Me and Arbitron

Last week our family completed an Arbitron ratings survey for local radio. It was quite a little process. First, came a letter of interest along with a crisp new dollar bill promising a future monetary token of appreciation should we agree to participate. Then came a phone call wherein I agreed to do it. I asked the caller how much would we receive, and she said “about the cost of a cup of coffee.” Not that I’m that desperate for money. I’m just interested in marketing. A few days later, we received packets with the surveys for each family member. And there was again a crisp dollar for each of us. Another phone call to make sure we got them. Another letter reminding us of the date to begin our diary entries. Phone call to remind us to start. Letter to remind us to mail them back. And I think another phone call, but I could have lost count.

Now, I only listen to the radio in the car. Same with husband as he makes the short commute to work. High school senior son doesn’t listen to the radio at all. And in fact, he decries the awful music selections we have in Montgomery. He has a 10 CD player and listens to his own favorite music. According to a story in the New York Times, “The Youngsters Aren’t Listening as Much,” Larry Rosin, the president of Edison Media Research, credits the trend with competition from all sorts of other media and that radio is largely ignoring the 12-24 demographic group of which my son is a member. He’s almost 18.

One last thing Arbiton, you know that dollar doesn’t buy a cup of coffee in my neighborhood. Not even at McDonald’s.

Give the Kid an Apple

According to CNET News, it looks like Apple Computer is going to get some good news after the stock market closes. When fourth-quarter earnings come out later today, Apple is expected to report higher-than-expected sales. The good news is fueled by sales of MacBooks which were helped along by back-to-school shopping this quarter. Apple recently transitioned to Intel processors and this will certainly help future sales. Also, listen up for rumors about the new iPhone.

Peoples of World Want Learn Kazakh Speak

A NOTE FROM SHEILA: My friend from Kazakhstan, Oxana, is trying to capitalize on Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie. Since the Kazakhs are still learning about capitalism, Oxana asked me if I minded posting this for her. Of course, I was happy to help a formerly Communist fellow entrepreneur out in any way. Please give her shop a visit and learn about her country. She tells me Borat has a few things wrong but some things right. She says they don’t say “Jagshemash,” but I told her everyone here in the U.S. loves to say it. So, she took my advice and put that on a t-shirt. “Bugun aurayie tamasha” means “It is a beautiful day.” Oxana says her people like that better than America’s “Have a nice day.”

Oxana: Peoples, in honor of attention to glorious nation of Kazakhstan receiving by new movie-film, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which opens in the U.S. November 3, I make opens a new CafePress shop name with Say It In Kazakh. Here is way to seez what is there. CLICK HERE WITH COMPUTER MACHINES.

Many peoples of world want learn Kazakh speak. Here you find many words peoples speak in glorious nation of Kazakhstan. Pleasz visit Kazakhstan. We no like that crazi guy says. We culture, beauty of womans, strong mans and out of world landscrape. We not “bleak” like that Brit guidebooks says. We do eats horse and sheeps but no wolf. Come. You seez.

Gallaudet Faculty Vote No Confidence in Leadership

According to a story at Inside Higher Ed, 138 out of 168 eligible Gallaudet faculty members called for President-elect Jane Fernandes to resign or be removed. 131 members wanted to see the board of trustees back on campus to deal with this issue. 80 cast a vote of no-confidence in current President I. King Jordan (love that name). According to Inside Higher Ed, Mark Weinberg, chair of the Faculty Senate, said “This sends a strong message to the administration.”

Let me get this straight. You have the students, a strong majority of faculty and alumni unhappy with the selection process of Fernandes. Yet, the board is continuing to support Fernandes. Is this any way to begin a new administration? Are not the students, faculty and alumni the heart and soul of the university?

The Joy of Cooking

It’s was a pleasant surprise to see the New York Times article today about one of the classics when it comes to cookbooks, Joy of Cooking. I often pull out my battered (sorry for the pun) copy when the mood to cook strikes. These days that’s a rare occasion and usually involves something simple like Joy’s panna cotta.

The new edition (available Oct. 31) will inevitably introduce a new generation to basics like biscuits and more elaborate fare as well.

EnJOY.

Borat Visits Amsterdam

Borat, aka Sacha Baron Cohen, visited Amsterdam yesterday to defend his portrayal of Kazakhstan. Maybe you’ve seen the ads on CNN or the four-page New York Times advertising insert placed by the government of Kazakhstan in order to persuade audiences that the real Kazakhstan is not like Borat’s version.

Borat says agents working for rival nation Uzbekistan placed the ads and said that Kazakhstan will “commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults if they do not stop,” according to an AP story.

You may recall that Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with President Bush recently. Borat says that the real reason Nazarbayev came calling was to publicize the new movie, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” which opens in the U.S. November 3.

Gallaudet University President-Elect in Trouble

Gallaudet University students are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. So mad that they shut down the nation’s only liberal arts college for the deaf again yesterday. Students and others are unhappy with Gallaudet’s new president-elect, Jane K. Fernandes, and want her to resign.

“Students pitched tents, took over a major classroom building and, before dawn Wednesday, blocked all access to the private university,” according to the Washington Post article by Susan Kinzie entitled “Gallaudet Closed for a Second Day.”

The Post details the trouble that has been brewing since Fernandes was selected in May. Some in the community think the search process was too quick and overlooked the strongest candidate. Kinzie writes, “Their anger has grown over what they say is the board’s dismissive attitude. Some say Fernandes has divided them more since May rather than bringing them together on a campus that has enormous cultural resonance for the deaf community.” “They have no idea who we are,” a student said to ABC News of the board of trustees.

Fernandes, who has strong board support, is set to take over in January. She says the debate is about deaf identity politics.

“I feel that this institution cannot move forward under Dr. Fernandes’ leadership because there are too many disagreements about her as a leader,” Mark Weinberger, a professor of foreign languages and chair of the faculty senate, said to ABC News.

