bastet

Pope said what...?

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:14:00 +0000

"How can it be that the most wondrous and sacred human space, the womb, has become a place of unutterable violence?"

Pope Benedict XVI
Sydney, Australia
July 18, 2008 (World Youth Day)

link

Oh, hmm, I can't think how... certainly the Church had nothing to do with it! (/sarcasm)

Though to be fair it wasn't only the Church, the Hebrews started a lot of it in the Middle East, and centuries of legalized marital rape and other misogynistic practices throughout the world in a myriad different cultural and religious culture also contributed their own little pieces to the puzzle.

I am having a hard time understanding why the Pope said this. Yes, it was in the context of him condemning abortion, but he still said it, and I'm pretty sure the Church teaches that the body is sinful, and of no spiritual consequence. Interesting, isn't it, that he would actually say the womb is the most "sacred human space." I guess he is qualifying this space as human, which according to Church doctrine is really not all that holy at all. So his bases seem to be covered.

Unbelievable, that the Holy See could essentially say, out loud: "where does misogyny and the degradation of the sacred feminine come from?" Dude, look in your library. I've heard it's huge. Of course, the Vatican Library website says the library is to be closed for the next 3 years for renovation. Doing some more of that famous Catholic "cleaning?"

Maybe you could you re-insert a few of those stolen gospels and texts that affirm and celebrate the concept of the sacred feminine (or, God forbid, the Goddess!) back on the shelves while you're at it? It was Constantine who took them out after all, and not until 3 centuries post-Jesus. If they haven't all been destroyed by now, anyway...

gotta love religion... and fear... and book burning...

but on the other side, millions of people love and are inspired by the Pope, he does also bring messages of love, and peace. it would be so much easier if that part weren't true ;)

a liar AND a coward

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:21:00 +0000

Rove Avoids Subpoena by FLEEING THE COUNTRY

This morning, Karl Rove refused to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about the politicization of the Justice Department, despite a subpoena... Yesterday, Rove’s lawyer wrote a letter declaring Rove would not testify, citing executive privilege. During the hearing, Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) revealed that Rove had not only skipped out of the hearing, but had skipped out of the entire country. Watch the video here (scroll down).

After Rove proved to be a no-show today, the panel voted 7-1 to rule that Rove’s claims of immunity under executive privilege are invalid.

The committee gave Rove five days to comply with the subpoena.

Last week, Sanchez and Judiciary Chairman John Conyers threatened to hold Rove in contempt if he followed through on his promise to defy their subpoena. It's unclear whether they will follow through on that threat.

via raw story

pentagrams, pythagoras and the golden ratio

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:40:00 +0000

Some interesting facts about math, the pentagram, nature, and culture.

The first known uses of the pentagram (the simplest regular star polygon) are found in Mesopotamian writings dating to about 3000 BC. The 5 points represented the 5 astrological directions associated with Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, and Venus (or Astarte, the local Goddess). The top or "above" point of the star symbolized Venus/Astarte - as she was revered as the "Queen of Heaven."

In fact, the pentagram (the simplest regular star polygon) has long been associated with the planet Venus, and the worship of the goddess Venus, or her equivalent... When viewed from Earth, successive inferior conjunctions of Venus plot a nearly perfect pentagram shape around the zodiac every eight years. (source)

click on the pictures below to see the full size images

At one time, the pentacle was used by Christians to represent the Five Sacred Wounds of Jesus. The ancient greeks and romans, among others, considered the pentacle a symbol of balance and health. The pentacle can be seen to resemble or symbolize the human body, the 5 points representing the head and 4 limbs. In the Tarot, the pentacle symbolizes the female suit of Earth - divinity manifesting in matter.

The golden ratio, (also known as the Divine Proportion, or φ (spelled PHI) can be expressed as:

φ = (1+√5)/2 ≈ 1.618

The Divine Proportion plays an important role in the the mathematical nature of the pentagram (among many, many other such phenomenon). In the pentagram each intersection of edges sections the edges in golden ratio: the ratio of the length of the edge to the longer segment is φ, as is the length of the longer segment to the shorter.

