Parenting Advice From Stan the Handyman

I just got the best parenting advice I’ve had in a long time, and it was from an unlikely source. Stan has been doing some repair work around our house out of the goodness of his heart since we had trouble finding a reliable person. Anyway, Stan and I were talking about our children before he got started the other day. He told me about his son going away to college and not studying. He said he finally went up to the school and collected the son and told him, “I’m not paying for you to do this.” The son came home and got a manual labor job. When the son’s car ran low on oil and the son didn’t add more, the engine was damaged and had to be replaced. Stan told the son he couldn’t borrow his car, but that if the son bought the parts to do the repairs, Stan would do the labor. Stan said, “I just took my time. I wasn’t in no hurry.”

I told Stan that I was frustrated over an issue with my high school senior not getting himself awake in the mornings and that I had been yelling at him after his alarm clock went off. That’s why I was so fascinated by the Sonic Boom Alarm Clock and bed shaker when I came across it last week. I swear no one is paying me for this, but I think this is the answer. Regular readers will know I am worried about Rip Van Winkle (RVW) son when he goes to college next year.

I blew up again this morning and said some words that ladies shouldn’t say. I told RVW, “I have had it. You are on your own. If you are late, so be it.” When he came downstairs, we had a little conversation. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he said, “you are right.” We talked about how he would truly be on his own and that by me waking him up every morning, he was not learning to be self-sufficient. Then he asked, “How about getting me one those alarm clocks you were telling me about last week for Christmas?”

Well, faint and fall out. We both learned something. Santa, there’s a revision in the Wish List: one Sonic Boom Alarm Clock and Bed Vibrator for RVW. He’s been good.

p.s. In case you are wondering, Stan's son returned to college and will complete his degree in the spring.

This Ain’t No Runway

Bear Bryant, looking down from heaven, might have wanted to reuse one of his old quotes after Saturday’s game.

“What the hell’s the matter with you people down there? Don’t y’all take your football seriously?” -- Upon calling Auburn at 6 a.m. only to find out that none of the coaches were in their offices yet.

Well, coach, those days are history for the Cow College bunch. They are on their game. Our team isn’t.

Saturday’s lost to Auburn was expected. Alabama’s cute coach Mike Shula didn’t get the miracle all of us Tide fans were hoping to see. His job is in jeopardy justifiably so. I’m surprised the moving van hasn’t pulled up to his home yet. For you non-fans, Alabama once had a tradition of winning. Now, we have a tradition of almost. I have been fond of calling Shula, the nation’s cutest coach. But, I like how a call-in listener to a morning talk show put it when he said, “The girls think Shula is good lookin’ but this ain’t no runway.”

A Bit of History Behind That Famous Illustration

One of my favorite illustrators is Norman Rockwell. While some have criticized his work as stereotypical or overly sentimental, I think Rockwell, who by most accounts considered himself more a commercial illustrator, earned his popularity.

“I paint life as I would like it to be," Rockwell once said. Nostalgia aside, Rockwell is well remembered for his “Four Freedoms” series, which was inspired by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech to Congress in January of 1941, an excerpt of which follows:

For there is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy. The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are:
Equality of opportunity for youth and for others.
Jobs for those who can work.
Security for those who need it.
The ending of special privilege for the few.
The preservation of civil liberties for all.
The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.

These are the simple, basic things that must never be lost sight of in the turmoil and unbelievable complexity of our modern world. The inner and abiding strength of our economic and political systems is dependent upon the degree to which they fulfill these expectations.

And the part of the speech credited with inspiring the “Four Freedoms” series:

In the future days which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression — everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way — everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants — everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor — anywhere in the world. That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called "new order" of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.

Rockwell’s four paintings appeared on the covers of the Saturday Evening Post during four weeks from February 20 to March 6, 1943, and later were taken on a traveling tour of the country. They are credited with raising nearly $132 million for war-bonds.

And today, these images are just as powerful in my mind. The American Dream, which unfortunately some Americans can no longer invision, was reflected throughout his work. Most of our fellow countrymen and women will celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. Whether we are rich or poor, most of us can find something to give thanks for. We can wrap ourselves in the arms of Rockwell’s warm family and still hope.

Photo from the National Archives and Records Administration

For the Alabama Kitchen Sink

Came across this indispensable item for the kitchen sink.

Roll Tide!

Can You Hear the Warnings?

Most of you probably know Montgomery was hit by a F-2 tornado this week. One of my readers, The Rev. Jay Croft, presented an interesting point in his comment to a post where I had mentioned the warning sirens. Rev. Jay, retired from the Episcopal Church and who is deaf, wrote

“Warning sirens? What good do they do for the 10% of the population that is deaf or hard-of-hearing? I was incensed a year or two ago when the Mayor announced, with great pride, the siren system. No concern was given for this population.”

I recalled that when we lived in Illinois, the county had initiated, I believe, a kind of reverse 911 whereby hearing-impaired individuals and others with special needs would be notified in emergencies via TTY. I pulled up a link to Gallaudet University and found a round up of various ways deaf persons might be notified ranging from pagers to a radio with a flashing strobe light and an auditory signal as well. There’s even a pillow vibrator/bed shaker, which I swear I’m going to get for my sound sleeper son when he goes away to college next year. Being the “helicopter parent” that I am, I’ve been worried about how is he going to wake up and make it up for class without me to yell at him. The Sonic Boom alarmclock and bed shaker should do the trick.

But Jay’s point is well-taken. We don’t have a very consistent way to notify this population, and more important, we hearing folks tend to have blinders on until advocates like Jay bring up another view.

Alabama vs. Auburn

Don’t call the house tomorrow afternoon until the game is over. Mr. Sheila and I will be glued to the television set hoping that a miracle will happen and that our Alma Mater’s football team coached by the nation’s cutest coach might pull it out. Coach Mike Shula and his run-it-up-the-middle strategy has exhausted my loyalty, but just say Bear Bryant has talked to Jesus and arranged that miracle, then and only then will I give the cutie-pie coach another chance. Auburn has won the last four games, and thus there’s a saying down here in the Heart of Dixie, “Fear the Thumb.” Sheila’s prediction: Auburn 34. Alabama 17.

Mystery Shopper Part II

Yesterday, I completed part II of my secret shopping assignment. The booty: black pants, red confetti-yarn sweater and a free gift valued at $79. What I spent of my own money: $2.30 plus gas to get to the shop. I did have a birthday gift certificate that I combined with the gift card from the secret shopper program, and the cashier voided my first tab and gave me a $25 discount when I mentioned I had forgotten to bring in the coupon the store usually has available in magazines. Great service. I’d mention the name, but I’m hoping they might ask me again. E-mail me if you are curious as to who is the retailer.

Some Blogging Friends

Some blogs have so many links you feel like you are navigating a labyrinth. However, I finally have gotten around to adding some of my favorites blogs. If you have a few idle moments, check them out.

Tim at A Tennessee Redneck in King Harald’s Court writes from an island in Norway. You might find him blogging about being mistaken for an NFL football player by some Norwegian teenagers on a bus or adapting as an ex-pat.

Points of Light has some of the most stunning photography you’ll find anywhere. James in northern Illinois makes the ordinary, extraordinary. The beauty of nature does not escape his eye. It’s my visual meditation.

Marion from British Columbia blogs at Herbal Connection. I read her beautiful writing when I need to calm my fears and worries and be returned to a more peaceful frame of mind.

