02/24/09 - Miami

	MOVIE - "Jonas Bros" and "Street Fighter" ART - Libby -actorsexpress- LOCAL - Rollergirls -arg-
	U.S. - Cranes, Carbon, Crash MIAMI - Oscars by the pool -raleigh- WEB - Obama me

MOVIE NEWS - "Jonas Bros" and "Street Fight" - Okay sometimes I act that way, but since I'm not actually a 12 year-old girl (nor a 15 year-old video game addict), I shan't be darkening the doorways of any cinemaplexes to view these fine offerings this Friday. Instead...

2/28 - High Museum Japanese Film Series - "Nobody Knows" ... what this film is about, but at least it's not based on Disney or a video game! -high-

...or check-out all the Oscar nominated shorts at Landmark.

ART NEWS - Libby -actorsexpress- The best carbaret performer in town...she once sang the Star Spangle Banner at a Braves game, then came up and sat down behind us. It's the only time I've EVER had someone sign a sports program.

LOCAL NEWS - Rollergirls -arg- The Rough housing Rascals of the Rink are back, this time moving from Stone Mountain to Midtown! Check 'em out at the Shriner's Yaarab Temple this Saturday. Good wholesome fun (except for the wholesome part).

COMPOST! -abg- This is huge! As my reader knows, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and I have differed in opinion over some things, but not with this! You can now bring kitchen scraps for composting to the garden! Why is this a big deal? Because it reduces landfill waste, methane off-gassing, and just general garbage nastiness. Just imagine a world where dumpsters didn't contain food waste...or rats.

U.S. NEWS - Humans help whooping cranes in migration season, during which the volunteers avoid appearing human by donning "crane suits" - white robes with white hoods. Of course the birds migrate - the alternative is to stick around and be chased by these crazy, David Duke-looking wack-jobs! -operation migration-

The U.S. attempted to launch a satellite into orbit that, had it been successful, would have measured CO2 in the atmosphere. If it had gone up, how quickly would if have measured the launch vehicle's own contributions to the problem it was attempting to quantify? -cnn-

Interactive graph comparing home prices in each of 20 U.S. cities to the average for those 20 cities; the bigger they are, the harder they fall. -nyt-

MIAMI - Oscars by the pool -raleigh-

So this year, having traveled to South Beach to visit and relax with an L.A. friend (not an oxymoron, really!), the Academy Awards were going to be different for me. If I was going to watch them away from home and not at an Oscar party with S., then the viewing locale was crucial.

The first 2 bars we hit weren't even showing it. Argh! As the 8:30 start time was fast approaching, I was ready to give up and watch in our hotel room when J. suggested "The Raleigh", a deco hotel on the beach that another friend had pointed out early in the day.

I called.

"Are you showing the Oscars?"

"Yes, we have TVs throughout the hotel lobby and outside lounge."

"Is there room for two more?"

The concierge said "yes" and then some other stuff I didn't hear, cuz I hung up, saying "sorry! The longer I listen, the later I'll be."

It was perfect - an outdoor projection screen TV by the pool; dark, candle-lit banquettes under the branches of a banyan tree strung with lanterns; and adorable Latin waiters. And whiskey sours.

Since I wanted to remember everything, I took notes about the show on my ballot.

Since there were many, many whiskey sours involved, I lost the ballot.

But, because S. and I were apart, we texted back and forth during the ceremony.

After performing "CSI: Cellphone" on my little Nokia, I was able to recreate at least some of our train of thought as the evening progressed (if it's unclear to you, dear reader, about whom the comment was made, no worries - I haven't a clue myself):

08:32:02 - "Cabbing to Raleigh"
08:50:04 - "Congrats P - M Obama wants dress back"
09:05:04 - "Jen, Angelina. Angelina, Jen."
09:07:43 - "Go-bot!"
09:16:57 - "Please welcome to the stage D Craig and ... who cares?"
09:43:20 - "What's that actress who's not Cate Blanchett wearing?"
10:55:04 - "Who's Zack [Efron] with....who cares?"
11:13:08 - "I see dead people"
11:37:12 - "Love the [dress] color...where's rest of it?"
11:44:33 - "Everyone is clapping for our people!"

