My mother-in-law is really something. She is in a nursing home now, having suffered a stroke and is now feeling the full force of her dementia kick in. I have campaigned mightily for years that something was going on up there in that head of hers that just wasn't completely right and now, confirmation. It's a relief, in a way, and she's gotten some good medication to help with it.
When Dwight, my brother-in-law, went out to Iowa last, he signed some papers giving him durable power of attorney for her. When they went to the attorney's office to sign, Betty (my MIL) told the attorney that it was really good that Dwight had this power, him being a certified electrician and all, because that way he would know just when to pull the plug.
Ah, the mind reels. I see her, in her mind's eye, picturing herself all hooked up to gadgets and machines and everything runs to one giant plug in the wall. She comforted herself believing that at just the proper moment, Dwight would sidle up to that wall and give that plug a yank, knowing as he would (he's an electrician after all) that he could stick a fork in her and turn her over: She's Done.
I once had a conversation with Betty about taking it easy in her later years (she's 85 now). She was working every day at David's Greenhouse, the business my other brother-in-law ran in Atlantic, Iowa for years. She changed the subject complaining about the high cost of gas. So I made the observation that if she quit working at the greenhouse every day she could save on the expense of gas. She said, "oh, it doesn't take any gas to get to the greenhouse! It's all downhill." I, (silly, silly me) pointed out that she still had to drive home. But she outfoxed me. She said, "Oh, no! Coming home, I go a different way!"
player
Friday, February 29, 2008
Movie Night
Doug just took the boys to 'kids night out' up at the school and we are going to go see No Country for Old Men! About once a month the junior high kids offer a kids night out (read: Parents Night Out) and we always take the kids up there. One of the things that happens when you don't have family in town is that you rarely get out - or it's a big production to get out. So, when the school offers the night out (as a fundraiser) we take them up on it!
It's a CIRCUS theme and Doug just had to say something about clowns, causing Wilbur to rail against the whole idea. I don't blame him, I don't like clowns either. They scare me and they scare Wilbur!
I picked them up from school and got them all full o' fat with McDonalds and then they go back up to school with all their friends and we get to go see a movie.
We are really excited to see this film, and we'd like to see Juno and the film with Phillip Seymour Hoffman (is it Savages?)...
Emery also told me that next week on American Idol Miley Cyrus will be on. He asked me if I knew who that was... I said, "Hannah Montana?" and he said, "The VOICE of Hannah Montana. Always has to get more specific.
We are just at that age with Em where cultural relevance is very important.
I am almost finished with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which Lisa lent me. A very good read by Lisa See.
This weekend Emery is going on his first real sleepover. Very exciting. I am going to drop him off at his best friend's house tomorrow at noon. Hopefully it will go well.
It's a CIRCUS theme and Doug just had to say something about clowns, causing Wilbur to rail against the whole idea. I don't blame him, I don't like clowns either. They scare me and they scare Wilbur!
I picked them up from school and got them all full o' fat with McDonalds and then they go back up to school with all their friends and we get to go see a movie.
We are really excited to see this film, and we'd like to see Juno and the film with Phillip Seymour Hoffman (is it Savages?)...
Emery also told me that next week on American Idol Miley Cyrus will be on. He asked me if I knew who that was... I said, "Hannah Montana?" and he said, "The VOICE of Hannah Montana. Always has to get more specific.
We are just at that age with Em where cultural relevance is very important.
I am almost finished with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which Lisa lent me. A very good read by Lisa See.
This weekend Emery is going on his first real sleepover. Very exciting. I am going to drop him off at his best friend's house tomorrow at noon. Hopefully it will go well.
Leaping Like Deer in a Leap Year
This being February 29th I am reminded of Leaping and thought of this passage from Isaiah. I love these visions of what is to come. What if we are to bring these visions about? In the 6th verse it is written that the lame will leap like deer and the mute will shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the desert.
It’s a vivid image – to leap like a deer and shout for joy. We are all a little lame, doncha think? We could all use some leaping and shouting with joy. The realization that the desert of our souls could burst forth in bloom is a promise not an ideal. To be redeemed: cleared, repurchased, retrieved, restored – this is our destiny.
Isaiah 35
Joy of the Redeemed
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it. [a]
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
It’s a vivid image – to leap like a deer and shout for joy. We are all a little lame, doncha think? We could all use some leaping and shouting with joy. The realization that the desert of our souls could burst forth in bloom is a promise not an ideal. To be redeemed: cleared, repurchased, retrieved, restored – this is our destiny.
Isaiah 35
Joy of the Redeemed
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it. [a]
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson wrote a special note to Oprah Winfrey on the ocassion of Oprah's 50th birthday. I want to commit this to memory and share it with my dear husband and all of my friends - this is how I feel about those dearest to me:
"In that holy place where you tell Him everything and He understands, there are angels who stand and wait to hear His every command. How may they serve you and increase your joy? I stand with them for this you have done for me."
Thursday, February 28, 2008
don't slap me cause I'm not in the mood
I could just slap Ms. Hartman... After one week in NY we are now watching American Idol. Doug says to me last night, with a chuckle, as that awful AI music started up, "So we are Idol watchers now?" And yet, he kept coming into the living room to watch the sundry performances. What the Hell happened to us? We think we are cultural elites. We aspire to be Cafe Society. Sometimes we even think we are intellectuals. I cannot be an Idol watcher! Simply awful.
However, I must say that this Amanda person with the fright wig absolutely must go. She cannot even *kind of* sing. What a pedestrian and inane show. Why did we watch it?
One thing it has going for it is that Simon character, the polemicist. "You are verging on haunted" must rank right up there. And, "Astonishingly, I must agree with Poe-lah"
I enjoyed Project Runway last night, but I didn't love either collection from those two who were duking it out. Just so so.
However, I must say that this Amanda person with the fright wig absolutely must go. She cannot even *kind of* sing. What a pedestrian and inane show. Why did we watch it?
One thing it has going for it is that Simon character, the polemicist. "You are verging on haunted" must rank right up there. And, "Astonishingly, I must agree with Poe-lah"
I enjoyed Project Runway last night, but I didn't love either collection from those two who were duking it out. Just so so.
Pyrotechnics
There is an article in last week's New Yorker about the artist Cai Guo-Qiang and his neoteric exhibit which openend at the Guggenheim in NYC on 2/22. While Sarah was in NY at the same time we were, she went up to the Guggenheim to see the exhibition on the Sunday we left the city.