Also, the ratio of the length of the shorter segment to the segment bounded by the 2 intersecting edges (a side of the pentagon in the pentagram's center) is φ.

A pentagram colored to distinguish its line segments of different lengths. The four lengths are in golden ratio to one another.

As the illustration shows:

The golden ratio has fascinated intellectuals of diverse interests for at least 2,400 years.

"Biologists, artists, musicians, historians, architects, psychologists, and even mystics have pondered and debated the basis of its ubiquity and appeal. In fact, it is probably fair to say that the Golden Ratio has inspired thinkers of all disciplines like no other number in the history of mathematics." ~ Mario Livio

Adolf Zeising, whose main interests were mathematics and philosophy, found the golden ratio expressed in the arrangement of branches along the stems of plants and of veins in leaves. He extended his research to the skeletons of animals and the branchings of their veins and nerves, to the proportions of chemical compounds and the geometry of crystals, even to the use of proportion in artistic endeavors. In these phenomena he saw the golden ratio operating as a universal law.

Architecture was also profoundly influenced by the golden ratio. The Egyptian Pyramids, Stonehenge, the Acropolis, the Great Mosque of Kairouan (built by Uqba ibn Nafi c. 670 A.D.), and the Tempietto chapel at the Monastery of Saint Peter in Montorio, Rome... these architectural wonders and many more are said to have been designed and built using the golden ratio.

Science has been influenced by the golden ratio as well. Jean-Claude Perez proposed a connection between DNA base sequences and gene sequences and the golden ratio ^[link]. Another such connection, between the Fibonacci numbers and golden ratio and Chargaff's second rule concerning the proportions of nucleobases in the human genome, was proposed in 2007.

one well known example of the golden ratio in popular culture can be found, of course, in a da vinci painting - in this case the vitruvian man. the painting illustrates the golden ratio as it is seen in the human body - for example, the ratio of the distance from your fingertips to your shoulder to the distance from your elbow will always be φ... same with the ratio between your hips, knees and feet. (look it up!)

The Greeks usually attributed discovery of the golden ratio to Pythagoras or his followers. The regular pentagram, which has a regular pentagon inscribed within it, was the Pythagoreans' symbol.

Pythagoras and his Pythagoreans - along with being vegetarians and espousing the Pythagorean Theorum (who doesn't love a²+ b²=c²?) venerated the pentacle and the golden ratio. Pythagoras viewed the pentacle as a symbol of mathematical and natural perfection . One of the Pythagoreans' main symbols was the Pythagorean Pentacle (above), a pentacle inscribed within a pentagon.

It is said that the pentagram had a secret significance and power to the Pythagoreans, and was used not only as a symbol of good health, but as a password or symbol of recognition amongst themselves.

The Pythagoreans were also great nature lovers.

Pythagoreans celebrate sunrise
Fyodor Bronnikov, 1869

post dedicated to the divine proportion

darfur needs more peacekeepers

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:06:00 +0000

one year later, peacekeepers promised to darfur have not arrived

On July 31, 2007, the U.N. Security Council promised to deploy 19,000 additional peacekeepers to help stop the violence in Darfur. One year later, barely 2,000 of the authorized peacekeepers have arrived in Darfur, and those who are there lack the equipment and resources to do their jobs.

Raise your voice and let the five most powerful members of the U.N. Security Council know that failure to fully deploy peacekeepers in Darfur is morally unacceptable.

click here to sign the savedarfur.org petition.

via save darfur

can we please throw this guy in prison where he belongs?

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Rove ignores committee's subpoena, refuses to testify

Rove's lawyer asserted that Rove was "immune" from the subpoena the committee had issued, arguing that the committee could not compel him to testify due to "executive privilege."
(snip)

"A refusal to appear in violation of the subpoena could subject Mr. Rove to contempt proceedings, including statutory contempt under federal law and proceedings under the inherent contempt authority of the House of Representatives," [Rep. John] Conyers and [Rep. Linda] Sanchez wrote.

click here to read the letters from rove's lawyers "explaining" why he does not have to testify. these lawyers seem to have long ago sold their souls to the devil.

how long until obama is inaugurated? can we please try the entire bush administration for war crimes at that time?

this woman, for one, fervently hopes so.

paradise lost?

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Thousands evacuated as California fires rage on

Wind-driven flames leapt over fire lines at a rural community near the town of Paradise, 90 miles (144 kilometers) north of Sacramento and destroyed nearly 40 homes in the space of a few hours early Tuesday, emergency services said.

Chuck Rough, director of the emergency operations center in Paradise, told CNN that although conditions eased overnight, firecrews battling the 49,000-acre (19,800-hectare) blaze in Butte County were bracing for a heatwave.

the heat wave is expected to last at least 2 more days.

please fire goddess, don't take big sur

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:44:00 +0000

i want these fires to stop, everywhere in california. i don't know how, i just hope they do. cant they just like, scoop up a million tons of water from the sea and pour it over the state? :( probably that would be a bad idea.

big sur would be particularly painful to lose.

The focal point of containment efforts is a wind-driven blaze besieging the picturesque village of Big Sur, a normally bustling tourist haven around 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of San Francisco.

The blaze threatening the town has swept through 65,393 acres of the Los Padres National Forest and was only five percent contained according to latest figures on Friday.

link

also, about 200 Big Sur residents, including workers at the Esalen Institute and a nearby hermitage, were told to evacuate Tuesday as firefighters tried to halt the southern march of a huge and mostly uncontained wildfire in Los Padres National Forest.

i hope esalen is saved.

and camp and sons in willits, too.

and all of beautiful california.

um... is this ok?

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:51:00 +0000

Barack Obama wobbles on withdrawing Iraq troops

On his website, Mr Obama promises he "will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months".

But he told journalists in North Dakota that those policies could be "refined" in the light of what he finds in Iraq.

"I've always said the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability," he said.

"When I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."

my favorite overheard in new york in a long time

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:02:00 +0000

English teacher: All right class, let us come together and share our lists of literary terms.

(Pause).

English teacher: Just so we're clear, "Lolcat" is not a literary term.

--Stuyvesant High School

link

for zimbabwe

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:23:00 +0000

i am so sad to see what is happening in beautiful zimbabwe.

the "election" is today... happening right now, there.

"Mugabe, 84, is seeking to extend his 28-year rule of the country, which is in its 10th year of recession and has the world's highest inflation rate of at least 355,000 percent. The United Nations, U.S. and southern African leaders say a free and fair election is impossible and have demanded the ballot be postponed."

of course it hasn't been postponed. it's happening, it's a sham, and i pray there will not be too much death today.

one take on the situation and what must be done from the ghanaian chronicle.

"More than that, people have died to place this man where he is. People grew up in and died in the bush, fighting for Zimbabwe. Everybody trusted Robert Mugabe with the country. Bob Marley trusted him, and composed a magnificent song to immortalize the country’s independence. I trusted him, and you probably did, too." ~ Rethabile Masilo, a blogger at african path

i was in zimbabwe during the summer of 1996. i was there with a uc berkeley african-american studies exchange program (all uc students could go). the country was safe then, one of the safest countries in africa. 12 years ago. mugabe was president then too. he married a 16 year old girl when we were there, and they declared a national holiday and no one worked, and everyone went to the palace to see the wedding. there were pictures of him everywhere, in all the stores and schools, but it didnt seem like it was a real dictatorship - things just weren't that bad.

but he is a dictator, an old, bad one, and now, things are really bad.

we lived with african host families in harare, the capital. zimbabwe got their independence from britain in 1980; before that they were called rhodesia. the families we stayed with lived in middle class areas that had been white neighborhoods until 1980, when the african people were given full rights. the middle class blacks moved in, and the middle class whites moved out. amazing how some things are so similar, in countries thousands of miles away.

