I've discovered that my Facebook site— which I once thought was only good for finding old lovers— is a superb place to publish quick jots on breaking news.
I'd like to invite you to join me there, because it's too juicy to leave you out!
Facebook is better than posting a quick piece on my Typepad blog, because:
a) technically, it's faster for me; I can post a quick story, photo, or video— in under a minute. There's no formatting, no design work, it's just a quick spell check and I'm done.
b) I can post small stories as frequently as I want, without annoying you with email alerts all day.
c) It's faster/easier for you to comment on the fly... no log-in, no typing your name, etc.
I am NOT abandoning my blog, here, not at all.
This is something new.
I'll run my longer stories here, as I always have. I can stretch out in my blog, do "live" blogging of big events, make a permanent, searchable, story. It's irreplaceable.
But for a "Susie-Wire," where I can comment and alert you to critical news— as well as my quixotic state of mind— Facebook is a godsend.
For example, yesterday, I posted on my Facebook profile:
The annoying but titillating Times story on "Female Desire," cough, cough
What needs to be said about John Updike's erotic influence on the English language
Greta Christina's cathartic rant on the God-Glut at the Inauguration Ceremony
Yes, all in one day! It would take me ten hours to do that here, at the Journal. So come on over and have some fun!
I also use FB to point you to my big blog posts over here, so you'll never miss anything you're interested in.
How to Join Up and Cozy In
In order to see my Facebook stories, you have to become my "friend," a euphemism that has become the source of much hilarity around my house. I am apparently a "Facebook Slut."
I will "friend" anyone who asks me— no fear of rejection!
Are You a FB Virgin? —Here's How-To:
You join the Facebook site, which requires filling out a little info, but then that's done, forever. It's easy; no computer savvy required.
I HIGHLY recommend going into your FB "privacy settings" and turning OFF all the "email alerts." Otherwise, you'll find their email barrage annoying.
Bookmark Facebook on your browser, and you'll be able to see, at a click, what I— and your other friends— are up to! You may even become an addict like me and make it your home page.
Meanwhile, you'll find some of your old pals and family hanging around the FB watering hole. It's a great way to keep in touch with long-distance comrades, and you're always able to say "Happy Birthday" at just the right time. (Why is that "birthday" thing so touching? It just is... one never feels overlooked or uncared for again!)
I didn't have anyone instruct me how to use Facebook; one thing just led to another. It's a very intuitive pleasure, which I'm sure their founders are very proud of!
I'm sure FB has its drawbacks, or scandals— but I encounter these same problems everywhere I publish. As a blogger, FB offers magic, and since we writers are hanging on by our fingernails, I have to use its benefits, or perish.
Do I still need your subscriber support?
Of course! The people who are sending me $5 a month to support my reporting and writing are the only reason I can do this blog, Facebook, or any independent writing at all.
If you can consider making a regular tiny-donation to my work efforts, I am in your debt— and I also send out great presents! (Just ask my regular donators!)
The Profile Vs. The Page... An Important Distinction
Right now, I use my FB "Profile" to post all my news— that's the webpage that everyone on FB gets.
But I also have a fan-style "Page"— because when I reach 3,000 friends, FB apparently will sound the horn and make me stop expanding my Profile circle. At that point, I will only be updating my "Page."
The trouble is, one day my Profile is going to go dark, and I won't have a way to wave my hands frantically and say, "Over here! Come over here!"
So, sign up for my Page, now, in addition to my Profile, before they dim the lights. If you search for my name, you'll see both.
Thank you!
Still trying to spin straw into gold before dawn,
Susie
Photo: I found this on Susannah Breslin's blog, and it SPOKE to me.
When Ted Haggard got busted two years ago— for his travails as a gay john and meth party boy— our blog "Bet on Ted" that the fundamentalist pastor would not be able to keep his cock out of the cookie jar.
Sure, Teddie took the six-week cure... meanwhile, we watched and waited.
And so the worm turns: today we learn that Ted wasn't just a occasional trick or treater, but rather had a long-standing relationship with one of his young male parishoners, who was paid off by the Church to shut up... but is talking now anyway.
Sweet Jesus, I'm sick of this dude.
Haggard is not a uniquely flawed man. It's just that boners don't lie, and unless Ted fell into a coma, he was likely to be follow his desires in short order.
