because it really DOES matter and change for the better CAN happen:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/26/AR200810...

go rwanda!

i know, i know, we've talked about this ad naseum, how voting for the lesser of two evils is no fun, the overall suckiness of the 2 party system, the all too familiar feeling that none of it matters because they're all the fucking same corporate owned bullshit peddlers.

i've already let it be known that i don't think they're all the same. that our choices this time around are 1) more evil or 2) hope and some semblance of progress. that's really all it boils down this time around. dark vs. light.

www.imaginepeace.com

trying to follow this crumbling economy shit makes my head spin and me eyes roll back into my head, but i really want to understand it. a financial whiz of a friend sent me this yesterday and holy cow, i think i get it now!

http://www.businesspundit.com/sub-prime/

www.thegreatschlep.com

http://www.wptz.com/news/17539127/detail.html

just stumbled upon this blog:

http://myabortion.tumblr.com/

"I'm 23. I'm knocked up. And I don't want to keep it. You can fuck yourself, Judd Apatow."

she decided to blog about her experience because the only blogs she found out there on the topic were anti-choice propaganda. check it.

Officer breast-feeds quake orphans

JIANGYOU, China (CNN) -- A Chinese policewoman is being hailed as a hero after taking it upon herself to breast-feed several infants who were separated from their mothers or orphaned by China's devastating earthquake.

Officer Jiang Xiaojuan, 29, the mother of a 6-month-old boy, responded to the call of duty and the instincts of motherhood when the magnitude 7.9 quake struck on May 12.

"I am breast-feeding, so I can feed babies. I didn't think of it much," she said. "It is a mother's reaction, and a basic duty as a police officer to help."

i'm a registered independent (actually a 'decline to state' person, as the state of California likes to call us) but i can vote on the democratic ticket for the primaries come super tuesday. however, i'm just sorta stuck, not loving either of my choices.

i was a big supporter of dennis kucinich, but he's out. boooh! and my second choice on the Dem ticket was edwards, but he's out, waaah! so that leaves obama or hillary and, honestly, i'm just not excited about choosing between them.

there is one thing that is crystal clear to me:

i fucking hate repulbicans.

no big surprise. but i do. i really do. all of them. fucking fucks.

that's all.

anyone have any experience with the suzuki method? my DD turns 3 in spring and she's waaay into music (yeah yeah, all kids are, i know...) and with BD being a musician and all, it seems like it will be worth exposing her to lessons sooner than later.... any thoughts? first-hand experiences?

this is usually a big week for movie-watching. anybody see anything good lately?

i caught a fantabulous doc about Ralph Nader on independent lens last week called An Unreasonable Man. and man oh man, does ralph rock or what? seeing this film seals it for me. i just want to give him a hug. and a vote. and say thank you, ralph. which i already do, i swear, every time i fasten my seatbelt.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/14210329/detail.html

i posted this story earlier this month, when the woman first petitioned to get extra time to pump during her medical exam. here's the first round of HM discussion on this topic-
http://www.hipmama.com/node/34537

from the N*Y T*mes
September 10, 2007

Nursing Mother Goes to Court for Exam Time

One test stands between Sophie Currier and her Harvard medical degree and a prestigious residency.

But Ms. Currier says she runs a high risk of failing the test unless the National Board of Medical Examiners gives her additional break time to pump breast milk for her 4-month-old daughter.

HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose novel "A Wrinkle in Time" has been enjoyed by generations of schoolchildren and adults since the 1960s, has died, her publicist said Friday. She was 88.

L'Engle died Thursday at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith.

so i;ve tried to navigate the US passport website to figure it out, but the language is driving me bonkers! i know we have to apply in person, i know where in my 'hood to aplly, i'm just wondering if both BD and I need to go together with her to apply? or can i get the form ahead of time so he can sign it (but would i then have to get it notarized??) so i can just go on my own with DD to apply? finding a time that all 3 of us can stand in line forever is not happening. there's gotta be a way to do it without him? anyone? anyone? anyone do this in the states recently?

fyi from the NY Times today:

Parents Warned Cough Medicines Imperil Infants
By G*RDINER H*RRIS

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 — Hoping to halt the growing number of injuries to infants and toddlers, the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory Wednesday warning parents never to give cough and cold medicines to children under the age of 2 unless instructed to do so by a doctor.

The warning is part of a broad reassessment by the agency of the safety of the popular medicines, which have been blamed for hundreds of adverse reactions and a handful of deaths in children under the age of 2.

i'm inclined to believe this move has more to do with political strategy than for Rove to 'spend more time with hism family" as he claims. perhaps something to do with his endless subpeonas, perhaps he's already advising the romney campaign? whatevah. ding dong, the dink is almost gone!

now if gonzo, bush, and the big dick himself would follow in his footsteps this nation might have a shot at a decent future...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118698747711695773.html?mod=hpp_us_whats...

in case you hadn't heard - the democratic candidates are going to participate in a debate dedicated soley to LGBT issues tonite on teh LOGO channel at 6pm pst (9pm est) it will also stream on their website. should be interesting... though melissa etheridge is moderating, which is kinda lame imho. i'm sure she'll do a great job *finger's crossed* but why not a journalist, someone whose is trained and experienced in asking questions of political candidates?

From the L.A. Times:

Less TV, more baby talk, study finds

Infants that watch such educational series as 'Baby Einstein' have smaller vocabularies than other children, researchers say.

Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to a new study released today.

For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old watched such popular video series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children.

here's a lovely reminder that the 'beautiful people' actually do have wrinkles and back fat, just like the rest of us!

http://jezebel.com/gossip/photoshop-of-horrors/heres-our-winner-redbook-...

sorry, i had to start a new thread...

Thousands in U.S. claiming vaccine-autism link get their day in court

The Associated Press
June 11, 2007

WASHINGTON: The parents of 12-year-old Michelle Cedillo asked a federal court Monday to find that their child's autism was caused by common childhood vaccines, a precedent-setting case that could pave the way for thousands of autistic children to receive compensation from a special U.S. government fund set up to help people injured by the shots.

because i saw Knocked Up this weekend and freaking loved it. i laughed, i cried, two thumbs up. way way up. see it before you hear too much about it.

Cindy Sheehan throws in the towel: