Elections And More!

Yes, it's the day after and what an exciting day for those of us who wanted a change in our government. After some despairing elections, finally a victory. And not just in Red and Blues, but also in some key issues.

In a triple setback for conservatives, South Dakotans rejected a law that would have banned virtually all abortions, Arizona became the first state to defeat an amendment to ban gay marriage and Missouri approved a measure backing stem cell research.

- MSNBC

For those cynics who doesn't believe the government will change with Democrats taking the House and possibly the Senate, here's an outline of how the Democrats can make an immediate impact. I'm also excited to have our first female Speaker of the House in Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Overall, these elections were inspiring and relieving. And too bad this genius didn't get voted out of the office, although his term doesn't end until 2008, he should have been voted out for pure stupidity for this comment:

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama): "“If every American back in 1950 had quit buying novels and invested money in high-yield bonds, today we would be looking at a savings surplus of several trillion dollars, and Social Security would not be in the mess it'’s in. Instead, we know what happened-most of the money wound up in the pockets of one unscrupulous novelist, Pearl S. Buck, with the disastrous consequences of which we are too well aware. The fact that that woman never spent a day in jail is a disgrace to the history of our nation. I would ask every American, before you lavish your next paycheck on expensive novels you may not need, consider the other spending choices available. You could expand your cable service, visit a casino, make a political donation, give to a faith-based concern, or put the money in something the brokers call a flort. I think we all know a little bit better how our earnings should be spent than the average novel-writer does."”

Not only is that idiotic, but I'd also like to point out his hypocrisy. Check out this picture on his website:

Ummm, what's that behind his peanut head? Are those, *Gasp, Books?!?! Wait, so where'd those come from? Did they appear out of thin air, or did someone, um, Buy Them? Okay, granted, they may or may not be novels behind his head, but it could be, you never know. I wonder what's on his approved books to purchase list. Sessions also links to the American Library Association on his Kids Page. Last I checked, those places were oozing with dirty, nasty novels that the Library Purchased.

Despite the craziness of one kooky old man, I found this great article on Powell's Blog by the author of the memoir There Is No Me Without You, Melissa Fay Greene, a book that I desperately want to get devour before I go to Africa but probably won't because I promised to not buy anymore books this year. Damn promises. Greene writes in this article about her large family of seven children, four by birth and three by adoption. She continues by discussing the decision to add even more children from Ethiopia to their already large family and the reactions of their friends and family, one friend called her the old woman in the shoe. I loved this article because that's soooo me, I want to adopt and could see myself having a larger than life family, I want to be the old woman in the shoe! I already have a house overflowing with animals, why not kids too? It was an inspirational article and I can't wait to get my hands on her memoir to be even further inspired.

But for those who wish to be uninspired, check out this page of Demotivators. See, I try to tailor to all my readers, despite their motivation or lack there of preferences. Does that mean I'm bipartisan or an Independent? Ha.

Hot off the wire: Rumsfield quits... or was forced to quit? That is the question. I'd like to know what was said in the series of "thoughtful conversations" between Rumsfeld and Bush about the defense secretary's resignation. Either way, thank the lord. Also, Democrats won the Montana Senate seat, now we're just waiting on Virginia.

Reading Challenge

Okay, so there was a sale this weekend at a bookstore, and I went a little hog wild and bought 8 books (I told my hubby he should have came with me!) I've been bad, buying books when I have More than enough at home to read. I just can't help myself! I literally have 130 books on my Amazon wishlist... I know, it's a sickness. Logistically, also, it just doesn't make sense to buy more books. Any book lover knows, it's a pain in the ass to move with bunches of books! Those suckers are heavy!

Nonetheless, I found this challenge on Around the World in 100 Books and felt like it was literally speaking to me. So, I've resolved to buy no more books for the rest of the year (eek, I know it's only two months, but it seems so long!) and limit myself to a budget of $25 a month for books for next year, though I may wait to implement that after the move since we'll be tight for moolah in the mean time. Plus, soon I'll have college text books to buy again, ugh, I'm not looking forward to that!

I will devote myself to being happy with the books I have already purchased rather than continually looking forward to books I wish to purchase and will read books I already own. Wacky idea, isn't it?

I've also been slacking on reading in general just because of the business of applying to schools, selling cars, getting my house ready to sell, and other personal things that have popped up in my life distracting me from my reading (okay, fine, so television is the culprit part of the time!)

I'm going to set goals for the month of November:

• Finish Crime and Punishment finally! I've picked it up and laid it down a number of times, not for want of interest, but because it always happened that a book would take precedence over it such as I had to finish a book for a book club meeting, or I borrowed a friend's book so wanted to finish it to get it back to them, etc. I will finish it this month!
• Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. I've wanted to read this book for a while, but I finally just purchased it this weekend at the sale and I'd like to get it read before the third of next month for Simply Wait's the third day book club! This month they blogged about Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which I also purchased this weekend. Since I just bought the book, I didn't participate in the third day book club this month, but am eager to next month. It sounds like such a delightful idea! I hope I already own the book that will be blogged about for January 3rd since I'm not allowed to buy anymore.
• Paint it Black by Janet Fitch. I've been dying to read her widely anticipated follow up to the amazing White Oleander since it has come out, but haven't had time yet. It took her 7 years to complete this one after the stress of the success of White Oleander hit her (damn you Oprah! Um, just kidding, please don't have me shot, Ms. Winfrey...)
  
• The Celestine Vision by James Redfield. It's okay if I don't finish this in November since it's more of a spiritual read and is more of a "read as you need" type of book, but I think I need some spiritual grounding so I'll be hitting it up this month for sure.
• The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner. I'm not too concerned about finishing this one either since I've read it before, but I'd like to dip into it to inspire me to get back on track with my writing again. I've been slacking on that as well.

