Happy Birthday Rosie

Rosie is 9 years old today. Those of us who love her think she is aging beautifully. Tonight we will have cake and ice cream to celebrate.

Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month and the NEA has a list of recommended fiction, non-fiction and poetry books for all ages from pre-K to adult. You can find the list here:

http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/nabooklist.html

Today I cataloged an audiobook by Native American author Louise Erdrich called The Porcupine Year. It's the third in a series of books about an Ojibwe family who live on Lake Superior in the 1800's. The other 2 books in the series are The Birchbark House, a National Book Award finalist, and The Game of Silence, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. These books are recommended for grades 5-8 but I would like to read them all.

This is all pretty interesting to me because I recently became friends with a person who is an Ojibwe Indian. We started emailing each other after she posted a comment on my blog.

Obama

Ann Nixon Cooper

Here is a picture of Ann Nixon Cooper, the 106 year old woman Obama talked about in his speech last night. Isn't she a better symbol of what America is all about than Joe the Plumber?

The World Reacts to Obama's Election

I am so proud of my country today. When Obama's victory was announced it seemed that the entire world was cheering alongside the millions of supporters in the United States.
Here are some of the reactions:
From the German paper the Bild: "Cheering on all continents: hula dances in Germany, frenzied joy in Japan, India and Africa - and in Kenya, the home of Obama's father, the 6th November was even made a holiday! The world celebrates the new U.S. president Barack Obama, 47."
This is from the Russian newspaper Pravda:
Only Satan would have been worse than the Bush regime. Therefore it could be argued that the new administration in the USA could never be worse than the one which divorced the hearts and minds of Americans from their brothers in the international community, which appalled the rest of the world with shock and awe tactics that included concentration camps, torture, mass murder and utter disrespect for international law. Yet in choosing Obama, the people of America have opted to come back into the international fold. Welcome back, friends!
From the British newspaper The Sun: "one giant leap for mankind."
Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights said this on French radio:
"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten. America is rebecoming a New World.
On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."
From Nelson Mandela: "Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said "At a time when we have to confront immense challenges together, your election raises great hopes in France, in Europe and in the rest of the world."

Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast

A Landslide

SUPERBARACK

Baker 13

When I went to work today at the Fondren Library I noticed that one of the huge windows in the front was boarded up. Since last night was Halloween I knew that one of the Baker 13 had probably tried to leave a body print on the glass last night and had broken the glass. A few years ago a student did the same thing to one of the glass doors in the front of the library. I found out that the student last night was trying to leave a butt print on the window. Luckily, no one was hurt, including the student sitting at the desk directly under the window. I was told that there were huge shards of glass hanging in the window after the event. For those of you who don't know, Baker 13 is a tradition at Rice involving naked students and shaving cream. On the 13th and 31st of every month, or the 26th if there is no 31st, students wear only shoes and shaving cream and run around campus leaving shaving cream impressions of their bodies on buildings around campus while others throw water balloons at them. The Halloween run usually attracts the greatest number of runners.

Here is a picture I found on Flickr of the Baker 13.

Flower Maker

This web site for making flower designs is totally awesome and addicting

http://www.zefrank.com/flowers/

I really need to leave this state. I just heard on MSNBC that 23% of Texans think Obama is a Muslim. I can't believe that, with all the news on TV, almost 25% of the people still think this. I guess these are the same stupid people who still believe Iraq had something to do with 911. The Republicans are of course happy to spread lies. So many of them are truly despicable people. If you don't believe this look at the ad Elizabeth Dole is running against her opponent Kay Hagen in North Carolina. I don't want to put her ad here but you can see Hagen's response to the ad in the post below. The good thing is that so much of the negative advertising by the R's is backfiring. I hope the [expletive] lose every race.
I voted this afternoon. There were several hundred people in line ahead of me but the line moved pretty fast because there were so many booths. I went to the polling place on West Gray.

