The Natchez Blog

Our Mississippi Primary Could Have Strange Results

2011-07-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

Mississippi voters do not register by Party. When they vote in Primaries, they may choose to vote in either Party Primary. Most white candidates for local races run as Democrats - otherwise they will get no black votes. Black Mississippi voters will just not vote for a Republican - nor do I blame them. As Republicans have tried to take over our state, they have rarely had Republican Primaries. They couldn't afford to fight with each other. Consequently, most Mississippi voters chose the Democratic ballot - even if they were Republicans. That's where all the choices were - in many cases there were no Republican ballots.

This year is different. There are some very healthy Republican Primary races - but they're at the State level. The local races are still mostly Democratic Primaries. So what's a Republican to do? Which ballot do they choose? I'm predicting white voters will choose the Republican ballot in record numbers.

So what will that mean for the Democratic Primaries? The voters will be predominantly blacks and liberal whites. Some conservative white Democratic candidates may be able to convince enough of their friends to vote to eke out a win - but if they have a black opponent, they're in trouble.

Record numbers of black and liberal white Democrats will win Primaries - and in many races, that's the election. People (especially whites) will be shocked by the results - but you won't, now that I've warned you. When people express their shock, just ask them what Primary they voted in.

PS: Johnny Dupree wins the Democratic Primary without breaking a sweat. The General Election? That's a different story.

Frances Perkins - a Heroine

2011-02-04T21:47:00.002-06:00

Do you know who Frances Perkins is? Don't feel bad if you don't - most people don't. Yet she has probably had more of an effect on the everyday lives of every American than any other woman - and most men.

The only thing I knew about her was that she was the first woman Cabinet Secretary - Department of Labor under FDR. The reason I know that much is because I remember when she died in 1965. I remember thinking how impressive it was that a woman had that position - I knew of no woman Secretaries at that point. Actually, in 1953, twenty years after Perkins was appointed, Oveta Culp Hobby was appointed Secretary of Health, Education, & Welfare by President Eisenhower - but I guess I was too young to remember her. I certainly never learned about either woman in school. It would take another 20 years for the next woman. In 1973, Anne Armstrong was appointed Counselor to the President (considered a Cabinet level position at the time) by Richard Nixon. I was well aware of her and all the subsequent female Cabinet members in every administration. (See Equal Representation in Government for a list.)

Last year, I came across a book about Perkins: The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins written by Kirsten Downey, a Pulitzer winning journalist who spent eights years researching this book. Intrigued by how a woman pulled this off, I read it immediately. WOW! This woman was amazing! I could not believe how much she accomplished.

Perkins was trained as a social worker. In her first job out of graduate school, she witnessed the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and her life was never the same. At that point, she dedicated her life to worker safety issues. She began by working for nonprofit organizations, but in 1918 she was appointed by New York Governor Al Smith as the first female member of the State Industrial Commission, becoming Chair in 1926. When FDR became Governor, he appointed her as the State Industrial Commissioner. She was in the perfect position to see the Depression develop and predicted it ahead of time. She gave great thought to how to help workers. Therefore, she implemented policies never before considered, such as collecting employment data; employment offices to help workers find jobs; unemployment insurance; minimum wage; the 40 hour work week; elimination of child labor; and fire and safety standards, including no smoking, fire drills, sprinklers, fire escapes, building exits, occupancy limitations, washing and restroom facilities, clean water, and most importantly, with serious enforcement including factory investigations and penalties. Can you believe none of this existed before?

By this time, Perkins was considered the nation's top expert in employment. It's no wonder FDR took her with him to Washington when he became President in 1932. The truth was that he really had no agenda - but Perkins did, and she made his acceptance of it her condition for taking the job. He appointed her Secretary of Labor, a position she held for 12 years, longer than any other. I love this quote from the author - for one thing, it sounds so much like today.

"Housing prices had been pumped up by crazy new kinds of loans, and foreclosures of homes and farms were surging as borrowers faltered under the payments. Companies had enjoyed record profits and ploughed the money into machinery designed to boost productivity, cutting their workforces. The unemployment rate skyrocketed. Companies slashed the wages of the remaining workers, and asked them to work longer and longer hours. And then Wall Street imploded as the stock market crashed. This was the scenario Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced as he entered the presidency in 1933. An era of rampant speculation had come to an end. A women stepped in to put things right."

She was phenomenally successful in implementing the agenda she laid out for FDR. She started with a Labor Department that was a total disaster of real corruption and mismanagement and turned it into a model government agency - including a process of streamlining government purchasing that saved enormous amounts and was then used throughout the federal government. She knew that the key to relieving the Depression was to get money into the economy, and she did that through her Department. She took all the policies she had established in New York and made them part of the federal law - thus extending these protections to all Americans. But perhaps her most famous legacy was the passage and implementation of the Social Security Act. Please notice that all of her accomplishments are still in place today. She completed her entire agenda with one exception: national health insurance. If only FDR had lived a little longer, we wouldn't have to be still fighting that battle 70 years later.

What is so amazing about Perkins is not only WHAT she achieved but HOW she achieved them. First of all, she suffered such incredible sex discrimination that we can't even imagine. I shivered as I read about all the horrible things that were said and done to her. The Congress even tried to impeach her! She just ignored them and kept plodding away with her goals. She was the most persistent and patient advocate and never let an obstacle stop her. She had the most astonishing creativity in figuring out how to overcome adversity. Finally, the way she dealt with people showed her intuitive sense of just how to appeal to or overcome those with the power to achieve her goals. You know why we've never heard of her? We thought FDR did all this. She didn't care at all about receiving credit - and no men voluntarily gave it to her - she just wanted to get the job done. And this was a Washington bureaucrat! If only we had her now.

There is no way I can come up with enough superlatives to describe this woman to whom all Americans owed so much - and I've only scratched the surface of what she accomplished and how. You'll just have to read the book!

Elizabeth Warren - Obama's Test of Masculinity

2010-08-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Warren is really the only candidate to chair the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). If Obama does not appoint her, it will prove he has no balls.

Warren is a professor of law at Harvard Law School. Her entire career has been devoted to studying middle class economics, and she is a recognized expert in the field. I first heard of her in 2004 when she testified before Congress about the Bankruptcy Reform legislation - a bill strongly supported by banks and credit card companies to correct bankruptcy abuse that was allegedly widespread. Warren testified about the study she had done on bankruptcies of middle class families, half of which were due to unexpected medical expenses - and 75% of those families had medical insurance. Of course, the Republican Congress ignored her and instead listened to the banks and passed the bill - which has had a devastating effect on middle class families but was very beneficial to banks. Some of the perks it gave banks contributed to the massive bank failure.

Warren was appointed to, and became Chair of, the Congressional Oversight Panel that was created to investigate the US big bank bailout. In that capacity, she represented the interests of the public - and not the banks - and insisted on transparency and accountability. Her position did not give her power to actually do anything, but her reporting what was happening and what should be happening was, needless to say, not very appreciated by Big Banks or by the U S Treasury Department.

Warren is the mother of the CFPA. She has been lobbying incessantly for its inclusion in the financial reform legislation recently signed into law. Every time the Big Banks and Secretary Geithner thought they had it killed, Warren came roaring back. Without her, it would not have survived.

Warren is so obviously the only candidate for CFPA Chair. Aside from having created the Agency, she has the necessary knowledge of the arcane American financial system. She also has the credibility to protect the American people, especially the middle class. Plus, she is blatantly independent and not beholden to anyone - except the public. So who would possibly oppose her? Easy answer - Big Banks - and they have a lot of influence. But also the Secretary of the Treasury, who doesn't want anyone overseeing what he's doing - especially some uppity woman he can't control.

If Obama does not appoint her, he will confirm his lack of balls. All those voters who were so hot for him when he ran for President are going to discover he really is impotent. This will be the kiss of death for the Democrats in the 2010 elections - not to mention the end of any meaningful financial reform.

Hysterical Hypocrisy - Republican Style

2010-05-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

Today Republican House Whip Eric Cantor introduced a program called YouCut. When I first heard of it, I thought it was very clever. It gives the public a chance to vote on what federal programs they want to see cut from the budget. However, when I went to the website, I discovered it wasn't clever at all - just the same ole crap we always see.

The website lists 5 programs for voters to choose. The choices are all typical programs that Republicans hate. So this is just a typical hypocritcal attempt to get email addresses - sort of like political phishing. It pretends to be seriously interested in your opinion, hoping to fool voters into providing personal information. It's the techy version of the old mailers that asked for your opinions on a survey. When you opened it, it asked typical partisan questions - and then said if you wanted anything to happen, you had to send money - right now.

The only question to be answered now is just how gullible are Republican voters? Will they fall for this scam? Probably.

If there was any integrity in Congress, someone could become an immediate hero to millions of voters by asking real questions. If we are going to really deal with a serious deficit, some very tough choices are going to have to be made. It's obvious no one in Congress has the courage to make these choices - they're too afraid of losing their next election. Wouldn't it be nice if one brave soul would step forward and present the public with the real choices and ask for their response?

Carrying Papers

2010-05-02T20:10:00.007-05:00

I was thinking about those poor souls in Arizona that will always have to be carrying papers to identify themselves as legal. Then I remembered living somewhere overseas as a child where I had to always have my papers. I wasn't sure where it was, but I assumed it was Spain, because I lived there when Franco was dictator - and he was a pretty scary character. All I remembered was that it was thoroughly drummed into my head that I was never to leave home without my papers. I could also remember exactly what it looked like, and how terribly awkward it was to carry. I had a vague memory that I had saved this thing. I'm a pretty organized person, and I knew where it would be if I had it. And I found it! To my surprise, this was for when I lived in France, of all places.

As you can see, it was very long. But it did fold into a more manageable size - 3.5" X 5". But I was always having trouble finding places to carry it, since it didn't fit into any of my pockets. You can also see that it got a lot of abuse - it's torn and full of water marks and spots.

Shortly after I found this, I ran across an article in The Atlantic about French ID cards, which they apparently still have, although they rarely ask for them. The only people who are asked to show them are youngish, African or Arabic looking males.

"As far as I understand, such identity checks have been a long staple of police work in France going back to the Revolutionary/Napoleonic era wherein the State underwent a reinforcement of its prerogatives over the citizenry."

Wait until the conservatives in Arizona hear about this. They'll be horrified to be compared to the French!

Vegetable Soup in Paris

2010-04-06T07:40:00.007-05:00

After avoiding the flu all winter, I finally succumbed on Sunday night. Earlier in the day a scratchy throat I blew off as allergy related and I worked in my yard -- carrying two large bags of mulch from car to front, weeding, planting, and mulching. The harder I worked the more hopeful I was in beating back this menacing virus. It was not to be.

By Monday morning I didn't bother to make my pot of morning tea; I simply fed the two cats and the dog, and I shuffled back to bed. So overpowering was the pressure in my head, I had to squint my eyes -- too painful to open. Thankfully, I had soup on hand because I was in no shape to drive. One lentil (Wolfgang Puck brand) and a southwest black bean, the latter, not appealing when sick, but what lingered in my memory always, I ushered forward -- a simple, as simple can be, vegetable soup prepared for me in Paris by Madame DuBois when I was ill.

I was working as an au pair in Paris for M. and Mme. DuBois who had a three year old son, Fabrice. Well, this was not truly in Paris, I learned when I first made the trek from the left bank to a suburb called Courbevoie. The small apartment was in a modern high-rise and it was not how I envisioned my life in Paris, but the DuBois were a charming young family. Monsieur was a doctor and his wife, Catherine, a stay-at-home mom. She had a weaving loom in the living room where she weaved shawls, blankets, and such. Catherine wore long skirts, boots, and knitted shawls draped perfectly around her shoulders; she was full-figured, but healthy and so cheerful and lively. She wore her light brunette hair up, in a bun, nothing severe -- simple. Catherine always had a bar or two of Swiss chocolate sitting on the coffee table and she'd break off a piece every now and then. It was so tempting. The only chocolate I had eaten, in the US at this time, during the 70s, was Hershey's and Baker's.

After living with the DuBois family, for a month or so, I fell ill; it was similar to how I'm feeling now. Madame let me stay in bed, which was a true luxury. The French simply do not get sick. I think it's seen as a sign of weakness. I recall once my American friend, Joanne, told me her boyfriend, Dominique, who was sick with fever and chills, refused rest in bed allowing himself to be pampered, no, he took off in the elements to run in the park, until he could "sweat it out." I can't recall if his strategy worked, but it is the way of the French.

So, I was lucky to have one day in bed to rest. That day Madame prepared for me, a large bowl of vegetable soup which she brought to me in bed. She would never open a can; she simply roughly cut vegetables fresh from the outdoor market that morning: carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and leeks, and simmered in water. This was the most simple, the most pure, and the most comforting soup I'd ever eaten. I don't even think salt was added. We were still eating Campbell's with its over-salted mushy vegetables and creamed soups in the US. Oh, my mother did make vegetable soup and it was delicious, but it had so many ingredients including stew meat. This was different.

In honor of Madame DuBois, by the the third day of my illness, I bravely tackled a trip to Walmart. I picked over the sad limp vegetables choosing organic carrots, a large white onion, celery, and potatoes, along with a carton of organic vegetable stock; Catherine had only used water. I don't think it would've mattered. The soup was simply okay. It was soothing, nourishing -- I'm sure, but, not at all like the bowl of vegetable soup, made for me one fall morning in Courbevoie, -- thank goodness.

I'm Randy, let me in

2010-03-26T03:50:00.003-05:00

I was finishing up a Natchez mystery last night, The Turning Angel by Greg Iles. In it, he mentions the Eola Hotel:

At seven stories, the Eola Hotel is the tallest building in Natchez. Built in 1927, the year of the great flood, the Eola has weathered booms and bust to find itself on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Eola has such a strong place in my childhood memories -- it was our grand hotel -- that when I got married, even though I was poor, I wanted to spend a couple of nights there with my new British husband, Mel.

I was telling him how gracious and refined the South was, and the Eola was a fine representation of that tradition. It had been totally refurbished when we got married in late 1985, so Mel was suitably impressed when he stepped into the grand lobby:

We were asleep that first night when we were disturbed by a man banging on the door next to ours and shouting:

"I'm Randy. Let me in!"

As the man continued to shout and pound on the door, Mel observed that the South didn't seem so refined if you could just shout out to someone in public that you were horny and wanted sex and then try to force your way into their room. (No one is named Randy in England. It's unheard of. Maybe someone is named Randolph, but it's never shortened to Randy. Randy means you want to have sex with someone -- it's an adjective describing your current state of mind.)

I laughed when I realized that Mel didn't understand that this man's name was Randy. The shouting and beating of the door continued, and we started to worry, so we called down to the lobby to get someone to intercede.

The next morning, we opened our door to find the door of the next room had been totally smashed in.

"So much for Southern politeness and refinement," Mel observed.

Nancy Pelosi - A Heroine

2010-03-22T22:29:00.003-05:00

Nancy Pelosi is the first female Speaker of the US House of Representatives. She is also second in line of presidential succession, after Vice President Biden. This makes her the highest ranking female politician in American History. She is also one of the most effective and powerful Speakers we've ever had, as she aptly showed last night. These are my favorite quotes from today's news - although there were many to choose from.

"Republicans enjoy making fun of Nancy Pelosi, but the House Speaker kicked their butts on health reform." -- Congressional Quarterly

"If there were a Mt Rushmore for House Speakers, her pleasant grin and steely eyes would be on it." -- Paul Begala

Nancy Pelosi was born and raised in Baltimore in a well known Catholic political family. Her father was a Congressman and Mayor, and her brother also served as Mayor. When she graduated with a degree in political science, she went to work for a US Senator from Maryland. But while she was in college she met and fell in love with Frank Pelosi. When they married, they moved to New York and then San Francisco.

Like a good Catholic wife, she stayed at home to raise her five children. But she was an active volunteer for the Democratic Party, working her way up with ladder. One of her mentors was Congressman Philip Burton who served for 20 years until his death. His wife was appointed to his seat, but she decided not to run for reelection and chose Pelosi to run for her seat. Since Pelosi's youngest child was a senior in high school, she felt like she could now run for office. It was an extremely close race, but she won - and has never had a serious challenger since.

When she announced her campaign for Congress in 1987, it made the news in Baltimore because of the prominence of her family. I was living in Annapolis at the time and heard the news. The more I learned about her, the more I liked her. I sent her a contribution and have been a fan ever since - closely following her career.

Like most women in a male dominated career, she worked harder and more professionally than most of her colleagues - and she gained a great deal of respect from her peers. She served on Committees usually reserved for men - Appropriations and Intelligence - and eventually became the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee.

In 2001, in a close race, she was elected House Minority Whip, the first woman to hold that position. In 2002, when the Minority Leader resigned to run for President, she was elected to that position - and became the first woman to lead a major party in the US House. After the Democrats gained control of the House, she became the first woman Speaker of the House. During her acceptance speech to Congress, she discussed the historical importance of being the first female to hold the position of Speaker:

"This is a historic moment — for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today, we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them".

Nancy, on behalf of all the women to whom you are a heroine, I want you to know we are extremely proud of you!

Financing for College to be Voted On Tomorrow

2010-03-20T16:09:00.001-05:00

In addition to the Health Reform Bill, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) will also be part of the budget reconciliation bill to be voted on tomorrow.

SAFRA will increase the size of the Pell Grant that will amount to an investment of $488,354,485 in Mississippi over the next 10 years. It will increase funding for the College Access Challenge Grant program, and will also fund innovative programs at states and institutions that focus on increasing financial literacy and helping retain and graduate students - $9,254,555 in Mississippi over the next 5 years. It also invests $69,894,610 in Mississippi’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A competitive grant program for community colleges will be established.

SAFRA will also total revamp the current student loan program. Right now these loans are through private banks but guaranteed by the federal government - and these has proven to be extremely expensive for students and for the federal government. Beginning July 1 this year, the loans will return to direct loans from the federal government, which have proven to be more stable, effective, and cost efficient. Payback schedules will be established based on the students' income. The loans will be serviced by private lenders, but unlike bank loans, these loans can only be serviced by US workers.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budge Office, returning to direct loans will save enough money to pay for this entire program - AND reducing the deficit by $10 billion over 10 years.

One more reason to hope that President Obama and Speaker Pelosi find 216 votes in the US House tomorrow.

Good News about Mississippi

2010-03-18T21:04:00.005-05:00

According to Facing South, the blog from the Institute of Southern Studies, there is good news about Mississippi in a recently released Pew Center Report.

The US has about 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners. Gee, sounds like we're a nation of outlaws! However, for the first time since 1972, 2009 showed a decrease in state prison populations. And Mississippi is leading the way.

Why is this happening? The Great Recession has forced states to try less costly, and often more effective, solutions to the previous "lock 'em up and throw away the key" attitude.

Two years ago, Mississippi was facing a prison population that had almost doubled since 1972 - and serious budget shortfalls at the same time. So they revisited their "truth in sentencing" laws, allowing nonviolent offenders to be released earlier under certain conditions. The Legislature also made some other thoughtful changes. All these efforts paid off, with the state showing one of the sharpest declines in prison populations in the country. Plus, there was no accompanying increase in crime, as feared by some.

According to a 50 state survey released Wednesday (March 17) by the Pew Center on the States:

"The move put Mississippi at the leading edge of a major national change, one that appears to be the result of teeming prisons, a deep recession, and changing attitudes toward corrections. For the first time in 38 years, state prison populations declined in 2009."

It's not often that you hear the words "Mississippi" and "leading edge" in the same sentence. So let's celebrate.

Disappointing Rosalie

2010-03-18T09:46:00.005-05:00

I had the most beautiful time in Natchez the other week, and top of my list of things to do was to visit my favorite antebellum home there, Rosalie. I saw it so many times as a child then in my adulthood -- everytime I went to Natchez after I moved away -- I would go see Rosalie.

Here's a pic of my favorite room:

I also liked this shot I got of a Southern Belle doing a little accounting at the house:

But our visit there was disappointing. I knew something had changed when we went to go into the house and the door was locked. When we knocked, a woman in a shiny fuschia Civil War dress (did they wear that color in those days?) opened the door and said (just like they did to Dorothy in the Emerald City):

"Go away now and come back later." Then she shut the door in our faces.

I said to my husband, "I can't believe it! This is just like the Wizard of Oz." He agreed. But we had to see Rosalie so we waited until she finally opened the door again.

The tour was so bad. One woman didn't know the house and kept looking at notes to see what to say in each room, then finally said, "I usually do Auburn -- I don't know Rosalie."

The tours in that house used to be so special, warm and welcoming. I was really not happy about the experience, and when I compared notes with other tourists at other homes, they said they'd had similar experiences and found the tour guides rude and unknowledgeable.

I'm putting this post in here in case someone reads it and can do something to better the Rosalie Experience. It's such a beautiful place, and I want people to love it as I do, not think of it with distaste.

(PS: The woman in the gift shop is lovely but then she lives in Natchez and knows everyone.)

Spoiled by Natchez

2010-03-16T10:50:00.001-05:00

When I was staying at the Elms antebellum home in Natchez last week, my morning breakfasts looked like this:

This sure wasn't like Shoney's Breakfast Bar!

I was so spoiled by the owner Esther Carpenter's cooking (she was a gourmet chef in LA) that the breakfasts I ate after I left her house were sad tasteless affairs.

Elizabeth of London Graces Natchez

2010-03-12T20:49:00.001-06:00

The Queen of England is not the only Elizabeth in London. Far more important to me is Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas. Why is she more important? First of all, she was reared in Natchez until the age of 12, so she is full of Southern charm and grace - she even still has her Natchez accent with a little touch of British. She is a blogger par excellance - both at her own blog and this one. She is entertaining, thoughtful, brilliant, and gracious. I know this sounds like a bit much, but she truly lives up to the hype.

I first "met" Elizabeth online. I have a Google Alert for Natchez that lets me know whenever the word Natchez appears online. Since Elizabeth sometimes writes about her life in Natchez, I received an alert one day for her blog and checked it out. I wondered what in the world a Natchez girl was doing in England, so I emailed her. Since then I religiously read her blog every day. She writes several times a day, so I feel like I know her fairly well. I asked her if she would share some of her Natchez stories on The Natchez Blog, and she agreed. Over the years, we had gotten to be good friends - even though we had never laid eyes on each over or heard each other's voice.

A few months ago, Elizabeth told me that she and her husband Mel were coming to Natchez for a couple of days. I was so excited and wanted to make sure their visit was wonderful. First, I wanted them to stay at the perfect Natchez place. So of course, I recommended that they stay at The Elms Bed and Breakfast. The over 200 year old home has been owned by the same family for 130 years, so it's filled with antiques and history. Owner Esther Carpenter is both a professional chef and a well known artist, so the interior design and the food are unbelievable. Yes, this will do for Elizabeth of London!

