A picture is worth.... hmmm...

Last weekend Wes and I stopped by Dillon's to pick up a few groceries and were astonished to see THIS in the toy vending machines:



Apparently THAT'S what they do with leftover campaign merchandise once the election is over. And how's that for a pretty crappy rendition of McCain?

What's even funnier than this, is that last night at our girls' soiree Jo Minor piped up "you're NEVER going to believe what I saw at Wal-Mart!" We both whipped out our handy-dandy cell phones and compared photos. You can see hers here (when she posts it there will be a link!).

History

I honestly don't have words eloquent enough to describe what I watched last night; the tension, the elation, the sense of relief I felt. I feel proud to be an American today.


I would also like to say how impressed I was by both speeches last night. Senator McCain was gracious and patriotic, and respectful to President Elect Obama. I admire him more for his speech last night than I have during his entire campaign. I found President Elect Obama's speech moving as well. He was hopeful, but also serious about what challenges lie ahead. I can't wait for January 20.

Guess what I did today?

Today, on Halloween, I experienced a first. Although I've voted in every Presidential election (and some of the state ones in between) since I turned 18, I have never physically gone and voted. Today I waited in line for approximately an hour to vote early. I can't wait until next Tuesday so see who our next President will be.

Happy Halloween!

We interrupt...

your regularly scheduled knitting news to bring you this important announcement.



Oh sweet Jeebdus I hope this is true.

Found courtesy of Jamie.

The only way I'd vote Republican....

Current status: SCARED SHITLESS FOR AMERICA.

My life in Bullets.

Let's try this update in bullets, since I'm probably a bit scatter-brained as it is.

• Operation "Find a Job" is in full swing. Unfortunately the mission isn't even close to accomplished yet. Actually I forgot how depressing it is to look for work, especially in a city without my full professional and personal network behind me.
  
• Labor Day weekend has been a weekend without labor. My thank you notes are completely done, most of the presents are put away, and I even managed a little cleaning. I also managed some meals out with the girls, quality time with hubby and lots of knitting.
  
• I have a HUSBAND! (that's still new!)
  
• Knitting progress. I seem to have a parade of knitting in progress as I'm currently rotating 4 projects (and I've got more to go!) From top to bottom: a lush Cozy Cable Scarf in Angora for The Studio, the Roped Shell from Interweave for A Mano, and some socks out of yummy hand-painted for me!
  
• My new temp job as a receptionist starts tomorrow. Let's hope the internet isn't blocked cause nothing but phones for 2+ weeks will be a challenge.
  
• Packrat on Facebook is an addiction. I can stop any time I want... NOT.
  
• As Jon Stewart would say: Clusterfuck to the White House 2008 is in full swing. I was totally inspired by Obama's speech at the DNC. I was totally uninspired by McCain's choice of Veep - apparently Palin's family values include her 17-year-old daughter getting knocked up and married.
  

Denied?

When I made the decision to quit my job in Los Angeles and relocate to the Midwest, I knew certain things wouldn't be easy. Since starting work after college, I hadn't given much thought to what it actually takes to get medical insurance coverage, since I was always eligible for the group plan at the company for which I worked.

I've made no secret on here of the fact that I struggle with anxiety, and sometimes a bit of depression. I was diagnosed in college and have spent a lot of years working with some great health care professionals to the point that I'm not constantly in therapy any more and my medication is simple and consistent. For the most part I don't wake up every day (or go to bed every night) really even thinking that I have a problem.

But try and apply for individual medical insurance these days, and it's a problem. When I quit my job in January I immediately went to apply for coverage at a large, well-known insurance company, which promised great individual coverage. Now I'm a moderately fit young woman. I fit into my weight percentile, I exercise a little (ok not enough, but I have no physical limitations), my blood pressure is normal and I don't smoke, use illegal substances or drink to excess. I'm young and healthy and you would think that I'd be an insurance company's dream.

But I knew it the minute I hit that part of the application: "Have you ever been treated for mental illness? If yes, please give us some additional information." My application came back denied. No rider, no offers of a different plan, nothing. DENIED.

It was then I learned why so much of America is not insured. It doesn't matter if you have money to pay the premiums (which is saying a lot since the premiums are VERY high). It doesn't matter if you're sick and need treatment and are willing to pay extra for that - in fact, it makes you worse off. You just can't get covered.

Now don't go thinking that I've not been covered by insurance for the last 6 months. I went ahead and enrolled in what I could: a catastrophic policy through my alumni association. It won't cover anything, unless I fall victim to a bus crash or a magician's slicing trick that goes awry, but I'm covered. Sort of.

But that policy is now coming to an end, and I find myself in a weird place again. I have no permanent employment yet, and though I'm getting married next month and the coverage on my fiance's insurance could be retroactive, it would appear I have a few months before I can reliably give a sigh of relief at being covered again.

So today I filled out another application for health coverage. I filled out the application completely, even though I know that the section on Mental Illness is once again going to be my doom. So here I sit, waiting again to be denied.

Giggling through history.

For Chanukah/Christmas, the l'il sis' boyfriend gave me a book, Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. I hadn't heard of the book, nor the author so I had no idea what I was in for. All I knew was that she had recently received quite a bit of acclaim on NPR, and that was enough.

I was in for a treat though! Ms. Vowell has written a book about taking a vacation to retrace the steps of America's most famous assassins. What she weaves together is a humorous retelling of some of the darkest moments in U.S. history. Aside from her impeccable historical research, she spends a lot of time exploring the nuances of who knew who, who was present where and when, and all the interesting footnoted trivia about our presidents and the men that chose to kill them. I profess I'm no historical buff, but this was a truly enjoyable read and I spent most of it giggling through history. If you're a liberal at heart, you'll enjoy Ms. Vowell's explorations and how she relates them to current political quagmires.

The ONLY thing Bush ever did for me.

And half of California had to burn for it.


Please be advised that as a result of President George W Bush's declaration of Southern California as a Federal Disaster Zone (due to the occurrence of the worst fires in the state's history), CDMRP has delayed the proposal receipt deadline in Grants.gov for the following 6 mechanisms to Monday, November 26, 2007, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

So my week ended a little more relaxed. I got the program to the printer, the DVDs are almost ready to copy and I'm just about ready for the review next week.

I'm working at the yarn store tomorrow, watching a movie with my sweetie and being TOTALLY LAZY on Sunday (other than cleaning in preparation for vacation and Wes's Thanksgiving arrival). More knitting pictures and news towards the end of the weekend. Enjoy it!

Living in a censored state.

I don't know about you, but this article made me angry...really angry. No matter what side of the climate debate you're on, the idea of the White House editing what experts have to say makes me feel like we're living in a censored state.

White House edits CDC climate testimony

WASHINGTON - The White House severely edited congressional testimony given Tuesday by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the impact of climate change on health, removing specific scientific references to potential health risks, according to two sources familiar with the documents.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Atlanta-based CDC, the government's premier disease monitoring agency, told a Senate hearing that climate change "is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans."

But her prepared testimony was devoted almost entirely to the CDC's preparation, with few details on what effects climate change could have on the spread of disease. Only during questioning did she describe some specific diseases that likely would be affected, again without elaboration.

Her testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had much less information on health risks than a much longer draft version Gerberding submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review in advance of her appearance.

"It was eviscerated," said a CDC official, familiar with both versions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the review process.

The official said that while it is customary for testimony to be changed in a White House review, these changes were particularly "heavy-handed," with the document cut from its original 14 pages to four. It was six pages as presented to the Senate committee.

The political hits.. they just keep on coming.

Colbert Announces Presidential Pursuit

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Colbert has announced his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report," tossing his satirical hat into the ring of an already crowded race.