That's about a book a week if you count my goal to read at least parts of The Celestine Vision and The Art of Fiction, so they can count as one book in that sense. Not an overly ambitious goal for me, but one that will hopefully keep me on track with my reading and keep me from slacking and vegging out in front of the TV.

I'll be traveling a lot next year in January and then March so I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done then and have already laid out themed stacks of books for the trips. My husband must think I'm nuts, but of course I have my African novels laid out for my trip to Uganda and my European based novels for my trip to Europe in March. I can't be the only one who does this!

Good reading and writing folks! Wish me luck on focusing and buckling down. There's something about the winter that makes me feel incredibly lazy and like all I want to do is lay under the covers and do nothing. I must have been a bear in my past life, because I sure would like to hibernate for the winter. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The Alchemist: A Review

In a book that reminded me a lot of The Celestine Prophecy Series by James Redfield (to such an extent that I'm inspired to reread my Celestine books), The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho offers a spiritual outlook on life in a tale of adventure and following one's destiny.

The story is simply written and allows the reader to follow a young boy on his path to his destiny. The book discusses omens, listening and trusting your heart, and the language of the world. It's a grounding book that encourages you to live in the present and to follow your dreams. This book is just what I needed in my hectic and scary time of quitting my job, moving and going back to school to follow my dreams. It's been stressful and I've more than once had doubts. It seems so easy to just stay at my wonderful, beautiful house which I'm completely in love with, start a family, stay in our shitty unfulfilling jobs, and live like nearly every other family in suburbia. But I know me and I know that I would never be happy living like that even if my family life is wonderful. Right now, I couldn't ask for a better home and personal life with my husband, yet I'm miserable because for 9 hours a day I'm subjecting myself to a completely unfulfilling, meaningless job that I hate and dread going to every single day. I cannot imagine being happy while at my current job. The Alchemist is inspiring and encouraging to those who want to follow their dreams instead of live a subpar life settling for what is safe and comfortable. It reminds me to connect spiritually with the world and to trust in fate/god/the world (whatever you choose to call the higher power) that if you pursue your dreams, while you will be tested, the universe conspires for you to achieve your dreams.

I really enjoyed the book. It was simple and straight to the point. I enjoyed the story and the vision and understanding of the universe in the book. It's a quick read that rejuvenates your spirit and focuses you away from all the distractions that surround you so you can follow your own fate. I recommend this book, especially if you need a little focus, grounding and spiritual rejuvenation.

Also, a friend loaned me Pride of Baghdad, a graphic novel by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon. It was excellent and really exams many of the issues surrounding the liberation of Iraq in a vivid manner that only a graphic novel can. I highly recommend it.

Can I Vote Against Her?

Should I take pleasure in this? It feels so wrong and yet so right...

It's A Football Friday!

Okay, so I've been slacking a little on the football posts. It's been over a week since my last football post. I know, I'm gasping too. But as you could have guessed I've been a bit depressed about football recently. Why? BECAUSE THE STEELERS HAVE THE SAME RECORD AS THE BROWNS! Anyone who knows anything about football knows how awful that is. So, as I munch on the leftover Halloween candy (hmmm, chocolate) I've decided to take on a new approach to my Steelers games. Forget playoffs and repeating the Super Bowl, that's not even on the radar. I'm just going game by game and legitimately, the Steelers could win any game left on their schedule and they could lose any game left on their schedule. There are no more guaranteed wins or losses for the Steelers this season because they've been on such extremes of good and bad, you just don't know What Steelers you're getting.

I'm personally getting sick of the Ben Bashing and the Steelers fans giving up on the season. Sure, the ultimate purpose of each season is to win the Super Bowl, but only one team achieves that goal each year. So we have to have other goals and focuses, and like one of my favorite radio personalities from Sirius's NFL Radio, Solomon Wilcots, said in response to a Steelers' fan who wanted to rein Ben in like he was a rookie, let Ben play! Let him play out of his funk, gain confidence and become a better Quarterback for our future. Just because he's struggling, doesn't mean we don't have great things in our future. I believe in Ben and am totally confident he'll come back. What's ridiculous to me is that after hearing about the motorcycle accident, anyone would have said that our season was shot. And just because Ben came back, albeit perhaps a bit too early, everyone seemed to forget all that he'd been through this offseason and subsequently non-stop since. Dude, if this makes Ben a stronger person and QB, then so be it. We have A Lot more years with him then just this year. And what about the fact that he has yet to give us a bad year at all. Give him a break, people! I know fans are fickle, but this is ridiculous.

I think our major problems are our O-Line and Special Teams, and Not our QB. I'm not saying Ben isn't struggling, but our O-Line's not giving him much of a chance either. And now our O-Line is being shuffled. Great, that gives me confidence. Personally, I never thought our O-Line was great. I always thought they were average to good and Ben made up for their weaknesses with his mobility and made them look better than they really were. Now that he's recovering from Multiple injuries he's not as mobile, and here we see sacks galore and an interception party. Not to mention that the O-Line has not been opening up the running game at all. Our running game has been inconsistent and overall bad this year, and I really don't believe it's Willie's fault either.

And I don't even want to start with our (*cringe) special teams. Okay, I get letting go Randle-el because, honestly, he isn't worth what the Redskins are paying for him. But why let go of Quincy? A great returner and a veteran receiver... both of which we've desperately needed this year! And I'm still baffled by releasing Chidi, wasn't he our special teams Captain last year?

Overall, I think we could Totally win this weekend. But then again, we could get killed too.

Depends on which Steelers show up.

Cheap Books, Sad Death and a Plea for Peace

And I don't mean cheap in the trashy sense. For anybody else who's as obsessed with purchasing books as I am (to my husband's dismay), this site is a must. It's called BooksPrice.com and it compares book prices from the major online sellers so you can find the cheapest price. I even tested the site (the cynic that I am) and it doesn't favor any of the sellers, which is nice. Another cool feature that I really like is that it can find a book wishlist from Amazon.com, which is where I keep my book wishlist. I'm pretty excited about using this site to feed my growing book obsession. Nevermind that I have a bookcase full of say about 50 books that have yet to be read. I need More! Needless to say, it's a pretty cool website for book nerds like me and you. :)

On to more serious news, this story just about broke my heart.

(November 01, 2006) -- The true stories of how American troops, killed in Iraq, actually died keep spilling out this week. On Tuesday, we explored the case of Kenny Stanton Jr., murdered last month by our allies, the Iraqi police, though the military didn’t make that known at the time. Now we learn that one of the first female soldiers killed in Iraq died by her own hand after objecting to interrogation techniques used on prisoners.

She was Army specialist Alyssa Peterson, 27, a Flagstaff, Ariz., native serving with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne. Peterson was an Arabic-speaking interrogator assigned to the prison at our air base in troubled Tal-Afar in northwestern Iraq. According to official records, she died on Sept. 15, 2003, from a “non-hostile weapons discharge.”
...

“Peterson objected to the interrogation techniques used on prisoners. She refused to participate after only two nights working in the unit known as the cage. Army spokespersons for her unit have refused to describe the interrogation techniques Alyssa objected to. They say all records of those techniques have now been destroyed. ...

She was was then assigned to the base gate, where she monitored Iraqi guards, and sent to suicide prevention training. “But on the night of September 15th, 2003, Army investigators concluded she shot and killed herself with her service rifle,” the documents disclose.

- Editor & Publisher

Thank you to The Daily Dish for bringing this story to my attention. The trials of war on our soldiers is high and often underappreciated despite the "Support our Troops" car magnets. We can't forget the emotional trauma and deaths that are inflicted onto our soldiers and we can't forget that especially when they come home. Just because they're home doesn't mean their trauma is over. Anybody remember the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that ravaged Vietnam Veterans? It's obvious that this war has already taken an effect on some of our soldiers psychologically and has sadly resulted in a death of a true heroine. My heart goes out to her family.

A Child's Plea

When the children start begging for peace, isn't it about time we listened? In Northern Uganda, the children, many of whom have been abducted and forced to fight or be sex slaves for the LRA, have banded together to plead for successful peace talks. The Juba Peace Talks between the LRA and the Ugandan Government have been fragile since its beginnings and continue to be strained, but as one Ugandan child said, "We hope they keep the dialogue going. Beginning a new life is not difficult as long as you have peace." I hope the Ugandan government listens to their plea. It also wouldn't hurt for the rest of the world to hear their pleas and to show their support openly and monetarily for the peace talks. Sadly the international community has been oddly quiet about the peace talks, leaving Sudan the only vocal supporter for peace in Uganda.

Another child's plea comes from our first genital mutilation case in the United States. The little girl of an Ethiopian immigrant testified on a video tape that her father "cut me on my private part." Her mother apparently was unaware of this until two years afterward. In a grotesque tradition that is often still practiced in Africa, this marks the first case of female genital mutilation in this country. Thankfully the father was jailed.

On Politics

I was thinking about politics last night as the Elections come up and I felt overwhelmed with it all. I figured I couldn't be the only one, so I thought I'd mention it here. I took government class in high school and have tried to keep up with politics as much as possible, but sometimes not as much as I'd like. As I try to follow the news I feel like I need a refresher course or maybe I never learned as much as I should have in high school. I only had one government class for one semester, I think kids should have a lot more education on our government than that because it's frickin' complicated! Sometimes it all confuses the hell out of me! I understand the basic structure of our government and all that, but sometimes all the political BS that goes on just makes it difficult for me to follow politics, which maybe is the point of all that BS. It's more the political maneuvering that gets me confused, it makes it harder for me to see the truth and to understand what is really going on with our government. I was reading some of the issues that will be on the ballot and for some of the issues it's just impossible to understand what I'm voting for or against without some sort of interpretation written (and even that can be biased). It makes me feel dense and ignorant. Beyond that, I know there are the people who blindly follow a certain party and vote for their party only, and I understand why people are inclined to do this. It's a lot of work and effort to research the candidates and decided if you support them, you tend to trust your party to choose the best candidate. Yes, it's partly laziness, but also I wonder if it really is as confusing and overwhelming to the general populace as it is to me. I don't really want to be a party follower per se, though I am obviously closer to one side than the other, but I would like to feel more educated on the issues and candidates which I feel is hard with all the bashing each other campaigns that are out there right now. I don't learn anything about the actual candidate in the campaign commercials, only what the opposing candidate did wrong. While I don't believe at all the Kerry was bashing our troops with his "botched jokes", just the fact that his was once again bashing Bush makes me lose respect for him. Stop bashing and start telling me why you're a better option. There's criticizing a political opponents policies or approaches, but then there's just below the belt bashing by calling someone uneducated and lazy, which is basically what Kerry called Bush. Grow the fuck up. Everyone in politics could use a little growing up. I mean, they're supposed to be solving our nation's problems and all they can do is bash each other. Are we in elementary school here?

I, as many do, of course hate our politics. It's dirty and shady without a doubt and has lost much of what it was meant to be. Many things dismay me, from the blatant use of fear to control people to the lack of separation of church and state. I feel that many people end up washing their hands of politics because of the distaste it leaves in their mouths, but I think this is a mistake. It's clear to me that apathy in the people is what has led to much of the debacle in Washington. When people stop paying attention, that's when the government can start taking advantage of its people. So despite the fact that it is perhaps harder than ever to keep up with politics because of the over-information and the lack of any objectivity in the majority of the information, I will still trudge forward. It's gotten to the point where I skim headlines on politics because there are so many and when I read the content often it's so laced with biased I can't stand it.

