Halloween Decorations

Here is how I have decorated so far this year.

Gracie Ruth

Yesterday I had Gracie euthanized. She never really recovered from her surgery. When she didn't respond to a second round of antibiotics my vet told me it was probably cancer. She had told me after the surgery that there was that possibility because of her badly abscessed tooth.
Gracie was my healthiest dog. She was the only dog I had never spent any money on except for routine checkups. I thought she would probably be the last dog to go so this was a shock. Now I am ThreeDogMom.
Gracie was my happy energetic dog. She loved getting in bed before I did and stealing my spot. It became a game with us. I would pretend that I was mad and she would pretend to be asleep and not move. Eventually I would roll her over onto the other side of the bed. Gracie could also jump 6 feet straight up in the air. I used to call her my little Masai Warrior Dog.
I don't believe in any kind of an afterlife but it's comforting to think she might be in doggie heaven.
RIP Gracie. Sparky, Ginger, Rosie, Ringo and I will really miss you.

Gracie (updated)

Gracie had her surgery on Thursday. In addition to having her eye removed (enucleation) she had her teeth cleaned and had to have several removed. She is on antibiotics and Tramadol (doggie morphine). She is still not back to her old self but is eating very expensive Paul Newman all beef canned dog food and taking walks.

Gracie

A few weeks ago Gracie damaged her eye. I took her to the vet and she prescribed two different drops for her eye but it didn't get any better. She got to the point where she didn't want to be in a room with light. Last week I took her back and now she has glaucoma. She has to have 3 different drops put in her eye 3 times a day. It still doesn't look any better but I will take her back to the vet on Tuesday and will know for sure. If it isn't any better I will have to make a decision about whether to have her eye removed. This isn't a really big deal for a dog but probably pretty expensive. I've already spent about $700. It's hard to decide what to do. Other than her eye she is a healthy happy energetic dog. However she is at least 11 years old. I've told myself in the past that I wouldn't spend any more large amounts of money on the dogs because of their ages but now I don't know what to do. If it was cancer I would have her euthanized rather than go through painful treatments but this is a relatively simple procedure. If money wasn't an issue I would just have the eye removed but money is an issue. I guess I'm on Gracie's "death panel." Not a place I want to be.

Eating Raw at Whole Foods

My Whole Foods has started carrying a nice selection of raw foods in their prepared foods section. Today I bought a small container of Raw Asian Vegetable Salad with Green Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrots, Red Bell Peppers, Snow Peas, Raw Peanut Sauce and Raw Almonds. It was delicious. I also bought some Raw Hummus. I was pretty skeptical until I sampled it at the store. It tastes better that traditional hummus made with chick peas. They make it with zucchini, sesame seeds, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil,garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

I dated someone for 14 years who ate only raw foods. This was way before eating raw was trendy. During that time I probably ate about 75% raw. It a great way to be really healthy and to lose weight. I'm glad to see that it's becoming popular because I would like to get back into eating that way. Having delicious prepared items at Whole Foods will certainly make it easier.

American Petroleum Institute in Houston

It's getting harder and harder everyday to live in Texas or any place in the south.
Last night, a segment about Houston was the number one story on the Rachel Maddow show. Even though I live here I hadn't heard about our latest embarassment until then. I've considered moving to Vermont because I really like most if not all of the elected officials but I hate cold weather. Austin seems to be the only place to live in Texas if I don't want to be around a bunch of stupid people.
Anyway, here is a video clip from the show:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Funny Protest Signs

I found these funny pictures on The Huffington Post. You may have to click on them to read the signs. Check out the guy in the middle of the first picture. That about sums it up.

No Pubic Option! Damn.

People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor!

I just joined a Facebook page called People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor!