Fernandes vows to stick it out.

South Beach Diet Update

Well, I’m still on this plan and doing okay. I haven’t lost a lot of weight, but ten pounds sounds good to me. Eating out’s a challenge, but a recent meal at Romano’s Macaroni Grill wasn’t too bad: garden salad, grilled salmon with asparagus and no bread. My will power is better than I would have thought possible, and I not hungry for sweets like I thought I’d be. Plus, I’m still working out at the YMCA. I’m starting to cut time off of my two-mile walk on the treadmill, but I haven’t lifted weights in a week. Check back next month.

Urgent Appeal: Don’t Let Friday Night Lights Go Unwatched

Please don’t let this quality show die on the vine. I’ve already written about it once. It’s struggling in the ratings. Last night’s show continues the story that began with the pilot. It’s really more than a show about Texas football. It’s about every kid who stood in the shadow only to be thrust into a challenge that he or she may or may not be ready for. It’s about expectations—realistic and not. Hopes, dreams and dreams sidetracked. Love and how strong can it be. Friendship and leadership. Jack Myers Media Village says of the show: “Indeed, one need not be even remotely interested in football to appreciate Friday Night Lights, because its stories about the people of Dillon, Texas, and their beloved football team, the Dillon Panthers, are stories of simple hopes and dreams. They speak to anyone who ever wanted more out of life, as well as those who are content with an existence some might define as ‘humble’.”

I know many viewers were touched by the closing words spoken at the end of the pilot as I was. I posted them in my first blog entry and many curious viewers found their way to the Alabama Kitchen Sink. The writing is so strong that I am repeating them today:

“Give all of us who are gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable. And we will all at some point in our lives fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts: That what we have is special and that it can be taken from us and when it is taken from us, we will be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves.”

Tuesday on NBC at 7 p.m. Central time.

Testing is Tested

The Rise of the Testing Culture As Exam-Takers Get Younger, Some Say Value is Overblown By Valerie Strauss

I’m glad to see the Washington Post tackle the subject of testing: a subject that’s pretty big in our household right now. You see I have a high school senior who’s taking the ACT (college entrance exam for you international readers) on Oct. 28 with the hopes that he’ll improve his score. This will be the third time. The first time he took the exam with no preparations or even a practice exam under his belt. Next time it was after a weeklong test prep course at a local university. And now, we hope to see his score improve by a couple of points at least. Believe it not, that makes a difference and increases the number of colleges that would consider him.

Strauss writes, “Proponents say standardized tests are the best objective tool to hold teachers and schools accountable; opponents argue that the tests prove nothing more than that some kids are better at taking tests than others.”

Strauss continues, “Ask students what they think about standardized tests and many agree with Leah Zipperstein, a junior at Colorado College. She said she remembers her teachers in Cincinnati spending weeks in middle and high school helping kids practice to pass the tests rather than teaching something more substantive.”

Here in Alabama, my own little millennial or gen next, if you will, had to pass the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE). Brilliant offspring that he is, he did. Of course, the schools spend an incredible amount of time preparing the students for the exams which are given at various times as the students progress through high school. Many chances to pass are given. Little else is done during exam weeks which I believe are in the fall and spring semesters.

Scott thought he was finished with the AHSGE since he’s passed all parts. But last week he came home with the news that the seniors were going to have to take the science test again. This time, it seems, the administrators want to use their performance to gauge whether the test is too easy or too hard. Scott says the students consider this a joke. I don’t think they plan to be helpful subjects. Why bother? Ah, my little rebel.

Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert 2008

I told you I was not going to write about anything serious today. But I lied. I'd rather have these two fellows running the country than the bunch of comedians we have in there now.

Jon Stewart was quoted today as saying he couldn't believe people when they say they get their news from him. Well, believe me, Jon, I get some of my news from you. I'd rather watch you interview someone rather than the polite and proper Katie Courics of "journalism." I know you'll ask the tough questions.

So I wasn't surprised to see mention of the bumper stickers and t-shirts touting Stewart/Colbert 2008. Cafepress designers have been at it for quite awhile. I, myself, haven't jumped in yet, but go to cafepress.com to see some of my fellow shopkeepers' handiwork.

And Jon and Stephen, keep up the great work. America needs you now more than ever.

Stephen Colbert Museum Opens in Colbert County Alabama

Stephen Colbert is at it again. This time there’s an Alabama connection. This small county in Alabama was most noted for being home to Helen Keller (y’all remember who she was don’t you?). Well, move over HK just a little bit to make room for Stephen Colbert. I don’t how or who started it all, but Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert Show got the county to rename itself. Last week the show’s film crew was in Tuscumbia to film the opening of the Stephen Colbert Museum and the locals turned out in force with a good old-fashioned welcome. Cheerleaders, the band, the mayor—the whole ball of wax.

Okay, I’m just kidding. The county has been called Colbert County for as long as I and everyone else can remember. And the museum, well, it’s a joke too. Colbert County, you guys are smart folks. Do you realize how much attention and publicity you are going to get? Oh, I forgot, I think you do.

The show is expected to air several segments in the upcoming month featuring Colbert County and the museum. Now, this made my day when I read about it.

Can Pink Ribbons Cure Breast Cancer? The Marketing of A Disease

As I’m sure you U.S. readers are aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. How in the devil could you miss it? Everyone who sells anything that can be remotely tied to the “cause,” is hawking his or her products on the Internet, television, magazines and other media. Want a pink Kitchenaid food processor or a Smith & Hawken pink watering can?
You got it. Hungry? How about a Pink Ribbon Bagel from Panera Bread?

Which organizations benefit from this mass consumption of pinkness? Well, for one, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation benefits in many cases and has been dubbed “the 800-pound gorilla of cause marketing” in a 2004 Seattle Weekly column. And lest you forget dear gentle readers, this is as much about marketing as it is about breast cancer.

