More on FISA

Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow



FISA Fables



Olberman Countdown exposes 911/FISA Bill

World Team Tennis Statement on Gimelstob Suspension

"NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 25, 2008) – The World TeamTennis Pro League has suspended
Justin Gimelstob of the Washington Kastles for one match without pay for a violation of the League’s Player Code of Conduct.

Gimelstob’s remarks occurred during a media appearance on a Washington D.C. area
radio show. He will be suspended for the Kastles’ home match on July 11 against the
New York Buzz.

“Justin’s remarks were completely out of line with what World TeamTennis stands for,”
said Ilana Kloss, WTT CEO/Commissioner. “World TeamTennis was founded on
respect and equality for both genders. These remarks were clearly inappropriate and
inconsistent with the values of World TeamTennis. We will not tolerate this language or derogatory remarks of this nature. There’s no place for that in either tennis or our League.”"
Media Contact: Rosie Crews, WTT (rcrews@wtt.com) – PH: 817.684.0366

"Billie Jean King, WTT co-founder:
“Justin Gimelstob’s comments on a recent radio show were clearly inappropriate. I fully support the action taken by WTT, as it sends a clear message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, especially in a league that was founded on the principles of providing equal opportunities for all. I have met personally with Justin and discussed the situation and I am confident both he and WTT will move beyond this unfortunate incident.”"

You know you could get yourself all riled about the fact that you think Billie Jean King should have used stronger language or that Gimelstob should have been fired but then you come across this interview with Kournakova, interviewed by Rosie Crews, WTT's media contact:

"An interview with:
ANNA KOURNIKOVA
ROSIE CREWS: Good afternoon,
everyone, this is Rosie Crews with World
TeamTennis. Thank you for joining us today on
our conference call with Anna Kournikova.
I'll welcome Anna Kournikova, back for her
sixth year with World TeamTennis. We're thrilled
to have her back. This will be her first season with
the St. Louis Aces. She's going to be playing four
matches for the Aces. She'll be playing July 16th
in Newport Beach, July 18th at home for the Aces,
July 22nd against the New York Buzz, who are
now in Albany. Then on July 23rd, playing in
Washington, D.C., the home of our newest team
right in downtown D.C.
We'll take questions for Anna.
Q. I read recently in, I believe the
Washington Post, Justin Gimelstob with the
Washington Kastles, recently said some kind of
nasty things about you on a talk show. He
called you a few unmentionables, and later said
some things that made you cry during the
match and served into your body. What are
your thoughts on this tirade?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, I have no
clue. I'm kind of sorry about this, but I really don't
want to get into any of the off-court stuff. I'm just
gonna kind of take the high road and not get into
this discussion.
You know, WTT is not about those sorts of
things, it's about keeping it fun and positive, and
really the game of tennis, playing for the fans. So I
really don't want to get into any of those
discussions. I really am not paying attention to
that, and I don't want to give it any more
significance than it has already received.
Q. Why do you play World TeamTennis?
ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Well, for me, oh,
my God, there's a million reasons. It's my sixth
season playing. Obviously I'm not on the
professional tour, so for me this is the best
opportunity I can get to be on the tennis court, to
be in the match environment, to be in front of my
fans, to be just part of such a great league.
WTT is awesome. It's a perfect
environment for the fans to see singles, doubles,
and women's, mixed, everything. I mean, it
couldn't be better. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Actually I started practicing a little while
ago and my knee started hurting. I was freaking
out completely. I was like, Oh, my God, you have
to be kidding me. But I'm glad that I'm feeling
good. I'm practicing all the time here. I'm really
looking forward to be back on the court. I love
those moments obviously. I miss playing.
But I love just now playing for fun and
really enjoying myself out there on the court..."


And...I'm just like, well, oh my God, you know, sayin'......

Acorn

"ACORN has been fighting against predatory lending since 1999. ACORN members have engaged in outreach and education to help homeowners avoid becoming victims of predatory lending, led protests against specific lenders to win changes in their practices, and convinced regulators to crack down on the worst companies.

ACORN's 2002 report "Separate and Unequal" revealed that subprime loans were taking over much of the mortgage market, and that many of these loans were predatory and were targeted toward low-income and minority homebuyers.

The 2006 ACORN study "The Impending Rate Shock" warned of the crisis that was about to hit the country due to exploding Adjustable Rate Mortgages.

ACORN members are lobbying their legislators in cities, counties and states around the country, as well as on the national level, to implement regulations that will help stem the foreclosure crisis and curtail predatory lending.

ACORN members worked to ensure that Congress passed $150 million in new funds for housing counseling organizations, $100 million of which was earmarked for foreclosure prevention. ACORN continues to work closely with Congress on anti-predatory lending legislation....