California-based Mustang n Cowboys gives me the connection with animals that I so love. Janey writes about horses and her two sons. I imagine this is a close as I’ll ever get to having a horse. She’s currently blogging about the new litter of puppies one of the ranch dogs just had and her attempt to save the littlest one.

Rosemary, a.k.a Dirty Butter, has compiled a Blog Village of over 200 blogs she has reviewed. She lives in Alabama too and has three blogs that I know of.

Naomi posts regularly at Diary from England about pop culture, trends and news of note. I like her brief and breezy style.

Vino e Vittles is, of course, Jeff and Natalie’s blog on food and wine that is so good you feel like you just had one of their gourmet meals only without the calories. Check out the recipe for limoncello in the archives.

And finally I want to mention RidorLive although I don’t visit it everyday. Ricky D. Taylor is a celebrity in the blogging community. He’s been interviewed for NPR, written about in major newspapers and new media and is a model for the power of the blog. Last May when Gallaudet University, the preeminent liberal arts university for deaf students, set about to select a person to replace the retiring president, Ricky and fellow deaf bloggers fought the board’s choice. Their efforts fueled days of student protests culminating in last month’s board rejection of Jane K. Fernandes. RidorLive shows that passion and persistence can beat high-powered public relations consultants and Washington Post editorials. Ricky calls himself, “arguably the most controversial deaf blogger in America.” Hey Ricky, I don’t think there’s any need to argue.

Campaigning Stinks

I came across this photo earlier today and could not resist. Perhaps I should realize that politics can get dirty and that politicans really do have a hard and smelly job at times.

This Old House

This old house leaked with yesterday’s downpours. While I’m thankful to still have a roof over my head, it is now a roof that must be repaired. And I need a roofer. Do you know of one?

I don’t think I’ve written about the house before. She’s an older beauty, with high ceilings to reflect the era (early 1930s) when she came to life. Nearly four years ago, we bought her from two professors who had bought her from the Greenhaws. Now, if you are familiar with Montgomery you probably recognize this name. Sally was a judge in Montgomery for many years, and Wayne is a former newspaperman and author of many books about the South and Alabama.

The house will be way too big for us after Scott leaves for college next year, and she’ll go on the market again. We’ve enjoyed her though. She has, as they say, character and charm like an aging Southern grand dame.

But where’s Angie when you need her?

Well, I Guess I Should Listen

If you read my earlier post, you know we are having bad weather in Montgomery today. The Atlanta Highway/Taylor Road area of the city is where most of the damage is from what could have been a tornado. The Fun Zone, an entertainment center with a childcare center for kids, is heavily damaged. All of the kids are safe according to WSFA, but the video of the destroyed building leaves you to wonder how the children escaped injury since it looks like the building was flattened. The Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) campus is now closed mainly because of some power outages. Homes in this part of town have scattered damage, shingles and such. Down south of town in Pintlala, trees are down and a Methodist church was damaged. Meanwhile, Alabama continues to have warning after warning with a steady, heavy rain. We are in for a long afternoon.

Tis that Season

It’s raining cats and dogs here in Montgomery today, the tornado sirens just started blaring and I’m trying to catch up on my Christmas designs for my CafePress Shop, Sheila for Kids. After checking the Weather Channel and finding out I am not in imminent danger, I am back at the computer. Here in the South, we get so many warnings that it is truly hard to know when you should hit the deck. This is a little late though for severe weather. Bill and I once slept through a deadly tornado that roared across Tuscaloosa, destroying a motel.

Anyway, you’ll find two new designs, this Christmas Cardinal and a Merry Christmas Snowman that I just added. Please stop back by in a couple of days for more. Through Nov. 19 you can get ornaments at CafePress for 25% off. Also, if you e-mail me, I will personalize my designs with the recipient’s name at no extra charge.

Wal-Mart & the Christmas Ripple

Mayor Bright (No, I’m not being sarcastic; that really is his name) says this year Montgomery will call the holiday parade, the Christmas Parade. See the ripple effect Wal-Mart’s decision to embrace “Christmas” again is having. Eons ago I watched the parade as a shivering little girl awed by the gaudy lights strung across Dexter Avenue. It’s comforting to know the city will continue this tradition. The Montgomery Advertiser quotes Rabbi Kenneth Segel, of Temple Beth Or, “To ask our neighbors to shut off their colored lights or put away their manger scenes to avoid damaging sensitive psyches is offensive,” said Segel, who thinks it is important to respect the beliefs of others.

New Orleans Is Back!

I don’t know where that boy learned to cook. It certainly wasn’t from me. He’s a native Southern boy, transplanted up North in Chicago, but you know how the South never gets out of your blood even if you only lived here for two years and it hasn’t with my Jeff. My regular readers may recall he’s the elder of my two sons, and he likes to write about what he cooks and the culinary adventures he and my equally talented daughter-in-law Natalie experience.

Check out their blog Vino E Vittles -- “ruminations on wine, food and culture for aspiring foodies” and read about their recent trip to New Orleans. If you are going to Chicago and need a good restaurant to visit, you might want to read their archives. They took the summer off from blogging since they bought a new house, and that new granddog of mine, Monte, takes a lot of time. I’m glad to see the blog up and running again.

High Five: Borat’s Cash Cow Brings Out Litigants

The Borat movie pulled in another $29 million over the weekend. Success is not without its drawbacks. Maybe you heard two of the frat-boys had filed suit claiming they were duped into signing a release after the film makers got them drunk as skunks. You know, they may have a point. Well, I’m not a lawyer. I only spent three years in law school. So just take what I say with a grain of salt.

Now, however, other victims from the film are grumbling and dollar signs are starting to form in their eyes. Look for other lawsuits. Success brings out the opportunists. Remember the legal challenges to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter? And Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code?

Why am I not surprised by this lack of personal responsibility? Lesson to be learned from the “Learnings” -- read what you are signing. That’s is unless you are drunk as a skunk or a frat-boy.

An Interesting Prediction About Fame

This is not my idea, but I’m writing about it because I thought it was well, interesting. The musician, John Mayer, in his blog, says get ready to say goodbye to Borat. He writes,

“It won’t be the fault of the movie, and it certainly won’t be the fault of Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat’s creator. It will be due to a society set up to adopt, consume and then divorce a trend in dizzying time.”

Mayer continues, “And while Dayton, Ohio greets it, the Lower East Side will have already eulogized it.” Mayer is one smart guy. I call it society’s infatuation with “bright shiny tin-foil.” Feel free to quote me on it. You know, one week all the rage is bird-flu and then what happens. Hardly a word for months. We Americans have the attention span of a gnat.

I love the way Mayer concludes his post, “And if you’re still wondering what leg I have to stand on with this, just remember: I was truly hip for three weeks back in 2001.”

Oxana’s Review of “Borat” all the Way from Kazakhstan

Note from Sheila:
My friend Oxana had a chance recently to see the new Borat movie. I wondered what she thought of all the attention her homeland is receiving and she agreed to write a few words for the Alabama Kitchen Sink.

Oxana say hello from village close by Astana, Kazakhstan. Sheila ask Oxana to comments on “Borat: Cultural Learnings for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” How you ask Oxana get to sees this movie? Oxana friend, Dmitri (he hockey player) brings bootlegs copy he gots from Swede. We all curious how Borat makes fun of Kazakh peoples. First offs, he not even from Kazakhstan. He in Romania and thez do have big problem with Gypsy peoples. Second offs, he not real but all made up character.