Next we arranged a luncheon with the other Natchez Bloggers. Elizabeth requested that it be held at The Carriage House on the grounds of Stanton Hall, of which she had the fondest memories. She brought us all gifts from England (see picture) which included a bag with the British flag, a tea towel with a picture of Sherlock Holmes, a tin of biscuits (British for cookies), a gin and tonic cocktail in a can (!), a tea selection (of course), and a replica of the famous London phone booth.

The rest of their brief visit was crammed with perfect Natchez experiences: a trip to the Natchez Visitors Center for souvenirs and an overall view, a driving tour of the downtown area including the magnificent Mississippi River, the historial Natchez photograph collection housed at the First Presbyterian Church (click to see the pictures), cocktails at the Admiral Merrill House, the hilarious production of Southern Exposure by the Natchez Little Theater, the Pilgrimage Tours of antebellum homes, and of course the Pageant, produced by the Natchez Garden Clubs and in which Elizabeth participated as a young girl. I think Elizabeth and Mel thoroughly enjoyed their visit and will come back whenever they can - and send all their friends.

Everyone who met Elizabeth and Mel were immediately charmed. (Did I mention that Mel is not only cute but has this to die for British accent?) I don't think the Queen and her Prince could have made a better impression. Natchez was truly graced by their visit.

Ex-Natchez-Pat Returns to Natchez

2010-03-12T12:30:00.005-06:00

On Tuesday several bloggers of The Natchez Blog, gathered for lunch at the Carriage House Restaurant, in Natchez, eager to meet Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas who had arrived in town, from her London, England home, the night before.

Casey, Gwen, Elodie, Marsha, and myself had never met Elizabeth, but we felt as if we knew her, from reading her comments on Casey's Natchez Blog, as well as postings on her own blog.

Elizabeth found our blog through a mutual connection -- Natchez. She and her family lived in Natchez where her father was a pathologist. Unfortunately, her idillic life in Natchez ended when at 12 years old her family moved to Kansas. A drastic change, as Elizabeth describes it -- from foliage and flowers to stark and sterile.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth's husband, Mel, who accompanied her on her return trip to Natchez. Elizabeth told us over lunch she and Mel met when she was on a study abroad program in London; they stayed in touch, and several years later were married. They lived in the US for a few years -- Boston and later in St. Louis, but returned to London.

Since Elizabeth found us on Casey's Natchez blog and later on Facebook, we have all shared photos of friends, family, and special moments in our lives and it has been such a treat to learn more about Elizabeth's life in England -- so different, yet so similar. So to finally meet was such a delight for us all.

Elizabeth came with gifts in hand: a red satchel bearing the UK's Union Flag, with many goodies inside. She retains a southern accent along with a dry wit that only a southerner can possess. Her husband, Mel, was lovely and charming, and he managed quite well being outnumbered by women all day.

I look forward to reading Elizabeth's blog recounting her return trip to Natchez; it sounds like they had the full experience: Southern Exposure, The Natchez Pageant, and antebellum home tours. They stayed at the bed and breakfast, The Elms, owned by Esther Carpenter, while in Natchez.

Whether in the states, across the pond, or simply on The Natchez Blog or Facebook, we look forward to many more sojourns with our friend and fellow Natchezian, Elizabeth.

You can follow Elizabeth on her blog and read more about her visit to Natchez at: www.elizabethscanlonthomas.com. It looks like Elizabeth is already posting and beat us to it, but can't wait to read it!

Miss Betty gives me a gift

2010-03-12T08:17:00.005-06:00

My mother's dearest friend was Betty McGehee of Natchez. Miss Betty (we children were allowed to call her that after years of knowing her) lives on a big farm with horses, cows and chickens. We always loved going out to the McGehee's and riding their horses and getting a taste of the country life.

Here's me and Miss Betty earlier this week:

We saw Miss Betty twice during our few days in Natchez. She let me pick fragrant daffodils from her garden and put them in a can with some water, and we drove around Natchez with those flowers in the cup holder of the car for the next couple of days and I was constantly reminded of her.

When I was young and living in Natchez, Miss Betty had an idea to pick daffodils from her vast acres of them and put in decorated cans to give to shut-ins -- elderly people who couldn't get out of the house -- to cheer them. But I was so intimidated by them when I tried to take them flowers that I forgot to put water in the can so the flowers would have been dead quickly. I finally confessed this to Miss Betty, and she laughed and we re-created the daffodils in the can, only this time I put water in them.

On our second visit yesterday, we sat on the rocking swing on her front porch and talked about my mother and the guilt I had over her life (she was in a home with Multiple Sclerosis while I was living in England raising kids so I wasn't there for her except for yearly visits). Miss Betty tried to help me by telling about some of her private guilt that she was dealing with, then we both started crying, and it was cathartic.

Then she loaded us down with pecans from her trees, homemade lemonade and more daffodils in cans, and basically we agreed that she was my mother now that my own mother is dead, and the whole visit was a beautiful experience.

I have to show you this photo Mel took of me getting ready to go out at the antebellum home we were staying in. I was sooo nervous, not knowing what to expect from Natchez -- would it deny me its magic or open its arms to me? And it came through for me. Thank you Natchez.

Barbour Fiddles While Mississippi Burns

2010-03-11T21:05:00.002-06:00

The federal government today released its states based unemployment figures for January. As reported by Chris Kromm in Facing South - a blog from the Institute for Southern Studies - the South is suffering. Eight out of 13 Southern states, including Mississippi, have unemployment figures below the national average. A year ago, Mississippi had 8.2% unemployment. Now it's 10.9%. The national average was 7.7% and 9.7 %. Our neighboring state of Louisiana is doing better with 5.7% and 7.4%. The only southern state doing better than Louisiana is Virginia.

Most people know what the President is doing to bring down unemployment - and we undoubtedly have differing opinions about his approach. But how many of you are aware of what our Mississippi representatives are doing?

Right now there's a pissing match going on in the State House. It's so bad it made CBS news. At stake is $52 million dollars in federal money for unemployment. Governor Barbour refuses to accept this money to help out the unemployed in Mississippi. After all, there are rumors he's running for President (what a joke!) and he has to polish his teabagger credentials. What does he care about the poor and the unemployed? Absolutely nothing, as he has shown time and time again.

What's his excuse? He doesn't want to pay unemployment for part time workers which is required in the federal program. Hello, Haley - come down to earth where the rest of us live. Why do you think people work part time jobs? Because they're lazy? No, these people are, by definition, workers - not bums. They may work part time because that's the only work they can find. Or because they're mothers with small children who can't work full time. Or maybe they put several part time jobs together to make ends meet. If any of these people lose their jobs, their families are destitute. And part time jobs are the most unstable of jobs and rarely offer any benefits. People are hurting, Haley - and they need help to get through these hard times.

This time, the Democrats in the State House of Representatives are playing tough. They aren't approving the authorization for the State Department of Employment Security, which administers the unemployment program, unless the Governor agrees to accept the federal assistance. If the agency is not authorized, the federal government will take over. I know you'll love that, Haley!

Guess we'll see who wins this game of chicken. While thousands of Mississippians are suffering big time, our Emperor is fiddling.

Barbour Embarasses Mississippi

2010-02-24T20:20:00.003-06:00

Today our esteemed Governor wrote an op ed piece in the Washington Post in support of Toyota - and then went on CNN to do the same thing. Haley seems to have forgotten that he is a Governor now - not a lobbyist for big corporations. I know, I know. We have lots of jobs in Mississippi dependent on Toyota. But Haley seems to have also forgotten that people were killed due to Toyota's greed and negligence. Toyota's arrogant behavior was wide spread and reprehensible - and Haley looked to be defending that behavior.

And then he makes matters worse by making it look like the Department of Transportation was just picking on poor little Toyota in order to increase the market share of GM, of which US taxpayers now own a large chunk.

"That's why I hope Congress will resist the temptation to attack Toyota simply to advance the interests of its American competitors." -- Haley Barbour

Let's remind Haley that not everyone has his sick, paranoid mind. Other members of Congress, of both parties, were furious with Toyota. They were certainly not thinking of GM stock - they were concerned for the dead and injured Americans that were Toyota's victims - some of whom testified today.

And let's also remind Haley that the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, who was almost apoplectic over Toyota's behavior, is a Republican.

Haley, Congress is trying to increase accountability and resources to monitor and regulate all car companies - not just Toyota - in order to protect American and to prevent this from occuring again . You, on the other hand, were only concerned with money.

You shamed us, Haley. Mississippians are not like that.

Rubin

2010-02-23T01:59:00.005-06:00

Rubin turned seven years old a few days before he and I flew to Los Angeles to visit Rachel. She and I had talked briefly about him staying on with her when I returned home. I think neither of us knew how that decision would turn. She knew I would miss him; she would have to make arrangements for his day care. On the other hand she is the alpha female in his life. I've been his bud for a while now so of course he cares for me but the minute he sees Rachel it becomes obvious that she is the love of his life.

A few years ago, while Rachel was still living in Natchez, Rubin became critically ill with Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). I was running for city council and the afternoon of the political candidates forum Rachel became aware of his illness. She noticed he had hematuria while walking him. I was busy getting ready for the forum when she raced back to the house and said she had to get him to the Vet, that he had blood in his urine, and they were off. I had my mind on the forum and wasn't alarmed; thank goodness she was!

That night he was up and down, restless and uncomfortable. Later it was clear that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. The next morning we returned with him to the Vet and he kept him, gave him a blood transfusion. We still had no diagnosis. That afternoon we visited the clinic and determined he needed to get to LSU School of Vet Medicine. We finally convinced the Vet to make the arrangements for transfer after I suggested he type and cross match him and order in blood for another transfusion. Impossible! The Vet made arrangements for transfer.

We drove to Baton Rouge that evening in heavy rain and presented Rubin to the clinic staff. They immediately diagnosed him with IMHA and told us the prognosis was extremely poor. We left him with heavy hearts and lots of tears.

For an entire month Rachel and I left Natchez every morning to see Rubin. After most of those visits we left anguished and fearful of the call we didn't want to receive. He was so sick and weak he couldn't lift his head to greet us. He wouldn't eat, not even the tasty wet food. We brought his favorite "babies", a familiar blanket. He had an IV but they kindly moved him into a room so we could be close to him. Rubin needed our love and encouragement and the will to survive.

Back home we researched the disease. We know about IMHA. Rachel joined an online support group, which provided answers and solutions, stories of success and loss. Fortunately, we were able to provide for Rubin every possible treatment available: numerous blood transfusions, Immunoglobulin, cancer drugs.

He eventually started eating and was strong enough to take short walks in the grassy area in front of the hospital. We sat with him on a blanket in the sun enjoying his wet kisses. He was eating; he was better. His blood levels were improved. We took him home and after a week he relapsed so it was back to ICU.

With a change in staff rotations, good fortune brought us a tiny young girl in a white coat who happened to be very, very good at being a doctor. Dr. Ashley Martin, formerly a resident at Tufts in Boston, was now back at LSU for her fellowship in Internal Medicine. We were committed to his survival regardless of the odds. Dr. Martin hung in there with us, cried with us, and gave us hope...within reason. Finally, after lots of ups and downs, erratic blood counts, we'd exhausted all known possibilities, except one. They removed his spleen, that organ which was manufacturing those overly-industrious white blood cells hell-bent on consuming his oxygen-carrying red blood cells. His spleen was huge, she said after surgery, and he would eventually loose his "Buddha Belly"...which he did. Rubin is one of the lucky few to survive IMHA. We've been home free for almost two years now and Rubin no longer shows any signs of illness.

I've had Rubin with me for the past six months while Rachel transitioned to a new apartment in L.A. and the consensus among her roommates was that Rubin should return to live with her. He was free to go now that his newly fenced yard in Natchez was tested, tried and true; I needed confirmation that all that construction trauma was worth the effort, among other considerations. On the day of my return the decision was made. He stayed and I flew home, alone.

Once in my car I found myself turning to the seat beside me. Empty! I had the compulsion to look before closing the car door to make sure he was safely inside the car. When I arrived home it was worse. As I unpacked I thought I heard his little feet padding toward my room. I got up the next morning feeling his absence with great sadness and a few tears. Who is this creature so engrained in our hearts?

Rubin is very unusual in the world of canines. (Nothing subjective here.) He's compassionate, kind and he's sensitive. Being keenly perceptive he knows when he's not well-received among a few two-legged types. He barks, knowingly, at some of my friends who've teasingly hasseled him. He doesn't forget those previous slights.

His eyes speak for him with a look reflective of his attitude and mood. And, yes, he actually tries to talk to us using tonal inflections, varying according to his state of mind and requests. When he was a baby I felt badly for him because I knew he actually thought he could talk to us. He often intoned his wishes seeming to expect a response in like manner. We could sense his frustration and as he grew older those prolonged exhortations diminished. He finally learned there was, indeed, a language barrier.

He's happy with Rachel. He now goes to daycare while she's at work and he's adjusting nicely to life in L.A. I, too, am adjusting to his absence...sort of. I no longer hear his barking in anticipation of my arrival as I approach the house. He's not here to let me know that cars are lining up outside for church services. I now walk to the river without stopping at every blade of grass, twig, light pole, fire hydrant. I miss him!

Why Is Being Elite Bad?

2010-02-12T23:21:00.001-06:00

Elite used to be a compliment. It basically referred to the best of anything. For example, Drew Brees is now considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. However, nowadays that might be considered an insult instead of a compliment - at least in political circles. The worst insult you can hurl at a politician is to call him or her a member of the "Washington elite". What??? It's an insult to be called one of the best? Count me as someone who doesn't get it.

Why do we no longer want the best? We talk about how education is the answer to practically everything - and then we turn around and bash our most educated citizens. Elite conservative columnist David Brooks, who writes for the elite New York Times, recently discussed the bias against the educated members of our society.

"Every single idea associated with the educated class has grown more unpopular. . . The educated class believes in global warming, so public skepticism about global warming is on the rise. The educated class supports abortion rights, so public opinion is shifting against them. The educated class supports gun control, so opposition to gun control is mounting. . . The educated class is internationalist, so isolationist sentiment is now at an all-time high. . . The educated class believes in multilateral action, so the number of Americans who believe we should “go our own way” has risen sharply."

Why is this happening? Why do we not want our leaders to be educated and the best? This is a very dangerous trend. Think what could happen if our governmental leadership is mediocre and uneducated. Do we really want a average somebody with a high school education testing drugs for safety, constructing bridges on our interstate highways, leading our troops into battle, deciding when to use nuclear weapons, etc.?

We don't have this attitude in decisions we make for ourselves and our families. We want the very best doctors for our loved ones, educated teachers for our children, trained electricians to work on our houses, etc. Why do we want mediocre, uneducated people running our country? I can assure you that no other major country is like that. How can America remain the leader of the world if we're the only one with undereducated leaders? The answer of course is that we won't.

Stand up and demand that our elected officials be elite.

Pass The Damn Bill.

2010-01-26T22:12:00.001-06:00

So what is to be done with health care reform?

Nothing could be done. Health care costs will continue to escalate, more and more Americans will become uninsured, thousands more will die for lack of insurance, the federal deficit will spiral upward. It will soon get so bad, that citizens may revolt and demand the government take over health care. Oh yeah, this is a great idea. The Republicans like it, because it increases their chances in this year's elections - which is far more important to them than the American people. They think correctly that voters will blame the Democrats because they were in control but did nothing.

Democrats and Republicans could work together to craft a bipartisan bill. This is what the American people want us to do. This is NOT going to happen. The wimpy Democrats wasted months trying to work with Republicans - they really wanted a bipartisan bill. However, as has been shown over and over again, the Republican political strategy was always to kill health care reform so as to defeat Obama. Now that they can smell Obama's defeat, do you really think they are going to play nice? No way in hell! If you still believe in Santa Clause and the tooth fairy, then you can think the Republicans are going to work with Democrats on health care reform. Everyone else knows better.

We can pass a bill with the parts everyone agrees on. The only people who say that simply don't understand health care. To make any changes at all, health care reform must be broad and comprehensive. For example, suppose the bill just eliminates all discrimination against pre existing conditions - everyone agrees on that. Know what would happen? Healthy people wouldn't buy insurance - they would wait until they got sick and then buy it. So the only people with insurance would be the sick - which would drive up the cost of insurance so astronomically that no one could afford it. Not only that but insurance companies probably would just get out of the individual market - as they say "we don't insure burning buildings" - and we can't make them sell it. The only way that we can eliminate pre existing conditions is if we require everyone to get insurance - healthy and sick. Then you've got to add subsidies for people who can't afford it. Then you have to pay for the subsidies. Then, guess what - you've got the bill passed by the Senate. No significant change can be passed all by itself. All the easy changes have already been made and haven't really changed anything.

Pass the damn Senate bill. This is the only viable option. There are definitely some bad parts to that bill - probably the worst of which is the sweetheart deal Senator Nelson was able to extort out of the Senate in return for his vote. After the vote in Massachusetts, it is abundantly clear that the Senate is not going to vote for a health reform bill of any sort. The House already passed a health care bill - which in many ways is better than the Senate bill. Those same House members are just going to have to hold their noses and vote for the Senate bill as it is and send it to the President. It is the ONLY option that doesn't go back to the Senate to be killed. It will then be much easier to pass legislation to clean up the bad parts.

What has to happen to accomplish this? Obama has to look through those boxes he brought to the White House and find his balls. It will require his very strong leadership and courage. I'm not worried about the Speaker of the House. Pelosi has shown she has plenty of guts and leadership (which is why the Republicans hate her so much). But she can't do it alone. Everything depends on the President. If he can't pull this off, then I guess he'll be a one term President - and deservedly so.

The only thing that can save Obama and the Democrats is to pass the damn bill. Even though voters are ambiguous about it now, they will love it when it happens. How do I know that? Simple. Massachusetts already has a system almost identical to the one in the Senate Bill - and it's wildly popular. In fact, the new Senator from Massachusetts who is coming to Washington to kill national health care, is a big supporter of the Massachusetts plan. (Republicans aren't known for their consistency.) Plus, if you read the bill, you'll see that it is basically a very good plan. Here is an article listing the individual components of the bill, showing each component's favorability ratings (high) and awareness ratings (low).

Most Americans have not read the bill nor have they tried to learn what's really in it. They just listen to what someone else tells them. Unfortunately, that person may also be ignorant - or even a liar. But once they experience it, then they'll know for themselves how good it is. I keep seeing claims that members of Congress have not read the bill because it's so long. Most Republicans probably have not, because if you know you're going to vote against it, you don't have to understand it. But I guarantee you that most Democrats who are voting for it have read it. Their careers are on the line, and they want to make absolutely certain what is really in it. There are parts in it that they hate, but they've decided the overall good of the bill is worth putting up with the bad.

PASS THE DAMN BILL!!!

Why I Wear Black and White

2010-01-25T23:52:00.001-06:00

People who know me will notice that I wear only black and some white - and they eventually ask me why. From experience, I have developed several quick answers - but the truth is a little longer.

Like most women, I wore colors that I liked the look of and that I thought looked good on me - and over the years developed some favorites that would vary over time. However, black and white were always there.

Almost 30 years ago, it was all the rage to "get your colors done" - using a program that was called Color Me Beautiful. What this meant was that you went to someone supposedly trained to do this - usually found in a beauty salon. This consultant spent about an hour or more testing and analyzing - and then gave you a final written report. You also received a book of fabric color swatches that you were to carry with you at all times, since you were never to buy any clothing not in your color scheme. You also had to wear certain colors of makeup - of which your consultant usually just happened to have a supply. If you followed all the suggestions, you would be beautiful.

I am a very compulsive person, so I followed this program religiously. What I found out was that it actually worked. Not that it made everyone "beautiful" but anyone who followed it would definitely look their best. But there was an unexpected bonus - it made shopping and dressing easier. Looking at a selection of new dresses, for example, I could immediately eliminate about three quarters because they were the wrong color. I didn't need nearly as many different colored shoes/purses/scarfs/etc. I immediately started wearing only one color lipstick, nail polish, eyeshadow - because they went with all my colors. I gave all my yellow gold jewelry to my daughter, since I was to wear only silver and white gold. The only fur coat I ever owned also went to my daughter because it was the wrong color. (My daughter really liked this new regime!)

After I moved to Mississippi and began to dress more casually and as I got older, I found the convenience of this system far more attractive than its appearance benefits. But from the time of my consultation to this day, I have never deviated from the premises of the system.

So how did I get from there to just black and white? I love to read history and biographies - especially about women - and I am always on the lookout for them. About ten years ago, I read a biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, the undisputed doyenne of American painting in her time and who raised the awareness of the American public to the fact that a woman could be the equal of any man in her field. I found her fascinating.

Somewhere in that biography, I read where O'Keeffe decided to only wear black and white. (I forget why she decided that, and I'm going to read the book again to find out.) That got me thinking about how cool this would be. This is the ultimate in simplifying dressing and shopping for clothes. No matter what clothes I pull out of my closet, they will go together. Only having one color of shoes would save a fortune all by itself. I decided to give it a try. Fortunately, I had enough black clothes for a trial run. Well, I loved it. It saves a whole lot of time and a ton of money. It took me a while to change over my entire wardrobe, but it's been complete for quite a while.

I will never go back to multicolors - even though my fashion conscious eldest granddaughter is always trying to sweet talk me into wearing colors. If I can resist her, I can resist anyone.

Sarah Weddington - A Heroine

2010-01-23T01:26:00.002-06:00

On the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade, I wanted to give honor to the 26 year old attorney who argued the case and won - Sarah Weddington.

She was born in Abilene TX after the end of World War II. Her father was a chaplain and religion professor. Her mother was a teacher and basketball coach. Due to the example set by her parents, she grew to love reading and studying, which allowed her to graduate from high school at 16, college at 19, and law school at 21. There were very few female lawyers in those days, but one of them in her class at the University of Texas was current US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Sarah learned communication through plays, speech events, and choral groups. She learned leadership through involvement in various organizations. She was elected secretary of the student body at college and secretary of her class in law school. (By the way, being secretary was one of the few leadership roles available to women in those days.)

Sarah stayed in Austin after law school and practiced law. In 1970 in US District Court, she represented a woman known by the alias of Jane Roe, who wanted the right to have a legal abortion. The Court ruled in her favor. But the decision was appealed and ended up in the US Supreme Court.

