Benny's World

Another 4th of July Brings Memories of Elizabeth Edwards

2017-07-03T11:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I opened my personal e-mail account, and it was from 123greetings, reminding me to send a card to Elizabeth Edwards on July 3rd, since it is her birthday. I've long forgotten how I set up that alert since Elizabeth hasn't been been with us in nearly 7 years.

I met Elizabeth via her spouse's political blogs. She was likely the first political spouse to be active in the blogosphere. She and John were way ahead of their time, setting up podcasts, discussions every month about the lastest hot buttons in Congress or places where John was going to promote candidates running for Congress. They also served as vehicle for John to talk about fighting for those in poverty.

Podcasts are now common place; I've often wondered why or how they surged in the past couple of years they've mushroomed, with Ezra Klein at Vox; David Axelrod, former consultant to both John Edwards and Barack Obama in their various campaigns for the presidency; and others who have internet shows that are recorded as podcasts. The difference between 2005 and now is that one can see the time stamps better when wishing to replay a particular segment.

I don't have copies anymore of the Edwards' podcasts as they were stored on iTunes, and one day, I decided to sweep them out as I didn't have a lot of space on my iTunes for my phone, and second, the mp3 had already morphed into mp4, so it wasn't easy to listen to them anymore.

Recently though, someone on Facebook posted this in memorium video compiled by Elizabeth's high school friends. It's a lovely tribute to her. I hope others will enjoy it as much as I did, even though it's just a tad sad that's she's not here on earth, having fun with her children, and now grandchild Wade. (Wade is Cate's son, born last summer).

Elizabeth A. Edwards - In Memoriam from Tom Barry on Vimeo.

I'm reminded as well that the inspiration of this blog, Benny, my cat, is gone as well. Assisted by our vet, he went to Rainbow Bridge on December 9th, a little over 6 years when Elizabeth died. At the time, I could not pen a post about his passing because it was too painful. I still feel tender about it.

I also lost my brother 3 years ago. Another death that I'm still processing.

Elton John's first hit on the airwaves was "Your Song" and the best lyric from it is "How wonderful life is while you're in the world."

Both Elizabeth and Benny were wonderful beings to have known. My brother was the most adventuresome and he had a great life. I miss him too. I hear music all of the time that keeps him on my shoulders, just there are pictures of Benny in my office.

4th of July also brings another year of life for me. But it's not just about me. Happy birthday to all of us in the US.

Gone But Not Forgotten

2012-07-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Dear BW Readers,

Today is Elizabeth Edwards' b-day. She would have been 63. I always remember because EE and I are exactly 10 years and 1 day apart in age.

Enlisted some ideas for this post, and most everyone seems to think that the SCOTUS ruling which upheld the constitutional aspects of Affordable Patients Care Act (aka Obamacare) would make her proud. I think while she applauded the decision, she would have said, "this is progress, but Medicaid provisions were not upheld by the SC", thus she would be pushing for Medicaid reform--and possibly the push for a public option. To me, she was the modern day equivalent of Eleanor Roosevelt.

In keeping with the theme of progress, I went to Facebook and looked at Elizabeth's wall. Her sister, Nancy Anania, posted a picture that spoke volumes of how Elizabeth conducted her life, especially in the final years.

According to Nancy, this marker was installed last week at the Raleigh Cemetery. As EE wished, she is buried next to Wade. Wade has a unique marker to find him, but this one seemed very appropriate as it is inscribed with some verses from one of her favorite poems, mentioned in her last book, Resilience.

In remembering Elizabeth, I think about how Amy Goodale made a YT that is no longer available, in 2006, that was fabulous. It was set to the music of "I'm Every Woman" and it was photoblog of Elizabeth in different places when she was on the campaign trail for JRE when he was a VP candidate. (was that a long time ago or what?) But also, I wrote here to wish her happy birthday in 2006. She read my post and made a comment. She seemed content at the time, being at the beach place.

Elizabeth was good about that--"that" meaning she paid attention to her blogger supporters, even though it was for John's causes. JRE did not know how to type, only communicate. She was much better in explaining complicated subjects, especially in their podcasts.

I also think of the last time I saw her, in April 2010, when Amy, Richard, Betty, and I went to her outlet store down the street from her house, and she had indicated in an e-mail that things had changed for her. In private, She and I spoke about her condition, and the medications were being changed because her cancer had spread further, and the condition was worse. But always, she wanted to fight. However, I think she knew this fight would be the hardest, and it was. She didn't lose the fight as much as the cancer army outmaneuvered her medications.

I've come to appreciate Elizabeth more and more. And I suspect, that despite what was testified at JRE's trial and other "sources" of late, which I will not lend credibility to, Elizabeth will continue to be remembered as a treasure for all of us, but mostly in the fight for our democracy.

From my 2005 b-day post, here's a pic I still like:

Yes, EE is gone, but not forgotten. Here's some music from Ken Burns' Civil War series, and done beautifully. EE would appreciate this.

Nuns On The Bus: Iowa

2012-06-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

As in my last post, I promised to post a linky or two related to the journey of Nuns on the Bus, led by Sister Simone Campbell. They are attracting some lookers in paying attention to the horrific budget plan of Congressman Paul Ryan.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/nuns-on-the-bus-attack-ryan-budget-plan-during-iowa/article_3a5975ba-b96d-11e1-acca-001a4bcf887a.html

I agree with the sisters when they say that personal responsibility is important, but in context of community needs, which is left out.

Go Sisters!

JRE and the Work for Economic Fairness Goes On

2012-06-14T17:46:00.002-07:00

Dear BW readers,

I have not blogged here in a very long time. Part of it had to do with Elizabeth Edwards' passing, and frankly, I was annoyed with JRE because of the affair with his paramour. I understand that he has to have some kind of relationship because of their child, Quinn, but it bugged me when I found out that both Quinn and her mother were invited to Thanksgiving Dinner last year at JRE's house. I can't imagine what that experience was like for Emma Claire and Jack. Cate is a grown up, but must have been awkward.

Then JRE's trial. It was a side show, more about the details of his tawdry affair than about whether or not he used the money for political reasons than hiding his personal indiscretions. He had good attorneys though as they elicited a lot of discrepancies in the Youngs' testimony versus the book The Politician and also what they told the grand jury. It became clear that JRE never saw the money and the Youngs extorted most of it to pay for their million dollar house. The Youngs should have never been given immunity for their law breaking activities, but that was the stupidity of the DOJ. As we all know now, the jury didn't buy it, the trial ended in one acquittal and the other counts resulted in a mistrial. Finally, the DOJ gave up the hunt to try it again.

In admitting his sins, he said he still wanted to do some service for kids in poverty stricken areas. I don't think he intends to run for public office again--I think he knows his career in that area is finished. But I think in working with Cate for the Elizabeth Edwards foundation, he could do some good work and start redeeming himself. I also hope he can do some pro-bono work for those who cannot afford an attorney.

One of the reasons I got involved with the Edwards campaign was JRE's vision of economic fairness. The Republican congress is totally against it, and it shows in Paul Ryan's budget plan to get rid of financial reforms, cut taxes for those who least need it, and cut deeply into social programs who those need them the most. On Sunday evening, a group of nuns are taking a bus across the Midwest to protest the Ryan plan. The name of the campaign is Nuns on the Bus and it is spearheaded by Sister Simone Campbell. I have made some inquiries with some other former Edwards bloggers, especially those in Iowa, to see if they can cover this campaign as citizen journalists. It is a good use of their faith to speak up for the poor. Reverend Al Sharpton and Sojourners are likely to cover this too, and I will follow the newspapers for coverage as they are traveling to towns that are too far for me to travel. On their website, they do have a link to a donation form, and if you have a couple bucks, you can tip their jar. One of their stops will be in front of Paul Ryan's office in Wisconsin.

I thank our Sisters for sticking up for the working poor and our seniors who need to keep their health plan in order to survive. The Nuns on the Bus are the spark plug for me to blog again.

The Knotted Scarf: Remembering the Passing of Elizabeth Edwards

2011-12-07T15:41:00.001-08:00

Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Edwards passing. It's been somber for many of us, although I managed to stay busy. Likely Elizabeth would have preferred that I or anyone be productive than dwell on her death.

Still, it is time to pause a little and think about her.

I bet she would have been proud of Cate and Trevor's wedding. Courtesy of one of Cate's guests, Bill Spiegel, here's a link to a picture he snapped of Cate and Trevor cutting their wedding cake. Note: you must be a FB friend of EE's to view it. I was and still am.

The Elizabeth Edwards Foundation (EEF) website is seeing some legs.

Speaking of the EEF, CEO Cate Edwards put out a call on Elizabeth's Facebook wall for folks to share quotes or other thoughts. Iddybud posted a lovely poem by WS Merwin entitled "Rain Light". Nancy Anania, Elizabeth's sister, was open with her feelings when she posted, "My beautiful sister, you know how much I miss you." Yours truly posted a pic of Elizabeth and the two younger ones when Elizabeth was voted Role Mother of the Year by Glamour.

In another part of FB, Dem Debbi, a former JREG blogger, posted the pic of Elizabeth when she learned her cancer had returned and many of the DU'ers contributed money for dozens of pink roses (still my favorite pic, I remember posting it at the DU when the campaign sent it to me) in support of her continuing on in the 2008 campaign.

BW Readers, I also bring your attention to One America Rising, which wove a photo blog tribute to Elizabeth.

I will conclude with a couple of thoughts which may to tie these bloggers to the anniversary of her passing. One of them is by Cate Edwards, who penned an article that was published in Self magazine this afternoon:

There are things quintessentially Elizabeth that will always remind me of her. Some of them are grating (a constant flow of grammatical corrections). Some of them gracious (the constant claim that friends and family--not herself--are to thank for her own strength). Some of them are ill-advised (putting together meals comprised only of 100-calorie snacks). Some of them are good advice (to put together the biggest dream you can for yourself, then go one bigger). Some of them are passing (her idea to buy a bush hog and cut her own path in our backyard). Some of them are lasting (her idea to be herself, regardless, and forge her own path in life). But every Momism that I took for granted during her life has served as a welcome reminder of her every single day during the last year. Some days they make me smile or laugh out loud. Some days they are more burdened with the sadness of losing her. And while I hope that the former overtake the latter as the years roll on, I am glad to know that a year will never pass-- or even a day--when my mom is not with me.

The other is by Elizabeth herself, from Saving Graces. The context is a scarf she received from Christine Lavin (one of my favorite folk singers)in the mail:

Christine had taken it on her tour and had asked the women in the audience to make a little knot tie or knit a little. ...That scarf was everything I believed in. It was a gesture--not a difficult gesture--but a thoughtful one. ...It was pulling people in because you do believe in the grace a community gives each of us. ...This scarf is Christine's gift at the same time that it is the gift of all of those women whose names I will never know. And it is, also at the same time, something I can literally can wrap myself and something I can figuratively myself,, this huge community of people, spread out among the towns she toured--people who were pulling for me and who believed in the strength of that tiny knot they tied." (pages 333-4).

Indeed we were all part of her fabric. And she of ours.

To Cate Edwards and Trevor Upham

2011-10-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10288821/

Cate and Trevor got it together.

To them, I hope they have a great honeymoon. Hope it was a great party after the wedding. I do seems easy. To Mr. Benny, I said "Absolutely" rather than "yes." I stand by it.

I know you are private folks, but Edwardians on this blog follow what you will do in light in your late mom's story.

We all are in support of a great lifetime together.

Here's song by Desiree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvRBFFCBmcY&NR=1

We Knew

2011-10-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

I am using an expression that Elizabeth Edwards would say today but slightly altered: we knew. Her comment was about Wade, you know.

Yesterday, I received e-mails about a WaPO article regarding what John Edwards could teach our POTUS. I am a bit incensed that Chris Cillzza got the memo 4 years later, but it's easy for a progressive political journalist to look back, rather than taking a position at the time. I've visited and told many liberal bloggers that they looked at who could raise money over what was bold and right for all of us. They have conceded privately that JRE was right. But I hear this "but if" meaning JRE's personal trials were revealed in the media. Chickens because of what happened in the 80's by a popular Colorado guy.

Elizabeth knew something of John's problems at the time, but she was willing to go on the campaign. She has been criticized for knowing them. How could any one be nasty towards a person who would later have her illness re-occur? Peeps like Taylor Marsh, who still touts Hillary Clinton as the possible nominee because she was the first viable woman Dem nominee in an election year that was open to anyone?

This blog is about Elizabeth Edwards and JRE's ideas. I am not ashamed to say that we knew what was right for all of us. And I am a Liberal but independent like Bernie Sanders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/what-john-edwards-can-teach-barack-obama/2011/10/17/gIQA85p8rL_blog.html

Thanks Chris for acknowledging JRE, but you are 4 years too late. We knew all along. So your next job is to help Elizabeth Warren, as her ideas are many like JRE's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvumTKOSYaI -End the Game (thanks Montana Maven for this reminder)

Team Edwards at the 3-day Race for the Cure

2011-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Cate Edwards and a group of friends (some that we know from the campaign, are doing the race as I type this note. One of my blogging buds was tipped off via former campaign worker yesterday.

I sent a little change to support Nancy Anania, Elizabeth's sister, on Team Edwards.

This morning, Cate was interviewed by Andrea Mitchell:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44643196#44643196

Seems appropriate Andrea is a breast cancer survivor.

Go Team Edwards!

Update on Elizabeth Warren

2011-09-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Chris Bowers from Daily Kos sent a mass mailing to tell everyone that Elizabeth Warren did announce (link via TPM) she would run for the Senate seat held by Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

This should be an exciting race.

According to TPM:

"Brown was elected to the Senate in a special election in January 2010, following the death of long-time Sen. Ted Kennedy, in a stunning upset against Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley. A recent survey showed Brown leading the lesser-known Warren by 44%-35%, but with the incumbent below the crucial 50% mark in a state that is expected to vote Democratic by a wide margin in the presidential race."

Good luck Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Warren Considering a Run in MA for US Senate

2011-08-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

At the Daily Kos and TPM, it was reported that Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law Professor who helped set up the Consumer Credit oversight group, has set up an exploratory committee for a senate run in her home state. Already she has met with some local activists in Arlington (all of this has been reported at Blue Mass Group) and liberals in the state have raised $100K.

Warren should have been confirmed to provide leadership for that new agency, but she was rejected by all of the ~~sexist~~ Republican male senators. As usual, Obama didn't have the ~~stomach for any confrontation~~ will to back her as a top candidate, so she packed her bags and went home.

She penned an eloquent post at Blue Mass Group, a site I used to follow when JRE was in the race. Her narrative was about her family background, coming from a working poor family but emerged out of it because of education. Her law work led her to working for struggling families.

I think she is wise to explore first as her committee can conduct polls, and while she is not allowed to talk as a candidate, she can raise certain sums of money within FEC rules.

I have a feeling she will be at Netroots Nation in Providence next year. I really want to go to that conference, but I think work is going to preclude me on that one.

Run Elizabeth run! She's very much like our late Elizabeth Edwards.

Hey Party Girl

2011-06-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to wonder if the Gold Dust Woman in JRE's life is a sociopath for media attention.

Through her sister, she claims she wants to work if Hollywood gave her a decent offer:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2006928/I-wouldnt-trust-John-Edwards-far-I-throw-says-sister-mistress.html

Why a mother would want to embarrass her former lover over and over when he is providing every expense for her and the child? She's just a party girl and doesn't have a sense of maturity to buck up to handle her situation. Her sister is also to blame for blasting out against JRE.

JRE, you really goofed in being so intimate with this woman and allowing the affair to go too far. But most of all, I feel badly for Emma Claire and Jack--as well as the step sister involved. I think JRE knows now this woman was just a party girl and he treated her as such. But he owned up with his wallet.

She doesn't like being known as a party girl, but that is just what she is.

Overzealous DOJ (updated)

2011-05-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, the DOJ has some good reasons to appoint prosecutors for white collar crimes. Last year, our former governor in Illinois had 35 charges against him. No wonder there was a hung jury. They are trying Blagovich again, and I think he will walk out of it.

The DOJ has decided that it will have an indictment against John Edwards for accepting hush funds during the time he had his One America PAC. As far as I can tell, the DOJ is using some creative use of FCC laws about money that Bunny Melon and the late Fred Baron gave him to keep his pregnant mistress in hiding. Bunny considered it a gift and paid taxes on it. I don't know what Baron's wife has reported, which may be the crux of the problem.

Personally, if JRE is indicted, I hope he fights this in court. It will dredge up a lot of unpleasantness, but I'd like to see him win, especially since the prosecutor, Holding, is a Jesse Helm appointee, and may have an old vendetta against JRE since he took Helms' seat for the senate. It will take a lot of money to fight, but JRE shouldn't be concerned as he has plenty of that and can make more via his investments.

And I hope the Gold Dust Woman finally gives up on being a normal wife and mother of Jack and Emma Claire. That's not going to happen. I read she is looking for a book deal. Sleezy--just as Andrew Young was in writing "The Politican." It would be nice to see his truth or lies exposed in court, under oath. Both of them have harmed the Edwards family and their friends (and former supporters) more than JRE did in many respects.

Update: there appears to be much doubt that the DOJ can prove this is a criminal case: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/163785-edwards-affair-is-a-test-case-for-justices-political-prosecutions. (hat-tip to NC Dem Amy)

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Many of the JRE/EE bloggers are human mothers. I am not one of them, but I always appreciated that EE knew I was not as she paid attention to the blogs she and JRE were in charge of.

I reflect more on this day since I lost my girl, Elmora, in late October. Teh Ben is my sole pet and a joyous one to have.

Today, I miss my mom, but of course that I miss EE and wondering what Emma Claire and Jack must be feeling without her. It's got to be challenging for them as youngsters.

I hope JRE is taking this day in grace.

Celebrating Libraries and Librarians

2011-04-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

Today is one of my favorite work days of the year. It is National Library Workers day. We get to give ourselves a little pat on the back for the many hours we put in, and at time when more major cuts are expected. I know we've lost many employees through attrition where I work, and that path will continue since the state of Illinois is in financial woes and can't pay its bills in a timely manner.

The American Library Association (ALA) issued a press release yesterday concerning National Library Week. It said that Americans (and others of course) visited libraries nearly 1.5 billion times and checked out 2 billion items, among them books, DVD's, audiobooks, equipment. I know when I go to my local library, which is generally on a weekend, the workstations are always busy as many in our community use social networking tools and do not have funds for at home broadband use.

Yours truly actually checks out books from time to time, mostly non-fiction. Travel books are among my favorites, especially if Mr. Benny and I are planning to visit a new part of Florida or some where else. I also read a lot of biographies. Last weekend, I checked out Howard Sonnes' biography of Paul McCartney, that was published in 2010 (title is Fab: An Intimate Biography of Paul McCartney). I had started it on the Allure of the Seas (yes, even the ship has a library of books for check-out), but it was so long that I couldn't finish it (it's 563 pages long) as I was reading another book I checked out from our Veterinary Medicine Library, Dewey's Nine Lives written by Iowa librarian, Vickie Myron. It's not exactly a sequel to Dewey, but Dewey became more of a theme for what pets, in particular, pooties, meant to us and got us through the hard times as well celebrating good ones. I confess I had to close the book at times to gather myself when I was reading it on the plane. The stories often turned sad when the kitty died, but other stories were uplifting too.

Today, I hope BW readers will go by and check out something at the Library; most of all, just give a library worker a smile. They make the library work and ensure you get your books, DVD's, keep the building open for teens to do their homework, help promote information literacy, and help job seekers fill out forms. We do a lot, behind the scenes, which is what we do best.

Hats off to my colleagues nationwide, especially to Mr. Benny, who is also a librarian.

Come as You Are

2011-04-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Dear BW Readers,

This is the second of the two part series I intended to write about why I think many folks like cruises.

The pic is yours truly in doing a sport activity on the boat, known as Boogie Boarding on the Flowrider.

The Flowrider pumps 13 thousands and recycles them every minute that it is turn on. As you can tell, I am not wearing any sort of make-up, I am a bit overweight but still not ashamed of wearing a bathing suit as over time I've lost 50 lbs. Yes, I'm certain there were opinions held by others of my appearance, but no one in general cared or said anything openly about it. There were plenty of men and women who were obese or underweight, wore thongs or speedos, but during pool time on the 15th and 16th decks, you came as you are. There were plenty who also never donned a swimsuit, more comfortable in shorts and sitting in the shade to read.

This observation also reminded me of the time when I was involved with the One America blog and with the campaigns. Many of us identified with Elizabeth Edwards as she struggled with her weight. She looked like one of us. And I liked it that on this cruise, people of all ages were comfortable with one another.

Of course, folks like cruising too because everything is provided for them--3 solid meals, plus snacks, entertainment of all sorts, room was attended to 3 times a day by many of the stateroom attendants, and there were people to have lunch with if you wanted. I particularly enjoyed the trivia contests and the dancing parties.

Mr. Benny and I had a great time, but I think we didn't totally drink the cruising kool-aid of some that we met on the ship. One woman was celebrating her 71st cruise. I asked why she was a repeat customer. She said she was born for cruising. Not certain what to make of it. Others said they built up "frequent cruising miles" or perks, whereby their trips, except for the flights and drinks, were almost paid for. There was one couple who had been on a cruise three weeks before and was from Bayonne, NJ. Bayonne is not a great town, so I suppose it was a sad commentary that this couple felt the need to get away on cruises frequently. I think I would have just left NJ and move to Florida.

Drawbacks to cruises: Royal Caribbean in particular "nickels and dimes" you for even soft drinks. We paid extra for those sodas. I drank club soda most nights at dinner, and if we wanted any wine or anything else, we paid for those (which were few) at an entertainment establishment because they were cheaper than the Main Dining room.

Overall, I would recommend a cruise to any landlovers for a different experience. I don't recommend a big ship, such as the Allure of the Seas for very introverted folks; 6200 folks and 2200 staff is a lot of people to encounter daily. But would I do this every year, I think Mr. Benny and I believe that we can wait for a couple of years before going again as we want to do more urban trips in the future.

But I do like the idea of "Come as You Are."

One Love, One World

2011-04-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
I have been dilatory in posting. I think after Keith Olbermann left MSNBC and especially Elizabeth Edwards' passing, I had a lack of things to write as both of them sustained me in my thoughts.

I was on a cruise with Mr. Benny last week for our 10th marriage anniversary. Everyone notices my tan, but many do not know that in spite of the lack of TV and internet, I still thought about One America. But my scope broadened with One World, which is something EE (via JRE sorta embraced) was looking at during the campaign in 2008.

A week ago, I was sitting in one of the cafes on the ship (Allure of the Seas) and it occurred to me that I was part of a big planet of folks. There were 6200 customers from 55 countries. There were 2200 personnel from 77 countries, and they truly wanted to be a part of our lives for that week and many more weeks, depending on when one could cruise again. Most from Royal Caribbean work 7 months, then have 2 months off, then get on again. They work 10-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. I admire that tenacity for service to be part of Royal Caribbean.