...and based on the increasing incomprehensibility of the texts...

11:44:34 - Ceremony and whisky sours just about done.

WEB NEWS - Obama me

...the rest of the story...

02/17/09 - Croquet

	MOVIE - Fired Up, Medea Meets Jason ART - High Jazz, Alvin Ailey -high- LOCAL - Eco-home Tour -aia-
	U.S. - Generals FRANCE - Newpapers are hurting -npr- WEB - Green bridge -oregonlive-

Scanned pics from what used to be an annual party in Piedmont Park. The first pic is '93 - The GLG Grand (now "The Four Seasons") is complete...in a subsequent pic, there is still a construction crane over the site in 1992.

MOVIE NEWS - "Fired Up" & "Tyler Perry's Medea Goes to Jail" are released this Friday. The producers may be "Fired Up", I'm not. Tyler Perry's favorite drag character goes up against Box Office #1 "Friday the 13th". I'm rooting for Jason.

2/21, 8:00 PM - Instead of all that mess, check-out the Japanese Film Fest at the High "Hula Girls".

2/22, 8:00 PM, ABC - The gay Oscars. Watch the Academy Awards on ABC and root for Sean Penn in "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire". -oscars-

ART NEWS - 2/19-22 Alvin Ailey at the Fox

2/20 - Friday Jazz -high-

LOCAL NEWS - Eco-home Tour -aia- Check out the free tour of a Edgewood Avenue LEED home, Saturday, 2/21, 2-5:00 PM

U.S. NEWS - Generals - I got to thinking - when listening to the success and failure of various Obama Adminstration appointments - just how many "generals" are there in our government?

Office of the Adjutant-General
Office of the Inspector-General
Offfice of the Judge-Advocate-General
Office of the Quartermaster General
Office of the Commissary-General of Subsistence
Office of the Surgeon-General
Office of the Paymaster-General

Office of the Postmaster-General

The Attorney-General
The Solicitor-General

With the Economic Stimulus package in place to help prop up commerce, look for "General Electric General" and "General Motors General" -usgov-

FRANCE NEWS - Newpapers are hurting -npr- Sarkozy thinks that giving a free paper subscription to every 18 year-old in the country will get them "hooked" on newsprint. This article points out that spending more money on subscriptions does nothing to reduce the high cost of publication & distribution in a socialized industry.

WEB NEWS - Green bridge -oregonlive-

Bad Perm, Good Cause -Jenny Haigh Fundraiser-

...the rest of the story...

02/10/09 - My Guy

	MOVIE - Friday the 13th, again ART - I Lego NY -nyt- LOCAL - Courteous Mass -abc-
	U.S. - Digital TV FRANCE - Testes Cancer tied to pot -lemonde- WEB - KenKen (beats Sudoku!) -nyt-

MOVIE NEWS - Really? A remake of "Friday the 13th"? Because they haven't fully explored the depths of the character? Or, when there's a massacre in the stock market, we need the theatrical distraction of teen slaughter?

When the original Friday the 13th came out May 9th, 1980, we piled 13 kids into Jolene's boyfriend's truck (she was dating an older guy from Jesuit High - the all boys school - sigh) and drove to see it en masse (11 high school kids in the back of a pickup truck...no seatbelts, no helmets...now THAT'S scary).

In the theater, we missed the scene where the first camp counselor meets "Jason"; it seems our theater's copy of the film had broken at that scene so many times, they had to splice it out. The rumor among us was that the film was "haunted".

It was scary. I worked at a Boy Scout camp the next summer and avoided the archery range like the plague. Every night, while walking through the woods to my cabin, I clung ferociously to the belief that only bad kids who had sex and feathered their hair were victims in slasher movies. I was only 1/2 a target.

