My latest Rant & Rave

I don't wear makeup on a regular basis, and I really don't stop to think much about acne treatments, or at least I didn't, but now I've discovered that for some reason, as luck would have it when I am getting ready to be taped for my Rant & Rave, I'll have one pimple that decides to rear it's ugly head...Which means I "borrow" one of the girl's make up since I haven't had any of my own in years. It also means it's probably time to buy my own though I'm pretty sure you won't be able to tell, and most people concentrate on the content rather than my appearance...I forget how I look or how I might want to fix my hair when I start talking about a topic near and dear to my heart...Until I watch myself...

Ten pages on the Obama's marraige...

It's amazing with everything going on in the world that there would be a ten page focus on the Obama's marriage...but there is. Which includes the President's complaint that he can't fly his wife with him to New York to enjoy a Broadway show without it becoming political.

Welcome to the presidency...

The joys of cars and electronics...

Our car has become a daytimer, which means it can only be driven during the day since something happened and the rear tail lights no longer work. It's not the bulbs, those have been replaced/tested and the brake lights as well as the turn signals work. It's not the fuses, those have been checked.

It's really strange problem that so far the only thing that has been suggested could be the solution is having the wiring looked at. Which is of course not cheap. So while some may be thinking about auto accessories, I've been calling around to see how much mechanics charge by the hour to find one that will do it without costing more than Miguel paid for the car...

Until then? The car is a daytimer, which will be even more interesting with the time change this weekend...

:-)

Shimon Peres thinks there can be peace with Palestine

That caught my attention as a headline, Peres: 'There Will Be Peace With the Palestinians' in my news reader. So, I headed over to read the three page article, thinking it would contain something new, or something that indicated that Israel's position had changed.

Some of the discussion centered around the Goldstone report, that acknowledges reality, both Israel and Hamas have done horrible things to each other, but Israel is the power, New York Times article referenced in Newsweek.

We can debate how much blame Hamas shares, it can not be said they have none, but what's most interesting is that Israel does not feel it should be investigated, that's not surprising. It is ironic for Peres to state that the UN is biased against Israel when the US and other nations have prevented any action from ever being taken against Israel and the simple numbers demonstrate which side has killed more. I don't dispute the fact there are some biased against Israel, and since they have been protected for so many years, it's understandable that other nations who have seen this happen for decades would try to push it. Of course, some of these countries have a less than perfect record themselves. Which is the irony to this, China and Russia don't want a similar focus on them, those who are pushing like Libya, have little room to talk about humanitarianism, and at the end of it all? Things in Palestine are still the same. People will die because they are blocked access to food and medical care, people's homes will be destroyed, their ability to earn an income that can be survived on destroyed but, supposedly there will be "peace out of necessity" which makes one wonder exactly what the definition of that type of peace would be when it would not involve stopping settlements and it would not involve any of the land issues...And more importantly, I think we all realize that the Goldstone report will be buried, because if the UN actually cared about what was right? There would have already been peace in not only Palestine but many other places on this earth...

Technology I have to learn...

Yes, I'm a blogger and I have seven blogs, but when it comes to cell phones? I'm still a purist and a novice at heart, just recently breaking down and learning how to text message to the amusement of my family. Why? Because even though I've heard that iPhone's rock and that you can use an iphone dock, I don't want to take the internet with me with as much time as I spend on it when I am home. I think the MobileFun website is a great one to visit, it does show you what is available and it's organized in a way that I wish some of the sites are in the US would follow.

I have learned as an example about how important the right blackberry case can be, it can be the difference between seeing a phone get damaged by water and surviving to ring another day; though I've resisted having a blackberry, three of mine now have them. Two of them have the same blackberry model, which is another nice thing about the MobileFun site, they have pictures which make it easier to identify which exact phone you have. Another thing I should learn more about, is the bluetooth headset, supposedly my bunch tells me my phone is "bluetooth capable" and that would end my frantically looking for my phone when it rings...Though I'm not really sure I'd like wearing the ear thing, that was one of the things I don't miss about working in a call center is the whole headset thing. In a way I'd like my next phone to have a keyboard but I have a feeling with as small as they are? It wouldn't help my texting speed...I felt proud of myself when I learned how to get rid of the T9 and to use the abc, though the girls keep telling me if I'd just learn the T9 I'd be faster.

:-)

A musical interlude...

If you like classic concerts I recommend checking out Wolfgang's Vault. I've been a member for quite some time (it's free) and right now I'm listening to an amazing concert from Byrds in 1970 that took place in San Fransisco, I have quite a few favorite songs, but one is "Positively 4th Street" which really fits right now with the local political drama I've been going through.

From the concert summary:

Recorded on the final night of a three night Fillmore West run, headlining over Fleetwood Mac and John Hammond, Jr., this is the McGuinn, White, Battin, Parsons lineup early on, one which would last longer than any other Byrds lineup. The band was promoting The Ballad Of Easy Rider LP, where the group continued to explore elements of country and western music, while they headed toward a heavier electric rock sound. Ex-Kentucky Colonels guitarist, Clarence White, is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this lineup and his innovative stringbending techniques and fluid solos are well represented here.

Although not as aggressive as the late show performance (also available here in the Vault) and with a tape mix that improves over the course of the first several songs, this performance captures the band approaching their peak as a live act. Several months prior to the sessions for their half studio/half live Untitled album, which would see the group reunite with their former producer Terry Melcher and original manager and mentor Jim Dickson, this is a newly inspired band reinventing itself and venturing forth into a promising new decade.

Interesting piece by Maureen Dowd...

I'm not one of her biggest fans, but I think this column, Fie, Fatal Flaw does raise some points worthy of consideration/discussion. Part of:

In an interview with Alison Smale in The Times last week, Vaclav Havel sipped Champagne in the middle of the afternoon and pricked Barack Obama’s conscience.

Havel, the 73-year-old former Czech president, who didn’t win a Nobel Peace Prize despite leading the Czechs and the Slovaks from communism to democracy, turned the tables and asked Smale a question about Obama, the latest winner of the peace prize.

Was it true that the president had refused to meet the Dalai Lama on his visit to Washington?

He was told that Obama had indeed tried to curry favor with China by declining to see the Dalai Lama until after the president’s visit to China next month.

Dissing the Dalai was part of a broader new Obama policy called “strategic reassurance” — softening criticism of China’s human rights record and financial policies to calm its fears that America is trying to contain it. (Not to mention our own fears that the Chinese will quit bankrolling our debt.)

The tyro American president got the Nobel for the mere anticipation that he would provide bold moral leadership for the world at the very moment he was caving to Chinese dictators. Awkward.

The reality is, it is harder to be President than it is to run for President...That's something everyone should remember...

Another good reason to work from home...

One advantage of the days I work from home is that no one can see when I've stayed up too late, gotten up too early and have to deal with dark circle under the eye syndrome...Today is one of those days. I went to sleep about 3:45, got up way too early for what time I went to bed and just finished editing and uploading video from a political event I went to last night.

Now, it's time to finish making dinner since some of my daughters are coming over...

:-)

A little over two weeks till the local elections are over

I'm actually looking forward to this particular election cycle being over, it's been a challenge for me to try to still post here and my other smaller blogs. Last time was easier because I wasn't also working, it's not to say I don't love my job as a fact checker for the Toledo Free Press, I do, but I've had to come to the reality that there is only so much time in each day and that I have not been able to cover all of the things here I would have liked to.

Once the election craziness has finished, we should go back to more of our normal pattern.

:-)

Time to go into Mom Stealth Mode...

One of the challenges of this house is determining which pet is doing what it's not supposed to be doing in the house. If you only have one pet that would be easy, but when you live in a multi-pet household like we do, at times I have seriously considered video surveillance equipment. Recent true story example, I baked a cake, I frosted it, we enjoyed several pieces of it. It was left out on the stove, the next morning I discovered part of the frosting was clearly licked off. Yes, someone should have covered the cake, but cats don't typically do that, the only time we had a previous problem was with pumpkin pies, when just before guests arrived I discovered each pie had some of the middle missing with a paw print in each one...What did I do? Sliced the pie, throwing out each cat tasted part...

:-)

I'm glad I didn't get the Sidekick...

I actually wanted a Sidekick, but I switched from T-mobile to Alltel when my oldest daughter moved out west. Her plan was cheaper than mine and taking over her old phone number gave her a failsafe for contacts that did not know she was California bound. Alltel didn't offer one, so I went with something different.

