Had I felt like getting dressed today...

Today would be a great day to sit outside and do some blogging while propping my feet up with some nice outdoor pillows, I say outdoor pillows because in this family we have a history of forgetting to take things into the garage or the house when it's about to rain so I always look for outdoor pillows that can take some rain...

My container tomato plant is about to finally produce some red tomatoes, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to just focus on some fried green tomatoes, and it's hot and humid but there is a nice breeze.

However, today was a bad day physical feeling wise and to be honest, I have not even bothered to put clothes on beyond my t-shirt and undies. The lack of motivation to donn a pair of shorts has me working here from inside using my tower rather than being out with my netbook.

:-)

Rolling Stone and journalistic integrity...

Too late to save his job, but as more comes out it appears that some of the material in the Rolling Stone magazine article about Gen. Stanley McChrystal (link) were supposed to be off the record. It should send a huge message to those who like to make comments off the record where they want to be "an un-named source" or "Senior White House staff" that your ability to keep a job and to not face consequences solely remains in the hands of the media and they are not always going to be fair.

As someone who is a fact checker for a weekly newspaper, reading about the fact checking questions that were asked (link) raises some troubling issues. Especially where it was made clear that comments were not supposed to be included. This does tend to suggest that the accusation by some media sources, including the Telegraph (link) that:

So far from this being “terrific journalism” as my colleague Harry Mount put it, the Rolling Stone piece now looks much more like a disgrace to the profession.

The worst thing about this is it won't matter in the long run, Rolling Stone got what they wanted with this story, sensationalism. And it cost someone their job...which only adds to their story. It's also helped add to the impression that President Obama is very thin skinned - (link):

But what do McChrystal's and BP's defenestration tell us about the president of the United States? Barack Obama is a thin-skinned man and, according to Britain's Daily Telegraph, White House aides indicated that what angered the president most about the Rolling Stone piece was "a McChrystal aide saying that McChrystal had thought that Obama was not engaged when they first met last year." If finding Obama "not engaged" is now a firing offense, who among us is safe?

Once my WebTv was faster than my computer

As I sit here outside, using my little netbook, I can't help but think back to less than a decade ago when my WebTv was faster than the computer we had at the time. You could actually connect and receive e-mail faster through the WebTv than the computer. Then we got our first top of the line computer that pales in comparison to what is out there, and dial up was still the only game in town. I remember when cable internet was finally available where we lived, then several years later DSL finally arrived.

I remember my first laptop, a Sony VAIO and the excitement of being able to connect more than one computer on line at the same time. Then to be able to go wireless, slow at times and you had to deal with the usb connection with the antenna thingy but, still wireless.

Now, I have my monster tower and my handy dandy netbook, which weighs nothing compared to my previous laptops. With the built in wireless it connects effortlessly whether I'm at home or at work, once in a while even while I wait for the bus, depending on the availability of a connection. I've gone from Windows 98 being the latest and greatest to Windows 7. Then I think back even a bit farther and remember how excited I was as an administrative assistant when self correcting typewriters were purchased by my employer...It's amazing how far we've come...

No journalistic justification for granting anonymity for these kinds of catty comments

I'm not a degreed, "professional" journalist, many times I am told things by anonymous sources -- typically for them to make it on the pages of one of my blogs, whatever I am told has to be confirmed by more than one source, unless they are willing to go on the record. I understand many don't feel that way preferring to go for the "gotcha" mentality of the moment. A perfect example is Ben Smith reporting Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toilet. How do we really know that was said is the first question, how do we really know it was a "Senior White House official" -- then there is the reality that if such a comment was made, it was most likely made off the record. Most of the really juicy things I get told are, off the record.

Take this incident with the recent one created by Talking Points Memo related to did John Boehner understand the question or not -- the reality is the reporter knew Boehner's position before. While I agree with Glenn Greenwald about the cowardice aspect, and the title of this post which comes from his Salon piece, I also think this type of journalism is going to continue to degrade the credibility of internet reporting. The temptation to gain some momentary fame has already created scenarios where bloggers have made things up. Including making up fake people to attack yourself on a blog so you can play victim, that's happened more than once in the Ohio blogosphere alone.

Supplements online...