It got a Razzie for "Worst Picture" of 1980, along with "Xanadu" and "The Nude Bomb"(?)! They both lost to "Can't Stop the Music".

There was a 1981 spoof called "Saturday the 14th"

Razzie-nominated Betsy Palmer went from playing Jason Vorhees' mom to memorable, guest-starring appearances in "TJ Hooker", "Charles in Charge", and "Knots Landing". I nominated Betsey's cable-knit top for "Best Supporting Sweater".

Kevin Bacon went from "Animal House" to "Friday the 13th" and was able to cling onto his career for long enough to be redeemed in "Diner".

There are 1.72 Friday the 13ths in the average year. By my count, this is the 12th "Friday the 13th" movie, if you count "Jason vs. Freddy" (but not "Jason and the Argonauts", which involves killing of a different sort). That's only .43 "Friday the 13th" movies per year. Praise Jesus.

ART NEWS - I Lego NY -nyt- I couldn't resist this minimalist interpretation of New York icons. If you "get" half of them, you are an honorary New Yorker!

2/14 - Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate at the High.

LOCAL NEWS - Courteous Mass -abc- Ride your bike with a group that promotes sharing the road...safely.

Atlanta loses a Tree Lover -ajc- R.I.P. John Stowe

Sad justice - Arrest made in Midtown teen's murder -ajc-

Eat like an ape -ajc- It seems that Zoo Atlanta animals are in good shape and not overweight. 26% of Georgians are obese; I see a diet craze coming on - live in the zoo!

U.S. NEWS - Digital TV - So Congress has delayed "conversion" to digital broacast TV (right now, most stations are broadcasting digital AND analog...so the "conversion" is really just turning off the analog broadcast.) They claim that it's too expensive for some folks that didn't get the converter box (with a $40 government coupon our taxes paid for.) What? They can't pay for a box, so the TV stations have to continue to pay to broadcast analog? It's not like it's frakkin' water! It's business...it's a product...if the TV stations are willing to lose the business, let them stop broadcasting analog! Or is the government going to pay for that, too?

You need emergency broadcast information? Turn on the radio.

FRANCE NEWS - Testicular Cancer / Marijuana tie -lemonde- Why isn't this news in the U.S.? I see a Michael Phelps public service announcement in the works.

WEB NEWS - KenKen (beats Sudoku!) -nyt-

...the rest of the story...

02/03/09 - Clue

	MOVIE - Coraline, Push, Pink, He's Not... ART - Atl Contemp, "Make Room" -acac- LOCAL - Jesus Gate
	U.S. - The Graveyard Book -harper- FRANCE - President Kadhafi -lemonde- WEB - Carbon footprint -counter-

Part of the cast of S's "Clue Birthday Party"!

MOVIE NEWS - "Coraline", "Push", "Pink Panther 2", and "He's Just Not That Into You" are all coming out this Friday.

"Coraline" seems to be a morality tale about "honor thy family, even if mom is a bad cook" and "the grass is always greener, until they replace your eyes with buttons!" Eat your vegetables...or we will turn you into a stop-action, animated film.

"Push" is the telekenetics vs. the evil government; Stephen King's "Firestarter" meets "Jump". Looks like lots of flying glass and flapping overcoats and leaping dance-fighting, with Dakota Fanning as the new Drew Barrymore. If Chris Evan's shirt flies off, I'm there.

"Pink Panther" is a sequel to a remake and ought to make all those french-hating, slapstick loving movie-goers happy. That would be not me.

"He's Not that Into You" is a chick flick about how men and women miss the boat when trying to get to know each other. I'm not that into it.