Oxana think Kazakh peoples not mind much. We gets businez from tourixt with lots dollar and euro. Who laugh going to bez on then? We watch and laugh at Americans. Americans even more backward than Kazakh peoples evers be. They no think. Oxana know peoples nice in Alabama because that where my friend Sheila live and she very, very nice, but those peoples in Birmingham nice to man who bring poop to dinner tables. Those boys drink with Borat cute but not smart as Kazakhs especial Dmitri and hockey team. Dmitri and hockey boyz drink koumyss which is fermented mare’s milk but they no go on tv or movie like college boyz does and say stupid stuffs. Sheila say boyz want sue (Sheila explain what that is since we no have that here) to get moneyz from Borat and big American movie maker company for making them look bad. She say also some Turk named Mahir sayz Sacha Baron Cohen (that Borat real name) got Borat idea from him and he going to sue him. Mahir gotz Internetz Web site where he look for women and he have big black mustache and play pings pong like Borat. Everybodys want to sue. What matter with you peoples?

Oxana think it all in fun. World too serious.

“Bugun aurayie tamasha” which mean in Kazakh “It is a beautiful day.”
Oxana

The War on Christmas: Wal-Mart Surrenders

I thought all those silly conservatives complaining about the lack of Christmas at Wal-Mart last year was, well, silly. No self-respecting American icon of materialism like Wal-Mart would be foolish enough to ignore Christmas, and they didn’t really if you think about it. Maybe the ads said, “Happy Holidays” and the Salvation Army bell-ringers were turned away or was that at Target (for shame). But, rest assured, Wal-Mart was still backing Christmas all the way to the bank.

This year, however, Wal-Mart and other retailers like Kohl’s are officially embracing Christmas again. From the Los Angeles Times

“Wishing for a bigger holiday season after a sluggish fall, the chain said Thursday that 60% more of its merchandise will be labeled ‘Christmas’ compared with last year. And customers will hear Christmas carols as they shop.”

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This year I am going to celebrate the displays of ornaments, wrapping papers, tacky Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer boxer shorts, etc. I am going to imagine myself a kid and recall the anticipation I felt. The bright colors and warm cinnamony smells will prompt those memories of a time when I didn’t care about materialism and Christmas couldn’t come soon enough or last long enough. As an only child, I tended to get nice Christmas presents but not extravagant ones since as the principal bread-winner, my mother was frugal with the salary from her secretary job. One year it was a pink and white bike. Then, I met Barbie and Midge and set about to clothe them in the finest fashions. Christmas during those years always meant clothes, some of them hand-sewn by my mom, for my doll family, and as I grew older, clothes for me.

This year I am getting ready. I already have a few new ornaments and Scottie bought me a CD of Ray Charles Christmas music to add to my extensive collection. I may not buy much, but I intend to enjoy the days from now until December 25 despite the troubles of the world. And do not tell me it is too early or that it is too commercial or what the real meaning of Christmas is.

And oh yes, thank you Wal-Mart for making Christmas okay again.

Politically Correct Disclaimer: the Alabama Kitchen Sink endorses and celebrates all legitimate holidays that don’t involve snake handling or human sacrifice.

Veterans Day: A Daughter Remembers

My father died last year at 79. Like many men his age, he was a veteran of WWII. Had I been close to him, I could tell his story properly. Instead, I have only bits and pieces.

I suppose his motivation in joining up was the patriotism of those days or the chance to get out of a small Alabama town where the only future lay in a job at the cotton mill. Part of a family of 11 children, he saw brothers going off to war and joined the Marines the first chance he got, despite being underage. Later, he switched over to the Air Force and flew on airplanes but not as a pilot. His job was as a mechanic. I’m not sure where he was stationed. I know he went on missions to Japan for when he returned to the little country house he grew up in, he brought with him a fancy silk pillow and a complete set of “Made in Occupied Japan” china for my grandma.

As soon as my mother graduated high school, she caught the first train out of Oklahoma and headed to Washington D.C. to work in the War Department. That’s where the two met. He, a dashing young soldier with blond hair and blue eyes. She, a young country girl who sent everything she could afford back home for her family. In 1950 they married, and I was born in Washington a couple of years later. Not long afterwards, my father took us to Alabama and got out of the service.

He was never the same as when he left home for the war my aunt tells me. Can I imagine that something happened during the war that changed him forever? Would it have happened anyway? It’s a mystery that died with him.

I do know that on this day for honoring the men and women who have served our country honorably, I recognize that they have made a great sacrifice, some with their lives. While many have been wounded with bullets and bombs and have healed, others carry forever wounds that do not heal.

This, I believe, was my father’s story.

Carlinda Purcell & Moving On in Montgomery, Alabama

I continue to get several visitors a week who are looking for information about Carlinda Purcell, the former superintendent of Montgomery County schools. You may recall she was fired after a contentious round of haggling in September. The Board of Education had requested a complete copy of Dr. Purcell’s performance review, and when she refused, the board set about to fire her despite raising the ire of Montgomery’s black community which charged that the effort was racially motivated.

Alabama Attorney General Troy King just ruled that the evaluation is subject to the state’s open records laws. One of the staunchest supporters of Dr. Purcell was school board member Beverly Ross. This time, I have to agree with Ross, who was quoted in the Montgomery Advertiser as saying, “I think it’s a little too late. We’re searching for a new superintendent. Dr. Purcell has left the district. It’s time to move on.”

Always Have a Plan B

Always have a Plan B. Our cocksure president, Mr. Bush, forgot this very important lesson in life. We Americans rewarded the confident and cocky cowboy from Texas for way too long. If he had heeded this advice, he would have adapted to the circumstances in Iraq not as he had hoped they would be but as they turned out to be. Wishing doesn’t make it so. When the Iraqi people failed to shower the foreign invaders with rose petals, Mr. Bush and company should have adjusted to the reality that “hey maybe we were wrong.” Instead, they plowed ahead with their Plan A and stayed the course all the way to yesterday - the day after the American voters took our president and his cohorts to the woodshed for a much-need spanking.

Mr. President, your legacy will be a failed war and a failed policy unless you realize that while you are our elected president, you must base your decisions on sound and well thought out policies reached through compromise and cooperation. I hope you have learned this life lesson. That will be a true victory.

A Pigheaded President Changes His Mind & Can This Democratic Dog Hunt?

I sometimes wonder what the international readers of my blog think of my expressions. In case there’s any doubt with the word I called President Bush, let me explain. “Pigheaded” means stubborn or obstinate. I think I’m safe in calling him that especially after last week’s ringing endorsement of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the conduct of the War in Iraq. The President had said Vice President Cheney and Sec. Rumsfeld would stay on in their jobs after the elections.

Well, I certainly don’t think the President decided to change his mind because Rep. Nancy Pelosi called on him to change the leadership. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if I was wrong and the events of Tuesday and yesterday signal a new day of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans? Something that the President once promised but long forgot.

Rep. Pelosi sets just the right tenor if she’s sincere. “Democrats are not about getting even; Democrats are about getting results,” Pelosi said at yesterday’s news conference. As Jonathan Weisman and Charles Babington point out in their Washington Post story this morning, The New House Majority Offers Bipartisanship – And an Ambitious Agenda, “policy clashes are inevitable. Control of both houses of Congress would ramp up pressure on Democrats to turn their calls for change into quick legislative accomplishments.”

