.jpg)
Courtesy of an e-mail my Aunt Lora sent to me.
May 31, 2006
May 26, 2006
!Step AWAY from the blog! :-)
I will be away from my blogs for the long weekend.
Please take a minute to stop & remember those soliders that have died for, fought for or are currently serving our country.
I will post again later in the week.
Have fun & stay safe!
Please take a minute to stop & remember those soliders that have died for, fought for or are currently serving our country.
I will post again later in the week.
Have fun & stay safe!
Creeping Deserts
Deserts May Be Creeping Closer to Cities
By ANDREW BRIDGES (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 26, 2006 8:06 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Deserts in the American Southwest and around the globe are creeping toward heavily populated areas as the jet streams shift, researchers reported Thursday.
The result: Areas already stressed by drought may get even drier.
Satellite measurements made from 1979 to 2005 show that the atmosphere in the subtropical regions both north and south of the equator is heating up. As the atmosphere warms, it bulges out at the altitudes where the northern and southern jet streams slip past like swift and massive rivers of air. That bulging has pushed both jet streams about 70 miles closer to the Earth's poles.
Since the jet streams mark the edge of the tropics, in essence framing the hot zone that hugs the equator, their outward movement has allowed the tropics to grow wider by about 140 miles. That means the relatively drier subtropics move as well, pushing closer to places like Salt Lake City, where Thomas Reichler, co-author of the new study, teaches meteorology.
"One of the immediate consequences one can think of is those deserts and dry areas are moving poleward," said Reichler, of the University of Utah. Details appear in Friday in the journal Science.
The movement has allowed the subtropics to edge toward populated areas, including the American Southwest, southern Australia and the Mediterranean basin. In those places, the lack of precipitation already is a worry.
Additional creep could move Africa's Sahara Desert farther north, worsening drought conditions that are already a serious problem on that continent and bringing drier weather to the countries that ring the Mediterranean Sea.
"The Mediterranean is one region that models consistently show drying in the future. That could be very much related to this pattern that we are seeing in the atmosphere," said Isaac Held, a senior research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was not connected with the research.
A shift in where subtropical dry zones lie could make climate change locally noticeable for more people, said Karen Rosenlof, a NOAA research meteorologist also unconnected to the study.
"It is a plausible thing that could be happening, and the people who are going to see its effects earliest are the ones who live closer to the tropics, like southern Australia," said Rosenlof. Her own work suggests the tropics have actually compressed since 2000, after growing wider over the previous 20 years.
Reichler suspects global warming is the root cause of the shift, but said he can't be certain. Other possibilities include variability and destruction of the ozone layer. However, he and his colleagues have noted similar behavior in climate models that suggest global warming plays a role.
Moving the jet streams farther from the equator could disrupt storm patterns, as well as intensify individual storms on the poleward side of the jet streams, said lead author Qiang Fu, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist.
In Europe, for example, that shift could mean less snow falling on the Alps in winter. That would be bad news for skiers, as well as for farmers and others who rely on rivers fed by snowmelt.
"This definitely favors or enhances the frequency of droughts," Fu said of such a shift.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
By ANDREW BRIDGES (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 26, 2006 8:06 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Deserts in the American Southwest and around the globe are creeping toward heavily populated areas as the jet streams shift, researchers reported Thursday.
The result: Areas already stressed by drought may get even drier.
Satellite measurements made from 1979 to 2005 show that the atmosphere in the subtropical regions both north and south of the equator is heating up. As the atmosphere warms, it bulges out at the altitudes where the northern and southern jet streams slip past like swift and massive rivers of air. That bulging has pushed both jet streams about 70 miles closer to the Earth's poles.
Since the jet streams mark the edge of the tropics, in essence framing the hot zone that hugs the equator, their outward movement has allowed the tropics to grow wider by about 140 miles. That means the relatively drier subtropics move as well, pushing closer to places like Salt Lake City, where Thomas Reichler, co-author of the new study, teaches meteorology.
"One of the immediate consequences one can think of is those deserts and dry areas are moving poleward," said Reichler, of the University of Utah. Details appear in Friday in the journal Science.
The movement has allowed the subtropics to edge toward populated areas, including the American Southwest, southern Australia and the Mediterranean basin. In those places, the lack of precipitation already is a worry.
Additional creep could move Africa's Sahara Desert farther north, worsening drought conditions that are already a serious problem on that continent and bringing drier weather to the countries that ring the Mediterranean Sea.
"The Mediterranean is one region that models consistently show drying in the future. That could be very much related to this pattern that we are seeing in the atmosphere," said Isaac Held, a senior research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was not connected with the research.
A shift in where subtropical dry zones lie could make climate change locally noticeable for more people, said Karen Rosenlof, a NOAA research meteorologist also unconnected to the study.
"It is a plausible thing that could be happening, and the people who are going to see its effects earliest are the ones who live closer to the tropics, like southern Australia," said Rosenlof. Her own work suggests the tropics have actually compressed since 2000, after growing wider over the previous 20 years.
Reichler suspects global warming is the root cause of the shift, but said he can't be certain. Other possibilities include variability and destruction of the ozone layer. However, he and his colleagues have noted similar behavior in climate models that suggest global warming plays a role.
Moving the jet streams farther from the equator could disrupt storm patterns, as well as intensify individual storms on the poleward side of the jet streams, said lead author Qiang Fu, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist.
In Europe, for example, that shift could mean less snow falling on the Alps in winter. That would be bad news for skiers, as well as for farmers and others who rely on rivers fed by snowmelt.
"This definitely favors or enhances the frequency of droughts," Fu said of such a shift.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
May 12, 2006
Is this a true solution?
Congress May Expand Border Fences
By JACQUES BILLEAUD (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 11:24 PM EDT
DOUGLAS, Ariz. - Much of this dusty city along the border is separated from Mexico by a fence consisting of 12-foot vertical metal bars, spaced inches apart to prevent illegal immigrants from squeezing through.
Surveillance cameras are mounted on towers nearby, and Border Patrol agents posted hundreds of feet away in the desert scrub and flowering ocotillo watch for anyone who might try to scale, cut through, slip under or sneak around the fence.
Though these fences are criticized for shifting would-be border-crossers to more dangerous and remote spots, they do make it harder for illegal immigrants to reach urban areas where they can slip into a car and head for the nation's interior to find work.