Sunday's Superbowl advertising included previews for movies being released a little further out (like August 7 - 6 months away - for "GI Joe"!). All the trailers were posted on www.apple.com/trailers the next day. Seemed like quite a bit of rehash:

"Land of the Lost" - A TV show
"GI Joe Cobra" - A cartoon, based on a toy
"Angels & Demons" - A sequel movie from a prequel book
"Transformers 2" - A sequel, based on a cartoon, based on a toy
"Witch Mountain" - A remake (w/ one original film star bit part)
"Star Trek" - A prequel, based on a TV show, a cartoon, & films.
"Fast Furious" - A sequel to a sequel to a sequel

The other three were a little more original:
"Monsters v. Aliens" - Looks like X-men, with monsters.
"Year One" - 'School of History' w/Jack Black & Michael Cera
"Up" - Pixar

ART NEWS - Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, "Make Room" -acac-. The show starts February 5th.

LOCAL NEWS - The Atlantic Station "Millennium Gate" - you know, the one that caps a Superfund site? - has a latin inscription that translates to: "This American monument was erected to commemorate all peaceful accomplishment since the Birth of Jesus Christ". What? Because all those B.C. "peaceful accomplishments" don't count? ...nor do all those A.C. crusades.

2/17 - Georgia Aquarium - Martha Stewart Book Signing - Really? She's signing a cookbook? What is it..."Martha Stewart's Beluga Whale 7 Ways"? "I Love Penguins...with Bernaise"? -ga aqua-

Last week, The City and The Piedmont Park Conservancy announced they are letting the Peachtree Road Race back into Piedmont Park. Where the heck is the "reporting" in this story? No follow-up questions like:

- What is different this year's from last year banned one?
- Was the Finish Line modified?
- Will the Finish Line have a different impact on the park?
- Is the park grass recovering?
- Is the drought over?
- Are the wells working?
- How has the city changed it's drought policy?
- Is there a city drought/park policy?
- Has the recession affected any of the decision regarding the park?
- Will any other park changes be in place in time for these events?
i.e. new pool/poolhouse, parking deck.

Pride also "gets" to be in Piedmont Park...on the city's terms...and in October. "We know you want to celebrate the June anniversary of the Stonewall Riots - the first time homosexuals stood up to a repressive society - but our grass won't be ready until October. So you can have your little party...the same weekend as Halloween." Thanks.

U.S. NEWS - - Newberry - The Graveyard Book. Read an exerpt of the children's book prize winner about Nobody Owens who was raised by...ghosts. -harper-

Making babies - The story broke that the 46-person medical team asisting a woman expecting to birth a litter of 7 babies was surprised by the birth of an 8th. What shocked me about that? "46-person medical team"! Holy crap! Who's paying for that? My suspicion wasn't confirmed until a few days later - she was taking fertility drugs, even though she already had 6 children...as a single mom! I know who should be paying that medical bill; the woman taking the drugs. Or her church. -ajc-

Superbowl ads -nyt- Best and worst -time-

Eating dirt is good for you -nyt- What I suspected all along. Read this, mom!

Buddy Holly died 50 years ago today. He would have been 72. Pope Pius XXII also died in 1958; he would have been 142.

FRANCE NEWS - Mouammar Kadhafi was elected president of the African Union. I kind of missed reading about that in the American media outlets. -lemonde-

WEB NEWS - Carbon footprint -counter-

...the rest of the story...

01/27/09 - Dawn

	MOVIE - Academy Award Noms -nyt- ART - Silver Scream Spook Show -plaza- LOCAL - The Return of the Gays -ajc-
	U.S. - Elec car=no gas=no gas tax? - nyt- FRANCE - Obama extends a hand -lemonde- WEB - Fantastic Contraption

MOVIE NEWS - Academy Award Noms -nyt- - For the first time ever, we've seen 2 of the 5 Best Picture nominated films before the nominations! Does that mean we won't spend the entire day before the awards show scrambling to watch as many movies as we can? Not necessarily ... -last year's oscars-

ART NEWS - 1/27, Outwrite Books - Meet author E Lynn Harris. "This winter, Harris returns to familiar turf with BASKETBALL JONES, another story of sex, secrets and scandal set in the sports world."

1/31 - Silver Scream Spook Show -plaza- This month, it's "Godzirra"...