Okay my fellow Democrats, at long last our yellow dog is in the hunt. It remains to be seen if the dog can actually hunt.

Too Good to be a Politician: A Real Class Act

And finally, I want to profile one of the losers in the election. Her name is Janie Baker Clarke and she was running as a Democrat for State Auditor of Alabama. I came across her after a reader wrote me about her. I checked out her Web site and am including this excerpt which I hope she doesn’t mind me doing.

From the candidate--“I’ve never been able to raise funds,” Clarke laughed. “When I was a little girl, when it came Girl Scout cookie time, my daddy had to buy all my cookies. I hate asking people for money. I’m conservative in that I know about saving money. I was a single mom (after her husband died) raising two little boys, going to law school at night. I didn’t have money for a gallon of milk at the end of the month. It was either a gallon of milk or a gallon of gas,” Clarke said. “I’m personally frugal and I’ll take that to the auditor’s office.”

Those same experiences helped shape Clarke’s liberal social values. “I am not conservative when it comes to social services, the entitlement of working people — people that are in the shape I was at 35 — who are struggling for health care, good education for their children, the opportunity to go to college, those things,” Clarke said. “There’s money shining everywhere (in Huntsville and Decatur). I think sometimes we forget that there are people who are absolutely poverty stricken in our state. I’ll be honored to serve,” Clarke said, “or I’ll be happy to go home, keep the grandkids and do my yard work.”

Oh how I wish Janie had won! We need people like her who have struggled with life to really understand these issues. These are the real issues. Good jobs, not just any job. Education that offers a chance to be better. Do you realize how many Americans no longer believe that the American Dream is obtainable? Health care. Have you ever lost a job and worried about what you would do if you got really sick? Career politicians have lost touch with reality. They have for the most part not had to struggle, or if they have, they have forgotten what it was like.

Janie didn’t. I admire you for your values and honesty. We need more candidates like her. The state would be a better place.

Elections Notes on Alabama

Alabama, which is a heavily Republican state, elected a few Democrats. It will be good to see that the Lt. Governor remains a Democrat. Way to go Jim Folsom, Jr. in a real squeaker. Democrat Sue Bell Cobb won over incumbent Chief Justice Nabors in what was a nasty tit-for-tat campaign for the Alabama Supreme Court. I hope Sue Bell can go back to being that “Steel Magnolia” we saw in the ads—the one who sweetly plays the piano at church on Sunday and then locks the door and throws away the key for the bad guys when she’s judging.

Sadly, our friend Don running for a circuit judgeship in Birmingham, lost 49% to 51% to the incumbent.

Election Wrap Up: Democrats Gain Seats at the Grown-Up Table

I’m humming “Happy Days are Here Again.” Dear readers, pardon me, but I’m giddy this morning. The Democrats have finally done something right in spite of that moron John Kerry’s attempts to sandbag us. At the very least we have achieved a bit of much needed balance. Now the tough part comes. I am mindful that the Democratic Party must deliver with a plan of action where the Republicans have faltered. Please remember the reason the Republicans were turned out.

Borat for Alabama Sexytary of State

Scott voted for the first time this afternoon. His internship supervisor at the Court sent him off to vote, and he swung by to pick me up so that I could vote with him. After we showed our i.d. and signed in, he began filling in the ovals as we sat next to each other. I blame it on Scott. As many of you know, I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat. Well, I am to the extent that I will refuse to vote at all if I can't in good faith vote for the Democrat. The only other time other than today was when Jimmy Carter was running for re-election. I didn't vote in that election.

I had already decided that I couldn't vote for Secretary of State Democratic candidate Nancy Worley who was running for re-election. Scott whispered, "I'm going to write in a candidate." "Who are you going to put?" I quizzed. "I don't know," he said. And that dear gentle readers is how I came to write in the name, "Borat" for Alabama Secretary of State and Scott wrote in the name of a classmate. So if you happen to see the results from the Cloverdale Community Center and see a couple of strange write-in names, chalk it up to us.

Wowoweewow! Alabama GOP Endorses Democrat

If this isn’t a vote of no-confidence, I don’t know what is.
Shelby County Republican leaders last Thursday realized that thousands of voters in the heavily Republican county received a GOP flier urging them to vote for a Democrat. The flier which went to around 44,000 people shows a sample ballot with the Republican candidate selected in every race but one. In the Public Service Commission race, the GOP apparently endorses Democrat Susan Parker over the Republican Perry Hooper, Jr.

Republicans hastily issued news releases and held a news conference last week. State GOP Chairman Twinkle Cavanaugh said the mistake was unintentional.

Kazakhstan: How They Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Borat

Kazakhstan, the world’s most talked about country of late, finally learned that Sacha Baron Cohen has done what no one else could. He’s put Kazakhstan on the map. Seriously, had you even heard of the country before all the hoopla and hype about the new Borat movie?

Today, I’m giving you an update on a couple of stories from the Kazakhstan Embassy Web site.

KAZAKHSTAN IS FOR LOVERS
Sayat Tour, a Kazakh travel agency, has announced a tour package sure to please Americans. Sayat’s Executive Director, said: “With the release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, we are hoping many Americans will want to engage in ‘cultural learnings’ of that unknown ‘glorious nation’ for their own ‘make benefit.’ That is why we are launching these new tours and hoping the Americans will come visit us.” The tours will include trying kumyss, the “deliciously tasting Kazakh traditional drink made from fermented horse milk.” Don’t forget to try the horse sausage too.

PROJECT RUNWAY: CENTRAL ASIA STYLE
All of you readers in the Washington, D.C. area mark your calendars for the Contemporary Central Asian Fashion Design Show at the Meridian International Center, 1630 Crescent Place, NW, Washington, D.C., on November 9, 2006 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm which will be followed by a reception. (Don’t forget to ask about the horse sausage and fermented mare’s milk!)

The show will feature “stunning works by some of the trendiest fashion show designers from Central Asia,” including Saida Azikhan from Kazakhstan.

A spokesperson for the shindig said, “The show is really going to astonish those in America who will see it. The designers’ collections are created for women who have been creative and dynamic, and especially sophisticated educated and modern. They combine a strong Western orientation with an equally strong Asian tradition. This show should make Americans wonder first, and then make them want to explore this fascinating part of the world.”

If you say so.

The Sexually Discredited Hall of Shame: Preachers’ Edition

Ted Haggard, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and former pastor of the New Life Church, joined an elite group of religious hypocrites this weekend when he issued a letter to his congregation where he said, “The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life.”

In the late ‘80s televangelist Jim Bakker of The PTL (Praise The Lord) Club was exposed and defrocked for sexual hanky-panky. Plus, he was imprisoned for fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering. Flash forward to today, and you’ll find Jim Bakker, along with a new wife, back on television with The Jim Bakker Show broadcasting from the Studio Café in Branson, Missouri. If you can’t make to the show, you can always leave a donation--“God loves you, he really does!” Or better yet, stop by the Gift Shop and donate $200 + $10 for shipping for a sword of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” which is described as “a wonderful gift for all occasions.” My personal favorite is the “Come Unto Me Offer.” This will set you back from $75 to $1500 + $10 shipping depending on the size of the painting of Jesus you select.