In early 1972 at the age of 26, Sarah Weddington argued Roe v Wade before the Supreme Court, with yours truly in the audience. She was incredible! However, by the time the Supreme Court got around to deciding the case, the Court had two new members, so the Chief Judge decided it should be argued again during the Court's next term.

So on October 11, 1972 at the age of 27, she argued the case again before the Supreme Court, but I was not able to be there. As we all know, on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court announced that Sarah had won one of the most famous court cases in history. The Court sent her a collect telegram announcing the decision!

The press totally ignored her - probably thinking she was too young to possibly win the case. So the only picture she has was taken by the staff of her Congressman.The photo shows her with her husband, her Congressman, and her proud mother.

While all this was going on, Sarah was also running for the State Legislature - Primary in May 1972, Runoff in July 1972, and General in November 1972. Talk about multitasking! Her campaign was run by a bunch of women volunteers who knew nothing about campaigning. One of her volunteers was future Texas Governor Ann Richards.The story of that campaign is hilarious, but it worked. She was elected and took Richards with her as her Administrative Assistant. She was reelected twice before resigning to go to work for President Jimmy Carter. While there, she was instrumental in getting Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appointed to a federal judgeship.

After leaving Washington, she founded the Weddington Center, which focuses on developing leadership skills and civic involvement, especially with women. Surviving cancer led her to add resiliance and renewal training to the Center. She is a speaker and writer and teaches at the University of Texas.

RIP: Health Care Reform

2010-01-19T22:02:00.000-06:00

I am grieving tonight, because something near and dear to my heart is terminally ill. The Republican just elected in Massachusetts vowed to be the Senate's 41st vote to kill my loved one, and I'm sure he will succeed. It will be an ugly death, and I will not want to watch. There is one treatment that could save that life. The US House of Representatives could vote to accept the Senate's version of the bill, but they will not have the courage to do this - because it might kill them (or their careers). Courage is a medicine in very short supply in the Capitol Building. The inhabitants are mostly concerned with protecting themselves, and they do not seem to care that more citizens of this country are dying every day because they do not act.

Some of my friends try to comfort me. "Don't worry, dear. That treatment was really terrible, and we're going to come back and treat your friend the right way." But they don't know my friend like I do. When the treatment fails, my friend goes into a coma that lasts for decades. Truman tried to do it and failed. Thirty years later, even Nixon tried and failed. More than twenty years later, Clinton tried and failed. And now almost twenty years later, Obama tried. He came very close, but he also failed. I doubt I'll be around in twenty years to see the next attempt, especially without my friend to help me.

There are a lot of people to blame for the death. I'll start with the Republicans. They could have negotiated in good faith with the President and the Democrats, but they decided instead that the health care of Americans was not important. Much more important was destroying Obama. No Republican voted for my friend to live. (When the Republicans controlled Congress, there were always Democrats who voted with them.) But I also blame the Democrats. Some of them were so concerned with "winning" some issue that they were willing to let my friend die. Some of them sold out for money, not for themselves, but for their states. I give credit to Pelosi and Reid for doing what had to be done despite the incredible abuse they endured - especially Reid, because he probably killed his career in the process.

But most of all, I blame the American people. They say we get the representation we deserve. So my friend will die, and Americans will continue to die in greater and greater numbers. Eventually, when enough people have no health insurance, the American voters will wake up and demand a change - but by then it will be too late.

What the Hell Is Going On?

2010-01-18T23:12:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the most liberal state in the union is going to elect to the US Senate a teabagger created empty suit, Scott Brown, whose only claim to fame is posing nude for Cosmopolitan several years ago. Why is this happening?

People will try to blame the Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley. Don't you believe it! Women always get blamed when men make a mess. But we're not going to let them get away with it this time. She is the State's Attorney General, for goodness sake. She's smart, credible, and experienced. What more could you want? She's not perfect, but she's pretty damned close. And a hell of a lot more perfect than her opponent!

Something is happening in this country, and it is not pretty. I don't blame the teabaggers. They're ignorant and illiterate - you can tell by reading their signs. They believe every thing Rush Limbaugh tells them. I can even understand the Wall Street Republicans. They just want their money and the hell with the rest of us.

No, the real problem is with the moderates/liberals - be they Democrats or independents - and MA is full of them. They're mad at Obama and the Democrats they elected to Congress. They've been there a year. Why haven't they gotten out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Why haven't they passed a perfect health care bill? Why haven't they punished/tortured Wall Street? Why haven't they cured the economy? And on and on, ad nauseum.

So what are they going to do about this? They're so brilliant. They're going to send the Republicans their 41st vote, so that Obama and the Democratic Congress will not be able to do anything at all. That'll teach them!

I would say that MA deserves everything that will happen to them after their vote - except for the fact that they've screwed the rest of us, too. They're going to regret what they've done - just like Connecticut regrets voting for Joe Lieberman. But in the meantime, they may have succeeded in destroying the country. Fortunately, I have an up to date passport.

The Freeze of 2010 - Part II

2010-01-13T22:03:00.002-06:00

On Sunday morning, I woke up and headed straight for the coffee pot. Oops! Nothing is coming out of the faucet. As I wander around caffeine deprived, I spot my neighbor Marc outside. I ask if he has water, and he says he does. He runs home and brings me a big container of water - it never occurred to me to save water. He is inquiring about my water problems and discovered that I haven't checked all my faucets. I find out all my other faucets are working - and I even have hot water. I give Marc his water back and thank him profusely for thinking for me. How could I not have thought to try all faucets? Maybe it's lack of caffeine.

I'm able to make coffee and brush my teeth, so I'm fine. I haven't had a bath since Friday morning and don't plan another one until Monday morning, when I have to go to work. Of course, without a bath I can't go anywhere else over the weekend, but no one is going anywhere in this weather anyway.

My other neighbor Bob, who is always taking care of things for me, comes to check on me. He instructs me to put a space heater under my sink to help defrost those pipes. He checks my outside faucets and wraps them all and puts some towels in a gaping hole leading to my cellar where the pipes are.

I did decide that the dirty dishes in my kitchen are just too disgusting, and I must wash them - but I keep putting it off. At some point in the afternoon, while the sun is still shining in my bathroom, I rig up this system to wash my dishes in my bathtub. I have a dishpan full of hot soapy water and dirty dishes. I've left the water running to rinse off the dishes - and a dish drain is sitting on my bathroom rug. I am kneeling on another rug, and it's not too bad. Then I notice my rinse water is getting cold and the gushing water is slowing to a trickle. I finish the dishes - even though the rinse water is cold - just to get them out of my tub.

After I have dried the dishes and put them away, hoping no diseases are lingering on them, I decide to call my neighbor Bob, aka Mr Fixit, to see if he knows what's wrong with my hot water. When I describe the symptoms, he says he's coming over right away. I know by the tone of his voice that this is not good.

He sends me in search of old towels, while's he's running all around my house. Then he calls to me to come right away. He's standing next to my washing machine, which is in the kitchen and had no water. He tells me to listen. Suddenly I hear gushing water. He runs outside and then calls me again. I look under my back porch and see water gushing out of a busted pipe. He runs home to get tools and a flashlight - because by now, it's dark. I show him the hole in the ground where my water meter is, and after digging in the dirt, he miraculously finds the turn off valve.

Well, I can't stay home now. I call my friend Gwen who has offered several times for me to come stay with her. She was about to call and invite me to dinner - and others are coming. OMG! When are the others coming? I must get there first and bath. So I throw stuff together and take off.

While luxurating in the best bath I have ever had - and in a toasty warm bathroom - I hear the other guests arrive. As I start to dress, I realize I only brought one set of clothes - to wear to work the next day. So I put on my pajamas, and with my wet hair, go out to the dinner party. Fortunately, I know the guests well and they just laugh at me. They do, however, appreciate that I am clean.

I call my neighbor Sissy, because I know her husband Marc is out of town, to let her know where I am in case she needs me. She says she knows a plumber, if I need one. Sissy knows everyone!

The next day I go to work at the Library, and call the person I thought would know a good plumber, but he's out of town. So I call Sissy and get the name of her plumber. Unfortunately, I am in the midst of a crisis at the Library and don't have a chance to call him. Right around noon, they call me from downstairs and tell me my plumber is here. My plumber? I don't have one - I haven't called anyone. I go down having no idea who it was. It turns out that Sissy had to call him to do some work in her store. She asked if he had heard from me, and he said no. She told him that I worked in the Library and why didn't he just go see me. And he did! Can you believe that?

However, I'm still in the midst of the Library crisis and cannot possibly leave to go with him to my house - even though it's half a block away. I quickly think of Bob and call and ask him if he could meet my plumber. Of couse he says yes - even though, as I found out later, he had just sat down to lunch. I told the plumber just to do whatever he needed to do and spend whatever was necessary - that he didn't need to ask my approval. Just fix it, I tell him. I give him my house key and off he goes.

About three hours later, he comes back. In great detail, he tells me what he has done and what I need to do when I get home. I ask if he'll take a check or if he prefers cash. Of course, he prefers cash. I still cannot leave the Library and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get cash. I'm thinking maybe I can scrounge up enough from my coworkers. Then I ask how much I owed him. He told me $43.50! I made him repeat it because I thought I had missed how many hundreds were in front of it. I actually asked him if he was kidding me, and he said no. I almost kissed and hugged him right there, but I restrained myself. I told him to have a seat, and I would be right back with his money. I had exactly $43 plus change in my wallet, so I was able to pay him. At that point, I got his name and number for future reference. Later, Bob told me the plumber was unbelievably good. He tightened up some faucets that were loose, and he went and got a bunch of cardboard to put all around my back porch to protect my pipes from the wind.

When I was finally able to leave the Library, I went straight to Bob's house. I told him that I was taking all my friends who helped me out to dinner, starting with Bob and his wife Sherri. They, of course, objected, but I told them I saved a lot of money today, and I was sharing my savings with them. Then I went to Gwen's to pick up my suitcase and invite her to dinner. Then I called Sissy to invite her. Bob and Sherri and I got in their car and began a search for a restaurant that was open - many were closed because of broken pipes. I forget how many we drove to before we finally found one - and it was only two blocks from our houses. Then we called the others and told them where we were.

It was a great dinner. We told all the stories of my saga, and talked about the painter we had all used, and laughed so hard. We saw lots of friends at the restaurant - since it was probably the only one open.

There is one final event in this saga. The next morning, I turned on my hot water in my tub and proceed to brush my teeth, wash my face, etc that I always do while I wait for the tub to fill. Then I turn around - and the water is brown - not unusual when your water has been off for a while. My hot water heater holds enough for one bathtub and then you have to wait awhile. I couldn't wait for the hot water to heat up, since I was already running late waiting for my clothes to dry. (Remember I hadn't been able to wash clothes.) So I had three choices: 1. Not take a bath. 2. Bathe in the brown water. or 3. Take a cold bath. Which would you choose? Most people I asked chose number 1, and nobody chose number 3. I chose number 2 and was quick about it.

The moral of this story is that it's great to have friends - and it's great to live in a small town like Natchez where everyone is friendly and everyone knows everyone else.

PS - Here's a picture of my house that someone asked for yesterday, but you can't see the side of the house where all the storm windows are missing. I'll try to remember to take one tomorrow.

The Freeze of 2010 - Part I

2010-01-12T22:18:00.001-06:00

My sad tale of the freeze starts with my painter. Being financially challenged, I paint one side of my house at a time. For the front I hired an excellent painter, and he did a fantastic job. However, he was expensive. I was having trouble saving up for the second side, which is almost totally windows - my house is brick. I finally talked myself into hiring a cheap painter - figuring he can surely do windows.

There is a cheap painter who has been used by several of my neighbors. Anyone who has used him always recommends against him. What wrong with him? He is sloppy and careless. He is really stupid and can't understand what you tell him. He is stubborn and does what he wants to. He comes and goes as he pleases and leaves his equipment scattered all over your yard. So why did they hire him? He's honest and he works hard when he's there - but mostly because he's cheap. So I hired him.

One day, I come home from work, and all my storm windows have been removed, and all my crepe myrtles have been trimmed totally back - on the sidewalk side only - apparently they got in the way of his ladders. But no sign of the painter. Two months later, my storm windows are still down, my trees are still lopsided, and the painting still isn't finished.

More on the painter in another post. The important thing is I have no storm windows on one side of my house. This house was built over 100 years ago, and the windows allow major drafts to come in. I was doing okay by basically closing off the cold side and living on the warm side.

Then came the Freeze of 2010. I don't know the statistics, but we have had temperatures below freezing for days on end. This is Mississippi, and we don't do freezes. We (and our houses) are totally unprepared. There is only one warm room in my house - the bedroom - but I can only stay there so long. The worse part is my bathroom. It's on the cold side of the house. I have a little heater in there - but it can't begin to fight the freeze. I can run in for quick trips, but going in for a bath takes major courage. Bourbon helps - but not before work in the morning. Washing my hair is like impossible.

I am getting more and more miserable in my little cold piece of hell - but I keep thinking it will be better the next day. This is Mississippi, after all, and freezes don't happen here. But it goes on and on and on. I keep checking my location on Google Earth to see if we've been moved north.

Then the worse happens. It gets even colder. We all think we are prepared: we opened our faucets and covered up our plants. But pipes freeze and then break all over town. I'm quite sure that won't happen to me. After all, when we first moved into this house, my Yankee ex husband went under our house and wrapped all of our pipes and put insulation all over the place, while I laughed at him. (I'm not laughing now.) But it was not enough.

This is getting too long. I'll have to finish this tale in another post.

The Internet Makes This a Small World

2010-01-09T19:48:00.002-06:00

This is a followup of sorts to my post about being an online ambassador for Natchez. Today I ran across an alert for someone visiting Natchez. When I clicked on it, I was taken to Southern Lagniappe - a blog by an unbelievable photographer from Vicksburg. She also has another site with nothing but photographs, which are the most beautiful photographs of Mississippi I have ever seen. I emailed her to tell her how impressed I was. I also posted a link to her photographs on my facebook page. They were a big hit - several of my friends posted them to their pages. Interestingly, while I was singing her praises, she was here in Natchez visiting for the day.

While I was checking out her blog, I noticed that one of her favorite blogs was Merisi's Vienna for Beginners. Those who know me know that my daughter and her family live in Vienna. I have visited that city a few times, and now I love all things Vienna. So of course, I had to go to this blog. More awesome photographs - with poetic snippets of text. They've been appropriately described as "virtual postcards from Vienna". The text for this picture is

Falling in Love
with lavender
in the midst
of a winter storm

In the gardens of
Palais Liechtenstein
8 January 2010

I've emailed and "talked" with this artist as well. Of course, I'm putting my family in touch with her, since she's obviously a fascinating person.

The photographs for both of these sites are copyrighted, and I have copied them with the artists' permissions.

Christmas Angel by Gwen

2010-01-07T09:43:00.003-06:00

Once again I put that Angel on my tree, sweetly out of character, on my rather formal-looking tree which is easy, simple and quick to put up, easy to dismantle. And as each year passes I opt for easy: a smaller tree, fewer ornaments and lights. This year I ignored the slight tilt of the top ornament while in years past I have climbed the ladder again and again until it was perfect. However, I will forever insist on a fresh tree!

The Angel is a small bear dressed in remnants of fabric, which my mother used to make a dress for me for a school Valentine's banquet. My mother often sewed for us but when we needed something for a really special occasion we drove for hours to Amarillo, Texas. I hope that when she dressed that bear she knew how special the memory of the red dress was and would become.

So yesterday as I deconstructed Christmas I thought of my mom and how much she loved everything Christmas. I thought about her sweet spirit and her appreciation for the little things in life. Near the end of her life she once told me that she needed nothing more that what she had. I suppose I wanted buy something for her. New towels and bed linens sat on a shelf in the linen closet unused. She was a collector of Depression glass and anything that reminded her of her childhood on the Kansas prairie.

She grew up on the plains of Kansas during the Great Depression of the 1930's in the middle of the Dust Bowl. She was the fourth of five children. Her father was a handsome man whose pride was diminished when welfare workers drove out into the countryside to check on isolated farm families. On one occasion, on a rare visit to town, each of the children were given a small piece of candy and as they walked down the street Mom dropped her candy. My grandfather would not allow her to stoop to pick it up. Sanitation issues were not at the forefront of concern when one has little to eat; she knew it was his pride that kept her from retrieving that prized candy.

The Bear Angel is tucked away in the box with the rest of Christmas's past and I'll get up from here and go to the piano and play Silent Night, Away in a Manger for my mom.

Mississippi Woman Makes the Big Time!

2010-01-06T23:55:00.004-06:00

Brandon Mississippi native Sarah Thomas just became the first woman to referee a college bowl game. (See ESPN story.) There are five other female referees in major college football, but Sarah Thomas was the first to draw a post season assignment. That might be because she has the most experience - she became the first woman to officiate at a major college game in 2007. She is also on the NFL's list of officiating prospects - she's already worked the Saints training camps.

PREDICTION: Sarah Thomas will be the first female NFL official!

Sarah has always loved sports. She was the first athlete (not just female athlete) at Pascagoula High School to earn a letter five times in a sport - softball (first sport). She earned a basketball (second sport) scholarship to the University of Mobile, where she was an Academic All American. She accompanied her older brother to a meeting of football (third sport) referees on the Gulf Coast and decided that's what she wanted to do.

She started in youth leagues and studied and took tests and worked her way up through middle school, junior varsity, and finally high school. In the meantime, she gave birth to two boys. She said she worked the time clock when she was pregnant. In a New York Times article about her,

“The spouses of my crew made me a maternity referee shirt,” Sarah Thomas said, blushing. “Standing out there, big and in stripes has been the only time I’ve ever felt out of place.”

Just when she was about to give it up to work on her career (pharmaceutical sales rep), she was invited to a college officials camp, where she was immediately hired - because of her excellent skills and performance.

After two years of training and being eased into the rotation, 2009 was her first year of officiating a full schedule of games. And the season was capped off with a bowl game.

Other officials and players have nothing but great things to say about her work. She has a bright and exciting future ahead of her. And she got her start in little ole Mississippi. Time for her to be added to the ads for Mississippi Believe It!

Check out this interview with her and see if you don't agree that she's terrific.

Online Ambassador for Natchez

2010-01-05T23:19:00.000-06:00

I decided today that I serve as an unpaid Online Ambassador for Natchez - and I'm not the only one. So you may be wondering what in the world is that?

I'm a great believer in Google Alerts. I subscribe to one for Natchez. Every day, I receive by email a list of all the places on the internet that the word "Natchez" appeared that day. I read quite a few of them. If Natchez is in the news or there's an especially interesting article, I share that on facebook.

But what I really look for are people who have visited Natchez or are planning a visit - and are writing about it on their blog. I will usually leave a comment there. I thank them for coming and encourage them to come again. I may suggest other things to do here on their next visit - based on what I've just read about them. If they have given incorrect information, I politely correct them. If their visit included something they didn't like, I apologize to them - and give suggestions for avoiding that situation. I encourage them to contact me if they have any questions.

People are invariably impressed with the fact that I do this - and I'm not paid for it. They like that I love Natchez so much that I make time to leave a comment. It definitely gives them a positive impression of our city. I also get to know some interesting people. Today I "met" a librarian who is the Director of Digital Projects at the University of Houston, and she offered me some suggestions for the pitiful attempts at digital projects at our Library.

I'm not the only person who does this. I know for a fact that Elodie Pritchartt does it, too, because I see her comments on the blogs. Two ambassadors - now people are really impressed! There may be others that I'm not aware of. Maybe you want to do it as well.

I Can't Tell My Right from My Left

2010-01-05T03:13:00.001-06:00

At some point as a child, I discovered that I couldn't tell my right from my left - when all my friends could. I also became aware this was something "everyone" knew. Wow, something was really wrong with me. Of course, I did not admit this to a soul - that would be like announcing you were an idiot. So instead, I developed coping skills.

When I discovered this major deficiency, I was attending a Catholic school, although not a Catholic. My parents thought I was smart and wanted me to go to the best schools, which at the time were the Catholic schools. I certainly couldn't let my parents know I really wasn't smart since I couldn't even tell my right from my left. I couldn't let the school know, because they might have kicked me out - I thought you had to be Catholic or smart to go there. I just had to cover this up.

If there's one thing you learn well in a Catholic school, it's how to make the sign of the cross. I discovered that I always made the sign of the cross with my right hand - without even thinking. Bingo! Thereafter, whenever I needed to differentiate right from left, I quickly made a sign of the cross. This led to the mistaken belief that I was very religious, since I was always making the sign of the cross at strange times.

Although this technique was a little weird, it covered up my disability. It worked quite well until junior high school, when I was given a ring, which I always wore on my right hand. The ring served as a very good coping mechanism. It is a lot quicker and less noticeable than making the sign of the cross.

I lost that ring while swimming one time, and I was hysterical with grief. I was quite certain that my stupidity was now going to be exposed to the world. Fortunately, my parents quickly bought me a new ring - just to shut me up.

I kept up this charade until I was in college. I was taking a psychology course and discovered there were other people with my same problem. This was exciting! I found out that this condition is not related to intelligence at all - what a relief! It is far more common in women than men. It has to do with the way you make cognitive maps in your brain. People with this disorder tend to be more creative, are better at multitasking, and can more easily solve complex problems. Hey, this is pretty cool!

I decided to come out of the closet. I publicly admitted that I couldn't tell my right from my left. People looked at me very strangely - after all, I was an adult. But then I looked down my nose at them and told them about my superior skills. What fun! What I noticed is that people (mostly women) began coming up to me and admitting they had the same problem. They felt so much better when they learned the reason. We laughed with each other at the ways we had tried to hide this.

I notice now that lots of people admit to not being able to tell their right from their left, without the least embarrassment. But when I was young, no one admitted it. I feel like a trail blazer - bringing the directionally challenged out into the mainstream.

PS At no time did I ever confuse right from left politically.

Today is a Palindrome - 01022010

2010-01-02T21:07:00.003-06:00

According to Wikipedia, a palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction (the adjustment of punctuation and spaces between words is generally permitted).

So if you're an American, today is a palindromic date - 01/02/2010 is the same read forward or backward. But in Europe, they do the day, then the month, so today is not palindromic - 02/01/2010. If we just use 2 digits for the year, we'll have another on 01/11/10 - but that's too easy.

Palindromic dates do not occur regularly. We've already had one in this century - 10/02/2001 - and we'll have another on 11/02/2011. But before this century, the last one was 600 years ago on 08/31/1380.

Most people are more familiar with palindromic character by character words - civic, radar, level, rotator, kayak, racecar, mom.

