Moving Day

Yes folks, I've finally given up on Blogger. I've been trying for a couple weeks now to enter the fix that would prevent PC versions of Explorer from collapsing my center column, and while I hate to acknowledge defeat: I GIVE UP!

So today was moving day. The names the same, but the wrl has change. You can now find me at Rhetoric and Democracy.

I'm going to leave things as they are here for a few weeks, and then I hope to be able to figure out how to export what's here to the new site. I hoped to do the same with the comments that were here before I switched to Haloscan, but given the success I had with that, well, I'm not all that confident it will happen. If not, I'll figure out what I want to do.

So, come see me!!

Books and more books

Cindy tagged me, so here goes:

You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

Beloved, which I would argue is THE great american novel. It'll be a tough one to memorize, but it's well worth the effort

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Yes--many, many characters. Of course, Paul D in Beloved, Jack in Patrick White's Fringe of Leaves, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Shall I continue?

The last book you bought is:

I can never buy just one: Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph Ellis, Gorgias and the New Sophistic Rhetoric, Bruce McComiskey, and The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
by Brian Greene

The last book you read:

American 2014: An Orwellian Tale by Dawn Blair--excellent critique of the Bush administration ala Orwell

What are you currently reading?

Fahrenheit 451, for a class I'm teaching; His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis; and Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon for a course I'll be teaching this summer.

Five books you would take to a deserted island:

I've memorized Beloved, so I don't have to pack it. So, I'd take House of Seven Gables, House of Mirth, The Sound and the Fury, The Invisible Man, and The Handmaid's Tale. I'd also be sure to take my laptop so I could order more from amazon!

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons)? And Why?

Sorry, but I don't think I can comply--all my blog friends have either responded to this already or have recently had the stick passed to them. I guess I gotta get out more!

19 Judicial decisions later. . . and how many more to go?

The outrageous actions of this congress and this administration cannot stand. I hope their arrogance and hypocrisy will be their down fall, but just in case, I've downloaded and completed a living will.

US District Court Judge James Wittemore said after the two-hour hearing that he would not make an immediate ruling, and he gave no indication on when he might act on the request. And, since it was just last week that the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal filed by Schiavo's parents and one filed by the House Committee on Government Reform, I'm betting this case will end in this court.

And, just in case you're wondering if this is a political issue, ABC News has posted their copy of the GOP Talking Points Memo regarding Terri Shiavo that was circulated among Republican senators on the floor of the Senate. Any questions.

Also, check here for a copy of the 1999 Texas Law--signed by Bush--that states in section 166.046, Subsection (e):

If the patient or the person responsible for the health care decisions of the patient is requesting life-sustaining treatment that the attending physician has decided and the review process has affirmed is inappropriate treatment, the patient shall be given available life-sustaining treatment pending transfer under Subsection (d). The patient is responsible for any costs incurred in transferring the patient to another facility. The physician and the health care facility are not obligated to provide life-sustaining treatment after the 10th day after the written decision required under Subsection (b) is provided to the patient or the person responsible for the health care decisions of the patient …

I'm so pissed about this I can't even think!

Culture of Life

You can find this and other patriotic posters at Whitehouse.org
Thanks to DailyKos for this link

Haloscan

I've added Haloscan commenting and trackback. Give it a go for me. Thanks

Shit

UConn lost to NC State 62 - 65. Too many turnovers and too many missed shots. It's over.

Short-lived Tranquility

T and I decided to go on a rather spontaneous road trip the other day and headed northeast to an area with several natural hot springs and artesian wells. We found a funky new age sorta place in the middle of nowhere owned and operated by an aging hippy couple and had a soak and a massage and then another soak--a very relaxing and hedonistic experience. The "tub" was about 12 x 11 and about 4 1/2 ft deep, lined with stones and tile and had its own mini waterfall. The water was about 105°--about 109° from the waterfall--and crystal clear. The rooms where we received our massages were way funky with stars and planets painted on the walls and ceiling, and celestial wind chimes stationed throughout. After the soaking and massage, my skin felt fabulous and there wasn’t a tense muscle anywhere in my body. It was a decidedly decadent experience.

If only we could have stayed there, away from it all . . . .

But all-too-soon, reality hit, and we learned that Senate Democrats had failed in their effort to prevent oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Two votes were all we needed, but we just didn't have the votes to overcome the Republican majority in the Senate. Damn. When will it stop? There has to be some why to stop the madness. Barbara Boxer is organizing a consumer boycott of any oil company that decides to drill in ANWR, and I urge everyone to join her in this effort. If there’s one way to get through to the neocons, it’s by cutting into their profit margin. And this is a good first step.

