Open Thread – Like!
For those of you anticipating the release of Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, co-authored by Palin insider Frank Bailey, award-winning author Ken Morris, and humble blogger Jeanne Devon, countdown week has begun! If you are interested in getting the latest information regarding author interviews, media coverage, reviews and interesting little tidbits about the book, please go “like” the Blind Allegiance Facebook page HERE!
Thought you might enjoy the book review in this week’s issue of Macleans (the Canadian Time magazine). This is NOT the one written by her ghost writers, but the one written by the sometime contributor to The Huffington Post. It’s a scream!
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/05/18/the-lies-of-sarah-palin/
Thanks for the link, AlaskaDisasta. One of the reasons I love Mudflats is that one can get a lot of good writing with interesting information, plus a lot of clever humor and links to sites you might never visit otherwise. I don’t visit Mudflats every day, but when I do I am never disappointed!
Just started reading The Lies of Sarah Palin. I’ve ordered the Bailey book. Looking forward to the McGinnis book as well. I hope their collective revelations blow the grifter out of the water. Palin fatigue has set in, but looking forward to her trying to explain everything away. I imagine she will just remain silent or viciously attack all the authors as her enemies. We all know how righteous she is.
Well, every day is a new adventure when you work with deaf kids!
Today I had to explain to a profoundly deaf third grader the difference between ‘gas’ and ‘gasoline’ (which have two very different signs) and the various properties of each. There I sat, discussing the fact that the gas you pass IS actually a gas and it smells but can’t be seen (she has no clue that it also makes noise!), but the ‘gas’ in your car is actually a liquid that you CAN see. When you think about it, is really IS quite confusing.
I can’t even count how many times I signed ‘fart’, and my student became enthusiastically creative about the many variations she was signing back to me. I’m not sure some of them are even anatomically possible!
And I needed a Master’s degree for THIS??? 🙂
LOL! Leenie♥
What could possibly be a better use for a master’s degree than having a great time talking to a kid! 🙂
You have one of the best jobs in the world!
I’m curious, Leenie. Completely deaf children must ask about what hearing is. How in the world do you explain it to them? Not that I could fathom any explanation being able to actually let them know what hearing really is, but, what do you say?
Great question, but I don’t really have an answer for you!
Most of the kids I work with have some amount of hearing but we occasionally have one who is profoundly deaf, like the one I was working with yesterday. In the 12 years I’ve been at my school, none of the profoundly deaf kids have actually asked what it was like to hear, probably because it’s just not something they can relate to.
Except for one student years ago who was having a very hard time adjusting to losing a significant amount of his residual hearing in a very short period of time, most of my kids are pretty cool with what they have or don’t have. On the positive side, some of them have gotten excited when they switched from analog to digital hearing aids because there’s a world of difference in the performance of the two technologies and they can suddenly hear things they never could before. We’ve also had several who had a lot of anger and behavior issues when they were in other schools because of feeling isolated, but changed their attitudes and behavior 180 degrees when they got into our program and realized it’s no big deal to wear a hearing aid in our school!
I suppose asking what it’s like to hear is like me asking what it would be like to have ‘man parts’ or a man asking what it’s like to have ‘lady parts’…don’t know, don’t care, can’t relate anyway!
LOL
That’s probably true. I just figured they’d be curious about how the rest of us communicate when they have a hard time joining in.
I’ve seen kids switch to better hearing aids, and it is great to watch. They’re so excited. I think that might be like suddenly being able to see a new color–maybe infrared. I wonder what that would look like?
I’m thinking your Masters Degree is for when you are unemployed. You won’t have a job,you’ll be educated enough to know why you don’t have a job. I just saw signs of rapture in a couple of rabbits on my lawn. They apparently have their raptures mixed up. Do profoundly deaf children get schooling year ’round? Just curious.
“Do profoundly deaf children get schooling year ’round?”
Depends on the student. Many of our kids have pretty significant language delays and are quite a ways behind their peers in academic levels. Most of them go to a ’12 month program’. Some of our kids are close enough to grade level that they don’t need a summer program. Usually, the greater the hearing loss, the greater the language delay and the more likely they are to need a year-round program.
Of course, with budget woes afflicting nearly all cities, we do have to justify our recommendations for summer school and document how the students regress when they have breaks in their program. Even with our deaf and hard of hearing kids, it’s STILL all about the $$$!