Now, as Washington seeks to overhaul America's broken immigration policies, Congress is considering putting many more such barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, which already has 83 miles of fences.
A bill that cleared the House in December would put fences at immigrant- and drug-smuggling corridors in all four southern border states. At an estimated cost of $2.5 billion, the fences would cover 850 miles of border - roughly one-fifth the length of the Great Wall of China - though it would not be one continuous wall.
The gaps would be policed the way many remote areas of the border are already guarded now: with motion sensors, cameras, unmanned drone aircraft and Border Patrol agents.
Among other things, House legislation calls for a mostly continuous 392-mile fence from Calexico, Calif., to Douglas. The second-largest piece would be a largely uninterrupted 305-mile segment in the Texas brush country from Laredo to Brownsville, a corridor used by cocaine smugglers.
Immigrant rights groups say fences waste taxpayer money because would-be border-crossers who are desperate to earn a better living in America will always find a way around or through barriers, as evidenced by the lower sections of the fence in Douglas, where rods have had to be welded into place to patch up breaches.
Even some proponents say erecting fences, without using other border enforcement efforts, will not stop illegal immigrants.
"All by itself, it's not a magic solution," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limiting immigration.
But the Border Patrol says fences slow down immigrants so authorities can have enough time to respond to those who try to come across. That, in turn, frees up other agents to focus on remote areas, where they already use aircraft and ground sensors.
"Fencing by itself is not effective, but not having a fence is not effective either," added Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Advocates for beefing up border security said a 14-mile fence near San Diego, once the country's most prolific smuggling center, shows that barriers work. The fence there is made of corrugated metal sheets previously used as landing surfaces for military aircraft. Behind it is a second fence, made of tightly woven mesh.
Within that area, the barrier is credited with dramatically reducing the flow of illegal immigrants.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is the leading voice in Congress for more fences, said the costs of building fences are much lower than the government expenses associated with illegal immigration, including huge sums spent on incarcerating immigrants convicted of crimes in the United States.
Opponents say there are some costly consequences as well. Immigrant rights advocates say fences prompt migrants to cross in remote areas where they face dangerous obstacles, such as rivers where some drown, deserts where some succumb to the heat, and mountains where some are injured or die.
Also, a large-scale fence could force immigrants to remain in the country longer, while in the past they came to earn money and then returned home, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum.
"If it's riskier and harder, people don't leave," said Kelley, who believes a guest worker program will reduce illegal crossings.
In Douglas, Louis Hahn, a retiree who tends horses on his ranch, said the fence reduces traffic through the city. But he said it is simplistic to think that a huge physical barrier will trump the economic forces that prompt fathers to leave their families and risk their lives for a chance at a better life.
"You have got to put yourself in the position of the man crossing the border and what he's willing to take," Hahn said.
---
On the Net:
Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov
Sen. Jon Kyl: http://kyl.senate.gov
Rep. Duncan Hunter: http://www.house.gov/hunter
National Immigration Forum: http://www.immigrationforum.org
Federation for American Immigration Reform: http://www.fairus.org
By JACQUES BILLEAUD (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 11:24 PM EDT
DOUGLAS, Ariz. - Much of this dusty city along the border is separated from Mexico by a fence consisting of 12-foot vertical metal bars, spaced inches apart to prevent illegal immigrants from squeezing through.
Surveillance cameras are mounted on towers nearby, and Border Patrol agents posted hundreds of feet away in the desert scrub and flowering ocotillo watch for anyone who might try to scale, cut through, slip under or sneak around the fence.
Though these fences are criticized for shifting would-be border-crossers to more dangerous and remote spots, they do make it harder for illegal immigrants to reach urban areas where they can slip into a car and head for the nation's interior to find work.
Now, as Washington seeks to overhaul America's broken immigration policies, Congress is considering putting many more such barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, which already has 83 miles of fences.
A bill that cleared the House in December would put fences at immigrant- and drug-smuggling corridors in all four southern border states. At an estimated cost of $2.5 billion, the fences would cover 850 miles of border - roughly one-fifth the length of the Great Wall of China - though it would not be one continuous wall.
The gaps would be policed the way many remote areas of the border are already guarded now: with motion sensors, cameras, unmanned drone aircraft and Border Patrol agents.
Among other things, House legislation calls for a mostly continuous 392-mile fence from Calexico, Calif., to Douglas. The second-largest piece would be a largely uninterrupted 305-mile segment in the Texas brush country from Laredo to Brownsville, a corridor used by cocaine smugglers.
Immigrant rights groups say fences waste taxpayer money because would-be border-crossers who are desperate to earn a better living in America will always find a way around or through barriers, as evidenced by the lower sections of the fence in Douglas, where rods have had to be welded into place to patch up breaches.
Even some proponents say erecting fences, without using other border enforcement efforts, will not stop illegal immigrants.
"All by itself, it's not a magic solution," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limiting immigration.
But the Border Patrol says fences slow down immigrants so authorities can have enough time to respond to those who try to come across. That, in turn, frees up other agents to focus on remote areas, where they already use aircraft and ground sensors.
"Fencing by itself is not effective, but not having a fence is not effective either," added Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Advocates for beefing up border security said a 14-mile fence near San Diego, once the country's most prolific smuggling center, shows that barriers work. The fence there is made of corrugated metal sheets previously used as landing surfaces for military aircraft. Behind it is a second fence, made of tightly woven mesh.
Within that area, the barrier is credited with dramatically reducing the flow of illegal immigrants.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who is the leading voice in Congress for more fences, said the costs of building fences are much lower than the government expenses associated with illegal immigration, including huge sums spent on incarcerating immigrants convicted of crimes in the United States.
Opponents say there are some costly consequences as well. Immigrant rights advocates say fences prompt migrants to cross in remote areas where they face dangerous obstacles, such as rivers where some drown, deserts where some succumb to the heat, and mountains where some are injured or die.
Also, a large-scale fence could force immigrants to remain in the country longer, while in the past they came to earn money and then returned home, said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum.
"If it's riskier and harder, people don't leave," said Kelley, who believes a guest worker program will reduce illegal crossings.
In Douglas, Louis Hahn, a retiree who tends horses on his ranch, said the fence reduces traffic through the city. But he said it is simplistic to think that a huge physical barrier will trump the economic forces that prompt fathers to leave their families and risk their lives for a chance at a better life.
"You have got to put yourself in the position of the man crossing the border and what he's willing to take," Hahn said.