There are also palindromic phrases - "A Man A Plan A Canal Panama", "Able was I ere I saw Elba", "Was it a rat I saw?", "Dammit I'm Mad".

Some palindromes use words as units rather than letters - "Fall leaves after leaves fall", "First Ladies rule the State and state the rule: ladies first", "Girl, bathing on Bikini, eyeing boy, sees boy eyeing bikini on bathing girl". The command "Level, madam, level!" ,composed only of words that are themselves palindromes, is both a character by character and a word by word palindrome.

There are palindromes in poetry, music, biology, acoustics, and computer science.

Semordnilap (palindromes spelled backward) is a word or phrase that spells another word or phrase backwards - stressed/desserts, saw/was, dog/god.

Of course, this day could not go by without someone applying this to Sarah Palin.

(www.punditkitchen.com)

Technology Redeems the Decade from Hell

2010-01-02T02:17:00.003-06:00

As I lamented in my previous post, this past decade was mostly a disaster. However, in technology, there were tons of positive developments. We have come so far in ten years that it's hard to imagine. And the best part? It keeps getting cheaper - and thus more available to more people.

In no particular order, here are some of the amazing technological ideas that appeared during the first decade of this century, along with my prediction for the next decade. If I left off your favorite, add it in the comments.

Although I detest Steve Jobs as a human being, I must give him credit for two of the biggest tech gadgets: the IPod and the accompanying ITunes Store - and the IPhone. Both were revolutionary.

My 2020 prediction: Apple will lose its innovative edge following the death of Jobs.

Although I don't own a TV, I know enough to see that the advent of the DVR totally changed television behavior. Unfortunately, it didn't cause it to decrease - Americans watch an average of 150 hours a month. And we wonder why we're so obese!

My 2020 prediction: TVs will cease to exist as a separate piece of equipment. It will be combined into whatever form the computer is taking and all content will be wireless.

The bulky TV and monitor disappeared and brought us LCD. At least TVs don't have to take over people's living rooms anymore - something that always grossed me out.

My 2020 prediction: I have no ideas here, but I'm sure they'll come up with something to make us spend money on.

Guys who would never ask for directions don't need to anymore - they all have GPS. Sort of removes the "I got lost" excuse.

My 2020 prediction: GPS is just getting started. Merged with mapping and photos, it will really take over our lives, and we won't be able to live without it.

Video games have exploded - and I have not participated.

My 2020 prediction: Soon we won't have real lives anymore - it will all take place in the virtual world.

Flash Drives have become so cheap that we can carry our world in our pocket with us.

My 2020 prediction: The next big transformative invention is a long lasting, cheap battery.

Facebook has taken over the world - and most importantly brought non techie types and old folks on board. It led to Twitter which helped to forment a revolution in Iran - and forced politicians to communicate with their constituents.

My 2020 prediction: Facebook and Twitter may not be here, but another form of social networking will take its place.

The Flip Camcorder lets anyone be a videographer - and even become famous if your video goes viral on YouTube.

My 2020 prediction: All this stuff - phone, camera, video, etc - will be in one gadget and be SO much faster and better - and at the same time, smaller and lighter.

Wikipedia provides amazingly reliable knowledge on just about anything.

My 2020 prediction: Wikipedia will still be here - only bigger and better.

Google has provided us with incredible search, the first good online email, online programs for what everyday people need, great mapping with pictures, blogging software anyone can use, and now a new phone. And, they made it all available for free without intrusive advertise. Amazing!

My 2020 prediction: Google will take over the world - Apple and Microsoft will go the way of Netscape. I also predict they will maintain their philosophy that will keep them from becoming an evil enterprise.

Ain't technology fun? If you don't think so, you're in for some tough times.

Good Riddance to 2009 and the Whole Blipping Decade

2009-12-31T21:45:00.005-06:00

Thank goodness this decade - the Oughts, the Zeros - is over! It was truly awful. Just think about all the catastrophes America has been through.

Bush was inaugurated after stealing the election. I wasn't thrilled but I had no idea how bad he would be.
Shortly thereafter, September 11 totally destroyed our sense of security and issued in the Islamic fundamentalist war against America.
We suffered through two wars: the war of choice against Iraq which just increased the number of Islamic fanatics who hate America - and the war in Afghanistan which was so terribly bungled that it is not only still ongoing but threatens our nation's security.
There have been continued terrorist attacks all over the world - they can appear anywhere at any time.
We started the decade with the bursting of "tech bubble" and ended it with a near total economic catastrophe. In between we had other economic disasters like Enron, WorldCom, etc. And don't forget all those big name companies that either disappeared or went bankrupt.
The American Dream is disappearing. Middle class incomes declined during the decade, and unemployment rose. Housing values plummeted. The price of gas kept growing. The number of Americans without health insurance increased steadily, along with overall health care costs. The percentage living below the poverty line increased significantly, and the gap between the richest and the poorest got wider and wider.
Then the disaster that affected us the most - Katrina and the bungling of the federal government.
We had more mass murders and school shootings than any other decade - from the DC Sniper to the VA Tech shootings to the Ft Hood massacre.
We even had endless scandals involving politicians and sports heroes - too numerous to mention.

It wasn't a good decade for me personally either. I endured cancer, divorce, and major financial setbacks. This New Year's Eve, more than any other, I am really looking forward to a new year - and a new decade. It can't be much worse, and there are many signs it might be a whole lot better. Starting next year (tomorrow), I'll be looking for those positive signs and making the most of them.

PS. I highly recommend this moving photographic essay of the decade which has been put together by the New York Times using photographs submitted by its readers.

Betrayal

2009-12-06T13:05:00.002-06:00

I took him in, gave him shelter when he was hurt and in exile from somewhere he'd long forgotten. He immediately gave over his heart and became a steady and loving companion.

I went away for ten days recently and came back to find him gone. I looked for him, called for him. I was certain he'd be back within a matter of hours; he knew I was looking for him; surely he'd not forgotten me.

Days went by with no word from him, no sight of him. I asked around and no one had seen him. Then one day he was back at my doorstep eager to reunite...momentarily. Then he was off again but came back the next day. I put my arms around him, held him close. Ah! I smelled a pleasant but unfamiliar scent...perfume! He must have found a new place, a new person in his life. He'd betrayed me!

My beautiful Boy Kitty found love down the street and I've decided that an occasional visit will suffice and that his new friend must need his loving and sweet companionship.

Rec Complex Will Benefit Citizens

2009-11-02T14:31:00.002-06:00

The following letter was published today in the Natchez Democrat.

Like many people in this community, I strongly support the concept of a recreation complex, but I worry whether our elected officials are capable of pulling it off. They haven’t been too impressive lately.

However, I discovered something that causes me to be able to wholeheartedly support the Referendum. That something is the Interlocal Agreement that was signed by the City, the County, and the School Board; and it lays out exactly what will happen if the Referendum passes. Have you read it? If not, you should before you cast your vote. You can get a copy from the City Clerk’s office or at the Library – or you can download a copy from the Library’s website (www.naw.lib.ms.us).

This Agreement establishes a Recreation Commission, composed of three persons appointed by each of the three governing authorities. Although subject to approval by the governing authorities, the Commission will do most of the work.

“The Recreation Commission shall make recommendation for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of recreational facilities and programs in Adams County; and shall make a report and recommendations to the three governing boards for the establishing, financing, construction, and operation of a countywide comprehensive recreation program for Adams County.”

Plus, the Commission is to have other specified duties, including hiring a Director of Recreation and Parks and other employees; entering into contracts, acquiring land, buildings, and facilities; apply for grants or loans; authorizing studies or surveys; establishing and collecting fees; and so on. Furthermore, the Agreement requires the Commission to hold public hearings to determine the opinions of the citizens.

All our elected officials have to do is appoint quality people to this Commission and let them do their job. The public will have to be vigilant to make sure these appointments are representative of our community and possess the appropriate skills for the job. Then we must involve ourselves in the process itself.

This represents an opportunity for the City and County to work together – by removing the politics and establishing instead a credible commission. Maybe this will provide an excellent blueprint for action on other issues that have proven so difficult.

I support the building of a recreation complex, because it can benefit our citizens and improve the economy at the same time. And I support the referendum because I think it lays out a plan for success that may not occur otherwise.

I Was a Movie Star Today - Sort Of

2009-10-07T21:26:00.005-05:00

Over the past four years I've been through four hurricanes and made three insurance claims. Each time, I think they're going to cancel me - or jack up my premiums. Nope. Not only that, but my insurance company (Travelers) was wonderful. So wonderful in fact that I decided to write and thank them after the last storm - around May or June of this year. I'm famous for writing nasty letters, but I write nice ones, too. Unfortunately, nasty letters tend to get more of a reaction than nice ones. Until now, that is.

A couple of days ago, I received a call from Travelers asking if I had written that nice email, and I said yes. He asked if I would be willing to be interviewed about my experience for a video they were putting together for training purposes. I said sure.

Today was an immensely busy day at the Library, since we just reopened after installing our new automation system - and of course, there were tons of little glitches. However, I was sure I could take off a few minutes to talk to Travelers. I told him to call me when he got to Natchez.

When he called, I gave him directions to the Library and went right back to work. Shortly thereafter, there was a knock on my door, and I looked up to see a whole passel of people - I think 5 or 6. I was a little taken aback, because my experience with TV interviews is one person talking and another with a camera.

Then they walked around the Library looking for a good location, while I'm thinking we could just stand in the hall and talk. Finally, they decided on our meeting room - which was the only room without people, since we were very busy after being closed for almost a week. They said it would take them a little while to set up, and I went back to work.

When they came to get me, I was in total shock. Our meeting room had been transformed into a real live television studio. The sound man - yes there was one - was concerned about how noisy our air conditioning was and wanted to know if it could be turned off for a little while. I died laughing, and those of you who have been following the travails of the Library's antique AC will appreciate why. This was the best part - they put make up on me - who never wears makeup. It was just to get rid of the glare and not to make me look good - but still it was pretty funny.

I then proceeded to have a conversation with the interviewer who was off camera - and it went on for a while. Then the person I thought of as the producer asked some extra questions. About this time, the adjuster that I had dealt with showed up. They wanted to walk over to my house, which is fortunately a half a block from the Library.

The adjuster and I then had to reenact our original interaction in my back yard. This was a little difficult, since the first time my back yard was totally taken up with a tree - and now it is gone. But we did out best. Then they filmed him in the car with his computer submitting the necessary information and processing the claim. Then we sat on my front porch while he went over the imaginary report and presented me with a blank check - which unfortunately I couldn't keep.

While all this is happening, my neighbors are wondering what in the world was going on. One even drove around looking for the TV truck so he could go back and watch me on TV. They figured with all those people and equipment, it must be something big. Coincidentally, a helicopter flew over during our filming - which the sound guy really didn't like.

The funniest part of the whole event was when they had me get into the closet under my stairs (which is my safe place during storms). Then I had to walk out and act like I did after the storm and wander over to the door and look out. I was definitely doing my best Sarah Bernhardt imitation.

They gave me a huge red Travelers umbrella and a gift card, which was very nice. The final filming of the day was the adjuster and me standing under the Travelers umbrella talking.

I hope that one beneficial outcome of this event will be that whoever sees the video will have a positive impression of Natchez. One question they asked me was why I stayed somewhere where I suffered through four hurricanes in as many years. So of course, I had to explain how unique Natchez is, and they did some filming of the city itself - including the bluffs over the Mississippi River, which I talked about.

They are going to send me a copy when it's finished - 2 hours of filming will probably be condensed into two minutes. However, I can barely wait to see it - and I will share it.

An Open Letter to Alderwoman Arceneaux-Mathis

2009-10-04T19:57:00.005-05:00

This letter was sent to Alderwoman Arceneaux-Mathis by Tom Scarborough, but he never received a response. It is published here by permission.

Dear Ms Arceneaux-Mathis:

I am writing to you today to express my deep unhappiness with the decision of the mayor and Board of Aldermen to terminate John "Rusty" Lewis as the City Planner. Mr. Lewis is one of the few individuals in city government I regard as having been highly competent in discharging the responsibilities of his job. You and your fellow aldermen have repeatedly demonstrated your disregard for the city's planning and preservation ordinances, but eliminating the entire Planning department takes your collective irresponsibility to new and breathtaking levels. Your personal animosity towards Mr. Lewis (and towards Ms. Brinegar) is no secret, and it is transparently obvious that this has little to do with city budget concerns. This is purely personal and political, a hallmark of your tenure as the alderman for our ward.

If you and the other aldermen are serious about cutting city expenses, may I suggest that you begin by reducing your own part-time salaries to $12,000 per year--roughly what aldermen in Ocean Springs and Brookhaven are earning. That would be a savings of nearly $60,000 per year, which could be used to pay Mr. Lewis' salary, with money left over. Then I would suggest eliminating Darlene Jones' position as head of Community Development, saving the city $38,000 per year. I see very little in the way of tangible results coming from that position that would justify funding her position, but eliminating Mr. Lewis'. I realize this would demand setting aside your racial biases and petty personal animosities, and putting the needs of the city ahead of personal agendas, but that is what responsible leaders do in times of crisis--and Natchez is indeed in a state of crisis.

I moved to Natchez in 2005 from California. I am a registered Democrat, a progressive-minded liberal and, now, a deeply concerned city tax-payer and constituent of yours. For the four years I have lived in your ward, I have watched with growing dismay as you have wallowed in the politics of race, wasted city money on your "lobbying" excursions to DC, and further polarized the people of Natchez. And now you have used our current budget crisis to go after two highly competent department heads towards whom you have held a personal grudge. Please know that should you decide to run for reelection, I will contribute to the limits of my voluntary time and my wallet to whomever your opponent happens to be.

Sincerely,
Tom Scarborough

UPDATE: He sent a similar letter to the Editor of the Natchez Democrat.

Planning Vice Chair Comments

2009-10-03T12:53:00.002-05:00

Ed Godfrey, Vice Chair of the Planning Commission, sent this letter to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen and is reprinted here with permission.

I was first appointed to the Natchez Board of Adjustment in 1992. After fifteen years on the Board of Adjustment it was merged with the Metropolitan Planning Commission to form the Natchez Planning Commission, of which I am Vice-Chairman. I have worked with seven city planners and can state that John R. Lewis is the most qualified planner we have had since James Shelby. Mr. Shelby left for a better position in Jackson before eventually becoming a city planner in Atlanta. Fortunately John Lewis lived in Natchez for a few years in the 1970’s and fell in love with the city. He was willing to work in Natchez for less than he could make elsewhere and eventually retire here.

Your plans to gut the planning department would be a major step backward for the city of Natchez. There is not a more qualified planner available; if fact it’s questionable you could find even an unqualified one willing to take a chance on a city which has had four planners in the last six years. Is that what you feel is the best we can do in Natchez? . I can’t believe the Board of Aldermen would support a system where a person could open a bar next to a church without a hearing.

Mr. Lewis inherited a disjointed planning department and has worked hard to bring it around. The job of city planner is tough in any city as there is always a sizable segment of the population who think that they should be able to do anything with their property, and take it out on the planner when he tries to explain the codes and zoning ordinances of a particular city. In the last seventeen years I’ve received numerous complaints concerning all seven planners I’ve worked with; generally developers complaining about being asked to comply with city codes and ordinances and neighbors opposing projects neat their homes or businesses. And the city planner is always in the middle.

Natchez enacted a new development code in January, 2008, and hired John Lewis to enforce it. He has done just that and written amendments to the new code when it needed to be adjusted. He has worked 50-60 hour weeks to improve the planning department and have it functioning properly. Prior to his arrival public notification of various special exception and zoning requests was limited, members of our various commissions received information for our monthly meeting too late to investigate the requests and our decisions were often tabled for lack of information. Since we meet monthly the volunteer members of the commissions often had to agree to called meetings to keep developers from waiting another month to begin a project

Please do the right thing and retain John Lewis as our city planner.

Journey Stories Exhibit at Historic Foundation

2009-09-10T12:52:00.002-05:00

It would seem to me that the Smithsonian Institute would be quite meticulous in choosing sites for it's traveling exhibits, so the fact that we have this extraordinary SI gem spending a little over a month in Natchez, is extraordinary in itself. Mimi Miller has been working elbow to elbow with the SI staff in setting up the information panels that make up the exhibit, as well as with a few locals who volunteered to pitch in during the installation process. The exhibit will be showcased at the Historic Natchez Foundation building from Sept. 5th - Oct. 20th. Journey Stories documents the travels of the pioneer families who braved traveling across our great country under an array of arduous conditions. It answers the questions "Why did our ancestors come to America? Why did our families choose Natchez as home? The Journey Stories exhibition explores four centuries of American history through images, audio clips, music, maps, and artifacts. Visitors will listen to stories of travelers and trace their routes on an interactive map; read harrowing accounts of escaped slaves on the road to freedom; and use an 1859 guidebook to prepare for a westward trip on an overland trail. The exhibit is worthy of academic field trips, and material for school projects, so if you're a teacher, it would be a wonderful educational tool for students to learn about how the U.S. was born and what it took to bring us to where we are today.

Why are Health Care Costs So High - and Growing

2009-09-06T16:39:00.007-05:00

The real problem is that our health care delivery system is based on a model that makes no economic sense. The system is broken and needs to be redesigned. The current debate seems to assume this is a fight between the free market and socialism. Although there are people who would like us to go one way or the other, our current system is neither.

Our current health system is not that old. It started during World War II when wages were frozen. Employers, looking for new ways to attract workers, came up with the idea of providing health insurance. Thus began employer based health insurance, which is how most Americans get their insurance.

In most economic transactions in America, there is a consumer and a provider of the product/service. If the consumer doesn't like the product quality or price, they go to another provider. Providers keep their quality and prices competitive to keep their customers.

In health care, patients are the consumers, but they don't pay for the service and rarely even know the price. They don't have sufficient knowledge to evaluate the quality of the service - and even if they did, they have limited choices in providers.

Doctors are the providers of the service, but they don't get to set the price, and the price is not determined by any measure of quality, but rather of quantity.

In our crazy health care system, neither the consumers (patients) or providers (doctors) have anything to do with setting the price.

Instead, the insurance companies serve as the providers, and the employers serve as the consumers. They are the ones operating in the free market, and neither has any interest in what's happening to patients or doctors.

Employers and insurance companies are both motivated by the bottom line - their profits and stock prices. So employers try to spend as little as possible on insurance. Insurance companies make their product as cheap as needed to get the business of the employer.

Employers upset with health care costs shop around until they find a lower cost insurer and/or increase the share paid by their employees. If they're too small to be able to negotiate a good deal with insurers, they may just quit offering insurance. But whatever they pay is totally deductible from their taxes.

Insurance companies keep their prices as low as needed to keep their customers, the employers. Then in order to make a profit, they just reduce their costs. They do this in many different ways. They lower their payments to doctors, they reduce procedures they reimburse, they increase the paperwork needed to get reimbursement to discourage use, etc.

Doctors find their payment for procedures reduced, and their overhead increased through hiring more staff to process the paperwork. Therefore, they must perform more procedures just to keep even, which reduces time spent with patients. Doctors also (consciously or not) perform procedures that pay more.

There are other complicating factors. Drug companies and for profit hospitals that are also operating under the profit motive. Nonprofit hospitals are more like doctors. Then there all those individuals with individual or small group policies that just buy whatever they can afford, regardless of their health needs. All the uninsured, growing daily, also affect the market. Medicare and Medicaid are another different problem.

It is easy to see that our accidental health care delivery system is totally dysfunctional. If we want to ever bring health costs under control, we have to change the system to recognize real incentives that work - and it must be done now!

If we don't change it now while we have the opportunity, our country will shortly be bankrupted by totally unnecessary health care costs. We could have a fair, cost effective system, but that would require the Republicans to enter into a discussion and debate of real issues. Unfortunately, most Republicans in Congress are more interested in defeating Obama than they are in the economic well being of their country or the health of its citizens. Very sad.

In my next post, I'll discuss elements of reform that could be agreed upon.

Health Care Reform or Bankruptcy - Take Your Pick

2009-09-01T21:27:00.006-05:00

Have you heard all the scary things that will happen if health care reform passes? Most of them are untrue or misleading, but that doesn't matter. Unfortunately, big issues like this are never won with facts, reason, or logic. Emotional appeals always win the day - and there is no stronger emotion than fear to motivate people.

Those in favor of reform are busy spouting off facts - and they're getting their butts kicked by the opponents who just bring up every bogeyman they can think of - eg death panels, rationing, increased taxes - without worrying a bit about the truth. The truth is irrelevant in this fight. Of course, the scare mongers have the advantage of having gazillions of dollars to spend on their horror show. After all, those who truly stand to benefit from doing nothing are all wealthy - and they're willing to spend plenty to be sure they stay wealthy. Whereas those people without insurance or who have huge medical bills don't have any money to spend at all. Not a very fair fight, is it?

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU FINANCIALLY IF HEALTH REFORM FAILS?

First of all, health care reform is not just about the uninsured - it's for everybody - even you.

Individual health insurance or insurance for small groups is not worth the paper it's written on. If you have that kind of insurance, you may as well consider yourself uninsured right now - and it's only going to get worse. A far better investment is to take the same money and buy lottery tickets - your odds of pay off are much better.

The only dependable health insurance nowadays is with large employers. However, the costs for that health insurance more than doubled in the last ten years and will double again in far less than the next ten. What does that mean to you as an employee?

You will be asked to pay a larger and larger share in premiums, deductibles, and copays. It will be twice as much as it is now in less than ten years.

More and more employers will stop providing health insurance at all to their employees - and you'll be unexpectedly uninsured.

If you lose your job, you're suddenly uninsured. Forget about COBRA - no unemployed person can afford it.

Your taxes will go way up to pay for Medicare and Medicaid, which will be half of all health care spending in just three years, and other government programs.

If you like your health insurance now, it's likely because you haven't been seriously ill. Think you won't need it? Think about this.

Your chance of having cancer in your lifetime is 1/2 for males and 1/3 for females.

Cancer patients can face severe challenges in paying for life-saving care – running up large debts, filing for personal bankruptcy, and even delaying or forgoing potentially life-saving treatment – even when they have private health insurance, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

You or someone in your immediately family is going to be seriously ill sooner than you think. And when it happens, unless you're very wealthy, your family can be financially destroyed. 62 percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses. Of those who filed for bankruptcy, nearly 80 percent had health insurance.

OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS A FINANCIAL DISASTER RIGHT NOW. If we don't do something drastic about it immediately, we can forget about the financial survival of our country. Opponents carry on about the horrors of having a European health care system. How about the health care system of a third world banana republic? Because that's where we're headed right now.

And I haven't even touched quality of care yet.

Be scared - be very scared - not of made up bogeymen but of the truth.

Insurance Companies - Evil Incarnate

2009-08-27T22:32:00.006-05:00

Let me be up front - I hate health insurance companies. They are the reason I quit practicing psychology. They are also the reason I work at the Library. I was self employed my whole life and always had health insurance. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and my insurance did pay for my initial treatment. But when it came time to renew my policy, they increased the premium by so much that it was more than my income. My only hope was to find an employer that provided insurance. When you're recovering from cancer is not the best time to look for a job, and it took several months - during which I am paying the insurance premium using my savings. Finally, I found the job with the Library. The salary was significantly less than I was earning, but I had no choice. I love my job, but I think it was horrible that I was forced to make such a decision so late in my career.

I'm one of thousands, maybe millions, of Americans whose lives were damaged or destroyed by the practices of insurance companies. There are many that I know of right here in Natchez. You may be thinking there's probably another side to these stories. The only other side is greed. Let me give you just one example.

A few months ago, the U S Congress held a hearing on the practice of rescissions in the health insurance industry. I had never even heard of this before, and it is absolutely unbelievable.

This is practiced by all insurance companies in the individual market, which covers all those people who are not covered by their employers - including the economic engine of our country - the entrepreneurs who go into business for themselves. These individuals fill out an application, have it approved, pay their premiums, and assume they have health insurance. NOT!

Apparently, the companies do not even look at those applications - it would cost too much money to evaluate them. They wait until the policy holder makes a significant claim - and then they evaluate them - pouring over them looking for a reason to "rescind" the coverage. In other words, they take back the policy - as if you never had it. They even pay bonuses to employees who save the company the most money through rescissions.

Here's a little video clip of the Chairman of the Committee questioning the insurance executives of the largest companies in the country. Although it's all appalling, the most outrageous was when the Chairman asked them if they would agreed to discontinue with rescissions except in the case of fraud - and they all said no.

And here is another video clip from the same hearing - this one of a victim testifying before the Committee. If you're not crying and outraged after watching this, you are one cold hearted SOB.

By the way, this was not a partisan hearing. Both Democrats and Republicans were outraged after this hearing.

Town Hall Meeting Boring and Depressing

2009-08-26T05:32:00.008-05:00

As I left the Town Hall meeting, I asked myself why in the world I went - and encouraged others to do the same. No good answer.

The first downer was discovering I had no Internet access, since I had planned on live blogging the event. No Internet in a Convention Center? What are those people thinking? No wonder Natchez has trouble competing. Memo to Walter Tipton: This is the 21st Century.

The good news was there was a good crowd there. Extra chairs had to be brought in - and there were still people standing. It's nice to know people are interested in health care reform and in their government. The bad news is these people were appallingly ignorant.

When a Democratic member of Congress has a town hall meeting, the opposition screams, interrupts, threatens, and even brings guns. We've all seen these mobs on TV. But when a Republican has a town hall, everyone is very polite. Does this tell you anything?

Senator Wicker's introductory remarks were predictable - straight out of the Republican play book. Unfortunately, most of it is not true. Is he just dumb - or does he know he's lying?

He starts by saying that "the greatest issue of our time" is the "government takeover of healthcare". He got a big round of applause. This was the big issue of the meeting. How horrible it would be for the federal government to run our health care. On the other hand, Medicare is wonderful and don't mess with it. Do none of these people see the contradiction in these two ideas?

Medicare is run by the federal government - it is even a single payor system. If you don't want a "government takeover of healthcare", then the first step is to abolish Medicare. Of course, they would never do that, because Medicare is hugely popular.

If you are truly concerned about Medicare and senior citizens, then check with the AARP, which supports health care reform and is trying to fight the lies meant to scare senior citizens. It very clearly states that health care reform:

Is not socialized medicine.
Does not mean rationed care.
Will help - not hurt - Medicare.
Is not too costly.
Doesn't mean goverment makes life or death decisions

However, the health care reform legislation is NOT a "government takeover of healthcare". Quite the opposite. It is an effort to maintain our system of health care, which is currently in serious trouble.

Senator Wicker acknowledges our health care system needs improvement. So did he and the Republicans try to work with the Democrats to come up with those improvements? Of course not. They don't care about the health care of the American people. All they care about is Republicans winning elections next year, and they realize their best chance is to defeat Obama on this big issue. As widely reported in the news, Republican Senator DeMint said:

"If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Wicker does not want to make the current legislation better. No, he said several times that he wants to kill the current legislation and start over. If he and the Republicans are successful, then American is indeed in deep trouble.

PS If you look at who contributes to Senator Wicker's campaigns, the top industries are Finance & Insurance. Why am I not surprised?

Uncovering the truth

2009-08-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

I was reading a detective novel today by James Lee Burke. His detective lives in New Iberia, Louisiana. The writer seems to have a little trouble with female characters though -- the ones in his book are two-dimensional figures who always want sex. I think life does not imitate art in this case. Anyway, I'm deep into this mystery when I get a mysterious e-mail of my own.

My father was a pathologist in Natchez, Mississippi, during the Civil Rights movement in the '60s. He was routinely called out to do autopsies after gruesome racially motivated killings. He used to talk about the cases to us kids, show us the murder slides, play the tapes of the trials where the white guys always got off, and so on.

Now the FBI is re-opening the cases. This is from the Natchez Democrat:

NATCHEZ — An FBI agent was in town Wednesday to do a little stone turning.

The agent, from the Hattiesburg office, is one of several federal agents working the recently re-opened Civil Rights case involving the 1967 death of Wharlest Jackson Sr.

And though FBI policy prevents agents from talking about their work, a press release from the agency said the goal in Jackson’s case and 42 others is to leave no stone unturned.

“We will explore every lead and every tip provided to us in our effort to bring closure to these cases,” said Frederick T. Brink, special agent in charge of the FBI in Mississippi.

“The FBI, together with our federal, state and local partners, will work diligently in these cases to uncover the truth, should it be hidden, and to bring to justice anyone who so heinously violates the rights of our citizens.”

Jackson, a black man, died when his truck exploded from a planted bomb. He had recently received a job promotion at Armstrong Tire. The new job was widely considered a “white man’s job.”

No arrests were ever made.

An investigator e-mailed me to see if I could give him any information about the unsolved murder of Clifton Walker. He wrote:

"Walker was driving home from the 3-11 shift at International Paper on Friday night, February 28, 1964, and was ambushed when he turned onto Poor House Road, which he always took as a shortcut off of 61 to Old 61. There was probably a mob of white men firing at the car to bring it to a halt and then several stood around the car and fired in at close range and blew his face apart."

If only I could reach back into time and bring back some of that information for the families of the victims who still have no details about what really happened. My father kept everything about his cases but now he's dead and all of his stuff -- well, who knows what happened to it?

It's frustrating to me to think that at one point in my life I had access to all the information the family would need, but now it's gone, and I can't help them.

There You Go Again, Sarah Palin

2009-08-21T21:54:00.006-05:00

Sarah Palin, the health care expert, is continuing to share her wisdom. She writes on her Facebook page that the plan making its way through Congress will "inevitably" lead to health care rationing. Palin claims the president wants to enact a rationing system that would

"refuse to allocate medical resources to the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled who have less economic potential."

Lordy, lordy - what is this rationing business that Palin and others are using to scare people? Basically, it means fairly allocating portions of a scarce resource - usually according to some formula or rule. For example, rationing was used for many food items during World War II. Although no one liked it, few complained. It was recognized as necessary and for the most part was fair - and run by the government. Did they refuse rations to "the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled"? Of course not. Before rationing was instituted, only the wealthy could get the scarce commodities. Free market mentality!

We have rationing in health care right now! You think you can get whatever health care your doctor thinks you need? No chance in hell - unless you're extremely wealthy and pay out of your pocket. Right now, some insurance clerk without a medical degree decides if they'll pay or not - and they will nitpick you to death - literally. As a patient and former health care provider, I can tell you it is extremely difficult to convince one of these clerks (who frequently cannot even spell or pronounce the disorder) that a treatment is necessary.

Insurance companies are in business to make money - period. During the hard times, they just keep racking in the dough. If they're losing money, do they have to tighten their belts like the rest of us? Hell no, they just deny more claims. There is not a single health insurance company in the country losing money right now.

You hear opponents of health care reform talking about "tort reform" - which refers to lawsuits against doctors - and it does need to be addressed. However, there's one area you never hear mentioned - and it's far more important. Do you know if your child dies because a health insurance company denies coverage, you can't sue them? That's right. No matter how good your case, you have no recourse to the courts. You can complain to your State Insurance Commissioner - but let's face it - a cash strapped insurance commission can't begin to compete with a multibillion dollar insurance company. When's the last time you heard a state get anything from an insurance company? Probably never.

There are thousands of horror stories of health insurance companies denying care right now. And there's nothing you can do about it - except support reform that requires fairness.

Thanks, Sarah Palin

2009-08-14T18:36:00.006-05:00

Thanks to the blatant lies told by Sarah Palin (as outlined in my previous post) America's senior citizens are now going to have one less benefit. Palin's "death panels" lie has been spread around the country and has been picked up by some other Republicans who really should know better.

Thank heavens some Republicans are still acting honorably. For example, Alaska's senior Senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski, said this week that Palin and other critics were not helping the GOP by throwing out false claims.

"Quite honestly, I'm so offended at that terminology, because it absolutely isn't" (in the bill). "There is no reason to gin up fear in the American public by saying things that are not included in the bill."

No matter how many news organizations or members of Congress say it isn't true, those rabble rousers at the town hall meetings keep saying it. Finally, Senator Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said his Committee would drop the provision from consideration. Sarah Palin - you are so powerful!

Now, let's look at what that provision would have provided for seniors - that they've now lost thanks to Palin and her unthinking, nonreading followers.

In 1990 the Supreme Court handed down a decision (Cruzan v MO DoH) requiring clear and convincing evidence for end of life decisions. Congress wanted to be sure people knew how to state their wishes in a way that would stand up in court. So they introduced legislation requiring health care providers paid by Medicare and Medicaid to inform patients about their rights.

There was hollering then about "pulling the plug on grandma" by some right wing fanatics, but the legislation had broad bipartison support, and it easily passed.

Right after that, you may have noted that hospitals and other providers started handing out paperwork outlining your rights. Although that was nice, Congress really wanted doctors to be able to talk to their patients about their rights - if the patients requested it.

The so called "death panel" language in this year's bill was simply to authorize payments to doctors for those sessions - since doctors don't generally provide services for free.

Now here's the best part. The 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Bill that became law contained the exact same provision. Did the Republicans scream "death panel" then? Uh, no - they voted for it - 204 Republican House members and 42 Republican Senators. Talk about hypocrisy!

As a column in Time magazine says:

"So either Republicans were for death panels in 2003 before turning against them now--or they're lying about end-of-life counseling in order to frighten the bejeezus out of their fellow citizens and defeat health reform by any means necessary."

It is truly disgusting that Republicans would knowingly lie and distort and try to scare people - for purely political reasons. In the meantime, 47 million Americans have no health insurance and 22,000 Americans die every year because of that. Thanks, Sarah Palin.

The Government is Taking Over Health Care!

2009-08-10T19:29:00.004-05:00

How many times have you heard that (or some variation) recently? But ask them what they mean and you get some really crazy answers.

For example, Sarah Palin recently said

". . . my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

I thinks it's truly amazing that someone who ran for Vice President of the United States would tell such a blatant lie. The only purpose is to scare people who may not know any better. For verification, read the bill (page 425) or read this Fact Check - or know that AARP is taking out ads to counteract these lies.

This is just one of many, many examples of our supposed leaders telling lies or misrepresenting the facts - just to scare people. Unfortunately, it's working - and it may kill health reform again. For over a hundred years, brave Presidents (Republican and Democratic) have been trying - without success - to achieve universal health coverage - ie, health care for all Americans.

Why do these efforts at universal coverage fail? Is it because Americans don't want everyone to have health insurance? Of course not. Everytime a President has proposed health care reform, the public has been overwhelmingly supportive - until the opponents bring out their big guns.

There are businesses who are making a lot of money on the current system, and they are willing to spend a lot of money to make sure it doesn't change. They say they want reform but then do everything they can to prevent it from happening. Who are these businesses? Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and for profit hospitals and nursing homes - and the lobbyists and members of Congress that they support with millions and millions of dollars.

Just about every other American would benefit from health care reform - but many of the people who would benefit are screaming the loudest. Health care is a very complicated business, and the vast majority of Americans don't understand how it works. So when they hear some frightening sound bite from some immoral politician, they get scared.

If you know what's good for you, you won't believe anything politicians say or any ads about health care. We used to depend on the media for unbiased coverage - but not any more. And the Internet, where many people get their news, is much worse. Check it out for yourself using unbiased sources. I recommend FactCheck.org, which is a totally nonpartisan, unbiased organization that regularly checks out political bull.

Your life, or that of a loved one, will depend on the outcome of this legislation - so you'd better pay attention.

Do Americans Have a Right to Health Care?

2009-08-05T17:40:00.007-05:00

We are the only country in the industrialized world that doesn't have universal health care - and many developing countries that are far worse off than we are provide it.

First, let's make clear what universal health care is. It simply means all citizens have health care., and the only way to accomplish it is through government action - passing a law if you're a democracy. What is covered and how it is delivered varies immensely from country to country.

We should be able to agree that every American deserves a right to health care - that America should have universal health care - and then argue over what and how. Unfortunately, that is a right that Americans do not have - but practically everybody else in the civilized world does. We have a right to a gun, but not a doctor to fix us after we're shot. That needs to be changed. It absolutely amazes me that there are people who do not agree American's should have that right.

During the Presidential Debates, someone asked the question: "Do you believe Americans have a right to health care?" McCain danced all over the place and never answered the question, whereas Obama simply said "Yes". I think that was a defining moment of the campaign. The next time you hear someone ranting about socialized medicine or government controlled health care, just ask them this simple question. If they say "yes", then you can go on to have a productive discussion on the what and how. If they don't answer the question directly, just walk away - they're not worth your time. By the way, very few people are courageous or honest enough to directly say "no" - but that's what they mean.

Now, what will be covered, how it will be delivered, how it will be paid for, and other crucial issues are legitimate areas of discussion and argument. I'll be making some of those arguments in the days to come.

A chance for a second childhood

2009-08-03T15:07:00.005-05:00

I wrote this post for my blog but thought I'd put it here too because I am so excited about coming to visit Natchez again after 30 years away. Elizabeth

I grew up in Natchez, Mississippi, and loved it. We moved away when I was 12, and my mother and I were devastated. During the last visit I had with my mother before she died, she told me that the years she spent in Natchez were the happiest of her life.

Here we are at the pageant, a show that the natives put on during the spring pilgimage when tourists could go through the antebellum homes. That's me, my mother and my brother Mike near the picnic. I love the fact that everyone has '60s hair even though we are wearing Civil War clothes.

Thanks to the wonder of Facebook and blogging, I have finally found some of my old pals in Natchez. I've decided to go visit next spring during the pilgrimage and wallow in memories for a solid week.

I've rediscovered some of my friends from Montebello School who are pictured below.

People gripe about Facebook and computers so much -- but they have given me a part of my life back that had seemed closed to me. It's opened up a road and led me back to friends that I thought I'd forever left behind.

Pickering "Affair" Is Getting Really Creepy

2009-07-21T22:56:00.003-05:00

The Pickering lawsuit was first broken by Ipse Blogit, who has done an outstanding job of following through on what was an initial piece of good luck. As I read more about the case, I became intrigued with "C Street" - the place where Pickering lived while in Congress.

Initially, it seemed C Street was a place where like minded Congressmen shared a residence - no big deal. Then it came out they were all Christians. Aside from the hypocrisy of family values Christians committing adultery, still no big deal.

Then it was revealed that C Street was in fact legally a church and tax exempt. Hmmm - the tax payers are paying for these politicians to have a place to stay? Didn't seem right to me.

But it gets worse - much worse. C Street is owned by a group called The Family - a secret religious organization whose goal is to control the world. Now they've got my attention! Who are these guys?

It turns out that we know a lot more about The Family than they would like us to - thanks to a religious scholar and writer named Jeff Sharlet. Because of his interest in religion, he was invited in 2002 by a friend to join The Family - and out of intellectual curiosity, he decided to give it a try. He moved into one of their houses where they train new members. It's fair to say he was shocked by what he learned while he was there. When he left after several weeks, he wrote an exceptionally well researched book entitled The Family, which was published in 2008 and is now out in paperback. I haven't read it yet, but I've ordered it.

However, he wrote an article for Harper's that gives an idea of this group - and sends shivers up your spine. Or if you want a quick summary, look up The Family in Wikipedia - which also give you a long list of references. Because of the association of the adulterous members of Congress (Ensign, Sanford, Pickering, Vitter) with C Street, the media is beginning to pay attention.

Here are just a few glimpses of the horror: Members refer to Manhattan's Ground Zero as "the ruins of secularism". A leader tells a dozen men living there, "You guys are here to learn how to rule the world". This same leader repeatedly urges a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that he compares to the blind devotion that Adolph Hitler demanded from his followers. Some of the other heroes are Genghis Khan, Stalin, Osama bin Laden, and others who know how to control people. The Family urges the US government to establish close ties to cruel dictators around the world, who are also members of the group. It goes on and on. It's just horrible beyond words.

But here's the worst part - at least to me. They do not think they can do anything wrong - because they are the "Chosen". Morality is for the rest of us - not for them. One of their leaders, David Coe, in one of the training sessions said: "King David liked to do really, really bad things. Here's this guy who slept with another man's wife — Bathsheba, right? — and then basically murdered her husband. And this guy is one of our heroes. I mean, Jiminy Christmas, God likes this guy! What is that all about?" The answer: "Because he was chosen." He even gives the example of someone who has raped three little girls. Is this unbelievable? At least we can understand why all these so called Christian members of Congress associated with this group think they can commit adultery without any problem.

The Family is a super secret group that's been around since the 1930s. The members are all rich or powerful or both, and they meet in secret cells all over the world. They're all men - women's only role in their world is to serve them. Remember that their goal is "to rule the world" - and they've been doing a pretty good job of it. Now that a spotlight has been cast on this group, the question is whether the rest of us will do anything about it. I'm not optimistic.

Why Congressman Pickering Didn't Become a Senator

2009-07-16T16:22:00.005-05:00

WOW! We have a little soap opera going on.

Our former Congressman Chip Pickering chose not to run for reelection and was not appointed to Trent Lott's US Senate seat when he resigned - even though it was always assumed that Chip was being groomed for that seat. There was a lot of discussion in these parts about why. Well, now we have a possible explanation.

On Tuesday, Chip's wife Leisha filed a complaint against one Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd (of the Cellular South family) for "alienation of affections". Don't you just love these legal terms? What she really meant was that Elizabeth stole her husband Chip. Leisha claims she has suffered emotional distress, and she is suing for damages.

As you read through the complaint (which I encourage you to do since it is quite entertaining) you are definitely left with the feeling that Chip is some poor nincompoop with no brains who is totally led around by the evil Elizabeth. These suits are always phrased like this. Does Leisha really think Chip had nothing to do with this adulterous behavior? Why is it always "the other woman's" fault? Why didn't Leisha just sue the nincompoop directly? I'm sure there is some legal reason for filing this, but it sure does illustrate the idiocy of some legal actions.

The most interesting part of this complaint is that (according to Leisha) Governor Haley Barbour did offer the US Senate seat to Chip - which was certainly never made public. (Anyone want to bet that Barbour will deny it?) Leisha says that Elizabeth told Chip he would have to give up his "public life" in order to continue his relationship with her. That's a no brainer. A family values Republican might have a little trouble getting elected while he's carrying on with a woman who's not his wife - even in Mississippi.

This Elizabeth must be one bodacious woman - since Chip gave up his family (five kids!) and his career for her. Usually these relationships do not live up to their expectations. I hope this one runs true to form, because this a**hole certainly deserves to suffer. Eventually, Leisha will learn she - and her children - are much better off without him. I'm proud to say that I always saw his true colors and never voted for him.

I found out about this complaint from two legal/political blogs that I follow: Ipse Blogit and North Mississippi Commentor. But it's all over the regular media now.

UPDATE from Ipse Blogit:

Cellular South parent company (where Elizabeth is on the Board) and Capitol Resources (a lobbying firm representing Cellular South and Chip's employer) have been added to the complaint.

C Street Complex where Chip lived in Washington was apparently the DC residence of Senators John Ensign and David Vitter and Governor Mark Sanford. Must be something in the water!

Crickets chirping under my bedroom window

2009-07-15T03:17:00.002-05:00

I moved away from Mississippi about 20 years ago, and one of the things I'd always missed were crickets chirping underneath my bedroom window at night. The sound sort of soothed me when I was a kid.

I came to England to find there were no crickets. The evening was too quiet -- no life out there at night. But I got used to it. (I also missed fireflies -- a lot. But that's another story.)

Today I read in the paper that due to global warming crickets are migrating north and have discovered England. I guess I won't have to wait too long to hear the comforting sounds of crickets chirping outside my bedroom window again.

"The sound of English summer is changing as the skylark is drowned out by chirruping crickets. Global warming has let two species, the long-winged conehead and Roesel's bush cricket spread north."

Another transplanted Southerner in England worries that poisonous snakes might hear of the crickets' discovery of England and migrate north also. Now that's one thing I haven't missed from Mississippi.

Life is a bowl (or two) of cherries

2009-07-14T04:04:00.003-05:00

We've talked about tomatoes on the blog, but not about cherries. This must be rectified.

Every summer I look forward to the cherry season. I think I could live on these things. They are only in the British supermarkets for a brief time so I go wild buying and eating them for those few weeks.

Last year, I discovered the rainier cherry - it's got a yellow skin and is incredibly delicious (and expensive).

These cherries are very sensitive to temperature, wind, and rain. About 1/3 of a Rainier cherry orchard's crop is eaten by birds.

Rainiers are considered the "cream of the crop", selling for $5 dollars a pound or more in the USA and as much as a dollar each in Japan.

Here are five things to do with cherries:

Tipsy cherries
Marinate cherries in kirsch and serve with ice cream or chocolate desserts.

Cherry and plum crumble
Mix 250g each of stoned cherries and plums, 3tbsp sugar and 4tbsp water in an ovenproof dish. Rub 75g butter into 150g plain flour, stir in 4tbsp each of oats and crushed almonds and 2tbsp sugar. Spoon over the fruit and bake at 180/gas 4 for 25 minutes until golden.

A sauce for roast duck
Bring 150ml each of chicken stock and red wine to the boil, then turn down the heat. Add 250g stoned cherries and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened.