Here are some of the suggested flavors:

- Gooey Decimal System = Dark fudge alphabet letters with caramel swirls in hazelnut ice cream.
- Sh-sh-sh-Sherbet! = Key Lime or a Chocolate/Vanilla combination
- Cookie Bookie = a combination of cookie bits!
- Dusty Stacks = layered ice cream with speckles of cocoa in every layer.
- Li-Berry Pie = Lime sherbet mixed with raspberry sauce and pie crust crumbles (cinnamon sugar, butter, piecrust).
- Liberry I Scream = strawberry/blueberry sherbet and vanilla ice cream.
- Overdue Fine as Fudge Chunk = Hunks of rich fudge brownies in creamy milk chocolate drizzled throughout with golden caramel and sprinkled with mini white chocolate coins.
- Rocky Read = vanilla with choc covered nuts choc chunks and raisins.
- In the Stacks = butter pecan with fudge swirl
- Reference Ripple = anything with PB
- Marian the Librarian Rasberryan = Rasberry and Chocolate with chunks of fudge
- Libguide Licorice
- Drupal Poopal Fudge
- Ranganathan's Raspberry Rules! = Raspberry and chocolate chips
- Free and Open to All = a rainbow of flavors with all kinds of chips-butterscotch, peanut butter, chocolate

Palin's Resignation: The Edited Version: vanityfair.com

Palin's Resignation: The Edited Version: vanityfair.com

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Irony not dead, but contemplating suicide

Irony not dead, but contemplating suicide

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White House Garden Party

On Tuesday Michelle Obama hosted a party for the 5th graders from Bancroft Elementary School to celebrate all of their hard work in the White House Garden. After the children harvested the produce they prepared a meal of salad, chicken and brown rice. They had cupcakes with fresh berries from the garden for dessert. Over 90 pounds of fresh produce has been harvested so far. Some is being used by the White House but most is going to local soup kitchens.

Historical Keepsake Photo

Last month, Sherri Goforth, an executive assistant for Tennessee Republican State Senator Diane Black, sent out an email of what is supposed to be an Historical Keepsake Photo depicting all of the presidents of the United States. There is no picture of Obama, but instead, a picture of a black ghost with white eyes, or a "spook," a derogatory term for a black person. I don't want to put the picture on my blog but you can see it here: http://newscoma.com/2009/06/15/racist-and-ridiculous/
When contacted by Christian Grantham of Nashville Is Talking (WKRN), Goforth refused to apologize but instead said: "I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button. I'm very sick about it, and it's one of those things I can't change or take back." She has no problem being a racist and sending out racist material she's just sorry she sent it from the wrong email account to the wrong people. Email, by the way, paid for by the taxpayers of Tennessee. She should have been fired but as far as I know she's still working for Senator Black. Here is Senator Black's contact information if you would like to express your outrage over this: sen.diane.black@capitol.tn.gov

After 8 years of never seeing the VP, you can hardly turn on the news without seeing the dick's smirking face and hearing his opinion on Obama's foreign policy. He is critical of everything Obama is doing including Obama's decision to close Guantanamo and his decision to stop using "enhanced interrogation" (i.e. torture) techniques on prisoners. He is trying to convince anyone who will listen that these policies are making the country less safe. In an interview for The New Yorker, CIA Director Leon Panetta said "It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point. I think that's dangerous politics."

Of course Panetta is correct. Nothing would make the dick happier than another attack on this country. The attacks on 9/11 sure worked out well for him and his friends at KBR. He and the other right wing nuts would of course blame the Obama administration even though they never accepted any blame for the attacks on 9/11. The dick's war in Iraq has killed hundreds of thousands of people and has made the United States less safe. Anyone who can read and think can figure this out. It's time for you to go back to your dungeon dick. You had 8 years to f*** up the country. It's time to let the legitimately elected leaders fix the problems you and your little puppet bush created through your lies, greed, and just overall evilness.

Nancy Pelosi in Houston

I went to the Wortham Center last night to see Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at an event sponsored by the Progressive Forum. She spent the first half of the event answering questions submitted earlier on the Progressive Forum website about education, health care, the economy, and energy. After that she talked about her book Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters and answered questions about her life in politics. Everyone who attended received a copy of the book which she signed after the event.

Security was very tight and there were several hundred protesters outside the Wortham holding signs that made no sense to me. One of the signs said something like "When Nancy lies people die." Maybe they are recycling the old George Bush protest signs. Most of their complaints seemed to be about problems created by the Bush administration, not Pelosi or the Dems. I believe the protest was organized by the teabaggers. Probably some secessionists there too. Not very bright people.

Spooning

Pants on Fire

Three-Bean Salad with Quinoa

Here's a recipe I found on the Whole Foods website. I like it because it's vegan and because it has quinoa, my favorite grain.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, cooked and rinsed in cold water
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup organic Italian dressing
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Method
Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Stir quinoa and a pinch of salt into water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Put cooled quinoa, green beans, edamame, peppers, kidney beans, dressing, tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle turned 40 this year. I found this adorable cupcake creation on Cakewrecks. It was made by Coco Cake Cupcakes of Vancouver.