It's pretty amazing how many different types of supplements you can find to purchase online. From hgh for sale to a nutritional supplements, it's out there. Research is something I always recommend but I also always recommend asking your health professional first. It is fairly clear most people don't take that extra step and in some cases may not really get a benefit from a product that for their particular situation, may not be needed...

Now the left going after Helen Thomas

At one point in time conservatives attacked Helen Thomas, the Coulter ilk calling her "that old Arab Helen Thomas" -- recently Helen pissed off some on the left by being asked the question, by Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com if she had “any comments on Israel.”

She did, she said for them to "get the hell out of Palestine."

Then suggested they go home, to Poland, Germany, America.

Only one network at this point appears to be reporting that Thomas released a statement on her comments - Fox News.

Thomas is almost 90 years old, she was born August 4, 1920. I think that gives her the right to make an off the cuff comment and she is still worthy of respect for all she's accomplished despite this comment going "viral." If anything she should now have learned at 90 to not make comments to rabbi's bearing video cameras.

:-)

Should you take vitamins?

Your first response may be, "no - I don't need to take vitamins I eat a healthy diet" but statistically chances are you don't. The USDA has reported only 10 percent of Americans actually eat a good diet. One cited example, only 17 percent of people consume the recommended number of servings of fruit per day.

For women it's especially an issue, the USDA’s Continuing Survey of Food Intakes
by Individuals (CSFII) revealed adult females failed to meet the recommended daily intake (RDA) for five nutrients: calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B6, magnesium and zinc.

I've been monitoring my diet, which has led me to discover how difficult it is to try to increase B6, as an example, through food sources.

Rachel Corrie not allowed to pass through to Gaza

The Israeli government boarded the ship, took it to port, will supposedly inspect what was trying to be taken to Gaza and the Israeli government is claiming they will deliver it by land to the Gaza. Including the cement that has been prevented from being sent to Gaza.

It's also worth pointing out that there was an Al Jazeera reporter on the earlier flotilla ship where the deaths happened, he took video, it was confiscated and has not been returned. The only video being shown was taken by the Israeli government.

MV Rachel Corrie headed for Gaza

Another humanitarian effort, as reported by CNN is on it's way to the Gaza. While Israel has tried to state that the blockade is to prevent weapons, it's very clear there are no weapons being sent by those trying to help.

Unless of course the Israelis believe that Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire and Former Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Denis Halliday would be involved in weapon smuggling. They have refused offers to offload their donations. Which makes sense since there is no guarantee Israel would ensure the materials made it to Gaza and if such offloading worked? There would be no need for people willing to risk their lives for items such as:

...550 tons of cement to help rebuild schools, homes and other buildings destroyed in Gaza.

Maguire said the ship is also carrying "tons" of writing materials donated by Norway, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment -- including wheelchairs donated by Scotland -- and toys.

There's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza? Really?

There are times I shake my head in wonderment at the rhetoric people put out there to try to justify the needless suffering and murder that is taking place. What's happening right now with Gaza is a perfect example.

The House Republican Conference just sent out an email that highlights what U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference said to CNN, one part of it:

And let's be clear, there's not a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel allows to be transferred or transfers 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza every week. The hospitals are fully stocked. The food markets are fully stocked. This flotilla was embarked on a mission to challenge the blockade. Security forces, Israeli defense forces challenged it, and violence ensued. But ultimately Israel has a right to defend itself.

Pence is not alone in that mantra, as this blog post by Sarah Posner points out.

It seems just about everywhere but in Israel or the U.S. it's realized that the Gaza blockade is causing a humanitarian crisis and it's wrong. From Brookings:

Third, the strong international reaction was in the first place connected to the circumstances of the episode itself: the use of force by a well-trained army against a flotilla of civilian international activists in international waters. However, the depth of the reaction cannot be divorced from the context: The blockade of Gaza has been almost universally opposed in the international community as being inhumane, and the Israelis who have argued that removing the blockade would reward Hamas have rejected the requests of everyone else, including the United States. While Gaza has not been front-page news in the United States since the end of the Gaza war in January 2009, the issue remained center stage, certainly in Arab and Muslim countries, but also elsewhere. It is hard to see that how the issue of the attack on the flotilla can be addressed without addressing the blockade itself.

It seems the way to avoid addressing the blockade itself is to try to perpetuate the myth that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza...