Don't Vote?

NaNoWriMo, yay!!

Ok, so I'm a crazy.  In case you didn't know.  I'm doing this little thing called NaNoWriMo.  National Novel Writing Month.  In November.  Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.  Fresh start on Nov 1st, chug along through the month and see if you can finish.  I've attempted other years to not so favorable results, so this year I really want to try hard to "win".  And by "win", I mean finish.  They really don't give out any prizes, but you have the satisfaction of knowing you've done what not many other people can say they have...writing a novel in one month.  :o)  Well actually, writing a novel period.  LOL

A poll!

But only for the brave...LOL

TAKE MY POLL!!!!

Patriotic Duty?

translucence said

it's a patriotic duty to question the powers that be. 

I found this in a comment on Karen's blog...and though that I would blog my two cents on the subject.  A very wise and smart man once told me that if we didn't like the things that our government was doing or how they were spending our money, or laws they were passing or whatever, that it was OUR OWN FAULT.  I agree completely.  I'm not saying that I hate government, or I think government is evil or whatever.  I love this country, and I love the freedoms that we have.  BUT, this country is run by a government that is of the people, by the people, and FOR the people.  In other words, if you don't like what's going on, YOU CAN CHANGE IT!  To me, that's what Obama is trying to do!  If you don't like what your city council is doing, by all means, run for city council...that is how you change things and make a difference.  If other people agree with the need for change, they'll elect you.  Simply put.  That is what is so great about our government.  If you don't like something, you CAN do something about it.  The system was DESIGNED THAT WAY.  I am thankful that our founding fathers knew what they were doing in drafting our Constitution...it's just too bad that a lot of politicians try to skew the words and meaning into their own point of view for their own persona gain.

(by the way, the man that said that was my US Government teacher...very sarcastic, brash, honest, intelligent, and FUNNY man...right Court?)

Fact check, thank you!