My readers and I decided in 2007 to place bets on what date Ted might have a "relapse" or an arrest. All pool proceeds were to be split 50/50 between the winner(s), and LYRIC, the young, loud, and proud San Francisco youth group dedicated to rootin'-tootin' social change. They are so wonderful; a tonic to all the closetted capers we've endured.
Unfortunately, none of our gamblers hit the lucky number... most of us bet on Xmas, Gay Day, or our birthdays!
I have no problem declaring that the only reason none of the occasions we picked didn't pay off was because Ted... didn't get caught that day.
However, now that Ted is busted so spectacularly, on such a huge omission from his pious record, let's reach into our wallets for that fiver we promised LYRIC— the only good to come out of this man's mendacity and greed.
If you are part of the "Bet on Ted" pool, send your $5 check, made out to LYRIC, to:
I'll pay them in one big check. We will have a few hundred dollars for them, in total— HOORAY!
If you'd like to add a little more of your money to the pot, I know they'd be so grateful. It is harder than ever, as I'm sure you know, for young people on the street, none of whom are having exploitable media moments like Mr. Ted.
I find myself sick of Haggard at this point; his brand of lying and grasping has done so much harm to our country and our hearts. I have zero interest in his "HBO documentary" and whatever cash registers that rings. Buh-bye, Mr. Used God Salesman. I won't be watching for your next fall from grace.
The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax and... NATIONALIZATION.
That word makes a lot of Joseph McCarthy's children see red— but it's time to step out of the looking glass and put a little blush in our cheeks. The pallor of greed and elitism has done enough damage.
The most unsettling element of Obama's inauguration address wasn't Ricky Warren or Dopey Roberts— it was the President's soft-pedal of our economic nightmare. He acted like what we're going through is a collective fuck-up— we all done wrong— and that everyone needs to admit their culpability.
Really? Just because the teacher says "Georgie stole the milk money," does EVERYONE have to stay after school?
In "This Great Mess," there are specific misdeeds and perps to be called on the carpet. There is a list, there are names. It's not "everyone" who's been at the wheel!
"Mr. Obama attributed the economic crisis in part to “our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age” — but —this is, first and foremost, a crisis brought on by a runaway financial industry.
"If we failed to rein in that industry, it wasn’t because Americans “collectively” refused to make hard choices; the American public had no idea what was going on, and the people who did know what was going on mostly thought deregulation was a great idea."
Krugman goes on to say that gurus of all persuasions want to see prudent nationalization moves in the financial sector.
Yet the number one reason we haven't nationalized the hopeless banks already, is because of Cold War Commie-phobia— irrational superstition at its pinkest. The very word "nationalization" is considered risqué. The GOP has palpitations just thinking about it, and so do many Democrats. Alright, fine— but how deep a rat-hole will this country sink into in order to hold onto its Commie Cootie Bugs?
I don't get it. If a nation haunted by colonial slavery can get over its own racism to elect a black President; if gay marriage rights can become as American as apple pie; then what is the big deal about addressing a modicum of public interest? Is class consciousness the last taboo?
Yes, nationalization will hurt a sliver of the American population, our aristocracy. But the 2-Percenters won't go hungry.
Take Arthur Levitt, the former chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission— who was supposed to protect the American people from investment fraud. He says he has no problem sleeping at night, and I bet his health insurance plan is yummy. He was asked how he is changing his spending habits in the current crisis and he said: "I canceled a vacation to the Far East that I had planned for the spring. I don’t feel right about spending large sums of money in this environment."
Save your tears, Alice. The crying shame is that many influential Americans still believe it's beneficial to bail out billionaires, handing them MORE billions to hoard— while keeping the romance alive that Ponzi dreams do come true.
Isn't the Kool-Aid pitcher a little stinky at this point? The Mad Hatter is more believable than the crap we've swallowed over the recent years of deregulation and kleptocracy.
The notion that Obama is going to make everyone stand in a Soviet cheese line to pick up their crust of bread is ludicrous. I'm not interested in subsidizing "The Rush Limbaugh Mythology Series" any longer! The Bogeyman comes with too dear of a price tag.
Each character in the "Big Red Government Gallery" is stale. Nationalized healthcare cast as "The Crimson Satan" is a real knee-slapper until we take into account how many people are ill, ailing, and dying for no. good. reason. Talk about cutting off our noses to spite our faces... we've chopped off our heads entirely.
Why is getting our public investment back out of banks that robbed us blind considered a step too scarlet for common comprehension? Powerful players fleeced us with "imaginary instruments" in a style that makes stealing candy from babies look patriotic.
