On Sunday, 21 May 2006, thousands of communities around the world will come together in solidarity to light candles and remember those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Each year, memorials take place in over 4,500 communities in more than 93 countries. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial has become the largest grassroots AIDS event in the world.
Tag: politics
Consider my mind utterly boggled
Tim read this story aloud to a disbelieving audience yesterday. Portions bolded by me.
Bush’s best moment in office? Reeling in big perch
Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) – President Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own lake.
“You know, I’ve experienced many great moments and it’s hard to name the best,” Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.
“I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound perch in my lake,” he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.
Bush said the worst moment was September 11 when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.
“In such a situation it takes a while before one understands what is happening,” Bush said. “I would say that this was the hardest moment, once I had the real picture before my eyes.”
Because Bild could not immediately furnish English quotes, Bush’s comments were translated from the German. The paper said the White House planned to release an authorized English version of the interview on Monday. (Becky’s note: I’ll bet.)
Help for Mississippi
From my online Rolling Stone this morning:
Rolling Stones keyboardist CHUCK LEAVELL, a tree farmer and dedicated conservationist, will appear at the DeLisle/Pass Christian Elementary School in Mississippi today as a part of a nationwide effort to distribute books to students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Leavell will read to students from the children’s book he co-wrote, “The Tree Farmer.” Through a partnership between the Abundant Forests Alliance and non-profit organization First Book — which provides books to needy children — over 100,000 books will be distributed to area students.
Books, trees, rock and roll, and Katrina relief to an area of the country I love… You’re a class act, Mr. Leavell.
I thought I was a new Democrat
Quiz taken from Greg. Current circumstances must be intensifying my convictions…
 |
You scored as Old School Democrat. Old school Democrats emphasize economic justice and opportunity. The Democratic ideal is best summarized by the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
What’s Your Political Philosophy? |
Vegetable Chat
As you know, I’m not a huge fan of leaving The Compound during the busy parts of the day. I don’t like standing in line for stuff. Plus I tend to get edgy in this neighborhood when I see too many vehicles with Bush stickers. (Why are they here? Leave us alone!)
But sometimes duty calls, and today, I made a way overdue trip to the grocery store. I thought it wouldn’t be crowded. A lot of people are off today. I figured they’d already done their ham and egg-dyeing buying.
Boy, was I wrong. But it wasn’t so bad. Especially in the produce section, when I deftly caught a red bell pepper that was trying to escape from the Kroger guy who was stocking there. He was probably my age, maybe a little older. These are the things I learned during the conversation that ensued:
1. His wife is an RN who’ll be working Sunday, so he plans to work, too. He’s been doing this job for more than twenty years.
His grown children are all out of town for Easter.
3. He misses Bill Clinton. He likes Al Gore. He can’t stand Bush. He wants him OUT.
4. He says his family’s doing okay, but he doesn’t know how other families are making it. He doesn’t understand why oil company executives have no shame about the extraordinary amounts of money they’re making even as gas prices rise at the pump and their employees’ benefits packages are shrinking.
It’s not always bad to leave the house and meet new people.
Totally random stuff
Tonight, we watched In Her Shoes. I cried much of the way through it.
Today, I got the story-to-screenplay of Brokeback Mountain. It fascinates me to see any screenplay on the page. I’m always amazed at how the director/ actors/ cinematographers/ film editors/ sound people take so few words and turn them into a movie. I really don’t see how making movies can be anything but the most fun job on earth.
I’m watching the commentary begin to come in for SOMEONE LIKE YOU. No matter what, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. I wonder if people who make movies read novels and think, “I really don’t see how writing novels can be anything but the most fun job on earth.” It is. And sometimes, it isn’t.
The news is so depressing. Does anyone think being president is the most fun job on earth? I’ve always heard clowns are unhappy beneath their makeup.
I’ve gotten an enormous amount of stuff accomplished over the past week. Yet the one thing I haven’t done is fulfill a promise to my writing partners.
I’m never caught up.
Do-overs
Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with a do-over switch? I’m one of those people who sometimes blithely says that I have no regrets, because every mistake I made got me to where I am today, and it’s not a bad place to be.
Continue reading “Do-overs”
From One.org
It’s surreal to find myself on the same side as Rick Santorum, but HIV/AIDS knows no political party affiliations, so I called my two senators after getting the following e-mail:
Continue reading “From One.org”
HUGE Snub from Oscar
It always amuses me when people criticize the Oscars for being self-aggrandizing: an industry patting itself on the back and inflating its accomplishments. Um… Yeah. It’s the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences giving awards for outstanding film achievements. I think most industries have a way of recognizing achievement and accomplishment among their ranks.
Continue reading “HUGE Snub from Oscar”
First response
The following is a quote from an article about Hurricane Katrina regarding the videotapes and documents that are shedding light on what Bush knew and when he knew it:
The White House and Homeland Security Department urged the public Wednesday not to read too much into the footage.
“I hope people don’t draw conclusions from the president getting a single briefing,” Bush spokesman Trent Duffy said, citing a variety of orders and disaster declarations Bush signed before the storm made landfall. “He received multiple briefings from multiple officials, and he was completely engaged at all times.”
Response, Phase 1, has now been taken care of, the “you aren’t seeing what you think you’re seeing and it’s only part of the picture and Bush does not need anyone behind him to make his mouth move.”
We can now look forward to the future phases:
Response, Phase 2: The liberal media is waging a smear campaign against us, waaaaaah.
Response, Phase 3: Shut up! Anyone who believes this is un-American and unpatriotic and just downright evil.
Response, Phase 4: The Department of Homeland Security has received credible information of a new threat involving (fill in the blank; I’m sure as hell not giving them any ideas, and I don’t mean the terrorists).
Response, Phase 5: Whoa, is that school trying to form a gay/straight student alliance? MUST.STOP.THE.GAYS. Think of the children!!!!!!!!!
Response, Phase 6: We are very close to finding bin Laden, who was responsible for the tragic attacks on 9/11. Don’t forget that Bush was there, on the scene, in New York City, just after 9/11, and he vowed that he would find those responsible for 9/11, and he will, too. Because he’ll never forget the victims of 9/11.