---
On the Net:
Customs and Border Protection: http://www.cbp.gov
Sen. Jon Kyl: http://kyl.senate.gov
Rep. Duncan Hunter: http://www.house.gov/hunter
National Immigration Forum: http://www.immigrationforum.org
Federation for American Immigration Reform: http://www.fairus.org
May 11, 2006
WTC Staircase
WTC Staircase Leads Endangered Sites List
By DEVLIN BARRETT (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 8:27 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Anyplace else, the scarred concrete steps would be an eyesore. At ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001, they were a last chance for escape. Now they stand as the last surviving above-ground piece of the World Trade Center.
The "Survivors Staircase" was named one of the nation's most endangered historic places Wednesday, along with whole swaths of New Orleans and Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
By singling out the staircase and sections of the South, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking to preserve areas hit by the two biggest American disasters of recent memory. Katrina, noted Trust president Richard Moe, "damaged more historic homes than any event in the history of the country."
The Trust is a private nonprofit group founded in 1949.
In New York, the rumbling of construction around ground zero has weakened the staircase, and it is not included in plans for a new tower.
To Sept. 11 survivor Patty Clark, the Trade Center staircase is "symbolic of all of us who were witnesses to that day. It's still strong, somewhat damaged, but that's kind of like we all are."
Clark and other employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey used the staircase to escape Tower 1 after the terror attacks in New York.
She had already walked down 65 flights of stairs when she got to the World Trade Center plaza. Debris from Tower 2, which had just collapsed, filled the plaza, leaving the open-air staircase as the only way out. She and other employees followed the stairs down to ground level at Vesey Street and raced north, escaping just minutes before their own tower collapsed.
"For people who got out of the building, it was by steps, so steps are very important to the people who lived," she said.
Supporters say they could live with seeing the staircase moved in order to preserve it, as long as it isn't placed far from its original site.
Moe said most people don't know the staircase remains, since it is closed to the public. "It's an enormously important artifact," he said.
In the South, historic Mississippi towns and New Orleans neighborhoods face wholesale demolition after the 2005 hurricane.
Moe said development pressures may lead towns and property owners to relax building codes and replace historic homes rather than repair them.
"They need the assurance that the rush to rebuild won't destroy the historic character that the wind and the water didn't sweep away," he said.
Also cited on the Trust's new list of endangered historic places are the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Pascagoula's La-Point-Krebs House.
"Katrina represents the greatest cultural disaster in the history of the country, in addition to being a great human disaster," said Moe.
Also named by the group were whole sections of New Orleans, including the lower Ninth Ward, Mid-City, Holy Cross and South Lakeview.
"We're not talking about the expensive homes, we're talking about the low and moderate income homes, the shotgun cottages, the Creole homes. This is the heart and soul of New Orleans," Moe said.
Also named to the most endangered list were:
- The Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building in Washington.
- Blair Mountain Battlefield in Logan County, W.Va.
- Doo Wop Motels in Wildwood, N.J.
- Fort Snelling Upper Post in Hennepin County, Minn.
- Kenilworth, Ill.
- Kootenai Lodge in Bigfork, Mont.
- Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, Calif.
- Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood in Cincinnati.
Kenilworth, a northern suburb of Chicago, was chosen as an example of the intense development pressure to tear down early 20th century homes and replace them with what the group decries as hulking mansions.
"It's a phenomenon we're seeing everywhere I go, and it's probably the most pervasive threat to historic communities," said Moe.
---
On the Net:
National Trust for Historic Preservation: http://www.nationaltrust.org
By DEVLIN BARRETT (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressMay 11, 2006 8:27 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Anyplace else, the scarred concrete steps would be an eyesore. At ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001, they were a last chance for escape. Now they stand as the last surviving above-ground piece of the World Trade Center.
The "Survivors Staircase" was named one of the nation's most endangered historic places Wednesday, along with whole swaths of New Orleans and Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
By singling out the staircase and sections of the South, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking to preserve areas hit by the two biggest American disasters of recent memory. Katrina, noted Trust president Richard Moe, "damaged more historic homes than any event in the history of the country."
The Trust is a private nonprofit group founded in 1949.
In New York, the rumbling of construction around ground zero has weakened the staircase, and it is not included in plans for a new tower.
To Sept. 11 survivor Patty Clark, the Trade Center staircase is "symbolic of all of us who were witnesses to that day. It's still strong, somewhat damaged, but that's kind of like we all are."
Clark and other employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey used the staircase to escape Tower 1 after the terror attacks in New York.
She had already walked down 65 flights of stairs when she got to the World Trade Center plaza. Debris from Tower 2, which had just collapsed, filled the plaza, leaving the open-air staircase as the only way out. She and other employees followed the stairs down to ground level at Vesey Street and raced north, escaping just minutes before their own tower collapsed.
"For people who got out of the building, it was by steps, so steps are very important to the people who lived," she said.
Supporters say they could live with seeing the staircase moved in order to preserve it, as long as it isn't placed far from its original site.
Moe said most people don't know the staircase remains, since it is closed to the public. "It's an enormously important artifact," he said.
In the South, historic Mississippi towns and New Orleans neighborhoods face wholesale demolition after the 2005 hurricane.
Moe said development pressures may lead towns and property owners to relax building codes and replace historic homes rather than repair them.
"They need the assurance that the rush to rebuild won't destroy the historic character that the wind and the water didn't sweep away," he said.
Also cited on the Trust's new list of endangered historic places are the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Pascagoula's La-Point-Krebs House.
"Katrina represents the greatest cultural disaster in the history of the country, in addition to being a great human disaster," said Moe.
Also named by the group were whole sections of New Orleans, including the lower Ninth Ward, Mid-City, Holy Cross and South Lakeview.
"We're not talking about the expensive homes, we're talking about the low and moderate income homes, the shotgun cottages, the Creole homes. This is the heart and soul of New Orleans," Moe said.
Also named to the most endangered list were:
- The Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building in Washington.
- Blair Mountain Battlefield in Logan County, W.Va.
- Doo Wop Motels in Wildwood, N.J.
- Fort Snelling Upper Post in Hennepin County, Minn.
- Kenilworth, Ill.
- Kootenai Lodge in Bigfork, Mont.
- Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, Calif.
- Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood in Cincinnati.
Kenilworth, a northern suburb of Chicago, was chosen as an example of the intense development pressure to tear down early 20th century homes and replace them with what the group decries as hulking mansions.
"It's a phenomenon we're seeing everywhere I go, and it's probably the most pervasive threat to historic communities," said Moe.
---
On the Net:
National Trust for Historic Preservation: http://www.nationaltrust.org
May 09, 2006
My Beloved Friend
My Beloved Friend
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At eight weeks of age
more than just a ball of fluff
our bond was instant
***
I fell in love with
sparkeling brown puppy eyes
and a sweet smile
***
Wet from a flea dip
I opened my heart to him
and adopted him
***
My beloved friend
saw me through good times and bad
Sensitive like me
***
Silly, playful, fun
teasing his feline brother
bonding within days
***
Protective, loyal
spirited, smart, handsome, kind
a family member
***
Great with the children
being patient while little
hands tugged on his tail
***
Somehow he just knew
the little ones were learning
not to pull on him
***
It happened one day
The day I was long dreading
Time to let him go
***
I called my sister
She confirmed that it was time
Time to say Good-Bye
***
I cried my eyes out
We took pictures with the kids
then went to the vet
***
They called out his name
I had Liz tell him Good-bye
turning for the door
***
I began to cry
He had been in pain all night
soon to be pain free
***
Petting and kissing
I placed him on the table
Sadness filled the room
***
I think that he knew
He passed hearing my voice
looking at my face
***
I told him to go
join OJ, Trudy, Slider
Penny and Rascal
***
The wound is still fresh
My heart is still aching for
My Beloved Friend
***
In Memory of Scooter
June 1994 ~ November 2005
***
The best pet I've ever had.
May 07, 2006
I needed to vent on my previous post. Sometimes I think I live too close to the border. I just wish SOMEONE would come up with a humane, responsible solution to our immigration problems.
Onto other things....
I found a quote I like....
Onto other things....
I found a quote I like....
Do, or do not. There is no try.- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
I took the girls to the Zoo this week. We became members because my oldest is ALWAYS asking me to take her to the zoo. As a member, now I can take her more than once per year. Her first choice was to go see the snakes. It's a good thing her Grandma's (any of them) weren't there because they all can't stand snakes. If her Great-Great Grandmother Miller were alive, snakes wouldn't have bothered her one bit. She used to go into her garden & chop the heads off Bull snakes (?) with her garden hoe. She was a true old fashioned Grandma. She was a vanishing breed when I was young. I was very fortunate to have memories of such a kind & gentle woman.
ANYWAY, we saw the snakes, fish & prairie dogs then it was off to the Giraffes. In the same exhibit with Giraffes they have Gazelle, Emu, Crowned Cranes & some others. I can't remember what right now though. After that were the Elephants, Monkey Island & the orangutan. Finally came the water Playground, the gift shop & home. Lunch was in there somewhere too. We saw a small part of the zoo & were inside the zoo for 4 hours. It didn't matter to me, especially being members. She had fun. That was the main thing.
Today we went to Tombstone, Arizona. I hadn't been since I took my friend Shannon since forever ago. Now the main street has been covered in gravel instead of pavement. Much more authentic. We saw a wild west show, had some lunch & saw Boothill Graveyard. Of course we looked in many shops, buying MAINLY postcards for my Postcrossing activities but we had fun doing it. Elizabeth did get to pet a trick horse & posed for pictures with it & it's owner "Dallas Kate". I can't remember the horses name ( I think it was Shiloh) has been voted the top trick horse in the nation for the past 10 years. All of the animals in her shows have been rescued from shelters, horse sales & agencies place abused &/or neglected animals. Her animals will be in an upcoming episode of Animal Stars on Animal Planet. In the show we attended she used two horses, 3 Boston Terriers & a Donkey. It was a lighthearted & entertaining show. Both of the girls seemed to have a ball watching it.
That is about all for now. I am tired & sleepy cause it was a LONG day for me. I am headed to bed.
Goodnight all!
April 28, 2006
National Anthems should be sang in the language in which they were written!
Excuse me, but WHEN will this $*!# end!!!!!!
First Immigration laws, next marches in several cities, followed by planned nationwide Boycotts! Now you want OUR National Anthem too?!?! Excuse me but WTF!!!! If you don't like the way things are here then go back to your own country! We aren't immigrating to Mexico & then trying to CHANGE your country! UGH!
I am NOT prejudice & I have no problem with people who come here legally & at least TRY to speak English. Even very broken English makes me happy. People from other countries manage to come here through proper channels (& illegally as well I am sure) I don't see OTHER countries immigrants trying to CHANGE the USA. Maybe because I live where I do I am more over-sensitive to these issues. I am getting sick of this crap. I vote. My family pays taxes. My husband works his A$$ off to provide for us. DO WE get any breaks from OUR government. HE!! NO! Did we get FREE medical care when my husband was out of work & I was due with our baby any day? HE!! NO! Did we have to pay through the nose for COBRA insurance & have no idea how were going to pay for it? HE!! YES! We should not have to learn a different language to function in our own country in the future. That is what we will soon be faced with if things don't change. We are in AMERICA people! We speak ENGLISH in AMERICA people! If you don't like it then get the HELL out!
Ahhhhh! I feel a little bit better now. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Don't get in a debate with me because you won't change my mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spanish 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Ire
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressApril 28, 2006 7:04 AM EDT
MIAMI - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life.
But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash.
Some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated by the thought of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung in a language other than English.
"Would the French accept people singing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.
The initial version of "Nuestro Himno," or "Our Anthem," comes out Friday and uses lyrics based closely on the English-language original, said Kidron, who heads the record label Urban Box Office.
Pro-immigration protests are planned around the country for Monday, and the record label is urging Hispanic radio stations nationwide to play the cut at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in a sign of solidarity.
A remix to be released in June will contain several lines in English that condemn U.S. immigration laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws ... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
Bryanna Bevens of Hanford, Calif., who writes for the immigration-focused Web magazine Vdare.com, said the remix particularly upset her.
"It's very whiny. If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on your poster board, but don't put them on the national anthem," she said.
Kidron, a U.S. resident for 16 years, maintains the changes are fitting. After all, he notes, American immigrants borrowed the melody of the "Star Spangled Banner" from an English drinking song.
"There's no attempt to usurp anything. The intent is to communicate," Kidron said. "I wanted to show my thanks to these people who buy my records and listen to the music we release and do the jobs I don't want to do."
