Post Foetry

Notice: This is Now an Archived Site

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 May 2024 16:20:00 +0000

Please note that Post Foetry

is now an archived site ONLY.

Expect outdated information

and

broken links.

Commenting has been disabled.

" Podunk": A Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:23:00 +0000

In Honor of Groundhog's Day, I share a discussion on the word "podunk" from the amazing forums of WordReference.

I think we have a link on the left to WordReference, but just in case we don't here's another.

Mazel Tov, Elizabeth Alexander!

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Here's the site for the "Inauguration Poet"

http://www.elizabethalexander.net/home.html

Baby Eliot--99 Balloons

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:36:00 +0000

*

I found this video through Elliot's Blog (which is a domaining blog not connected to Baby Eliot).

This inspirational story will bring tears to your eyes.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

IgniterMedia says,

To download this video go to ignitermedia.com.

Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word.

Check out NinetyNineBalloons.com for more information about Eliot.

Our videos are created as sermon illustrations and should be purchased for use in small groups, churches, assemblies, etc. Downloads and DVDs are available at www.ignitermedia.com.

Nomi's Secret Sarah Palin Name (Thanks to the Generator!)

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:41:00 +0000

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

I seriously lucked out:

Creation Schwarzkopf Palin

With a name like that, I would be fully employed, insured, published. You name it.

Gov. Sarah Palin Approves Aerial Gunning of Wolves in Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:27:00 +0000

*
______________________________________________________

The Wolves Heart Will Go On

linwau says,

WARNING

This video contains pictures and videos of wolves that were murdered.

Got tired of all you immature hunters posting comments about blasting wolves to bits. No one cares that you're proud of killing an endangered animal. I'm sorry it's so hard for you to keep you pathetic comments to yourself.

I pity you for your lack of self control.

Alright, You guys have no idea how much the Bush/Cheney Administration upsets me. I mean, I just want to scream at them. So many wolves have and will be slaughtered this year, because they allow it.

It's just not right.

It's sick.

These animals are still on the endangered list, and now will have to stay longer. Humans have been killing them for YEARS, isn't it just about time to back off?
Leave the wolves alone.

If anyone deserves to be hunted and killed it's humans, no other animal has destroyed the world as much as us.

www.savewolves.org

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/08...

It's really a terrible world.

Three years from now, Will we still have wolves?

______________________________________________________

This graphic video is difficult to watch; these beautiful animals are being slaughtered by humans who are engaging in "aerial gunning," which gives unfair advantage to hunters with big guns and huge vantage point. I snarked about this on my site Snark.me.

I tried driving home a point with biting humor, but I have to tell you: this practice isn't funny at all.

The video speaks for itself.

*

Is Sarah Palin REALLY the Best the G.O.P. Could Do????

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:20:00 +0000

*
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
____________________________________________________________

I'm going to take some vast liberties here and post an email verbatim from MoveOn:

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers with the best of them. It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list below.)

One of the best ways to get the word out about Palin is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Today's a great day to write because this is very relevant—it just happened last night. Plus, our online tool makes it easy and has great tips. Please take a few minutes to write a quick letter to the editor now:

Online Letter Tool

Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right base of the Republican party.

Writing a letter to your local paper is a great way to make sure voters understand that. The opinion pages are the most widely-read pages of the newspaper. Write today, and your letter's a lot more likely to get published because it's so topical. It'll help sway the editorial board too.

Here are a bunch of points you might want to include in your letter:

--Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2

--Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

--Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact. 4

--Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5

--Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6
--Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7

--Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

--As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

--She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10
The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in the White House.

Please help get the word out about where Sarah Palin really stands on the issues.

Click here

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Ilyse, Wes, Karin and the rest of the team

P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's worth a watch:

_________________________________________________________

MoveOn
_________________________________________________________

Sources

1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008.

2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008.

3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008.

4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008.

5. Ibid.

6. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008.

10. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008.

_________________________________________________________
*

A Passage from Willa Cather

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:54:00 +0000

This is from Death Comes For The Archbishop (c. 1927, Willa Cather; c.1955, The Executors of the Estate of Willa Cather)Vintage Books, New York, p. 50.

Father Vaillant began pacing restlessly up and down as he spoke, and the Bishop watched him, musing. It was just this in his friend that was dear to him. "Where there is great love there are always miracles." he said at length. "One might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love. I do not see you as you really are, Joseph; I see you through my affection for you. The Miracles of the Church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always."

Women 4 McCain -- A Must See Site.

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:10:00 +0000

With all due respect, please visit the following:

http://www.womenforjohnmccain.com/

I found this site on the powerful, passionate list of my General J.C. Christian
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/

His post today poses that vital question: Is Obama Secretly Amish?

What more can we say?

Now Supporting Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:33:00 +0000

I am a former Hillary Clinton supporter.

I say "former" because Hillary has looked at the delegate numbers and has decided to support Barack Obama. However, I have no less regard for Hillary Clinton than I did back in March when I decided to vote and support her. In fact, my respect and regard has actually increased.

But in June 2008, Hillary did the right thing because we need change, and we need it fast. We need to elect a Democrat for the White House because Bush war policies and economics are not working! And John McCain, although an admirable man and great war hero, promises more of the same.

I admire Obama tremendously; he has run a hard and fair campaign, and as the new kid on the block, he has defied conventional wisdom. Back in 1992, I remember another new kid who rose through the political ranks to beat George H.W. Bush in November 1992: William Jefferson Clinton.

For those of you who feel that Barack Obama is too inexperienced to hold the highest office of the land, just remember that President Bill Clinton was also a bit green, so that argument doesn't hold much water.

Throughout the primary (even while rooting for Clinton), I observed Obama and his poise under fire. I kept thinking, "Doesn't this man ever stumble?" Yes, there were a few bumps, and the media were hard on both candidates, but even I could see that they seemed even harder on Obama.

While it might be easy to dismiss Obama as just another fine orator, he also offers the substance that our country sorely needs. Quite frankly, he and Hillary weren't all that apart. Both support:

The end of this ghastly Iraqi war.

A universal health care system.

Fewer entitlements to big business, and more for the deserving poor and beleaguered middle class.

So won't you join me and other Hillary Clinton supporters now to support Barack Obama?

I have set up a new website: ObamaPresident.org. Also, don't forget to check out Obama's official site: BarackObama.com.

In closing, I have one political regret in my life. Back in 1976, as a young Democrat, I campaigned hard for Henry "Scoop Jackson; I was in charge of his campaign headquarters in my city, and I stumped hard for him. When he lost the Pennsylvania primary, I was so angry that my candidate lost that I refused to support Jimmy Carter. Fortunately, despite my lack of support, Jimmy Carter became President Carter.

Still, if I could go back in the wayback machine to November 1976, I would change my vote from Gerald Ford to James Earl Carter, Jr.

Tim Russert, 1950-2008

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Tim Russert, 1950-2008. Integrity in Journalism

Eliot Asinof Died Yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:56:00 +0000

At the risk of screwing up the link, I attempt to post the link to the obituary in today's New York Times by Daniel Weber.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/baseball/11asinof.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Vogon Poem Generator: The Emperor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 25 May 2008 05:27:00 +0000

I generated the following poem using the BBC Vogon Poem Generator.

I provided the keywords, the generator spit out a poem. I didn't change a thing.

What do you think?

See, see the Extremely dead sky
Marvel at its big fuschia depths.
Tell me, The Emperor do you
Wonder why the Walrus ignores you?
Why its foobly stare
makes you feel Monstrous.
I can tell you, it is
Worried by your attaflatic facial growth
That looks like
A Green spaghetti sauce.
What's more, it knows
Your beeswax potting shed
Smells of dollar.
Everything under the big Extremely dead sky
Asks why, why do you even bother?
You only charm Century Plants.
__________________________________

Is it art?

WARNING (Off-topic): From the I.R.S.--NOT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:20:00 +0000

On Sunday, I received the following piece of email purporting to be from the I.R.S.:

Over 130 million Americans will receive refunds as part of President Bush program to jumpstart the economy.

Our records indicate that you are qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.

The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings account.

Please click on the link and fill out the form and submit before May 19th, 2008 to ensure that your refund will be processed as soon as possible.

Submitting your form on May 19th, 2008 or later means that your refund will be delayed due to the volume of requests we anticipate for the Economic Stimulus Refund.

To access Economic Stimulus Refund, please click here.

[Link removed--should you click on this link, you would be directed to this site: www.smfarms.com/catalog/images/hewlett_packard/.refund.php--definitely not the I.R.S.

Gmail also removed the URL from "click here."]

© Copyright 2008, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A. All rights reserved.
__________________________________________

Despite some of the grammatical errors, this email is very convincing because the sent info specified "service@irs.gov" as the actual sender. To give gmail its just due, the message contained the following warning (Highlighted in bold red):

Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information. Learn more. [This link shows how you can check your gmails for validity.]

Here is the code I found when I clicked on to "Show original":

Delivered-To: [Deleted]
Received: by [Deleted] with SMTP id u1cs271976wfu;
Sun, 18 May 2008 10:23:31 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by [Deleted] with SMTP id [deleted];
Sun, 18 May 2008 10:23:30 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path:
Received: from dollman-enterprises.com (mail.dollman-enterprises.com [68.105.207.240])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id h8si9853846wxd.26.2008.05.18.10.23.29;
Sun, 18 May 2008 10:23:30 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: fail (google.com: domain of service@irs.gov does not designate 68.105.207.240 as permitted sender) client-ip=68.105.207.240;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=hardfail (google.com: domain of service@irs.gov does not designate 68.105.207.240 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=service@irs.gov
Received: from User ([76.202.29.82]) by dollman-enterprises.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.211);
Sun, 18 May 2008 13:23:28 -0400
From: "service@irs.gov"
Subject: 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund ( $1800 )
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 12:24:23 -0500
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="Windows-1251"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000
Bcc:
Return-Path: service@irs.gov
Message-ID:
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 18 May 2008 17:23:28.0887 (UTC) FILETIME=[E3464070:01C8B90B]
_______________________________

I must admit, this particular scam message caught my eye, although I did NOT fall for it.

Just remember: you need only to file your U.S. Federal tax return to receive your economic stimulus check.

Happy Birthday, Eugene V. Debs!

noreply@blogger.com (Nomi) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Thought for the day (Overheard on Cold Case)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:14:00 +0000

Bombing for peace is like humping for virginity.

You Are Invited! (What Happens When the Fat Lady Sings)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:38:00 +0000

You Are Invited!

♣--- ♦--- ♥--- ♠

WHO:
The Mallorys, Bacons, O’Flahertys, etc.

WHAT:
Family Reunion.

WHEN:
June 20, from 10:30 a.m. to ?????

WHERE:
The Lake.

COST:
A favorite dish, plus $25.00 per couple, $7.50 per child, to help defray the cost of renting The Northwest Quadrant of the Winnehaha Pavilion.

RSVP:
Sally Millhouse, (712) 555-1234

SPECIAL NOTE:
We’ll be sitting for family portraits!

________________________________

Follow Samantha as she prepares for the family reunion. As she hunts for artifacts for the family display, she finds this old letter:

Oct. 29, 1959 (I am sorry this is late)

Dear Auntie,

Thank you for the $10 for my birthday. I will buy a pretty red pink blue dress you will like (I hope). I am skinney now, dr. Noonan put me on a strick diet (ugh!). Lettuce, cellery and cottage cheese.

I HATE

Mrs. Niles died last month, Nana says she wieghed over 500 lbs, I would DIE if I weighed over 500 lbs. I am in the St. Bonyfi Boniface chior now, we sang at Mrs. Niles funneral.

L♥ve Sammy

PS: Nana says Mrs. Niles was buried in a piano crate!

(Samantha Anne Mallory, age 9)

C'mon in!

This is a must-attend event!

A command performance!

The family awaits you!

Go to The Fat Lady Sings.com

About The Fat Lady Sings

Court Terminates 8-year-old Girl's Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:42:00 +0000

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was a six-year old girl living in Los Angeles. Coming from an extremely dysfunctional family, I pretty much ran around on the streets at all hours (often taking my 22-month-old sister with me) and went to school when I felt like it (although, surprisingly, I didn't cut all that much). I stole trinkets from a local store and snatched dimes from my mother's makeup case and didn't think twice about it.

For a six-year-old, I was fairly street savvy, my moral compass obviously skewed.

Once a 12-year-old boy threatened to "do" things to me, and I simply went home and plucked a butcher knife from the kitchen drawer and hunted him down. When I found him, I pointed the knife at him, and said, "If you don't leave me alone, I'm going to stick this knife in your gut and twist it." I never had a problem with him again.

I was fearless, yet wary of strangers. Once, a man tried luring me into following him; he rolled two sugar cubes to me, but only after he had saturated them with something from an eye-dropper. I swear he wore a fedora and raincoat--what a cliche.

I realized something was wrong; I took off like a rabbit and didn't look back. I often wonder if I would be here today if I had followed that stranger.

Fortunately, my grandparents rescued me from my mother and worked very hard at instilling good Catholic values into me. The Catholic part sort of fell by the wayside, but I no longer steal from little shops and relatives, and I haven't threatened to gut anyone lately. Back in Sioux City, Iowa, I reverted back to the child I should have been all along.

This story showed up in my email box, under Reuters' Oddly Enough reports; I'm not all that sure that this situation qualifies as an "oddity." It seems all too common these days, with cults marrying off their minor daughters to old men and young children of both sexes being sexually molested. I can only imagine this eight-year-old girl has endured in a "marriage" to a man who not only sexually assaulted her but also beat her up. At six, I had no idea about sex, but my street radar had warned me that all was not right. But I had a choice: I could escape. The eight year old had to petition the Yemeni court for her freedom, and her parents had to "pay" the poor "husband" $250.00 compensation. What an insult; that prick should have been thrown into jail, not paid off.

I have never understood the appeal of an 8-year-old girl or boy in terms of sexual pleasure. In fact, I find the very idea repulsive; I'm sure most rational people feel the same way.

While this particular story may seem especially egregious, young girls and boys have been exploited from the beginning of the human race.

On one website I frequent, there is a prominently-placed public service ad: "Stop Human Trafficking"--an admirable goal for sure--but the field itself (domaining) is filled with boy wonders who think nothing of hiring Playboy bunnies and scantily dressed young women for conference entertainment. I believe that "Stopping Human Trafficking" begins at home, not in some foreign country, that the exploitation of young women, barely out of puberty, is part of the problem.

However, we live in a culture where the young are placed on some kind of strange pedestal, particularly young girls being sexualized at a young age: make up, revealing clothes, dating at 10 and even younger. These kids have no idea that they may be setting themselves up for a pedophile's trap, so it's up to parents to keep an eye on their kids and out of harm's way.

In today's climate, we are told to "be accepting" of other cultures and their ethnic traditions, but one that exploits minor children in a sexual way doesn't deserve any respect--that includes marrying off 12-14 year olds to creepy old men who already have multiple wives.

Anyway, the Reuters' story gave me a chill.

Future of Post Foetry? (Or Does Your Mother Wear Army Boots?)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Who knows?

Right now, I'm busy getting Poets.net off the ground, so I'm neglecting my other blogs, including this one. I doubt very much if I'll abandon this blog; I just feel too connected to it and the name, which was the brainchild of Christopher Woodman, who, yes, posts as ACommoner on poets.org.

During the summer of 2008, I'm going to develop (with professional help) Poets.net into a forum format with the current Poets.net blog as a subdomain. I haven't figured out what forum template I plan to use. It needs to be fairly uncomplicated to manage.

I see Post Foetry emerging as a personal blog, which, in many ways, it already is. This blog never did find a definitive voice, which seemed to reflect my mood at any given time. Lousy mood, cranky post. Euphoric mood, soaring post.

Poets.net exudes an angry voice, at least for now. I bought the domain in a moment of red-hot anger, but I have no regrets. Money comes and goes--integrity, I hope, hangs around.

My eventual goal for Poets.net: to develop a place for the silenced poet and writer. The outsider. The naive. The non-connected/non-MFA'er. Even the less accomplished poet who still believes that poetry [dot] com is a valid credit. Criticize the company that deceives these aspiring poets, never the poet.

A place for poets and writers at all stages of their careers.

If someone wants to bitch about the literary establishment and his/her suspicions about the state of the po-biz, then so be it. Bitch away--it's your right, one that I'll freely grant.

Silencing comes in many guises, outright censoring being the most egregious.

But there are other kinds of silencing, for example, the kind that comes wrapped up in "policy." You see, how one interprets policy is strictly in the eye of the beholder. In the past two weeks, I have seen poets and writers being scolded and "pruned" for the silliest interpretations of "libel" (some people don't understand that libel does not exist when Truth is involved, as is the case with Tupelo, Jorie Graham, and Iowa) and the following:

"Avoid language or statements that can be considered pornographic, racist, threatening, inflammatory, hateful, insulting, or violent." (poets.org sticky)

To be honest, I saw nothing in the "pruned" posts that fell under those categories. Some might say that "foetry" was insulting others, but I see egregious insults as out and out name calling, such as, "Your mother is a boot-wearing prostitute who turns tricks at Yankee Stadium" or the "Fatty, fatty, two-by-four, couldn't fit through the bathroom door" ditty that was hailed at me when I was a kid.

I didn't see any of that on poets.org--just a lively, sometimes heated debate about censorship. I wasn't even insulted when my spelling was corrected in a somewhat snarky manner. So what. Big deal. Your mother wears army boots, so there.

"While we value freedom of expression, we also value the comfort and sanctity of this space for everyone. We expect that certain topics may lead to contention and debate, and will not prevent users from expressing their opinions, as long as they can be articulated and debated in a rational, calm, and informed manner." (poets.org sticky)

What I saw in those excised threads was a lively discussion among writers with differing viewpoints. It was also the most active thread in an otherwise quiet forum. ACommoner wanted to discuss his banishment from the P&W Speakeasy forum, which, in my opinion, is a valid topic to bring to a forum that serves writers. I don't see how naming names when stating facts constitutes libel or offends anyone. It seems to me that sweeping inequities under the rug is much more offensive than laying them out there for everyone to critique.

What I saw was a bunch of admins and mods exerting their power over the powerless, you know, the petty pencil-pushing bureaucrat who loves to make a citizen's life miserable because she can. And does. And will.

But what do I know?

I suppose I know enough to start a counterculture forum, one that emphasizes freedom of expression over politeness and personal opinion.

I really didn't *need* a fancy domain name; I suppose I could have morphed Post Foetry into a forum, but being the flawed person that I am, I was seduced by the possibility of having a short and memorable domain name.

One truism I have discovered in the blogosphere: it's difficult building traffic unless one is willing to use "black hat" methods, which I'm not willing to do, such as *buying* links and traffic, employing pop-up ads, and spamming all over the place.

I'll do it the old fashioned way: build a place people want to visit and stay so that, in turn, Google will begin to see this is a space worth ranking, so more people will drop by--maybe even go viral.

And, yes, I have incorporated Google ads; there is nothing wrong with off-setting costs with a little revenue.

I love capitalism; it's The American Way.

What is in Whose Pocket?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:41:00 +0000

On March 10, it was announced that poetry was going mobile.

Poetry in your pocket, or Poets.org in poetry's pocket?

One wonders...

Gov Spam: The Bush Dimension

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:47:00 +0000

In a memo to the State Department

made public by the White House,

Bush said:

I hereby

find

that the furnishing

of defense articles

and defense services

to Kosovo

will strengthen

the security

of the United States

and

promote world

peace.

Spam Lit: The Ivory Dimension

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:40:00 +0000

I am

an alive young

man

in

ivory dimension

which seeks

to correspond

with

the skin flick

actors

_______________

Uh, okay. Whatever.

I couldn't possibly make this stuff up,

might I try.

________________________________________

Academy of American Poets Launches First Mobile Poetry Site

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:34:00 +0000

Percy Dovetonsils (Ernie Kovacs) and his iPhone
________________________________

Poetry has gone mobile! I have just received the following press release from Poets.org

Introducing Poets.org In Your Pocket

March 10, 2008—Today, the Academy of American Poets announced the launch of a mobile poetry archive which provides free and direct access to the entire collection of over 2,500 poems on Poets.org, as well as hundreds of biographies and essays, all in the palm of a hand.

On the web at: poets.org

No Computers, No Books, No Wires

Designed using Web 2.0 Internet Standards and Apple's Developers Guidelines, the site is optimized for the iPhone, and formatted for effortless access on most mobile devices. Now, for the first time, mobile users have unlimited access to the rich resources of Poets.org, one of the largest poetry destinations on the web, a site which has steadily expanded and evolved since it was first launched over a decade ago.

Pioneering Poetry

"I have always believed that poetry has a necessary place in daily life," said Tree Swenson, executive director of the Academy of American Poets. "As the first arts organization to offer mobile content, the Academy of American Poets affirms its imperative to connect people to poetry by creating free and simple access for everyone. Ezra Pound said, 'Literature is news that stays news,' and now you can find poems while on the go, as easily as you can read the news, find a map, or check the weather report."

Woo or Woe on the Go

Poems can be browsed by author, title, occasion, or form, and searched easily by keyword. Visitors can read a poem, anytime, anywhere—whether to fill a spare moment, woo a darling, toast a friend, find solace, or recite a few immortal lines—verse is now at your fingertips.

Poetry in Your Pocket

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Helen Keller, 1888 Photo Found and a Personal Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:08:00 +0000

(This 1888 photo released by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston shows Helen Keller when she was eight years old, left, holding hands with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, during a summer vacation to Brewster, Mass., on Cape Cod. A staff member at the society discovered the photograph in a large photography collection recently donated to the society. When Sullivan arrived at the Keller household to teach Helen, she gave her a doll as a present. Although Keller had many dolls throughout her childhood, this is believed to be the first known photograph of Helen Keller with one of her dolls.

--AP Photo/Courtesy of the Thaxter P. Spencer Collection, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, New England Historic Genealogical Society-Boston)

By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer

Thu Mar 6, 6:14 AM ET

BOSTON - Researchers have uncovered a rare photograph of a young Helen Keller with her teacher Anne Sullivan, nearly 120 years after it was taken on Cape Cod. The photograph, shot in July 1888 in Brewster, shows an 8-year-old Helen sitting outside in a light-colored dress, holding Sullivan's hand and cradling one of her beloved dolls.

Experts on Keller's life believe it could be the earliest photo of the two women together and the only one showing the blind and deaf child with a doll — the first word Sullivan spelled for Keller after they met in 1887 — according to the New England Historic Genealogical Society...

More on Helen Keller

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I have always admired Helen Keller, the way she was handed two major life challenges and still managed to become one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th Century. Of course, Annie Sullivan should receive much of the credit--two great women coming together and changing the world--at least in the way that showed that so-called handicaps could be overcome and even used in positive ways. In another family, Helen Keller might have been hidden away and viewed as subhuman, a great mind locked away forever.

I have a bit of a personal angle here.

As a child, I think I met Helen Keller, but I'm not 100% sure, so I'll just tell my story and let you, my readers, decide.

It was early 1957; I was just six, living in Alhambra, California, in a boarding house with my mother and stepfather, who were trying to save their marriage. (Why we had to live in a boarding house for that purpose, I'll never know, but it didn't work--another story).

As boarding houses go, it was a pretty nice place. The owner and her daughter were very loving people who made me feel welcome and safe at a time when I was very unhappy and somewhat naughty (their neighbors ended up building a fence because I was beating up on their kid).

Although I don't remember their names, I do remember the owner reading me stories at night and making sure I had a goodnight kiss and was properly tucked in--the kind of love that all kids need and deserve. I'll never forget her face and will always be grateful to this stranger who treated me, a paying guest, like family.

The daughter introduced me to the joy of tacos and also taught me how to make them. She also allowed me to watch as she built a frame for her slip, a kind of plastic Rube Goldberg device that allowed teenage girls to swing around in those those pouffy poodle skirts.

We stayed a few months, almost a lifetime for a six year old, but most of the guests were short term; people seemed to come and go all the time, and being used to moving around all the time, I didn't think too much about it.

One day, two new guests arrived, an elderly woman with a cane and her assistant.

The owner introduced them to me, but, again, I don't remember names--which is why I can't be definitive about who I met back then.

The owner told me that the lady with the cane was deaf and blind, but added, "She can hear you with her fingers."

The woman said something to me and with help from her assistant reached out to me and touched my neck.

I remember being frightened (I'm also ticklish).

"It's okay," the assistant said. "Just introduce yourself."

The woman gently touched my neck.

So I said, "I'm Jennifer."

"Hello, Jennifer." Her fingers still on my neck. It's strange, but when she touched me, I was no longer afraid, nor did her touch tickle me.

Still, I couldn't figure out how she knew what I had just said. I blurted out, "How'd you do that?"

She just laughed. "My fingers are my ears."

Needless to say, I was totally fascinated and taken with this woman who could neither see or hear. Even then, I understood the obstacles this lady must have faced; still, her fingers were gentle and tactile, even though I didn't understand how vibrations could be translated into words.

She and her assistant stayed just a few days, but whenever they were around, I was a total pill, hanging close by, yakking at this lady and trying to figure out how she was able to communicate.

This is what I remember: My new friend (and her assistant) explained to me that she was able to "hear" me through her fingers because the voice makes certain sounds which then translates into certain words. But most of the time we just talked about mundane "kid" topics, and I soon forgot about her "handicaps." In the way that kids seem to do, I adjusted quickly to her reaching for my neck and soon didn't even think twice about it. Yet, had anyone else reached for my neck, I would have screamed and squealed.

Fifty-one years later, I still don't know how this extraordinary lady was able to communicate so easily with a hyper six year old whose nickname at that time was "The Question Box." But she did, and even tried to answer my incessant and annoying "why this and why that" questions.

When the lady and her assistant were packing up to leave, I bawled and begged them not to go. But people have their lives and must move on. Even then, I understood loss on many levels, and this lady seemed to understand that. Her goodbye was gentle but definitive.

If the woman I met was Helen Keller, I'm not sure why she was in Alhambra or why she was staying in that particular boarding house. I can only guess that she was in Alhambra for a seminar or speaking engagement.

I like to think that the blind-deaf woman I met was Helen Keller, but no matter who she was, she had a huge impact on my life.

Come to think of it, maybe it doesn't matter at all who she was.

It sure didn't back then.

Best, Jennifer

________________________________

Slightly Off-topic: C'mon, Cut Gloria Steinem a Break...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Michelle Malkin, author of Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild, is the epitome of conservatism gone totally loony--definitely not the "compassionate conservatism" touted by our own George W. Bush.

Quote from Malkin's 5 March 2008, column, The Death Cry of Gloria Steinem:

"From once-ripe feminist icon to idea-barren harridan, [Gloria Steinem] offers nothing to young women but anachronistic man-hate, anti-military bigotry and woe-is-me wallowing."

Huh?

I would like to remind Ms. Malkin and other pipsqueaks like her that she enjoys a certain status because of brave women like Gloria Steinem--that Malkin enjoys the right to spew vitriol (and get paid plenty for it, thank you) at a national level.

Thirty-seven years ago, Ms. Steinem showed great courage in publishing Judy Brady's (Syfer's) seminal essay I Want a Wife in Ms Magazine; she took a lot of heat from the establishment, good-old-boy network who accused feminists of not knowing their "true" place: in the bedroom, nursery, and kitchen and out of the boardroom.

I'm not even going to bother quoting anything else from Malkin's spew--the quote above pretty much sums up the entire tone of Malkin's "article."

But the hatred and prejudice exhibited in the 21-word spew (I counted the hyphenated terms as one word) makes one wonder if women's rights have taken a giant leap backwards.

Let's deconstruct that sentence:

1. The word "harridan" suggests that "old" women no longer have value in our culture. An "old" woman with a viewpoint should just shut the hell up and let the young decide what is best. Ageism.

2. "Once-ripe" suggests that youth and physical beauty are the only attributes that offer women the right to speak out and be movers and shakers. Aegism and Lookism.

3. "Idea-barren" is simply the inverse of #2. It is also imprecise because Gloria Steinem is still a mover and shaker and will be remembered long after Michelle Malkin has faded into the sunset. Ageism. Also, "barren" suggests a prejudice against women who cannot or choose not to bear children.

4. "Man-hate" is also imprecise; Steinem has never stated that she hates men. In fact she enjoyed a long-term marriage to, guess what? a MAN!

5. "Anachronistic." Interesting word choice, one that I would not exactly associate with liberal thinking. Hmmmm. Somehow, GWB pops into mind, along with "ineffective," "ignorant," "narrow-minded," etc.

6. "Anti-military." Interesting term, perhaps a bit overstated. Ms. Malkin seems to equate anti-Iraq war with being anti-military. Most reasonable people accept the reality that the U.S. needs to maintain a strong military; however, it is our right to protest what we feel is an unjust war, while, at the same time, supporting our troops and hoping that our young men AND young women (take note, Ms. Malkin) come home alive and without too much psychological damage.

7. "Bigot: one intolerantly devoted to his or her own church, party, or opinion." Merriam-Webster Dictionary." If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck..., well you figure it out. In short, "Bigotry" is a word that should be used sparingly and precisely, not just tossed around like confetti.

8. I have never read anything by Ms. Steinem that has had a "woe-is-me" tone, nor does she "wallow"; she is a person who gets things done, and she does it in ways that are empowering.

Do I agree with everything Gloria Steinem says? Of course not, but I respect the way she has helped women find their collective voice.

Michelle Malkin, you should kiss Gloria Steinem's feet; your current position is possible because of her and others like her.

Tomorrow is International Women's Day. Rejoice and celebrate.

Jennifer