1/31 - The New American Shakespeare Tavern performs "Romeo and Juliet". Pretty, Tragic, Doomed. You know how it ends; kind of like Governor Blogojovich. -shax-

LOCAL NEWS - The Return of the Gays -ajc- - The City of Atlanta votes to "let" Gay Pride back into Piedmont Park, an extremely mixed blessing:

YEAH! Pride is in the park!
BOO! The date is not anywhere near the anniversary of the event it celebrates (Stonewall Riots at the end of June, 1969, when for the first time, homosexuals stood up to the police in an illegal raid of a gay bar).

YEAH! It's on Halloween! Twice the fun on one day!
BOO! It's on Halloween! Half the number of weekends to party.

YEAH! It might not rain!
BOO! It might be too cold to be shirtless.

...and speaking of cultural events that Atlanta is attempting to destroy in favor of its precious grass, the Midtown Tour of Homes (in conjunction with the Dogwood Festival) needs volunteer homes. Be a show-off! -mna-

U.S. NEWS - Elec car=no gas=no gas tax? - nyt- - How do we replace the current road-funding gas tax when electric cars use no gas? Tax everyone for the number of miles they drive. That seems fair; use 100 miles of an interstate and pay accordingly.

Good news along that front from the O-ministration includes signing legislation allowing states to set their own (higher) gas mileage requirements. That means California can demand higher mileage; the car companies will want to sell cars in Cali, so they will have to improvement their product. It's a good solution, but a VERY long term one.

If the goal is to reduce emissions, Obama could accomplish that immediately by increasing the federal gas tax. Gas would be more expensive and folks would drive less (of course, that would increase the price to ship goods and add to inflation, but hey, I can't fix everything!)

FRANCE NEWS - Barack Obama extends a hand to the Muslim world -lemonde- - The french paper reports that Obama wants to restore relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world, and thereby the U.S.'s position in conflicts in the Israel, Iraq, and elsewhere.

WEB NEWS - Fantastic Contraption - Your whole day...gone.

...the rest of the story...

01/20/09 - Out w/ the Old

	MOVIE - "Were the World Mine" (not O's) ART - AIA tour of Fulton Cotton Lofts -aia- LOCAL - Sunday liquor sales!? -ajc- Gamble on Underground casino? -ajc-
	U.S. - Andrew Wyeth passed. BUSH - A letter about our ex-president WEB - Bushisms -slate- or wordle.net

Thanks to this week's model...good luck on your clothing line!

MOVIE NEWS - "Were the World Mine" (not Obama's...) - I've been looking forward to this flick...gay kid just trying to fit in at a prep school when the drama teacher puts him in the school play...as a faerie. Puberty ensues (No guest appearance by Zack Efron.)

ART NEWS - 1/24, 2:00 - 5:00 PM - AIA Atlanta tour of Fulton Cotton Lofts -aia-

1/24 - At Primal...Pamela Anderson?!? I'd kinda love to see her...in a "hey, I've met Dolly Parton's, too!" kinda way. -primal-

LOCAL NEWS - Sunday liquor sales!? -ajc- Why should Alabama get all the pro-football boozing revenue? Once again, the legislature may take up the debate on why it's okay to drive to a restaurant, drink, and drive home on Sunday, but you can't buy beer to consume in the safety of your home.

Gamble on Underground casino? -ajc- - Interesting proposal for reinvigorating the draw of Underground Atlanta - a casino. I thought this was reasonable in light of a report on the failings of the initial Underground of the 70's - in addition to increased crime in the city, liquor laws changed in counties surrounding Atlanta; fewer dry counties meant fewer people had to drive to Atlanta to get a drink. It seems Underground survives whenever it can give people something they can't get close to home - alcohol in the 70's and maybe gambling today. If that doesn't work, at least we've still Prostitution!

U.S. NEWS -

Andrew Wyeth passed away. Just this past weekend, I referred to this painting of his. Me...on a hill in Piedmont Park...lying on the grass with my legs trailing out behind me... looking up to the Midtown skyline...calling out to a (younger) friend. "Look, I'm Christina!" He said..."What? You mean that Stephen King car?"