I'm wondering what do you do to keep up on politics and stay educated? What non-biased (or as non-biased as possible) sources do you read/watch/listen to in order to stay in the know with politics and what's going on in the world? I'm sick of the strongly biased stations, etc. Where do you go for some Good Reporting? I'm so sick of sifting through all the political bullshit, I just need a No BS Zone for my information. Does one exist anymore?

On The Horizon Of Peace

As the Juba Peace Talks continue between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government and an uneasy cease fire is implemented, now is the time for the US and other countries to step up in show of support for these peace talks. One huge proponent for this has been John Edwards who not only visited Uganda but wrote this moving Op/Ed piece for the Washington Post.

At a moment of tremendous global hardship -- from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the killing fields of Darfur -- it is rare to find hope. So when there is the possibility for peace, we must seize it. That's why one of the world's great tragedies, the conflict in Northern Uganda, deserves our attention.

It is perhaps the worst humanitarian catastrophe to have gone practically unnoticed by most of the world. The two decades of violence in Northern Uganda have had devastating consequences -- nearly 2 million people have been run out of their homes and forced to live in overcrowded, squalid camps; tens of thousands have died; 30,000 children have been abducted by an organization called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to fight as child soldiers or used as sex slaves. Hundreds of villages have been abandoned and destroyed.

Please read the rest here!

Also, if you're interested in knowing who your fave celeb supports in the office, check out this link. I found it mildly interesting, most of them were not surprising, but it's cool to see what celebs actually bother to care about politics and choose to get involved.

mai wen and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Okay, so yesterday was the day from hell for me. First, I was a victim of a Paypal Phising Scheme and unwittingly (Really unwittingly) gave out my personal banking information. Argh, I know better than that, but I was tricked and luckily I was suspicious immediately and did some quick research and found out that it was indeed a fraud. I Never knew that you shouldn't open links to secure places such as Paypal from the email but instead should open a separate browser and type in the url directly. Now I know. So yesterday was a mess of getting my poor husband (who shared the account with me that I had given information out on) to meet me at our bank to open a new checking account, blah blah blah and all the mess that comes with that stupid mistake of mine. Let me tell you, it's a headache!

To add to my terrible, horrible day was the fact that I had to get my shots for Africa yesterday, and I Hate shots! So I went, already knowing that my insurance won't cover it because it doesn't cover any travel health issues, to be shocked to find out how much shots cost! I got six shots (yikes, my arms seriously still hurt, A Lot) and it cost $575!!! Yeah, hubby and I were not happy about that, especially since I have to go back for boosters. This trip to Africa is already costing me a bundle since I have to pay for everything myself, but the shots are killing me, and I even didn't get some of the ones that were suggested but not mandatory because of cost. The sad thing about the non-profit industry now-a-days is that fundraising is at an all time low right now and while most non-profits that dealt with sending volunteers overseas in the past used to cover either all or part of the expenses for their volunteers through fundraising, now it's just not possible because non-profits can barely raise enough money to stay running and to keep their programs going. So the volunteers must make up for the lack of fundraising and pay for the costs themselves, and it's killing me. I don't think I've ever been so stressed about money in my life, but what are you going to do? This is a once in a lifetime experience that will hopefully propel me into my goal career, working with refugees of war. Of course it had to come right before a longtime planned trip to Europe (which the tickets are already bought!) and right before a big planned move to where ever I go to school!

So not only did I give access to my main bank account away yesterday but I spent a buttload of money to be poked with needles and to have sore arms. Yesterday stunk and my poor hubby not only had to deal with the money issues that I've created in our life but also with a depressed, stressed out wife. Poor boy, and he even drew me a bath which saved my life.

Oh and of course today this woman I work with who barely touches me slapped me twice on my arm (in a friendly manner) where I got three of my shots and it killed me, but I didn't want to say anything because it's still on the down low that I'm going to Africa. So now my sore arm has become a throbbing sore arm.

Did I mention it's raining? Rain sucks.

I miss college where I had girlfriends to talk to right down the street and could just go over with a tub of ice cream and curl up on their couch for an hour for a good cry if I needed it. Thank god I have a great girlfriend at work that I went out to lunch with for a much needed girlfriend time, it's something I need just as much if not more as my hubby time. There's nothing in the world like your girlfriends!

I know this was a really whiny post, sorry, it happens.

P.S. Last night I determined that perhaps it's not the best idea to read Russian novels while in a depressive state of mind. I'm very deep into Crime and Punishment and am loving it but yesterday it was a bit much for me. Note to self, must go to cheerful reads when depressed. I guess that's why I have the habit of reading mutliple books at once, my mood changes daily and so does my mood for what I want to read. Isn't it wonderful being a hormonal woman? Men, please don't answer. I may have to smack you if you do.

Game Thursday is Back!

One-liner Stories

Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words ("For sale: baby shoes, never worn.") and is said to have called it his best work.

Very cool idea, check out these six word stories from some sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers from the realms of books, TV, movies, and games.

Since Flood is on hiatus, I'll steal her Game Thursday idea. Now, what is your six word story? Leave it in my comments. I'll start...

Stupid girl. Stupid boy. Hello Baby!

When Deers Attack!

Too funny, the deer who loved a boy!

When Elevators Attack!

Okay, seriously, not kidding, I have a fear of my elevator at work. It has closed on me numerous times (though once I blame my co-worker... you know who you are!) and has left scratches and marks, it's unpredictable and doesn't always stop when a limb is in the way. I get in and out as quickly as I can.

Now my fear is permanent after a certain elevator attacking co-worker sent me this article (I swear, he's trying to control me with fear)...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A dormitory elevator that pinned and killed an Ohio State University freshman was overloaded, said authorities who have not determined whether the extra weight caused a malfunction.

...

The elevator didn't stop its descent until it wedged Polakowski against the floor of the third-floor lobby, Amweg said.

Polakowski died immediately, Smith said. After firefighters determined they couldn't save him, they helped the others inside the elevator climb down a ladder to the second floor.

...

The Department of Commerce released documents showing that the elevator where the accident happened had passed every safety test conducted by Otis Elevator Co. going back to 2003, including the most recent one, conducted July 24.

Now that fills me with comfort. I guess I have some extra motivation to take the stairs now.

The Curse of Big Ben

According to ESPN, it's been confirmed that Ben suffered a concussion on that three man hit on him. Well, duh, obviously he did, he was out for five minutes and had already suffered a concussion from his motorcycle accident earlier this year, and once you've suffered a concussion, subsequent concussions are much more likely. Obviously the Steelers were trying to keep the "concussion" word out of it as they were not confirming it for a while. Does this make anyone think of Troy Aikman or Steve Young and how they were both forced to end their careers early because of recurring concussions? Yeah, I'd say the c-word is striking fear in all Steelers' fans' hearts. Thank god we're playing Oakland next week, let's just hope this time

Pittsburgh doesn't rush Ben back and let Batch play so that Ben can be at full health for the Denver game the following week. I think Batch can handle the pitiful Raiders with one hand tied behind his back. I do feel sorry for Ben though, the kid has been through a truckload of shit of recent.

Let's just hope he keeps an eye out for those pesky anvils and safes that will come falling from the sky!

Incoming from above! Somebody needs to tell Ben that his goatee is Not a substitute for a helmet.

Okay, don't tell me that the helmet of the Atlanta dude on the left (Falcons defensive end Chauncey Davis) is not smacking right into Ben's precious helmeted head! And dude on the right is not far from Ben's head either! And where was the flag you ask? Supposedly stuck up the ref's arse... yeah, if there aren't fines later this week for the hits Steeler Nation will revolt, I guarantee you. The ref's house just might be set on fire or something. Remember, this is the same Steeler Nation who left threatening messages on the poor old lady who hit Ben on his motorcycle as well as harassed Maddox's kids in school after his horrible Jacksonville performance last year. Oh yeah, we're ruthless.

Gulu Walk

(Above) The Wonderful Volunteers who helped organize the Gulu Walk for Cincinnati, OH. Okay, so my dog, Vladdy, didn't actually help organize, but he walked all 4.8 miles with us so everyone insisted that he be in the picture!

With the numbers still rolling in, it'’s already clear that on Saturday, October 21, GuluWalk Day, over 30,000 people, in 82 cities and 15 different countries took to the streets to urge the world to support peace in northern Uganda. From Beijing to Birmingham to Boston, people across the world walked together to urge international support for the peace talks in Juba. In the coming days, we'll feature news stories and photos from many of the walks.

- Uganda-CAN

The Gulu Walk in Cincinnati was a great success! We had between 130-150 people (the official count isn't in yet) and the event was wonderful. People were warm and friendly and had fun! Oh, and nothing beats chanting "Gulu Walk, walk for peace!" in the middle of downtown Cincinnati and getting stares. We got a lot of supportive car honks and I hope that we got people interested in the issue. I really am not sure how many walks are done in Cincinnati like the Gulu Walk, but for some reason I feel like not many. We made a stop at the Freedom Center, which, ashamedly, I have not visited yet, and it was a great opportunity to check it out. It was also very symbolic to stop there since we're trying to raise money and awareness for the freedom of the children of Uganda. I'm really proud of all the volunteers who made this event possible and for the first Gulu Walk in Cincinnati I think it was a huge success!

Adding to the significance of this walk for me is the fact that I was accepted to attend the Summit in Uganda January 2-January 17! I found out last week a day before the Gulu Walk and I'm so excited I can't even speak. I mean, fuck, I'M GOING TO AFRICA!! The Summit is called Global Kimeeza II: The Role of Youth in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda (Kimeeza - pronounced: chee-meh-zah is the Luganda word for "big table") and is organized by the Global Youth Partnership for Africa.

This fall, peace talks brought about a cessation of hostilities in the 20-year civil war in Northern Uganda; now is a critical time to examine the political situation and engage in the practice of reconstruction and reconciliation. The goal of the Kimeeza is to provide a platform for Americans and Ugandans to explore the important role that youth play in post-conflict reconstruction by sharing ideas, approaches, and strategies.

-GYPA

I've been deeply interested in Uganda and the war that has stolen the lives of so many children for some time now and will very likely follow this passion and interest into my career following Graduate School. I cannot believe that I'll actually be In Gulu and meet the families and people that have been through the war, and possibly some child soldiers that have survived the war. It will be an amazing experience that I'm sure will change me for the better and forever. Anyways, when the time comes I'll definitely be keeping you updated on my packing and preparation for the trip and of course the trip itself! Thursday I do my first official preparation (other than send a fatty check to reserve my spot for the trip) by going to receive about a million shots to make sure I don't die immediately stepping off the plan in Uganda! Ugh, I absolutely Hate shots. The last time I had to get a shot I asked if I could hold the teddy bear that they have in the room for children and they said No! Okay, so I was twenty-years-old at the time, but come on, I can't hold a freaking teddy bear for comfort? It was a horrible experience and I am scarred because of it. So Thursday will not be fun, but you gotta do what you gotta do. After I get my shots I can then apply for the Visa for Uganda, which is always so much fun going through that whole process!

More pics from the Wonderful and Successful Gulu Walk!

At the beginning of the walk... I'm the one with the dog!

Walking in downtown Cincinnati!

Some fellow walkers spreading the love! Everyone was so wonderful, except for one guy who criticized how much we were asking for merchandise! Um, hello, it's a charity, all the money is going to the cause! I mean, much of the merchandise was paid for out of our own pockets!

The walkers at the Freedom Center.

Vladdy and I resting at the Freedom Center before the second half of the walk. He was quite the good walker, though I do think he gotnervouse when cars would honk at us in support, he wasn't quite sure what that noise was. He sure was exhausted for the rest of the weekend though!

Thank you again to all those who supported me for the walk! You will definitely be kept updated on my future endeavors with this cause and hopefully we can make a difference.

Man, I am a non-profit guppie after all. I always knew I had it in me. :)

Laziness Mixed With Admiration

I'm not sure if it's laziness (I don't feel like blogging a new post today) or just that my hubby writes some damn good game analyses, but he's my guest blogger again this Friday. He's gone nuts and done two games this week. Enjoy!

Week 7 - Double Dipper Games of Week

I'’m going Baskin Robbins style today with two scoops of pure deliciousness! It was just too hard to settle on one game of the week, so I'’m breaking down two games in week 7 for the AFC North. Both match-ups square off at 1pm on Sunday, so get your Tivo ready and prepare for some great football!

In the first game we have the Carolina Panthers coming to Cincinnati to play the Bengals. In Week 6 the Panthers also played an AFC North foe, and if you recall I correctly predicted them to pull off the victory at Baltimore. Cincinnati is coming off two losses in a row after winning their first three games of the season and they are in serious need of a jolt on offense. Defenses have been putting pressure on Carson Palmer all year long and he needs a secure pocket for him to be at his best. It doesn'’t help that Levi Jones (LT) is injured and will not be playing on Sunday. Not to mention, Carolina will line up the best pass rusher in the game in Julius Peppers. Expect Cincinnati to double team Peppers on every single pass play. Every single pass play! Marvin will not to let Peppers get to his prize QB. What this will cause is one-on-one match-ups across the offensive line for the Bengals and Mike Rucker (DE) will give problems to this patchwork unit. What we'’ll see on passing plays from the Bengals is a 3 WR set with Rudi Johnson staying in to help protect Palmer. The Bengals will be susceptible to blitzes from Carolina and while the Panther don'’t typically need to blitz I expect that they will bring pressure in 3rd and long situations. Cincinnati can have success with the hurry-up offense and some 3-step drops, but they will have to execute the plays to perfection and the receivers can'’t be dropping balls. The key to the Cincinnati O vs. Panthers D is that the Panthers will be able to diagnose if the Bengals are going to pass or run by looking at how they block Peppers. If Peppers has a one-on-one match-up it means that Cincy is going to be running the ball and Carolina knows this. During the game watch how Cincy blocks Julius Peppers. The Bengals have to get the passing game going first in order to open up some running lanes and expect the Panthers to stuff the Bengals running game in the first half. With all the injuries on the O-line for the Bengals it will take a superior effort by the backups to keep the pressure off Carson Palmer.

Once again we have THE premiere WR in the game in Steve Smith facing a porous Bengals Defense. Steve Smith will have an absolutely huge day! But it won'’t be with long passes down the field. The LB core for the Bengals is full of reserves and Smith will be in motion pre-snap and will run crossing routes all afternoon. If the Bengals do make the proper adjustments they'’ll have to bring up a safety for support on Mr. Smith which will leave one-on-one match-ups for Keyshawn Johnson and Drew Carter. Carter is a burner and I expect him to be thrown to deep at least once in the first half. The impact that Steve Smith has on how a defense plays the Panthers offense cannot be understated and it'’s proven by the Panthers record this year when Smith is in the game at (4-0). With the LB and Safties paying special attention to Mr. Smith, DeShawn Foster will have 120+ yards and at least 1 TD. This includes multiple runs over 20+ yards. I can'’t tell you one player on the Panthers O-line, but it doesn'’t matter because they get the job done. Cincinnati doesn'’t have much of a pass rush to begin with and for them to have chance at stopping the Panthers offense they will have to get pressure on Delhomme. I'’ve got Delhomme in fantasy and he'’s a must start today! The only thing that can derail the Panthers offense is turnovers, and it will take a lot of them for Cincy to stay close.

Going into the analysis for this game I was torn at who would win because of the home field advantage for Cincinnati. After putting some time and thought into it, it is apparent that the Panthers are the better team right now and will dominate this game on Sunday. Bengals fans will be crushed on Monday with a record of (3-3) and I expect Paul Brown stadium to start emptying out half way through the 4th Quarter. Wouldn'’t be surprised is Chad Johnson cries and Housh leaves the game with another injury.

Prediction:
Panthers 35
Bengals 17

...

For the 2nd scoop I'’ll have a helping of the Pittsburg Steelers at the Atlanta Falcons. In this game the NFL is featuring two of its top rushing teams and this should be a smash mouth football game with a few big plays.

The Steelers Offense finally got on track last week against the Chiefs and did they ever show what they can do against a veteran unit in K.C. Don'’t expect Pittsburgh to have this kind of offensive output every week, but now defenses have to respect the passing game and can'’t just stack the box for the run. However, this is what Atlanta is going to do. They are going to make Roethlisberger prove that last week was not a fluke. With a cover corner like DeAngelo Hall, Atlanta can match him up one-on-one to any of the Steelers Wide-outs and the match-up will favor the Falcons. I'’m not sure if John Abraham will suit up (questionable), but with a groin injury he will be gimpy and ineffective. While the Steelers are known for their dominant running game they are actually about 50/50 - run/pass in the first half of football games or until they get a 10 point lead. None the less, Lawyer Milloy (SS) will be in the box until the Steelers can prove their ability to pass the football with consistency. I'’m looking for the slot receiver (Washington/Holmes) or tight end (Miller) to have a big game. Bringing a safety in the box creates a lot of holes deep down the middle of the field over top of the linebackers. Atlanta safties will have trouble covering Miller (TE) and the LBs for Atlanta won'’t be able to stay with the Steelers WR’s. One match-up that could play favorable for Atlanta is LB Demorrio Williams covering TE Heath Miller. Williams has 4.5 speed and has the ability to turn his hips and run, but Miller is 6'5"” and that'’s why the Steelers will target Miller over the top of the Linebackers. The speed of the Atlanta linebackers also plays well to neutralizing the speed of Willie Parker, but the problem is that Pittsburgh'’s front five is playing at a very high level and Willie will be 5-6 yards downfield before the LB’s get to him. Once the run is established, the play-action will be leathal. Expect to see a heavy dose of N. Davenport in the 2nd and 4th quarter to really beat up the Falcons D.