It is the fault of specific crooks; I don't need to make amends! It reminds me of when a vexed toddler kicks you in the shins and then expects you, the adult, to say you're sorry. No; I'm not!
My troll mail has been shifting in recent days. Instead of the usual: "You sick dyke, you stupid pornographer, you Jew-Nigger-Loving-Whore, blah blah blah"— I've been seeing a new stripe: "Socialist Traitor." Some people got so mad about my smiling election portrait standing in front of the American flag, they wrote me rebukes: "You should be standing in front of a hammer and sickle."
Really! How quaint!
It's no secret that I'm much more of a fan of Marxist economics than Obama, or anyone in his cabinet. Duh! It was bittersweet for me when McCain indulged in red-baiting, because I could only wish Barack had the tiniest drop of socialist sympathy in his University of Chicago School of Economics heritage. No such luck!
But this is different. I'm a small part of a big spectrum on the reality side of the street. Nationalization of public interest utilities and assets? This is something capitalists and political leaders all over the world participate in, because it serves their collective survival and fortunes. Nationalization is normal. We can't go it alone; there is no sailing off to Richie Rich Island and leaving the rabble behind. The unadorned profit motive is suicidal ideation.
Before Reaganism, before the Moral Majority, there was awareness of the necessity for regulation, consideration of public interest. Even Nixon didn't try to sell Social Security off to a derivatives market!
Krugman asked in his editorial if Obama is "ready" to stop pussyfooting around, to stand up to the red-tin-foil hats. I think Paul, too, is over-polite. I am sick of babying the idol-worshippers: "Yes, honey, we all know you saw a Marxist Leninsist UFO in your backyard and he tried to take your diaper away."
Enough!
If "putting away childish things" has one iota of signficance, it's to lay down the Red Rattle. It will take more than one hammer and a lot of nail-pounding to raise our house again. Hand over the bucket, and nationalize these suckers.
UPDATE: Here's a video
of George Stephanopoulos interviewing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and
you can see how she frets over the "term" nationalization, while
struggling to defend its intrinsic definition. Stephanopoulos should have followed up by asking, "Are you afraid of red-baiting; is that why you're so nervous about using the right word for what we're describing?" A spade is a spade is nationalization! Get up your nerve, Nancy!
The bagels are here, I'm wearing my "Vagina is for Lovers" t-shirt and pajama bottoms— I am READY for LIVE-BLOG-INAUG-ACTION!
—Watching Laura Bush's plastic frozen smile walking down the hall... holy shit. These people must not be able to go out for gas without a cloud of contempt following them everywhere.
The arrivals are so much more interesting than I expected. Did you see Ted Kennedy? Just made you cry to see him walk in, unaided, his same "let's get this done" walk. And meanwhile, Dick Cheney arrives in a wheelchair!
Lately I've been watching these costume dramas about the English and British courts of ye olde days,and this arrival/fashion parade has that same continuity-- the royalty display, the people's eyes upon them.
Okay, so my friend Jill just said Michelle is wearing a dress the color of her new "batter bowl—" but Jill! My dear, this color is the new Pantone Color of the Year; it's called Mimosa; it's sort of India Yellow, which you see on vivid display in Slumdog Millionaire.
Oh my god, here's REX. It's Obama, but he's not smiling and his eyes are RED. We're all screaming, "He's on the bong! He's been crying! He hasn't slept!" C'mon he can enjoy this! He thinks he has to be solemn, oh no, I want him to realize this is the one day he can really just have a WHALE of a time!
It's happening! How many people are here? How many showed up in previous inaugurations? You can see, I am way behind on my research. I know that for the first time in history, all the CAMPSITES in Maryland are booked up for the winter months.
Check out the big bulletproof glass screen.
And here comes Di-Fi. This is her party, she organized it— if you don't like the place-mats, you know which office to go to.
Rick Warren... I hate it already. I hope everyone understands at this point, it isn't just the sex thing, the gay thing; it's EVERYTHING. He is a deranged apocalyptic Baptist-rhetoric charlatan. And here's the new twist today: he's bombing on stage.
Speaking of phony, he's being introduced by Diane as a "Doctor." Now he is talking about FATHER, and how everything comes through his mumbo-jumbo. GOD THE FATHER loves everyone in his Mercy... that's his first gay-bait. Don't want any of your "mercy," you big-check hustler.
Now Warren's talking about how god made it possible for a black man to become president. How patronizing. Now god is going to give Obama wisdom, 'cause we can't expect him to think for himself. Heavens, bless-bless, American commitment to FREEDOM... do you want fries with that? Forgive us, oh Great White Father... fuck you, RICK WARREN!
Did you hear Pastor Gene Robinson yesterday, by comparison?
As for his prayer to a "God of our many understandings," Robinson said that was entirely deliberate. He told the Union Leader that he'd researched previous inaugural invocations and prayers and found them to be "aggressively Christian." He preferred a more inclusive route: "All I could think about when I read them was, 'My goodness, what does a Jew think hearing this? What does a Muslim think? What does a Sikh or a Hindu think?' Having been not included, as a gay man, in so many instances, the last thing I want to do is exclude any American from this."
He wanted to include everyone, for real, not this Christian TeePee Soaking. Icky Warren is So Full of Himself. Hardly anyone is clapping.
Whew— Aretha Franklin is next. BEST HAT. The first notes... I have goose bumps.
Joe Biden just took a man's face and kissed him on the lips. Wow. He is so happy.
This classical quintet is lovely, and they are the COOLEST people, the most hip performers on stage thus far. They are so happy, and it just shines! Aaron Copeland would be so proud.
Justice Stevens just blew the oath script! How funny! Obama has to put up with all these white bozos who can't even get the door open! But at least Barack relaxed. He realizes he's doing fine... little Mr. Homework is ready.
I want one of those little cannons to blow things up in my front yard! I saw them for sale at Restoration Hardware last 4th of July.
My living room posse is toasting Obama now; we have champagne glasses in hand!
Barack speaks...
Uh oh, I'm already a touch let down. This isn't going to be charismatic.
I, for one, do NOT thank George Bush for his "service to this office." It was a very nice Hawaiian-style thing to say. Aloha and good riddance.
O. just referred to war, and how we are fighting a "wide network of hate." Brother, Please. We are "fighting" a historical tradition of imperialism, machismo, and bigotry; and someone needs to pull the plug before Mother Nature washes her hands of us.
Is O. going to lighten up now? He just talked about the horrible economy without pinning any blame on the banking donkeys. It's as if this disaster just "happened" to us, like a thunderstorm.
Oh dear...It's not a "god-given" idea that men are equal; Mr. President; it is an idea of revolutionaries, human beings who had democratic ideals they died for. One more word about God and I'm going to throw up.
Whoa, he just made a reference to Vietnam— Khe Sanh...
View of surviving Tuskeegee Airman... goose bumps for me again.
"We will return science to its rightful place—" that's my favorite line so far. I'm putting on my School Cap right now!
Now he's talking about how we're the friend of any country who wants peace... like there isn't anyone who wants that. He says we, the U.S., are ready to "lead" the world again.
Oh, no. I am so done with the U.S. bossing around the world. "Slaughtering innocents"? We're neck deep in blood! Now he's baiting Hamas. I don't appreciate this Hawk-Talk. This whole Gaza experience is a disgrace with our country's name written all over the white phosphorous.
Wheee... Barack makes his first shout-out to atheists, although he can't bring himself to say that word. The "non-believers."
"Humility" is the big word today; it's been said about twenty times. Is this Orwellian word play, or prescient?
Now he's talking to "poor" nations... You know, we are half-banana-republic right now. The education system is shot. The roads are crumbling. Everyone is sick. Our food is poisoned. Give me a break. You go to other countries and realize this superior air is a complete fraud.
There is so much more talk in Obama's speech about war and battle than I expected. And religion. I guess you can tell I haven't been to many inaugurations. Everytime he says something in "God's name," I cringe. I don't want his blessing, or God's blessing, thank you very much. Opiate of the People, baby!
I doubt anyone will say Barack did anything wrong on this speech—it will be well-regarded— but this was a crap speech for him, and nothing memorable. No special catch phase, nothing that built, no climax. In that sense, disappointing. His speech on "Race in America" during the campaign was much more meaningful than this.
Now for the poet: Elizabeth Alexander. There was a hue and cry among poets over her... it was the "Rick Warren" freakout in poetry circles. I don't know her; but she is not considered "transcendant" among the poetry people.
Uh, now I can see why.
Her poem is a Big Nothing. Boy, was that crap. Paging Hallmark Cards!
Didn't upstage Barack's speech, which is saying something.