Fellow Christian broadcaster Jimmy Swaggart joined Jim Bakker in the Hall of Shame a few short months later but only after saying to CNN’s Larry King that he believed Bakker was “a cancer in the body of Christ.” Swaggart was able to resurrect his ministry and today is back on the air. I must say though, you can’t really find cool stuff like the sword or the picture of Jesus like you can at Jim Bakker’s store. Brother Swaggart does, however, have plenty of Bibles, DVDs, books and you can get his latest CD with songs like “There's Room At The Cross For You” and “I Would Not be Denied.”

So, former pastor Haggard, have faith. After a while, you will be able to redeem yourself. Evangelicals are very forgiving of their own.

Alabama Kitchen Sink Endorses First Ever Candidate: Don Colee for Circuit Court, Place 16 in Birmingham

An old family friend needs your vote if you live in Birmingham, Alabama. Don Colee is running as a Democrat for the Circuit Court, Place 16 judgeship. Don’s opponent was appointed last year by Republican Governor Bob Riley to fill a vacancy and is running for the first time. I don’t know much about her, but she can’t top Don. Don’s been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney during a 30-year legal profession. A story in the Birmingham News details Don’s qualifications. He’s experienced in the courtroom trenches, ethical, honest, hardworking and the kind of person who should be in a position like this. I don’t know what else matters, but he is one of the most respected and talented attorneys in the state. Martindale-Hubbell, a guide that rates lawyers, gives him an AV—with the A being a very high to preeminent rating and the V being a very high ethical rating. This is the best you can be. He’s experienced in everything from capital cases to misdemeanors. I can’t think his opponent has the extent of experience that he does. I hope you’ll give him consideration.

A REVIEW: New Borat Movie Lives Up to the Hype

Regular (and irregular ones too) readers at the Alabama Kitchen Sink are well aware of my obsession with the new Borat movie since I have posted about it several times, created t-shirts celebrating Kazakhstan and taken on an alter-ego named Oxana. I swear I had no idea that Oxana is Borat's wife's name in the movie. I got the name from looking at an Internet post about some Kazakh basketball players. One of them was named Oxana. Oxana also happens to be the name of a feral child found living in the Ukraine back in the early 90s. This poor little girl was living with wild dogs. Maybe that's where Borat got the idea for the wife character's name.

Anyway, don't come after me 20th Century Fox about this. IT IS PARODY. They have already been after me for my t-shirts where I had unwisely mentioned the movie when I was describing the shirts. I fixed that and now I think CafePress will let people buy my t-shirts which feature the country of Kazakhstan and sayings from the Kazakhstan Embassy's Web site section "Say it in Kazakh" which is also the name of my shop.

Back to the review. Borat is truly an original piece of work. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. I would caution the more gentle, genteel and Gentile readers that you may be offended. I know Jewish readers will be. There's raunchy language, men's body parts you may not want to see, sexual references, two naked men wrestling and running through a hotel ballroom, a Pentecostal revival meeting with laying on of the hands and whole lot more.

P.S. The New York Times has a more detailed review that I found interesting.

Secret Shopping on the Sly

Have you seen those ads about becoming a mystery or secret shopper? Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? You get paid to shop and write about the experience. Well, I lucked into an opportunity when my favorite women’s clothing retailer sent me an e-mail asking if I was interested in shopping on the sly for them. You bet, I hurriedly wrote back. After a few days, they sent another e-mail saying they could use me at their local store. Soon thereafter, a packet arrived with two $50 gift cards and a copy of the survey that I would have to complete on-line after the shopping trip.

The other day I went shopping and only spent a few minutes of my time. Can’t beat that, can you? And what, dear gentle readers, did I acquire? A beautiful garnet-red suede jacket, a rusty brown silk top and a braided leather belt. I found a $25-off coupon, which I combined with just a little bit of my own money to score big. I love secrets. In a few days, I’ll return for my second adventure. Hey, I could do this for a living.

Big Brother Is Watching You

The BBC story I wrote about yesterday about the Pentagon creating a new unit or rapid responder, if you will, to “set the record straight” with “new media” on the War in Iraq strangely reminds me that “Big brother is watching us.” I’m sure most of my dear gentle readers know my reference. “Big Brother” is a character in George Orwell’s 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the society that Orwell describes, people are subject to surveillance by the authorities and are constantly reminded of this by the phrase “Big Brother is watching you.”

So, the Pentagon public relations hacks are watching what is written about the war and stand ready to jump in to manipulate the news and opinions to fit whatever version of the truth the government wants us to believe. How else are we being manipulated and by whom? What are their motives? Where is the truth?

We have surveillance cameras where we shop, at city intersections, in public buildings, hospitals, schools, banks, airports and other places I’m sure we are not be aware of. Records are kept by Google of what search terms we used on the Internet. Marketers know where we live, how we shop and what organizations we belong to. I know where the visitors to Alabama Kitchen Sink come from and what they were interested in when they visited. Under the Patriot Act the government can investigate the books you check out at the library or the sites you visited while on the Internet without you even knowing about it.

It’s less than a week away from the mid-term elections. How confident do you feel that everything will go smoothly and that your vote, which you so cherish the privilege of casting, will be properly tabulated? Have you seen the news stories questioning the integrity of the new electronic voting machines? Heck, Florida couldn’t even get it right with the paper ballots.

Back the end of September while the collective national attention was focused on Congressman Foley’s penchant for young men, the House and Senate passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that further weakened basic Constitutional protections. Maybe you caught Keith Olbermann’s indignant rant, The Death of Habeas Corpus or The Beginning of the End of America where he said, “We have lived as if in a trance. We have lived as people in fear. And now—our rights and our freedoms in peril—we slowly awaken to learn that we have been afraid of the wrong thing.

Therefore, tonight have we truly become the inheritors of our American legacy. For, on this first full day that the Military Commissions Act is in force, we now face what our ancestors faced, at other times of exaggerated crisis and melodramatic fear-mongering: A government more dangerous to our liberty, than is the enemy it claims to protect us from.”

Over at FindLaw, a legal news and commentary Web site, you can read The Military Commissions Act: A Short Primer by Joanne Mariner where she points out that the Act is “a law that even some Republicans have criticized as unconstitutional. Besides authorizing substandard military trials for suspected terrorists, the new law immunizes CIA personnel for past abuses, bars detainees from asserting their right to habeas corpus, and attempts to render the Geneva Conventions unenforceable in court.”

Maybe you can tell, dear gentle readers, that I am angry to see our rights intruded upon and weakened. Little by little, our precious rights set out in the Bill of Rights are being torn down while we amuse ourselves with “Dancing with the Stars.” Please don’t let it happen. Join me in my outrage. We must question our leaders and challenge them when they steer us in the wrong direction. We still have a chance.

John Kerry: Can We Please Bring Back Tar & Feathering?

Dear gentle readers please do not think John Kerry reflects what the vast majority of Democrats believe. Of course, I’m kidding about the tar and feathering. Or am I?

This is one of those situations where there is no spinning, John Baby. What you said is that the men and women who serve in Iraq are stupid and have no choice but to be there. I think I know what you were getting at--that some young people turn to the military for a chance of advancing either a career or an education. But, you really did it this time. If anything good comes out of this colossal blunder, may it be that you never run for office again. Democrat leaders please talk to John Baby and stuff a sock in his mouth.