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html
She said it was an awesome exhibition.
http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html
She said it was an awesome exhibition.
Making Sense out of Suffering
The second night we were away Wilbur got really upset at bedtime and was having a difficult time going to sleep. Emery told my mother that they really needed to call Doug and me and tell us to come home early. My mother said, "No, it will be alright, Wilbur will be OK." But Wilbur kept crying and having a sort of meltdown. Emery finally looked at my mother and said, "Can't you see he's Suffering?!?"
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Iowa Test of Basic Skills
Emery brought home a practice test for the ITBS, a standardized test that they are taking next week. Some schools practice and study for weeks prior to taking this test, but Emery is at a priviate Montessori school so they don't do much preparation.
Now, our son doesn't even get grades at his school, so this should be very interesting. I have to say I am just a little nervous about it. We know he's really bright, but we haven't measured it in traditional ways up to this point. Now we are going to have this test come home to tell us how he is doing. It's workin on my nerves a little, I must say.
Emery keeps saying the practice tests are fun - so I keep telling him that's exactly the right attitude to have. He takes the test next week.
Now, our son doesn't even get grades at his school, so this should be very interesting. I have to say I am just a little nervous about it. We know he's really bright, but we haven't measured it in traditional ways up to this point. Now we are going to have this test come home to tell us how he is doing. It's workin on my nerves a little, I must say.
Emery keeps saying the practice tests are fun - so I keep telling him that's exactly the right attitude to have. He takes the test next week.
The Matchmaker
Oh My Word! When I got home today I found our local rag, The Woodinville Weekly (Doug and I call it The Woodinville Weakly), with the high school's production of The Matchmaker on the front page! Simply ghastly looking. Doug and I did a production of The Matchmaker on Cape Cod - directed by Israel Hicks. I was Irene Malloy.
I want to send the article and picture from the paper to Dan Salyer who played Cornelius Hackl in our production.
I want to send the article and picture from the paper to Dan Salyer who played Cornelius Hackl in our production.
Telling you what...
So, it occurred to me that I should say something about Texas phrasology and how we speak and why this blog is called, "I'll Tell You What."
It's a Texas thing to preface everything you say with one of these phrases. Allow me to illustrate:
Lady Sister Girl: I'll tell you what, that Britney Spears is a mess.
Sister Woman Friend: Well, I'll tell you something else, she's the Messesseppi River.
Lady Sister Girl: Well, I will say one more time, she is a mess in a dress.
Sister Woman Friend: Mmm, mmm, let me tell you something, she'd better get it together.
So, it goes like that. (I stole Messesseppi River from Michael.) We do this sort of announcing that we are going to tell you something very important to which you should listen, as if you wouldn't be listening unless we did the set-up.
I also grew up saying that I was 'fixing' to do something and, in fact, when I first moved to Ohio for graduate school I used that term and some fool said to me, "What's broken?" and I honestly didn't know what the person was even talking about. It was like this huge nonsequitur that came out of nowhere - broken? nothing's broken - no one is even talking about something broken. Well, let me tell you, you just said you were fixing to go to the store so I thought something was broken. hhaah, hhhaaah, haaahhhah. Very funny.
My father said lots of funny things - if he was hungry he'd say, "I could eat a hairy dog's leg" or "I'm so hungry I could eat a hairy dog's leg." If a waitperson came to pick up his plate and he had eaten everything on it and the waitperson asked how everything was, my father would say, "Oh I just choked it down." My father sometimes told me that he'd forgotten more about something than I'd ever know. He didn't ever say it meanly, just if I was getting a little uppity or thinking that he was some sort of uncultured lump who didn't know anything he'd say it then, "Paige I've forgotten more about the opera than you'll ever know. I didn't just fall off a turnip truck."
It's a Texas thing to preface everything you say with one of these phrases. Allow me to illustrate:
Lady Sister Girl: I'll tell you what, that Britney Spears is a mess.
Sister Woman Friend: Well, I'll tell you something else, she's the Messesseppi River.
Lady Sister Girl: Well, I will say one more time, she is a mess in a dress.
Sister Woman Friend: Mmm, mmm, let me tell you something, she'd better get it together.
So, it goes like that. (I stole Messesseppi River from Michael.) We do this sort of announcing that we are going to tell you something very important to which you should listen, as if you wouldn't be listening unless we did the set-up.
I also grew up saying that I was 'fixing' to do something and, in fact, when I first moved to Ohio for graduate school I used that term and some fool said to me, "What's broken?" and I honestly didn't know what the person was even talking about. It was like this huge nonsequitur that came out of nowhere - broken? nothing's broken - no one is even talking about something broken. Well, let me tell you, you just said you were fixing to go to the store so I thought something was broken. hhaah, hhhaaah, haaahhhah. Very funny.
My father said lots of funny things - if he was hungry he'd say, "I could eat a hairy dog's leg" or "I'm so hungry I could eat a hairy dog's leg." If a waitperson came to pick up his plate and he had eaten everything on it and the waitperson asked how everything was, my father would say, "Oh I just choked it down." My father sometimes told me that he'd forgotten more about something than I'd ever know. He didn't ever say it meanly, just if I was getting a little uppity or thinking that he was some sort of uncultured lump who didn't know anything he'd say it then, "Paige I've forgotten more about the opera than you'll ever know. I didn't just fall off a turnip truck."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Bridge to...
So I am learning to play Bridge! It has been one of my goals for a long time (way before Warren Buffet and Bill Gates started stumping for the game). My Granny was a champion player and I remember her trying to teach me at a lake house we had one summer. My mother has been playing and while she and Garland were here we all sat down to play.
I had learned to play euchre and that helps, but now I am on a tear to learn and play. I envision us both playing (Doug and me) and then teaching the boys.
It is a civilized game that one can play all through life - like golf. I think it also represents a kind of gentility that I respect.
I had learned to play euchre and that helps, but now I am on a tear to learn and play. I envision us both playing (Doug and me) and then teaching the boys.
It is a civilized game that one can play all through life - like golf. I think it also represents a kind of gentility that I respect.
You are no Marilyn Monroe Ms. Lohan
Forgive me but I think it is just apalling that New York Magazine (I've never been a fan of it, frankly) is running all these photographs of Lohan posing as Marilyn from MM's last photo shoot. LL doesn't come close to the beauty, frailty, allure and femininity of MM. It's a travesty.
I am a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and at one time I read everything I could get my hands on about her. Lohan's hubris is a little shocking, to be sure.
I am a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and at one time I read everything I could get my hands on about her. Lohan's hubris is a little shocking, to be sure.
No Country for Old Women
We were supposed to attend a book a book party that Margo McNabb and Jimmy Nederlander (two Broadway producers) were giving at their Central Park West apartment for Kathleen Turner. The book is called “Send Yourself Roses.” Mike Hartman attended but I haven't had a chance to catch up with her about this. I did check out New York Social Diary's entry for this party:
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/4196
http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/4196
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Lolito
It's the strangest thing... I thought I was sitting next to a mother and her son (or possibly an older sister and her young brother) here at the airport. But she is now stroking his back. So I am thinking they are a couple. A very odd feeling to think one thing about two people sitting together and then to realize something completely different about them.
Working Toward a More Civil Concourse
Ugh. Airport travel is so plebian! I remember getting all dressed up to fly during my growing up years - what a treat it was. I am so tired of seeing butt cracks and nasty feet on a dirty floor at the airport. And what's more, I look as undignified as the next idiot as I struggle to get my shoes off and on. It is unfortunate.
I am at Newark waiting to catch my flight back to Seattle. Doug is seeing August: Osage County right now and I am jealous that I won't get to see it.
Saw Lisa one last time this morning and then had brunch with Ken, Jon and Christopher, and Sarah.
Lisa's party was last night and it was FABulous. Jon's party the night before was equally amazing, and, in fact, revealing! I saw Bennett and Helen, Blake, Blair and her husband along with Mark, Mike, John Dullworth, Ken.
At Lisa's it was the OU crowd and a couple of new babies. I have a totally different reaction to babies now. There was a time when I saw a baby that I would feel a longing, but while I am so happy for new parents, I have a complete absence of that longing. In fact I even think that I am so grateful that our kids are the ages they are. I really love them at this age.
When Sarah and I got back to the apartment after brunch today there was a stretch limo waiting for us! We thought we were going to the same airport but actually Sarah was going to JFK. So I rode in the stretch limo all by my lonesome.
From start to finish it was an incredible vacation. We stayed up until 230 or 3 each night and slept until 11 in the morning. while we stayed at Michael's up near Columbia, we kept picturing Emery there as a student and we started to think we should buy an apartment there now and just make him go to school there. We would feel safer and more secure having him in NY than almost anywhere else - there certainly wouldn't be any drinking and driving... It is strange to see a group of college students and be reminded of your son, as opposed to identifying with the students. We are of THAT age.
When I get back to Seattle will post more thoughts and ideas.
I am at Newark waiting to catch my flight back to Seattle. Doug is seeing August: Osage County right now and I am jealous that I won't get to see it.
Saw Lisa one last time this morning and then had brunch with Ken, Jon and Christopher, and Sarah.
Lisa's party was last night and it was FABulous. Jon's party the night before was equally amazing, and, in fact, revealing! I saw Bennett and Helen, Blake, Blair and her husband along with Mark, Mike, John Dullworth, Ken.
At Lisa's it was the OU crowd and a couple of new babies. I have a totally different reaction to babies now. There was a time when I saw a baby that I would feel a longing, but while I am so happy for new parents, I have a complete absence of that longing. In fact I even think that I am so grateful that our kids are the ages they are. I really love them at this age.
When Sarah and I got back to the apartment after brunch today there was a stretch limo waiting for us! We thought we were going to the same airport but actually Sarah was going to JFK. So I rode in the stretch limo all by my lonesome.
From start to finish it was an incredible vacation. We stayed up until 230 or 3 each night and slept until 11 in the morning. while we stayed at Michael's up near Columbia, we kept picturing Emery there as a student and we started to think we should buy an apartment there now and just make him go to school there. We would feel safer and more secure having him in NY than almost anywhere else - there certainly wouldn't be any drinking and driving... It is strange to see a group of college students and be reminded of your son, as opposed to identifying with the students. We are of THAT age.
When I get back to Seattle will post more thoughts and ideas.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Snow and St. John the Divine
We have had a lovely time so far in New York. Last night we saw, "In the Heights" a new musical (http://www.intheheightsthemusical.com/). Before we saw the show we met our friends Andy, Dan and Claire at The Irish Rogue for a drink. We had a late lunch yesterday at Les Deux Gamins with Mark Boyett in the W. Village. On Wednesday evening we went to the book signing at Borders (the book was Absolute Brightness by James Lescene who also wrote the film Trevor, 1994 Oscar for best Live Action Short and thus started The Trevor Project, a 24-hour hotline for gay and lesbian teens) and then went to the Stone Rose Lounge. We had a perfect view of the city and the lunar eclipse. Tuesday night we saw Matt and ate at Il Bastardo in Chelsea. During the day on Tuesday Lisa and I went to Town Shop and bra shopped. Then we went to tea at Alice's Teacup (wonderful).
Up in Morningside Heights where we are staying with Michael we've eaten at The Deluxe diner and Tom's Restaurant (of Suzanne Vega and Seinfeld fame), which happens to be a regular old diner at the end of the Michael's block. After eating at Tom's today, we walked over to St. John the Divine (http://www.stjohndivine.org/index.html) and there happened to be a choir concert going on while we walked about. It was serendipitous. The cathedral is meant for choral music so we were thrilled that we got to hear those children's voices - a beautiful choir.
So this evening we will be at Jon and Christopher's with Mike, Matt, John Dullworth, Ken, Lisa & Eric, Bennett & Helen... It will be great.
Up in Morningside Heights where we are staying with Michael we've eaten at The Deluxe diner and Tom's Restaurant (of Suzanne Vega and Seinfeld fame), which happens to be a regular old diner at the end of the Michael's block. After eating at Tom's today, we walked over to St. John the Divine (http://www.stjohndivine.org/index.html) and there happened to be a choir concert going on while we walked about. It was serendipitous. The cathedral is meant for choral music so we were thrilled that we got to hear those children's voices - a beautiful choir.
So this evening we will be at Jon and Christopher's with Mike, Matt, John Dullworth, Ken, Lisa & Eric, Bennett & Helen... It will be great.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Gay Teens, V-Day, The Hours: Author! Author!