"I shall seek the office of the president of the United States," Colbert said Tuesday on his Comedy Central show as red, white and blue balloons fell around him.

Colbert, 43, had recently satirized the coyness of would-be presidential candidates by refusing to disclose whether he would seek the country's highest office — a refusal that often came without any prompting.

Colbert said he planned to run in South Carolina, "and South Carolina alone." The state, one of the key early primaries, is also Colbert's native state. Earlier this week, South Carolina public television station ETV invited Colbert to announce his candidacy on its air.

Exactly how far the mock conservative pundit planned to stretch his impression of a presidential candidate wasn't clear. Colbert rarely breaks character on camera, including at his memorable speech at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner last year.

ETA

A friend and I have been debating this all morning and I'm curious to hear what you think. Our concern is whether or not Colbert's candidacy could potentially skew the primary results in some tangible way. For example, what if Colbert took votes that would have gone to Obama, and due to this Clinton wins the nomination? We have considered that Colbert is only targeting South Carolina right now, and that probably isn't a huge decision state, nonetheless, Colbert's candidacy could still skew the results. I think I've concluded that his running is somewhat irresponsible - what does it say about a nation that puts up a candidate as a joke? Don't get me wrong - Colbert is an extremely smart and savvy politico, and might even run the administration better than the current occupants of the White House, but if he doesn't intend to run seriously, then is it not irresponsible to get into a race already fraught with candidates? I think we are already headed for an election where the presidential nominees from each party are not going to have been selected by any majority. That's my two cents... what's yours?

You coulda knocked me over with a feather.

Cheney and Obama are distant cousins: Mrs. Cheney

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There's no sign of a family reunion planned, but U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama are distant cousins.

So says the vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, who said she discovered that her husband of 43 years is eighth cousins with the senator from Illinois.

Oh sweet jebus that's a good one. Isn't that an interesting turn of events? Obama better stay away from the Cheney reunions; he's liable to get shot.

What exactly was the point?

So I heard about President Ahmadinejad's visit to the United States, and specifically Columbia University, and thought that it was an odd move. I certainly don't have respect for the man, nor do I agree with just about anything he says, but in the interest of academic freedom and debate, I figured "now this is an interesting proposition." I wondered what the University hoped to accomplish. Well, not very much as it turns out.

Ahmadinejad questions 9/11, Holocaust

NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended Holocaust revisionists and raised questions about who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks in a tense showdown Monday at Columbia University, where the school's head introduced the hard-line leader by calling him a "petty and cruel dictator."

Ahmadinejad portrayed himself as an intellectual and argued that his administration respected reason and science. But the former engineering professor, appearing shaken and irate over he called "insults" from his host, soon found himself drawn into the type of rhetoric that has alienated American audiences in the past.

He provoked derisive laughter by responding to a question about Iran's execution of homosexuals by saying: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country ... I don't know who's told you that we have this."

Ahmadinejad drew audience applause at times, such as when he bemoaned the plight of the Palestinians. But he often declined to offer the simple answers the audience sought, responding instead with his own questions or long statements about history and justice.

Ahmadinejad has in the past called for Israel's elimination. But his exact remarks have been disputed. Some translators say he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," but others say that would be better translated as "vanish from the pages of time" — implying Israel would disappear on its own rather than be destroyed.

Ahmadinejad's past statements about the Holocaust also have raised hackles in the West, and were soundly attacked by Bollinger.

"In a December 2005 state television broadcast, you described the Holocaust as the fabricated legend," Bollinger told Ahmadinejad said in his opening remarks. "One year later, you held a two-day conference of Holocaust deniers."

Bollinger said that might fool the illiterate and ignorant.

"When you come to a place like this, it makes you simply ridiculous. The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history," he said.

Ahmadinejad said he wasn't passing judgment on whether the Holocaust occurred, but that, "assuming this happened, what does it have to do with the Palestinian people?"


