Reni

I am always so sad to hear of the passing of a beloved family member, like Bella. I am sending you much love and many warm hugs across the miles.

I'll agree with you on this....but for likely very different reasons.

So, that journalism degree from (what was it?) Idaho, is on par with a degree from Columbia, a JD from Harvard Law and a professorship at the University of Chicago. You betcha!

Dan! Giants! Woohoo! I was so happy to see a fork stuck in the Phillies. EVONNE!!! MAUDIE!! You're going to the WORLD SERIES!! :yay :yay

Robin is the one who gave me the book and I asked her if she knew if it was inspired by Jaycee Duggard. She said this was written before Jaycee was found, but might have been inspired by the case in Germany. The more I read it, the more I love it.

Not always.....but.....it did take the federal government to finally step in and enforce fair and equal voting rights laws, end defacto Jim Crow racism and integrate schools, public spaces, etc. Sure, racism is still a rampant social ill in our nation. However, the horrors of racial terrorism and lynchings do not occur with the impunity that they once did, because there are federal protections so that the federal government will step in when local and state law enforcement will not. Just think, 55 years ago, 14 year old Emmett Till was severely tortured and murdered for allegedly whistling at

And this conservative viewpoint fails to consider a historical, systemic structure of injustice and inequality predicated upon racism, sexism and a patriarchal/hierarchical worldview that holds certain people above others. I am guessing you're of the Milton Friedman type? Just privatize everything and it will all sort itself out? Sharron Angle refers to Chile as an example of the privatization of Social Security. That worked really well, didn't it? I remember scoffing whilst reading Capitalism and Freedom when Friedman proposed that free-market capitalism would essentially eliminate issues

Yup! As human beings, we are as much individuals as we are interdependent. No one can do it on their own. This is true from our basic psycho-social emotional/developmental needs to the material sustenance in which our lives are dependent on. This is where this Tea Party, uber-conservative Randian approach totally fails. As with most conservative viewpoints, they to divide the world into dualistic measures of thinking, when reality is a lot more complex, and the many ills of society are intertwined and intersected. Where I see conservative thinking ultimately fail is along this line. It's too s

We should just go to a system like the one where the guy's house burned down in TN because he forgot to pay his extra fee. The new right wing mantra should be Burn Baby Burn, not Drill Baby Drill!

It's me. and....she should! I found my way over here when Graham told me that the Moe Tucker interview had been posted by VCer and not even someone from St. Louis! My friend Mike is the one who interviewed her (albeit via email) and he is just amazed that it's been picked up by news sites all over the country. It's pretty crazy, but then again, so is Moe. hehe

Hi Donna! yeah, a lot of people were raving about Drop City awhile back. I picked it up at a library book sale, but it is still sitting on my "to read" shelf. Room is written from the point of view of a 5-year-old boy, Jack. His mother was kidnapped 7 years ago and they live in an 11x11 room. The writing is really interesting, because it is through the little games they play and through him just talking about their daily lives (in an innocent way) that you learn about the circumstances in which they live. He has never lived outside of the room, so their life has a normative quality, to him.

I just started this and it has sucked me in.

Don't let Christine O'Donnell find out.

I found out today that Flo McGarrel, an old friend of mine from high school (who was one of my best friends in high school) was killed in Jacmel, Haiti in a hotel that collapsed. He was working on developing an artist's collective in Jacmel. This all really fucking sucks. Shine on Flo......

in the queue for this one at the library.

Amazing. Should be mandatory reading for all. and.....sod it....I am reading this one next: I am so in love.

you could get some pancakes and get laid.

Hi Maudie!! Isn't it a great cover?! I love that photo. The book is about a group of women at the Atlit Internment Camip in Palestine, following WWII. While the narrative is set within actual historical events, at the heart of the book are the stories of the women and the development of their relationships. I loved The Red Tent so much, so I wanted to give it a go. It isn't as good as The Red Tent, but it's certainly worth a read. I have Diamant's other fictional book The Last Days of Dogtown on my reading list for 2010.

On a quick peek through the comments - it looks like that comment you quoted is directed at another person who commented right before them. So yeah, don't read the comments.

I am not sure what that person is talking about - the trailer does not give away the major "twist" of the movie (I hate to use such shallow words, for such a serious subject) - though you might not want to read the comments section (I haven't read it, so I don't know what it says).

watched this last night.....it was intense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyY0CXdiNo

I just read these two over Christmas break: I loved them both. And now, I am reading this: I am so incredibly late to the game on Jonathan Safran Foer, but was given his new one Eating Animals for Christmas and wanted to read one of his works of fiction first. I am really loving it. I started this, and will come back to it soon:

I am not well traveled at all.....but I can add Cuba to that list. I spent a couple days in Fargo, ND this last summer, during my epic road trip - even watched independent league baseball there. Fargo is a pretty cool town. I really liked it. I got to see the "woodchip" Marge statue; it was a highlight....and they have one of the best junk/antique malls I have ever been to. American Samoa Andorra Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas, The Barbados Belgium Belize Bosnia and Herzogovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince E

Yeah, Christine, please do read the book first. It is simply a masterpiece. Neon - same thing here - it's only showing in 2 theaters in the entire Chicagoland area. On its release date it was nowhere near us. I was going to drive an hour away to go see it yesterday in Evanston, but then went to get the time and it was in a theater a little closer - 30 min. Yeah, the movie really stuck with me. My eyes were sore and I felt pretty blah for the rest of the evening. Then again, if a movie has that much of an emotional effect on me, I like it. I love being deeply and emotionally engaged with