I spoke to Mike last night and this is where we will be on the evening of Wednesday, 2/20 to support a friend of his, James Lecesne.
http://www.bordersstores.com/events/event_detail.jsp?SEID=224488
Join us for "Our First Books": a book signing and conversation with authors Michael Cunningham (The Hours), Eve Ensler The Vagina Monologues), Peter Cameron and James Lecesne about themselves as Young Adults and the books that made them. The evening will celebrate the launch of Absolute Brightness, the compelling mystery of a gay teen who refuses to be tutored by prejudice. It is a highly dramatic and unforgettable song in praise of life.February 20, 2008 6:30 PM Location: In Store Manhattan - Columbus Circle10 Columbus Circle New York
It's OK. I hear him choking in there...
Things are KraZi at our house in the morning. It doesn't matter how early we get up, we are always rushing out the door, running late. I'm repeating everything 5 times (Wilbur get up here and eat, Wilbur get up here and eat, Wilbur get up here and eat, Wilbur get up here and eat, Wilbur get up here and eat). I'm asking the same questions again and again each day, "did you brush your teeth?" "Did you pee?" "Do you have your shoes on?" "Could you put your jacket on please?"
This morning we sent Emery in to brush his teeth, which he should have done first thing. As Wilbur was eating and getting dressed (literally at the same time), I called out to Em, "Are you brushing your teeth?" And he says, "I'll get right to it!" Now, he had been in there for 10 minutes - what was he doing in there? So, a little while later I call out again, more insistently, "Are You Brushing Your Teeth??" And Doug says, "Yes, It's ok, he's rinsing, I hear him choking in there"
Whew. Thank Goodness.
This morning we sent Emery in to brush his teeth, which he should have done first thing. As Wilbur was eating and getting dressed (literally at the same time), I called out to Em, "Are you brushing your teeth?" And he says, "I'll get right to it!" Now, he had been in there for 10 minutes - what was he doing in there? So, a little while later I call out again, more insistently, "Are You Brushing Your Teeth??" And Doug says, "Yes, It's ok, he's rinsing, I hear him choking in there"
Whew. Thank Goodness.
Frontline - McWane Travesty
We watched this horrific story on Frontline the other night about the McWane pipe foundry. Employees have died, been injured, dismembered, trapped under equipment, pulled into equipment conveyor belts and crushed; and all the while McWane had simply paid the intolerably minimal OSHA fines (in lieu of halting production and impacting their productivity) and continued to endanger their employees' lives. Here are the victims:
Reginald Elston: On Aug. 22, 2000, while he was working at a conveyor belt that was running and unguarded, Elston was yanked head first into a machine, where he died with his left hand just inches away from a safety shutdown switch.
Ira Cofer: Ira Cofer was a mechanic at Tyler Pipe Company in Tyler, Texas. In January 1997, as he was working around an unguarded moving conveyor, one of his sleeves became entangled in the machinery. His arm was pulled under the belt system and trapped there.
Because of layoffs, Cofer was working alone at the time. He watched helplessly as his left arm slowly disintegrated. "The belt rubbed it all down to the bone and took all my flesh off," he recalls.
The report of his accident is graphic: "Cofer was missing for more than two and a half hours, yet he was crying out for help the entire time. When he was finally heard, they found him standing on top of his hard hat, trying to relieve the pressure on his arm."
Guadalupe Garcia: On Oct. 29, 2002 -- in the middle of an OSHA inspection -- Guadalupe Garcia was crushed between a truck and a metal bin at Tyler Pipe. Garcia was nearly cut in half by the incident and doctors fought for days to save his crushed legs and pelvis.
Jerry Hopson: Jerry Hopson died a long slow death after a 1996 accident that happened at the Tyler Pipe plant. As he was taking a familiar shortcut across an unguarded machine, the machine started up and crushed him.
Rolan Hoskin: Working alone at four in the morning, with little experience, Hoskin entered a sand pit to adjust a moving, unguarded conveyor belt -- a dangerous and illegal, but routine, practice at the plant. The machine grabbed his arm. The graphic photos by investigators show that Hoskin never had a chance. After the accident, the company argued that it was his own fault.
Marcos Lopez: A nurse hired by Tyler Pipe to bring soaring workers' compensation costs under control, was there when Lopez was injured. "He was obviously in an extreme amount of pain," she recalls. "There was not any position or anything we could do to alleviate his -- you can't even call it discomfort. It was just flat out pain. He was in actual shock." However, instead of calling an ambulance and sending Lopez to a hospital, skeptical company managers sent him in a van to a private clinic under contract to Tyler Pipe, where he was diagnosed with back strain and given an ice pack and some pain medication. Company records show that as Lopez was sitting at home, plant managers were discussing putting him under surveillance to see if he was faking his injury.
After ten days of agony, Lopez returned to the clinic and asked for an X-ray, which revealed that his back was broken. According to Sankowsky (the nurse), even after the X-ray, Lopez was not hospitalized. "They did not refer him to a surgeon," she says, "and, in fact, they did not tell Mr. Lopez himself that he had a compression fracture of the spine. I said, 'Why do you not tell this gentleman that he's got a compression fracture of the spine?' And they said to me, 'Well, then he'd know how hurt he was.'"
Frank Wagner: On Jan. 13, 1995 at McWane-owned Kennedy Valve in Elmira, N.Y., an explosion killed Frank Wagner, a 20-year veteran at the plant.
It's stunning to most of us that you could go to work and never come home. It's unthinkable that you would go to your job and lose a limb. Shameful.
Reginald Elston: On Aug. 22, 2000, while he was working at a conveyor belt that was running and unguarded, Elston was yanked head first into a machine, where he died with his left hand just inches away from a safety shutdown switch.
Ira Cofer: Ira Cofer was a mechanic at Tyler Pipe Company in Tyler, Texas. In January 1997, as he was working around an unguarded moving conveyor, one of his sleeves became entangled in the machinery. His arm was pulled under the belt system and trapped there.
Because of layoffs, Cofer was working alone at the time. He watched helplessly as his left arm slowly disintegrated. "The belt rubbed it all down to the bone and took all my flesh off," he recalls.
The report of his accident is graphic: "Cofer was missing for more than two and a half hours, yet he was crying out for help the entire time. When he was finally heard, they found him standing on top of his hard hat, trying to relieve the pressure on his arm."
Guadalupe Garcia: On Oct. 29, 2002 -- in the middle of an OSHA inspection -- Guadalupe Garcia was crushed between a truck and a metal bin at Tyler Pipe. Garcia was nearly cut in half by the incident and doctors fought for days to save his crushed legs and pelvis.
Jerry Hopson: Jerry Hopson died a long slow death after a 1996 accident that happened at the Tyler Pipe plant. As he was taking a familiar shortcut across an unguarded machine, the machine started up and crushed him.
Rolan Hoskin: Working alone at four in the morning, with little experience, Hoskin entered a sand pit to adjust a moving, unguarded conveyor belt -- a dangerous and illegal, but routine, practice at the plant. The machine grabbed his arm. The graphic photos by investigators show that Hoskin never had a chance. After the accident, the company argued that it was his own fault.
Marcos Lopez: A nurse hired by Tyler Pipe to bring soaring workers' compensation costs under control, was there when Lopez was injured. "He was obviously in an extreme amount of pain," she recalls. "There was not any position or anything we could do to alleviate his -- you can't even call it discomfort. It was just flat out pain. He was in actual shock." However, instead of calling an ambulance and sending Lopez to a hospital, skeptical company managers sent him in a van to a private clinic under contract to Tyler Pipe, where he was diagnosed with back strain and given an ice pack and some pain medication. Company records show that as Lopez was sitting at home, plant managers were discussing putting him under surveillance to see if he was faking his injury.
After ten days of agony, Lopez returned to the clinic and asked for an X-ray, which revealed that his back was broken. According to Sankowsky (the nurse), even after the X-ray, Lopez was not hospitalized. "They did not refer him to a surgeon," she says, "and, in fact, they did not tell Mr. Lopez himself that he had a compression fracture of the spine. I said, 'Why do you not tell this gentleman that he's got a compression fracture of the spine?' And they said to me, 'Well, then he'd know how hurt he was.'"
Frank Wagner: On Jan. 13, 1995 at McWane-owned Kennedy Valve in Elmira, N.Y., an explosion killed Frank Wagner, a 20-year veteran at the plant.
It's stunning to most of us that you could go to work and never come home. It's unthinkable that you would go to your job and lose a limb. Shameful.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Chautauqua
This is a vacation Doug and I want to take some Summer. My mother used to talk about the Chautauqua Educational Movement and she even had a writing board and educational materials from the 1800s that she bought at an antique auction. Chautauqua is all about spiritual renewal, art, education and instruction. People travelled to Chautauqua, NY to hear lectures and participate in spa and restorative treatments along with receiving spiritual instruction. There was time for reflection and renewal. The Chautauqua movement spread out all over this country so that people who couldn't travel or leave their farms could participate in this type of artistic, spiritual and educational immersion.
Here is some information from their website:
http://www.ciweb.org/
The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of over 142,000 attend scheduled public events.
The Institution, originally the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. It was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art and physical education.
Chautauqua plays a unique educational role today, offering studies on a vacation level, a more serious level and a professional level. In addition, there are enhanced learning opportunities within Chautauqua's other programming. Music, the arts, religion, recreation and the pursuit of knowledge are all available. Younger and older students often share learning experiences in an open, congenial atmosphere. Children and young people are also provided with their own special programs.
Many of the visitors who return to Chautauqua year after year describe it as an experience rather than a vacation -- a place for renewal. The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.”
2008 Program:
• Week 1 June 21-28Sport in AmericaRoger Goodell, long-time Chautauquan and commissioner of the National Football League, will be among the featured lecturers in Week One. Sport looms large in the American culture, whether from an economic perspective or through the lens of its impact on our lifestyles and customs. Fun, competitive, entertaining? Yes. But big business too. Some estimates tag the sports business industry in the U.S. at over $300 billion annually. From youth and amateur athletics to college sports to the pros, we will examine the economics and the impact of sports on our cities, our youth, education, and culture. We will look at Title 9, the influence of television and escalating salaries, and the future of Olympic sports. And we will explore whether the interest of the general fan has been eclipsed by big money.
• Week 2 June 29 - July 5Restoring Legitimacy to our Election SystemMost Americans are both proud and grateful to live in a free and democratic country. But many are growing disenchanted with our system of electing a president. Are these concerns valid? If so, how do we go about restoring integrity into our election system? This week we'll look at some of the basic mechanisms that impact our political system and how they might be improved, including campaign finance, timing and duration of primaries, voter registration, the popular vote vs. the Electoral College and how we encourage or discourage citizen participation. Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-director of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project, will be with us during this week as both a presenter and facilitator.
• Week 3 July 6-12Roger Rosenblatt and Friends: On WritingEssayist, author, playwright and television commentator Roger Rosenblatt has lectured nine times from Chautauqua Institution's Amphitheater platform. For this week on writing, Roger will be joined by his friends and fellow authors E.L. Doctorow, Joyce Carol Oates, and Amy Tan, and poet Billy Collins and cartoonist Garry Trudeau.
• Week 4 July 13-19The Ethical Frontiers of ScienceThere are no shortages of ethical dilemmas arising from rapid advances in biomedical sciences and new discoveries about how the mind works. What are the prospects that new drugs and genetic discoveries will enable us to improve our memories, moods, and cognitive abilities? Should science aim only at treating disease or also at enhancing our mental and physical capacities, and those of our children? Is there a risk that new genetic technologies will lead to the quest for "designer children?" Are we on the verge of discovering a biological basis for morality, and if so, does this pose a threat to familiar notions of free will and moral responsibility? This week, Harvard professor Michael Sandel will help us explore the growing public debate at the intersection of ethics, biotechnology, and public policy. We'll hear from bioethics experts and scientists to help us think through the social and ethical implications of biological and biomedical advances.
• Week 5 July 20-26American Foreign Policy: Leadership and DialogueSince 1945, the United States has constructed its foreign policy around the fault lines of the demise of British colonialism, the contest with Communism and most recently the confrontation with terrorism. We will consider those historic roots and their influence on the current play of American interests on such issues as access to energy, markets, human rights and issues of military security. We will hear voices from other countries expressing their perspectives on U.S. foreign policy, and we will engage in dialogue about the prospects for the future.
• Week 6 July 27-August 2Healing the GlobeIn this Global Village, the health of one affects the health of all. In partnership with the Global Health Council, we will examine such twenty-first century challenges as maternal and child health, AIDS, TB, malaria, diseases related to global warming, the consequences of natural disasters, and response mechanisms to famine and pandemics. We will bring to the platform powerful voices who have invested themselves and their resources in this struggle for a healthy world.
• Week 7 August 3-9Faith in Public LifeThe United States is one of the most religiously plural nations in the world. The Abrahamic religions differ widely within and among their respective traditions, especially with regard to whether religion is solely a private matter or has a role to play in public life. In this year of national elections, the compelling questions become: How best are different religious perspectives expressed in the give and take of democracy, and what is the responsibility of people of faith in a democracy?