The FALSEHOOD	The FACTS
"Sen. Obama supports infanticide."	Sen. Obama addresses this claim in a recent interview with Relevantmagazine: “The email rumor that’s been floating around is that somehow I’m unwilling to see doctors offer life-saving care to children who were born as a result of an induced abortion. That’s just false. There was a bill that came up in Illinois that was called the “Born Alive” bill that purported to require life-saving treatment to such infants. And I did vote against that bill. The reason was that there was already a law in place in Illinois that said that you always have to supply life-saving treatment to any infant under any circumstances, and this bill actually was designed to overturn Roe v. Wade, so I didn’t think it was going to pass constitutional muster. Ever since that time, emails have been sent out suggesting that, somehow, I would be in favor of letting an infant die in a hospital because of this particular vote. That’s not a fair characterization, and that’s not an honest characterization. Itdefies common sense to think that a hospital wouldn't provide life-saving treatment to an infant that was alive and had a chance of survival.” [1] Senator Obama has stated repeatedly that he supported the federal version of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which passed Congress and addressed this same issue. Senator Obama opposed a state version of this legislation in Illinois because there was an existing state law that had been on the books for 20 years that already required such medical care, it was drafted in a way that would have rendered it unconstitutional, and it was even opposed by the Illinois State Medical Society. [2]
"Senator Obama supports ‘partial birth abortion.’"	Sen. Obama does not support Partial Birth Abortion. He has stated this repeatedly over his long legislative career. Senator Obama told Relevant Magazine, “I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term.” [3] Some will cite Senator Obama’s ‘present’ votes on Illinois Senate Bills SB203, SB 1093, SB 1094, SB 1095 as evidence of support for partial-birth abortion. [4] However, Sen. Obama did not believe the legislation would pass constitutional muster. He has supported legislation which bans partial birth abortion as long is there is an exception for the health of the mother." [5]
"Sen. Obama is an abortion 'extremist' who will do nothing to counter the number of abortions in this country."	Sen. Obama has sought to reduce the number of abortions. Sen. Obama has supported many practical efforts to reduce abortions, expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and supporting parents with young children by expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership. In a recent interview Sen. Obama stated: “I think we know that abortions rise when unwanted pregnancies rise. So, if we are continuing what has been a promising trend in the reduction of teen pregnancies, through education and abstinence education giving good information to teenagers. That is important—emphasizing the sacredness of sexual behavior to our children. I think that’s something that we can encourage. I think encouraging adoptions in a significant way. I think the proper role of government. So there are ways that we can make a difference, and those are going to be things I focus on when I am president.” [6] Sen. Obama reiterated these statements during a faith forum at Messiah College saying: "We can certainly agree on the fact that we should be doingeverything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion...And what I have consistently talked about is to take a comprehensive approach where we focus on abstinence, where we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children...and I think we should make sure that adoption is an option for people out there." [7]
"Sen. Obama will raise your taxes."	Some have claimed that Sen. Obama will enact “the largest tax increase since the Second World War.” Senator Obama would allow the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% to expire. That would be a tax increase only on those making more than $250,000 dollars a year. Obama has called for extensive middle class, and elderly, tax cuts. According to the Washington Post, that means that Sen. Obama will lower taxes on the vast majority of Americans. Here you can find a chart explaining Senator Obama’s tax plan... see how it would affect you.
"Sen. Obama supports a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq."	Sen. Obama opposed war with Iraq since before the war began. [8] He has said, repeatedly, that “we have to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in.” He has never supported an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, always stating he will adjust to needs on the ground. In April of 2008 he stated: “The commander in chief sets the mission…The general and our troops carry out that mission. And unfortunately we have had a bad mission. Once I've given them a new mission, that we are going to proceed deliberately in an orderly fashion out of Iraq, if they come to me and want to adjust tactics, then I will certainly take their recommendations into consideration. And I have to look at not just the situation in Iraq, but the fact that we continue to see al Qaeda getting stronger in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, we continue to see anti-American sentiment fanned all cross the Middle East, and we are overstretched in a way that we do not have a strategic reserve at this point.” [9]
"Sen. Obama supports gay marriage."	Senator Obama has never supported gay marriage. Barack Obama told the Chicago Tribune, “I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.” [10] Senator Obama does support civil unions and civil rights for gays and lesbians.
"Sen. Obama supports unrestricted free-trade."	Sen. Obama has said he supports free trade only if it is fair. Saying in a recent debate, “It is absolutely critical that we engaged in trade, but it has to be viewed not just through the lens of Wall Street, but also Main Street, which means we've got strong labor standards and strong environmental standards and safety standards.” [11] Further, on NAFTA and other trade agreements, Obama has stated, “There's no doubt that NAFTA needs to be amended. I've already said I would contact the president of Mexico and the prime minister of Canada to make sure that labor agreements are enforceable. But I did want to just go back briefly to the issue of trade and human rights that you had mentioned. We have to stand for human rights, and that should be part of the trade equation.”
"Sen. Obama was sworn in on the Koran."	This is an internet rumor with no grounding. Press reports from the day show that Sen. Obama was sworn in with his family Bible. The official photographs from the ceremony reflect that, as well.
"Sen. Obama is a Muslim and went to a Madrassa."	This rumor was started due to irresponsible journalists last year. Fortunately, the news organization that ran the story has since back-tracked, and many other news outlets have since debunked the report. While Sen. Obama has been a strong advocate for civil rights and equality for Muslim Americans, he has never practiced Islam. He was not raised a Muslim. Sen. Obama is acommitted Christian. He has said so in public for at least 20 years. Link to YouTube Video
"Sen. Obama stated, 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'"	Sen. Obama did write this, but deceptive emails often take the quote out of context to suggest Sen. Obama would side with Muslim extremists or is himself a Muslim. The full quote, from The Audacity of Hope: Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.[12]

Footnotes:

[1] - Relevant Magazine, July 1, 2008 [back]
[2] - Chicago Tribune, August 17, 2004 [back]
[3] - Relevant Magazine, July 1, 2008 [back]
[4] - Washington Post “Fact Checker,” February 6, 2008 [back]
[5] - Pantagraph, March 5, 1997 [back]
[6] - Relevant Magazine, July 1, 2008 [back]
[7] - CNN, April 4, 2008 [back]
[8] - Salim Muwakkil and Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, July 15, 2004 [back]
[9] - 2008 Philadelphia Primary Debate, April 16, 2008 [back]
[10] - Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2008 [back]
[11] - 2008 Texas Primary Debate, February 21, 2008 [back]
[12] - The Audacity of Hope, p. 261 [back]

Crafty Pt2 (pics/tutorial)

So here I started with wooden letters that I bought at Wal-Mart for fairly cheap.  They're pre-primed, so I just went ahead and painted them black.