our class, with our teachers, took some weekend field trips to places like victoria falls and hwange, a wild animal preserve.

scroll down or click here for some pictures of this gorgeous, amazing country.

zimbabwe photos, summer 1996

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:42:00 +0000

here are some pictures, to honor the beauty that is zimbabwe, that strong, magnificent, incredible country.

sunset boat cruise, zambezi river

zambezi sunset

victoria falls, zambia

rainbow, victoria falls

cataract, victoria falls

termite hill, hwange national park

elephants, hwange

elephant destruction

wall, great zimbabwe

me at top of great zimbabwe

monkey village, parking lot, great zimbabwe

us under the baobao tree

my friends deon, goodwill and tony and their pink cadillac, harare suburb

my host mom in her living room, harare

nathan, the servant for the house i homestayed in, watering the garden at sunset, harare

oh shit... is it starting?

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:09:00 +0000

Supreme Court's gun ruling puts S.F. laws in peril

Americans have a constitutional right to own guns, the Supreme Court declared Thursday... The National Rifle Association immediately said it would use the ruling for a new round of legal challenges to gun-control laws, including a ban on handgun possession in public housing in San Francisco.

(snip)

"We refuse to allow law-abiding Americans to be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to this constitutional right, which applies to poor people, too," said NRA lobbyist Chris Cox.

[San Francisco] Mayor Gavin Newsom responded by inviting an NRA leader to move into any big-city public housing development for two months "and tell me ... what he really thinks about the proliferation of guns and easy access to guns in homes."

via sfgate

you can't have him

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:26:00 +0000

new moveon ad

click here to get it on the air

this one goes out to all you newlyweds out there tonight...

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:42:00 +0000

... love had a major victory today.

love, you know, conquers all.

i do

by larkin gayl

del martin and phyllis lyon - a love story

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:15:00 +0000

while reading about today's glorious news of true legal gay marriage in california (goddess i wish i was there!) i noticed a story; many of you probably saw it.

the story is about these two women, Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 83, who were married today, June 16, 2008, after 55 years of committed partnership.

i began to read their story. and for some reason i was moved to post something for them.

so here it is.

all info from wikipedia and sfgate.

del martin (right, all photos) and phyllis lyon (left, all photos) met in 1950, and were committed partners by 1953, living in san francisco. in 1955 they formed the first major lesbian organization in the united states, the daughters of bilitis, or DOB.

the group was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were illegal, and thus subject to raids and police harassment. their goal was to provide a safe place for lesbians to socialize and comgregate.

The DOB advertised itself as, "A Woman's Organization for the purpose of Promoting the Integration of the Homosexual into Society."[14]

New York chapter president Barbara Gittings noted that the word "variant" was used instead of "lesbian" in the mission statement, since "lesbian" was a word that implied a very negative meaning in 1956.[15]

The statement was composed of four parts that prioritized the purpose of the organization, and it was printed on the inside of the cover of every issue of The Ladder until 1970:
1. Education of the variant...to enable her to understand herself and make her adjustment to society...this to be accomplished by establishing...a library...on the sex deviant theme; by sponsoring public discussions...to be conducted by leading members of the legal psychiatric, religious and other professions; by advocating a mode of behavior and dress acceptable to society.

2. Education of the public...leading to an eventual breakdown of erroneous taboos and prejudices...

3. Participation in research projects by duly authorized and responsible psychologists, sociologists, and other such experts directed towards further knowledge of the homosexual.

4. Investigation of the penal code as it pertain to the homosexual, proposal of changes,...and promotion of these changes through the due process of law in the state legislatures."[16]

advocating modes of behavior and dress? a different kind of progress? an interesting echo of the integration/assimilation/equality attempts of early civil rights figures like frederick douglass.

where lies judgment if you cannot imagine that world?

"Bilitis," incidentally, is the name given to a fictional lesbian contemporary of Sappho, by the French poet Pierre Louÿs in his 1894 work, The Songs of Bilitis.