Kay Hagen's response to Elizabeth Dole's negative ad

Charles from Boulder

Twittering Terrorist

I never really been tempted to Twitter but I may have to get an account now that a new report has come out outlining how social activists and terrorists might use Twitter. The entire report is posted here Federation of American Scientists.

From the report: They may be, “utilising the social networking tool Twitter to organise attacks,” and "Twitter has also become a social activism tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and to send messages to broader audiences."

Discovery Green Park

Here is a nice article from Treehugger on Houston's Discovery Green Park:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/downtown-houston-discovery-green.php

Obama Biden Tax Calculator

Using the full calculator I will save a little over $1,000 a year. Under McCain $0.

Today when I got home I had a large hand addressed envelope in the mail. Inside were several very negative xeroxed articles (16 pages total) about Obama and a cover letter that said "Shame on you (my name) for supporting racist and anti-American Barack Obama. I have included a couple of articles for you to read if you have the intelligence to understand it!"
I would love to know who sent it and if anybody else received a similar package. I also wonder who is stupid enough to think I would believe any of this BS. Whoever sent it is really wasting money ($2.00 postage) and time trying to change a vote in one of the few red states left.

Fiscal Conservatives

This was written by Meteor Blades and was in the Daily Kos:

National Debt When Jimmy Carter arrived at the White House:
$660 billion.
Added during Carter's four years: $337 billion.
Added during Ronald Reagan's eight years: $1.6 trillion.
Added during George H. W. Bush's four years: $1.6 trillion.
Added during Bill Clinton's eight years: $1.5 trillion.
Added during George W. Bush's seven years, nine months: $4.5 trillion.
Portion of the $9.5 trillion added to the national debt during the past 31 years and seven months that came during Republican presidencies: $7.7 trillion.
Percentage of that $7.7 trillion added during George W. Bush's two terms: 58%.
Could somebody explain again what "fiscal conservative" means?

Steven Colbert On The Communist Library Threat

Post Material Girl Wannabe

I just read an article about a new trend called "downshifting." People who downshift voluntarily choose to live a simpler, more environmentally sustainable life.

A survey by an Australian Institute found that people ages 30-59 downshift for 5 reasons:

1. A desire for a more balanced life with less stress

2. Clashes between personal values and those of the workplace

3. Wanting a more fulfilling life

4. Ill health

5. Environmental concerns/rejection of consumerism



This is something I would like to do. When my Ike evacuee was staying with me I realized how much stuff I have, most of it in the spare bedroom where she stayed. I may begin my downsizing by getting rid of some of it and not acquiring any more. I am also looking into getting rid of my car in a few years. I live pretty close to everything I need but it would be a pretty big adjustment to always have to walk or take public transportation. I have been trying over the last few years to be more responsible in terms of energy consumption in my house which has paid off in a big way in my electric bill. I managed to keep the bill under $100 all summer by keeping the thermostat turned up and using fans. Last winter I only turned on the heat when the house went below 60.
I've also been trying this year to eat simpler foods like beans and rice instead of buying more expensive frozen dinners or prepared foods from Whole Foods. I sort of fell off the wagon in the last month but am back to eating this way at least part of the time.
Neither one of my jobs clash with my personal values. They, in fact, make me a better person most of the time. I would like to, when I have more time, do some volunteer work.
Baby steps, but it's a process.

Sparky with his new Obama button

Amazing Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Fall is in the air. I slept with with all the doors open last night and my house was cold in the morning. I've also decorated my house for Halloween. Here is a yummy sounding recipe for a fall inspired cookie that I found on Eat Drink Better http://eatdrinkbetter.com/

Amazing Pumpkin Spice Cookies
1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)
3/4 cup unrefined sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
1 cup cooked pumpkin (cut in half, scoop out seeds, place cut side down on baking sheet and bake at 350 until soft. Peel and mash or blend the pumpkin.)
2 eggs (or egg replacer equivalent)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Mix all ingredients together and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325, drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Try substituting sweet potatoes or butternut squash for the pie pumpkin for a different taste, or bake in a loaf pan.