Joseph Lowery! So small, hunched— oh my goodness, his voice is amazing. His very tenor is more moving than anyone who's been on stage so far. He is also appealing to God, but he is poetic, he is artistic, if this is divinity, I I don't mind! Go ahead, be a Christian, but thrill in your lyric, and you'll have me!
Wow, Lowery is by far the best speaker today. He brings the words to what we felt in the classical musician's performance.
Lowery is spelling out poverty, the dispossessed and exploited, the greed and chicanery. He is beautiful. He is giving the love speech, he is speaking to the love crowd, as Otis Redding said. We go now to walk together, children.... no shit. We've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
"When yellow will be mellow!" He's getting all HIPPIE ON ME, BABY!
Finally,someone we can love. Even Barack has broken into a real smile. This is the kind of Christian leadership, and poetry, we can get behind! Fuck it, this guy was the Stealth Socialist.
The Navy Choir, now? Their square version of "The Star Spangled Banner" is not what I need right now! Swing is needed.
Note: I am sitting in my living room for the former Conga Player For this same Navy Band, 53-57, Casey Sonnabend. He needs to be in this group, today, he is just the bop this group needs! Anchors Aweigh!
The camera pans the celebrities in the crowd again. Hillary is happy, closeup on her blond highlights and blue coat with the Bolshevik collar.
And then, a CNN shot of someone with a sign that says: "Obama Must Speak in Morocco! Peace Now!" Huh? I've always wanted to visit Morocco, though, so I will agree with this sentiment.
The Sunday concert and events were more inspiring, a real good cry, compared to today... interesting. More communing with the people with the artists, less lecture. Philosophical instead of pedantic. It was anti-climatic today. Does it have to be stuffy? Is that the requirement for such ceremonies?
AFTERWARD:
Cheney is being wheeled away like Dr. Evil. It almost seems like he's being driven away in the limo to the funeral home. GOODBYE, YOU PSYCHOPATH.
George is doing his Yale Football Cheerleader thing! He gets through this regalia by treating it all like a sporting event. Off they go to Texas, don't let the flight suit hit you on the way out. The helicopter is lifting off. Wouldn't it be great if "God" dropped a giant shoe on them right now? It's amazing that this much time is being spent looking at Bush's ass disappearing into the sky.
The signing ceremony: Left-Handers are sobbing everywhere.
Hey, you patient readers, I just ran over to publish all your comments. I definitely needed some staff for this project; I'm so sorry to keep you waiting! They're all up now. Now I'm going to go run to the phones and publish the phoned-in comments.
Bart Dollhead, with sound effects:
Steve Harsin, who should be on national TV instead of the usual anchormen:
Anonymous, you are such a sweetheart; thank you:
Jon; on the Christian Over-Arch:
Chance; Enjoy it, babe!:
---
Just heard news of Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd's sudden attacks... both whisked to hospital. This is seismic. The most eloquent men in our Senate, the last of a breed.
I have been shocked at Kennedy's ability to keep going, because the nature of brain tumors is that your "will" doesn't really come into it. The seizures are dramatic and the disintegration swift.
I believe Caroline Kennedy's interest in the Senate seat was set into motion by the impending death of her father-figure, Uncle Ted. I don't even think it's a matter of logic or grasping; it's simply that her grief over her father, mother, brother— and now uncle— leads her to do anything to fill this seat. Psychologically it "keeps them alive," and herself sane.
Of course, she's not the perfect choice.. although when you think of who's in the Senate, she's heads and shoulders above many. She's certainly no Ted or Byrd. But she is powered by these demons from the grave; this is how she is keeping her loved ones alive when the last of her immediate family is being extinguished as we speak. I have a dread that Mr. Kennedy will not make it through today.
Kimi; my girlhood sister-friend:
Todd; A Mighty Fine Day:
Mark; "The Best Thing Was That Helicopter Flying Away":
Reading Obama's speech brought one part into focus for me; this is the crux:
"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."
Tomorrow, starting at 8:00 AM, I'll be live-blogging the Inauguration Ceremonies
from my house in beautiful downtown Santa Cruz!
I'll dig out my stars and stripes bikini again, plus the red marabou negligee.
I'd love to have our own Pajama Obama party here on the blog.
Please do come by and share your FULL RANGE of emotions and opinion!
You can watch the whole TV broadcast right here, live, on my blog... courtesy of the feed I'm getting from Hulu.