Ben and Erin

My incredibly wonderful and beautiful niece Erin got married this weekend to an equally wonderful person she met at UVA where they are both in graduate school. The ceremony was held on the banks of the Frio River in Concan, TX.

Food Not Bombs

Thirty years ago today, seven anti-nuclear activists started a group in Cambridge, MA that later became known as Food Not Bombs. The group recovered food that couldn't be sold, from grocery stores and other places and distributed it to people in need. Today there are over 1,000 chapters on every continent except Antarctica. In addition to distributing food to the needy they also prepare vegetarian meals for those in need and at protests. Even though they are feeding people who might be getting their only meal out of dumpsters or might go hungry, groups in New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, and Connecticut have gotten in trouble from local law enforcement for not having the proper permits or licenses. If you want to read more about this group or see if there is one in your city (Houston doesn't have one) here is their website: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/menu.html

Richard B. Cheney Will You Please Go Now!

In 1972, Dr. Seuss wrote a book that I read to my daughter many times called Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!
A few years later, Art Buchwald substituted "'Richard M. Nixon" for Marvin K. Mooney. Now it's time for another Richard, a real dick, to GO GO GO.

The time has come.
The time is now.
Just go. Go. Go!
I don't care how.
You can go by foot.
You can go by cow.
Richard B. Cheney will you please go now!
You can go on skates.
You can go on skis.
You can go in a hat.
But Please go. Please!
I don't care.
You can go by bike.
You can go on a Zike-Bike if you like.
If you like you can go in an old blue shoe.
Just go, go, GO!
Please do, do, DO!
Richard B. Cheney I don't care how.
Richard B. Cheney will you please GO NOW!
You can go on stilts.
You can go by fish.
You can go in a Crunk-Car if you wish.
If you wish you may go by lion's tail.
Or stamp yourself and go by mail.
Richard B. Cheney don't you know
The time has come to go, go, GO!
Get on your way!
Please Richard B.!
You might like going in a Zumble-Zay.
You can go by balloon . . . Or broomstick.
Or you can go by camel in a bureau drawer.
You can go by bumble-boat. . . or jet.
I don't care how you go. Just get!
Richard B. Cheney!

I don't care how.
Richard B. Cheney will you please GO NOW!
I said GO and GO I meant . . .
The time had come
So . . . Richard WENT.

Apologies to Dr. Seuss and Marvin K. Mooney.

Cat Sandwich

Summer Fruit

With summer almost here I'm more in the mood than ever for fresh fruit. Here is a list of summer fruit with some healing qualities from Eat Drink Better:

Apricots: Great for lung conditions and asthma, used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and cobalt content.

Bananas: Help to lubricate the intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body, and manage sugar cravings; are rich in potassium (which helps hypertension).

Cherries: Slightly warming in nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism, and are rich in iron, which improves the blood.

Grapefruits: Treat poor digestion, increase appetite during pregnancy, alleviate intestinal gas and reduce mucus conditions of the lungs.

Papayas: Tone the stomach, act as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine, an anti-tumor compound.

Raspberries: Benefit the liver and kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and can promote labor at childbirth.

I also love Mangos which are a good source of vitamins A and C, Potassium and beta carotene. They are also high in fiber and low in calories. I like combining them with fruit that isn't too sweet like strawberries. Strawberries are high in vitamin C and are also an excellent source of vitamin K and manganese, folic acid, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, copper, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. One of my favorite fruits is the Cherimoya. I first tasted this wonderful fruit in Ecuador when our cab driver bought one off a street vendor and cut it for us in the cab. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever tasted. I've had a few since then but the taste has never been the same and they are pretty hard to find and also very expensive. I guess I need to go back to Ecuador.

I also love blackberries but the ones I buy in the store are never as good as the ones my friend used to pick for me on the side of the road when we were travelling in the northwest.

Poor Ringo

Ringo has had a really bad looking sore on one of his feet for a few days now so today I decided to take him over to the vet at PetsMart. He had to be sedated and they cleansed the wound and increased the size of a hole in the wound so it could drain. The vet thinks he may have been bitten by a snake or a spider. Now he has to wear an Elizabethan collar so he can't lick the area. He isn't too happy about that. He also has to be an indoor kitty so he now has a litter box in the spare bedroom. Technically he isn't my cat but after spending several hundred dollars on him I think of him as mine and the dogs love him and want to keep him too.