Here I glued some pretty pink ribbon that just so happened to be the exact height of the letters to the sides with a hot glue gun.  :o)



This is what they will look like when done glueing.



All three letters.



This is the first canvas after glueing the paper on.  I just used regular 12" scrapbook paper, you can use any color/pattern/style you want, that's what makes it fun!  I used aerosol glue and a hot glue gun, but your favorite glue will work just fine.  The canvases were just white blank oil paint canvases from Wal-Mart for fairly cheap and you can get them in different sizes if you like.  These are 10" I believe.  I clipped the corners of the paper and folded them over to give a nice clean look around the edges.  I do think however, that I will cover the edges with a black ribbon to give it a more finished look.  :o)



This is after glueing the first ribbon to the canvas where the two papers overlap.  Again, I used a hot glue-gun.



After the second ribbon.  :o)



I decided to give the letters a slight 'raised' effect, so I bought an inexpensive package of 3D-dots from the scrapbook section at Wal-Mart.  (give me a break, I work there :oP)  Apply these as needed to the back of the letters.



Tada!  This is what it will look like from the side.



And here are all three finished!  So yeah...I did something crafty.  Tabs, you better be proud.  :oP  Oh, and thanks for the suggestion of using two different contrasting patterned papers.  I think it looks good, don't you?  ;o)

Crafty? WHAT?

Ok, so I know that I say I'm not crafty, which I really don't think I am, but every once in a blue moon I tend to come up with some really interesting ideas that sometimes turn out cute.  When I first tried to describe this to Tina, I think she thought I was nuts, but now that I've got the paper and stuff picked out and all that "icky" jazz that I don't like to do, I can get down to the nitty gritty.  Here is a preview of what I'm talking about...they are paper-covered canvas (white blank square canvases from wal-mart) that have a strip of two different ribbons for variation, and on top will be letters of my name.  There will be three identical canvases with the same papers and ribbons, but with three different letters.  L-I-Z...duh.  LOL  Sorry about the crappy picture, but it's just a mock-up to show Tabi what it will kind of look like when it's done.  I am also going to try to do a small-ish picture tutorial if anyone's interested??  Also, if anyone has any ideas to do to the black letters to help them stand out more, let me know!  I was thinking of gluing pink ribbon to the side so that all you see is the pink sides and the black top, but I dunno...I'd have to find a ribbon that prety much is the same height as the sides of the letters.  ((oh yeah, these are going on my wall in my bedroom since the colors in my room are black and white with pink accents...))  Soooo, here we are:

M-Pact (a cappella)

Ok, so people that don't know me don't know that I LOVE a cappella music.  Like totally LOVE a cappella music.  Ok, MOST groups anyway, I particularly like all-male groups...there's just something about the way an all-male group sounds together that just gives me goosebumps and puts a smile on my face.  :oP

And yes, a cappella really means a cappella.  No instruments were used in the making of this video.  :oD  Even the drum sounds are made by one of the guys...vocal percussionists are my heroes.  LOL

Here is a completely a cappella song from one of my FAVE groups, M-Pact (Oscar, you better book the date of their show in Oceanside, it's not until April, so you got plenty of time to CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE, LOL I might have to come with you :oP ):

#1 Rally

I was there, woot woot!

Totally Random

I was looking at videos on youtube and came across a video of one of our choir concerts last year.  Take a peek...((HAHA, you can't see me, they cut off the whole alto section, stupid person.))  But yeah, we sure sounded pretty good if I do say so myself.  :oP  This is us singing an entire mass that we had to learn in less than a semester, it was a challenge and we hated it at first, but I loved it by the time the semester was over.  Nothing like a Hungarian composer composing Latin.  :o)

And us singing 'Song For The Mira'



'Bist Du Bei Mir'...and yes, surprising, I could hit all the high notes with ease, amazing for a low alto, I know.  :oP

Enough is ENOUGH!!

Seriously?  This is sickening to keep reading stories like THIS in online newspapers.  Grow up people and take control of your government.  If you don't like it or the programs it endorses, then do something...RUN FOR AN OFFICE, NOT get violent.  I swear, some people are just STUPID!!!!!!!!!!  Ignorant and stupid.