BUSH - (An email to my brother) I do agree that W. doesn't seem to get a lot of support - even from the people that voted him into office - and that we should display a modicum of decency and tolerance when referring to or respectfully disagreeing with the man (some have) chosen to lead our country.

Your email did make me think about what I haven't liked about his presidency (besides the whole anti-gay thing) and to look back and make sure my feelings are based on facts and not just the "liberal media" (I do listen to Rush Limbaugh, occasionally).

Here's what I found out about myself:

The Kyoto Protocol - He rejected it and stated that it was unfair because it excluded some developing countries from following the same guidelines the U.S. would be forced to adopt. To be fair, it seems that Clinton recommended not approving it without first amending the wording. That may be true, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't work hard to make the planet a cleaner, safer, less-polluted place. (But there is no telling if the Senate would have approved it even if Bush did). The whole thing, while putting Bush in a tough position, does not make him come across as an environmental president - nor one willing to pursue cooperation on a global scale. (NEGATIVE)

The Environment - A Bush's Secretary of the Interior until 2006, Gale Norton advocated drilling in ANWAR, selling of federal land (as a fund-raiser), commercially developing protected land, reducing environmental protections in mining laws, and reducing protection of endangered species. "Many National Park Service employees oppose her rewrite of the service's management philosophy, a rewrite favoring recreational use over conservation." We aren't making any new land, any new species, and any new water; I strongly feel we have to do everything possible to protect what we have (NEGATIVE).

Iraq War - Even if it did seem that there was reason attack a country preemptively to protect the U.S. (because of "weapons of mass destruction"), I don't think that we started the war with any kind of understanding of the existing political/cultural/religious conditions in Iraq. It just seems that whatever concrete reasons we had for attacking, we did not really understand how we could "win". Anytime I start on a project, there has to be a definite list of deliverables to be accomplished and that is how I prove to the customer that I am done, that he should be satisfied, and that I should get paid. I don't think we had that before entering Iraq and the only way I can rationalize that is by thinking we must be really arrogant, that we are the only world's superpower, and we could just go in, kick butt, and declare "Democracy". (NEGATIVE)

Human Rights - I don't understand at all how the greatest nation on earth, and the one with the most liberties, can imprison people (or "detain them") for as long as they like, without formally charging them and without a legal process. NEGATIVE...but maybe arguably just because I have a narrow understanding of wartime" imprisonment).

Israel - It seems like no one can doing anything about that horrifying mess and W. hasn't made it worse or better. (NEUTRAL)

Africa - W does seem to have done a LOT of good there, from AIDS anti-viral treatment programs to agricultural support to debt relief. --- It has been said, in Time Magazine, that Africa is the "triumph of American foreign policy" and is the "Bush Administration's greatest achievement" (POSITIVE)

Grammar - I mean, come on. I'm just not inspired listening to him speak. I know, I know, actions, not words, but I'm sorry, English is my native language and I like to hear the leader of my county use it eloquently. (NEGATIVE)

Katrina - I don't know that anything really could have been done better there. I know (from talking to Shawn's relatives and their friends) that the attitude during an approaching hurricane is so often to "help yourself" and not evacuate, so you can't depend on someone else to take care of you after the fact. BUT, it sure does seem like W's aids didn't do a very good job of helping him understand the gravity of the situation after the fact. People spent up to 4 days at the Convention Center, yet "FEMA head Michael Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff both claimed to have no knowledge of the use of the Convention Center as a shelter until the afternoon of September 1." (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE, but not for the common, scapegoating reasons most people have.)

China, Japan, South Korea - We seem to have improved relations with most Asian nations (GOOD), but I don't understand why human rights and business relations are okay in Communist China, but not okay in Communist Cuba, so I'm going to remain (NEUTRAL).

International Free Trade - It seems that we have signed free trade treaties with several countries, so I guess some other countries still like the U.S. (POSITIVE).