Okay. This was a diversion handed to the Republicans on a silver platter, but let’s get back to talking about the failed leadership of the Republicans on the war and the chance to change that. Before the Kerry snafu, Republicans from Bill O’Reilly to Lynn Cheney were throwing about the question, “Do you want us to win?” Well, I’ll answer that when they can tell me what we are going to win and for how long and at what cost of our soldiers’ lives. I’ll tell you what I want. I want the Iraqis to run their own damn country without having to have the U.S. hold their hands. Of course, I don’t want to see the country turn into a hotbed for terrorists. But I’m also afraid that while we are mired down in Iraq, the fox is stealing the chickens over in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, The BBC reports that the Pentagon has created a new unit to use “new media” to push its messages and “set the record straight.” Maybe the new unit of public relations hacks can tell me where the weapons of mass destruction went. I wonder if the new unit will be more successful in spinning the war. You know we Americans can’t think for ourselves. We are being manipulated. But Al Qaeda or other enemies are not manipulating us as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says. We are being manipulated by the Republicans and their failed War of Terror.

I wished to heck Secretary Rumsfeld was kept awake at night worrying about the young men and women he sends into battle an unseen enemy instead of worrying about U.S. enemies “manipulating the media” as he is quoted as saying.

I don’t have the answer, but neither do these guys.

Halloween Under Attack

I just read in my local paper that kids in Montgomery Public Schools won’t be celebrating Halloween today at school. Apparently, even sending cupcakes to school is forbidden. The district has a new “Student Wellness Policy” which encourages parents to bring or provide healthy foods at school parties. I’m not going to argue that we don’t need to watch what we feed our kids, but it’s probably the Kraft Mac 'n Cheese more than a stray cupcake that’s making kids fat.

When Jeff and Scott were in elementary school, the kids dressed up and paraded around the neighborhood and capped off the day’s festivities with parties. As a room mother for some of those parties, I saw the delighted faces of kids given a day off from mindless busy work filling out worksheets. And the way I look at it, it was also an opportunity to socialize and learn how to get along with each other.

Now, Halloween has become a religious or political liability and school districts are turning away from a tradition that’s well worth continuing in my opinion. And I’ve found something fundamentalist Christians and Muslims can agree on. Hakim ibn Abdullah over at the blog Wa Salaam says, “Halloween is the most indulgent and frivolous event in American culture.” He’s a Muslim, born in the U.S. trying to raise his children in accordance with his faith. I can respect that just as I can respect Christians and others who likewise want to raise their children in a certain way.

What I have a problem with, however, is the need to take away traditions, festivities and celebrations just to please one group or another. For example, I happen to think that fireworks on the Fourth of July are a big waste of money. Let’s do away with the displays and spend the money on helping feed some hungry people or use the money to build community centers to keep the kids off the streets.

We Americans do lots of frivolous and indulgent things. So do other cultures. But I prefer that we not sanitize and standardize ourselves into a bland, politically correct and boring world that doesn’t offend or challenge anyone’s sensibilities.

Happy Halloween.

Countdown to Borat

Four days to U.S. premiere of the moviefilm “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”

And I want to thank the person who bought one of my “Jagshemash” dog t-shirts from my CafePress shop, Say It In Kazakh. I’d love to see a photo with your dog wearing it instead of this dog model.

Lessons Learned at Gallaudet University

In a specially called meeting, the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees yesterday “terminated” the appointment of president-elect Jane K. Fernandes.

University and college boards and administrations all over the U.S. are today analyzing what happened over the past few months at Gallaudet, but I want to point out a few valuable lessons I hope these caretakers of higher education will take into consideration when faced with issues of governance.

Pre-ordained candidates still need to win over core stakeholders like the faculty and students. The wisdom of community is to be ignored at your own peril. Pricey, high-powered public relations cannot cure a bad or ill-thought-out decision. The Internet is a wild card factor that can no longer be dismissed. Bloggers can connect, report, sway and influence decisions. Students with passion are still relevant. The “big stick” doesn’t win hearts and minds. Boards of trustees must move beyond rubber-stamping to independent investigation.

Faculty and students are still what it’s all about. They are the hearts, minds and soul of Gallaudet and for that matter, every college and university. Please don’t forget that. My good wishes for healing in the Gally community.

Blatant Self-Promotion

I've been depressed for the last few days, and that's the reason, dear gentle readers, I turned to my ever so witty husband to post his experiences with a political surveyor. But rest assured, I'm not so down that I can't hawk a few designs. And I did warn everyone I'd do this from time to time. Sales over on my CafePress shop Bama Democrat are picking up with the favorite design so far being the Yellow Dog Democrat.

I'll be updating the shop today, changing out the Lucy designs. I have more political designs at my other CafePress shop, Sheila For Kids too.

And thanks to all for visiting. I appreciate it.
Kindest regards to all (even the Republicans),
Sheila

Alabama Politics: Puttin on the Spikes

BY GUEST BLOGGER: My Witty Husband

Photo to the left: Jim Folsom, Jr. is running as a Democrat for Lt. Governor. The NRA rates him A, and I still like him.

It’s election season in Alabama, circa 2006, a little over a week before the Christian conservatives elect their pulpit-praying, “right-wing” candidates.

The ads tell the full story. Lucy Baxley, according to Bob Riley’s ads, is “Too Liberal” for Alabama. It seems that she made the dire mistake of sending money to support the Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry of Swift boat-ad fame, even though she’s a Democrat. In the ads against Baxley, she’s also tied to the former governor Don Siegelman, a Democrat convicted of corruption.

Luther Strange, the Lieutenant Governor candidate, slings mud as well. He’s running as a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor against Jim Folsom, a former Alabama governor who’s the son of another, now-deceased governor. In Alabama, politics are complicated.

In his TV ads, Strange (and he is strange) charges Jim Folsom with being on the take while he was Alabama governor. The ads also charge Jim Folsom with the deadly sin of running with “too liberal” Democrat Lucy Baxley. The icing on the cake: the ads attempt to tie Folsom to corrupt politician Siegelman.

In his ads, Folsom comes on with a big smile and laughs at the charges.

This is the back-story to a phone call I received surveying my opinions about these candidates.

The caller, sounding like he’s in some conservative hell, his voice echoing into my phone, begins to ask me questions about who I’m for, what I stand for, and why in the sam hill I’m not voting for Luther Strange. But that’s the end of the conversation.

Let’s go to the beginning. First, he asked me if I was going to vote. I told him that even if I was shot in a 7-11 I’d have the ambulance drop me off at the voting booth before I went to the hospital. He then asked me if I knew who the candidates—Bob Riley, Lucy Baxley, Luther Strange, Jim Folsom—were. I thought: “If I’m going to vote, wouldn’t I know who these people are, you numbskull?”

Then he asked me who I’d vote for governor: Riley or Baxley. “Baxley,” I emphasized.

“What’s your opinion of Riley?” he asked. He gave me several vague choices, and I said I had no opinion. In other words, the guy’s bland.

“What’s your opinion of Baxley?”
Again, several vague choices. I think I said: “She would make the best governor for Alabama.”

The guy then moved to Strange vs. Folsom. “What do you know about Strange?” he asked. “I know he’s a liar,” I replied.

He then asked me who I planned to vote for: Strange or Folsom. I said: “Folsom.”

Next question: “Why won’t you vote for Strange?”
“Because he’s a lying bastard,” I said. “His ads are full of lies against Jim Folsom, and I’d rot in hell before I vote for someone like that. His charges against Jim have been proven wrong. If Jim did half the things this bastard said he’d done he’d be in jail.”

Then the dumb-ass asked me if I was a Republican or Democrat? “It’s obvious I’m a Democrat,” I said.