Cherry pie
Mix 500g stoned cherries with 1tbsp cornflour and 25g sugar. Line a pie dish with sweet shortcrust pastry, add the cherry mixture, top with pastry and seal the edges. Make a hole in the centre, brush with milk and sugar and bake at 180/gas 4 for 40 minutes until golden.

Instant trifle
Marinate stoned cherries in kirsch. Spoon some crushed amaretti biscuits into glasses. Top with marinated cherries, ready made custard, whipped cream and finish with toasted almonds.

What is your favorite summer fruit or vegetable?

My husband the oil mogul

2009-07-06T03:08:00.003-05:00

When my grandmother died a few years ago, I inherited about 1/500th of an oil well in Mississippi. My husband, a poor English boy who grew up watching Dallas on television, almost died himself of happiness.

"Relax," I said. "I didn't really inherit a complete oil well. We aren't moguls now." The checks I get from the oil company might be up to $100 a month but then I have to pay a share of the operating expenses too so that takes a lot out of it. So basically we might get 20 bucks a month out of it.

But my husband is so happy being an oil mogul -- he pores over any statement we get, just like he is JR Ewing.

Today we got papers about investing in some new deep-drilling operation. Mel is in heaven right now, looking over seismic surveys of the area, aerial maps of the proposed site and mineral leases.

I thought it was cute how excited he gets over nothing so took a pic.

Public enemies

2009-07-03T07:17:00.002-05:00

The release of the new movie about John Dillinger reminded me of secret family history that I wanted to make sure I told my daughter so the information wasn't lost.

I had a great-aunt who fell in love with one of the Dillingers -- Frank -- got pregnant and wanted to marry him. My great grandfather was so mortified that she would think she could marry into the mobster family (when John Dillinger was Public Enemy Number 1) that he refused and made her give the baby up for adoption. This destroyed her; she was never the same again.

Isn't that sad that she would have to give up the love of her life and her baby because of public opinion against the family? I wonder what happened to her child. She must have worried about the baby for the rest of her life.

What happened with her and the Dillinger boy was considered so terrible, however, that no one spoke of it in the family, and it wasn't until the funeral of one of the elder members of my family that someone told me so I would keep the information alive for another generation.

Gone with the Wind published on this day in 1936

2009-06-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

Gone with the Wind was published on this day in 1936. Every Southern girl of my generation knows the story well. And as we know today, and here I am quoting a source on the Internet: "Many historians regard the book as having a strong ideological commitment to the cause of the Confederacy and a romanticized view of the culture of the antebellum South."

Whatever you think about the book, Southerners know it well so I thought some background trivia would be appropriate today.

"As several elements of Gone with the Wind have parallels with Margaret Mitchell's own life, her experiences may have provided some inspiration for the story. Mitchell's understanding of life and hardship during the American Civil War, for example, came from elderly relatives and neighbors passing war stories to her generation.

While Margaret Mitchell used to say that her Gone with the Wind characters were not based on real people, modern researchers have found similarities to some of the people in Mitchell's own life as well as to individuals she knew or she heard of.

Mitchell's maternal grandmother, Annie Fitzgerald Stephens, was born in 1845; she was the daughter of an Irish immigrant, who owned a large plantation on Tara Road in Clayton County, south of Atlanta, and who married an American woman named Ellen, and had several children, all daughters.

Researchers believed Rhett Butler to be based on Mitchell's first husband, Red Upshaw. She divorced him after she learned he was a bootlegger. Other historical evidence suggests the Butler character to be based on George Trenholm, a famous blockade-runner.

Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, the mother of US president Theodore Roosevelt may have been an inspiration for Scarlett O'Hara. Roosevelt biographer David McCullough discovered that Mitchell, as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal, conducted an interview with one of Martha's closest friends and bridesmaid, Evelyn King Williams, then 87. In that interview, she described Martha's physical appearance, beauty, grace, and intelligence in great detail. The similarities between Martha and the Scarlett character are striking."

Tomorrow is another day.

The Evolution of a Tomato

2009-06-21T08:44:00.014-05:00

(This was an email sent to my kids and a few others and one of those "others" asked me to share on the blog.)

Okay. You may find this trivial ...but, I'm so proud of this tomato because I grew it and it was a solitary, independent enterprise. And, this is the prettiest tomato I've ever seen: perfect in size, shape, color.

Not the first time I've been involved in tomato growing but this time it was just me doing the planting and growing, watering and watching. You recall I'm a BFFG (bona fide farm girl) and my childhood summers were a glorious mix of tractor-driving, sand-dune excursions (looking for and finding arrowheads) and vegetable-growing and picking. Mom kept tiny salt shakers and we'd pull tomatoes off the vine and eat them right there in the garden. I also remember that at least one time we drove to town and sold produce on the street corner in tiny Hugoton, Kansas. Mom canned those tomatoes so Dad would have them for his fried potatoes in the winter months. She also made ketchup in addition to the canning, and jelly and jam processing. What an industrious, talented and smart woman!

Well, I must give you the facts on this particular tomato. It weighed in at 10oz, 3 3/4" in diameter and retained the prettiest little crown of green stem, with not a blemish on its shiny red surface. And, get this: Its texture upon eating is firm and has that "just right" tomato taste.

I'd been dreading the thought of taking the knife to this tomato. I just didn't want to cut it; I wanted to find a county fair and put it on exhibit and win the 1st place Purple Ribbon. But, this was the day to experience it's culinary glory ... just right for eating...so I had to do it.

Sorry you can't be here to have a tomato and mayonnaise sandwich.

What we would be wearing in 2000 as predicted in 1930s

2009-05-27T07:13:00.000-05:00

Check this video out. It was made in the 1930s to predict what we would be wearing in the year 2000. I would love to wear a glass dress, and wearing a flashlight on your head to search for an honest man seems like a good idea too.

Gotta Love the Natchez Life

2009-05-24T21:12:00.003-05:00

Today I was reminded why I love the life in Natchez.

This afternoon I went to a magnificent duo piano concert at First Presbyterian Church, which is impressive in its own right. These two world class pianists were brought to Natchez through connections with a church member. It was truly awe inspiring.

I could have gone to a poetry reading at an art gallery or a opera presentation at an antebellum home. But instead I went to a neighbor's, who serves scrumptious homemade ice cream on her porch every Sunday evening in the summer. This was the opening night, and it was standing room only - all the porch rockers were full.

It's summertime - and the living is easy.

Demise of an Oak

2009-05-17T13:59:00.019-05:00

I was walking my dog along the Natchez bluff this morning when I noticed an oak tree had recently been cut down. I know the city lost many trees during the recent storm, but I don't think this tree was a victim of that, other than possibly losing a few small rotten limbs. The tree trunk and limbs, that lay on the ground, appeared healthy, so was chopping it down absolutely necessary? Wouldn't a simple pruning of the rotten limbs be a more efficient solution to preserving this tree?

I noticed a few weeks ago someone parked under this particular tree, on a Saturday night (I guess while at Bowie's Tavern) and a limb fell through the sun roof, into the car, cracking the front windshield--oops! What bad timing. I hope this wasn't the reason for cutting down this large old oak tree; isn't parking on the bluff illegal?

I also noticed two Mockingbirds sitting on the branches, now laying on the ground, refusing to abandon the oak. If you look closely, you can see the Mockingbird sitting on the tip of the limb:

I know it's sometimes necessary to cut down trees, if severely damaged or rotten, so I hope the city had an appropriate reason. We need to preserve these beautiful oaks on the bluff whenever possible. Trees not only enhance our landscape and provide shade on these blistering summer days, but they help the environment as well. Trees absorb CO2 while emitting oxygen. Trees subdue noise pollution and reduce erosion by storing water and breaking the force of rain that falls. So I hope the city exhausted all options before chopping down this lovely oak.

Happy Equal Pay Day!

2009-04-28T21:02:00.006-05:00

Today is Equal Pay Day, and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has just released a new state by state earnings comparison by gender. And guess what? Mississippi is not last! In fact, we're ranked 40th in earnings ratio between male and female full time workers, age 16 and older, all educational levels . Since they consider DC in their results, that means we didn't even make the bottom 10. YEAH!

However, looking at the earnings ratio between male and female full time, college educated workers, age 25 and older, Mississippi moves into more familiar territory - a ranking of 49th. Hmmm. What does this mean? Should women in Mississippi not bother going to college since it won't benefit us much financially? On the other hand, it might motivate some of those sexist good ole boys to go to college, since they're virtually assured of earning more than those uppity women.

Along these same lines, did you know that the United Nations has had a Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women since 1979? Over 90% of the nations belonging to the UN have signed on. Guess who hasn't? The United States! Guess those guys in Washington are just too intimidated.

"Must Do" Events for the Weekend & More

2009-04-28T16:02:00.004-05:00

Greetings All... Just taking an opportunity to do a little community broadcast for those of you who aren't traveling to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this weekend and are wringing your hands over what to do instead. Well, the Symphony of Gardens Tour is this weekend, rain or shine, and the highlight of the event takes place on Friday evening at 6 p.m. in the Natchez City Auditorium. HGTV's gardening guru, P. Allen Smith, will be giving a talk on How to get more from your garden than a backache. I don't know about you but I don't profess to have a green thumb, just maybe two left ones, so I plan to go find out what I can do with the flower bed I built in front of my house last year to make it work and not die. I love those brilliant colored snap dragons, but good grief, they're everywhere; give me variety or give me...oh you know the speech! Tickets are just $10 for P. Allen and are available at the Natchz Visitor Center (but you can also buy them at the door). Information about the rest of the weekend's garden extravaganza can be found on the tour's website at http://www.symphonyofgardenstour.com/. So that takes care of Friday night for you.
On Saturday, Shannon Brennan-Mayeaux will be sharing a compelling story over Grits & Grillades at Natchez Coffee Company on Franklin St. She is indeed a member of the infamous Brennan's that seem to own every dining establishment in the Crescent City, but she's coming to Natchez to share her life changing experience gained when she visited Medjugorje in 1987. To purchase tickets, learn more about Shannon or the event itself, please contact Hedy Boelte at 601-446-7700 or drop her an e-mail at hedykboelte@aol.com The event is being held to benefit the Natchez Festival of Music.
Jumping a tad ahead, on May 7th, bridge fans (the kind you play, not the kind you cross), are in for an all day treat as Monmouth Plantation hosts A Hand of Bridge and a Delightful Lunch. As you dine and play, you'll be treated to an array of Broadway hits as performed by some of this year's festival talent. Tickets are $60 for Lunch & Bridge, $50 for Senior Citizens, or $35.00 for just lunch and music. The proceeds for this event will also go to The Natchez Festival of Music. Please give Frances Trosclair a call for tickets and more information. If you'd like to learn more about what this year's Festival of Music has to offer throughout the month of May, logon to their newly refurbished website at http://www.natchezopera.com/ for showtimes, locations, and more. If you poker fans feel a little left out, don't fret because the NFoM is putting together a fund-raiser for you guys & gals too.
You can also call the Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau for information on these events as well. Call 601-446-6345.

English pubs are dying

2009-04-01T03:55:00.002-05:00

I read this article on a US website. It certainly romanticizes English pubs. The ones in London can be really nice but, lemme tell you, the ones near where I live are gross things, full of unhealthy people where fights break out and property is damaged.

In the old days, English men used pubs to avoid family life. You can still see them doing this today. On Saturday mornings when 'the wife' is shopping for the family, the husband will be in the pub, drinking pints and reading the paper or playing darts.

Here's the article, and you can see what you think:

LONDON -- Nothing can stay the same forever although Britain is one country where they try like the Dickens to fight that basic truth. The lyric of an old World War I song said it best:

There'll always be an England
While there's a country lane,
Wherever there's a cottage small
Beside a field of grain.

And down the lane from that cottage beside the field of grain there will always be a pub serving imperial pints (20 ounces) of beer. Well, that is changing rapidly.(Although you can still find some authentic pubs.)

Rural life is unrecognizable from 20 years ago and British drinking habits have undergone a sea change, as well. Both of these factors have led to a crisis for British pubs. Thirty-nine a week are going out of business forever.

Jogging our memories

2009-03-31T08:14:00.002-05:00

You know you totally forget about something then someone else brings it up as a meaningful memory then you can suddenly recall a slice of your past life vividly?

That happened to me when I read about Kevin Sessum's memoir, Mississippi Sissy.

Here's a summary of the book from some literary website:

"...the stunning memoir from Kevin Sessums, a celebrity journalist who grew up scaring other children, hiding terrible secrets, pretending to be Arlene Frances and running wild in the South. As he grew up in Forest, Mississippi, befriended by the family maid, Mattie May, he became a young man who turned the word "sissy" on its head, just as his mother taught him. In Jackson, he is befriended by Eudora Welty and journalist Frank Hains, but when Hains is brutally murdered in his antebellum mansion, Kevin's long road north towards celebrity begins."

Here's an excerpt from the first chapter:

“Fuck,” said Frank Hains. “I knew I shouldn’t have given that last bourbon to Eudora.”

It had taken me almost a decade after that day of my mother’s funeral, but I had finally found the only equivalent that Mississippi offered to a What’s My Line? life. Frank — a John Daly–like presence in Jackson — was the arts editor of the state’s afternoon newspaper, for which he also wrote a column called “On Stage.” Eudora was writer Eudora Welty. We were at a cast party for New Stage Theatre’s latest production, Long Day’s Journey into Night, starring Geraldine Fitzgerald as Mary Tyrone. Frank and Miss Welty were active members of New Stage, and he was playing host that night at Bleak House, the name given facetiously to his antebellum home by the local literati of Jackson. The Dickensian nickname derived from the house’s outward appearance of haunted dilapidation where it sat, rather spookily, on a hill opposite Jackson’s lone Jewish cemetery....

Frank would often allude to his “dusky endeavors,” as they had come to refer politely to his interest in young African Americans, some of whom had touched him deeply with their aspirations and narratives of maternal love. Miss Welty welcomed these stories of nuanced carnality, as Frank was careful not to tell her the details.

I was in high school when Frank Hains was murdered, and he'd just directed a play in Vicksburg, Mississippi, that my brother and a friend were in. We used to sit there as he'd explain his inspired plans for the set, and we thought he was so sophisticated.

Then he was murdered. Everyone was shocked. My father, a forensic pathologist, told me that the crime scene indicated that it was a homosexual murder. I was additionally shocked by that news.

My brother then started a gag where some of us would go around confessing that we were the murderer of Frank Hains. (The crime was unsolved.)

A friend from high school recalls how my brother would "creep around muttering, 'I murdered Frank Hains.' It was SO funny because we'd be watching TV or making cookies, or whatever, and he would suddenly appear and say that, in a sepulchral voice, then just walk off."

Also a friend from Jackson recalls actually attending the party that Sessums writes about. She wrote: "Do you remember the very first page of the book, when he describes that party where Eudora Welty got drunk, and Frank Hains was oozing around hosting so urbanely? I wuz thar (as Tom Joad would say.) That very exact party, for the cast of Long Day's Journey into Night. I felt mighty sassy and grown-up, there among the big folks, rubbing shoulders with Geraldine Fitzgerald and all. It made me feel better to read that Miss Welty was so drunk that Kevin had to drive her home because she was horribly rude to me that night. It never occurred to me that she was full of bourbon---I was so naive I didn't think old ladies drank anything but coffee."

I enjoyed the whole experience of thinking about something again that I'd forgotten, and the memories of others from that time rounding out the story for me. Hope someone else is out there writing a memoir that will jog my memory again soon.

The sky's the soft blue of a work shirt

2009-03-21T15:33:00.002-05:00

Isn't this a beautiful poem that my friend just sent me:

Today, the sky's the soft blue of a work shirt washed
a thousand times. The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step. On the interstate listening
to NPR, I heard a Hubble scientist
say, "The universe is not only stranger than we
think, it's stranger than we can think." I think
I've driven into spring, as the woods revive
with a loud shout, redbud trees, their gaudy
scarves flung over bark's bare limbs. Barely doing
sixty, I pass a tractor trailer called Glory Bound,
and aren't we just? Just yesterday,
I read Li Po: "There is no end of things
in the heart," but it seems like things
are always ending—vacation or childhood,
relationships, stores going out of business,
like the one that sold jeans that really fit—
And where do we fit in? How can we get up
in the morning, knowing what we do? But we do,
put one foot after the other, open the window,
make coffee, watch the steam curl up
and disappear. At night, the scent of phlox curls
in the open window, while the sky turns red violet,
lavender, thistle, a box of spilled crayons.
The moon spills its milk on the black tabletop
for the thousandth time.

"Poem on a Line by Anne Sexton, 'We are All Writing God's Poem'" by Barbara Crooker

Have you ever put a lampshade on your head when tipsy?

2009-03-19T04:09:00.003-05:00

In a speech to Irish leaders on St. Patrick's Day, Barack Obama jokingly urged the audience to go easy on the spirits. "Stay as long as you want, try to avoid putting any lampshades on your head, because there are a lot of photographers here," he said. When did putting a lampshade on your head become a universal symbol of drunkenness?

Probably in the 1910s or 1920s. While it's impossible to pinpoint the first instance of a man donning a lampshade at a party, the image most likely came out of vaudeville and was popularized in early silent films. In The Adventurer (1917), Charlie Chaplin plays a rich yachtsman who, pursued by the police, puts a lampshade over his head and stands still as the cops pass by. While that example is more about disguise than inebriation, the lampshade on the head had become a drunk gag by 1928, when the Baltimore Evening Sun ran a satirical piece called "The Life of the Party": "It is usually customary for the life of the party about the middle of the evening to put a lampshade on his head and give an impersonation of [Scottish soprano] Mary Garden, after which he tells a joke that is not meant for mixed company."

Me again: I think I have put a lampshade on my head once after too much champagne. Sort of embarrassing to recall, but I think I am guilty of this one. Are you?

Scanwiches

2009-03-16T08:19:00.006-05:00

Check this site out, and be sure and scan your next sandwich for the site.

Scanwiches

My sandwiches are too boring to scan. I get a turkey, cheese and lettuce sandwich every day at the office. The deli staff at Nokia (I work for the cellphone maker in their European headquarters outside London) start making my sandwich when they see me come down the stairs (11:45, so I can get the sandwich before the line forms, then I wrap it up and leave it until I come back from the gym). I don't even have to speak to them, they just make it and hand it to me.

It's the same with my skinny lattes too. They see me come downstairs first thing in the morning, they start making my latte.

If only the rest of my life could be so simple.

They do say to me, "Don't you get bored having the same sandwich year in and year out?" But I say it's too much to ask me to choose a different sandwich every day. I can only handle so much excitement in my life.

Stuck at Rowan Oak

2009-03-11T09:29:00.003-05:00

I made one of my mother's staple recipes recently, Salmon Cakes. They are easy, delicious and nutritious. My family fights over them -- they are that tasty. Here's how to make them:

Can of salmon, drained, and thrown into a mixing bowl. Add bread crumbs or crackers in a zip lock bag that you've whacked with a rolling pin so they are crumbly. Add an egg to bind it together, worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper and any other spices -- I put paprika or anything with a zippy flavor. Mix them up with your hands and shallow fry in a pan. Delish.

Now I know that my friend Brenda would say to add some mashed-up potato to this mix because William Faulkner's nephew told her to do that. But I say keep it pure.

My friend and I went to Faulkner's home Rowan Oak in Oxford one November day a few years ago for a nostalgia tour. It was there in 1979 that we first visited as students, and her car got stuck in the mud. I mean hopelessly stuck. We went asking people at Rowan Oak for help -- among them Shelby Foote and other Faulkner scholars who were there for a reception. Did they help? No. They left us to die out there while they drank mint juleps and talked about books.

So we went back to Rowan Oak in 2000 to remember those days. We went into the house, and surprisingly there was William Faulkner's nephew, Jim, and he was telling visitors interesting little-known facts about his uncle. (Jimmy Faulkner wrote a book about his uncle called Across the Creek .)

Anyway, I don't know how the subject got on to salmon cakes but Jimmy said William F loved them with potato in them, but I'm sure my mother's way is superior. Faulkner might have been a Nobel-Prize winning author but I'm sure my mother knew best about salmon.

Who's Buying Natchez Regional?

2009-03-07T23:34:00.004-06:00

Around September, we learned that Natchez Regional was up for sale and towards the end of the year, we learned there was a secret buyer. In early January, we were supposed to hear who that was. Well, we're still waiting. In the meantime, NRMC has filed for bankruptcy - which was somehow a good thing. We recently learned that our secret buyer is also interested in buying Community Hospital, although they deny knowing anything about it. This whole thing is beyond bizarre.

Today I ran across a blog article that claimed Essent Healthcare in Nashville was planning to buy NRMC. This blog is written by some current or former employee of one of their hospitals, who is not fond of Essent, who has filed a lawsuit against the blog, which doesn't seem to be worried. I have no idea how reliable this information is, but it's worth looking into. Kevin Cooper, are you listening?

Beauty and terror

2009-03-02T07:38:00.008-06:00

Natchez was a wonderful place to grow up -- full of interesting people and places. We loved participating in the spring pilgrimage every year -- photo above is of me and my brother Kevin, all dressed up for the pageant.

But there was a dark side to Natchez in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. My father was the town's pathologist and coroner and every Saturday night, it seemed, he was called out to attend to some brutal murder scene. Because I was a small child, I thought these murders were a normal part of life. I had no idea that the era I was growing up in was an especially violent one.

My father would come home with pictures and tales of each slaying -- a bomb planted in a car, a man set on fire or shot. It was horrifying.

When we would drive past rural gas stations, my father would say, "That's one of their meeting places."

"Meeting place? Of who?" we would ask.

"The KKK," he'd reply.

I recently came across some additional photos of Natchez during my youth. I debated about putting these up, but if these guys decided it was OK to march in public in Natchez in the '60s, then they can march again in this blog. I'll make a concession and not put their names here, even though they are printed on the back of the photos.

International Tourist Impacts Projected

2009-02-23T13:50:00.006-06:00

The Mississippi Development Authority's Division of Tourism held it's annual Governor's Conference on Tourism in Hattiesburg on February 15, 16, & 17. The purpose of the conference is to help tourism professionals keep up to date with travel trends, learn new marketing ideas and strategies, and a myriad of other helpful travel related subjects. One particular session I attended, focused on "The International Market", and I chose this particular session because of the wonderful influx of foreign travel writers that come through Natchez each year. David Nicholson of the UK and Wolfgang Streitberger of Germany, have been bringing European travel writers to the South for nearly a decade, and they work with professional tour planners from around Europe to assist them in putting together travel packages that are appealing and solid.

