I love Bird Note on NPR and I always hear it just after I drop off the boys at school. Today was about the great horned owl - a couple and their babies.
transcript:
Compared to many birds, Great Horned Owls remain with their parents a long time. Robins, for example, are fending for themselves only six weeks after they hatch. The two owlets are now almost seven months old. They were born in early March, from eggs laid in late January. The mother incubated the eggs for a month, never leaving the nest. During that month, the male Great Horned Owl was the sole provider.
By April, both parents were hunting through the night. They airlifted in meal after meal to the rapidly growing young, everything from delectable ducks to smelly skunks. But for the last two weeks, the adults have not fed the young. The owlets have learned the skills they need to hunt on their own.
Today could be the final day the family group roosts together. For any night now, the young owls will strike out on their own.
We’d like to know what you think of BirdNote. Please send your comments to info@BirdNote.org.
We had a book for Emery and then Wilbur called OWL BABIES about just this. And both boys loved that book and would have me read it 4 or 5 times each night. The story goes that the babies wake up and their mommy is not there. They think a lot and just when they are about to panic, she swoops into the nest and they flap and they dance and are overjoyed to see her. She asks what's all the fuss? You knew I'd come back!
Bird Note today reminded me of my little owlets and their favorite owlet book.
player
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Newman
Doug's favorite movie is The Verdict - I mean his favorite movie not just favorite Newman film. Paul Newman is Doug's favorite actor and The Verdict is his favorite film. I bet we've seen it together 100 times and he has probably seen it 50 more on his own.
The reason Doug loves this film is the Sisyphean nature of Frank Galvan's struggle with the system, his past and himself. It's an Everyman kind of struggle, having really bad luck and then becoming your own stumbling block and your own worst enemy; raging against a machine that has money and power on its side. Yet Newman's character is victorious and he manages it with a little imagination and most importantly, he just wants it badly enough. He pleads with the universe that there is no losing here. And the universe responds.
This appeals to Doug and it's easy to see why. I always liked this film before I knew Doug, but I had missed the deeper meanings and the nuances. And there is something particular to manliness about needing to get back on top and to win.
So, thank you Mr. Paul Newman, for all the work you did and all the movies we love. But particularly, thank you for The Verdict.
The reason Doug loves this film is the Sisyphean nature of Frank Galvan's struggle with the system, his past and himself. It's an Everyman kind of struggle, having really bad luck and then becoming your own stumbling block and your own worst enemy; raging against a machine that has money and power on its side. Yet Newman's character is victorious and he manages it with a little imagination and most importantly, he just wants it badly enough. He pleads with the universe that there is no losing here. And the universe responds.
This appeals to Doug and it's easy to see why. I always liked this film before I knew Doug, but I had missed the deeper meanings and the nuances. And there is something particular to manliness about needing to get back on top and to win.
So, thank you Mr. Paul Newman, for all the work you did and all the movies we love. But particularly, thank you for The Verdict.
Friday, September 26, 2008
I'm not the only one who thinks it...
Palin should step down, conservative commentator says
Posted: 03:27 PM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.
The criticism in Parker's Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.
It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. "Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league."
“If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself," Parker also writes. "If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true."
Posted: 03:27 PM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Prominent conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, an early supporter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, said Friday recent interviews have shown the Alaska governor is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.
The criticism in Parker's Friday column is the latest in a recent string of negative assessments toward the McCain-Palin candidacy from prominent conservatives.
It was fun while it lasted," Parker writes. "Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who is clearly out of her league."
“If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself," Parker also writes. "If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true."
A murder of crows
What if we did nothing? What if we let the free market economists have their day of reckoning? It's a lot of cacophonic shouting and pleading right now, but things haven't exactly turned out the way the hollerers predicted. Barclays steps in and buys Lehman's. Warren Buffet invests 5 billion bargain dollars in Goldman Sachs. JPMorgan Chase now owns WaMu. Isn't this what is supposed to happen? There are losers and those losers get snapped up by those who can afford to play...
I don't know if we should do nothing. I am not an economist. But I do know that it's easy to spout off your principles and core beliefs when everything is telling you you're right or to promulgate those beliefs in the realm of the hypothetical. It's certainly harder to live them out when it's not monopoly money and red plastic houses. And if capitalism is one of our core beliefs, now is the time to live it.
I don't know if we should do nothing. I am not an economist. But I do know that it's easy to spout off your principles and core beliefs when everything is telling you you're right or to promulgate those beliefs in the realm of the hypothetical. It's certainly harder to live them out when it's not monopoly money and red plastic houses. And if capitalism is one of our core beliefs, now is the time to live it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Witchcraft Big Problem
Witchraft, once a small but growing problem in American life, is becoming a widespread epidemic in rural America. Leaders from the Republican party say protection from Witchcraft is an imperative for GOP candidates now, as Witches perniciously seek to control public servants' minds and hearts. No longer a fear for the crackpot few, "Witchcraft must take center stage as one of the most dire threats to GOP candidates!", said a leader in the Republican Party.