My favorite non-profit breast cancer charity, www.breastcancer.org, is dedicated to giving those of us affected by breast cancer the best and most up-to-date information and support. It pulled me through many a late night/early morning anxiety attack. So, I can honestly recommend it without reservations.

As a CafePress shop owner, I created a pink ribbon design that is featured in this month’s Breast Cancer Donation Shop (click here to see products featuring my design). I don’t get a dime but CafePress.com will donate 40% of the retail price of all products sold through the Breast Cancer Donation Shop through October 31, 2006 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or another non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a core purpose of raising awareness and funding breast cancer research and education.

Maine’s Senator Olympia Snowe is Steaming About Impostor Lobsters

That lobster you think you’re getting may be a langostino cloaked in a lobster appellation. Senator Snowe is fighting to keep langostino from being passed off as lobster. It’s costing Maine lobstermen $44 million in lost sales according to the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. A restaurant chain in California was sued last year by customers for serving a lobster burrito with langostino in it instead of lobster. So, ask, "Are those lobster bites, really lobster?"

You Think Your Job Is Secure?

Jeffrey Johnson, publisher of the L.A. Times, had a bad week. According to the Washington Post, his Tribune Company bosses ousted him after Johnson learned earlier in the week that his wife had cancer. Johnson and his bosses didn’t see eye to eye and he had refused to make deeper cuts to the paper’s staff. “The staff has no confidence in Tribune management to do what’s right for journalism or the newspaper -- none whatsoever,” said William Rempel, the Times deputy sports editor. “They do not have any friends in this newsroom. They’d be booed out of the building.”

At what price do companies and institutions succeed when they start down this path? Is the bottom line the only thing that matters? Morale, loyalty, competency and motivation seem to be irrelevant. How far will carrying a big stick get you? How many lives will be turned upside down with the loss of a job? Will a family be able to afford to pay the COBRA to continue health insurance? What about the high school senior’s dream of attending college? Will there be money to pay the mortgage? How long will the savings last? How many sleepless, fitful nights will be filled with anxiety wondering when the axe will fall?

My questions for the powers that be. Is it just business? Is there another way? Do you care?

I’m Taking a Mini-Vacation to Italy: Part 1

I’ve been so serious lately. Serious and angry about a lot of things. About the state of the world—why have we forgotten Africa and her suffering peoples? About the state of American politics—must the politicians pass the buck instead of accept personal responsibility? About the evil men and women who destroy lives without giving it another thought—look around you; they are not all easy to pick out of the crowd.

What do I do when I get angry, when I see people I love get hurt, when I tire of injustice and poverty? Sometimes I just escape to a happier place and time. For me that’s Italy. So for today, excuse my venting and come along with me on my mini-vacation to Italy. The photos are some of my favorites. And I do remain optimistic that I’ll return. I’m renewing my passport.




About the photos all ©2005 by Sheila Noblitt. All of the part 1 photos were taken on the Amalfi Coast in May/June 2005 during a trip Bill, Scott and I took. We were based in Sorrento and took three daytrips to Capri, Ravello and Pompei. Top left: When I aimed the camera the nun wasn't in the frame--where she came from I don't know. Top right: Villa Cimbrone in Ravello with its much photographed view which I call "sea into sky." Middle left: Bill and I shared an insalata caprese where it originated. Middle right: Capri has so many doorways that I could hardly contain myself.




More photos: Above left: Capt. Bill rented a boat for us to take a "three hour tour" of Capri. Above right: Who needs the famous Blue Grotto where you wait in line like a Six Flags ride. Here's the Green Grotto. Pretty cool. Below: Two daytime photos of our lovely old Sorrento hotel. The bottom two photos were taken from the rooftop outside of our room with a view. The lower right view is of the small port from which ferries leave. The lower left is Mt. Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples--a lovely site to be long remembered. You can check out TripAdvisor for my review of Sorrento's Lorelei et Londres Hotel. We had the triple which was really two rooms at the top with the most wonderful rooftop view. Caution: I don't think all of the rooms are of this standard. Read the reviews but ignore the people who get bent out of shape by a lack of soap holders in the shower. Common on. Just stay home if you are that picky.

All Creatures Great and Small: Do Squirrels Matter?

Scott was upstairs talking to me after school while I worked at the computer, when he looked out of our office window and noticed something floating in the pool. “Is that a frog?” he asked. Then, answering his own question, he said, “No, it’s a squirrel!” Before I knew it, he rushed downstairs and out the back, quickly grabbing the skimmer. He scooped up the tiny animal from the vastness of the pool, and I helped him free the baby squirrel from the netting. We weren’t in time. The little creature had drowned. I could tell it bothered him. I wondered what mama and daddy squirrel would think. “Ah,” you say, “squirrels probably don’t.” I’m a sap. I like to think life matters. Even a squirrel’s.

Bad Guys, Prayer and the Power of PR

Yes, bad guys are out there. Before I’m accused of being a sexist or a male-basher, let me say women can be bad too. However, in general, they don’t seem to have the propensity for violence that men do. How many husband-beaters do you hear of?

The killer of Montgomery Police Officer Houts who was slain by a bullet to his head last week was male. The killer of the Amish children was a revenge-seeking man armed to the teeth. The Wisconsin teen who attacked and killed a principal. Male. On the same day that Montgomery Police were looking for the shooter of Officer Houts, Lakeland, Florida Deputy Sheriff Vernon Williams was slain by eight bullets after making a traffic stop, his police dog killed and another deputy wounded. The SWAT officers tracked down the suspect and shot him 68 times.