• Week 8 August 10-16What's For Dinner: Food and Politics in the 21st CenturyFood - from the old family recipe to the culinary arts - consumes a central role in our lives and is our most intimate and direct connection to nature. It elicits both passion and guilt, it comforts and satisfies, it sustains the body and is a source of beauty and art. What we eat and how it arrives in our kitchens and restaurants is also influenced by political and economic decisions. From the 100-mile diet, five-star restaurants and peppy television chefs to giant agri-business, this week will add context to our understanding of how food is produced, biologically altered and distributed, the rise of organic agriculture and the simple joys of eating.
• Week 9 August 17-23Darwin and Linnaeus: Their Impact on Our View of the Natural World2009 will mark the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. The public debate surrounding his theory of evolution seems to have diminished little in that span of time. This week we will focus on all that has followed, including the scientific, social, religious and legal ramifications of Darwin's work. In addition, this year marks the 250th anniversary of the 1758 publication of Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus' system for giving Latin names to animals, indeed, cataloging the natural world. We will consider the legacy of that important work as well.
Here is some information from their website:
http://www.ciweb.org/
The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of over 142,000 attend scheduled public events.
The Institution, originally the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly, was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. It was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art and physical education.
Chautauqua plays a unique educational role today, offering studies on a vacation level, a more serious level and a professional level. In addition, there are enhanced learning opportunities within Chautauqua's other programming. Music, the arts, religion, recreation and the pursuit of knowledge are all available. Younger and older students often share learning experiences in an open, congenial atmosphere. Children and young people are also provided with their own special programs.
Many of the visitors who return to Chautauqua year after year describe it as an experience rather than a vacation -- a place for renewal. The Chautauqua Institution was founded on the belief that everyone “has a right to be all that he can be -- to know all that he can know.”
2008 Program:
• Week 1 June 21-28Sport in AmericaRoger Goodell, long-time Chautauquan and commissioner of the National Football League, will be among the featured lecturers in Week One. Sport looms large in the American culture, whether from an economic perspective or through the lens of its impact on our lifestyles and customs. Fun, competitive, entertaining? Yes. But big business too. Some estimates tag the sports business industry in the U.S. at over $300 billion annually. From youth and amateur athletics to college sports to the pros, we will examine the economics and the impact of sports on our cities, our youth, education, and culture. We will look at Title 9, the influence of television and escalating salaries, and the future of Olympic sports. And we will explore whether the interest of the general fan has been eclipsed by big money.
• Week 2 June 29 - July 5Restoring Legitimacy to our Election SystemMost Americans are both proud and grateful to live in a free and democratic country. But many are growing disenchanted with our system of electing a president. Are these concerns valid? If so, how do we go about restoring integrity into our election system? This week we'll look at some of the basic mechanisms that impact our political system and how they might be improved, including campaign finance, timing and duration of primaries, voter registration, the popular vote vs. the Electoral College and how we encourage or discourage citizen participation. Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-director of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project, will be with us during this week as both a presenter and facilitator.
• Week 3 July 6-12Roger Rosenblatt and Friends: On WritingEssayist, author, playwright and television commentator Roger Rosenblatt has lectured nine times from Chautauqua Institution's Amphitheater platform. For this week on writing, Roger will be joined by his friends and fellow authors E.L. Doctorow, Joyce Carol Oates, and Amy Tan, and poet Billy Collins and cartoonist Garry Trudeau.
• Week 4 July 13-19The Ethical Frontiers of ScienceThere are no shortages of ethical dilemmas arising from rapid advances in biomedical sciences and new discoveries about how the mind works. What are the prospects that new drugs and genetic discoveries will enable us to improve our memories, moods, and cognitive abilities? Should science aim only at treating disease or also at enhancing our mental and physical capacities, and those of our children? Is there a risk that new genetic technologies will lead to the quest for "designer children?" Are we on the verge of discovering a biological basis for morality, and if so, does this pose a threat to familiar notions of free will and moral responsibility? This week, Harvard professor Michael Sandel will help us explore the growing public debate at the intersection of ethics, biotechnology, and public policy. We'll hear from bioethics experts and scientists to help us think through the social and ethical implications of biological and biomedical advances.
• Week 5 July 20-26American Foreign Policy: Leadership and DialogueSince 1945, the United States has constructed its foreign policy around the fault lines of the demise of British colonialism, the contest with Communism and most recently the confrontation with terrorism. We will consider those historic roots and their influence on the current play of American interests on such issues as access to energy, markets, human rights and issues of military security. We will hear voices from other countries expressing their perspectives on U.S. foreign policy, and we will engage in dialogue about the prospects for the future.
• Week 6 July 27-August 2Healing the GlobeIn this Global Village, the health of one affects the health of all. In partnership with the Global Health Council, we will examine such twenty-first century challenges as maternal and child health, AIDS, TB, malaria, diseases related to global warming, the consequences of natural disasters, and response mechanisms to famine and pandemics. We will bring to the platform powerful voices who have invested themselves and their resources in this struggle for a healthy world.
• Week 7 August 3-9Faith in Public LifeThe United States is one of the most religiously plural nations in the world. The Abrahamic religions differ widely within and among their respective traditions, especially with regard to whether religion is solely a private matter or has a role to play in public life. In this year of national elections, the compelling questions become: How best are different religious perspectives expressed in the give and take of democracy, and what is the responsibility of people of faith in a democracy?
• Week 8 August 10-16What's For Dinner: Food and Politics in the 21st CenturyFood - from the old family recipe to the culinary arts - consumes a central role in our lives and is our most intimate and direct connection to nature. It elicits both passion and guilt, it comforts and satisfies, it sustains the body and is a source of beauty and art. What we eat and how it arrives in our kitchens and restaurants is also influenced by political and economic decisions. From the 100-mile diet, five-star restaurants and peppy television chefs to giant agri-business, this week will add context to our understanding of how food is produced, biologically altered and distributed, the rise of organic agriculture and the simple joys of eating.
• Week 9 August 17-23Darwin and Linnaeus: Their Impact on Our View of the Natural World2009 will mark the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. The public debate surrounding his theory of evolution seems to have diminished little in that span of time. This week we will focus on all that has followed, including the scientific, social, religious and legal ramifications of Darwin's work. In addition, this year marks the 250th anniversary of the 1758 publication of Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus' system for giving Latin names to animals, indeed, cataloging the natural world. We will consider the legacy of that important work as well.
