Blacklidge

Born In the USA

Watching the Kennedy Center Honors tonight, I am reminded that this is always a great show. Tonight they honored Bruce Springsteen, Robert DeNiro, Grace Bumbry, Mel Brooks and Dave Brubeck. And for the first time in 8 years, a bonus, no Bush to watch! This outpouring of America's best in the arts always makes me cry. we have so much talent that we take it for granted and then, when something like this comes along, it is amazing. I would have rather seen The Boss sing his own songs, but that never happens. In fact, it is a tribute and the honorees never say anything. I had never heard of Grace Bumbry, which is something else amazing for she is fabulous. Whether you like (or love) opera or not, her voice lifts you up and how can I have never heard of her before? The audience was full of very famous Americans; entertainers, press and politicians.If you missed it, watch it next year! 

A Star Is A Star, or Is he?

I'm a big David Letterman fan, I Tivo his show every night and then catch up as the week goes on. This week and last, he has had the stars of the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I've been waiting for that, I'm a big Robert Downey, Jr. fan, too. Or I was, now I'm sort of backtracking on that. He is certainly full of himself, isn't he? Sort of like his personality is still that of an annoying addict even though he is "cured" of the actual addiction. Ooh, snap! That was mean, I know. It wouldn't have been so obvious if Jude Law hadn't been on the next night. Now, there is an example of a nice movie star. I guess there is no rule that says a star has to be nice but it sure is nice to see an interview with one. Actually, later on, when the biographies get written, Downey will probably be more interesting, but now, I'll be avoiding any interviews with him as the feature. It isn't because Jude Law is British, either, because Hugh Grant was on last week. Peddling his stupid, new movie. You can tell he is either bored or over the whole interview role he is thrust into. He had better be careful, he isn't exactly Lawrence Olivier, if you know what I mean. Of course, he may have his monies all neatly invested and he may not need to keep doing stupid, inane movies over and over again, ad nauseum. I'm, sure Robert Downey, Jr will be around for years but he may in danger of becoming a stereotype of the worst sort. Too bad he got off on the wrong foot but maybe that was because of his narcissistic personality. I am glad he is now so successful because it was painful to watch when he was in trouble all of the time.Let's hope he gets a grip on his ego at some point so we don't have to watch it grow as he continues on his merry way. Let's continue to be fans of Jude Law, he always puts out a good role. I know I'm not your average fan, I don't buy into the tabloids or fanzines but it seems like you can tell how rude or egotistic our celebrities are when hear them one on one, speaking to a  good interviewer. I have been put off of several stars by watching them on late night shows. If you're a butt head or just plain stupid, try to stay off the interview shows. You can hide your real self if all you ever present are the lines you read in a movie or tv show.  

Graph to Make You Smile

Wholesomeness of Disney

Graph by: erin.bffl via Graph Jam Builder

Holiday Spirit

I don't gotz it! Of course, I never really get infected with it but this year is especially bah-humbugish. It is sort of surreal this year. So many people on the edge, looking over and the rest of them out there, just a spending away. I really sense an outer space component to the festive cheer. It does seem like the charitable donations are being felt, at least they are asking for the donations everywhere. On TV, radio and in the press. So, one can only hope that they are actually succeeding to help the poor folk, (formerly middle class Americans, you know). To listen to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, you'd think that those folks give a shit about any of us. Well, read between the lines, they don't give a rat's ass about us and our problems. None of them, but especially the Republicans. How they can justify their tactics and obstructionism in these times is just such any awful testimonial on our poor society. Hey, it was under their watch that all of this happened, you know? And those of you who say that this all started happening when Clinton was in office, well, yeah, I might give you that point. What about the next 8 years? If that was true, why couldn't they avert the crisis with all of their wisdom and kindly law making? Yeah, like they would have, at least before they all got rich as shit. Oops! Let it go so long, they got caught out. So don't try to put it on the Dems. Just because they can't figure it all out in 6 months or less, (worldwide financial depression, remember) let's stone them, now and as often as possible. I guess I am moving off point. It's hard to focus on the close up Christmas-y scene when out country is so messed up, vis-a-vis-politically.

My husband did put up our Christmas tree before he left on a humanitarian mission for a month. Yeah, it's cheery and all that. He's taking care of his 94 year old uncle for a month while his caretaker is off on a cruise. It's something of a culture clash, I'm willing to bet. Well, I'm going to see them a couple of times over the next few weeks, including on Christmas day. That should cheer us all up. Well, the uncle is cheery as a 94 year old can be everyday, but hubby and I will be cheerier! Merry Christmas, all y'all!

Now What Do We Do?

The bill in hand in the Senate is pretty much worthless. The Democrats have screwed themselves into a corner and now the legislation is such a bitter pill that even the dogged fans of Obama are turning against it. I say, veto that mess, Obama!  Maybe you'll all get thrown out of office, Obama included, but could you possibly not saddle us with this mess before you go? The Republican obstructionists should be punished, somehow. Like a big bunch of spoiled rich kids, they just keep yucking it up and blocking everything that might help. If they are out of contention for giving any help, why can't the Dems put a decent bill without them? We have enough votes, right? Except for that turncoat, Joltin' Joe Lieberman. Well, obviously, the lobbyists own the Dems and they just can't do anything right. At least it is obvious now. Man, what a mess. An inability to govern is shining through here, what the hell are we in for now? This is sure to cause so many repercussions for the next two elections. All of those nice, left wing newbies that got out to vote last time are going to be so disgusted that they won't be back. In the meantime, the Republicans have done such a marvelous job of getting the crazies out from under their rocks that they will be out in force. While our time with Bush was sad, worse times could be ahead. And believe me, we were sad when Bush and his slimy, little troll, Cheney were in. I can hear the breezes blowing through the trees on the beaches of Belize.

Joe Lieberman-What a Fruitcake!

This man must be planning to fly off to the Bahamas or somewhere with all the money he is going to get from the insurance companies. Or are the Republicans just funneling a pipe full of money over to his desk on a daily basis? Literally, he makes me sick to look at him. Where are the people from his own state? Impeach the moron. In fact, all of the creeps that are rolling around with the health care issue need to be taken out in the next election. The insurance companies are winning, did you for a quick minute think they wouldn't? No, they have got it just about the way they want it and then it will be time to vote. Come on, you Democrats, grow a back bone. You might as well scrap this pile of dog doodie and just get on with your raping and pillaging of the public. It isn't enough to let the banking industry walk all over them, to let the Republicans run the middle class clear out of the country, to let us down, over and over again. It's not enough. Soulless vampires, each and every one of them.

The Banks Have So Many Ways To Screw Us

So now the banks are paying us back for the bailout we gave them. Not because they really want to, but so that they can get back to raping and pillaging before we figure out all of their tricks. Also, those bonuses need to resume, or they may have to hire ordinary folks, as opposed to the super heroes they were known to employ in years gone by and who helped steer us down this cattle chute of disaster. Of course, the big money Congress is talking about regulating the banks again but we all know that the money the banks are funneling into their re-election funds will prevent them from enacting any laws to curb them.These things we know, as well as how badly they stepped in and raised all of our interest rates and fees before the scraggly new law to "protect" us went into effect. Whew! So glad they are protecting us!

Let's talk about some of the other things banks are doing to further maim and debase the American people, (and by the way, European banks must be just about as nefarious as our own). I know of two very hard working, honest people with specific problems that have been magnified and made so much worse by the banks that are supposedly "trying to help Main Street". One woman, a nurse in a high school, after having been stuck in a bad car loan by her now ex-husband, struggled to make the ridiculously high car payment that he arranged for her. She got behind and played catch-up for a long time. Finally at the end of the line, she got ready to amil her last payment. Heading out to go the post office, the car was noticeably gone. Hmmm, where could it be? Call the bank and sure enough, repossession was the answer. Why would they string her out like that? Because the car was worth more than the payoff. If after struggling along for several years, the car had been worth less than owed, they would never have repossessed it. Paybacks are a bitch! In this case, well, she was probably better off because her ex-husband would have probably stepped in to claim it once it was paid for, but the idea of the bankers doing something vindictive like that makes me slightly sick. 

Now another friend is having trouble, this time with her home. She lost her job last year and has had to fight and scramble everyday for twelve months. Bankruptcy has played a part, and thank God that was available to her, ( no thanks to the Republicans who set up the newest bankruptcy laws). Her mortgage got a little behind and now, due some detail in the bankruptcy rules, she is really in the soup. Why? Not because they have to threaten her, not because it is mandatory for the case to resolve, but because she has equity in the house. If she had none, they would be leaving her alone and letting her pay her payments and moving toward a possible loan modification. They may get it back, then they may make some money off it, they will definitely make my sixty-something,life long hard-worker more miserable than she needs to be.

Neat little trick, eh? If you are broke and you have no equity in your possessions, your bankers may leave you be. Woe be unto anyone who thinks they are going to get out of this with a couple of bucks, no matter what else you lost along the way. I haven't read or heard anything about this little angle of the banks but based on two things so close to home, I'll just bet it is a practice that they think they will get away with, with little or no trouble from the rabble that the banks have led to this point. I hope that this gets spread around a bit, I'm going to make an effort, anyway. More tricks like this will be popping up and the more they get talked about, the harder it will be for them to get past the politicians, millions in donations or not.

First video of Busch Gardens' baby rhino

Bobby Kennedy, Still So Sad

Just listening to Diane Rehm and Andy Williams on NPR. I didn't realize that the night Bobby Kennedy was shot, Andy Williams and his then wife, Claudine Longet, were waiting with Ethel Kennedy offstage. I think I was and still am more sad about his death than the assassination of John F. Kennedy. After all, once John was shot, we still had a chance to get back to "Camelot" with the election of his brother. When Bobby was shot, it really seemed to end the era in such a final way. Today,they played Andy Williams singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which he sang at the funeral. Through the tears, I can still feel the pain of that time. All of those things that happened at the time helped to form our culture today and I can't say we have triumphed in that many ways.

Guardians of Their Masters

Have you ever noticed how your pets get all upset when you go into the bathroom and close the door? First of all, you didn't give them a  chance to reconnoiter the room for scary bathroom monsters. Then there is the possibility that you may be able to sneak out the back and leave them for 5, 6 or even 7 hours. Yep, bathroom doors are not friendly things in a dog or cat's life. My dog will come in and lean against the wall while I am in there, the cats all come by for some back stroking, one by one. It is a party atmosphere, for sure! Sometimes I sneak in and close the door with the result of consternation on the outside. The kitties take their front legs and start swiping under the door and meowing as loudly as possible. Just in case I forgot about them. A disgusted sigh from the dog, as she slumps against the outside wall.

How about trying to look at your computer for awhile? What? No attention for us? Surely you must pet us and let us sit right in front of the screen. We'll stroll back and forth, with our tails in the air, until you agree. The dog sticks her nose up through the chair arm, poking, poking to get you to pet her.  

The dog is in charge of the kitties. They must behave in order to escape from her sharp reprimands. They do know how to get her going and then they all start a romp through the house. Old as she is, she still has the desire for peaceful, law abiding cats. Poor thing, that is the last thing they want to be accused of! So, she got to go on vacation with us last month. Rested and ready, she is back to patrolling the house, looking for any insurrection to quell.