I'm Voting For THAT ONE!

In case you missed it, McCain referred to Obama as "that one" in the debate last night. These buttons can be ordered from CafePress http://www.cafepress.com/

This is Our Time

Here is a link to the video I saw at the JRR dinner on Saturday night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4kVF3626w8

Flirting Her Way to Victory

Here is a great editorial from Michele Goldberg of the Guardian Newspaper.
Flirting her way to victory
Sarah Palin's farcical debate performance lowered the standards for both female candidates and US political discourse

Michelle Goldberg
guardian.co.uk,
Friday October 03 2008 18:30 BST

Sarah Palin winks during the vice-presidential debate on Thursday in St Louis, Missouri. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
At least three times last night, Sarah Palin, the adorable, preposterous vice-presidential candidate, winked at the audience. Had a male candidate with a similar reputation for attractive vapidity made such a brazen attempt to flirt his way into the good graces of the voting public, it would have universally noted, discussed and mocked. Palin, however, has single-handedly so lowered the standards both for female candidates and American political discourse that, with her newfound ability to speak in more-or-less full sentences, she is now deemed to have performed acceptably last night.By any normal standard, including the ones applied to male presidential candidates of either party, she did not. Early on, she made the astonishing announcement that she had no intentions of actually answering the queries put to her. "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also," she said.
And so she preceded, with an almost surreal disregard for the subjects she was supposed to be discussing, to unleash fusillades of scripted attack lines, platitudes, lies, gibberish and grating references to her own pseudo-folksy authenticity. It was an appalling display. The only reason it was not widely described as such is that too many American pundits don't even try to judge the truth, wisdom or reasonableness of the political rhetoric they are paid to pronounce upon. Instead, they imagine themselves as interpreters of a mythical mass of "average Americans" who they both venerate and despise.
In pronouncing upon a debate, they don't try and determine whether a candidate's responses correspond to existing reality, or whether he or she is capable of talking about subjects such as the deregulation of the financial markets or the devolution of the war in Afghanistan. The criteria are far more vaporous. In this case, it was whether Palin could avoid utterly humiliating herself for 90 minutes, and whether urbane commentators would believe that she had connected to a public that they see as ignorant and sentimental. For the Alaska governor, mission accomplished. There is indeed something mesmerising about Palin, with her manic beaming and fulsome confidence in her own charm. The force of her personality managed to slightly obscure the insulting emptiness of her answers last night. It's worth reading the transcript of the encounter, where it becomes clearer how bizarre much of what she said was. Here, for example, is how she responded to Biden's comments about how the middle class has been short-changed during the Bush administration, and how McCain will continue Bush's policies:
Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced [sic] your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I'm glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? ... My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here's a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.
Evidently, Palin's pre-debate handlers judged her incapable of speaking on a fairly wide range of subjects, and so instructed to her to simply disregard questions that did not invite memorised talking points or cutesy filibustering. They probably told her to play up her spunky average-ness, which she did to the point of shtick - and dishonesty. Asked what her achilles heel is - a question she either didn't understand or chose to ignore - she started in on how McCain chose her because of her "connection to the heartland of America. Being a mom, one very concerned about a son in the war, about a special needs child, about kids heading off to college, how are we going to pay those tuition bills?"None of Palin's children, it should be noted, is heading off to college. Her son is on the way to Iraq, and her pregnant 17-year-old daughter is engaged to be married to a high-school dropout and self-described "fuckin' redneck". Palin is a woman who can't even tell the truth about the most quotidian and public details of her own life, never mind about matters of major public import. In her only vice-presidential debate, she was shallow, mendacious and phoney. What kind of maverick, after all, keeps harping on what a maverick she is? That her performance was considered anything but a farce doesn't show how high Palin has risen, but how low we all have sunk.