This kind of bad guy is easy to see. The kind who wraps himself in the cloak of goodness or progress is likewise dangerous on a different level. Lives are wrecked. Psyches are warped. Financially secure retirements lost. The most recent member of this class, former Representative Foley, has holed himself up in a treatment center to deal with alcoholism apparently. Foley might want to check in with Richard Scrushy to get some pointers from Scrushy’s playbook on redemption. Scrushy, former chairman and CEO of Alabama’s HealthSouth, is on a crusade to repair his reputation with his chief defense partner being no less than God.

Michael Kinsley wrote in the Washington Post story, The Lord and Richard Scrushy, “God works in mysterious ways, but his or her decision to acquit Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth Corp., on all charges of financial fraud is especially inscrutable. Five consecutive HealthSouth chief financial officers admitted to cooking the books and copped a plea. They all fingered Scrushy. But jurors chose to believe that the man on top knew nothing about what was going on directly below him.”

“Not long after he was indicted in November, 2003, Scrushy and his wife launched an evangelical Christian talk show on a local cable station,” according to BusinessWeek. I happened upon this show the other morning on WCOV’s (FOX 20) Montgomery station, but it had been on the air here longer according to the Birmingham News. Seems the show “Viewpoint” began airing shortly before the Montgomery bribery trial of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy. The jury in this more recent trial ended up convicting both defendants, and just recently Siegelman and Scrushy filed a joint motion asking for a new trial based on their Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial before an impartial jury. The legal team has apparently been busy filing other motions too, one of which the federal judge who presided over the trial refused on Monday, ruling that there was substantial evidence to support the convictions.

Whether it's Enron, HealthSouth or other corporate shenanigans, bad guys don’t always look like bad guys.

Sheila's Review of Friday Night Lights

"Give all of us who are gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable. And we will all at some point in our lives fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts: That what we have is special and that it can be taken from us and when it is taken from us, we will be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves."


Those are the words that end this amazingly good television show on NBC. Did you see the movie by the same title? Prepare for a slight variation in this version. Missed the show? NBC is having an encore tomorrow night. Stop complaining about the lack of good television and watch this. I'll bet you'll be touched.

Peter Berg, who directed the movie FNL, is the executive producer. The show is shot 100% in Texas, near Austin, with a mostly Texan cast. Berg says he won't have a football game every week but maybe one every four or five weeks. He says some people have complained about the camera work. The announcers for tonight's show are USC Trojan announcers, and in the following weeks, Berg plans to find real Texas announcers.

Quick Heads-Up for Friday Night Lights

“Lord, is Friday Night Lights good,” writes Virginia Heffernan in today’s New York Times review of this new television show. 8 Eastern, 7 Central tonight on NBC. And please, WSFA don’t pre-empt this for something like a Billy Graham program that the ABC affiliate did when Bill and I wanted to watch the pilot of “Men in Trees.” Oh, the show’s about football. Duh.

Washington Times: Resign, Mr. Speaker

Why is a good Democrat like me reading the Washington Times you might ask dear gentle readers? Well, I wanted to read the reliably conservative paper’s editorial calling on House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign.

From the Washington Times:
“The evidence was strong enough long enough ago that the speaker should have relieved Mr. Foley of his committee responsibilities contingent on a full investigation to learn what had taken place.”

“Late yesterday afternoon, Mr. Hastert insisted that he learned of the most flagrant instant-message exchange from 2003 only last Friday, when it was reported by ABC News. This is irrelevant. The original e-mail messages were warning enough that a predator -- and, incredibly, the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children -- could be prowling the halls of Congress. The matter wasn’t pursued aggressively. It was barely pursued at all. Moreover, all available evidence suggests that the Republican leadership did not share anything related to this matter with any Democrat.”

The editorial rightly points out that the Democrats have had their share of sexual skeletons in the closet. So, don’t get too high on your horse, fellow Democrats. The higher you are; the harder you fall.

Continuing:
“House Speaker Dennis Hastert must do the only right thing, and resign his speakership at once. Either he was grossly negligent for not taking the red flags fully into account and ordering a swift investigation, for not even remembering the order of events leading up to last week’s revelations -- or he deliberately looked the other way in hopes that a brewing scandal would simply blow away.”

The editorial calls for a one-day session to elect a new speaker and suggests Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois. Surely, you jest. I lived in Illinois for over 10 years and seem to remember some hanky-panky in his background too. Much has been written most notably in salon.com about Hyde’s extra-marital affair that must be no big deal to some, but I for one certainly don’t think this makes this Roman Catholic a beacon of righteousness.

Other than that one little "boop," the Washington Times editorial is excellent.

Slapout, Alabama

Well, since Bill went to Eclectic, Alabama Saturday night to judge that beauty pageant, I got to thinking a bit about Elmore County. As you might remember, I grew up around here, and I’m in the process of rediscovering the area since I was away for so long (30+ years). As a kid, we’d drive through Slapout, Alabama on the way to Lake Jordan (Jerden). Anyway, I'd rather write about Slapout today and let others write about Congressman Foley and his fondness for boys or Bob Woodward's new book or YouTube (I'm fascinated with it) or Sacha Boran Cohen's cleverness (nother obsession). Come back when I'm in a more serious and self-righteous mood.

Slapout, Alabama, not to be confused with Slapout, Oklahoma, is a “town” with an identity issue. The volunteer fire department can’t decide if it’s better to be called Holtville or Slapout so they just call themselves Holtville/Slapout. They have a Web site and there is a cafepress.com site too where you can get t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats and gear with their logo on them. I’d just stick with Slapout if it were me. Checking the site this morning, I saw that Chief Gregg has a fire truck for sale. I hope that he doesn’t mind me posting a picture of it. Anyone out there in need of a firetruck? Engine 603 is a 1975 American LaFrance Pioneer Series 1500 gpm pumper with a 500-gal supply tank. And I hope they don’t mind me posting a picture of one of the cafepress.com items from their shop. Hey, I have a cafepress.com shop too, and I love any attention I get. Shameless self-promotion, I know.