Immigration - I like what he said in his 2008 State of the Union address - "Yet we also need to acknowledge that we will never fully secure our border until we create a lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy." ...mostly because he acknowledges that people only come here illegally to "support our economy"...because Americans pay them to come here (and mow their lawns or build their houses or raise their children). The next step to be to remove the incentive for illegals to come here by punishing the Americans who pay them to. (NEUTRAL).

National Debt - It's huge. $10 Trillion? I heard people during the election ay-saying Obama for being "socialist"; taking one person's money and giving to someone else. How is it not "socialist" to keep spending money (on ourselves) today that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids will have to pay off tomorrow? (NEGATIVE).

National Budget - It's huge, too. The budget has grown from $1.9 Trillion in 2001 to $3.1 Trillion for 2009. --- "From FY 2003-2007, the national debt increased approximately $550 billion per year on average. For the first time in FY 2008, the U.S. added $1 trillion to the National Debt. In relative terms, from 2003-2007 the government spent roughly $1.20 for each $1.00 it collected in taxes." (NEGATIVE)

Tax cuts - I am totally for lower taxes, but it's pretty easy to give people back some of their tax money without reducing federal spending; just add it to the National Debt! Republicans were crying foul at Obama's "spread the wealth" comment, but what were the "stimulus checks"? I realize that the (mostly Democratic?) congress probably distorted his original plan, but I DO know that the more money you made, the smaller stimulus check you got. (POSITIVE IDEA, BUT NEGATIVELY EXECUTED and HYPOCRITICALLY PROMOTED).

Size of Government - How can you run as the candidate of the "smaller government is better" party and then oversee the expansion of the federal workforce by 2.5 million employees from 2002 to 2008? It seems that the largest growth was in "contractors", which I have to assume is "civilians" being paid to go to war zones and accomplish all the "non-fighting" work that we don't have enough soldiers to do. ---"They often performed vital work such as researching new vaccines, running federal computer systems and making body armor, weapons and meals for the military." (NEGATIVE).

Gay Rights - I won't even go into the whole "marriage" thing, because it will never be solved. I just want a president that makes it so Shawn can inherit my $$ (and/or my social security and medicare benefits) when I die without having to pay inheritance tax. Let's just call it "Picking one other human being that you want to take care of for the rest of your life". W sez "The amendment should fully protect marriage, while leaving the state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage." I find that INCREDIBLY HYPOCRITICAL. Why should the president lead the charge in DENYING me rights at a federal level, then leaving me to cross my fingers and hope that my state government will pick up the slack? Why can't it be U.S. Constitutional Amendment "fully protecting legal arrangements for ALL AMERICANS at the federal level, then leaving states to make their own choices in defining marriage"?

PHEW!

So, after researching all that, I did find a president with values that I share; and he's a Republican!

He distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved forty monopolistic corporations as a "trust buster"...he did not disagree with trusts and capitalism in principle but was only against corrupt, illegal practices.

He was the first U.S. president to call for universal health care and national health insurance.

He promoted the conservation movement, emphasizing efficient use of natural resources.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT in '12! (Okay, so he lost to Woodrow Wilson in 1912, but it still sounds good.)

WEB NEWS -
My blog...in 50 words or less:

www.wordle.net

...the rest of the story...

01/13/09 - More Night & Fog

	MOVIE - "Defiance", "Mall Cop", "Slum..." ART - "JC Superstar Gospel" opens! LOCAL - Clean house! Get rid of towels & elec.
	U.S. - Sooner or Gator -nyt- FRANCE - They noticed we're missing a few jobs. WEB - It's back and better - Crayon Physics

Foggy morning in Piedmont Park & the night before...

MOVIE NEWS - "Defiance" expands (the movie...not the city in Ohio...God forbid), "Mall Cop" arrives (the movie...not the actual rent-a-security-guard...God forbid). Go see "Slumdog", winner of 4 Golden Globes. Or check out "Let the Right One In", a Swedish coming of age movie...with vampires! It's much more than "Twilight" with funny accents; it's more like "A Christmas Story" meets "The Hunger".