Smthng wykd thys way cmz...PT 2

Ok, so it's been a LOOOOONG time since I've carved a pumpkin...and I wanted something fun to do today before going to work, so guess what I did?  ;o)  Yup, I carved a pumpkin.  LOL  My sibs and I used to carve pumpkins EVERY year when we were little, and I missed doing it, so off to the store I went in search of a pumpkin.  Found a couple, bought a couple, but only carved one for now.  Save the other one for another bored afternoon.  :o)



Just starting out, she's a beaut.  :o)



Getting there, have everything mapped out, now just to add the finishing touches.



Done, yay!

Dear friends:

John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters saying "kill him!" "terrorist!" "traitor," and more, at rallies, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response.It's outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won't stand for this.

I've signed onto ColorofChange's open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. ColorOfChange.org will publish it this week, and as they've shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Will you join us?

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=1878-687936

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking "who is the real Barack Obama?" (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).In response, supporters have yelled "terrorist!" and "traitor!" And the venom goes beyond Obama--one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying "sit down, boy."

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver's seat. They've personally made it a point to use "terrorist" and "Obama" in the same sentence; they have surrogates repeatedly refer to him by his middle-name;and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails which claim Obama is Muslim (a myth designed to tap into anti-Muslim bigotry), anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists. This strategy is powerful because Obama is Black, and it's designed to make Obama's race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

As Americans of all stripes, we've seen how Barack Obama's historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It's inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors and families.

In the final days of this campaign, we can't let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won't let them move our country backward? ColorofChange.org will publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=1878-687936

Thanks.

Smthng wykd thys way cmz...

TEEHEE, this website makes me smile!!!

Debut Album

((totally stolen from krystal6's blog, thanks!!))

I found this tonight while I was bored and stumbling upon websites.  It's similar to the "what's your rockstar name".  Here are the rules for finding out your debut album.

1 - Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random 
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band. 

2 - Go to Random quotations: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 
The last four words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. 

If you want to do this again, you'll hit refresh to generate new quotes, because clicking the quotes link again will just give you the same quotes over and over again. 

3 - Go to flickr's "explore the last seven days"http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ 
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. 

Put it all together, that's your debut album.


My Result:

"Kept Things From You" - by Spring Station Kentucky

Ok, this is SAD!!!!!

Had to share

Ok this is amazing...I don't care who you are, it's cool!

SOO COOL!

Ok, so these guys have waaaaay too much time on their hands, but that's ok because it's sooooooooo unbelievably awesome!  This one's for you Oscar!  ;o)

Sarah Palin?

JSIII gets Barack Roll'd!!!!

I LOVE this website...

http://www.therealmccain.com

You've been Barack Roll'd

hehe!!

McCain SchmcVain...

^^THIS is why I don't watch Fox.^^

Is this what supporters of McCain do?

I'm disgusted!!!!!  And HIGHLY highly offended!

Obama Effigy

IQness

The Latest (but not so much greatest)

the beginnings...


...of a new...


...hat to keep...


...Oscar's head warm!!!


How about in pink as well?


Isn't it cute?

((each of these hats took approx. 1 hour to make...not long at all.  I finished most of the work while on lunch at Wally.  :o)  You like?))

All Hallow's Eve

Can I just say that I LOVE Halloween?  Even if I don't dress up most of the time, there's something wicked cool about knowing you can dress up as anyone or anything and be someone else for a day.  :o)  Oh yeah, and costumes RAWK MY WORLD!!!  (Hello, a sewing geek in true form.  )  Here are a few that I wouldn't mind to own in MY costume closet:

Watching the debate.

My quote so far?  Thank you, Joe Biden!  (Summary from the BBC's news page where I'm watching the debate)

Crowd laughs as Biden says: "I call that the ultimate bridge to nowhere" after claiming McCain will pay for $5,000 healthcare tax credit by taxing people through their employers, which will go straight to the insurance company.

Am I the only one that thinks Palin is reciting stuff that she either A) rehearsed...a lot... or B) memorized...... or C) is reading Cue cards.  HAHA  Her way of going back to topics that have already been put to rest is really REALLY annoying to me.  And she keeps saying "McCain believes...".   Well hello, what the hell does SHE believe?  Can you say brainwashed?  I CAN!