)

Up the Mayan Sun Temple

This site is in Belize, where I travelled for the wedding of a very dear friend who is a native. I spent a day alone with a guide exploring Mayan ruins. And took a few videos, of which this is one.

FM Stories Featured at NYTimes web site

Here's a New York Times forum that features audio clips (about 2 minutes each) explaining and describing what it is like to live with FM. 

Click here.

Frankly, for me, listening to others' stories saddens me.  One says she'd rather feel the pain of being beaten with a bat.  I know what she means!  No energy to do simple things. 

Money In and Out of Health Care Law

Great visual chart from the New York Times on the Health Care Law (I love writing Law instead of bill or reform).  The graph shows money in and money out.   Cost containment, for me, is still a concern.  If only more Dems win so we can get a public option.

You can see chart here.

Based on CBO (Congressional Budget Office) and shows effect on budget and deficit.

Amanpour's Interviewing Skills

Any one doubting Amanpour's interviewing skills, check out this extended clip where she interviews Marc Thiessen (actually a class mate of mine from Vassar whom I don't remember).  He defends the Bush torture program.  

You can watch here. 

I believe her selection to host ABC's This Week is going to be interesting and certainly a better call than that made at NBC.