How do you put in your two cents?
Call me— anytime between 8am and 8pm, at 831-480-5110, and I will record the call and post it here on the blog.
(Yes, I'm really picking up the phone... or if I'm on another call, start spouting on your own! Don't leave your phone or any secret info... 'cause I'll be just going with the raw file, no time for editing.)
Or, just hit the Comment button below the post and start typing.
You can also end me your photo/video of what you're doing during the Inauguration!
I expect, among other things, to go through disbelief, tenderness, outrage, euphoria, cynicism— not to mention sheer curiosity. No one my immediate family has seen an Inauguration before— because who ever cared? This should be interesting. Feel free to deliver to me your alternative invocation to Rick Warren's!
Don't We Have to Get to a Job Somewhere?
Uh... everyone I know has been laid off or has filed for bankruptcy. We should put our nose to the grindstone of despair, but this is once-in-a-lifetime cathartic event, and we couldn't go on with business as usual. You have my full PERMISSION to play hooky, and I will write a "sick note" for you if you like.
P.S. Yes, I have signed up for the Facebookgroup to watch the Inauguration with all my FB friends. That sounds fun, but who knows how it will roll out. Will they allow any kind of language? Is there going to be advertising? Do you have to be a DNC rah-rah? I didn't want to take a chance— whereas here, I have more control. If the FB thing turns out to be great, of course I'll be double-posting!
And if you're not my FB friend yet, good grief... get cracking!
P.S.S. What am I eating? I'm having Bagel BlowOut in the morning, with alll the trimmings. Then for happy hour, I'm reviving my Super Bowl Menu which everyone loves and it's easy enough I can do it all tonight ahead of time.
Photo: Susie and Miss Moana at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
CHICAGO - During his run for Illinois state Senate in 1996, Barack Obama stated his unequivocal support for gay marriage, according to an exclusive story in the Jan. 14, 2009 Windy City Times newspaper.
(that's tomorrow, so i don't have a link yet...I wanted to share this press release from Tracy Baim with you right away. Thanks to Kuda for alerting me! -SB)
President-elect Obama's answer to a 1996 Outlines newspaper question on marriage was: "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages." There was no use of the phrase "civil unions". [Outlines purchased Windy City Times in 2000 and merged companies.]
This answer is among those included in this week's Windy City Times feature on Obama's evolving position on gay marriage. Windy City Times also includes his answers to the candidate questionnaire of IMPACT, at one time a gay political action committee in Illinois. In that survey he also stated his support of same-sex marriage.
During the final weeks of the presidential campaign last fall, several media outlets contacted Windy City Times because of an old internet story from the 1996 Illinois state Senate race. In that campaign, Outlines newspaper reported that 13th District candidate Barack Obama supported gay marriage. Reporters wanted to know what exactly Obama had said.
Outlines summarized the results in that 1996 article by Trudy Ring, but did not list exact answers to questions. In that article Outlines did note that Obama was a supporter of same-sex marriage and that article was never challenged or corrected by Obama. Just recently, the original Outlines and IMPACT surveys were found in the newspaper's archives.
More recently, as Obama has run for higher office, from U.S. senate to president, he has further shaped his views on marriage, and now he does not back same-sex marriage, but favors civil unions.
The Jan. 14 Windy City Times has articles by editor Tracy Baim looking at Obama's marriage record, including from a 2004 interview she conducted with the U.S. senate hopeful, and also an article by Timothy Stewart-Winter, a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago, who is writing his dissertation on lesbian and gay politics in Chicago. Stewart-Winter provides a look at the context of Obama's race in 1996 against incumbent Alice Palmer.
The full articles and copies of the Outlines and IMPACT 1996 questionnaires are available online at www.windycitymediagroup.com starting Jan. 14, and at hundreds of Chicago-area delivery locations.
Last night, after an endless day of hassles, we freezing inside the house, thanks to our resolve to lower the heating bills.
I cried out in desperation, "There is nothing to save me now except a wicked hot toddy!"
Like a magic genie, my partner Jon appeared out of the kitchen with a steaming snifter of hot brew in his hands.
He said, "I have just made the best hot toddy you've ever had in your life."