ACORN is the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities across the country.

Since 1970, ACORN has been building community organizations that are committed to social and economic justice, and won victories on thousands of issues of concern to our members, through direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation. ACORN helps those who have historically been locked out become powerful players in our democratic system.

ACORN's sister organization, non-profit ACORN Housing (AHC), has been providing free housing counseling to low- and moderate-income homebuyers since 1987...

ACORN Housing provides one-on-one mortgage loan counseling, first-time homebuyer classes, and helps clients obtain affordable mortgages through our unique lending partnerships.

ACORN schedules regular Foreclosure Avoidance Classes and Foreclosure Prevention Fairs to help troubled homeowners find solutions to remain in their homes.

ACORN Housing Corporation has received a $7.8 million grant to provide foreclosure counseling to close to 25,000 homeowners across the country. The funds, from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, were approved by Congress earlier this year and are administered through a competitive application process by NeighborWorks of America, within guidelines defined by Congressional legislation.

As of June 2008, ACORN and ACORN Housing have helped 5,400 families remain in their homes.

ACORN Housing trained counselors have a network of 40 lenders and servicers they work with to streamline the foreclosure workout process.

ACORN staff offers outreach and gathers preliminary paperwork for ACORN Housing so that they can begin the counseling process.

The Power of the Pen

So, I must not have been the only one offended by Justin Gimelstob's comments and I really hate to post this but feel I must. If he is sincere and is really asking for forgiveness then I feel it should be given, but I strongly suspect he was given a choice...apologize, resign or get fired. Anyway I really feel that since I posted the comment that I should also post the apology. Thanks to Kate from Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs for originally posting it over at Women Who Serve.

(Kate)"I am the person who originally posted the links and email addresses on the other blog, Feministe, in the comments. Today I received an email from Tennis Warehouse with an apology from them and an attached apology from Gimbelstob. Here is the Gimelstob apology:"

(JG)"I want to apologize for remarks I made last week on “The Junkies” radio show. There is no excuse and I am extremely disappointed in myself. I take full responsibility for all the words that came out of my mouth, and, while I can’t take any of them back, I hope my heartfelt remorse can begin to heal the wounds felt by many. I do not feel that the views I expressed last week accurately represent the person I am or strive to be; however, I can completely understand how and why they offended so many people. Regardless of how I feel about someone, my access to communicate to the public should be used in a positive way, and this was clearly not the case last week. In addition, I have a responsibility to the numerous outlets that trust me to inform, entertain, and educate their viewers and listeners. I failed them. I am truly sorry. As a symbol of my contrition I plan on donating an undisclosed sum to The Women’s Sports Foundation, which works to expand opportunities for girls and women through sports and physical activity. I hope at least some good can come from my mistakes. I know I have learned how to accurately express my feelings and I can promise nothing similar to my previous remarks will ever be said again. Sincerely, Justin Gimelstob"

I so wanted to add my comments all through it, but I'll leave that for you to have fun with :)

Obama on the FISA "Compromise"

Many people in the blogging world are freaking out and doubting Obama because he voted for the FISA "Compromise". So I had to go looking for the story. Click the title link for Obama's answer taken from Talking Points Memo. Here is an excerpt:

"Under this compromise legislation, an important tool in the fight against terrorism will continue, but the President's illegal program of warrantless surveillance will be over. It restores FISA and existing criminal wiretap statutes as the exclusive means to conduct surveillance - making it clear that the President cannot circumvent the law and disregard the civil liberties of the American people. It also firmly re-establishes basic judicial oversight over all domestic surveillance in the future. It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses. But this compromise guarantees a thorough review by the Inspectors General of our national security agencies to determine what took place in the past, and ensures that there will be accountability going forward. By demanding oversight and accountability, a grassroots movement of Americans has helped yield a bill that is far better than the Protect America Act."

If you want more on the:

Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act
Protect America Act of 2007
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The U.S. National Security Agency warrantless surveillance controversy

May I respectfully request that you read up on this to be aware and to be ready to protect your fourth amendment rights.

Woo Hoo! I'm smarter than I thought I was :)

Or, it could be that my frustration finally won and I could stand it no longer. I don't know if you have even noticed but I've been playing around with the general layout of this blog(changing font colors and sizes, rearranging blogrolls, etc) trying to get ready for my drive-by on August 3rd. Men with Pens will be here to scrutinize all. If you would like a drive-by for your own blog their link is in the left sidebar under "other sites/blogs of interest".

So for over a year now that white space above the left side bar has been driving me crazy...not just a little bit but stark-raving-lunatic-crazy. I know you probably think this is just plain nuts but I do have a diploma in graphic communications(17 years ago) and it just went against my grain that the two columns didn't start at about the same top margin. There was about 2 1/2 inches of wasted space! I need for my readers to be able to see what is on here and what they have access to fairly early in their visit. In my mind the posts I do are just filler(bullshit) and the real reason, or at least what I want to believe is the real reason they come here is for the resources I provide. That 2 1/2 inches of space was just enough space to give visitors enough time to think "@#*&$, this is not what I want". Can't have that...

So this morning I ventured into forbidden land...the "edit layout" "edit html" section in search of what might be that worthless white space. I found one that looked like it, lowered the number, checked it and nada. So I bravely kept searching for what might be it and I found under "page structure" #sidebar-wrapper {bunch of gobbledy gook I knew I would screw up if I messed with it} Then oh, praise Jesus there was under that #sidebar{ margin 0 padding top 170pxj } First I took off the 1 so it would just have 70pxj's and checked it. Hallelujah! The top margin for the sidebar jumped up :) I was thrilled! I continued to play with it until I stopped at 45pxj's and that's where you see it now. But the greatest thing of all is that I conquered my fear of html! There is no telling how this blog will look a year from now :) Of coarse, Men with Pens will probably come over here and say that I needed that white space for looks or something :) That's ok, now I know I can change it back :)

Let me know what you think...like it, don't like it, whatever...

Misogyny at it's, uh, finest? "If she's not crying by the time she walks off that court then I did not do my job"

Well, this is just what I needed (sigh) when it's Saturday night, the hot bath bubbles and glass of wine are waiting for me, the music is playing and I have the house to myself...

Please go read the article, click the title link. The email address for the tennis channel is general@thetennischannel.com

Please read the comments also. Here is one of the comments that was posted with additional addresses for protesting. Let's get this poor excuse for a human being removed from his job, at least.

"Please note that the Tennis Channel is sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods (racquet@wilson.com), Tennis Warehouse (info@tennis-warehouse.com ), Tennis Court Online (http://www.tenniscourtonline.com/ContactUs )and IMG Academies (laura.young@imgworld.com) and Lacosta (http://www.lacoste.com/usa/main.html - contact form) to name a few. You should cc e-mails to them as well as the tennis channel."

He needs to be demolished where he lives...in his pocketbook, he obviously doesn't have anything else in there...

Prin's Blues Page :)

Today, I got a wild hair, you know where... I have reposted all the blues-related posts that I have done over the past year to Prin's Blues Page. I always wanted a dark page but didn't think it appropriate for a social work page...so now I have one. It will also allow me to do more with my blues stuff. I can list other blues blogs I've found there also. It will also keep this page from loading too slow because of the videos. Wish me luck with it :) With this one, I now have 11 blogs...geez, I wonder if there is a limit? :)

United Way Day of Action

Got this in an email yesterday. Click the title link to be taken to the advocacy page. Click here for the home page. The link for the volunteer page is in the email body. Click here for ways you can help without ever leaving your desk and other cool stuff.

"United Way is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life – a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place.

We invite you to be part of the change. On June 21 – the longest day of the year – United Ways across the country are participating in a nationwide Day of Action. With more daylight hours than any other, June 21 is the perfect day to let your actions speak louder than words. It’s the perfect way to show, by example, what it means to LIVE UNITED.

What will you do on the longest day of the year? Click here to find ideas and tell us how you plan to LIVE UNITED on June 21. Be one of the first 100 applicants and get a free “Day of Action in a Box”—everything you need to host your own Day of Action (LIVE UNITED t-shirts, buttons, balloons, brochures, messaging and thank you notes)."

Oh, and that new widget on the left sidebar is waaaay cool. Click here to get one for your site. It will let you send email to all your representatives, including Bush and Cheney, at once. It also tells you about the issues and how each voted on said issue. It may be for United Way issues only...I just took a quick glance. 1 email writing for all. I like that :)

Who Killed Estelle?