UPDATE: He managed to get the collar off but seems to be leaving his foot alone. He also used the litter box after realizing I wasn't going to let him go outside. He's purring again too.

Old Dogs

I've always heard that 1 dog year is equal to 7 human years but The American Veterinary Medical Association has a formula that says the 1st year of a dogs life is equal to 15 years of a humans, the 2nd year, 9 years, and every year after that, 5. This formula is for a medium sized dogs. Smaller dogs age more slowly than larger dogs. You can calculate the age of your dog here.
According to this calculator Sparky is 77, Ginger and Gracie are 65, and Rosie is 56. That means that for a few more weeks, I'm the youngest one in my house!

Hate Groups in America

The Southern Poverty Law Center released it's 2009 report on hate groups in America. According to the report, there were 926 active groups last year which is up 4% from last year and up 50% since 2000. In addition to the report there are several interactive maps. You can use one of these maps to see how many hate groups are in each state, the name, and the location in the state. Texas has 66 hate groups, with 7 in Houston.
Here is the link: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=1027

Here's a Desk We Would All Like

Molly The Cow

Molly, the cow that escaped from a NYC slaughterhouse on Wednesday has found a new home at an organic farm on Long Island. Rex Farr who owns The Farrm said "She can eat some good organic hay and hang around with a lot of her friends. She can eat and sleep for the rest of her life. She is not going anywhere. The bottom line is she will have a very good home.”

MustardGate

Do any adults still watch these idiots?

Dan Choi

After appearing on The Rachel Maddow show and admitting that he is gay, Army National Guardsman Lt. Dan Choi received this letter from the Army:
"This is to inform you that sufficient basis exists to initiate action for withdrawal of Federal Recognition in the Army National Guard for moral or professional dereliction. Specifically you admitted publicly that you are a homosexual, which constitutes homosexual conduct. Your actions negatively affected the good order and discipline of the New York Army National Guard."
Lt Dan Choi is a graduate of West Point and is fluent in Arabic. He is one of about 12,500 servicemen ejected since the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy was introduced in 1994. 60 of those ejected are Arab linguists. He was part of Operation Iraq Freedom and had this to say about his service "I loved being in the country. My fluency in Arabic enabled me to build strong relationships with the local people and the local government officials, with whom I worked on establishing security and rebuilding efforts."
Choi founded the group Knights Out, a group representing gay and lesbian West Point alumni. West Point's honor code states "A cadet will not lie" yet Choi felt forced to lie about who he was because of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and he felt he had no alternative but to come out even if it did mean he would be kicked out of the military.
Choi will be on the Rachel Maddow show again tonight to discuss his ousting from the military. Her show is on MSNBC at 7 Eastern time and again at 9. It follows another favorite show of mine on MSNBC, Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Banned from the UK

The Home Office put out a list today of 16 of the 22 people banned from entering the UK. Included on this list are Americans Michael Savage, Stephen "Don" Black, Fred Phelps, and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper. Michael Savage is the talk radio host who has called the Quran a "book of hate" and has called autistic children brats who haven't been told to "cut the act out."
Don Black is the founder of a white supremacist web site based in Florida. Don Phelps, along with his daughter Shirley have picketed funerals of AIDS victims and have claimed that US soldier's deaths are God's punishment for tolerance of gays.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the UK is determined "to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country" and "Coming to this country is a privilege. If you can't live by the rules that we live by, the standards and the values that we live by, we should exclude you from this country and, what's more, now we will make public those people that we have excluded."
I wonder who the un-named 6 are. If I had a country, I would ban just about everyone associated with the last administration starting with bush and dick.

FluTracker

For anyone interested, here is a link so you can follow the Swine flu (H1N10)
FluTracker

A school in my neighborhood, where 2 little boys I know go, is closed most of next week because of the flu.
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Bob Marley is the latest entry on Stuff White People Like http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/ While reading this I was feeling a little smug because I always liked Peter Tosh better than Bob Marley. Then I got to this paragraph:

"Since so many people are into Bob Marley, it is only natural for advanced white people to profess to only marginally liking Bob Marley (note: it is impossible for a white person to outright dislike him). Instead, these white people will claim to preferring more obscure artists like Burning Spear or Peter Tosh."