He deserved his conceit. I demanded a second. And then I made him write down his recipe:
Jonny's Hot Toddy
1.5 oz Brandy (or Bourbon or Whiskey) 1 Comfort & Joy Tea bag 1 c. hot water 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 T. pure maple syrup Lemon peel
Brew the tea and add lemon juice. Add syrup to brandy; heat gently and swirl. Pour brandy mixture, then tea, into a generous snifter (or your favorite cup of any description). Garnish with lemon peel. Drink!
What's so special about this tea?
"Comfort and Joy" is a "Republic of Tea" black tea blend mixed with apple bits, cinnamon, cloves, & licorice-flavor anise— the equivalent of mulling spices.
It's an inspired formula that makes you look like an award-winning mixologist when all you did was steep a tea bag.
We got a canister for Christmas— and behold, a happy accident.
Where can I get some?
While it lasts, at The Republic of Tea website. I just made a panicked order myself.
They make limited edition teas for the holidays— the new one is Black Rose Petal, for Valentine's. Perhaps one of you will be clever & instruct me how to make a cocktail out of that!
Can't you just make a hot toddy for me right now?
Okay, I'll come close.
If you'd like to become a Proudly Paid Subscriber to my blog, go here, sign up— and then Email me your snail mail address.
I'll send the first 25 requests a "toddy-to-go" in an envelope.
I'll send you a tiny tin with five Comfort & Joy teabags in it, plus the handwritten recipe and a big smooch from me.
All you have to add is the hot water and liquor.
Why would I want to do that?
Just think of all the toasty fun you'll have reading my blog, toddy in hand!
A sub to my blog is $5 a month. If you don't like the blog— or the toddy— you can cancel at any time.
Just think, you'll help my fingers stay warm so I can continue to type through the frigid season! And, if you're ever over at my house on a wintry day, I will gladly serve you my top-drawer Toddy effort!
If You're Already One of My Beloved Subscribers...
If you're a veteran paid subscriber, email me, & I'll turn you on to a sample of my C&J stash. You are my rock, all of you. Thank you so much for supporting me the past year.
I have 25 of these little tins, and I'm waiting to see who knocks on the door first!
Note: I can only mail to addresses inside U.S...
Back to Toddy tinkering: Does the kind— or quality— of the liquor matter?
Yes to both. Spirits have complicated flavors, and part of the fun is toying with your taste buds.
That said, you'll have a satisfying toddy whether you use brandy, bourbon, or whiskey— regardless of the brand.
What other kind of tea might be good?
I would try other teas that lend themselves toward wintry spices like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or licorice. I might try Darjeeling and add my own dehydrated apple bits or anise.
I would love to spend the rest of the winter experimenting in my barroom laboratory! The convenience of this "Comfort and Joy" blend was a fluke, but I intend to inspire The Republic of Tea to make it a regular feature.
Please add to our comments below if you come up with some killer recipes of your own!
P.S. Sorry the email newsletter/Twitter/RSS etc was screwed up to this link... I hope it's better now. Yet another example of this Week from the Damned. Both my computer and backup system are in repairs, I'm using an iPhone to post from... not my cup of tea!
Go get a piece of paper and pen. Or open up a separate blank page you can type in on your computer.
I'm going to ask you three questions.
Don't think about them too much, just go with your gut.
1. Name a goal you have— any goal for the future, be it near or far, small or large, heavy or light. Whatever means the most to you at the moment.
2. Imagine yourself right after having accomplished this goal, in the minutes or hours after you've DONE it. You're on the other side. It's the day after, it's behind you.
Write down how you would FEEL. A few words, one word, a phrase or two.
3. Write down the date you'd like to see this goal accomplished. Could be a day, weeks, months, years. Your ideal time to see it happen.
In the comments, I'll tell you how I answered these questions— and the little trick that will turn your perspective on its ear.
I took this quiz at my last WeightWatchers meeting, led by Jennifer Barley. She always likes to get into the deep end of the pool. After we wrote down our answers, she changed the topic to some general discussion about self-care in the new year.
At the end, she had us open up our scraps of paper and asked for some volunteers to share what they'd written.
One young cutie-pie sitting behind me said she wanted to get into a bikini by the end of the year, and I teased her by saying I wanted to see her march into the meeting with whatever she picked out. She high-fived me.
But there were other equally heartfelt goals, like: "I want to leave work on time for once," "get a decent night's sleep," or "run a 10K." Most of the people in the room are working mothers and grandmothers.
Is the suspense killing you? Don't peek at the comments until you answer the questions! I'd love to hear what you wrote, if you feel so bold. (Remember, you can comment "anonymously"!)