"What we are seeing is stunning. Brooms, pointed hats, women with moles on their faces - someone in Wasilla recently saw a witch walking her cat! This is a big deal and the rest of the country better wake up and get prayed for!" Bob Denster, an Alaska native, said that Witchcraft has been a growing problem in the state with the long, dark winters where Wicca thrive. "They need darkness, lots a darkness, so naturally they like it here in the Winter."
The Republican party is warning that this Halloween could be a bigger crisis than the current financial debacle, given that Sarah Palin is the only candidate who has been specifically prayed over and protected from Witchcraft. A leading Republican strategist claimed, "We could see all the other candidates spelled. Who knows what could happen."
"What we are seeing is stunning. Brooms, pointed hats, women with moles on their faces - someone in Wasilla recently saw a witch walking her cat! This is a big deal and the rest of the country better wake up and get prayed for!" Bob Denster, an Alaska native, said that Witchcraft has been a growing problem in the state with the long, dark winters where Wicca thrive. "They need darkness, lots a darkness, so naturally they like it here in the Winter."
The Republican party is warning that this Halloween could be a bigger crisis than the current financial debacle, given that Sarah Palin is the only candidate who has been specifically prayed over and protected from Witchcraft. A leading Republican strategist claimed, "We could see all the other candidates spelled. Who knows what could happen."
Snap! I can't debate on Friday!
I would advise John McCain to keep his Blackberry handy so he can be in constant communication via... SNAP! He does have to go back to Washington!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Anne Frank Doctrine
My father and I once had an argument about his political conservatism and my political liberalism that engendered this contrast between us: he said that people, left to their own devices with their money will make better decisions than the government would; I said the opposite. It boiled down to the essence which was that my father adhered to the Anne Frank Doctrine saying People Are Basically Good and I did not. I believe that people are basically petty.
If I had been Anne Frank I would never have written her gracious words. I think people, left to their own devices with money or anything else - with no one watching, exhibit greed, stupidity, pettiness and xenophobia. And as much as I love my daddy, I think history and the current financial crisis show I am right.
It's an odd position that we came to in that argument but I see where my father was coming from. He felt that problems should be addressed at the local level without interference from the Federal Government. He believed that people would do the right things to address issues in their community. And he felt they should have more of their own money (pay less tax, so they could give more to charity and church if they chose) and should be free to make money in a free market.
I couldn't disagree more. I think people will keep all their money and give little away if they have no incentive to do so (like a tax break). I think if they can find a way to make money on the back of someone else, they will. I think if they can convince themselves that a profitable loophole is only unethical and not illegal, or illegal but they are sure not to get caught, they'll do it.
It doesn't make me pleased to find people are not good at heart. But they keep proving me again and again.
If I had been Anne Frank I would never have written her gracious words. I think people, left to their own devices with money or anything else - with no one watching, exhibit greed, stupidity, pettiness and xenophobia. And as much as I love my daddy, I think history and the current financial crisis show I am right.
It's an odd position that we came to in that argument but I see where my father was coming from. He felt that problems should be addressed at the local level without interference from the Federal Government. He believed that people would do the right things to address issues in their community. And he felt they should have more of their own money (pay less tax, so they could give more to charity and church if they chose) and should be free to make money in a free market.
I couldn't disagree more. I think people will keep all their money and give little away if they have no incentive to do so (like a tax break). I think if they can find a way to make money on the back of someone else, they will. I think if they can convince themselves that a profitable loophole is only unethical and not illegal, or illegal but they are sure not to get caught, they'll do it.
It doesn't make me pleased to find people are not good at heart. But they keep proving me again and again.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Dear Daddy,
It's impossible to describe how I feel each year on this day. A friend of mine, Jon, once described grieving his mother and said that he hated how the passage of time made things easier - that made it harder. He didn't want to start missing her less. That was a new kind of pain. I know exactly what he meant. Time has dulled the pain down to a dull edge and that makes me so sad.