David began the presentation with some facts and figures, indicating some interesting travel statistics. For instance, Europeans spend an average of $154 per person, per day; they stayed an average of 3.8 nights (in Mississippi), and they come primarily from Ireland, UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and France. David pointed out that Europeans like to "collect" states in that, even if they only drive across the corner of Southwestern Georgia, while crossing from Florida into Alabama, it counts as a state they can mark off their list as "having visited". I collect coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, and baseball caps when I travel.

There is a non-stop charter flight that is booked quite frequently, which travels directly between Memphis and Amsterdam. The reason? The King! Yes, after all these years, they are still flocking to Graceland, but it's truly because they have a deep passion for The Blues. The Mississippi Blues Highway is fast becoming a huge draw for Europeans, and as the trail approaches completion, not only will we see that market expand, we'll also see those trips expanded and extended. For now they've limited their time to Memphis and the Mississippi Delta, but, as they are taking longer vacations, and the value of the pound and euro are so strong against the dollar, we will begin to see more and more of those "groups" trickling further down Highway 61, ultimately completing their journey in Natchez. If you happen to be in London in the future, be sure to keep an eye out for those cute little taxi's driving down the wrong side of the street. They're almost completely wrapped in artwork depicting Mississippi scenes, with visitmississippi.org plastered down the sides, complete with a huge image of B.B. King laid out on the vehicle's roof with Lucille laying across his lap. And, once you step inside and sit down, you'll see Mississippi ads on the two jump seats that fold down for additional passengers.

Group tours from these European markets book well in advance, and even with the present state of the economy, Wolfgang and David both assured us that tour operator action is still going strong and they receive calls from planners and operators daily seeking assistance when planning itineraries. There were 20,000 European visitors to Mississippi in 2008, but both felt as though that number was extremely conservative as it does not account for Europeans who used the internet or other means to book their travel. It would be quite easy to overlook someone who flies into Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or New Orleans, rents a car, then drive themselves to a variety of pre-selected destinations. There is simply no way to record their movement like you can when these vacations are set up through tour companies. Swedish and Dutch travelers tend to book their travels based on the best price, while Germans and Brits like to travel according to weather. You'll see many more of them during our "off" season, as that's when it's cold, wet, and dreary in their parts of the world; plus, David says they don't like the heat and humidity associated with our summers, and he thinks it has more to do with that than the other.

I'll write again in a few days and tell you about the Asian/Indian position on traveling to America. Sally D.

Arts Funding: Economic Stimulus or Joke?

2009-02-19T21:37:00.004-06:00

The National Endowment for the Arts received $50 million in the Economic Stimulus bill. Unfortunately, it's become a joke on right wing blogs and talk radio. Do they think artists don't work? Is building a car intrinsically better than painting a picture? I just don't get it - maybe if a conservative happens to read this, he (I'm sure it will be a he) will enlighten me with a comment.

Let's look at the economic effects of art in Natchez. Many of you know that I was involved in founding ArtsNatchez Inc, a nonprofit with the mission of "promoting the arts in the greater Natchez area". We provide a Gallery where over 30 local artists can display and sell their art. While none of those artists can support themselves on what they earn from ArtsNatchez, it does help to make it possible for them to stay in Natchez and earn a living. Many of those artists came here from New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Katrina. But they stayed because they discovered they could work here. That's a lot of wage earners living in Natchez and spending their money.

But even more important, artists bring money to a community. As I've written about previously (here and here), art is Big Business - and it feeds on itself. The more art a town has, the more money it attracts. Natchez is a growing arts community. In addition to ArtsNatchez, we also have other relatively new businesses - Burns Pottery, Natchez Clay, Natchez Artists Association, Natchez Art & Framing, Southern Interiors - to name a few.

So what does this have to do with the Economic Stimulus Bill? ArtsNatchez is supported entirely by donations from generous local patrons. However, like other nonprofits, we're suffering during this economic crisis, because many of our patrons have been affected. Although ArtsNatchez will probably survive, many art nonprofits will not. When they fail, all those economic benefits will disappear as well.

Fifty million dollars is a drop in the bucket considering the whole package, but this money can enable thousands and thousands of nonprofits all across the country to stay open - and maintain the economic benefits in their communities. This is exactly what the legislation is for. These organizations don't need lots of money, the money is only needed temporarily, and it produces major economic benefits. Fortunately, Congress agreed and kept the money in the package.

Being intimidated by British accents

2009-02-19T02:41:00.001-06:00

I'm a Mississippi girl who married an English man and have lived in the UK for almost 20 years.

I've been noticing that Brits are starting to call each other 'Hon' or 'Honey' with abandon. Being a Mississippi girl, I used to be the only person in the UK who called people 'Hon' but now they are all doing it. There is nothing stranger than hearing British people use American slang, especially when they say something is 'way cool' or something similar that they heard from a Simpsons episode. It's just not right.

But just because Brits assume I am stupid because I have a thick Mississippi accent, I have learned to avoid the mistake of assuming that a person with a posh British accent is intelligent. In fact, it can often be the opposite -- the posher the accent, the dumber the person.

Americans, we have to stop being intimidated by their accents. One time I saw Jeffrey Archer (before he became a convicted criminal) intimidating an American interviewer on TV by speaking like he was a member of the Royal Family. (Brits exaggerate their accents when they feel the fear of an American being intimidated, I can tell you.) I was annoyed with her for displaying her Accent Insecurity like that.
Remember, a posh accent does not equal intelligence!

Worst Husband Competition

2009-02-17T03:12:00.008-06:00

Which entry do you think wins the Worst Husband Competition?

This one from Ireland?

Or this one from Greece?

Or what about this guy from Scotland?

I vote for the last one from Scotland as the worst husband because he has the temerity to hold hands with his marital donkey.

Incarcerating teenaged mothers

2009-02-15T18:00:00.003-06:00

My mother was a social worker and especially loved her job when we lived in Natchez, Mississippi, and she worked in an unwed mothers' home (called Kings' Daughters). It's so interesting to me how times have changed. In those days, parents sent their unmarried teenaged daughters to a maternity home to have the baby so no one would know she'd been pregnant. When the baby was born, the mother would sign adoption papers and the baby was taken away. My mother used to say that the girls who held and cuddled their babies after they were born suffered the most when they gave them up.

Now times have changed so much that these homes for unwed mothers are viewed as prisons for teenagers forced to give up their babies against their will. I saw a website to help women who have been in these types of maternity homes find each other. My mother would have been horrified to see the title of the website:

This is for Women who are searching for others who were incarcerated in the same Maternity Home at the same time.

Incarcerated!

I found the name of a woman whose mother had been in the home my mother worked in and wrote her. She wrote back:

"I have done some research on the home and have been there a few times. I have letters that my Mother and Grandmother wrote to each other while she stayed there and I can tell you ... my Mom loved your Mother and her help was invaluable. She even had my Grandmother bring her some pecans from home. I tried to find some information on your Mom but didn't have much luck. Maybe you can let me know more about her. Regretfully, I wished I could have found here sooner. Just so you will know, I was not put up for adoption, my Mom, with much prayer and guidance from people like your Mother decided to raise me."

This all happened two weeks after my mother died. She would have loved to have known about this woman but it just happened too late.

Why Mississippi Is Always Last and What We Can Do About It

2009-02-14T22:48:00.008-06:00

You know how Mississippi is always ranked last in everything good and first in everything bad. It's embarrassing to be the laughing stock of the nation and also infuriating because we know what Mississippi really has to offer. Well, there may be something we can do about this - it's really easy and doesn't cost a thing.

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about my solution to the economic crisis. If you read it, you know that increased involvement of women in government leads to economic responsibility and prosperity.

After that post, I got to thinking (always dangerous!) about how Mississippi is ranked last in income and other economic indicators - and wondered how we do relative to other states in women's involvement in government. Guess what? We're last again.

We're one of only four states who has never elected a woman to the U S Senate or U S Congress. The others are Delaware, Iowa, and Vermont, but they beat us on other measures.

We've also never had a female governor, a dubious honor we share with Iowa. Ruth Ann Minner just retired last month as Governor of Delaware, the longest serving female governor in the US. Vermont had one of the first female governors, Madeleine Kunin, the only female governor to serve three terms.

However, Iowa has us beat on other measures. We've only had two women serve in statewide office - Evelyn Gandy and Amy Tuck, while Iowa has had eleven. Iowa also currently has a female Lt Governor, Patty Judge, who is interested in being Governor. So we may soon be the only state that has never had a female governor.

So how's our farm team - the state legislature? Not good. We're ranked 47th in the country in percentage of female legislators. - slightly better than Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Iowa is 28th.

So, we're at the bottom of the country economically - and in terms of females in government. But my theory is that they're related. If we want to get off the bottom of the barrel, we must elect more women.

Electing women is not a Democratic/Republican or liberal/conservative thing - which you can tell by looking at this map. So all of us can get together on this effort to save Mississippi by electing women. Now, a few insecure men may have a problem with this strategy, but real men will realize that women's talents, skills, and opinions need to be represented in our state.

Save Mississippi - Vote for Women!

Tidbits from the News

2009-02-12T22:26:00.008-06:00

Here are three stories I read today - the first made me laugh, the second made me angry, and the third was just interesting.

Do you know what Twitter is? It is a social networking and microblogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets or twits), which are text based posts of up to 140 characters in length. It is becoming a major source of news. For example, the first news of the plane landing in the Hudson River came from a passenger sending tweets. Today there was a story with the suggested headline: "Loose Twits Sink Shifts". You should read the original story, reported in successive twits, but here is the basic summary. A Virginia state senator was about to switch parties, which would shift control of the Senate. But it was all behind closed doors until it became public knowledge due to someone's tweets, which caused the whole deal to fall apart. I love the headline.
Today President Obama announced his choice for "Drug Czar". Why did this make me angry? First, it was a guy, and I'm getting tired of all these posts going to men. Secondly, the guy is a big city police chief and military veteran. This means Obama is going to continue the "war on drugs" and to treat drug abuse as a crime. We've been doing this for years, and it simply doesn't work. Drug abuse is a health problem - not a criminal one - and until our leaders realize this, we'll never make any progress.
Do you believe in evolution? That depends on your level of education, according to a recent Gallup poll, conducted in honor of Darwin's 200th birthday today. 21% of those with a high school education believe in evolution and 27% do not. The rest (52%) had no opinion - obviously not taught to think. 74% of those with a post graduate degree do and only 11% do not. Those with some college or a college degree fall in between. Whew, I'm sure glad you need a post graduate degree to be a doctor, because I certainly wouldn't want a doctor operating on me who didn't understand that evolution is the basis of all science.

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin

2009-02-12T02:44:00.002-06:00

"Has the Vatican done something right? Yesterday, Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture declared that Darwin's theory and Christian faith were not only compatible, but that Darwin's views could be traced to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinus, The Times of London reports. Ravasi said, 'what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God.'

Organizers of next month's papal backed conference marking the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species also dismissed Intelligent Design, which credits a higher power for the complexities of life, as "poor theology and poor science" and will only discuss it on the fringes of the convention as a "cultural phenomenon." The recent admissions settle speculation that Pope Benedict XVI might endorse Intelligent Design, and come just in time for Darwin's 200th birthday."

from The Daily Beast website

We Can Fly

2009-02-11T23:07:00.008-06:00

I attended a seminar this morning sponsored by the Natchez Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Association. Though I'm not a business owner I wanted to glean information for, perhaps, personal application as well as what might be good for the city of Natchez.

John Brandon, Mississippi Development Authority, gave a presentation which he called "Buy-Ology of Business: How to Thrive in a Difficult Economy". He's a great speaker with a wonderful sense of humor and excellent delivery of pertinent information.

He related a maxim from the writings of the French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918). The story in one of Apollinaire's poems is about a group of people who are encouraged time and again to come to the edge of the cliff but they are afraid and eventually, pushed over the edge of the cliff, "they flew". I think the point of this story is that we are all somewhat fearful of the consequences of the current economic crises and are hesitant to move in any direction but what is needed is the courage to move forward, to invest in a new vision for this country. We might just need a little push over that fearsome edge to realize our dreams.

The overall import of Mr. Brandon's message dealt with the small business owner but I felt there was a practical application, in a larger sense, for our city. What do we have that we are passionate about? What can we do better than anyone else? We can become the world's best ____? We can create a "Mecca", a center for the world's best something! And, he reminded us that 78% of the jobs in Natchez are tourism related.

I hear a lot of bemoaning that tourism just isn't going to cut it for the jobs we need in this city. I can and do understand that concern. But I also feel we've not, as a city, created a vision of what we can become. When we develop a thriving heritage tourism "Mecca" other kinds of jobs and industry will eventually spin off of that success. Mr. Brandon talked about the thousands of international tourists who visit Memphis each year. And what is it that makes Memphis so special? They have a heritage tourism industry related to blues music, right? Well, we could have a smaller version of just that. We already have a great start as an Arts community. Why not have an Art and Entertainment District rich with galleries, music venues surrounded by shops with related merchandise?

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Fredericksburg, Texas, an agricultural community in the West Texas Hill Country. This lovely little hamlet, remote from the interstate and populated areas of Texas, is a thriving tourist destination chock full of antique stores, galleries, gourmet restaurants. On that weekday of our visit the sidewalks were teeming with tourists perusing the shops and galleries. The buildings are historic and new construction takes on the characteristics of the old. The Chamber of Commerce website says that "Over the last 20 years tourism has taken a giant step forward and is now a big part of our economy." And, they, too, have ordinances for their historic district. (www.fredericksburg-texas.com) Their community calendar is full with lots of live music events, theatre, festivals and fairs...and a First Friday Art Walk like ours, thanks to Carrie Lambert, Natchez DDA.

I should point out that Fredericksburg is half the size of Natchez and they don't have our beautiful and amazing Mississippi River. Someday we, too, will fly!

Why I Left United Mississippi Bank

2009-02-11T18:13:00.005-06:00

Today I removed all my funds from United Mississippi Bank and deposited them in Britton & Koontz. Here's why - read carefully.

This horror story has two parts, the first of which was beyond UMB's control.

Part I

Heartland Payment Systems (hereinafter called Heartless) processes credit and debit card transactions between commercial entities - like retailers, restaurants, and other businesses - and the financial institutions that issue the cards. They are one of the largest such companies in the country. Sometime last year (probably May), their system was "compromised" - a fancy word for criminals hacking into the system and stealing information. However, they had no system in place to pick that up, much less prevent it. The way Heartless found out in October was that Visa and MasterCard noticed suspicious behavior. It took Heartless from October until January to find it. Then guess when they announced it - on January 20, Inauguration Day! They sure know how to bury bad news.

Heartless did not publicly disclose who has been affected. Isn't that amazing? They didn't even contact all the banks and let them know their cards had been hacked. Banks heard about it in different ways, and it was difficult for them to determine who was affected. But surveys of banks have been done - and this security breach may be the biggest ever.

Let's summarize: Heartless has no way to detect hacking - about 6 months after the fact someone tells them about it - it takes another 3 months for them to find it - then they hide it from the public. Nice guys!

Part II

This data breach has affected at least three of our local banks: B&K, UMB, and Regions - and it is NOT their fault. But how they react to this crisis tells us a lot about their competence and how they treat their customers.

I have no idea how Regions handled this.

Here's what Britton & Koontz did. They hustled until they were able to find out which of their customers might be affected. Then they sent them letters a couple of weeks ago telling them what happened, that their cards would be cancelled and new cards issued on a certain date, and in the meantime, they should check regularly for any suspicious behavior with their accounts. You couldn't ask for a more professional response. I've read local news stories from all over the country, and this seemed to be the response of most banks.

Now look at what United Mississippi Bank did. They cancelled the card first and then sent the letter. So suddenly your card is no good, and you have no idea why. I, and many, many other people, use our debit cards instead of checks. I tried to use mine to pay some bills online, and it didn't work - but I assumed that was the vendors fault. On Tuesday, I went to WalMart and had a cart full of stuff when I discovered my card was no good. The checkout clerk knew all about it - she said there were a lot of unhappy campers there. That little UMB branch in WalMart was jammed full of people. Fortunately for me, I did have one check in my purse - because the bank had run out of counter checks.

As it turned out, I was only inconvenienced. However, this could have had serious consequences. What if I had been out of town? Or needed my card for an emergency?

I went over to UMB today for an explanation, which was totally unacceptable. They said they were protecting us from unauthorized charges. Guess what? Other banks across the country were forgiving those charges. UMB was just protecting itself. I pointed out that everyone who uses online banking or has the NetCheck account is required to have an email. Why didn't they send an email if they were in such a hurry? Other banks were calling their customers. Why couldn't UMB do that? Because, no matter what they say, I don't think they really care about their customers. And I don't think they showed competence and professionalism in handling this crisis.

I took my money out of their bank and immediately deposited it in B&K, because I'm much more confident in their abilities and concerns.

Oh, when I got home, there was a letter from UMB. Thanks a lot for nothing.

The Solution to the Economic Crisis

2009-02-09T21:35:00.006-06:00

UPDATED

I am so excited - I have found the solution to the economic crisis, thanks to an article on The New Agenda, of which my daughter is a cofounder.

What is the solution? It's very simple. Women.

I know you're thinking I have finally gone off the deep end - but hear me out.

Let's start with Iceland. Iceland was famous for its financial system, which was its major industry. This fall, the headlines were full of its total collapse. In a way, it was more shocking than America's, because it was so highly regarded. The country is now teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. It's a small country, so the collapse of its major banks was a total catastrophy.

So what did Iceland do? In a recent election, it threw the men out, and women are now running the country. A new woman Prime Minister takes office next week, and she has thrown out all the good ole boys. At least half her cabinet will be women. The two major banks are now being run by women. The Prime Minister says:

"We are going to base our economic policies on prudence and responsibility, but we also stress social values, women's rights, equality and justice."

Are they nuts? Not according to research. Diverse groups do a much better job of problem solving. Wall Street has been run forever by white guys - who all look and act alike. Nowadays, however, they are looking desperately for diversity - especially women. So if you're a woman banker, now's the time to head to New York.

One study showed that elevated testosterone leads to increased risk taking. Other studies show that men are more likely to take high risks when surrounded by male peers. Women don't act like this.

Other research showed some unexpected benefits came just from women getting the right to vote, because politicians suddenly had to pay attention to what women wanted. (Imagine that!) One demonstrated benefit was increased public health measures. One professor says 20,000 lives are saved each year just because of women getting the vote.

In 2006, Muhammad Yunnus of Bangladesh was awarded the Nobel Peace Price, along with the Grameen Bank which he founded. Why? He popularized microlending - small business loans of around $200 to poverty struck people in his country (and now around the world). Over 97% of his loans go to women. Why? Women are far more likely to use their earnings on their families and to educate their children. Women are successful and pay their money back. They found when they lent to men, it was much more likely to be squandered.

Unfortunately for us, by the time we realized we were in an economic crisis, Hillary Clinton was no longer a candidate. And even more unfortunately, Obama is surrounding himself with men. He has the same number of women in his cabinet as Bush had - and only half as many as Bill Clinton. Did you notice all those guys with tax problems? I don't know about you, but that makes me nervous. The only woman with similar problems was because her husband filed separately and screwed up. You just can't trust men with money.

Message to Hillary: Send Barack to Iceland - maybe he'll learn something.

UPDATED: Today's Washington Post has an article about this very issue being discussed in England and Europe. It discusses a study showing that companies with higher percentages of women in management have weathered this crisis much better than male dominated companies. This is the lead, datelined London:

"Fred, Tom, Andy, Dennis, Eric, John, Stephen, Antonio and Paul ran British banks that lost billions of dollars. So they have been called in for a grilling by Nick, Graham, Colin, Jim, Stephen, Michael, Andrew, George, Mark, Peter, three Johns -- and a single, solitary Sally."

Civil Rights in Natchez

2009-02-09T03:09:00.005-06:00

I lived through the Civil Rights struggle when I was growing up in Natchez. My father, Leo Scanlon, was the pathologist and coroner, so he had to go out almost every weekend to attend a murder scene, mostly for black men murdered by KKK members.

I went to Montebello School when I was very young, and Mr. McCraney, one of our neighbours, was a policeman and handled the traffic every morning. We loved to watch him direct the traffic, and felt sorry for him when he had to stand outside in the pouring rain.

One morning, he had a big traffic mess to handle when parents in the school started protesting the upcoming integration of Montebello. I had no idea what was going on when I saw angry parents at the school entrance with signs saying to keep the school whites only -- they shouted at everyone who drove past and looked so frightening.

The following school year, however, we had our first black student, Calvin. I can't imagine what that was like for him, being the only black person in an all-white school.

Anyway, we all liked Calvin, and one day, we had big excitement when we got to tour the Honey Bun factory for a school trip, and we each got a Honey Bun freshly made to eat. The bus was driving through a poorer part of town on the way back to school, and I decided to be clever. I whispered to a friend, "Hey, we're driving through Calvin's part of town." Then she whispered it to others, and others whispered it, and I was sitting next to Calvin and soon noticed big tears rolling down his cheeks.

He'd heard my remark. I'd made him cry! I was so ashamed of myself. How could I have done such a thing? I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings; I was only trying to be cute and wasn't thinking.

It made me think hard about racism. I was so sure I wasn't racist because we'd welcomed Calvin to school, yet I could make a remark like that. I'm still ashamed to this day of what I did, and it makes me think that we all have to struggle with racism, feeling superior to others for no reason, etc., no matter how we pride ourselves on our perfection in public. The internal struggles are the hardest.

Pat Head Summitt - A Heroine

2009-02-07T22:03:00.010-06:00

Growing up, I was a tomboy and played intramural sports, the only kind available to girls at that time. I always thought it unfair that girls didn't have the same opportunities that boys had in sports.I was very involved in the 1972 passage of Title IX, the legislation outlawing sexual discrimination in education - but most famous for its impact on women's sports. Shortly thereafter, a phenomena arrived at the University of Tennessee.

Pat Head Summitt was born on a farm in Tennessee and was an outstanding basketball player, whose parents actually moved to another town so she could go to a school that offered girls basketball. She went on to become an All American at the University of Tennessee - Martin, but her big goal was to play in the Olympics - if and when women's basketball became an Olympic sport.

When Pat graduated, she was thrilled to be offered a graduate assistantship as assistant coach of the women's basketball team. She owes that opportunity to a female physical education teacher who was impressed with her. Imagine her shock and surprise when she showed up for her first day on the job and was told the coach had quit - and she was now the head coach! She was 22 and barely older than her players.