The Songs of Bilitis address themselves to the sapphic love of women and girls. the book became a sought-after cult item among the 20th-century lesbian underground and was only reprinted officially in the 1970s.

the daughters of bilitis was founded in 1956.

more about these amazing women here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

first marriage
2/12/2004

wdel and phyllis were the very first same-sex couple to be wedded in san francisco on february 12 2004, when mayor gavin newsom ordered that marriage licenses be given to same-sex couples who requested them.

that first marriage was voided by the california supreme court on august 12, 2004, along with those of several thousand other same-sex couples who had gotten married on that beautiful valentine's day weekend in san francisco.

but then...

On May 15, 2008 the Supreme Court struck down California's existing statutes limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples in a 4-3 ruling. The judicial ruling overturned the one-man, one-woman marriage law which the California Legislature had passed in 1977 and Proposition 22. After the ruling, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement repeating his pledge to oppose the Limit on Marriage Amendment, the ballot initiative that would override the ruling.

The opinion, written by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, cited the court's 1948 decision that reversed the state's interracial marriages ban. It found that "equal respect and dignity" of marriage is a "basic civil right" that cannot be withheld from same-sex couples, that sexual orientation is a protected class like race and gender, and that any classification or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is subject to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause of the California State Constitution. Associate Justices Joyce L. Kennard, Kathryn Werdegar, and Carlos R. Moreno concurred. It is the first state high court in the country to do so. The Massachusetts State Supreme Court, by contrast, did not find sexual orientation to be a protected class, and instead voided its gay-marriage ban on rational basis review.

gavin newsom married del and phyllis today, June 16, 2008.

they have been committed partners since 1953 - 55 years.

i am so grateful to be alive to see this day. and i'm so glad they THEY have both lived to see it too! amongst so many horrific things in the world, a jewel like this story should be treasured, and appreciated. which is why i put it here. for love.

it makes me happy.

gore re-enters the arena

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Gore to Endorse Obama at Rally in Michigan Tonight

June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Al Gore will step off the sidelines and make his first campaign stop with Democrat Barack Obama tonight.

Gore, who made the announcement in an e-mail to supporters, will appear with Obama at a rally in Detroit that is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. local time.

``A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan, to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama,'' Gore wrote in a fundraising letter. ``From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States.''

link

update: keith olbermanm complains that the speech is running "at least 20 minutes behind!" - 8:48 pm

patience, my friend...

update 2: "it's 25 minutes late" - 8:53 pm

update 3: "they've entered clinton-time." - 9:01 pm

was clinton always late or something?

ooh, here they come... 9:02 pm.

gore:

the outcome of this election will affect the future of our planet.

new policies, a new vision.

and now weve made our choice. *cheers*

a spirit of respect for the republican nominees *boos*

"no no! in that case im glad i brought it up."

(haha. gore is awesome.)

the forces of reason and logic...

WE NEED CHANGE! - 9:14 pm

gay marriage legal in california at 5:01 pm

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:01:00 +0000

REJOICE!

justice peeks its head out, now and again.

California prepares for first gay marriages

June 16, 2008 - A state Supreme Court decision last month overturning a ban on gay marriage has already produced one major change: marriage licenses will no longer list bride and groom but rather Party A and Party B.

The landmark ruling goes into effect at the close of business [5:01 pm P.S.T) on Monday, when San Francisco and West Hollywood, both known for a major gay population, will marry one couple each. Dozens of other couples will marry in a handful of smaller county offices open to all in the evening.

"If marriages performed outside of New York are going to be recognized, I'm sure it won't be too long before New Yorkers will be able to be married in their own state. So already it is having an impact that crosses the impact to the Atlantic Coast," said Star Trek's Mr. Sulu -- actor George Takei -- who is marrying longtime partner Brad Altman.