This is my favorite Peter Tosh album.

Here is a link to a great video of Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh singing Walk and Don't Look Back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_I1-KvamTA&NR=1

My Day Off

I spent all morning organizing my garage. I put some shelves together and also put some hooks on the wall so that I could hang up some things. Got to use my power tools! While I was doing this the dogs played outside. Lucy, the Great Pyrenees puppy who is visiting me this weekend played in the mud so she had to have a bath. She was not happy about that. Now we are all resting.

Nancy

The Imaginative Crowd

I'm having a great time watching Obama respond to criticism from the right wing nuts in our country. After being criticised for being too friendly to the evildoer Chavez and even (gasp) shaking his hand, Obama had this to say:
Venezuela is a country whose defense budget is probably 1/600th of the United States’. They own Citgo. It’s unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interests of the United States. I don’t think anybody can find any evidence that that would do so. Even within this imaginative crowd, I think you would be hard-pressed to paint a scenario in which U.S. interests would be damaged as a consequence of us having a more constructive relationship with Venezuela.
Several people on the news have also pointed out the hypocrisy of the RWN's for being critical of Obama for "bowing" to the Saudi King when W held hands with him and even kissed him.
Polls have shown that the majority of people in this country have faith and confidence in Obama and are tired of these ridiculous attacks from people who will do or say anything to see him fail even if it means failure for our country.

More Popular than Republicans

Chris Bowers on his blog Open Left http://www.openleft.com/diary/12937/republicans-less-popular-than-venezuela has an "irregular" series of things that are more popular than Republicans. Today, using poll numbers from CNN, he found that Venezuela is more popular than Republicans. In the poll Republicans are viewed 39% favorable, 54% unfavorable and Venezuela 42% favorable, 54% unfavorable. Legalizing marijuana and China are also more popular than Republicans. I love this and I'm planning to add it to my Bloglines account. With the way the R's are acting, it will probably last a long time.

Rosie, Ringo and Blue Dog

A Short Citizen's Guide to Kooks, Demagogues, and Right-Wingers On Tax Day

I found this on Huffington Post and thought it worth posting after seeing the tea-baggers at the Fox News sponsored events yesterday. The best part of this whole thing has been watching Keith Olbermann make fun of them on Countdown (MSNBC) for the last few nights.
A Short Citizen's Guide to Kooks, Demagogues, and Right-Wingers On Tax Day
by Robert Reich
No one likes to pay taxes, so tax day typically attracts a range of right-wing Republicans, kooks, and demagogues, all of whom tell us how awful we have it. Here's a short citizen's guide (that is, a citizen's guide that's short rather than a guide for short citizens) responding to the predictable charges:
1. "Americans pay too much in taxes." Wrong: The United States has the lowest taxes of all developed nations.
2. "The rich pay too much! The top ten percent of income earners pay over 72 percent of all income taxes!" Misleading: The main reason the rich pay such a large percent is they've become so much richer than the bottom 90 percent in recent years. If you look at what they pay as individuals -- the percent of their incomes over and above the highest rate below them -- you'll see a steady decline over the years. When Republican Dwight Eisenhower was president, the marginal rate on the highest earners was 91 percent (after deductions and tax credits, closer to 50 percent); by 1980 it was still up there, at 70 percent (an effective rate of closer to 45 percent); under Bill Clinton, it was 38 percent (an effective rate closer to 28 percent).
Look at the after-tax earnings of families and you'll see what's really going on. Between 1980 and 2000, the after-tax earnings of families at the top rose more than 150 percent, while the after-tax earnings of families in the middle rose about 10 percent. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 raised the after-tax incomes of most Americans by a bit over 1 percent -- but raised the after-tax incomes of millionaires by 4.4 percent.
3. "The bottom 60 percent pay only 3.3 percent of the taxes!" Misleading again. Most Americans are paying more in sales taxes than they ever have. Property taxes have also been rising at a steady clip. And Social Security taxes have also risen (thanks to the Greenspan Commission), while earnings over about $100,000 aren't subject to Social Security taxes. So-called "sin" taxes (mostly beer and cigarettes) have also skyrocketed. All of these taxes take a bigger bite out of the paychecks of people with lower incomes than they do people with higher incomes.
4. "Obama is raising your taxes!" Wrong. Obama is cutting taxes for 95 percent of Americans, by about $400 per person a year -- not a whopping tax cut, to be sure, but not a tax increase by any stretch. Only the top 2 percent will have a tax increase, but even this tax increase is modest. Basically, they go back to the rates they were paying under Bill Clinton (their deductions will be limited to 28 percent, which is only fair). And they won't start paying this until 2011 anyway.
5. "The huge debts we're wracking up will cause your taxes to rise!" Wrong again. When it comes to the national debt, as I've said before, the relevant statistic is the ratio of debt to the gross domestic product. The only sure way to bring that debt down and make it manageable in future years is to get the economy growing again -- which requires that, in the short term, the government spend a lot of money (because consumers and businesses won't). In the long term, the biggest source of concern is rising health-care costs. And that's something Obama and Congress are aiming to tackle.
6. "We have a patriotic duty to stand up against Washington taxes!" Just the opposite. We have a patriotic duty to pay taxes. As multi-billionaire Warren Buffett put it, "If you stick me down in the middle of Bangladesh or Peru or someplace, you'll find out how much this talent is going to product in the wrong kind of soil. I will be struggling thirty years later." President Teddy Roosevelt made the case in 1906 when he argued in favor of continuing the inheritance tax. "The man of great wealth owes a particular obligation to the state because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."
An acquaintance from law school, now a partner in one of Washington's biggest and wealthiest law firms, explained to me one day over lunch how he and his partners use tax rules to create offsetting taxable gains and losses, and then allocate the gains to the firm's foreign partners who don't pay taxes in the United States. That way, they keep the losses here and shelter their income abroad. I noticed he had an American flag lapel pin. "You're supporting our troops," I said, referring to his pin. "Yup," he replied, entirely missing my point.
True patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going. Originally posted on Talking Points Memo