Last week, our tour went to Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico. I have to say that Royal Caribbean bought properties in most of those places and I didn't get a real feel for any of them. Mr. Benny and I chose not to get off the boat in Jamaica since we had visited the place twice and we wanted to have options within the ship to participate.

But it was a golden night when the Allures of the Seas band played Bob Marley tunes after being in Jamaica. I danced with many women and a few men that night in Deck 5. In particular, I enjoyed dancing to "One Love". That's when I realized I was part of one world too.

The next day, I thought of Elizabeth Edwards, and her vision to persuade us to come together as one world. We had so much diversity in terms of wealth and those of us who had to scrape our monies together (Mr Benny and I had to come to a conclusion that we faced before: we will splurge at times, but we will get the $$ back and save in between). Many on the cruise were retired and had cruised many times. Must be nice.

Those who follow me on FB will see the pics from the cruise. Mr. Benny and I did some "wild" activities--snorkeling twice, the zip line, and the FlowRider, which was a big challenge, but we had such great fun in tackling those challenges.

To dance with me, here's a clip of Bob Marley's "One Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g

Benny

Another Loss: Keith Olbermann Signs Off

2011-01-22T03:17:00.000-08:00

Seems like the liberals are being shown the door these days. Keith Olbermann had to sign off last night. I did not see the last segment live, but maybe that is OK since KO was one of my favorite pundits and I think this loss would have affected me personally.

Geez, even Rachel Maddow is likely to have to tone it down. All we have left these days is Bill Maher.

What Is it about the Republican Ilk When It is in Control of the House?

2011-01-09T02:39:00.000-08:00

When Newt took over the House in 1995--OK City Bombing occurred. Now 6 are dead in AZ when John Boehner takes over as Speaker and a Congresswoman is in peril for her life because of a Rethug-Sarah Palin fan who decided to use his god-given 2nd Amendment to possess a weapon. A nine year old is dead.

I am glad that the House is suspending votes this week because of the shooting of Rep Giffords, but it is mainly for politics, not for the real people who died or are in the hospitals. I hope the Republicans really take a look at the issue carefully for reform.

It's a New Year

2011-01-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hello BW readers--it's 2011.

A time to start fresh or even just little starts.

Last year, I lost at least one size in jeans. 55 Lbs since August 2009. Not too shabby. This year, I hope to start toning up my muscles and still retain my tan. Helps to be with Mr. Benny in Florida and bask in the sun when the weather is pretty.

Speaking of Florida, where I am right now, Mr. Benny and I went to Key West and enjoyed the atmosphere although the food was not quite as good as I rememembered it from 20 years ago. But we also went to the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach earlier in the week, and it was a very fine museum. Not overwhelming and one can see most of it in a couple of hours.

During this holiday week, I have seen two new movies: The King's Speech and the remake of True Grit. I recommend both, but I wouldn't give either one quite 4 stars. The King's Speech is well done for a historical piece, but it was very slow at times and I almost fell asleep; True Grit-- I still miss the Duke, but Halie Steinfeld was better and more age appropriate for the role of Mattie Ross. All of the characters were a bit more edgy in this version.

We said good-bye to many people last year. One of them was my best friend's husband, who tragically took his own life on Wednesday morning. They were married for 20 years. I admire my girlfriend for not being bitter considering the financial mess he left the family in.

We also said good bye to Dennis Hopper, Leslie Nielsen, Tony Curtis, Alfie Kahn (economic advisor to Jimmy Carter), Tom Bosley, Rue McClanahan, Barbara Billingsley, Richard Holbrooke (political negotiator extraordinaire), Jill Clayburgh, Dixie Carter, Patricia Neal, Lynn Redgrave (one of the most bold actresses), John Forsythe, Lena Horne, and of course, our lady Elizabeth Edwards.

I also said good-bye to my long time companion, my cat, Elmora.

Wishes for the year: that I can get my house in better shape this spring and start thinking about downsizing into a smaller place. Many changes will be happening in my work place, and I hope that I can accept them with some control involved. I also hope to continue deepening my friendships in Illinois. I would like to get out to Montana this summer and visit my fellow blogger Feral Cat of Freedom. And of course, I still hope to see Mr. Benny about every 40 days if possible. This year marks our 10th anniversary in March.

