May 7, 2011 · 1:15 pm

Chapter 54: A College Letter Home from Washington and Lee on Derby Day | My Southern Gothic Life

There’s a new post up on my MySouthernGothicLife.com Blog.
Here’s a brief excerpt and a link to the  full post:

Last year my Mother moved – well, we forced her to move- to, an Assisted Living Facility.  She had reached the point of beyond crazy that wasn’t just Southern.  It was physical and pathological.  She had some mini-strokes and was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia.

That meant we had to clean out the house she had lived in for over 50 years.  And that meant we found some truly frightening things….

I’m not talking about the panties, she had taken to stuffing behind books in the bookcase or in the kitchen cabinets.  I’m not even talking about the family photo’s or ball gowns from the 1950′s and cocktail dresses from the 1960′s.

I’m talking about pieces of my own past that had been enshrined there.  I had to get in there fast and get hold of those things before my sister could put them on FaceBook.

One of the things I found was a file of letters I had written home from College at Washington and Lee University in the late 1970′s/early 1980′s.

Yes, paper letters. On monogrammed 100% Cotton Crane Stationary.  Written appropriately in black or dark blue ink.

I’ve decided to post one letter in it’s entirety, without editing.  This proves I both have no pride and no shame.

via Chapter 54: A College Letter Home from Washington and Lee on Derby Day | My Southern Gothic Life.

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May 7, 2011 · 11:46 am

‘I Wanted A New Life,’ Says Actor, Author Rob Lowe : NPR

Okay…

I’ve fought against it.

I’ve resisted buying or reading this….

But…

I just went to Amazon and bought it…

When even NPR is taking it seriously, I now have acceptable cover…

From NPR:

Well before Rob Lowe made it to Hollywood, he’d gone out of his way to meet Liza Minelli: As a kid in Dayton, Ohio, he’d knocked on her hotel room door, and stayed to share a chat and some chocolates. As he left, Minelli told him, “See you in Hollywood, kid.”

And a few years later, he did make it to Hollywood — as one of its breakout stars.

But for all his success, Lowe is also a child of divorce, a veteran of alcoholism and an actor who has experienced many personal and public highs and lows. He’s chronicled his rocky ascension to stardom in a new memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

via ‘I Wanted A New Life,’ Says Actor, Author Rob Lowe : NPR.

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May 6, 2011 · 9:31 pm

Margaret and Helen are Back!

My favorite 80 something year old bloggers have been quiet for a while and I was growing concerned…

Well, they’re back with a new post.

I’m glad to see the old girls are still alive and kicking!

Margaret, I wish Harold could have lived to see this day.  As a veteran, he was always hopeful that we would one day get Bin Laden.  He would have been very proud and then he would have been pissed.

Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it.  FOX found a way to turn even this into a negative for Obama.  I tuned in after you called and watched Sean Hannity make a fool of himself like you were saying.  Honestly, that is exactly what I would have expected from FOX – complaining because the US military took the time to follow Muslim traditions before eventually ditching the son-of-a-bitch at sea.   Sean, of course, wanted something a bit more flashy.  Had we done it Hannity’s way, the body would have been photographed wearing Princess Beatrice’s hat.  Honestly FOX, why don’t we just  hang him on a cross and see if his followers retaliate?  Sean is an idiot.

Of course Greta and Glenn were vying for stupidest person on FOX as well, but a race to the bottom on that network is over before it begins.  Was I the only one who noticed all three of them kept accidentally saying Obama rather than Usama? I bet not.  But I bet I am the only one who points it out.

It’s called honor Mr. Hannity, Mr. Beck and Mr. Van Susteren… you jackasses.  Obama understands it.  The US military has it.   FOX needs it. It makes us better than them.  But I guess the morons over at FOX are more worried that 72 Virgins really were waiting for him.  And yes, I know I typed Mister Van Susteren… plastic surgery can only get you so far.