Click the title link for Alternet story. Here's a copy of the flier:

"Who Killed Estelle?
On July 5, 2004, Estelle Richardson, 34, a female prisoner at the CCA-run Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville, was found unresponsive in a segregation cell. She was declared dead that same day at a local hospital. An autopsy conducted by the State Medical Examiner's office found she had a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a damaged liver. Her death was ruled a homicide. The day before she died, Estelle had been forcibly removed from her cell by four CCA officers.
When investigators arrived at the CCA-Metro facility they asked to see the videotape of Estelle's cell extraction the day before her death. According to the Attorney General's office, the investigators were told by CCA staff that the video camera had "malfunctioned," and no video was available. Yet when an investigator asked to see the camera and inspected it, it appeared to be in working order.
In Sept. 2005, four CCA officers – Jeremy N. Neese, Keith A. Hendricks, Joshua D. Schockman and William Wood – were indicted on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated assault in connection with Estelle's death. The charges were eventually dismissed in May 2007, partly because the timing
of Estelle's fatal head injury could not be determined. A fifth CCA officer, Shirley M. Foster, who had allegedly injured Estelle three days prior to her death, was not charged.
The question remains: Who killed Estelle Richardson, and what happened to the videotape, if any existed, of her forcible cell extraction the day before she died? Her murder remains unsolved.
If you have information about this incident you may be eligible for a cash reward up to $35,000!
$10,000 Reward for Videotape of Estelle's Cell Extraction
$10,000 will be paid to the first person who provides information that leads to the recovery and/or verifiable proof of existence of a videotape or video footage of the cell extraction of Estelle Richardson at the CCA-Metro Davidson County Detention Facility that occurred on or about July 4, 2004, the day before her death.
$25,000 Reward for Information Leading to Conviction of Estelle's Killer
$25,000 will be paid to the first person who provides information that leads to the prosecution and conviction of the person or persons directly responsible for Estelle Richardson's death at the CCA-Metro Davidson County Detention Facility.
PLEASE NOTE: All information that is provided in connection with these rewards must be submitted in writing. You can e-mail: whokilledestelle@gmail.com or send a fax to: (515) 581-0776. For the purpose of determining the "first person" who provides information that makes them eligible for these rewards, the e-mail or fax that is received first will control.
While you can submit information anonymously, in order to claim either reward you must be willing to provide your name and contact information; to claim the $25,000 reward, you may
be required to publicly disclose your identity if that is deemed necessary.
www.whokilledestelle.org "

The Victim's Assistance Page

The victim's assistance resource page in now up, finally :) Click the title link to be taken there. It's also listed on the side bar. Let me know if you have any links you would like included and I will be glad to do so. Thanks!

New Stuff

I have been diligently working on this site for a few days now. There has been some rearranging of the layout, hopefully for a less cluttered effect, I have added new links to the theory page and have about decided that "theory" needs it's own page. There is much contemplation going on about revamping the entire site...OMG I hope I get a job before I undertake that! Still have many "victims assistance" links that I have not done anything with as of yet. It already takes a full minute or more to scroll through everything I have bookmarked...even with folders. So, yes there is much more to come :) Have a good one and happy searching!

An Affair to Remember

"She was 82. He was 95. They had dementia. They fell in love. And then they started having sex."

Click the title link for the entire tear-jerking story.

USDHHS--Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This is really an exciting resource! It has endless listings for the mental health professional and for social workers. Click the title link for the homepage. Here is an invaluable list of their online publications. Particularly impressive was the listing that provided state-by-state resources. Here is the link for their online dictionary which is one of the coolest dictionaries I have ever found. The dictionary provides website links and publications associated with each word which when clicked will take you to a whole other realm of resources for that particular word. This site is definitely worth a bookmark!

A Northern Family's Role in the Slave Trade

I don't understand what all the big fuss is about, 150 years or so later the general press, click the title link for Alternet's story, is so excited to share what they have discovered, what we here in the Deep South have always known, that we weren't responsible for the beginning of the slave trade. Granted, some ran with it and profited from it, but it was propagated by Northern industrialists. I feel no sympathy for Ms Katrina Brown's prissy, ivy-league educated, white bitch's trauma as she educated herself about her family's dark history and has now produced Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. I think she should be made to view "Without Sanctuary" all alone, with only herself for company and she should be made to watch that scene in Amistad over and over again until she pukes, like I did when I first saw them. Same goes for her cousin, Thomas Norman DeWolfe and his book Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts It's Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History In my mind they still just don't get it, but I can say this about them...they learned the lessons of their ancestors well and are still out to make a profit from slavery. Reparations? Start with the DeWolfe family! Please!

And They Said It Wouldn't Last...

Well, this blog is officially one year old....yesterday :) Just like me to miss it. It seems like I've been working on this blog most of my life. Maybe I'm spending too much time on it, but it never feels like enough, it never feels complete. Maybe that is just the nature of this type of blog.

So here are some stats for you. Let me say I never thought for a minute this blog would come anywhere close to these numbers.

There have been a total of 146 posts, six are still in "draft" stage.
There have been 158 comments posted.
My profile has been viewed 632 times.

These aren't totally accurate because I didn't put a counter on here until the middle of August.

There have been 2819 visits.
Average per day 15
Average length 2:50
There have been 4408 page views.
Average per day 24
Average per visit 1.6

My readers came from:

US 9.7%
Ireland 8.1%
Unknown 8.1%
United Kingdom 4.0%
Canada 2.0%
Australia 1.0%
France 1.0%
Germany 1.0%
Switzerland 1.0%
Macedonia 1.0%
India 1.0%
Jamaica 1.0%

I know I've had readers from Thailand, Japan, the Netherlands, Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Russia and Iceland but I guess there weren't enough to register.

Even though it may not seem like much to most of you out there that have regular visitors and commentors, it means a great deal to me that people think enough of my little place in the blogosphere to come here at all, much less re-visit.

I would just like to take this time to thank each and everyone of you for your time. I am very grateful and hope that I have been of some relative service to you with your searches. As always, have a great day and happy searching!

Shoes??

It's Sunday afternoon and I so look forward to my Sunday afternoon nap, or you could call it a wallow. On Sunday afternoons it gets to be as long as I want it to be. I don't have to worry about supper, because nearly every good southern cook I know still cooks a big dinner on Sunday. This "dinner" lasts not only for Sunday supper but probably will provide several lunches and perhaps a supper or two throughout the week because see we don't have 13 children anymore but we were taught to cook like we do. I don't have to worry about laundry because I was a good girl and got that done on Saturday morning, like I was supposed to. So all I have to do is go in for a deep wallow like a "dead pig in the sunshine".

Before I go though the title for this post is inspired by the Midlife Gals. If you've never visited their blog, you just must go have a look-see. They are hilarious! They keep me smiling and oh so uplifted!

Shoes...I want to know if you think you have too many? Just enough? Not enough? What do the special one's mean to you? Why? I will tell you about mine after my nap when I've had a chance to think on it some :)

*Edit*
Ok, I have two pair of New Balance,white with pink trim, one old, that I love because I can wear them without socks, one new that I'm saving for the new job. Some pink Crocs, the kid talked me into buying and I was horrified at the time but have just about worn out. One pair of Sofft's black suede mules with 2 1/4in heels with flat bronze studs across the top that I just love because they feel like you are walking on clouds. If you've never heard of the Sofft brand, I suggest you seek them out. I got those for interviews. That's about it, as far as what I wear. I do want a pair of Birkenstock sandals one day. I love shoes and will probably have a much more extensive wardrobe once I start working :) Boy, that was a great nap!

New Links Added Under "Graduation, What Now?" Section

I found some great links to listings of potential social work interview questions. If you are as scared of that first interview as I am then please go check them out. I hope they help and don't freak you out even more :)

Of All the Things I've been Pissed About On This Blog This Pisses Me Off The Most!

*Edit* Here are more extensive links on the subject for you. Thanks to Trench Warfare --see sidebar

Why is Gas so Expensive
Amaranth's Enron Connection

THE ROLE OF MARKET SPECULATION
IN RISING OIL AND GAS PRICES:
A NEED TO PUT THE COP BACK ON THE BEAT

Right now it's late and I'm tired. I just have to wonder why we are taking this. We know it's true. We just keep trying to get by on our ever dwindling finances. We make adjustments such as going from soda to sweet tea, then sweet tea to not so sweet tea, then just plain tea and pretend that it ain't so bad. I'm sure you have an analogy of your own, chronicling the adjustments you've made so you can afford to get to work. I guess when we get all the way down to plain ole tap water then maybe we'll protest a bit, ya think? You can bet those arrogant bastards on Wall Street aren't scrimping to get by. I'm so sick of paying for someone else's greed. How long...well I was going to say the middle class, but, hell we don't even have a middle class anymore, so how long are we going to take paying for someone else's greedy mistake?

Oh, I almost forgot...click the title link for the story....I'm going to go hit the sheets now and hope I can sleep a quiet, peaceful sleep.....geez, thanks KAK :)

Video from Women's Media Center

Click the title link to sign the petition and sign up for alerts from Women's Media Center.

Mimi Writes.......: Dona Nobis Pacem ~ A Revolution of Words

Click the title link to be taken to the most wonderful site! Get your own peace globe! Maybe sometime today I will figure out one that I think is good enough to enter...this early in the morning though, it's not looking too promising :)

Social Work Reinvestment Iniative Home Page

Social Work Reinvestment Act

Federal Action Complementing SWRI

State Action complementing SWRI

SWRI Tools

U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Debbie Stabenow introduce S. 2858, the Social Work Reinvestment Act, on the 2nd Annual World Social Work Day

U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Debbie Stabenow introduce S. 2858, the Social Work Reinvestment Act, on the 2nd Annual World Social Work Day

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