Kidron said the song also will be featured on the album "Somos Americanos," which will sell for $10, with $1 going to the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a Washington group.
James Gardner, an associate director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, said Americans have long enjoyed different interpretations of the Star Spangled Banner, including country or gospel arrangements.
"There are a number of renditions that people aren't happy with, but that's part of it - that it means enough for people to try to sing," he said.
Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, said this country was built by immigrants, and "the meaning of the American dream is in that record: struggle, freedom, opportunity, everything they are trying to shut down on us."
---
Associated Press writer Suzette Laboy in Miami contributed to this report.
---
On the Net:
Song history by National Museum of American History:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/6_thestory/6b_osay/fs6b.html
First Immigration laws, next marches in several cities, followed by planned nationwide Boycotts! Now you want OUR National Anthem too?!?! Excuse me but WTF!!!! If you don't like the way things are here then go back to your own country! We aren't immigrating to Mexico & then trying to CHANGE your country! UGH!
I am NOT prejudice & I have no problem with people who come here legally & at least TRY to speak English. Even very broken English makes me happy. People from other countries manage to come here through proper channels (& illegally as well I am sure) I don't see OTHER countries immigrants trying to CHANGE the USA. Maybe because I live where I do I am more over-sensitive to these issues. I am getting sick of this crap. I vote. My family pays taxes. My husband works his A$$ off to provide for us. DO WE get any breaks from OUR government. HE!! NO! Did we get FREE medical care when my husband was out of work & I was due with our baby any day? HE!! NO! Did we have to pay through the nose for COBRA insurance & have no idea how were going to pay for it? HE!! YES! We should not have to learn a different language to function in our own country in the future. That is what we will soon be faced with if things don't change. We are in AMERICA people! We speak ENGLISH in AMERICA people! If you don't like it then get the HELL out!
Ahhhhh! I feel a little bit better now. I hope I didn't offend anyone. Don't get in a debate with me because you won't change my mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spanish 'Star-Spangled Banner' Draws Ire
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressApril 28, 2006 7:04 AM EDT
MIAMI - British music producer Adam Kidron says that when he came up with the idea of a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem, he saw it as an ode to the millions of immigrants seeking a better life.
But in the week since Kidron announced the song - which features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon - it has been the target of a fierce backlash.
Some Internet bloggers and others are infuriated by the thought of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung in a language other than English.
"Would the French accept people singing the La Marseillaise in English as a sign of French patriotism? Of course not," said Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls.
The initial version of "Nuestro Himno," or "Our Anthem," comes out Friday and uses lyrics based closely on the English-language original, said Kidron, who heads the record label Urban Box Office.
Pro-immigration protests are planned around the country for Monday, and the record label is urging Hispanic radio stations nationwide to play the cut at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in a sign of solidarity.
A remix to be released in June will contain several lines in English that condemn U.S. immigration laws. Among them: "These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws ... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."
Bryanna Bevens of Hanford, Calif., who writes for the immigration-focused Web magazine Vdare.com, said the remix particularly upset her.
"It's very whiny. If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on your poster board, but don't put them on the national anthem," she said.
Kidron, a U.S. resident for 16 years, maintains the changes are fitting. After all, he notes, American immigrants borrowed the melody of the "Star Spangled Banner" from an English drinking song.
"There's no attempt to usurp anything. The intent is to communicate," Kidron said. "I wanted to show my thanks to these people who buy my records and listen to the music we release and do the jobs I don't want to do."
Kidron said the song also will be featured on the album "Somos Americanos," which will sell for $10, with $1 going to the National Capital Immigration Coalition, a Washington group.
James Gardner, an associate director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, said Americans have long enjoyed different interpretations of the Star Spangled Banner, including country or gospel arrangements.
"There are a number of renditions that people aren't happy with, but that's part of it - that it means enough for people to try to sing," he said.
Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez, said this country was built by immigrants, and "the meaning of the American dream is in that record: struggle, freedom, opportunity, everything they are trying to shut down on us."
---
Associated Press writer Suzette Laboy in Miami contributed to this report.
---
On the Net:
Song history by National Museum of American History:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/6_thestory/6b_osay/fs6b.html
April 27, 2006
Senate Panel Recommends Abolishing FEMA
By LARA JAKES JORDAN (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressApril 27, 2006 9:46 AM EDT
WASHINGTON - Hurricane Katrina's latest fatality should be FEMA, the nation's disaster response agency, a Senate inquiry concluded in calling for a government overhaul to avoid future failures like those the devastating storm exposed.
Eighty-six recommendations by the bipartisan panel indicate the United States is still woefully unprepared for a storm of Katrina's scope with the start of the hurricane season little more than a month away.
The recommendations conclude that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is crippled beyond repair by years of poor leadership and inadequate funding. They call for a new agency - the National Preparedness and Response Authority - to plan and carry out relief missions for domestic disasters.
Although the proposed changes do not place blame on any official or government agency, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., will offer "additional views" to the panel's findings in a statement accusing President Bush of failing "to provide critical leadership when it was most needed."
"The United States was, and is, ill-prepared to respond to a catastrophic event of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina," said the recommendations. "Catastrophic events are, by their nature, difficult to imagine and to adequately plan for, and the existing plans and training proved inadequate in Katrina."
The recommendations are to be released Thursday and will be included in the Senate panel's full report to be issued next week.
The recommendations, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, are the product of a seven-month Senate investigation. The probe follows similar inquiries by the House and White House and comes in an election year in which Democrats have seized on Katrina to attack the Bush administration.
President Bush is to visit Louisiana and Mississippi - which bore the brunt of Katrina's wrath - on Thursday.
Katrina, which struck on Aug. 29, was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The storm killed more than 1,300 people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, left hundreds of thousands of homeless and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage.
The new authority would communicate directly with the president during major crises, and any dramatic cuts to budget or staffing levels would have to be approved by Congress. But it would remain within the Homeland Security Department and would continue receiving resources from the department.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who led the inquiry by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the new authority would be "better equipped with the tools to prepare for and respond to a disaster."
She described FEMA as a "shambles" and said the change "will help ensure that we do not have a repeat of the failures following Hurricane Katrina."
But the proposal drew disdain from Homeland Security and its critics, both sides questioning the need for another bureaucratic shuffling that they said wouldn't accomplish much.
"It's time to stop playing around with the organizational charts and to start focusing on government, at all levels, that are preparing for this storm season," Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said.
Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, who resigned under fire after Katrina, said the new agency would basically have the same mission FEMA had a year ago before its disaster planning responsibilities were taken away to focus solely on responding to calls for help.
"It sounds like they're just re-creating the wheel and making it look like they're calling for change," Brown said. "If indeed that's all they're doing, they owe more than that to the American public."
The House report, issued in February, similarly criticized Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Brown for moving too slowly to trigger federal relief. The White House report, which came a week later, took a softer tone and singled out Homeland Security for most of the breakdowns.
Many of the rest of the Senate recommendations were far less dramatic, ranging from creating a Homeland Security Academy to encouraging plans to evacuate and shelter pets during a disaster.
They also called for more funding for disaster planning and response at all levels of government, clarifying levee maintenance responsibilities, and suggested better contracting procedures to avoid waste or fraud in the rush to get aid to disaster victims.
---
On the Net:
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee: http://hsgac.senate.gov/
April 23, 2006
DDR, Z-Coils & other stuff
DDR = Dance Dance Revolution....
If you are under the age of 25 & have been to a video arcade in the past 2 years then you have probably played this game. I FINALLY got to play it at Amazing Jake's Pizza Friday night & it can become addiciting. It was SO much fun that my hubby went out & bought the home version for me today. I played on beginner & made it through every round...working up a sweat & burning muscles the entire time. People were porbably thinking "GEEZ! WHat is this fat old cow doing!?!?! WHEN is she going to be DONE already!" I didn't care I was having a blast. I only played one complete game. It's not as if I was pumping more tokens into the game to keep playing. Lizzy was on the pad next to me "playing" too. She was having fun & this way she stayed right next to me. This game is fun, sweaty cardio at it's gaming best.
A couple of weeks ago we went to a home & patio show. I tried on these strage looking shoes with an exposed coil in place of a regular heel. My husband had been trying to get me to try them since I was diagnosed with a heel spur back in 2004. I refused saying they were too expensive, etc, etc, etc. Yes they are costly but I put a couple of pair on & wasn't sold. Yesterday we went to the closest store called Spring Chicks. ALl they sell are Z-Coils. I tried on a pair of the hiking boots & I fell in LOVE with these shoes. It feels like they are molded to my feet. I have no problem with my balance & normally when I am on my feet....within a couple of hours tops my back is aching & I usually will have to sit down. We went to the county fair, walking & standing around for SIX hours & I had no pain. My back, that I've had problems with since my first pregnancy was no problem. My feet were a little sore but not anything that prevented me from walkign around today. That is normally NOT the case. These shoes are heaven for my feet. My husband bought a pair of the work boots & has deceided to return them. When the coils wear out, all I have to replace are the coils....not the entire shoe. I am looking forward to being able to walk & be active again. For me, this was money well spent.
Thank you income tax return!
!Mine are just like these only in brown!
I got to talk to my sister yesterday. We didn't say whole lot but I miss hearing her voice. It was so nice to chat, even if it was pretty much about nothing.
That is about all for now. Until next time, have a great day!
April 20, 2006
The Little Girl & the Firefighter
*DISCLAIMER* I received this in an e-mail from an Aunt of mine. I in no way would EVER let my children do this to an animal. I must put this here because some people have NO sense of humor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A firefighter was working on the engine outside the station when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle.
The girl was wearing a fire fighter's helmet.
The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat.
The fire fighter walked over to take a closer look.
"That sure is a nice fire truck," the fire fighter said with admiratiration.
"Thanks," the girl replied.
The firefighter looked a little closer and noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.
"Little Partner," the fire fighter said, "I don't want to tell you howto run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think it could go faster."
The little girl replied thoughtfully, " You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A firefighter was working on the engine outside the station when he noticed a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle.
The girl was wearing a fire fighter's helmet.
The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat.
The fire fighter walked over to take a closer look.
"That sure is a nice fire truck," the fire fighter said with admiratiration.
"Thanks," the girl replied.
The firefighter looked a little closer and noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.
"Little Partner," the fire fighter said, "I don't want to tell you howto run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think it could go faster."
The little girl replied thoughtfully, " You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren."
April 19, 2006
I hope you all had a great Easter.
This year Easter Sunday fell on my Husbands birthday. He REALLY didn't want to eat my mom's cooking so he suggested we all go to Rawhide Steakhouse for lunch. He treated us all & Bill to lunch & then we went to a carnival being held at Rawhide as well. It has moved from Scottsdale to the Gila River Indian Reservation. Personally, I liked it BETTER in Scottsdale. The girls sat with the Easter Bunny. My DAD rode a carnival ride with Elizabeth. He wasn't going to until she walked up to him, grabbed his hand & said "Pa Pa, will you ride the Dumbos with me?" He went ahead & rode them with her. I rode Dizzy Dragons (similar to the Tilt-a-whirl) & my hubby rode the Ferris Wheel with her. That left just enough for her to ride one ride alone. We played three games & we were finished. Charlotte even played her first carnival game...the ones that you pick three ducks from the water, turn them over & see what size prize you won. It was nice to spend a holiday NOT at my parents house for a change.
On Satuday, they took the girls to Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park to see the White Alligator. At their house they "painted" (dyed) Easter eggs & drew pictures. The they kept BOTH girls all night long so we could celebrate Bob's birthday. When I asked my Dad how they were for him he replied "They were both little dolls".
It was nice for us because we got to watch a movie in a theatre, do a little shopping & eat TWO meals at restaurants without our little ones. We love them to pieces but it's nice to have a break occasionally. The time alone helped in the Romance department as well. THAT of course makes my DH very happy. I can't complain either.
Charlotte is just a few steps away from walking on her own. She LOVES to push toy her Daddy brought home recently & can't play with it enough. Now when the cats see her comming....they run! LOL!
Elizabeth is learning to write her letters. Next I will work on SPELLING her name & writing it. She has to be able to write her first & last name, know her address & phone number, know her shapes & her colors before she starts Kindergarten! Gone are the days when you could go to school knowing nothing. Oh well, it is just a sign of the times I guess.
I am still getting into Postcrossing & I am enjoying it SO MUCH. I have sent cards to several different states within the US, England, Portugal, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Germany, France, Iran, Spain, Malayasia, Estonia, Russia, Finland & The Netherlands. I have received cards from nearly all of those same places. It is really cool to open your mailbox & receive a card from someplace else in the world.