Ten years were a long time to wait for the end of Bin Laden.  I ask you, how long before we see an end to FOX?

Change the channel America.  I mean it.  Really.

via Margaret and Helen.

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May 6, 2011 · 8:36 pm

Osama bin Laden’s Death May End Afghanistan War

Even more good news….

This is now the longest war in U.S. History.

Hopefully, now we can get the hell out…

Word from the Obama administration is that with al Qaeda spiritual leader Osama bin Laden dead, U.S. forces may now have found the fast-track to exit the Afghan occupation.

It won’t be easy, and it will require more than just political capital in the U.S., but unnamed officials tell The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran that, with a negotiated settlement between America and the Taliban, the Afghan war’s “endgame” will be nigh.

On one key front, the president can now put negotiators at the table with Taliban forces without being criticized for “negotiating with terrorists,” Chandrasekaran noted. On another, Taliban faction leader Mohammad Omar will likely be under tremendous pressure to end his alliance with al Qaeda, breaking another key barrier to U.S. withdrawal.

“Bin Laden’s death is the beginning of the endgame in Afghanistan,” an unnamed senior official reportedly said. “It changes everything.”

via Osama bin Laden’s death may end Afghanistan war sooner than planned | The Raw Story.

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May 6, 2011 · 6:18 am

One in three Africans is now middle class, report finds | Global development | The Guardian

The world is changing….

We just need to change with it…

And adjust our perceptions to the new reality….

We aren’t the only rich consumer society anymore…

From The Guardian:

One in three Africans is middle class, a rising group of consumers to rival those of China and India, researchers have found.

Record numbers of people in Africa own houses and cars, use mobile phones and the internet and send their children to private schools and foreign universities, according to the African Development Bank.

Mthuli Ncube, the bank’s chief economist, said the findings should challenge long-held perceptions of Africa as a continent of famine, poverty and hopelessness.

“Hey you know what, the world please wake up, this is a phenomenon in Africa that we’ve not spent a lot of time thinking about,” Ncube said. “There is a middle class that is driven by specific factors such as education and we should change our view and work with this group to create a new Africa and make sure Africa realises its full potential.”

Ncube said the study used an absolute definition of middle class, meaning people who spend between $2 and $20 a day, which he believed was appropriate given the cost of living for Africa’s nearly 1 billion people.

The study found that, by last year, Africa’s middle class had risen to about 34% of the continent’s population, or about 313m people – up from around 111m (26%) in 1980 and 196m (27%) in 2000.

More:   One in three Africans is now middle class, report finds | Global development | The Guardian.

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May 5, 2011 · 11:26 pm

Arthur Laurents, Legendary Librettist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Director, Dies at 93 – Playbill.com

One of the giants of the American Musical Theatre has passed…

Rest well, Arthur Laurents.  You’ve left us some great gifts…

I’ll even forgive you for allowing Patti Lupone’s Mama Rose in “Gypsy”, since you created that amazing character for so many other incredible performers.

Arthur Laurents, the irascible, enduring Man of the Theatre who wrote plays and screenplays and enjoyed a significant career as a director — but who made his lasting mark as the librettist to two landmark musicals, West Side Story and Gypsy — died May 5 at his Manhattan home after a short illness, his agent Jonathan Lomma confirmed. He was 93 years old, and died peacefully in his sleep.

via Arthur Laurents, Legendary Librettist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Director, Dies at 93 – Playbill.com.

And he directed the original La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway:

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May 5, 2011 · 11:05 pm

The Dog That Took Down Osama Bin Laden

Talk about Man’s Best Friend….

From The Huffington Post:

Of the 80 member team that was deployed to take down bin Laden, few draw more speculation than the one on four legs.

Most likely a Belgian Malinois (though officials say it could also have been a German Shepherd), there was one non-human member of the SEAL team that raided Osama bin Laden’s compound, according to the New York Times. The heroic pooch was strapped to a Navy SEAL as they were lowered from a hovering helicopter.

The news of the dog’s use in the raid broke Wednesday, but like the other members of the team that was deployed, its identity remains unknown.

While the dog is known for its bomb-sniffing prowess, it has other capabilities that make it a wonderful dog-of-war. According to the Atlantic, the dog may have been trained to “sniff out enemy troops from up to 2 miles away.”

The sensory perception brought by these dogs in a wartime situation is unparalleled. “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine,” General David H. Petraeus said last year, calling for more use of dogs.

But the coolest thing about these guys? Many SEAL dogs come equipped with “titanium fangs capable of ripping through enemy protective armor,” at a cost of “about $2,000 a tooth,” according to the Daily. That’ll get the job done.

via Belgian Malinois: The Dog That Took Down Osama Bin Laden?.

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May 5, 2011 · 10:30 pm

The Gap Fires Chief Designer

Gap needs to realize they need to stop selling low quality crap.

I used to shop there but stopped as the prices went up and the quality went down.

It’s typical of the new American Fashion Business Paradigm:  Make poor quality junk and sell it at designer prices….during a recession.

Somehow, I don’t think the designer is totally to blame….

From the Guardian:

For the best part of two decades, it was almost impossible to walk down any street without seeing a Gap logo hoodie or baseball cap. The logo was a powerful symbol of the strength of the US fashion store, which dominated the high street with its simple, clean-cut, college style.

But the brand has fallen out of favour, and with sales dropping at an alarming rate, Gap has admitted that the decline had reached crisis point and announced the immediate dismissal of its chief designer, Patrick Robinson.

via Gap sacks Patrick Robinson as chief designer | Life and style | The Guardian.

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May 5, 2011 · 9:44 pm

Jesse James Trashes Sandra Bullock in the Bedroom…

Can this man get any more despicable?

To say he is no gentleman is the understatement of the year….

And he’s been to rehab, so he can’t use being under the influence as an excuse…

The only answer is that he’s just trash…and Sandra’s well rid of him.

From Salon.com:

In case there was any question lingering in your mind whether Jesse James is still a raging jackass, his latest attempt at public relations should remove all doubt. Promoting his new memoir, “American Outlaw,” the man who cheated on America’s Sweetheart with a White Power enthusiast and then bragged of being “the most hated man in the world” seems determined to drum up even more ill will. During a Wednesday visit on Howard Stern’s Sirius show, Stern questioned the thrill-seeking entrepreneur/reality star about whether his fiancée, Kat Von D., was better in bed than Sandra Bullock, and James unhesitatingly replied, “That one’s an easy no-brainer … Yes sir, 100 percent.” Way to win back your public, James! Maybe he’s jealous of all the attention Osama bin Laden and Charlie Sheen have been getting lately.

via Breaking: Jesse James is still the worst – Jesse James – Salon.com.

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May 5, 2011 · 8:55 pm

After Osama bin Laden’s Death, An End to ‘Bad Guys’ | The Nation

Nice to see other folks thinking along the same lines as my personal thoughts in my earlier post about how bin Laden changed us….

I do hope we can all grow up now that the boogie man is dead….

From The Nation:

We can use the occasion of bin Laden’s death to grasp back for the moment when the world seemed simple, or we can turn away from that impulse. We can say that with his death, we return to the world as our adult eyes see it, shot through with suffering and complexity. We can feel compassion for the thousands of innocents who died by bin Laden’s hand as well as our own, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time in places like Bagram and Baghdad. We can remember that just because there is evil in the world that we are fighting—and bin Laden was a mass murderer and war criminal—that does not mean we are purely righteous. We can reject relativism and still embrace nuance. We can have the courage to speak and act like adults, to put away childish things, to once and for all banish the bad guys from our nightmares.

via After Osama bin Laden’s Death, An End to ‘Bad Guys’ | The Nation.

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