How, gentle readers, you might ask, “Did Slapout come by its name?” According to the Holtville/Slapout FD site, it originated back in the 50’s and early 60’s with a general store in town that had all sorts of things you might need in rural Alabama. “As people would come in and try to buy things, if he (the owner) didn’t have what they were looking for he would say ‘I am slapout of it’ and it kinda stuck.” Coincidentally, that’s the way the Okkie town got its name.

Anyway, here’s more about Slapout. Mose T, internationally known Alabama folk artist, has a children’s book with poems and his colorful paintings called Mose T’s Slapout Family Album. I suppose he’s referring to the Slapout I know.

Ruth from Ruth’s House of Poetry wrote a poem called “Slapout Boogie.” Some guys named Roy Boney and Larry Burditt have a comic called “Slapout,” but I think it’s about the other Slapout; you know, the Oklahoma one so I’m not giving the link to it. Go find it yourself if you are curious.

If you have the chance, check out Elmore County. It’s Alabama’s third fastest growing county, the movie “Big Fish” was filmed in these parts, and then, of course, there’s Slapout.

About the top photo: That neat photo of the fire truck is by Cecil Bridges. I asked him if I could use it and he said okay. Cecil has a Web site with some wonderful photos of Alabama. Check out his work to see why I love this area so much.

Stephen King on Writing

I came across this story from Sunday’s Washington Post written by one of my favorite writers, Stephen King. You know--The Stand, Carrie, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption and more that my morning coffee deprived brain forgets.

King writes of his muse Scruffy, a flea-bitten mutt who gives him the words. He writes of his environment—what music he’s listening to, what his grandson’s doing downstairs, what smells he smells, what sounds he hears. But mostly, he writes about writing.

From the King himself: “But there’s no shortcut to getting there. You can build yourself the world’s most wonderful writer’s studio, load it up with state-of-the-art computer equipment, and nothing will happen unless you’ve put in your time in that clearing, waiting for Scruffy to come and sit by your leg. Or bite it and run away.

I’m often asked if writing classes are any help, and my immediate and enthusiastic answer is always, Yes! Writing classes are wonderful for the writers who teach them and can’t make ends meet without that supplementary income. They are also good places for unattached people to meet, talk about books and movies, have a few drinks and possibly hook up. But teach you to write? No. A writing class will not teach you to write. The only things that can teach writing are reading, writing and the semi-domestication of one’s muse. These are all activities one must pursue alone.”

Officer Houts Didn’t Make It

Officer Houts of the Montgomery Police Department was shot in the face last Thursday during a routine by-the-books traffic stop. It didn’t look good for him since his spinal cord had been severed. Sadly, he died last night. I didn’t know the family; yet, this seems so personal to me. I don’t know what we can do. There are some really evil people out there. I pray they stay away from my family and yours.

Shannon Paulk Killer Still on the Loose

It’s been a little over five years since little 11-year-old Shannon Paulk disappeared from her Prattville home. Weeks later, her body was found in a wooded area. The Fox show America's Most Wanted had already aired one segment on the case earlier this month that generated over 100 tips and was hopeful last night's show might produce similar results. It looks like two other cases in the South may be connected, an anniversary killer if you will. Eleven year old girls living in trailer parks near construction sites and wildlife refuges—that’s what all three cases have in common.

They are looking for a man with a hairy mole on his face. Someone must know something. Turn in this scumbag before he can hurt another child.

Beauty Queens and Disappointment

I was finishing up watching the Alabama Crimson Tide get taken to the woodshed yesterday, when husband had to leave for a last-minute engagement. An Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) math professor had called him Friday night to see if he knew of anyone who could be a judge for a high school beauty pageant on Saturday. As public relations director, he sometimes gets after-hours calls about all sorts of things. Being the sort of person who loves to help, he volunteered to do it himself without thinking that he’d miss part of the Alabama game that was, unfortunately, on CBS. He listened to the second half on the radio on the way to Eclectic, Alabama, a little community northeast of Montgomery. Afterwards, I wanted to talk to him about the game, but he refused, saying, go write about it. So, I am.

Husband said it was fun to see the girls all dressed up, and he enjoyed the evening. There were also three guys in one category, two brothers and another kid. When asked what his most embarrassing moment was, one of the brothers said, “This.” Boy, can I identify with him. When I was on the yearbook staff in high school a hundred years ago, our adviser finagled me into becoming one of our pageant contestants. On hindsight I appreciate her faith in me, but I am about as far away from your typical contestant as you can get. Back then I had long hair, fancied myself a free-thinker and was painfully introverted.

Anyway, forgive the trip down memory lane. After the judges for the Eclectic pageant had decided whose daughter would be crowned the winner and whose daughters would be going home with tears but before the announcement of that, the organizers told the judges, “You need to leave now. We had an ‘incident’ last year.” As one of last year’s judges left, rocks were thrown at his car as he pulled away.

You have to know. This is Alabama. We take football seriously. And beauty pageants.

Montgomery Police Office Keith Houts Clings to Life

A Montgomery police officer, Keith E. Houts, was shot in the head Thursday afternoon during a routine traffic stop near my son’s school. If the suspect, Mario Woodward, is the right guy, Officer Houts probably didn’t realize he was pulling over one bad-ass thug. According to court records, Woodward served six years for the manslaughter of his girlfriend in Prattville, got probation for a couple of drug charges and was believed to be the driver in a drive-by-shooting but only got a year in prison for parole violation. I know we can jump to conclusions and speculate and whip ourselves into a frenzy. So, I’m going to hold off on convicting Woodward and let justice take its course. I hope the cops got their man.

Houts is clinging to life. His spinal cord was severed. He and the alleged shooter are about the same age, early 30s. Not much else is similar though. Houts, who served in Kuwait, was making something of his life. Woodward was only making trouble. If you are the praying sort, say one for Officer Houts and his family. And while you are at it, say one for all of the brave officers who serve and protect.