Daddy, we think of you so often. We were just in Palm Springs and thought how much fun we would all have there. How many times do we do something or go somewhere that we say, "Wayne would love this" or "Daddy would have made that so much fun"? Doug loves you so much and always wanted to spend more time with you. When the boys say something that we know you would find particularly funny we catch the melancholy and laugh but feel like crying. I miss how you feel and how you smell. I miss hugging you. I miss your arm on my shoulder. I miss your pride in me. I miss commenting on how alike we are. I miss hearing you sing and quote poetry. I miss the stories you told. I miss your humor and your nicknames for everyone you loved: The Captain, the Molitor, Agent Orange, the Silver Fox, Simmar Lamon (the funny story of Lamar Simmons at the Laredo golf tournament), Midget, Squirrel... I miss having you in the world. You are hard to describe to people who didn't know you and that frustrates me. I see them smiling fondly as I try to describe you, but you are so much more vivid. You were so much more interesting in person. A renaissance man, a man of faith, a man who knew sonnets and poems, who loved opera, a man who was funny and Texan and small-town and big city, a man knew how to eat well and drink well, who was always ready to celebrate, a man who always went first class.
The world doesn't seem right without you.
I talk to you often and I wonder what the divine is like. You will make a place for us someday and I will see you then. Until that time, I will miss you more and less every day.
Love,
Paige
Daddy, we think of you so often. We were just in Palm Springs and thought how much fun we would all have there. How many times do we do something or go somewhere that we say, "Wayne would love this" or "Daddy would have made that so much fun"? Doug loves you so much and always wanted to spend more time with you. When the boys say something that we know you would find particularly funny we catch the melancholy and laugh but feel like crying. I miss how you feel and how you smell. I miss hugging you. I miss your arm on my shoulder. I miss your pride in me. I miss commenting on how alike we are. I miss hearing you sing and quote poetry. I miss the stories you told. I miss your humor and your nicknames for everyone you loved: The Captain, the Molitor, Agent Orange, the Silver Fox, Simmar Lamon (the funny story of Lamar Simmons at the Laredo golf tournament), Midget, Squirrel... I miss having you in the world. You are hard to describe to people who didn't know you and that frustrates me. I see them smiling fondly as I try to describe you, but you are so much more vivid. You were so much more interesting in person. A renaissance man, a man of faith, a man who knew sonnets and poems, who loved opera, a man who was funny and Texan and small-town and big city, a man knew how to eat well and drink well, who was always ready to celebrate, a man who always went first class.
The world doesn't seem right without you.
I talk to you often and I wonder what the divine is like. You will make a place for us someday and I will see you then. Until that time, I will miss you more and less every day.
Love,
Paige
Monday, September 15, 2008
Be the Ball
People who are tired of the mess we are in and who intend to see a better day in this country must stop saying that Barack Obama is going to lose. We must instead practice the audacity of hope that he wrote about and engage ancient wisdom that says if you want something CLAIM it.
Let's just claim it. We are claiming the change. No wavering. No concessions. Not even a hint of doubt. Be the Ball.
Friday, September 12, 2008
She talks like a duck and Emery's first library card
There is another news story this morning online about Sarah Palin's repeated inquiries to a librarian about what the librarian would do if she were asked to remove a book title from the shelves.
The librarian told Mayor Palin that she did not abide censorship and reminded the Mayor of the Constitution's stance on such behavior.
People in the middle or on the right really want to downplay this and think Liberals and Democrats are exploiting some innocent inquiries, trying to turn Palin's conservatism into fascism. But I say, we all know exactly what Sarah Palin was asking that librarian. And we all know why that librarian was fired by Palin and then reinstated.
We have to fear when one group of people wants to control what the rest of us read.
This was all brought to the forefront of my mind as Emery got his first library card this week.
The documents that accompanied the card in the mail stated that the library's mission was to provide free, open and equal access to ideas and information for all members of the community. It gave me a boost of civic pride to read that.
Emery has a constitutional right protecting his access to information and ideas. We have to continue to guard against the kind of hubris and arrogance that whispers in the ears of the Palins that they speak for me and for my children. That is an insidious and pernicious voice that says to a Sarah Palin, 'I know best - I know which ideas are dangerous and I will determine what is fit for public consumption.'
We all know why Palin asked about books being banned. Maybe some people are fooled by this woman and her insouciant hair, but I am not.
The librarian told Mayor Palin that she did not abide censorship and reminded the Mayor of the Constitution's stance on such behavior.
People in the middle or on the right really want to downplay this and think Liberals and Democrats are exploiting some innocent inquiries, trying to turn Palin's conservatism into fascism. But I say, we all know exactly what Sarah Palin was asking that librarian. And we all know why that librarian was fired by Palin and then reinstated.
We have to fear when one group of people wants to control what the rest of us read.
This was all brought to the forefront of my mind as Emery got his first library card this week.
The documents that accompanied the card in the mail stated that the library's mission was to provide free, open and equal access to ideas and information for all members of the community. It gave me a boost of civic pride to read that.