As this is not an election year, I don't anticipate blogging very much about politics. Certainly if I feel strongly about something that the Congress has done (stupidly), then I might feel inclined to make a blog post here and there. I'll be watching Alan Grayson to see what portends for him if he decides to continue to be in the public service eye. I recommend though if you wish to keep up with national progressive politics to either visit the Daily Kos, Firedoglake, or Taylor Marsh--or watch MSNBC in the evenings, Daily Show, Colbert Report or Bill Maher's Real Time.

To BW readers, I wish you all a good New Year, and may you accomplish many good things.

Funny Cartoon

2010-12-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

This was posted at Firedoglake a couple of days ago. Anyone who was a volunteer blogger in 2007, especially at the Daily Kos, would get the humor in it.

Hat tip to the Feral Cats of Freedom. This is hilarious!

Want to Share a Memory of Elizabeth Edwards

2010-12-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

There has been a web site created for her:

http://elizabeth-edwards.org/

Former staffers were asked to do this, and I'm glad they told us the family wanted this website.

Cheers, Elizabeth and to the former Edwards supporters.

Elizabeth Edwards Passes

2010-12-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Our Lady Elizabeth passed this morning. I was so in work details that I didn't know until now when a fellow JRE supporter just called to console me, and I'm not consoled. Not his fault, just didn't know it would be this fast.

Elizabeth knew.

Roses for our lady, Elizabeth Edwards

2010-12-07T02:32:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Edwards is in the last stages of her journey.

I remember when the DUers gave her roses for going on in the campaign. I hope there are no regrets from the group in sending a bit of money for them.

12 dozen pink roses. She appreciated them so much.

I will have more to write in the coming days, just want to express my gratitude towards this lady. I liked what Sam Myers wrote on Facebook. "The songbooks are out." Elizabeth always liked to sing.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f7/nanboz/EE_Roses_2_320.jpg

Missed this Beauty

2010-11-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows, there is a huge debate in the lame duck session of Congress about the sunset provision of the Bush Administration's tax cuts from 2001, which are mainly for individual and estate taxes, and 2003 tax cuts for corporations. If I recall from the Clinton years, we had higher rates for everyone, and everyone made money or lived decently. I was one of them who struggled, but my tax rate was not that high to begin with. We had a balanced budget, although I was very unhapppy how welfare mothers were treated. On the other hand, poverty and unemployment were not as great as they are today.

Rep Alan Grayson, who lost his Congressional re-election nearly 3 weeks ago, still has conviction and courage to stand up against the Wingnut machine. I missed this speech the other day, but noticed links to it on various blogs, including Taylor Marsh's which is where I finally saw the entire clip. It is classic.

I wish the Obama Administration would hire this man, but I think Alan Grayson is not enough centrist for them. They don't like anyone defending their progress directly, especially good Democrats. Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann try, but I think even they will get fatigued at some point.

Taylor Marsh has some serious criticisms of this Administration, especially on the weak messaging issues. More often these days, I find myself agreeing with Taylor's strong opinions. The only reason that I don't have her site on my blogroll is that her readers still keep pining for Hillary Clinton and how Hillary would have made a better president. I don't she would have as I think she would have moved to a more centrist position, albeit she would have worked on keeping her message consistent. While John Edwards was let go by this blogger sometime ago, I keep thinking Alan Grayson reminds me so much of what an Edwards Democrat would want for this country to get it out of the ditch.

Not on Oprah TV

2010-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Most of the time, I don't like forwarding gossip from the NE, but this one is so amusing.

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/edwards_mistress_hunter_rejected_by_oprah/celebrity/69693

I'm not certain how the job interview went or why the interviewee even thought she was qualified. The other befuddlement is why she would admit to the NE that she was rejected. Drama queen I guess.

At least she is trying to get a job instead of just collecting child support from a famous politician.