1/13 - (Metropolites can look forward to "Dark Knight" in Club M tonight. Heath Ledger...or his estate, rather, won the Golden Globe for Best-Supporting Actor.)

1/16 & 1/17 - The High Museum's Danish Film Festival is a good option, too. "Just Another Love Story" on Friday and "With Your Permission" on Saturday, both in the Rich Auditorium of the Woodruff Arts Center. -DFF-

ART NEWS - "JC Superstar Gospel" opens @ the Alliance. I was worried about whether I would spend most of the time watching this re-vamped version of JCS comparing it to the original and thinking about how the beloved lyrics are "supposed" to sound. The offer of a $10 preview ticket cleared that right up...we are going! Thanks, B, and I promise to keep my mouth shut!

1/16 - Friday Jazz at the High - This Friday from 5-10 PM. -high.org-

LOCAL NEWS - Clean house! Get rid of towels and electronics - It's time to clean house; when you are getting rid of all that old stuff, keep in mind that the Atlanta Humane Society needs old towels and washcloths to keep the puppies clean, happy, and ready for adoption! Also, when getting rid of old electronics, you can drop them off at Grady High School (8th St parking lot) from 8 AM to 4 PM on the 3rd Saturday of every month; that's this Saturday! -complete list-

Speaking of cleaning house, we've been at Metropolis for 6 years as of January 15th! Happy Anniversary!

U.S. NEWS - Sooner or Gator -nyt- - Don't even try to explain the BCS to me. Utah is undefeated, so they are number 2? Oklahoma is in the play-off game against Florida, but because they are beaten by #1 Florida, they finish #5. Huh? Even the Academy Awards are easier to understand than that!

"The title is the Gators’ second under Coach Urban Meyer, who became the first coach in the Bowl Championship Series era to win two titles. Florida received 48 first-place votes out of 65 in the Associated Press poll released early Friday morning; undefeated Utah finished second (16 first-place votes), followed by U.S.C. (one first-place vote), Texas and Oklahoma."

FRANCE NEWS - They noticed we're missing a few jobs. The jobless rate is the highest in a decade, but the actual number of jobless is the highest since 1945.

WEB NEWS - It's back and better - Crayon Physics

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01/06/09 - Night & Morn

	MOVIE - Nothing new - See "Slumdog"! ART - King-sized @ Variety Playhouse LOCAL - Recycle your Xmas tree
	U.S. - Simulate war, stimulate recruiting -nyt- FRANCE - Sarkozy in the Middle East -lemonde- WEB - National Geographic Photo winners

The pics are both the same Midtown skyline view - one Friday evening and one the next morning.

MOVIE NEWS - Nothing new - See "Slumdog"! Upon going to Tara, we were torn between seeing the assassinated gay guy pic, the nasty nun pic, or the itinerant Indian kid pic. He's not just milking the down-trodden ghetto kid material; no doubt, "Slumdog Millionaire" is terrific!

ART NEWS - King-sized @ Variety Playhouse. It's no secret this is my favorite local live show...we are taking our moms to see his Elvis Birthday show this Saturday! (It is written...just this week we saw a license plate reading "ATLVIS".)

LOCAL NEWS - Recycle your Xmas tree (Now more than ever, with the drought, our city needs the mulch!)

U.S. NEWS - Simulate war, stimulate recruiting -nyt-. They say video games promote violent behavior in kids, so why not use them as tools during the recrument/evaluation process to hand-pick our next generation of warriors? Don't ask, don't tell - I love "Rock Band".

FRANCE NEWS - Sarkozy in the Middle East -lemonde- . France does much to try and make up for their treatment (deportation) of jews during WWII; balancing apologetic policies towards jews with apologetic policies towards former colonial Arab states puts France in a position to evaluate this conflict relatively even-handedly."Well, we've kinda screwed 'em both over...no where to go but up!"

WEB NEWS - National Geographic Photo winners Pretty...and thought-provoking.

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