Norman Lear and Clay Jenkinson
This morning on NPR I heard a segment of "The Long View" which featured Norman Lear. As I lay there listening I was thinking about our friend and Godfather, Mike, who recently attended a birthday dinner party for Norman Lear's daughter. She is married to Mike's doctor, who is also the CBS Evening News Medical Correspondent: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/14/utility/main1891188.shtml
As I listened to Norman Lear talk about why the constitution is so important to him I also thought about Clay Jenkinson. A Nationally acclaimed humanities scholar and award winning first person interpreter of Thomas Jefferson, Clay Jenkinson, portrays Jefferson on the program, The Thomas Jefferson Hour, and he answers listener questions while in the persona of Jefferson--his answers are grounded in the writings and actions of the great man.
Doug and I saw this man on a local cable channel portraying Jefferson in Tacoma as a guest of the Tacoma Rotary Club. We were so enthralled watching him that although we had just happened on the channel, we couldn't turn our attention away.
Jenkinson believes Thomas Jefferson wrote the most important 35-word sentence in the English language: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
http://www.35words.com/index.htm
Finally, Clay Jenkinson has been instrumental in the revival of the modern-day Chautauqua movement. More on that in the above post.
As I listened to Norman Lear talk about why the constitution is so important to him I also thought about Clay Jenkinson. A Nationally acclaimed humanities scholar and award winning first person interpreter of Thomas Jefferson, Clay Jenkinson, portrays Jefferson on the program, The Thomas Jefferson Hour, and he answers listener questions while in the persona of Jefferson--his answers are grounded in the writings and actions of the great man.
Doug and I saw this man on a local cable channel portraying Jefferson in Tacoma as a guest of the Tacoma Rotary Club. We were so enthralled watching him that although we had just happened on the channel, we couldn't turn our attention away.
Jenkinson believes Thomas Jefferson wrote the most important 35-word sentence in the English language: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
http://www.35words.com/index.htm
Finally, Clay Jenkinson has been instrumental in the revival of the modern-day Chautauqua movement. More on that in the above post.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Green Lent
Earth Ministries
Earth Ministry strives to inspire and mobilize the Christian Community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future.
Forty Days of Fasting for the Environment: A Lenten Journey
http://earthministry.blogspot.com/
Earth Ministry strives to inspire and mobilize the Christian Community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future.
Forty Days of Fasting for the Environment: A Lenten Journey
http://earthministry.blogspot.com/
The Town Shop
One thing I am definitely going to do while I am in New York is go Bra Shopping... I always go to The Town Shop: http://www.townshop.com/index.shtml
Take a look at this place. These ladies get you in a dressing room and fit you for a Brassiere like you don't know what hit you. FABULOUS.
Take a look at this place. These ladies get you in a dressing room and fit you for a Brassiere like you don't know what hit you. FABULOUS.
The New Yorker
Some of the things I'd like to do while we are in the city...
Barneys Barneys Barneys.
Doesn't this sound fabulous?
Lady Mendl's Tea Salon
The Victorian style architecture and furnishings recreate a time of sublime elegance. Guest can easily envision Edith Wharton or Elsie De Wolfe entertaining friends at the turn of the century.
Lady Mendl’s Royal Tea Five Course Tea Service
Appetizer Course:
Mixed Green Salad with Vinaigrette
Second Course:
Tea Sandwiches (selection may vary)
Smoked Salmon with Dill Cream Cheese on Pumpernickel
Cucumber with Mint Crème Fraiche on Brioche
Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato on 7 Grain
Smoked Turkey and Cranberry on Brioche
Third Course:
Scones with Devonshire Clotted Cream and Preserves
Dessert Course:
Cake with Seasonal Fresh Berries
Fifth Course:
Assorted Cookies and Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Tea Service Includes: Selection of Freshly Steeped Teas
I am also dying for good Dim Sum and I'd like to try the Chinatown Brasserie. This is the year of the RAT!
Friday, February 08, 2008
Filets de Pousson au Four
This is one of my favorite recipes:
Using your hand, smear 2 tbsp of butter on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle diced shallots over this. Roll up 4-6 filets of sole (salt and pepper on both sides first). Roll them compactly and set them atop the shallots in the pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs to cover. Pour 1/2 c. heavy cream over the filets, then pour 1/2 cup dry white wine over the cream. Melt 2 tbsp butter and pour over all. Top with another handful of diced shallots. Bake in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. Voila!
Serve with rice or potatoes.
Using your hand, smear 2 tbsp of butter on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle diced shallots over this. Roll up 4-6 filets of sole (salt and pepper on both sides first). Roll them compactly and set them atop the shallots in the pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs to cover. Pour 1/2 c. heavy cream over the filets, then pour 1/2 cup dry white wine over the cream. Melt 2 tbsp butter and pour over all. Top with another handful of diced shallots. Bake in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. Voila!
Serve with rice or potatoes.
Eckhart Tolle
Doug is reading, "The Power of Now" - I am excited to hear what he thinks of this book. He has been so faithful in his yoga practice.
Lenten Living
A quote from Marcus Borg:
But we can take seriously a different kind of knowing. It's a very ancient kind of knowing. The ancients called it intuition. And, unfortunately, in our world, intuition is seen as kind of a weak thing. It's associated with women's intuition, a vague hunching or something like that. But the ancient meaning of the word "intuition" or “intuitive knowing” is direct knowing, a knowing that's not dependent upon verification. A synonym for intuitive knowing would be mystical knowing. There are people in every culture who have had what they regard as direct knowing experiences of God or the sacred. That kind of knowing is possible, and for me personally, it's that direct knowing, that intuitive knowing, that is the most persuasive soft data for affirming that God or the sacred is real.
But we can take seriously a different kind of knowing. It's a very ancient kind of knowing. The ancients called it intuition. And, unfortunately, in our world, intuition is seen as kind of a weak thing. It's associated with women's intuition, a vague hunching or something like that. But the ancient meaning of the word "intuition" or “intuitive knowing” is direct knowing, a knowing that's not dependent upon verification. A synonym for intuitive knowing would be mystical knowing. There are people in every culture who have had what they regard as direct knowing experiences of God or the sacred. That kind of knowing is possible, and for me personally, it's that direct knowing, that intuitive knowing, that is the most persuasive soft data for affirming that God or the sacred is real.
NPR Story on Scott Rudin
As I was driving home yesterday I caught a story on NPR about Scott Rudin, who has produced many, many movies, but who is currently the producer of two films in the Oscar race: There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men.