When Atlanta has the ball we are looking at strength on strength, a Run oriented offense vs. a Run stopping defense. Michael Vick will have to prove that he can pass the ball to the Wide Receivers for the Falcons to be successful. The Steelers secondary matches up very well to the passing game of the Falcons because Vick is consistently late on delivering the ball to his receivers. With the Zone coverage that the Steelers employ the opposing QB has to anticipate holes in the Defense and this is one of Vick weakest points as an NFL QB. You will see a lot of tipped passes from the Steelers secondary and I expect a couple of interceptions if Vick is forced to throw the ball over 20 times (Clark/Taylor with the picks). Troy Polamalu is one of the best DB’s at anticipating where the QB is going with the ball and he'’s having a monster year despite being injured for a 3 game stretch. When he'’s on the field he demands so much attention from the opposing QB and the Falcons will have to come up with something to try and slow down Troy (if it'’s possible). I also expect to see Troy shadowing Vick when it'’s a running situation for the Falcons. Polamalu will have 10 tackles. The threat that Warrick Dunn poses will be a challenge for the Steelers defense. If Dunn can break a couple of big runs in the first half it could cause the Steelers to modify their defensive game plan. As always against the Falcons it is important to keep Vick in the pocket and limit him on rushing. The Steelers have the edge in this match-up because they are disciplined in their lane assignments and have so much speed on defense, Vick won'’t be able to pop any 20+ yard runs.

This will be a telling game for both teams. Which team is a contender and which is a pretender? Who is the elite QB, Big Ben or Michael Vick? All-around, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the more complete team, but a hot start by Atlanta could get the crowd in the game and give the Falcons an edge.

Prediction:
Steelers 27
Falcons 16

Sponsor Me Goddammit!

Sponsor Me!

Alright, alright. I won't be that mean about it, but if you are able to spare any money I would really appreciate your sponsorship for the Gulu Walk that I helped organize for Cincinnati, OH this Saturday.

On Saturday, October 21, I am walking for the children of northern Uganda. In the midst of this 20-year conflict in Uganda, over 1-million people have been displaced, on top of thousands of night commuters. These displaced children have been forced into abhorrent conditions in camps where hundreds of people are dying every week because of a lack of clean water, food and medical care. I am walking to tell their story and to fundraise in support of children'’s programs that focus on education, rehabilitation and youth outreach, for this generation being left behind. Donate to me today and help me reach my fundraising goal. Better yet, join me and be one of the 10,000 reasons for hope in northern Uganda. For more information please visit GuluWalk's website.

This subject matter is very important to me as you may have noticed if you've been reading my blog for a while and I've already applied to go to Uganda in January to talk to the youth of Uganda about the war and rebuilding after the war (I should find out this week if I got accepted to attend this summit - cross your fingers for me!) Anything you can donate to sponsor me for this Gulu Walk, even if it's just $5, would be amazing. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that is very close to my heart.

Sponsor Me!

Most Googled Books

I found this article on the most googled books and they definitely aren't what I'd expect! The most googled books for the week of September 17th through 23rd (drum roll please...) include (among others):

• Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers
• The Holy Qur'’an
• Peterson's Study Abroad 2006
• Hegemony Or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance
• Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense
• Build Your Own All-Terrain Robot

Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers threw me off a little, but okay. The rest weren't shocking, although interesting... and then you get to Build Your Own All-Terrain Robot. Okay, are there seriously that many people who need to know how to build their own all-terrain robot?! WTF? Really people, that one kind of scared me. I mean I don't really know what an all-terrain robot is or what the hell it would be used for. Am I in the minority here?

Banner Headaches and Football High

Argh, once again my ineptness in all things coding is showing. I finally found some banner code with an image I like that fits really well and I stick it in and I can't figure out how to get those two blue strips to disappear from the banner heading! I've tried everything and it's just not working. Any suggestions?

Update: I figured out how to reduce (and take away) the blue stripes. I didn't like it all gone because then my banner looked dark, so I kept it and reduced it A Lot! It was one simple number that I couldn't figure out to change, how frustrating! I like how I pretend that I know what I'm doing here. Tell me how much better it looks! No, really, you'd better, OR ELSE... (cue sinister, threatening music now).

Oh, and did I mention... THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS ARE BACK!!!!! Oh yes, they Whooped up on the Number 4 Defense in the league right now with a 45-7 win. Yeah, I'd say we're back. Everything that hadn't been clicking suddenly clicked, it was magical... and I'm seriously not exaggerating. I'm so high I actually got up early this morning to work out, that's a pretty good football high! Just ask my husband how hard it is to get me out of bed in the morning. In addition to our spectacular win, Cincinnati lost to Tampa Bay falling to 3-2 and Baltimore lost to Carolina falling to 4-2. Needless to say, we're still in the hunt so watch out Cincinnati and Baltimore. You're on notice.

And just for funsies and to show what a warrior Polamalu is and if there were any question left as too whether or not he's fully recovered from his shoulder injury...

Hellll yeah he's back! And what's with all the news reports emphasizing that now we know his hair is not a weave? Did anybody honestly ever think it was a weave? I mean, not to point out the obvious, but he's not a girl. When's the last time you've heard of a man getting a weave? Seriously. Oh, and transvestites don't count.