He then asked me if I considered myself liberal, somewhat liberal, conservative, somewhat conservative. If I called myself liberal, I knew he’d list me with the pedophiles so I said: “Somewhat conservative.”

Last question: Do you attend church every week, regularly, rarely, never?
“Regularly,” I said.

It was obvious that this guy was a shill for Strange so I passed myself off as a Christian conservative who happens to be smart and wise enough to vote Democrat for the good of my state and my country.

Emotions Running High at Gallaudet

As so often is the case in an emotional issue, the best decisions seem to escape those most closely involved. Yesterday, the Gallaudet administration decided it was time to clear away the protesters from one of the school’s gates. However, I’m not so sure sending a front-end loader to scoop up the tents and other belongings of the students was the smartest move. Maybe, just waiting until Sunday’s scheduled Board of Trustees’ meeting would have been better. At least, it would not have exasperated the situation.

From the Washington Post’s story this morning,
Gallaudet Protesters’ Camp Demolished, Injuring Some by Susan Kinzie and Michael E. Ruane:
“As protests continued, more complaints were raised about Fernandes’s performance as provost: The school was recently rated “ineffective” in an Office of Management and Budget report, in part because of chronically low graduation rates. There were objections to a perceived clampdown of freedom of expression on campus and what was described as a dismissive attitude from the board.”

As I have said before, I am not deaf and am only an interested outsider to all that is happening. However, if both students and faculty were surveyed prior to the selection and a majority indicated that Fernandes was “unacceptable,” how can one think anything other than the Board has chosen to ignore their opinions? Since Fernandes had been provost, there was certainly time to see her management and decision-making style. The questions pointed out in the Post story are troubling, and the low graduation rates are a sure sign of a failure on some level.

Now, supporters of the administration have aptly pointed out that the university is not a democracy. But how can they think that when a candidate who is so troublesome to so many students and faculty members is selected over their objections, that they have not been dismissed? If nothing else, the administration and board have seriously underestimated the extent of the discontent.

Are Americans Gullible?

I reckon most Americans including me have a kind of smugness that makes the world smile a little when we get taken down a notch or two. I have to hand it to Sacha Baron Cohen. He rubbed our noses in our naiveté. Whether it was a Birmingham, Alabama manners maven or a couple of New York feminists, Baron Cohen’s bumbling and crude Kazakh journalist character, Borat, confirmed his standing as a great con man.

When the BBC called one victim for the story How Borat Hoaxed America, he reluctantly admitted that he was the same person who had been duped. Now, wouldn’t you refuse to talk to any reporter or anyone for that matter?

P.S. Visit The Life of 2Me for a look at the real Kazakhstan from a New Yorker in Astana on business.

Happy 18th Birthday Scott

Today, I’m stepping down off my usual soapbox to wish my younger son a “Happy Birthday.” He’s officially a “man” according to the Selective Service System. Later this afternoon he’ll register to vote in the upcoming elections. He has a weekend job as well as an internship at the Alabama Supreme Court. We love him for the outspoken, passionate young man he is. His favorite teacher described him as a “breath of fresh air.” That’s Scott to a T. You regular readers have seen his photography and know all about his awards from the fair. Next year he’ll be off to college. I’ll miss him then, but today we celebrate a young man on the cusp of all that life offers.

Gallaudet: The Story that Just Won’t Quit

A reader pointed out that my blog was listed on deafread.com. In case you weren’t aware, this is a list of blogs that cover issues in the deaf community. I’m not deaf but have been following the events at Galluadet. Yesterday, I posted my usual entry and went off to spend the rest of Sunday working out at the Y, shopping and having a glass of wine outside with my husband.

My reader’s e-mail said that I’d probably get a lot of “hits” or visits to you non-bloggers. And I have received nearly 400 unique visits since yesterday. Why I’m writing about this is that it confirms my earlier post on Thursday wherein I asked, “Are Blogs the New Power of the Press?” I remember what Ricky D. Taylor of ridorlive.com had written to me in response to that post. It bears repeating for I think it lets us hearing folks know a little bit about what it is like to be deaf if that is really possible.

Here’s the comment he made to AKS:
Another thing, Joe Shapiro of National Public Radio interviewed me yesterday about the impact of blogging in the Deaf Communities across the world. Joe asked me if it was something that we need in our communities. For a second, I was bit offended by that so I said, “Wait a minute, Joe, can YOU be honest with me on this -- have you ever met a journalist, cameraman, editor, anchorman who is completely Deaf and uses ASL all the time in CNN, MSNBC, WSJ, NY Times, NPR and all that? The truth is that you do not because you prevent Deaf people from having an opportunity to work in the media. We were denied of our perspectives and when they attempted to explain OUR perspectives, they always got it wrong.” Joe said, “One needs to have experience to work in that field.” Joe is right but the problem is that we were denied of an opportunity to work in the media field in order to gain experience. So what do Deaf people do? We create our media, we have to rely on ourselves to defend ourselves against the misconceptions, false information and all that ...

And now I believe I can approach this issue with a little more understanding than I had before thanks to Ricky’s words. He and others have found a powerful way to communicate. While other media sources such as the Washington Post may have the clout and name recognition, I think that the power of the blogger has reached a new milestone.

I will follow the mainstream media like Susan Kinzie in the WP when she writes stories like this morning’s
“Source of Gallaudet Debate is Up for Debate.” But I will also visit the bloggers like those found on deafread.com to see another side. By the way Jane K. Fernandes will discuss the events at Gallaudet this afternoon on-line with the Washington Post at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

Gallaudet University: Management by Intimidation

While I’m not deaf, I have been following with interest the situation at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. I believe by now the world is aware of the student protests, faculty vote of no-confidence, alumni uproar and board of trustees split as to the fate of president-select Jane K. Fernandes.

The Washington Post has been covering the story with excellent reporting on the part of Susan Kinzie. However, the WP has sided editorially with the administration. I was glad to see this morning the WP op-ed piece by Noah Beckman, president of the student government and Bobbie Beth Scoggins, president of the National Association of the Deaf. In particular, I was struck with their mention of what I (as an admittedly less informed reader than some) view as a large part in the dissatisfaction with Fernandes, the board of trustees and the current President I. King Jordan.

One of the issues surrounding Fernandes has to do with charges of management by intimidation. According to the authors of the op-ed piece, “Gallaudet staff members are terrified to express opinions critical of the administration, so there is little incentive among university employees to make suggestions for improvement.” They say that this dissatisfaction goes back to 2000 when Fernandes was named provost and she received a vote of no-confidence from the faculty.

A university is more than a business. It must be managed in a business-like manner, but administrators and boards of trustees must be keenly aware of the differences between a typical business and a university. A university is a collegial environment with committees and a sense of community that is not conducive to your typical management by the “big stick” that some businesses embrace. A university has a heart and a soul and that is its students, faculty and alumni. The smart administrations recognize this distinction.

Sixteen Candles & The Truth of War

I knew Ava Lowery was having a Sweet 16 birthday party. No, she’s not a friend of my 17-year-old son, but I think he might like her. She’s cute and outspoken. Whether you like her politics and position on the War in Iraq or not, I think you have to agree she puts her views into action.

Yesterday on the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery, Ava and her new friends came together for a rally called “Sixteen Candles for Soldiers” to protest President Bush and the War in Iraq. Ava compared her party to those wild and lavish affairs you see on MTV’s “My Super Sweet Sixteen” where spoiled little rich girls and their parents see how extreme they can get when marking this special birthday. I like Ava’s way better.