Apple Blueberry Honey Apple Ginger Tart

I found this recipe on Eat Drink Better

What You Need:
12 organic graham crackers
1/4 cup (or 1 large handful for those disinclined to measure) crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons soft or melted margarine or butter
1 egg white
1 and 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (you can use coconut milk yogurt here if you want a non-dairy version)
2 tablespoons (or just a good looooong squeeze) of honey
1 and 1/2 cups organic blueberries
1 local McIntosh apple (or whatever kind of fruit you like, really)

What You Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Combine the graham crackers, crystallized ginger, sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. You can also do this by hand (if you’re gangsta) by crumbling the graham crackers, which is sort of fun, and dicing the ginger and mixing them all together.
3. Mix in the egg white and butter and press into a greased pan. Bonus if you have the pretty fluted tart kind, but assuming you don’t live in the Food & Wine test kitchen, you can just use any pan around 14×4 inches.
4. Bake the crust until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, and let the crust cool down.
5. Mix the honey and the yogurt in a bowl and spread in the crust.
6. Thinly slice the apples and arrange the fruit over the top. Slice and eat. YUM.

Amigo's New Hope

More details are emerging about the new First Puppy Bo. He comes from The Amigo PWD Kennel in the Dallas Fort Worth area which is owned by Art and Martha Stern. He was born on October 9, 2008. Bo's parents are Ch. Amigo's Phor What Its Worth AKA Penny and Ch. Valkyrie's Dr. Watson Is Here AKA Watson.

Here are all the names of the puppies in the litter:

Amigo's Captain Courageous

Amigo's Change To Believe In

Amigo's Great Hope

Amigo's Hope For Tomorrow

Amigo's Hope Of Tomorrow

Amigo's Hope Wilson Will Prevail

Amigo's Hoping For Change

Amigo's Hoping For The Best

Amigo's New Hope

Amigo's Shining Hope

The new First Dog was originally named Amigo's New Hope.

The kennel owners are Obama supporters in case you hadn't figured that out already.

Bo Obama

First Dog

I just read an article saying that the First Dog, a 6 month old Portuguese Water Dog will be making his debut on Tuesday. He's coming from a kennel in Texas, where he was bred, sold, and then returned, so I guess you you call him a recycled dog. He was named Charlie by the original owner but may get a new name once he is adopted by the First Daughters. This is supposed to be a picture of the actual dog but I'm not sure. UPDATE: This is the new puppy and he has been named Bo after Bo Diddley. Michelle's father's nickname was Diddley and that's why the First Girls picked that name. It's also their dad's initials. Bo Diddley is one of Rosies nicknames too. I often sing the Bob Dylan son that has the lyrics "she walks like Bo Diddley and she don't need no crutch" when we're out walking.