Emery has a constitutional right protecting his access to information and ideas. We have to continue to guard against the kind of hubris and arrogance that whispers in the ears of the Palins that they speak for me and for my children. That is an insidious and pernicious voice that says to a Sarah Palin, 'I know best - I know which ideas are dangerous and I will determine what is fit for public consumption.'
We all know why Palin asked about books being banned. Maybe some people are fooled by this woman and her insouciant hair, but I am not.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Okapi
This word was once the answer to a clue on a NY Times crossword. I was stuck on the clue and Emery said, "give me one and see if I get it." So I read the clue 'Giraffe like African animal' or soemthing like that and Emery goes:
"hmmm...
I'd say Okapi"
San Antonio is #2!
I read an article yesterday that said SA plans to convert human waste to energy, selling methane gas from the San Antonio Water System sewage plant to an energy company in Massachusetts.
Of course the obvious puns leap to mind simply because of how many refried beans are consumed in SA... But I'm proud of my hometown. South Texas is so different than North Texas. More Catholic = more fun. You'll never find a dry county in S. Texas. You won't find that rich people outnumber poor people in S. Texas. You won't find anyone wearing a tight red leather mini-skirted suit and peplum with red leather stilettos on a Sunday morning at au bon pan in S. Texas (that's a true story which can be confirmed by Sad Trashy Jon).
What you'll find is diversity and poverty, good food and big, devoted families that will spend their last hundred bucks on a huge party that the whole neighborhood attends to celebrate a child's first birthday (that's a story too and there were balloons, smurfs, mariachis AND a live band somewhere off Zazamorra Road. I was hired as the smurf).
The Baptists in San Antonio act more like Catholics. The Baptists in N. Texas act more like Church of Christ (not to be confused with our denomination The United Church of Christ) or Assembly of God. I mean Catholic in the sense that they drink, party, forgive, atone, confess, start all over again. They aren't stereotypically sanctimonious like N. Texas, where you have to drive an extra 5 miles because you find yourself in a gas station or grocery store where there is no beer. In South Texas you certainly won't find yourself at a Baptist wedding where no alcohol is served and people keep disappearing out to their cars to imbibe the beverage they had to drive 10 miles out of town to buy (That's a true story about a Wichita Falls wedding and not a drop to drink, can you imagine? How is it acceptable to ask people to attend your daughter's wedding ceremony, which goes on forever and everyone knows will end in divorce - it did- and where all the guests had to go to the tiny Wichita Falls airstrip to watch the happy couple fly away in her daddy's Cessna AND NOT GIVE US A COCKTAIL???!!! It was an outrage).
So, Bottoms Up San Antonio! Good for you! There is some spiritual metaphor in this. Menudo and Margaritas for all!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
She is Trash that Won't Burn
If Sarah Palin were some sort of free love wielding hippie I could forgive the low rent behavior much more easily. But this is a woman and mother who preaches abstinence. And now she's put her daughter in the impossible position of having absolutely no choices. Can't choose an abortion, can't easily choose adoption (most good adoptive parents wouldn't want this much notoriety surrounding their adoption and any adoptive parents who would seek such attention are probably nut cases), she can't decide to remain unmarried and most importantly, she can't opt to quietly make her personal decision without the entire world looking on and sitting in judgement. This is what Billing's mother chose for her (I know her name is Bristol. That's ridiculous too).
So, what bothers me is not that Sarah Palin has a tiny babe who has some special challenges and she's not staying home to care for him. She was already opting for work over home, and I admire her for that because I was a lousy stay-at-home parent. No, it's just the timing and the realm that bother me. Pushing private problems into a public space for our consumption is not a choice that seems to fit with the platform of Family Values. The Republican Platform and the solidity of that platform in the face of turmoil is what I question. I have always believed there is no moral center there and the center-stage appearance by this teenager who got herself knocked up is the proof.
Friday, September 05, 2008
If you don't cut that out I am going to slap you into the middle of next week
I think both Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are stylish and elegant. I'm more than a little tired of hearing about it and indulging the criticims of their choice of dress, their weight, their stylishness or lack thereof. No one ever talks about McCain's jowls or Obama's crow's feet. Over and over again, women in the public eye (who are not even actresses or performers) are scrutinized and evaluated by a standard that has NOTHING what-so-ever to do with who they are or what they've accomplished. And I'm just tired of it.
Stupid men are so stupid that they don't know that they are doing it. So here is my message to the critics of Hillary's hips, Cindy's work (and cosmetic surgeon) and so on and so on: Stop doing this. Stop it. Leave it. Behave better. Quit being sexist boors.
Stupid men are so stupid that they don't know that they are doing it. So here is my message to the critics of Hillary's hips, Cindy's work (and cosmetic surgeon) and so on and so on: Stop doing this. Stop it. Leave it. Behave better. Quit being sexist boors.
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