Ava has a Web site and a forum where the nastiest of things have been said to this young home-schooled girl from a little town in Alabama. She’s been covered in the national media and has even received death threats. I heard a bit of an interview by Sean Hannity’s Fox News partner Alan Colmes where Ava in her soft Southern drawl told about her work. She creates “animations” as she calls them. To me, they are more like fancy slide shows. In “WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?)” image after image of hurt and dead Iraqi children dissolves into each other to the tune of “Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World.”

According to a Montgomery Advertiser story in this morning’s paper, a retired master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force who came out to support Ava said, “violence is the truth of war.” He said he had served 6 months in Iraq.

Tuesday my Scottie will turn 18 years old. We have the special present and Uncle Sam sends his remembrance too. The Selective Service System sent him a card this week, only it didn’t say, “Happy Birthday Scott.” It said, “Men 18 through 25 years old are required to register if they have not already done so.” I worry.

I worry for all of our loved ones in harm’s way.

Jagshemash! Borat & Kazakh News Digest

Jagshemash!
I meant to busy myself today with household chores and a design project, but I couldn’t resist writing first a little about some stories I came across about my current obsession, the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

It took a while, but now the Gypsies want Borat banned. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a German group has filed suit to stop the movie from being shown in Germany. "We are accusing him of defamation and inciting violence against [Gypsies]," said Marko Knudsen, head of the European Centre of Antiziganism Research. I’ll write later about my experiences with Gyspies.

From Almaty (Kazakh capital) Reuters is reporting the Kazakhstan central bank has misspelled the word “bank” on its new notes. “The bank plans to put the misprinted notes into circulation in November and then gradually withdraw them to correct the spelling,” according to Reuters. “The mistake … is not just a spelling problem — it has political undertones,” a letter from members of parliament to President Nursultan Nazarbayev said. “We urge you to tell the National Bank not to put out the notes with a mistake in the Kazakh language.” Reuters reports, “Language is a contentious issue in Kazakhstan.”


And finally, Kazakhstan Today Interviews First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Rakhat Aliyev

Kazakhstan Today: the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in Great Britain Yerlan Idrisov has publicly named popular showman Sasha Baron Cohen a pig. Do his words reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

Rahat Aliev: I cannot make comments on the situation as an official since the work of Sasha Baron Cohen is not included into the sphere of responsibility and interests of Kazakhstan government. The state bodies should be engaged in state affairs and British TV and American cinema are not Kazakh government concern. As far as I know, the Ambassador Idrisov stated his personal point of view which, as well as any another, is reputable.

Kazakhstan journalist Borat--only one of Cohen's characters among whom there are also other scandalous characters: for example, the Austrian journalist of non-traditional orientation. Cohen's program was on in Austria and did not cause any protest.

Kazakhstan in Borat's depiction appears as an unattractive country, however it is the comic character of satire and it is hard to believe that a spectator could seriously believe the pictures drawn by him.

Cohen has never been to Kazakhstan and I would like to invite him to our country. Here he would be able to make many discoveries for himself: that women here do not only travel by buses, but also drive cars, that we do wine out of grapes, Jews can freely go to a synagogue and so on.

I can understand that many are upset by Cohen's program, but we should have sense of humor and respect other people freedom of creativity. It is especially senseless to offend the actor and to threaten him by judicial claims. Such actions only damage the reputation of the country, but make Borat even more popular that is, actually, what he wants to achieve, which is pure PR.

From Kazakhstan Today

What Does It Mean To Be Patriotic?

I was nearly startled to death while working out yesterday at the Y when I looked up at the television set. There on Fox News was a picture of President Bush and underneath it a headline to the effect, “Bush Compares War in Iraq to Vietnam.” ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos had interviewed the president and asked him to comment on a column by Tom Friedman in the New York Times that compared the Tet Offensive in 1968 to what’s happening in Iraq right now. The president said the comparison “could be right.”

From the New York Times story, Bush Faces a Battery of Ugly Choices on War, “The Iraq situation is not winnable in any real sense of the word ‘winnable,’ ” Richard N. Haass, the former chief of the policy planning operations in the State Department during Mr. Bush’s first term, told reporters on Thursday.

As he has in the past, Bush is hoping an old family friend might be able to help him get out of this mess in Iraq just like that friend helped Bush become president.

The Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel co-chaired by former secretary of state James A. Baker III, a Republican, and former Indiana congressman Lee H. Hamilton, a Democrat could ride in to the rescue like the Lone Ranger. According to the Washington Post in the story ‘Major Change Expected in Strategy for Iraq,’ “Both Baker and Hamilton have made it clear that they do not see the administration's current Iraq policy as working.”

I don’t suppose any real changes will happen at least not until after the mid-term elections. But I got to thinking, and I feel a real turning of the tide despite the protestations of talk radio toadies like Rush Limbaugh and his little lapdog Sean Hannity. It’s not fueled by propaganda or stepped up violence. It’s fueled by a realization that everything our government leadership tells us ain’t necessarily so.

Call me unpatriotic if you will. I happen to think that if we do not ask questions, we are unpatriotic. I’ve been asking questions for some time now. Why, Mr. President, did you think this war was necessary? Why, Mr. President, did you trump up evidence to gain popular support for your efforts? Why, Mr. President, didn’t you send in enough troops to do the job? Mr. President, have we made Iraq a better country? Mr. President, how do you get us out of this mess?

And I thought back to WWII and how even in that war our government under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt made decisions we now question. Thousands of Japanese Americans, most of them U.S. citizens, were rounded up and placed in internment camps. Milton S. Eisenhower (President Eisenhower’s brother), the War Relocation Authority’s first director said, “I feel most deeply that when the war is over... we as Americans are going to regret the avoidable injustices that may have been done.” With the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, President Ronald Reagan’s signature to the act formally acknowledged America’s injustice—46 years later.

My final question for today: will we have the courage to ask as did Milton Eisenhower did the tough questions. Are we going to have avoidable injustices to regret?

Are Blogs the New Power of the Press?

Gallaudet University trustees are turning. I read in this morning’s Washington Post story by Susan Kinzie that Jane K. Fernandes had been asked to resign by some trustees. Fernandes had been trying to rally support, and in an e-mail obtained by the WP, she wrote, "What we are dealing with on campus is anarchy and terrorism."

One thing that’s contributing to the erosion of her support is the influence of new media. Over at PBS, Mark Glaser wrote about the impact of deaf bloggers and other new media. Glaser writes: While students work to make their voices heard on campus, protest bloggers have launched a media war on a much larger scale by harnessing online tools to organize their troops, broadcast their message, and analyze the latest developments.

While Glaser mentions several blogs, he failed to site one I ran across after one of my readers told me about it. Its called RidorLive.com and is written by a deaf blogger named Ricky D. Taylor. He has quite a following judging from the number of comments.

To counter the pro-protestor sites, there have been some recently launched blogs such as The Gallaudet Protest: What you don’t know, but quite frankly, this blog has so few comments that it pales in comparison to the passion shown by the other side.

A few weeks ago the Chronicle of Higher Education covered the topic of blogs in a feature entitled “Attack of the Blog.” “By the time they knew the extent of the less-than-flattering Web commentary, Gallaudet officials say, it was too late for them to stem the tide,” according to the story.

So, stay tuned. This story has legs.

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.