I sincerely hope you educators get the funds needed to keep your charges learning. If the rapture takes only rethuglicans,I get first dibs on the guv’s mansion and we will find money for education.
Question for mudfriends:
We are moving to Denver soon (thank goodness!). Before we sign up for cable/internet/phone/etc, I would like to know if anyone here has A) experience with those in Denver, &/or B) info about which companies are best and worst to support.
Right now we have Comcast, our first experience with them. Now I know they are basically evil, so do not want to give them our business again. AT&T = evil teaparty supporting SOBs, so they won’t get our business.
So, who does that leave? I’d love to forgo cable entirely, but my husband is in love with a few of the HBO shows.
Any ideas?
And speaking of evil, a handful of giant corporations just got passed legislation in Tennessee stripping gay people of civil rights, and further stating that NO further civil rights legislation can EVER be passed in the state. The governor can veto this mess. Please take action here:
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6006/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4141&tag=e1
Thanks.
I live in Tennessee and called the Governor’s office on this issue earlier in the week.
The excuse given for nullifying this bill is that it could “go the other way” and be used to discriminate against specific people by writing the discrimination into the law of the city or town. I told them I was not buying their reasoning.
The city of Nashville passed a law saying that the city would not do business or contract with companies who did not have a non-discrimination policy in place. It went back and forth and finally passed. Now it seems that our republican controlled state legislature cannot seem to pass up any opportunity to inflict their views on social issues.
There were some interesting events preceding this bill. A rough outline of what has gone on here is that a female coach at Belmont University was fired because she revealed to her students that she and her female partner were expecting a child together. She admitted that she was aware of the university policy against such relationships or at least the admitting of such relationships. The students came to her defense and wanted her rehired. The battle brewed for a while and it turns out that Belmont is not as much of a religious institution as it used to be because I believe they changed the rules.
Although, I don’t think this teacher was hired back. Some interesting things came out of the dust-up. The first is that a very generous benefactor of the school’s music program was extremely unhappy about the university’s discrimination policy and treatment of the teacher. The music program is very important to Belmont and the threatened of the loss of big money changed the tune of Belmont’s administration in a hurry. Also, during this time it came to light that the university regularly used recreational parks belonging to the city of Nashville for some sports activities. The city said it was no longer acceptable for Belmont University to use city owned parks and continue to discriminate against gay people. They really had no choice but to remove formal discrimination from their school policy.
Zyxomma- Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be calling the governor’s office again next week. I have not given up on Governor Haslem yet, even though he is a republican, so far he seems a lot better than most of the teabaggers he was running against. Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two steps back.
Just for fun, here is a link to a youtube for Basil Marceaux who wanted to be governor of Tennessee:
http://tinyurl.com/43jnxot
Basil was not the really scary one either.
Have you considered TV via internet? I don’t know too much about it. They offer some TV shows but they may not have the latest HBO shows. There are more alternatives to cable than there used to be. Look at Netflix and Hulu.
LA Times quotes Jefferson when slamming Palin:
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/05/theres-been-a-lot-of-ink-spilled-this-week-about-arnold-schwarzenegger-not-surprisingly-most-of-it-hasnt-been-kind.html
She keeps hitting the media and discrediting them at every opportunity. I think her plan for getting through these upcoming books is to simply say she is being unfairly attacked. I keep hoping she pisses off some really big reporters and they gather up all the facts from all the books and show the world who Sarah Palin really is.
Agreed.
Another email I have to share:
“Dear [Zyxomma],
The response to our petition asking President Obama to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan has been astounding. Thousands of supporters signed on in just a few hours.
We need to keep the pressure on! If you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do it today! If you have, help us spread the word by sending this link to five of your friends:
http://www.livableworld.org/action/petitions/us_troop_withdrawal_afghanistan_petition
With President Barack Obama scheduled to make a major decision by July on how quickly to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the mounting budgetary deficit problems facing the country, pressure is building in both parties to get the troops out.
In the Senate, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) may offer an amendment in the Senate Budget Committee deliberations on the annual budget to cut funding for the war that would result in a removing most troops in the next years.
Senators Merkley and Tom Udall (D-NM) may also ask their colleagues to sign a letter to the President pressing him to announce significant troop cuts in July.