We also learned about Delay, Frist, and the rest of the right-wing amoral majority’s attempt to insert themselves into the Terri Schiavo case. These nutjobs have gone as far as subpoenaing Schiavo as a federal witness—a move that would grant her protection as a witness in a congressional inquiry. And Frist has the gall to cast himself and his fellow nutjobs as Schiavo’s saviors here stating that,

"The Senate and the House remain dedicated to saving Terri Schiavo's life. While discussions over possible legislative remedies continue, the Senate and the House are taking action to keep her alive in the interim.”

Saviors my ass. What depths will they sink to next?

For various reasons, the amoral majority seem to believe that they have the right to keep Schiavo’s body alive despite the medical fact that her brain is dead. Why? Well, don’t you know, they are the party that stands on the side of defending life--the life of the "pre-born" and brain-dead, that is.

Perhaps a test of their claim to stand on the side of defending life is warranted here.

Let's see. If they stand on the side of defending life, how can they also claim that they can decide when to end a life? In their support of the death penalty, they sanction the state’s right to put individuals to death. And isn’t it their belief that it is acceptable to launch preemptive strikes against other countries that do not pose a real threat against the sovereignty of US, if they imagine such a threat exists, that has allowed for the invasion of Iraq--an action that has resulted in the deaths of untold numbers of Iraqi civilians and 1,520 + members of the American military? Hmmm. There seems to be some contradictions here. Let's continue.

Is not their believe that right to “life” of a collection of cells is more valuable than that of a terminally ill human? And does that belief not result in the end of life for those individuals? And, let’s not forget their determination to stand for a fetus’s right to life. Life is sacred, they say as they slash funding for any sort of program that might help women prevent unwanted pregnancies, and to those that might help to educate, feed, and provide health care for children living outside the womb. Hmm, more contradictions, no?

Can you say hypocrisy?

Friday Cat Blogging: Laundry Time

I especially like when these things come out of the dryer, but this is ok too.

Getting-to-know-you meme

Found this over at New Kid's and thought I'd give it a shot.

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
I'd like to have a second house in either Mexico or the Carribbean--some place where we could spend summers and vacations.

2. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLES OF CLOTHING?
Birkenstocks and Jeans

3. THE LAST CDs YOU BOUGHT?
Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love

4. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
Between 6-6:30 am weekdays and between 9-9:30 am on weekends. If I could, I'd rather stay up until 1-2 am and sleep until 10.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
Microwave--fast, simple, and love the popcorn.

6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Guitar; I'd love to play the blues.

7. FAVORITE COLOR?
Blue.

8. WHICH VEHICLE DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR, MOTORCYCLE, OR SUV?
I have a Saturn L200 and would love to get their VUE so Clyde could hang out in the back without leaving his hair all over the seats and dash.

9. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE AFTERLIFE?
Not in the traditional religious sense. I think our energy must go somewhere or something must be done with it, but I don't know what.

10. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Little House books

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Spring

12. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
Don't have one. I've thought about getting one but can't imagine choosing something I'd be happy with 10 years from now.

13. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Teleportation! I want to be able to beam into my office, over to friends, across the country. . .

14. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
Nope.

15. ONE PERSON/PEOPLE FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
My father. He died when I was eight, and I'd love to be able to get to know him and tell him about my life.

16. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED?
Cat hair, cat toys, and probably a few petrified hairballs.

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
Fridays. I don't teach and I usually don't have to return to campus until Tuesday.

18. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
Hamburger!

19. FROM THE PEOPLE WHO NORMALLY READ YOUR BLOG, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Cindy

20. ON WHICH BLOG DID YOU FIND THIS MEME?
New Kid on the Hallway

21. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?
Roses

23. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL?
Dessert

24. DESCRIBE YOUR PJS.
non-existent.

25. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST?
Pancakes

26. DO YOU LIKE YOUR JOB?
sometimes.

27. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB?
Bookstore owner, or working for a humane society.

28. WHAT AGE DO YOU PLAN TO RETIRE?
I'd like to retire around 63-65, but I think my SS won't kick in until I'm 68. (If SS still exists!)

29. WHERE DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
On-line

30. SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT YOU HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE.
Vacation in Greece.