Now let it be known that I fundamentally disagree with just about everything out of this man's mouth. And it's not even that I disagree with what Dr. Bollinger had to say. It's just that I wonder exactly what the point was? Why invite a speaker who so clearly repudiates everything that American academic institutions stand for? And even if one is so inclined to start a serious debate, why ruin it by regressing to antagonistic rhetoric? Really: what IS the point?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Bush shows gift of gaffe at APEC summit

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Even for someone as gaffe-prone as U.S. President George W. Bush, he was in rare form on Friday, confusing APEC with OPEC and transforming Australian troops into Austrians.

Bush's tongue started slipping almost as soon as he started talking at a business forum on the eve of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction," he told Prime Minister John Howard. "Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit."

As the audience of several hundred people erupted in laughter, Bush corrected himself and joked, "He invited me to the OPEC summit next year." Australia has never been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Later in his speech, Bush recounted how Howard had gone to visit "Austrian troops" last year in Iraq. There are, in fact, no Austrian troops there. But Australia has about 1,500 Australians military personnel in and around the country.

Upon finishing his speech, Bush took the wrong way off-stage and, looking slightly perplexed, had to be re-directed by Howard to a center-stage exit.

But not before a veteran White House correspondent seized the opportunity to ask Bush whether there had been any new message in his speech. Apparently misunderstanding the question, he bristled and asked, "Haven't you been listening to my past speeches?" before turning away.

Nukes, Popcorn Lung and Pavarotti.

Today I found that I have an excess of articles to post. In an effort to not make you, my dear reader(s), die of boredom, I'm going to excerpt from them. I call this Nukes, popcorn lung and Pavarotti. Here goes:

1. In the height of absurdity:

'Popcorn lung patient' inhaled fumes daily

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Wayne Watson loved microwave popcorn so much he would eat at least two bags each night, breathing in the steam from the just-opened package, until doctors told him it may have made him sick.

Watson, whose case of "popcorn lung" is the sole reported case of the disease in a non-factory worker, said he is convinced his heavy consumption of popcorn caused his health problems.

Who consumes 2 or more bags of microwave popcorn daily? Popcorn lung is the least of your concerns... how about Blocked Artery and Sky high Cholesterol and Blood Pressure? But this is my favorite part:

Watson said he still craves popcorn but has taken his doctors' advice and snacks now on fruits and vegetables. He said his breathing has improved and he's lost 35 pounds. He no longer uses an inhaler or takes steroids.

DUDE. Two words for you: AIR POPPER.

2. This one is absurd, bizarre and truly scary:

Air Force Mistakenly Transports Live Nukes Across America

"Surely the late Stanley Kubrick is somewhere smiling at this one. Forbes.com has a story about a B-52 Bomber that mistakenly flew 6-nuclear tipped cruise missles across several states last week. The 3-hour flight took the plane from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30. The incident was so serious that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were quickly informed and Gates has asked for daily briefings on the Air Force probe, said Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell."

I'm not sure I want to think about this one.

3. And finally some sad news:

Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at 71

ROME - Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's.

"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer," Robson said. "In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness."

Pavarotti's charismatic persona and ebullient showmanship — but most of all his creamy and powerful voice — made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since the great Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar.

"Luciano's voice was so extraordinarily beautiful and his delivery so natural and direct that his singing spoke right to the hearts of listeners whether they knew anything about opera or not," Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine said in a statement.

Fellow singer Jose Carreras called Pavarotti "one of the greatest tenors ever, one of the most important singers in the history of opera."

My grandmother LOVED opera and when I heard this news my first thought was of her. The world has truly lost a great artist.

And another one bites the dust.

Is it true that rats abandon a sinking ship?

Bush Spokesman Snow Resigns for Financial Reasons

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- White House press secretary Tony Snow is resigning Sept. 14, 16 months before the end of the Bush presidency in January 2009.