Easter Pictures

Here are some old Easter pictures of me and my sister. My mother, her sister, and her parents are in some of the pictures too. Some were taken in Raymondville, some in Robstown, and some at our home on Drummond in Houston. I'm pretty sure my mother made all of the dresses my sister and I are wearing and also the ones she is wearing. She probably made the hats too.

.

This picture of my mother was taken in 1947 in Calallen on the Nueces River. She was sitting in a field of bluebonnets.

Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse

Keith Olbermann read part of Roger Ebert's letter to Bill O'Reilly on Countdown tonight. Here is the complete letter:

Thoughts on Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse
By Roger Ebert

To: Bill O'Reilly
From: Roger Ebert
Dear Bill:
Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your "Hall of Shame." To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper. It would place us in the favor of a man who turns red and starts screaming when anyone disagrees with him. My grade-school teacher, wise Sister Nathan, would have called in your parents and recommended counseling with Father Hogben.
Yes, the Sun-Times is liberal, having recently endorsed our first Democrat for President since LBJ. We were founded by Marshall Field one week before Pearl Harbor to provide a liberal voice in Chicago to counter the Tribune, which opposed an American war against Hitler. I'm sure you would have sided with the Trib at the time.I understand you believe one of the Sun-Times misdemeanors was dropping your syndicated column. My editor informs me that "very few" readers complained about the disappearance of your column, adding, "many more complained about Nancy." I know I did. That was the famous Ernie Bushmiller comic strip in which Sluggo explained that "wow" was "mom" spelled upside-down.Your column ran in our paper while it was owned by the right-wing polemicists Conrad Black (Baron Black of Coldharbour) and David Radler. We dropped it to save a little money after they looted the paper of millions. Now you call for an advertising boycott. It is unusual to observe a journalist cheering for a newspaper to fail. At present the Sun-Times has no bank debt, but labors under the weight of millions of dollars in tax penalties incurred by Lord Black, who is serving an eight-year stretch for mail fraud and obstruction of justice. We also had to pay for his legal expenses.There is a major difference between Conrad Black and you: Lord Black is a much better writer and thinker, and authored a respected biography about Roosevelt, who we were founded to defend. That newspapers continue to run your column is a mystery to me, since it is composed of knee-jerk frothings and ravings. If I were an editor searching for a conservative, I wouldn't choose a mad dog. My recommendation: The admirable Charles Krauthammer.Bill, I am concerned that you have been losing touch with reality recently. Did you really say you are more powerful than any politician?That reminds me of the famous story about Squeaky the Chicago Mouse. It seems that Squeaky was floating on his back along the Chicago River one day. Approaching the Michigan Avenue lift bridge, he called out: Raise the bridge! I have an erection!

On Monday an earthquake destroyed the city of L'Aquila, Italy, killing 260 and leaving 17,000 homeless. With the exception of about 200 people, tents have been provided, as well as food and medication. Not too bad, right? Well, between Monday and Tuesday there was driving rain, hail, and temperatures as low as 39 degrees. Not very nice conditions by most peoples standards, even if you aren't in a tent. In an effort to reassure the public, Prime Minister Berlusconi said that the earthquake victims should think of themselves as being on a "camping weekend." Needless to say, his remarks didn't go over to well with the "campers" and rescue workers who are still searching for survivors in the rubble, and dealing with aftershocks.
This sounds like something dubya, or his insensitive and stupid, rhymes with witch, mother would have said.

Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing

I've always thought this was true, at least for me, but now a study by The University of Melbourne has found that people who engage in Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing (WILB) are about 9% more productive than those who don't. According to Brent Coker, the author of the study, Internet browsing helps sharpen worker's concentration and that a "quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days' work, and as a result, increased productivity." The study only looked at people who browse in moderation (20% of the workday) and not at those who might be described as Internet addicts.

I subscribed to a new blog today http://www.mrs-o.org/ which follows the fashion and style of Michelle Obama. It's so nice having a president we know won't embarrass us when he goes overseas. Now I can concentrate on fun things like Michelle's beautiful clothes. This is what she wore to meet the British Prime Minister.