Which now in reading the Blade's article this morning about the complete melt down of the data servers, I'm glad I didn't.

This does however point out that you should take the time every now and then to save your contacts, every so often I email all of my phone numbers to myself, that way I'll always have them as a back up.

Burn baby burn...

Whenever I see anything related to fat burners or fat burner pills, I can't help hearing "Burn baby burn" -- yes, a flash back to my disco days. Which then of course makes me think of the rest of the song, as I can hear it my head and sometimes? It creates moments of chair dancing, which probably does burn some fat -- if I did it long enough (smile). So, to make sure the song is now stuck in your head too? The video is below...See if you can resist the power of disco...

Media to blame for "overinflated hopes for Chicago"?

One of the most interesting statements made on the whole Chicago not getting even into the next round of Olympic consideration is that the media played a role. It's hard to disagree with the fact that the media did hype up the power of Obama, but then again, they helped to create the whole "Obama is the one" imagery in the first place rather than to cover him as he truly is, a man who was elected president, not someone with magical powers who can by his mere presence wow the OIC into picking Chicago.

In the Chicago Tribune, Ambivalence of hopes it states:

Obama and the rest of Chicago's powerhouse delegation, which included first lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Richard M. Daley and his wife Maggie and the Queen of All Media Oprah Winfrey, were fighting an uphill battle all along.

Expectations were overinflated by the media hoopla. But as the final bidding indicated, the IOC has a mind of its own.

Speculation runs wild as to why Chicago lost. Most of it follows personal agendas. The negatives that various analysts and critics bring up -- crime, corruption and cronyism lead the pack -- are hardly unique to Chicago and are certainly no worse than the problems faced by Rio de Janeiro, the winner of the 2016 Olympics.

Rio took an edge in less tangible ways. Chicago's presentation to the IOC, despite the Obama glitter, was lackluster and disorganized compared to Rio's colorful and passionate presentation.

Brazil played the geopolitical card skillfully, holding up maps that showed South America to be the only region left without a single Olympics. This may have touched the hearts of IOC members, who like to think of the organization as a groundbreaking force for international development and unity.

And how savvy, for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to use a certain Chicagoan's famous slogan when talking to reporters to promote his country's bid: "Yes we can!"

Which really points out the truth as to why Chicago didn't get it, even the power of Obama was not enough to combat a poor presentation....Or maybe they just didn't like Oprah...

Another funny thing about Mafia Wars

You'd think that most of those who play Mafia wars are men, right? Yet I've been surprised by the large number of women who play. The game design, including even the collections that you have to seek out are male inspired, to the point where I see an ad for Davidoff cigars and think about the game since that's a common prize and a collection.

There even appears to be a mafia family or two that's made up completely of women, I experienced this first hand last night when I killed one, and then was attacked by a hoard of female mafia members, a few of which took issue with me "icing" them and put out a few mafia hits on me. Which I always find funny since the whole point of the game is to make money and build points. But? If they want to waste their money on paying someone to kill my online character? Someone will definitely take advantage of it. My longest survival time on a hit list has been 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

:-)

Sometimes I get tired of politics...

Last week I was fighting this virus/cold/flu whatever it is bug that's gone through some of my family and friends, I also was going through one of those periods where I was really tired of politics. It seems as if it's a never ending circle at times where so little is accomplished and so much is unnecessary. So, I could have focused on the latest hot discussion in my house as to where to buy weight loss pills, which considering I had little appetite, wasn't appetizing...Or? I could have let myself get lured into Facebook games, something I had avoided.

It started out so simply, one of my daughter's telling me she needed my help in Sorority Life because she didn't have enough "house members" and was constantly getting beaten up by other sorority houses. All I had to do was join she said, I didn't have to play. So, after being harassed/begged/pleaded with I joined and named my character "ErinForcedMe" -- then I started playing. The downside is not that it's not fun, it is fun, but the energy given is really low, personally I think it's designed to make you either pay for more energy to complete the levels, or to do those silly click ad things where you have to go through 25 pages of junk clicking "no" "No" "NO" as well as to promote you playing other games while you are waiting so you can be tempted to buy more energy points or click on the silly click ads...

I have however discovered that it is fun to "ice" or "whack" people in Mafia Wars, much to the surprise of some of my family and friends...