Dana Perino, 35, who grew up in Colorado and has been deputy press secretary since March 2006, will become President George W. Bush's chief spokesman, said Tony Fratto, another deputy press secretary.

Snow, 52, who is battling a recurrence of colon cancer, cited financial reasons for his departure. Snow is paid $168,000 as White House press secretary.

"It's not a health matter," Snow said today in an interview. "It's purely financial. I feel terrific."

Snow was a television commentator for News Corp.'s Fox News before becoming Bush's chief spokesman in April 2006. He is married and has said he wants to make more money before his three children are ready for college.

Snow is the latest of top aides to President George W. Bush to leave before the president's term ends. Political strategist Karl Rove announced Aug. 13 he was leaving by the end of August, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced his departure on Aug. 27.

Things that Piss Me Off and Make me Sad to be An American Today:

1. Scooter Libby Gets Out of Jail Free with Card from President Bush

The justice system didn't work for Libby. Bush did.

Breaking news reports late on Monday showed that President George W. Bush had commuted the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former top aide who also served as Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. An appeal by Libby to stay out of jail pending an appeal of his conviction for committing perjury and other offenses was rejected by a federal court this morning.

Libby did not receive a pardon, but he did have his 30 month jail sentence commuted by President Bush.

I don't know how you feel, but this pisses me off beyond belief. All the checks and balances carefully crafted into the Constitution have been nullified by the actions of a fanatical President who lies and breaks the law and then excuses his minions of wrongdoings that he, himself, has sanctioned.


2. My Adventures Into The Mouth Of The 7-Eleven Kwik-E-Mart

If you’ve ever wondered how pervasive Hollywood marketing efforts could get, then look no further than the merchandising wizards at Twentieth Century Fox. In order to hype the upcoming release of “The Simpsons Movie,” the studio has teamed with 7-Eleven to equip stores across the country with “Simpsons”-branded items, and to turn 11 hand-picked locations into full-blown, real-life Kwik-E-Mart’s, Springfeld’s ubiquitous convenience store.

I'm not a huge Simpson's fan, but I have watched some episodes and I do find it amusing sometimes. I probably won't see the movie, and I'm DEFINITELY not a fan of it's latest marketing gimmick. I'm sorry, but the Kwik-E-Mart and Apu from the Simpsons are nothing but racial stereotypes. Why on earth would that be "cool"? Give me cartoon parody any day... take it to real life and I'm not convinced.

Political Haha.

Some of you won't remember Animaniacs - the crazy cabaret cartoon with Wacko, Yacko and Dot, as well as a whole host of other characters. I remember racing home from high school to catch episodes - it was an adult cartoon... sort of.

Those pictured at the right (the animations!) are Pinky and the Brain.

Pinky: "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"

The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky - Try to take over the world.

For more entertainment visit Pinky and the Brain's Wikipedia page.

Art and Politics

Denim Day

I only found out about this late yesterday, but it's worth noting. And I was wearing denim when I read it!

Denim Day in LA

Peace Over Violence is proud to present the 9th Annual Denim Day in LA 2007, a campaign to raise awareness and educate the public about rape and sexual assault. It takes place on Wednesday April 25, 2007.

In 1998 an Italian Supreme Court decision overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. People all over the world were outraged. Wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.

Last year on Denim Day an unprecedented 250,000 people signed up to wear jeans in support of raising awareness about the need to end sexual violence. This year we aim to at least double that amount.

This day in the schools, offices and streets of Los Angeles County we unite against rape of girls, women, boys and men. We stand in support of survivors. We break the silence to end sexual violence.

On Denim Day in LA wear your jeans as a visible sign of protest against the myths that still surround sexual assault!

Just to clarify this is why the conviction was overturned:

The Supreme Court overturned the ruling, saying the woman had been wearing jeans at the time, and there was no way a woman wearing jeans could have been raped because they are too difficult to take off so she had to have been willingly involved.