Scott Rudin's life partner is John Barlow who is Michael's business partner at Barlow-Hartman. http://www.barlowhartman.com
Scott Rudin's life partner is John Barlow who is Michael's business partner at Barlow-Hartman. http://www.barlowhartman.com
Thursday, February 07, 2008
...But you can't make him think
As we start saying goodbye to George W. Bush, I think this brilliant performance says it all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRdQ9r5OqrU
You can take a horse to the water
but you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
A friend of mine in so much misery
Some people sail through life, he has struck a reef
Said 'hey man let's go out and get some wisdom
'First he turned on me, then turned off his nervous system
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
You can have it all layed/staked out in front of you
but it still don't make you think
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Someone I love gotta problem
Some people thirst for truth, he would like a drink
Say man this could turn out to be risky
He said "Everything's ok" as he downed another bottle of whiskey
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
A preacher out there warned me about Satan
Could be that he knows him
He acts like he's possessed
I said 'Hey man let's hear about God realisation For a change
'he said "We ain't got time for that
First you must hear the evils of fornication"
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRdQ9r5OqrU
You can take a horse to the water
but you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
A friend of mine in so much misery
Some people sail through life, he has struck a reef
Said 'hey man let's go out and get some wisdom
'First he turned on me, then turned off his nervous system
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
You can have it all layed/staked out in front of you
but it still don't make you think
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Someone I love gotta problem
Some people thirst for truth, he would like a drink
Say man this could turn out to be risky
He said "Everything's ok" as he downed another bottle of whiskey
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
A preacher out there warned me about Satan
Could be that he knows him
He acts like he's possessed
I said 'Hey man let's hear about God realisation For a change
'he said "We ain't got time for that
First you must hear the evils of fornication"
You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Vision Board
Seattle Repertory Theatre - Invasions of the Public Order
Social Justice Vision:
Eliza Project
House Vision - build according to plan
Eliza Project
House Vision - build according to plan
Nero Marquina marble countertop:
http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268804&coll=278204&prg=1192204
Blue grey Ann Sacks tile:
http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268104&prg=272004
Aga Range - 44" dual fuel:
http://www.aga-ranges.com/_store/Scripts/prodview.asp?idproduct=80
Paige does a Media Tour
Yesterday, Feb. 6, I did interviews with KPLU (local NPR station) and the Seattle Times. Here are links to those published news stories:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2004169224_tentcity07e.html
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1224091§ionID=1
I also did an interview on The Conversation with Ross Reynolds in 2006:
http://http://kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=10894
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/eastsidenews/2004169224_tentcity07e.html
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1224091§ionID=1
I also did an interview on The Conversation with Ross Reynolds in 2006:
http://http://kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=10894
State Supreme Court to hear Northshore UCC case
In August 2007, Northshore United Church of Christ (NUCC) filed a petition with the Washington State Supreme court requesting review of a July 16, 2007 Washington Court of Appeals ruling. The Appeals Court ruling affirmed the June 12, 2006 trial court order to evict the Tent City 4 homeless encampment from the church's property during the encampment’s 90 day stay in the summer of 2006.
On February 6, 2008, the Washington State Supreme Court took an important step toward defending the freedom of religious practice in Washington State when it agreed to review the Appeals Court decision in the Tent City 4 case—a decision which significantly limited religious freedom in Washington.
At issue in the appeal is the Northshore United Church of Christ’s (NUCC) freedom to minister to the needy and the homeless on its property. The congregation of Northshore United Church of Christ (NUCC) agreed to host transitional housing for residents of Tent City 4 for 90 days in 2006, residents who would have become homeless without the hospitality of the church.
We are delighted that the Washington Supreme Court has agreed to review the lower court rulings. We believe the Supreme Court will reverse those rulings because they represent a serious threat to the rights of Washington citizens to the free exercise of religion.
Those lower court rulings represent a serious threat to religious liberty because:
On February 6, 2008, the Washington State Supreme Court took an important step toward defending the freedom of religious practice in Washington State when it agreed to review the Appeals Court decision in the Tent City 4 case—a decision which significantly limited religious freedom in Washington.
At issue in the appeal is the Northshore United Church of Christ’s (NUCC) freedom to minister to the needy and the homeless on its property. The congregation of Northshore United Church of Christ (NUCC) agreed to host transitional housing for residents of Tent City 4 for 90 days in 2006, residents who would have become homeless without the hospitality of the church.
We are delighted that the Washington Supreme Court has agreed to review the lower court rulings. We believe the Supreme Court will reverse those rulings because they represent a serious threat to the rights of Washington citizens to the free exercise of religion.
Those lower court rulings represent a serious threat to religious liberty because:
- They allow the courts to judge how and when a church may exercise its right to free exercise of religion.
- They misread the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”), which represents Congress’s determination that churches should be allowed to use their own property for religious purposes as they see fit subject to only limited exceptions.
- They give no weight to the Washington State Constitution’s freedom of religion clause even though the State Constitution guarantees even broader rights to religious freedom than does the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
How does a Giver become a Giver?
AT NUCC we are in a stewardship campaign and I spoke about why Doug and I give to the church. As I thought about what I'd say about why we strive to tithe, I kept thinking of my Granny and Poppa. They were tithe-ers, but they also had very distinct and clear values about money. Here is who they were with money:
- They gave my mother a solid gold watch for her graduation from high school in 1956
- Granny always worked
- Granny also always rode the bus from their apartment off San Pedro to downtown San Antonio, where she worked in the Tower Life building
- They always bought the best, especially on certain things like furniture and shoes
- Every year they took a vacation out of state
- They always tithed 10% of the gross – even thru the depression
- They bought a new car ever 10 years or so - always American made
- The saved one of their social security checks, so they only lived on one of their checks
Super Newsday
It's Super Tuesday! What an exciting day! And yet, the boys are sick today and home again. Emery is missing his yoga class. Yoga is supposed to be his stress reliever but I have been so uptight about the fact that he has missed the first two classes that it almost isn't worth him taking yoga! They both had fevers last night so we kept them home today.
We are getting ready for our trip to NY. There are some cocktail parties planned and we are going to see In The Heights - one of Mike's shows. Sad Trashy Jon and Lisa are both having get togethers. I've told Mike that I want dim sum in Chinatown and french food while we are there. I've done my shopping, have my hair appointments and spa appointments, have seen my cosmetic surgeon - I am ready to go!
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