During her first two years there, she completed her Masters Degree and prepared for the 1976 Olympics, the first time women's basketball was an Olympic sport. She not only made the team, but she was a team captain and they won the silver medal.

In spite of other pressures, she coached her players to two winning seasons. However, that was the last time one of her teams would win less than 20 games - and the last time they would not go to NCCA Playoffs. How many male coaches can make that claim? None. She's been my heroine ever since I saw her in the Olympics - and I've followed her career ever since.

Thursday, she reached a benchmark that has never been reached before by any collegiate basketball coach - male or female. In fact, no one is even close. She just won her 1000th game! And she's knocked off almost every other record set by her male colleagues.

The only record she hasn't broken is one by the legendary John Wooden (UCLA) who won ten national championships. She has eight, and she's only 56, so she'll get that record as well. She already passed Kentucky's coach Adolph Rupp. With 18 Final Four appearances, she easily passed Wooden's record of a mere 12.

Her Lady Vols have won more NCAA victories (104) than any other team. Wooden, Rupp, Bobby Knight? Not even close! She was the first women's coach with a perfect season (1997-98). Her Lady Vols were the first women's team to win back to back to back national championships.

Last year, she was the first woman to receive the John Wooten Legends of the Game Award. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame the first year she was eligible. Needless to say, she's also in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. ESPN named the Lady Vols the team of the decade (1990s) tied with the Florida State Seminoles Football Team - take that FSU! In 2000, she was named Naismith Coach of the Century - and one of her players was named Naismith Player of the Century. She's earned a myriad other awards and honors.

She was the first female coach to earn more than a million dollars a year. But shortly after she signed that contract, she gave $600,000 back to the University's women's basketball program and endowing a scholarship.

In 1980, she married, and in 1990, she gave birth to her only child, Tyler. She went into labor while on a recruiting trip to Pennsylvania. She finished her business, then told the pilots of her plane to hurry because she wanted her son born in Tennessee. She took Tyler to work with her, and the team loved him. She was honored at a White House luncheon given by then First Lady Hillary Clinton for The 25 Most Influential Working Mothers, as selected by Working Mothers Magazine.

So in March, when everyone else is obsessed with the men's NCAA tournament, I hope you join me in watching Pat Head Summitt take another team to the women's tournament. She and the Lady Vols are a lot more awesome than whoever wins the men's tournament.

Small towns

2009-02-06T11:23:00.003-06:00

When my father moved the family from beautiful eccentric Natchez to the teeny dull Halstead, Kansas, when I was 12, I was devastated. Halstead had about 2,000 people in it, and everyone knew everyone. I hated that. There was no anonymity. Anything you did was watched and talked about.

I missed the greenery of the South. Kansas was so flat and the landscape was boring - just pale brown with wheat. I was interested, though, in how people from Kansas hated the landscape of the South -- too claustrophobic, too many plants and trees -- you couldn't see for miles like you could in the Midwest.

So I guess it's whatever you grow up with that you love the best. But I thought of Halstead last night as I was finishing up Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. Of small towns, he wrote:

The tradition, repeated in scores of magazines every month, is that the American village remains the one sure abode of friendship, honesty, and clean sweet marriageable girls. Therefore all men who succeed in painting in Paris or in finance in New York at last become weary of smart women, return to their native towns, assert that cities are vicious, marry their childhood sweethearts, and presumably, joyously abide in those towns until death....

It is an unimaginatively standardized background, a sluggishness of speech and manners, a rigid ruling of the spirit by the desire to appear respectable. It is contentment...the contentment of the quiet dead, who are scornful of the living for their restless walking. It is negation canonized as the one positive virtue. It is the prohibition of happiness. It is slavery of self-sought and self-defended. It is dullness made God.

Taking flowers to shut-ins

2009-02-03T15:11:00.006-06:00

This is where I grew up in Natchez. This house is on a street called Brightwood, but it was built across a little stream from Montaigne, the antebellum home. (It was built by some owners of Montaigne for their relatives to live in.) My mother's best friend was Betty Shields McGehee who is a relative of the current owners.

Miss Betty, as I was allowed to call her as a child, is still active in the Natchez social scene today. When I was 12, Miss Betty had the great idea to share her enormous crop of daffodils with 'shut-ins,' as they called people who couldn't leave their homes then. She got all the young people in her church class to wrap brightly colored sticky paper around empty tin cans to make vases. Then we got bunches and bunches of daffodils to put in them. Each of us was assigned a house to take the flowers to.

My mother drove me up to an old house in Natchez, and I knocked then went through door (this was in the late '60s and people didn't have all the security locks that they do now). The two ancient ladies who lived there had been told earlier that someone was coming to their door but they still got confused and agitated. "Who is that?" one of them cried as I went through the door. "I don't know who that is," said the other. "Do you?" I told them who I was and what I was doing there but it didn't spark any recognition in their minds. The house was dark and still and gave me the creeps.

These ladies were old and scary to me. I'd never run across people who couldn't see or hear. I tried to tell them who I was but their voices got louder and louder and more anxious. They crept across the room with their canes, travelling slowly but inexorably towards me. I was so frightened. I thought about running to get my mother but she was waiting in the car with the motor running on the street for me. The old ladies continued to shout at each other about who this intruder might be, and I became more and more panicked.

Finally, I just left the flowers in the tin-can vase and ran.

It was only later that I realized that I'd totally forgotten to put water in the can, and the flowers would be dead so quickly, before the ladies were even able to enjoy their scent and color.

I've never forgotten the Daffodil Incident. If only I could turn back the clock and go in and water the things so they would have lived for at least a few days. What a waste. I never even told my mother or Miss Betty; I was that embarrassed.

The Woes of Technology

2009-02-02T12:16:00.010-06:00

Last week I accidently spilled hot tea onto my laptop screen. The cat was whining at the door to get out, and the dog was begging with his eyes to be fed. I attempted to get up, with the cup of tea in my hand, when I got tangled up in the wires connecting my hard-drive backup device to my laptop and splashing hot tea all over the screen. I grabbed the soft cloth that comes with the computer cleaning solution trying to frantically wipe the screen, but the tea had honey in it and I didn’t want the cloth to be sticky, so I grab a nearby cotton throw and use that. I clean the screen and all looks okay.

I leave the laptop closed, which I guess was a mistake, because when I return a few hours later and open it, there’s a huge shadow covering the screen. It looks like a lava lamp, but stationary, not moving. I’ve only had the laptop just over a year so I am devastated. I spend the next two hours calling Apple Care. I'm told I have to make an appointment online with the nearest Apple Store. I choose Baton Rouge and spend another hour trying to make an online appointment.

It had only been a few months ago I had made an appointment online because my hard-drive had crashed. I had heard people talking about their computers crashing for years, but I've been through two computers and a laptop with this never happening. So of course, when my new laptop crashed, I had nothing backed up. Hence, the first appointment at the Apple Store in Baton Rouge. Of course, I couldn’t remember how I had made that first appointment online.

The next day I am driving through Baton Rouge traffic to get to the Apple Store at 11 a.m. The young man at the “Genius Bar” tells me there is nothing they can do even though my laptop is still under warranty. He tells me they’ll have to do a T-4 or 10-4 - something that entails taking the entire laptop apart, because there could be moisture damage throughout, and if there was honey in the tea, that is worse. It would be at least $700, but they will sell me a new one for 10% off.

I pack up my laptop, making space for the next person in line, and carry on with my regular Baton Rouge stops: Petco, Target, and Whole Foods. Since it was cool outside, my dog, Frostie, had made the trip with me, and the highlight of his day was his first visit to Petco.

After Whole Foods, I fight my way onto I-10 and, race home, with Frostie panting excitedly in the back. I had left the cat inside, since the morning had been so cold, and I know she needs to get out. So, after two days lost dealing with technology, at the end of the day, I have no doubt it will always be the pets that rule!

My Friend Helen

2009-01-31T23:49:00.003-06:00

My friend Helen is well into her eighties, but she doesn't act like it. Not only is she an accomplished artist, but she's very good with a computer - while most people her age are scared to death of them. She recently told me a great story, which I just had to share.

Her computer lost its internet connection. The cable company said nothing was wrong. So she and a friend tried everything to get it working. She had thrown in the towel and was going to buy a new computer. But suddenly, her internet was magically back on. Then she figured out what had happened.

Her next door neighbor had his cable and internet service disconnected because he was going to have a dish installed. He never could get it to work, so after several days of trying, he asked the cable company to reinstitute his cable service.

Helen figured out that the cable company probably disconnected her instead of her neighbor. Of course, the cable company will never admit it, but I'm sure she's right. She's sharp!

Religious nepotism

2009-01-31T09:05:00.003-06:00

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas (everyone knew me as 'Tizzy' when I lived in Natchez). Thank you, Casey Ann, for asking me to contribute to this blog. I grew up in Natchez but moved away when I was 12 and still miss the place so much. I married an Englishman and live outside London now, but still pine for Southern food, friends and the azaleas in bloom in the springtime in Natchez.

Here's one of my memories of growing up in Natchez:

One of my mother's favourite things was teaching Sunday school to first graders at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez. She would let me re-arrange the felt figures on the board after she had taught a lesson so I could make Job sit in the sky, for example, or whatever I wanted the Biblical characters to do.

When I was old enough to be in her class, I felt so grown up. I had perfect attendance, but so did another girl. That was a problem for Mom because she got to select the cast for the Nativity play at Christmas, and every girl wanted to be Mary.

My mother thought and thought about it, and finally she decided that she would give the role to her daughter, even if everyone thought it was complete nepotism. I was thrilled with her choice. I wore her light blue silk bathrobe and used my cherished Thumbelina doll as the baby Jesus.

It was one of those perfect childhood moments I had the day I was Mary in the Nativity. But do you know that my mother felt a bit guilty about that, even after all those years? She would say, as if to re-assure herself, "but you were my daughter, after all, and you had been to every lesson...."

Lilly Ledbetter - A Heroine

2009-01-29T21:44:00.006-06:00

Who's Lilly Ledbetter, you might ask. Well, if you're a woman or have daughters, you owe her a lot - whether you know it or not. Today was her day. Today the President signed his first bill, and it was named after her.

In 1979, Lilly, now 70, went to work at Goodyear Tire in Gadsden Alabama and worked there for 20 years, where she was an area manager. As she was close to retirement, someone - she still doesn't know who - slipped her a piece of paper showing the pay scales for other area managers. She was totally shocked. She was the lowest paid, despite her years of experience and an excellent work record. The others, paid as much as 40% more, were all men.

She had heard sexist remarks throughout her career and knew there was sexual discrimination, but she had no idea how bad it was. She immediately filed a suit with the EEOC. Can you imagine the courage that took?

A jury found her employer very guilty of sex discrimination - it was blatant and not debatable - and awarded her back pay and punitive damages. Of course, Goodyear appealed.

After 10 years, in 2007, the case landed before the Supreme Court, who ruled 5-4 against her. But you will not believe why. There was no question that sex discrimination occurred. BUT according to 5 MEN on the Court, the law says you have to file a suit within 180 days of when the FIRST discrimination occurred. Not when it was discovered, as every person in the world except these 5 men believed. Unbelievable! Sandra Day O'Connor, where were you when we needed you? Replaced unfortunately by sexist, unfeeling Alito and his buddy Roberts. Thank you, George W Bush for your final screwing of women.

Think back to any of your jobs. Did you know how much all your coworkers were being paid after 180 days? Of course not. So how exactly are you supposed to know that you were discriminated against? Not to mention proving it. What this ruling meant was that, although it was theoretically against the law to discriminate, if an employer could hide it for 6 months - which is pretty damned easy - nothing could ever be done about it.

Finally, Lilly caught a break. This decision came in an election year, and people were incensed and angry - which means that politicians pay attention. So the 2007 Lilly Ledbetter Act was introduced to counteract what the Supremes did. Although it passed the Democrat controlled house with a handful of Republican voters, it was killed in the Senate by a Republican filibuster - a cloture vote (to stop debate) which required 60 votes came up 3 votes short.

Senator McCain, who was too busy campaigning to show up for the vote, issued a statement against the bill. When Lilly, a Republican, read what McCain said, she immediately volunteered to work for Obama. And we know what a hard worker she is. Her husband, who died in December, voted for a Democrat for President for the first time in his life.

Today, Lilly got her reward. The bill passed both houses of Congress and was signed by the President. She was right there with him, and he gave her the pen - and Michelle gave a lunch in her honor. By the way, the bill will not do a thing for Lilly - her case is over forever. She fought this issue for the women who come behind her.

McCain? Hasn't learned a thing. He was still against it, along with all but one of his male Republican Senators. All female Republican Senators voted for it.

Lilly, on behalf of my daughter, my granddaughters, and all future generations of women, I thank you. Oh, and by the way, a Goodyear tire will never be on a car of mine.

The New & Improved Natchez Blog

2009-01-28T22:44:00.004-06:00

I started this blog several years ago in response to some outrageous behaviors by our Mayor and Board of Aldermen. We have a new administration now, and although they're far from perfect, they are a big improvement. I no longer go to all the meetings and really can't report regularly on city happenings anymore. So I've been mulling over what to do with this blog.

I came up with the idea of having a community blog - where lots of local people would blog here whenever they felt like it. And it won't be just about politics anymore. We'll write about whatever strikes our fancy. And we'll all use our real names, so you can tell us in person what you think - as well as posting any comments you wish.

Before announcing this new endeavor, I wanted to be sure someone besides me would actually be writing. I have found three friends who bravely agreed to give it a shot, and they're signing up now. So soon you'll see some new ideas here, just in case you were tired of mine.

And we're looking for more writers - the more the merrier! So if you want to join us or know someone who is, just shoot me an email. The only rules are no major profanity or personal attacks - and you must write using your real name. (Warning:We are picky about spelling and grammar.) The pay is not very good - in fact, it's nonexistent - but the company's good.

You'll be hearing from us soon!

One Last Vienna Tidbit

2008-12-24T18:21:00.005-06:00

I couldn't finish this travel log without mentioning the most unusual building I've probably ever seen: Hundertwasserhaus, undoubtedly one of Vienna's most visited sites. It's in the same District as my daughter's apartment, so we see it often. It's hard to take a picture of, but here is one view looking up.

Hundertwasserhaus is the creation of artist Friedenscreich Hundertwasser, a most unusual artist - a painter, sculptor, and architect. He was famous for his bold, unusual paintings, but he is best known for his revolutionary architectural designs. They imaginatively incorporate elements of the landscape and make use of irregular forms. He hardly ever uses straight lines, saying they are "the devil's tools". Just imagine a building with no straight lines!

The first building he designed was Hundertwasserhaus, which is basically public housing and remains so today - so you can only see it from the outside. He charged no fee for its design. It was built between 1983 and 1986, and features undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feet"), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows. You almost have to see it to believe it - but go to the link that shows Pictures - some are of the inside.

Go to History for other examples of his architectural creations. They are truly amazing.

Christmas in Vienna

2008-12-23T20:31:00.007-06:00

Although I did not spend Christmas in Vienna this visit, I did get to participate in one Christmas tradition - Christkindlmarkt - the Christmas Market.

In December, there are Christmas Markets all over Vienna - a tradition that goes back to the early 17th century. It's a outdoor market with lots of booths selling all manner of things: roasted chestnuts, wursts (sausages), gingerbread, pastries galore, candies, toys of all sorts, and other gift items. There is also entertainment, craft and other activities for kids, ponies to ride, christmas decorations.

Viennese visit these markets all during December, trying to visit them all. We went one evening, and it was jammed with people. The whole family comes - and they come in the evenings. We saw the "Christmas angel" who was accompanied by musicians and dancing throughout the crowd. Children loved her - I think she brings toys to Austrian children during the Christmas season. Not to be confused with ChristKindl, who is similar to Santa Claus and comes on Christmas Eve. There were also horses that look like our Clydesdales, full of bells, dancing through the crowds and amazingly not crushing any children. Maple made a candle at a crafts booth and was quite proud of herself. It was a wonderful, festive experience - and to think these people do it every night for a month! Sure beats going to the mall or WalMart.

Every market has hot alcoholic drinks of two varieties - spiced punch and mulled wine. You will hardly ever see a paper cup in Vienna. When you buy a drink at a market, it comes in a commemorative ceramic cup, included in the price. If you bring it back, they refund your deposit. The Christmas drinks are legendary - and most necessary. All this activity takes place outside - and it is VERY cold! This little Natchez girl was freezing her buns off - in spite of all manner of cold weather gear. But when I was drinking that punch, it warmed me all over - and it was delicious - full of spices and flavoring with berries at the bottom. YUM! Unfortunately, I could only drink one - because they are very powerful. The Viennese stay out there for hours, so I figure they must be able to hold their liquor a lot better than I can.

Here we are - Halane, Maple, and I - all bundled up, strolling down the street. Scott took the picture and is pushing Adele's stroller, where she can be zipped into fur.

Gustav Klimt: Vienna's Most Prominent Painter

2008-12-21T16:45:00.006-06:00

Gustav Klimt is almost a member of our family. Read on to see why.

Klimt (1862-1918) is Vienna's most famous artist. Like many artists of the time, he had a classical art education, and his early work was rather traditional. He started with interior murals and ceilings in public buildings. In 1892, both his father and his brother (with whom he painted) died, and he had to assume responsibilities for their families. This was said to have a strong impact on his painting - and he veered into a personal style of his own. He was a founder and the most prominent member of the Vienna Secession, which supported unconventional young artists.

Around this time, he was commissioned to paint three murals for the University of Vienna. These erotic and overtly sexual paintings caused a major public outcry and were never displayed - and were eventually destroyed by the Nazis. As a consequence, Klimt never took another public commission. However, he continued to be successful by painting for private sources and enjoyed positive critical acclaim.

One of the most famous of his paintings was The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer completed in 1907. The wealthy industrialist Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer commissioned this portrait of his wife Adele. Like many of his other paintings during this period, it features generous use of gold leaf - which makes for a stunning effect - and intricate mosaic patterns. The incredible details make it understandable why it took three years to complete.

This painting has an interesting history. In her will, Adele Bloch-Bauer indicated that she wished the painting to be donated to the Austrian State Gallery. She died in 1925, but her widowed husband had to flee Austria later when the Nazis took over, and all of his art - including this painting - was confiscated. The painting remained in Austria after the war, as Austria thought it was rightfully theirs because of the will. However, in 2006, after a lengthy court case, the painting was awarded to one of Ferninand Bloch-Bauer's nieces, living in California. It was sold at auction for $135 million (the highest price ever paid for an individual painting at the time) by Ronald Lauder for the Neue Galerie in New York.

Losing this painting was considered a national tragedy in Vienna. (Sort of like a court telling us we had to give the Statue of Liberty back to France.) Before the painting left Austria, everyone was invited to come say goodbye. The entire city was plastered with posters that said "Caio Adele". It was at this time that my daughter and her family moved to Vienna and immediately noticed these posters everywhere. They were very impressed with the story - and that a city was so in love with a painting. They decided if they ever had another girl, she would have to be named Adele.

In September 2007, they had a little girl born in Vienna - and her name is Adele.

While I was in Vienna, The Belvedere, which is a huge 18th Century palace that is now a museum of Austrian art, had a special exhibit in honor of Klimt and the 100th anniversary of the Secessionist 1908 Kunstschau (art exhibit). They attempted to replicate the exhibit as it was in 1908, borrowing originals whenever possible.

For this exhibit, our whole family went so we could pay homage to Adele's namesake. Unfortunately, the Neue Gallery would not loan that painting to the Belvedere, so there was only a replica. Adele did not seem to be bothered, but her older sister Maple was incensed. There were many other original Klimt paintings - as well as work by other artists. We purchased prints of the Adele painting in the museum shop, and Maple was appeased by getting a bookmark with the Adele painting - which she used religiously until I left.

So you see why we consider Adele and Klimt part of our family.

Vienna: A City of Culture II

2008-12-21T15:40:00.007-06:00

Vienna's love of music extends to the visual arts. There are so many quality museums that I doubt I will ever visit them all.

On this visit, I started with the Albertina, a grand Viennese palace built in 1744 and named after the collections' founder, Duke Albert, a son in law of Empress Maria Theresa, who received the palace as a gift from the Emperor in 1794 - nice gift! It stayed in the family until 1919, when the newly formed Republic of Austria "expropriated" the palace and the art collection. Like much of Vienna, it suffered serious bomb damage during World War II, but it has been meticulously restored.

My reason for visiting at this time was to see the Van Gogh Exhibit, which included fifty of his paintings and a hundred of his watercolors and drawings. I have always been a Van Gogh fan and seeing his actual work was inspiring. It was the last day of the exhibit and a national holiday, and the place was jammed! Just another example of how Viennese love art. The crowds made it difficult to view the art, but it was worth it.

While at the Albertina, I noticed a permanent exhibit entitled Monet to Picasso. Well, I was in heaven! There were over 500 paintings by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, Signac, Chagall, Rothko, Munch, and others. Plus this section had recently been reopened after renovations - and there were no crowds. I guess this exhibit was old hat to the Viennese.

I also visited another art museum, but that one requires its own article.

Vienna: A City of Culture I

2008-12-10T02:43:00.006-06:00

Vienna is known for its cultural attractions - especially music. December is the beginning of opera season, when people come from all over Europe. Last time I was here during the opera season, we were unable to get tickets, but this year we were lucky. We saw Verdi's Don Carlos, performed in Italian. I don't know what was more impressive - the performance or the opera house.

You must check out the Vienna Opera House, which was built in the mid 1800s. (For a special treat, check out the panoramic views available here.) It suffered bomb damage during World War II but was meticulously restored, with some modern safety and acoustical modifications. We had fantastic seats on the front row of the middle row of box seats toward the center. One really neat modern convenience was a small screen in front of each seat that translates the lyrics into the language of your choice - but can only be viewed from directly in front, so it is not a distraction.

Opera tickets are very expensive, but there are a large number of standing room only seats that are very reasonable. They become available the day before the performance, and people stand in line for hours to buy them. Although the opera audience is exceeding formal and polite, those in the standing sections are known to be more rowdy - showing enthusiastic appreciation of good performances and displeasure with poor performances. Since the most popular standing section was below us, I checked them out periodically, and they seemed to approve.

The opera lasted almost four hours with one long intermission, during which the opulent public rooms offered food and beverage for sale. We settled for a bottle of water and spent our time admiring the rooms and their occupants.

The opera orchestra is composed of members of the Vienna State Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the best in the world, and is as impressive as the singers themselves.

Music is to Vienna as football is to America. The streets of Vienna are full of street performers, but not the kind we are used to. You can see opera singers and violinists performing for tips - trying to earn a living until they can make it to the big time.

To be continued.