In addition, when the House takes up the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill next week, there could be one or more amendments on troop withdrawals.
Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) have introduced HR 1735, a bill requiring the President to send Congress a plan for withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has introduced HR 780, a bill to require the “safe and orderly redeployment of all US troops and military contractors.”
Both bills could be turned into amendments to the defense measure and be voted on as early as next week.
We will keep you informed about these rapid developments and request that your voices be heard in Congress at the crucial time.
In the meantime, let’s make sure President Obama knows that the American people want an end to the war in Afghanistan by sending this link to your family and friends:
http://www.livableworld.org/action/petitions/us_troop_withdrawal_afghanistan_petition
Thank you for all you do,
John Isaacs and Guy Stevens”
Great news for the Tongass, from Natural Resources Defense Council:
“VICTORY!
Dear [Zyxomma],
I’m writing with great news about one of our longest running BioGems campaigns.
A federal judge in Alaska has ruled in our favor and protected 9.5 million acres of wild, roadless areas in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest from destructive logging and road building.
We’ve been fighting this courtroom battle alongside Earthjustice since 2003, when the Bush Administration illegally exempted the Tongass from the landmark Roadless Rule, which safeguards the last undisturbed stretches of our national forests.
Your activism and support have proved critical in this epic fight.
A decade ago, activists like you generated hundreds of thousands of petitions that helped persuade the Clinton Administration to establish the Roadless Rule in the first place.
Then, your financial support made it possible for us to wage an eight-year legal battle that has produced this historic win for America’s greatest temperate rainforest.
Thanks to you, the towering old-growth stands of the wild Tongass — along with its incomparable populations of grizzlies, wolves and bald eagles — will be spared from an onslaught of chain saws and bulldozers.
This hard-fought victory captures the never-say-die spirit of BioGems campaigns at their very best. It is proof positive that you are part of a powerful and effective voice for the wild. Thank you for helping save the Tongass!
Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council”
I recently taught my second graders a sign language lesson on habitats (I like to mix in other subjects whenever possible, especially those related to nature!). One of the signs I taught them was ‘rainforest’ and, of course, I HAD to tell them about a real honest-to-goodness rainforest being in Alaska. They were amazed since they’ve only heard of the tropical rainforsts before, and I’m not sure if some of them even believed me!
My students probably know more about Alaska then any other kids on Western NY!
I decided long ago to not put a penny in the Quitter’s coffers, but will buy this book. Might not read it, but will buy it. All right, will probably read it or at least parts of it and might even give some as gifts to those who I think NEED them. Good luck on the book sales, not that you’ll need the luck, you’ve got the skill.
Proof that Anchorage isn’t the only burg with fat hypocritical doofs on their Assembly:
KINY News Online
Thursday, May 19, 2011 3RD EDITION 7 A. M.
Assembly Finance forwards budget plan for next fiscal year:
“The Assembly Finance Committee last night completed its work on revisions to the second year of the two year budget plan.
There were requests for extra funding, including one for $125,000 from the Juneau Economic Development Council, that was not approved, according to City Manager Rod Swope.
It was a unanimous vote. Swope says the reason is that they need to hold the line on the budget.
Deputy Mayor Merrill Sanford says the city should be conserving its dollars and maintaining its rainy day and reserve accounts to a level they should be at.
He points out those accounts have been tapped in the past two years to balance the budget.
So he says his basic belief and philosophy is not to spend extra dollars forward at all.
Although that belief did not prevent Sanford from proposing $250,000 to fund a capital improvement project for the reopening of the A J Mine.”
[Reporter gets a gold star for that observation]
I want to cover all bases,just in case the world,as we know it, ends on Saturday. It has been a pleasurable experience conversing with all the Mudpups and I will certainly never forget any of you. We may get a world without a Sarah Palin,I just think there are better,less messy ways to do it. Anyway,just in case,the pleasure has been mine.
Does that mean you’re not coming to the post rapture looting party?
Merry i will meet you outside Tiffany’s at ’round about 11:45pm. don’t forget to bring a large bag and a grocery cart. then we got to zip over to Bloomingdales to pick up some hats for Zyx. Zyx loves a nicely made chapeau and maybe some nice shoes for me and down to the flower market for plants and seeds for you and Leenie.