This Is Our Time -- The 2008 Johnson-Rayburn-Richards Dinner

Last night I went to the JRR Dinner which was sponsored by the Harris County Democratic Party. It was held at the Westin Galleria and there were about 1100 people in attendance including just about every elected Democratic in Harris County and everyone running for office. Chris Bell was the Master of Ceremonies and other speakers included Roland Garcia, Rick Noriega, Gerry Birnberg, and Sefronia Thompson. I sat at a table with one of the planning committee members Sam Keeper. Judge Bert Moser and his wife Jane were also at the table. She manages the Brazos Bookstore which is imho the best independent bookstore in Houston. Also at the table were some neighbors of mine. I walk past their house everyday but had never met them. The keynote speaker was General Wesley Clark. As I was listening to him I was thinking what a wonderful president or vice president he would have been. There were so many good Democratic candidates to choose from this year, all of them better than anyone the Republicans had to choose from. The program ended with a tribute to Ambassador Arthur Schechter who also spoke for a few minutes, and an introduction of all of the candidates, elected officials, and sponsors.
It was a wonderful evening and I left feeling a lot better about the chances of electing Democrats in Harris County as well as on the national level.

Pictures from the JRR Dinner

For Sinatra Lovers

Sarah Palin v the polar bear: who will survive?

This is from The Guardian:

The financial crisis may be dominating the US presidential campaign, but the season's most intriguing political battle is shaping up as a straightforward fight for survival between two old foes: Sarah Palin and the polar bear. When the US government decided to classify Ursus maritimus as an endangered species earlier in the year, Palin sued in attempt to overturn the ruling, fearing the label would deter oil and gas exploration in Alaska. The case of Palin v Polar bear will be heard in January. Here's how the contenders size up:

Range

Polar bear: Found across the Arctic regions of five countries; the US, Canada, Russia, Norway and Greenland.

Sarah Palin: Not quite as well travelled. Lives within sight of Russia, but has never ventured there, possibly because of diminishing sea ice.

Conservation status

Polar bear: Vulnerable, largely due to climatic change and the resulting habitat loss.

Palin: Also vulnerable, because of a lack of experience and controversial stances on abortion, creationism, global warming, same-sex marriage and the environment.

Predatory armoury

Polar bear: Possesses razor-sharp teeth, a powerful build and a sense of smell that can detect a seal a mile away under three feet of snow. Still unlikely to triumph in a direct confrontation with Palin however, unless the Alaska legislature suddenly decides to uphold the right to arm bears.

Palin: Licensed gun-owner, avid hunter and crack shot. Palin also supports a policy of shooting wolves from helicopters in order to increase the Alaskan moose population so that Alaskans can shoot more moose. Deadly.

Impact of climate change

Polar bear: Length of hunting season has diminished, birth rates have fallen and it now has insufficient fat reserves.

Palin: None observed.

Biggest supporters

Polar bear: Greenpeace, the US department of the interior, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Geological Survey.

Palin: Hockey moms, the National Rifle Association, rightwing fundamentalist Christians, climate change deniers, the oil industry, God (endorsement unconfirmed).

Biggest threat to survival

Polar bear: Sarah Palin.

Palin: Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, feminism, belated national reality check brought on by global economic crisis.

Ruggles is opening a restaurant right around the corner from my house. It says on the door that it's Houston's only certified green restaurant. That's pretty exciting.
Ike update: All of the debris and all of the bags of leaves have been picked up on my street!
All of the lights on my way to work are working!
I'm taking care of my neighbor's beautiful dog named Zoe this weekend. I'm also feeding their fish and giving their 2 turtles kale. There is supposed to be a cat too but I haven't seen her yet.

Farmers Markets

Here is a neat little graph showing the increase in Farmers Markets over the last few years.

Rice has a really nice farmers market on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30-7 in the stadium parking lot. There is one vendor who sells delicious gelato. I know this because my Ike evacuee brought some home last week. Here is a link to the website:

http://www.houstonfarmersmarket.org/

More Bigotry in the News

Four students at George Fox University, a Christian (why am I not surprised) University in Oregon have been suspended for hanging a cardboard cutout of Barack Obama from a tree on campus. A message on the cutout said "Act Six Reject" which refers to a scholarship plan for minority and low income students at Christian colleges. The FBI is investigating the action to see if any civil rights were violated.