This year Easter Sunday fell on my Husbands birthday. He REALLY didn't want to eat my mom's cooking so he suggested we all go to Rawhide Steakhouse for lunch. He treated us all & Bill to lunch & then we went to a carnival being held at Rawhide as well. It has moved from Scottsdale to the Gila River Indian Reservation. Personally, I liked it BETTER in Scottsdale. The girls sat with the Easter Bunny. My DAD rode a carnival ride with Elizabeth. He wasn't going to until she walked up to him, grabbed his hand & said "Pa Pa, will you ride the Dumbos with me?" He went ahead & rode them with her. I rode Dizzy Dragons (similar to the Tilt-a-whirl) & my hubby rode the Ferris Wheel with her. That left just enough for her to ride one ride alone. We played three games & we were finished. Charlotte even played her first carnival game...the ones that you pick three ducks from the water, turn them over & see what size prize you won. It was nice to spend a holiday NOT at my parents house for a change.
On Satuday, they took the girls to Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park to see the White Alligator. At their house they "painted" (dyed) Easter eggs & drew pictures. The they kept BOTH girls all night long so we could celebrate Bob's birthday. When I asked my Dad how they were for him he replied "They were both little dolls".
It was nice for us because we got to watch a movie in a theatre, do a little shopping & eat TWO meals at restaurants without our little ones. We love them to pieces but it's nice to have a break occasionally. The time alone helped in the Romance department as well. THAT of course makes my DH very happy. I can't complain either.
Charlotte is just a few steps away from walking on her own. She LOVES to push toy her Daddy brought home recently & can't play with it enough. Now when the cats see her comming....they run! LOL!
Elizabeth is learning to write her letters. Next I will work on SPELLING her name & writing it. She has to be able to write her first & last name, know her address & phone number, know her shapes & her colors before she starts Kindergarten! Gone are the days when you could go to school knowing nothing. Oh well, it is just a sign of the times I guess.
I am still getting into Postcrossing & I am enjoying it SO MUCH. I have sent cards to several different states within the US, England, Portugal, Poland, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Germany, France, Iran, Spain, Malayasia, Estonia, Russia, Finland & The Netherlands. I have received cards from nearly all of those same places. It is really cool to open your mailbox & receive a card from someplace else in the world.
March 29, 2006
Honoring my creative side
In honoring my creative side, I have been making some cards.
Mainly for the handmade Postcard Tags.
This is supposed to represent 3 types of cacti found on the mountain close to my home & the Jackrabbits that run through my yard. It was also made with washable fingerpaints & was for the Handmade Postcard Round Robin tag.
This was for the Love Tag. It was my first stab at using my Scrapbooking supplies in a long time. I wasn't all that happy with it.
I LOVE this card. I made it with washable fingerpaints & permanent marker. It was for the Handmade Postcard Round Robin tag. It reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode.
This was for the Son of List tag. She wanted to know 5 things I did wrong as a kid & that my parent s never found out about. You can't see it well, but between the exclamations it says !SSSHHH! I wasn't happy with this card, but the recipient actually liked it.
I actually have sent another & forgot to scan it to the computer. I took a picture with the camera phone before I mailed it. As soon as I get it to the computer I will post it here because I like it.
March 28, 2006
Lets see...since the last time I remember posting about my family this is what has happened.
My MIL has come & gone back home to the midwest. We suffered through SIL musical. I could have enjoyed it more if I wouldn't of had to keep leaving with a fussy infant. That is one of the perils of parenthood.
My husband is nearly finished building the shed. The tarps we wrapped it in with the heavy rains a few weeks backed worked. It still got wet, as the tarps shredded in the high winds, but they kept us from having to junk what we already had built.
The baby is cruising the furniture, saying Ma Ma & suddenly getting ALOT more hair. She still only has two teeth but I think more will be comming in soon.
The older one is excited becuase her Grandma told her that after her surgery, her & Pa Pa will be taking her to see the White Alligator at the zoo. I hope it's sooner than later because I am already tired of hearing about the alligator EVERY SINGLE TIME the commerical for it comes on the TV. UGH! LET IT END ALREADY! LOL!
On to other things..........
My mom is having surgery to remove the lump from her head on Friday. I will no longer be able to call her "Lumpy" Maybe I can call her *Asterick* The Mom formally known as Lumpy! LOL! I amuse myself too much at times.
Speaking if formally know as... I see that Prince....AKA....(Weird unpronouncable symbol)....AKA....the Artist formally known as Prince....formally known as The Artist (whatever order that all went in). Currently is going by his original pop name of Prince. I still like his music but I think he is still strange. "Black Sweat" is the title of his newest song. What is that? Is it differant than White Sweat or Indian Sweat or Japanese Sweat? You get the idea.
My postcrossing activity has been picking up. I now have recieved 5 offical cards from postcrossers, 5 tag cards & 2 thank you cards. The countries have been the USA, Finland, Germany & Great Britian. I have sent cards to Germany, Finland, Portugal, Australia, South Africa, Canada & the United States of America. The women at the Post Office are calling me The Postcard Lady! It is fun to send & recieve these cards.
My MIL has come & gone back home to the midwest. We suffered through SIL musical. I could have enjoyed it more if I wouldn't of had to keep leaving with a fussy infant. That is one of the perils of parenthood.
My husband is nearly finished building the shed. The tarps we wrapped it in with the heavy rains a few weeks backed worked. It still got wet, as the tarps shredded in the high winds, but they kept us from having to junk what we already had built.
The baby is cruising the furniture, saying Ma Ma & suddenly getting ALOT more hair. She still only has two teeth but I think more will be comming in soon.
The older one is excited becuase her Grandma told her that after her surgery, her & Pa Pa will be taking her to see the White Alligator at the zoo. I hope it's sooner than later because I am already tired of hearing about the alligator EVERY SINGLE TIME the commerical for it comes on the TV. UGH! LET IT END ALREADY! LOL!
On to other things..........
My mom is having surgery to remove the lump from her head on Friday. I will no longer be able to call her "Lumpy" Maybe I can call her *Asterick* The Mom formally known as Lumpy! LOL! I amuse myself too much at times.
Speaking if formally know as... I see that Prince....AKA....(Weird unpronouncable symbol)....AKA....the Artist formally known as Prince....formally known as The Artist (whatever order that all went in). Currently is going by his original pop name of Prince. I still like his music but I think he is still strange. "Black Sweat" is the title of his newest song. What is that? Is it differant than White Sweat or Indian Sweat or Japanese Sweat? You get the idea.