Mike don’t worry. we will still be here the day after. we are the ones who will be appointed to clean up the mess the Self- Anointed Ones leave behind. to be the caretakers of the earth and all it’s inhabitants. to live in harmony with each other and in step with the dance of the universe.
i will see you here on the twenty second and beyond. make sure you have plenty of milk put aside for our book party on the twenty fourth. and snacks also too. we Pups love our snacks.
Thanks so much for thinking of me, Bubbles! And here I thought you were a Cartier gal, and it was Tiffany’s the whole time. Since we’ll be in the neighborhood, I suggest a hat-lifting expedition at Bergdorf Goodman. I have no milk on hand (unless hemp seed milk counts), but have snacks aplenty.
In case the buses and subways aren’t running, put on your most comfortable shoes & we’ll hike up there. Of course, we could always just raid the boutiques of SoHo instead. Left behind sounds like loads of fun!
OTOH, Mike, if “it” happens, it’s been a pleasure knowing you, too, along with everyone here at the ‘flats.
Oh, and a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jaime from Wasilla. Hope it’s grand.
Ooooh, flowers and veggies for my garden (if it EVER dries out)!!! Right now, the only thing I could plant in my yard is a duck!
Thanks Bubbles, for including me too!
Merry – We can compare notes on our planting arrangements and color schemes and how we’ll make all the neighbors swoon with the sheer magnificence of our landscapes.
Zyx – will there be feathers on your chapeau? Or is that perhaps another fashion rule like white and Labor Day…no feathers after Rapture?
The important thing to remember about the rapture is that the people who will be left behind are all the FUN people! 🙂
i got this suggestion from my friend from PA on facebook:
FROM A FRIEND: “May 21st is supposed to be the Rapture. What if we all go to Goodwill, buy a bunch of shoes and clothing, and start leaving them all over town with lumps of dry ice creating fog from inside of them and the clothes scattered around?”
i got so tickled. can you all imagine the fun of skulking around Manhattan and planting and arranging the dry ice and clothing say in front of Fox studios and other places of interests like Grant’s Tomb?
although my friend Mugsy just called to say he hope the rapture don’t start till after the game.
men and their games. *sigh*
I’ve been working out of state (Texas) since February and Saturday is the day I am to leave to start the drive back to Eagle River. I’ve been nervous about telling people that I am leaving on the 21st for fear they’ll think I’m nuts.
I gotta tell you,my computer has shut itself down four or five times this week. I think it is practicing for the Rapture. Freaking me out. At 5:30 this morning(CST) I had two deer looking in my living room window. They must think I’m already gone. Things is really getting curiouser and curiouser. I plan on being around after the fact. Hope you all will be,too.
There are those who would think you just cursed us out with that. 🙂
Oh, golly. I have an all day church meeting on Saturday. I’m sorely tempted to decorate the lobby and sidewalk in front! Our church doesn’t believe in the rapture, but it would be some fun. some people don’t have much of a sense of humor, though! 🙂
Lord ain’t that the truth. No sense of humor=no life. Susan,I wouldn’t actually curse you,but,I am trying to cover all bases. I draw the line at voting for rwnj.
Now that you’re a published author, AKM, how about a coffee table book of your photography?
I second that!
i third that! and please don’t forget to include my Lynx.
Off topic-to all culinary experts on line. When you plank salmon,do you force it to lie facedown for an undetermined amount of time in possibly dangerous places such as 7th floor railings or on top of moving motor cars? Of course you’d have to videotape the whole thing so it can go viral if it goes horribly wrong.
How could anything possibly go wrong with those scenarios? LOL.
AKM-
I’m soooooo SPed out but I will read it. I really will.
I might wait until the days are short and cold and nasty though-to set the scene better.
for now the growing of food and flowers consumes me.
for Merry Cricket,
http://peakoilhausfrau.blogspot.com/2011/05/call-for-front-yard-gardeners.html
oh shoot- forgot this…
http://cryscresc.net/industrial-farming-almeria-province-spain
to wave under your neighbor’s nose if any complaining about glorious garden starts up 🙂
I enjoyed that link very much. Thank-you Alaska Pi!
Whoops, I was posting on the other thread. Can’t wait. Wishing you all a great success with the book.
awaiting delivery…not going to spoil it ahead of time… anticipation is half the fun !!!
I’m excited!
Don’t do facebook, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Hope