Another GOP Bigot

This is what Didi Lima, co-chair of McCain's Nevada Hispanic Leadership Team and Republican spokesperson for the Republican party in Nevada said:



"We don't want (Hispanics) to become the new African-American community," Lima told The Associated Press. "And that's what the Democratic Party is going to do to them, create more programs and give them handouts, food stamps and checks for this and checks for that. We don't want that."
"I'm very much afraid that the Democratic Party is going to do the same thing that they did with the African-American culture and make them all dependent on the government and we don't want that."



This is so disgusting and so insulting to so many people I don't even know what to say. My only suggestion is that we vote for the party that doesn't trash our country and the economy. That way fewer people will need "handouts, foodstamps and checks for this and that."

Guess who's not coming to dinner

Guess who's not coming to dinner
By Roger Ebert
I do not like you, John McCain. My feeling has nothing to do with issues. It has to do with common courtesy. During the debate, you refused to look Barack Obama in the eye. Indeed, you refused to look at him at all. Even when the two of you shook hands at the start, you used your eyes only to locate his hand, and then gazed past him as you shook it.
Obama is my guy. If you are rude to him, you are rude to me. If you came to dinner at my house and refused to look at or speak with one of my guests, that would be bad manners and I would be offended. Same thing if I went to your house. During the debate, you were America's guest.
What was your problem? Do you hold this man in such contempt that you cannot bear to gaze upon him? Will you not even speak to him directly? Do you think he doesn't have the right to be running for President? Were you angry because after you said you wouldn't attend the debate, he said a President should be able to concern himself with two things at the same time? He was right. The proof is, you were there. Were you angry with him because he called your bluff?
During the debate, Jim Lehrer repeatedly called upon both candidates to speak directly to each other. Obama looked at you. He addressed you as "John," which as a fellow senator is his privilege. His body language was open. You stared straight ahead, or at Lehrer, or into space. Your jaw was clinched. You had a tight little smile, or a grimace, or a little shake of your head.
I had to do two things at once while watching the debate. I had to listen to what was being said. And I had to process your rigid and contemptuous behavior. If you were at a wedding and the father of the groom refused to look at or speak to the bride, how would that make you feel? Especially if you were the father of the bride?
You made a TV commercial showing the moments Obama agreed with you. Everybody knows he did. Did his agreement show honesty, or weakness? It is significant that you said it proved he was not ready to lead. What is the better leadership quality: (1) Willingness to listen to your opponent, and keep an open mind? (2) Rigidly ignoring him? Which of the two of you better demonstrated the bipartisan spirit you say you represent? Was there anything he said that you agreed with? Could you have brought yourself to say so?
I'm not the only one who noticed your odd, hostile behavior. Just about everybody did. I'm sure many of your supporters must have sensed the tension. Before the debate, pundits were wondering if you might explode in a display of your famous temper. I think we saw that happen, all right, but it was an implosion. I have instructed my wife to exclude you from any future dinner parties.

Sarah Palin

My prediction is that she will need to "spend more time with her family" in the next week or so and McCain will be choosing a new VP. She is pathetic joke which anyone paying attention knew from the start. Now people from her own party are asking her to step down. This is just another mistake in judgement by McCain and another reason why this man shouldn't be president.

Confused?

I have no idea who wrote this but it is definitely worth reading:

I'm a little confused. Let me get this straight...

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re “exotic, different.”

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack, you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well-grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you don’t have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values don’t represent America’s.

If your husband is nicknamed “First Dude,” with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Bumblebee Bat

I don't know what to say about the situation in this country that hasn't already been said so on to a lighter topic, the Bumblebee Bat.

I had never heard of this bat until the Decider in Technical Services mentioned it yesterday. The Bumblebee Bat or Kitti's Hog-nosed bat is the world's smallest bat and one of the smallest mammals in the world. It resides in Western Thailand and Southeast Burma in limestone caves along rivers and is on the endangered species list.