"We are boldly going where no one has gone before," he said, jokingly..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gay Couples Prepare to Wed

link

In San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom helped launch the series of lawsuits that led the court to strike down California's one-man-one-woman marriage laws, workers got ready for the crush of couples by setting up a satellite office in the lobby of City Hall. As of Friday, nearly 620 couples had booked appointments to obtain licenses at San Francisco City Hall over the next 10 days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

but sadly and inevitably the forces of oppression and heteronormativity also begin to reveal themselves...

All Things Considered, June 16, 2008 · On Monday afternoon, the first gay couples will legally exchange marriage vows in California. The state Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriages. But a ballot initiative in November might stop them.

doesn't matter what they do. californians will vote for love; i believe in them! we will win! the tide is turning...

obama clinches nomination - an historic moment

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Obama Clinches Nomination; First Black Candidate to Lead a Major Party Ticket

Senator Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday evening, prevailing through an epic battle with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in a primary campaign that inspired millions of voters from every corner of America to demand change in Washington.

A last-minute rush of Democratic superdelegates, as well as the results from the final primaries, in Montana and South Dakota, pushed Mr. Obama over the threshold of winning the 2,118 delegates needed to be nominated at the party’s convention in August. The victory for Mr. Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother, broke racial barriers and represented a remarkable rise for a man who just four years ago served in the Illinois Senate.

“Tonight, we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another — a journey that will bring a new and better day to America,” Mr. Obama told supporters at a rally in St. Paul. “Because of you, tonight I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States of America.”

OBAMA! OBAMA!

via new york times

clinton's last campaign speech - nyc

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:55:00 +0000

June 3, 2008
Baruch College

link

i was there! i met her, she looked in my eyes and held my hand. i inadvertently (i did NOT know i was going to say this, it just came out of my mouth) said: "you're a goddess. thank you." and she totally reacted, and held my hand with her left hand for like 10 seconds while she shook a bunch of other people's hands with her right.

it was so cheesy, but in that moment she represented the height of feminine political power... of how far we've come, how far we can go. like a living statue of liberty. despite all her faults, which everyone is eager to point out to me. yes, she has faults. but she is scrappy and tireless and has worked her ass off for women's and children's groups since college. this is a humanitarian who deserves so much respect. she is not the only one but, forgive me, obama, if i cant praise you, just now.

goodbye senator clinton. for now.

it was amazing. she has incredible energy, tired though she was.

i really do like obama, but there is a sadness in my heart to know clinton will likely not make it. well, is it really a surprise?

sigh.

democratic primary season draws neigh!

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:27:00 +0000

link

thank god, my brain was being torn in two.

let's hope that this ends quickly and with the most positive outcome possible.

also, i want to know where this will be. i'd like to see it, if possible. does anyone know where the speech will be in nyc?

i've been waiting for this moment for a long time

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:20:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says in a new book that U.S. President Bush "veered terribly off course" and was not "open and forthright on Iraq," Politico.com reported on Tuesday.

In the memoir due out next week, McClellan also says Bush relied on "propaganda" to sell the war and says the Washington press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to it, according to the Web site.

McClellan also takes the administration to task for its performance after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, saying the White House "spent most of the first week in a state of denial," Politico reported.

Said McClellan: "One of the worst disasters in our nation’s history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush's presidency."

link

triumph insults star wars fans

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:18:00 +0000

funniest. video. ever.

Triumph The Insult Comic Dog - Star Wars
by ZaraV

it's on

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:08:00 +0000

Al Sharpton Speaks Following Sean Bell Verdict

florida - a mini photo gallery

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:52:00 +0000

i went to a conference a few days ago in orlando at a place called the gaylord palms resort hotel and conference center

it was super fancy, and there were sea turtles. and gators.

then i went to cocoa beach. it was beautiful.

the beach

viking kittens

noreply@blogger.com (lia) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:13:00 +0000

i've been looking for this for years. rathergood.com took it off their site and then it was temporarily hidden... BUT, thanks to youtube, it has resurfaced!

perhaps the greatest part of this video is finally being able to understand the lyrics of "Immigrant Song" by led zeppelin.