My postcrossing activity has been picking up. I now have recieved 5 offical cards from postcrossers, 5 tag cards & 2 thank you cards. The countries have been the USA, Finland, Germany & Great Britian. I have sent cards to Germany, Finland, Portugal, Australia, South Africa, Canada & the United States of America. The women at the Post Office are calling me The Postcard Lady! It is fun to send & recieve these cards.
March 18, 2006
Self Portrait Tag Card
Okay, This is HUGE for me. A year ago I never would have been comfortable enough to even CREATE this card, ket alone SHARE it with anyone.
This is the list of words I used in my self portrait.
American, Aunt
Bubbly
Christian, conflicted,creative
daughter, daughter-in-law, dedicated, defensive, Divorce, dramatic
female, friend
good hearted
healing, helpful, homemaker, humorous
individaul
jovial
kind
liberal, Libra, loved, lover, loval
Mother
nail biter, non-smoker
obese, obstinate, open minded, oversensitive
passionate, patient, plus sized
quarrelsome
romantic
silly, sister, spirited, survivor, swollen
tmepermental
undersexed
victim, voluptuous
wife, woman
Yankee
March 16, 2006
Postcards and Paper Cranes
I have another website titled Postcards and Paper Cranes.
I have recently begun Postcrossing. Through that site I get addresses at random from around the world to send post cards to. In return I receive postcards from a different random postcrosser someplace in the world. I have recieved three in the past 10 days. It is pretty neat if you enjoy travel or postcards. At that site I will be posting cards that I have received & what the sender wrote on the backside of the card.
Check it out of you have time.
If I have time to make any of my own postcards, I will post them at Postcards and paper Cranes as well.
Go & have a look! Maybe the Postcrossing bug will bite YOU as well!
!Enjoy!
March 14, 2006
I had to press my Postcard4Peace
before I could send it. I just sent it out today. Lets see if it reaches its destination.
As for postcards lets talk about Postcrossing.com
I have mailed out 6 cards now. 3 to Finland, 2 to Germany & 1 to Australia. All have been registered as having been received.
On Saturday night I returned home to find my first postcard...from Finland. It is a winter scene of a church & it is beautiful! As soon as I get it scanned I will post it here. Anytime now I should be receiving more cards in the mailbox from anywhere in the world.
On to other subjects.
Severe weather in AZ.
On Saturday morning about 1am our 143 day streak without rain came to an end. The town I USED to live in recieved 4 inches of rain. Where I live now recieved 2 1/2 inches of rain. It may not sound like much, but here in the desert the ground gets SO dry that it can't absorb the rain fast enough. That leads to flash floods. In our case, no flash floods affected us personally. We WERE on the way to visit my MIL & the wipers on the truck stopped working. It wasn't good, as we were on I-10 when this happened! We did get them working long enough to get into Phoenix. The second time they stopped working they didn't start again. Once we got to MIL house DH got the wipers worked back into a down position & applied RainX. IT was still raining cats & dogs 10 hours after we left our house, but the RainX worked so well that even the spray kicked up by semis didn't hinder our view out the front windshield. We stopped to get the mail out of the box & then nearly got stuck in mud once we left to road & drove onto our unlandscaped lot. DH had to put the truck into 4X4 mode to get us to the door. He got out of the truck & laid down a plank of plywood to minimize the mud tracked into the house. Then went back for the girls, handing them off to me at the backdoor. Sunday morning we couldn't leave because the car & truck would have become stuck in the mud & mini lakes all over our property. Today things were dry enough that we can come & go as we please. We still have several mini lakes around the house but nothing that requires a draw bridge to cross any longer.
As for postcards lets talk about Postcrossing.com
I have mailed out 6 cards now. 3 to Finland, 2 to Germany & 1 to Australia. All have been registered as having been received.
On Saturday night I returned home to find my first postcard...from Finland. It is a winter scene of a church & it is beautiful! As soon as I get it scanned I will post it here. Anytime now I should be receiving more cards in the mailbox from anywhere in the world.
On to other subjects.
Severe weather in AZ.
On Saturday morning about 1am our 143 day streak without rain came to an end. The town I USED to live in recieved 4 inches of rain. Where I live now recieved 2 1/2 inches of rain. It may not sound like much, but here in the desert the ground gets SO dry that it can't absorb the rain fast enough. That leads to flash floods. In our case, no flash floods affected us personally. We WERE on the way to visit my MIL & the wipers on the truck stopped working. It wasn't good, as we were on I-10 when this happened! We did get them working long enough to get into Phoenix. The second time they stopped working they didn't start again. Once we got to MIL house DH got the wipers worked back into a down position & applied RainX. IT was still raining cats & dogs 10 hours after we left our house, but the RainX worked so well that even the spray kicked up by semis didn't hinder our view out the front windshield. We stopped to get the mail out of the box & then nearly got stuck in mud once we left to road & drove onto our unlandscaped lot. DH had to put the truck into 4X4 mode to get us to the door. He got out of the truck & laid down a plank of plywood to minimize the mud tracked into the house. Then went back for the girls, handing them off to me at the backdoor. Sunday morning we couldn't leave because the car & truck would have become stuck in the mud & mini lakes all over our property. Today things were dry enough that we can come & go as we please. We still have several mini lakes around the house but nothing that requires a draw bridge to cross any longer.
March 07, 2006
I made my second postcard today. The first went to Post Secret.
I sent it to:
Postcards 4 Peace
400 East. Fuller Drive
Euless, Tx. 76039
USA
I used the previous quote by Mother Teresa on the front & my very own original Haiku on the back.
Peace the world over
is merely a dream right now.
Join us in this quest.
That is HUGE for me becuase I vowed to nurture my creative side in 2006. It may not be the best Haiku, but it does show that I am finally feeling more confident in myself. The fact that I could share it felt so good. If ot stinks then oh well. I was in a moment of feeling self confident & that marks true progress on my part.
March 01, 2006
In dealing with my own family....
I really need to remember this.
"Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy."
Mother Teresa
"Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy."
Mother Teresa
February 25, 2006
Come to the edge
“Come to the edge.”
“We can't. We're afraid.”
“Come to the edge.”
“We can't. We will fall!”
“Come to the edge.”
And they came.
And he pushed them.
And they flew.
Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918
French Poet, Philosopher
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