HCPL has several copies of the book Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin P. Lunde. The call number is: J 599.4 Lun

Stuff White People Like (the book)

There will be a talk and book signing event on Friday, October 17th at 7:00 pm at the Borders at 3025 Kirby, which is right by my house.

Anthem for Obama

Happy Peace Day

Martha Stewart

I love Martha Stewart and would love to find a t-shirt that says WWMD. Her magazine always has some eco friendly tips on reusing or repurposing things. I particularly like the idea in this picture of making a tiered tray for cookies out of old dinner plates and tea cups glued together.

Hagel on Palin

"She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials," Hagel said in an interview. "You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don't know what you can say. You can't say anything."...
"I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,'" he said. "That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."

Nice to hear a Republican like Chuck Hagel put country over politics and say what others in his party won't.

The Brain in McCain Under Strain About Spain

This amusing title is from the Sydney Morning Herald. You can read the entire article here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/the-brain-in-mccain-under-strain-about-spain/2008/09/19/1221331207145.html

When asked if he would be inviting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to the White House after becoming president McCain responded "I would be willing to meet with those leaders who are friends and want to work with us in a cooperative fashion." He then said something about Mexican President Calderon. The reporter then reminded McCain that he was talking about Spain to which McCain responded "I know the issues, I know the leaders." He then went on to say "All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not and that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region."

Spain is a NATO ally located in Europe, not in the Western Hemisphere. Zapatero has been in office 4 years. Spain sent 1,000 troops to fight in Afghanistan with the United States and in 2004 was the target of an Al Qaeda attack which killed almost 200 and injured more than 2,000.

Hunker Down

We've all heard this phrase a lot lately so I decided to see what it means and what its origin is. I found this explanation on World Wide Words.

It sounds like the most typically American of phrases, but it seems originally to have been Scots, first recorded in the eighteenth century.
Nobody seems to know exactly what its origin is, though it has been suggested it’s linked to the Old Norse huka, to squat; that would make it a close cousin of old Dutch huiken and modern German hocken, meaning to squat or crouch, which makes sense. That’s certainly what’s meant by the word in American English, in phrases like hunker down or on your hunkers.
The Oxford English Dictionary has a fine description of how to hunker: “squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutely bent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weight upon the fore part of the feet”. The advantage of this position is that you’re not only crouched close to the ground, so presenting a small target for whatever the universe chooses to throw at you, but you’re also ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Hunker down has also taken on the sense of to hide, hide out, or take shelter, whatever position you choose to do it in. This was a south-western US dialect form that was popularised by President Johnson in the mid 1960s. Despite its Scots ancestry, hunker is rare in standard British English.

This sign is on Greenbriar close to the Southwest Frwy. I guess the beer would be hot. Centerpoint has a new map on their web site with estimated dates for restoration of electricity. It isn't going to make anybody happy. The only good thing is that we are having unusually cool weather. http://www.centerpointenergy.com/staticfiles/CNP/Common/SiteAssets/doc/Est.%20Restore%209.17%202pm.pdf

Red Neck Tank Top

Sarah Palin and Westbrook Pegler

This was written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and was posted on The Huffington Post under the title Governor Palin's Reading List:
Fascist writer Westbrook Pegler, an avowed racist who Sarah Palin approvingly quoted in her acceptance speech for the moral superiority of small town values, expressed his fervent hope about my father, Robert F. Kennedy, as he contemplated his own run for the presidency in 1965, that "some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies."
It might be worth asking Governor Palin for a tally of the other favorites from her reading list.

And here is a link to a post by Erica Jong, also on the Huffington Post, and definitely worth reading:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-jong/not-that-stupid-erica-jon_b_126184.html

Saturday Night Live

Takes one to know one

Bush declares Texas a disaster.

Ike Pictures on Flickr

Here are some pictures I took while out walking the dogs this afternoon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14145194@N04/