Senator Joe "I Love Other People's Words" Biden ...

... is "writing" a book.

Isn't he special????

And if you think he's writing it all by his widdle self, I have such a bridge for you to buy!

So one of my buddies over on FreeRepublic (hi, Corin!) decided to let a picture say a thousand words ...

Mount Rushmore's Faces Get Deep Cleaning

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. — Mount Rushmore (search) is getting a steam bath.

This month, America's four famous faces will be spotless, thanks to the hard work and daredevil maneuvers of rock-climbing crews from the national parks service and a private German company.

Karcher Corp., which is based in Stuttgart, donated workers and equipment to the United States to ensure the national monument stays intact. The monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota (search) presents the faces of past presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in stone.

“The main problem is the lichen. The plant has roots that drill themselves into the stone, even into granite,” said Thorsten Mowes, a project manager with Karcher.

Park rangers are spraying off lichen, which has been growing for years. If left on the monument, it causes the stone underneath to crumble. It is the first time in Mount Rushmore's 65-year history that it is getting such a cleaning.

“This is more than just a cleaning. This is a preservation stabilization activity. So we’re safeguarding this resource for our future generations,” said Duane Bubec, Mount Rushmore facilities manager.

African Truths On PBS

Never say never!

I can't believe I'm about to advise people to check out anything by Bill Moyers! But the most current episode of his series Wide Angle looks like it might be worthwhile. This week's installment, entitled "Border Jumpers,"a documentary comparing and contrasting Botswana, a prospering democracy, with Zimbabwe, a totalitarian hellhole. It started airing Tuesday, July 26th.

Even if you miss the episode, check out the website ... chock full o' information!

A tip of the chapeau to Booker Rising for the information!

"Miracle" Kitten Saved From Being Crushed By Forklift

SHERWOOD, Ore. -- A 4-month-old kitten is looking for a new home after a near-death experience.

Milagro, which is Spanish for miracle, apparently sought refuge inside a forklift engine compartment at a Canby, Ore., construction site.

When the machinery wouldn't start, the worker lifted the hood and found a tiny set of eyes staring back. Milagro was pulled from under a fan belt and rushed to Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital, where doctors stitched major lacerations that ran the length of his abdomen.

After surgery, the feline was transferred to the Cat Adoption Team hospital in Sherwood. He is expected to make a full recovery.

"Ghetto Talent Show," Watermelon Eating Contest Outrages Community

Okay, gentlebeings, this is the year 2005. Who, in their right mind, thinks this stuff is acceptable in public discourse? I don't care if you're black, white, or decorated with pink stripes, being "ghetto" is not a worthy goal!

(and, personally, black woman that I am, I like watermelon!)



Miami city leaders are apologizing for a news release that invited summer campers to a ''Ghetto Style Talent Show'' and ''Watermelon Eating Contest.''

The release said that children participating in the summer camp who "know the meaning of ghetto style" would have a chance to "prove just how ghetto they are.''

Members of the black community expressed outrage at the wording of the invitation to the talent show. The show will be part of the grand finale picnic for the city's summer camp program to be held Friday at Hadley Park.

After being criticized by residents of the nearby Model City neighborhood and community leaders, Miami Parks Director Ernest Burkeen, who is black, released a formal apology and announced the renaming of the talent show.

The show will now be called the "Funky Talent Show," according to Burkeen's written statement. The watermelon contest will still be part of the event.

Even though the name has been changed, Burkeen did still continue to defend the choice of the name for the show.

"The word 'ghetto' was used to imply a down home show, not something offensive, but embracing the culture of today's youth and their language," he said.

Church and community leaders said that changing the name isn't enough -- the damage has already been done.

"It's almost equivalent to saying, 'We're having bananas at Jose Marti Park' and referring to Miami as a 'Banana Republic,'" the Rev. Richard Dunn said.

Other critics said that the watermelon eating contest is a painful reminder of racially insensitive stereotypes.

"Watermelon, back in the days, was a good food for African Americans, according to the Bible, but at the same time, it had an attachment with slavery and bondage ties," the Rev. Carl Johnson said.

Some members of the community had a different perspective and said that critics were missing the point.

Michael Hardaway said, "They have to understand that the young generation has a whole different style than they do … At a ghetto-style talent show the kids are getting together to show their talent."

Other community activists said changing the name of the contest is just the start of what needs to happen.

Dunn suggested that instead of buying hundreds of watermelons for the contest, the money could be spent on school supplies and backpacks for kids who need them.

Andre Williams said, "No more watermelons --- and as Reverend Dunn says, we need to give books and school supplies to our children."

City officials said Tuesday that the contest is popular and it will not be canceled. The picnic will go on Friday as planned and will include up to 3,000 children from across the city.

7-7-2005: "Today, We Are All Britons"

(flag lifted from Baldilocks, who lifted it from the excellent Eject! Eject! Eject!)

MyBear woke me up this morning with the news. "They blew up London," he murmured, shaking my shoulder.

At first, it didn't sink in. When it did, I sat up straight and groped for the TV remote.

And, oh, the pictures. I got angry, and I got teary, and then I got angry again.

My heart swelled as I saw the Brits stiffen that upper lip --- hell, stiffen their whole faces --- and deal with it. I especially remember one man, tall, fair, in a well-cut summery suit, with well-cut blond hair; his face was black with soot, one side blacker than the other. He was talking to a policeman. Both were quite calm, pointing as if the sooty-faced man were asking directions to the nearest tailor.

Tony Blair was resolute:

"It's important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world."

"It's important however that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world.

Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world."

George Bush had the guts to call the terrorists "evil":

"The attacks contrast sharply with what the Group of Eight is trying to accomplish at its meeting in Scotland and condemned those who have such evil in their hearts that they take the lives of innocent folks. That's what the war on terrorism is about. We will not yield to the terrorists. We will bring them to justice."

And even Ken Livingstone represented, and impressed [emphasis is mine]:

"It was not aimed at presidents or prime ministers. It was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old.

"Indiscriminate slaughter irrespective of any consideration for age, class, religion, whatever. That isn't an ideology. It isn't even a perverted faith. It is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder.

"I can show you why you will fail. In the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our seaports and look at our railway stations and even after your cowardly attacks you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.

"Nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that life. Where freedom is strong and people can live in harmony, whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."

And then, one last item, from what seems to be a London leftie (cursing follows):

What the fuck do you think you're doing?

This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.

Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work.

All you've done is end some of our lives, and ruin some more. How is that going to help you? You don't get rewarded for this kind of crap.

And if, as your MO indicates, you're an al-Qaeda group, then you're out of your tiny minds.

Because if this is a message to Tony Blair, we've got news for you. We don't much like our government ourselves, or what they do in our name. But, listen very clearly. We'll deal with that ourselves. We're London, and we've got our own way of doing things, and it doesn't involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.

And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.

So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city.

Yeah, what he said.

Spelling Is So Overrated ...!

Got this from email:

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

I am a compulsive editor --- I once worked as a copy editor for a newspaper, and I have been known to correct newspapers after they were printed.

The sentence above is pure torture ...!