Can Comedy Go Too Far? Daring to Offend

UPDATE: I read the Washington Post story Borat, Kazakhstan's Mighty Faux this afternoon. Just as the president of Kazakhstan was in Washington yesterday, Borat was holding a guerrilla news conference outside the Kazakh embassy. From the Post: "He called out Kazakh Embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko as "an Uzbek impostor" ("pliz do not listen to him") and threatened to attack Uzbekistan "with our catapults." Anyone, he added, "who claims we do not drink fermented horse's urine, do not have death penalty for baking bagels," is lying."

I planned to write about Borat after reading yesterday’s New York Times article, but I opened the Montgomery Advertiser’s on-line edition to see the story SPLC: Cross-dressing, Blackface Comedian No Laughing Matter and changed my focus. I’ll get back to Borat. There’s a connection.

Based in Montgomery, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is recognized internationally for its advocacy of justice and equality issues and for its Teaching Tolerance programs for schools—my Scottie’s school, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, for one participates. SPLC co-founder Morris Dees took on the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and pretty much wiped them out financially at least. Supporters of these to the right of Right-Wingers hate his guts, and there’re all sorts of ugly Internet sites devoted to Dees bashing—another story, another day. Anyway, the SPLC has fought many battles that needed to be fought (Roy Moore), and I have respect for their work on justice issues.

Nobles Bar here in Montgomery scheduled a comedian, Chuck Knipp, to perform Saturday night. Richard Cohen, the SPLC executive director, sent the owners a letter saying the SPLC was pulling their business from the bar because they found Knipp’s act and characters “grotesque and demeaning stereotypes of black people.” Cohen is quoted in the Advertiser as saying, “The owners have been great supporters of progressive causes in this community and that’s what makes me particularly dismayed about them having this act this weekend.”

Both the owner and the comedian deny it’s racist although Knipp performs in blackface and has apparently had a performance cancelled before. “Every time you are going to do something besides just stand up and tell knock-knock jokes you are going to take a risk,” he said to the Advertiser. Keith Boykin’s Web site has a few more details about the act with the Shirley Q. Liquor character and recounts Knipp’s trouble with New York activists. The comedian’s Web site has plenty if you want to judge for yourself. I watched a YouTube Church Slave and listened to Go Greyhound where Shirley (a.k.a. Knipp) calls Greyhound to find out about tickets for her and her 19 children.

Switching gears and getting back to Borat. As I mentioned many words earlier, Bill was reading me Steven Lee Myers New York Times article entitled “Kazakhs Shrug at ‘Borat’ While the State Fumes” about British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (I don't think he's related to the SPLC's Cohen) and his character Borat, a “bumbling, boorish, anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynistic Kazakh television reporter.”

Kazakhstan, a real country and one without much of a sense of humor, has tried to set the record straight that it is not anything like Borat’s version. I think they should also talk to the Lonely Planet folks who describe the country as "bleak, but those who enjoy remoteness, wide open spaces, lunar landscapes, long hypnotic train rides and horse sausage will definitely be in their element." Strangely, last night during Wolf Blitzer’s CNN show, up pops a real ad for Kazakhstan showing lovely vistas and charming sites. You are going to be hearing a lot more about Cohen’s Borat and Kazakhstan because he has a movie coming out November 3, called “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” If you go to Cohen’s Web site, you can see his response to Kazakhstan’s concern wherein he “fully supported my government’s decision to sue this Jew.”

And from Europe comes the news via the Times on Line that an opera by Mozart has been cancelled for fear of upsetting Muslims. “The bloodstained King of Crete stumbles onstage and holds aloft the decapitated heads of Poseidon, Jesus, Buddha and the Prophet Muhammad. “The gods are dead!” he calls out to the audience,” thus begins the lead. Continuing, “For fear of Muslim anger, the bosses of the world-renowned Deutsche Oper in Berlin have cancelled performances of Mozart’s Idomeneo. The decision has unleashed a storm of disapproval from politicians and writers, who claim that Germany has fatally compromised the freedom of expression.”

So, I ask you dear gentle readers, can those who create comedy, drama, opera, music, books, paintings, or other methods of expression go too far? Who will decide what is offensive? Will you for me? Or me for you? Just my thoughts.

Faith and Politics and Taking A Stand

John Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri, has written a book called “Faith and Politics.”

In an article entitled Danforth Warns of Christian Right but Says Tide Will Turn, Peter Slevin of the Washington Post writes that the book “describes religion as a divisive force in the United States today and accuses the religious right and its political supporters of creating a sectarian party.”

From the story:
“The problem with many conservative Christians is that they claim that God’s truth is knowable, that they know it, and that they are able to reduce it to legislative form,” Danforth writes. “The popular question, ‘What would Jesus do?’ can be difficult enough to contemplate with respect to everyday interpersonal relations. It is mind boggling when applied to the complex world of politics.”

Slevin is right about one thing when he writes, “His book emerged by design in a political season in which the organizing strength of conservative Christians is expected to be tested by motivated Democrats and moderates dismayed by the country’s direction.”

After laying low for most of the present administration’s tenure, I have decided that every opportunity I can find, I will work to change this direction. The Right-Wingers and their toadies can ridicule former President Bill Clinton all they want, but his interview with Fox News is only the tip of the iceberg. Democrats and some Republicans are finally saying ENOUGH.

Saving Graces and October is Pink

You will see much of Elizabeth Edwards in the coming days promoting her new book, Saving Graces. She's on Oprah today.I just read an excerpt about the day she discovered the lump. No woman who has had breast cancer forgets that day. The details are seared into your psyche like a brand on a steer’s butt. It becomes a part of you for the rest of your life.

I identify with Elizabeth Edwards in many ways. I supported her husband John Edwards and wished he’d been the presidential candidate instead of John Kerry. I, too, like Mrs. Edwards had let too many years pass between mammograms. And my treatment paralleled hers, as least as far as public details indicate.

But no woman journeys this road without war stories and wounds. At some point you might see me write more about the topic, but for today I’d rather not other than to show you some new designs from a cafepress shop I call hanging in there. One design is my own personal mantra, “believe” with the pink ribbon for the “l.” Never a fan of the pink ribbon, I have nonetheless come to the conclusion that many people do appreciate its symbolism and meaning. Me, I’d rather not advertise the fact that I’m half chested.

And if you are so inclined to donate to a good breast cancer organization since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let me tell you about my favorite, www.breastcancer.org. The site, founded by Marisa Weiss, an oncologist specializing in breast cancer, saved my sanity. Here you’ll fine extensive information on all aspects of breast cancer, expert on line conferences, links, the latest research news and an active discussion board. At times during my treatment I would spend many middle-of-the-night hours here. It was my support group.

Elizabeth Edwards is back. So am I!

Banned Books Week

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. Voltaire

While I was thinking about the books that influenced me as a kid, I came across mention that this is Banned Books Week. The American Library Association sponsors this every September and it’s worth going to their Web site to see some of the books that have been challenged. For the first time in a long time, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is missing. I didn’t see any of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books on the top ten either. But “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger is there. Several challenged books deal with sex in some fashion or the other. Now, sex, that is the one subject sure to get the banners on their horses and ready for a crusade.

Go forth and read!

About the illustration: this digital collage was a class project when I was a student at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 2002. I created it using PhotoShop.

My Favorite Childhood Books

I noticed someone over at amazon.com had compiled a list of nostalgic books from her childhood, and it prompted me to think back to a time uninterrupted by television, video games, cell phones or responsibilities.

My mom read to me from a book about dolls that would come to life after everyone had gone to bed, but I’ve long forgotten the name of the book. She read me Peter Pan, Treasure Island and poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson. We had a set of grocery-store encyclopedias. And she joined some kind of club where I got a series of books about history, world events, nature and science.

However, in Miss Sanford’s second grade class I struggled with reading. I hated my teacher. I hated school. If it weren’t for my mother taking time off from her job and coming to school to meet with the teacher, I don’t imagine I’d be writing this today. Whatever, my mom did and I think it was reading to me, it worked. By third grade, I was back on track with a love for my teacher again. Every elementary age kid needs to love her teacher. Mrs. Cox had taught my uncles and aunts and even my daddy. We had history as they say, and she still liked me. Mrs. Powell, Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Kirkpatrick (for the second of three times) followed and all fostered my love of reading.

By now, I was ordering from the Scholastic book club every chance I got and reading for myself, often against orders to “Turn out the light and go to bed!” Seventh grade brought a teacher who read to the class everyday. She introduced us to The Boxcar Children and though I was a little old for that book, it somehow captured my imagination. We did book reports and made fancy construction paper covers for illustrations.

High school rolled around and found me at the little library in Prattville every chance I got, helping the two old librarians shelve books while sampling the contents along the way. I read Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, Main Street, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, A Member of the Wedding, The Jungle, Seven Days in May, Rosemary’s Baby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and for a time silly books like The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Maxwell “Get” Smart books. I always wondered why my mom grabbed up a copy of Tobacco Road and said I shouldn’t read it. Instead, I found Valley of the Dolls.

At the University of Alabama, I spent more time on required course reading. Still, I never lost my love of books, and when Jeff came along, Bill and I dove into children’s literature with a passion. Bill was working on his Master’s degree in education at the time. We both instinctively knew how important reading would be. Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Mercer Meyer books like There’s a Nightmare in my Closet, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, Peter Pan, Old Yeller, Huck Finn, the Narnia series, The Boxcar Children, all of Chris Van Allsburg’s wonderfully illustrated books, Judy Blume, S. E. Hinton—too many to name here, but these are the books Jeff and Scott will remember. Bill and I will also remember the closeness we felt each night as we closed the day reading to our sons.

Please Don't Sit on the Pumpkins: Why I Love the Fair

I read a story not long ago about the drop in fair attendance in general. Seems not as many 4-Hers are interested in raising and showing animals for one thing.

However, I love fairs and the Alabama National Fair comes to Montgomery October 6 at Garrett Coliseum. As the wife of a Kiwanian (the sponsors), I'm required to work a couple of shifts. But, here’s the good part, I get a pass good for free admission. Say the word FREE and I’m there.


While some gravitate to the midway with its scruffy-looking ride operators and cholesterol-clogging fried food, I’d rather be over in the barns dodging cow pies and taking photos of the beautiful dairy cows. I never can figure out why except that I grew up in the country, and my Granddaddy Parsons once had a cow named Bessy. He didn’t have many farm animals with the exception of an old worn out mule, Lightning, and some hogs that were only around long enough to be slaughtered and not named. My only attempt as a member of the 4-H Club was a sadly and badly constructed apron. I remember feeling like a domestic failure.

Last year, my normally non-artistic son Scott decided to enter the photography competition with some photos he had taken on our trip to Italy the previous fall. This is a kid who goes to an arts magnet high school; however, he’s in the law magnet and has an internship at the Alabama Supreme Court. It came as a great and pleasant surprise that he won four ribbons and plaques from the Montgomery Professional Photographers Association––one for each of the photos he entered. And he’s at it again this year. Last night he found out that he’d won second place and third place in the unclassified student category, losing out on the first place to a photo of a butterfly.

We only need a little encouragement to try new things, a push to unveil our creative side. We all have it despite what we might have been told in school.

See you at the fair!


top: first place, 2005 Montgomery Professional Photographers Association (MPPA) student competition. Florence, Italy. Shot of the Arno River, Thanksgiving 2004. Available for purchase. ©2006 Scott Noblitt
second: second place, 2006 MPPA student competition, unclassified division. Wall Street, New York City, USA. Shot during a Law Magnet trip to New York, Spring 2006. Available for purchase. ©2006 Scott Noblitt
third: third place, 2006 MPPA student competition, unclassified division. Windy City Bean, Chicago, USA. Shot of the Millennium Park "Bean" which was created by British artist, Anish Kapoor. The real name of the bean is Cloud Gate. Available for purchase. ©2006 Scott Noblitt

President Bill Calls Out Fox News

Naomi over at Diary from England had a question about my reference to Dr. Andrew Weil in one of my replies. I mentioned that in one of his books, “8 Weeks to Optimum Health,” he suggested taking a news holiday where you turn off the television and get away from the woes of the world for a bit.

Had I listened to Dr. Weil’s advice, last night I wouldn’t have seen the clip that CBS Evening News showed of Bill Clinton taking Fox TV’s Chris Wallace to task or read Michael Grunwald's story, A Combative Clinton Defends Record on Fighting Terrorism, in the Washington Post this morning. My blood pressure rose ever as I watched that loaded finger of our former president punctuate his message with anger.

‘Fox News Sunday’ Interview transcript
WALLACE: Do you think you did enough, sir?
CLINTON: No, because I didn’t get him.
WALLACE: Right.
CLINTON: But at least I tried. That’s the difference in me and some, including all the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried.
So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke, who got demoted.
So you did Fox’s bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me. What I want to know is ...
WALLACE: Well, wait a minute, sir.
CLINTON: No, wait. No, no ...
WALLACE: I want to ask a question. You don’t think that’s a legitimate question?
CLINTON: It was a perfectly legitimate question, but I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked this question of.
I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, “Why didn’t you do anything about the Cole?”
I want to know how many you asked, “Why did you fire Dick Clarke?”
I want to know how many people you asked ...

Finally, a Democrat was laying it on the line and telling it like it is. Finally, a Democrat with some balls. Well, everyone already knew President Bill had them.

Saying Goodbye: A Dog Day Sunday

I started Sunday by reading how a wonderful Weimeraner named Max had left his people after many happy years. And then I came across Becky's Carolina Journal with a cute YouTube video of her daschund playing ball.

I thought about my own dear Samantha. She's been gone since February, but it seems so fresh in my mind. I had written about what happened when I said goodbye, and what follows is that recollection.

IN MEMORY OF A WELL-LOVED DOG
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
All day Sam followed me around. She didn’t sleep soundly if at all, almost afraid to shut her eyes for fear that I would be gone. I looked at her hoping to get a sign that what I contemplated would be the right thing. She only continued the labored breathing, panting loudly.

Back in August when we returned from our trip to the mountains and found her at death’s door, I was sure it was her time. I had talked with the vet about putting her down and had even planned to take her in. Yet, with a little pampering and human food, she perked up and almost overnight, she was nearly as she had been before our trip.

I concluded that she had gotten a double dose of heartworm medicine by mistake—with us before the trip and at the vet’s while we were gone. I never talked with the vet. That was my own conjecture.

But she grew progressively more annoying and aggressive when it came to food. Human food that is. She could never get enough of it. She whined when we were eating and demanded some of our food. Years of lax discipline we figured. Once, she even grabbed a take-out salad from my hands.

By January she was struggling more. I began to think that the climb up the stairs was too hard. Yet she continued to follow me about from room to room, searching almost frantically when I left while she dozed.

As Bill prepared for a trip to Nashville, I told him I was going to take her to the vet and that I might put her down.

Monday came and went. On Tuesday I stood with the phone in my hand while Sam looked at me. I felt disloyal and full of guilt. And yet I knew she was having a hard time breathing. I knew it wasn’t going to get better. We finished off the Christmas dog cookies Jeff and Natalie had given her. I fixed her a bowl of oatmeal. Gave her a carrot—her favorite treat. She still had an appetite. I almost wish she hadn’t for then it would have been easier.

On the second attempt to call, I did it, leaving a message that I wanted to talk with the vet about Sam. He called back in about an hour and told me that it sounded like either the Cushing’s or the tumor was causing her distress. We talked about what to do with her remains, and I opted for an individual cremation although I could have gone the cheaper route. I felt wrong to do it that way. After all, we had been together over 13 years and I she deserved better. The time was set. I called Bill to let him know. Scott had stayed late at school but made it home to stay goodbye before we left for the vet. Sam eagerly took the doggie treats Scott offered.

She climbed a little reluctantly into the red car. She never liked going in the car since it usually meant a trip to the groomer’s or the vet’s. Today, she didn’t quiver as usual.

I settled the bill as soon as we walked in while the receptionist showed me how the remains would be returned. Just a tiny little tin. All that love and devotion reduced to that.

We went into the exam room and the vet came in and talked with me. He kneeled down and gently ran his hands over Sam’s bony back. He said, “I’m sorry.” I knew he hated what he was about to do. We talked briefly about how she’d been and what the process would be like. The assistant lifted Sam quickly onto the table and put a towel under her. I held her as the vet shaved a place on her back leg. They helped her to lie down as I held her and rubbed her head. He injected her and after a few seconds she slowly relaxed, and it was like she was asleep. All very peaceful. After checking for a heartbeat, he said, “She’s gone.” I mumbled, “It’s hard.” And he said, “I know.”

The vet’s final words were, “You did the right thing. The mass was huge.”
While I could have stayed longer, I left immediately.

And today, I still find myself in tears. Last night there was the empty spot where she slept. Today I will move the comforter and dishes, toys and other reminders of my dear friend. The sweet dog who would come put her head on my knee when my tears overtook me. All though my illness she was with me. I never felt alone with Sam by my side. Today, I do.