The Prestige: A Review

The Prestige by Christopher Priest is a haunting literary fantasy novel. Priest perfectly blends excellent writing and literary prose with the chilling and suspenseful elements of a dark mystery and fantasy. The story is of two magicians in the 1800s who, after a clash during a false seance, have pitted against each other, determined to destroy the other's career. As the feud deepens their efforts become darker and the secrets more intense. The book is built on the concept of deception and lies, as the magician's life often is. These two magicians, however, take it to an extreme, molding their lives around their lies to an extent that they are not only consumed by their lies but lost in them as well.

I was completely taken in by this book and could not put it down. I tried to finish it last night but couldn't keep my eyes open so I put it down and as soon as I woke up this morning I had to finish it before I even left my bed! Well, not that I really wanted to leave my bed anyways, it's chilly here! The Prestige is suspenseful in the most satisfying way as it's subtle and Priest takes his time building up the suspense and the mystery. He avoids being cliche so well throughout the book that even though the ending ended up being cliche it doesn't feel cliche because it was built up so well and like I said, Priest had avoided being cliche in this story so well that you could accept the ending and even enjoy it in it's most morbid sense. The ending is anti-climatic but it's one that makes you think about it afterwards, putting the pieces of the mystery together that Priest allows to remain untold by the end of the book so that the reader can have the pleasure of finishing it for themselves in their minds.

The plot was unique and masterfully constructed, the writing was excellent and the voices were not only realistic and convincing but unique and interesting. I'm eager to see the movie to see how they transformed this novel into the big screen. I can see many complications in doing so due to the manner in which the novel was constructed. It was told by the two magicians from their points of views, first completely by one then by the other so only one side is known throughout the first half of the novel. This approach left many mysteries lingering for much of the novel that had we had both points of views throughout, perhaps alternating by chapter, the mystery and suspense would have been lessened.

Perfect novel to read for this Halloween season and as in most cases the books are better than the movie, I suggest getting it immediately so you can finish it before the movie comes out on October 20th!

Sorry if this review is a little sloppy, I'm on call and just got called to the hospital so must run!!

Update: I had no idea the book has a historical basis.

...the historical background can be found in Jim Steinmeyer's The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer". A long, destructive rivalry between two magicians, the idea that a magician would go so far as to cultivate a false identity even in his private life, and maintain it for years, and some of the specific 'illusions' themselves, like the deadly "bullet catch," are all factually grounded and can be found detailed in Mr. Steinmeyer's entertaining book. In something of an acknowledgment of this history (and to plant some of the plot points I just listed), Chung Ling Soo himself, or at least his character, makes an appearance towards the beginning of The Prestige.

Thanks to book/daddy for this great info! Really interesting stuff, I tell ya.

Football Friday

Hello folks, I'm proud to have my first guest blogger. Every week (well, mostly every week, he slacks a little when too depressed about the Steelers to function properly) my hubby does an AFC North match-up of the week for our Fantasy Football league. They're so good that I have asked his permission to post them on my blog. Now y'all will know why I love this man, the boy knows his football!!

It’s a Football Friday… My favorite day of the work week. After a couple of weeks off, I’m back to breaking down this weeks AFC North match-up of the week.

This week we have the Carolina Panthers at the Baltimore Ravens!

This game will be a defensive struggle. Much like what Baltimore has faced the last two weeks with games vs. the Chargers and Broncos, which they split going 1-1. To me, the Ravens look like the Bears of last year. Remember when the Bears won 7 or 8 games in a row in the middle of the season to make it into the playoffs? We’ll the Ravens look very similar with absolutely no offensive weapons on the outside. Any big play potential they have is going to be up the middle with Todd Heap or a possible run by Jamal Lewis. McNair no longer has the ability to throw the ball downfield, but wait a minute… did he ever? He’s always been a dink and dunk QB and his skills really lie in game management. He’s not going to win any games for you single handedly. With this offensive model and lack of deep threats, the defense can cheat and play the short to intermediate routes, hence three McNair interceptions vs. the Broncos last week. With consistent pressure on McNair it will be hard for the Ravens to put points on the board.

The Ravens strength is on Defense and they are a threat to force turnovers and create defensive touchdowns. They also gamble, and gamble too much so they are susceptible to get beat by big play. This is very dangerous when facing the Carolina Panthers and their Uber-star WR Steve Smith. Ever since he’s been back in the lineup the Panthers have been winning. The Ravens defense MUST stop the running game of the Panther in order to have a chance on Sunday.

For the Panthers the recipe is simple. GET STEVE SMITH THE DAMN BALL! If Steve Smith gets 8-10 touches consider it a Panthers win. That guy in unbelievable! Hands down THE best WR in the game today. Jake Delhomme is a very average QB, but with 89 on the field he instantly becomes a much better because of Steve Smith’s versatility and big play ability. The Panthers will be dedicated to running the ball and expect DeShaun Foster to have just shy of 100 yards and a TD. Not having DeAngelo Williams for Week 6 is a big loss. He gives that change of pace that almost every backfield needs today in the NFL. If Foster doesn’t get on track in the first half it will make it much more difficult for the Panthers to get the ball to Steve Smith.

The Panthers Defense is one of the top playmaking defenses in the NFC. What makes their D so special is that they don’t have to blitz in order to get pressure on the QB. Julius Peppers is a one man wrecking crew with the athletic ability to create problems against the best of Offensive Linemen. The Panthers secondary is ballhawking and expect for them to be very aggressive on the Ravens WR’s being physical on the line of scrimmage. Thomas Davis is another playmaker and expect him to be coving Todd Heap all over the field. The one place where Baltimore can hurt the Panthers is by running right at them with J. Lewis. The Baltimore Offensive line must come through for this to get going.

The key to the game will be turnovers. If Carolina wins the turnover battle they will win. If Baltimore wins the turnover battle they have a chance. Prediction…

Carolina 20
Baltimore 13