Chamblee54

It is perhaps the most famous photograph from the depression. . The semi official title is Migrant Mother. The Library of Congress says “Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California.” The exact date is unknown, and was either February or March of 1936. The photographer was Dorothea Lange (pronounced dore-THEE-ah lang). The model was Florence Owens Thompson .
Ms. Lange was born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, N.J. When she was seven she had polio, and when she was twelve her father left. Both events affected her deeply. ( Lange is her mother’s maiden name, chosen for use after the father left.) She became a photographer, and had a successful studio in San Francisco. By 1936 she was with her second husband, her sons were in boarding school, and she went to work for the Farm Security Administration.
The Farm Security Administration hired a number of photographers to document the lives of Americans between 1934 and 1944. ( During part of this time, it was connected to the Office of War Information, and the Resettlement Administration.) Since they were working for the government, the photographers were not entitled to copyright protection. The majority of these pictures are in the public domain, including the famous pictures of Florence Thompson.
This feature started with a google search for the correct way to pronounce Dorothea Lange. ( Readers of this blog have seen the fondness for Library of Congress historic pictures. Ms. Lange is one of their stars.) This search led to a teacher’s guide from Yale University. This guide is about Dorothea Lange and the Migrant Mother. It tells the story as well as PG could. Bless his pea picking heart.
The day that Dorothea Lange photographed what would become her most famous photograph, Migrant Mother, has been retold by Lange in numerous sources. She was on her way home from a trip documenting the living and working conditions of the migrants to California. She followed their schedules, getting up at sunup and working until sundown, which made for long, sixteen-hour days. She was tired, and she was ready to see her family.
With about seven hours of driving left ahead of her, she passed a homemade sign that said Pea Pickers’ Camp. She knew that a late frost had ruined the pea crop, and was concerned about the people who might be at the camp. It nagged at her to turn around, to go back and visit the camp, another opportunity to document. About 15 minutes (20 miles) later, Lange did turn around and went back to the camp.
Right away she saw the woman who would be the subject of Migrant Mother. Some sources say she took 5 shots, but she really took 6; in any case each shot focuses in on the woman a little more, and the final shot is the one that would become the “timeless and universal symbol of suffering in the face of adversity “ ( The search at the Library of Congress for “Migrant Mother” only has five of the shots.)
Early the morning after she got home, instead of spending time with her family Lange rushed to develop the photographs and submit them to the FSA and The San Francisco News. She thought that these photographs could help bring attention to the plight of these American migrant farmers. She was right; the story was printed in newspapers around the country, and the federal government immediately sent 20,000 pounds of food to the camps. The U.S. public couldn’t believe that the people who provided them with food were starving … (The Thompson family had left for Watsonville by the time the food arrived)
The Dust Bowl refugees were of European descent, and were migrating to California because they were displaced from their farmland by drought. Florence Owens Thompson, though from Oklahoma, was a full-blooded Native American, and her family had been displaced from tribal lands by the U.S. government. (By 1930, Native Americans had lost more than 80% of their lands this way).
The day Lange photographed Thompson, she and her family were driving towards Watsonville, hoping to pick lettuce in the Pajaro Valley. The timing chain on their car broke just outside Nipomo, and so they pulled into the pea -pickers camp to fix it. While fixing the chain, the radiator was punctured; Thompson’s two boys (and likely her male companion) (Wikipedia says it was husband Jim Hill) brought the radiator into town to be fixed. While they were gone, Lange arrived with her camera…
The choices Lange made in terms of shooting the scene are very telling in light of our discussion about documentary photography. Most strikingly, the woman’s teenaged daughter is purposefully excluded from the photograph. She appears in the first two photographs of the series, but Lange thought that including her would cause the viewer to speculate about how old the mother was when she began having children (Curtis p. 55). At the time, the ideal family contained no more than three children; this woman’s family of seven could have detracted from the matter at hand, and maybe caused people to feel less sympathetic towards her (Curtis p. 52).
In the third shot, all you see is the mother nursing her youngest child. Migrant Mother is often referred to as Migrant Madonna… Lange thought that her subject looked too anxious and uncomfortable with the camera, as Lange seemed to have triggered in her what she called “that self-protective thing” (Curtis p. 57). So, despite being uncomfortable with how unpredictable children were to photograph, to calm the mother she added one of the children back into the frame for the fourth shot. She had the child rest her chin on her mother’s shoulder, which, though somewhat unnatural, served the purpose of anchoring the child still. She was also asked to remove her hat, which would have obscured her facial features. This resulted in a good photograph, but Lange “thought she could do better (Curtis p. 58).
The fifth shot was the same, but from a different angle, which illuminates an empty pie tin, heavily symbolic of the hunger the family was facing. It also highlighted a warm and loving relationship between mother and child, as the child is leaning lovingly on the mother’s shoulder, which is comforting to the child.
For the sixth and final shot, (the one which became famous) Lange brought another child in, but she had both children face away from the camera, so that her shot would not be jeopardized by their unpredictability, and they would serve as a loving frame for the mother. Lange asked the mother to bring her right hand up to her face, and that resulted in exactly what Lange wanted and knew was there (Curtis p. 65). It softened her anxiety about the camera into a mother’s concern for the welfare of her family. The mother was worried about letting her sleeping child slip, so in the original sixth shot you could see her thumb grasped around the pole for support. In her excitement Lange did not see it. She eventually altered the original photonegative because she “did not want a small detail to mar the accomplishment (of overcoming her subject’s defensiveness) (Curtis p. 67).”
In this feature, the second image from the session is missing. The pictures in this feature are as follows. 1- The famous picture, cropped. 2- The first shot from the session. 3- A detail from the first shot. 4- The Migrant Madonna. 5- Child on the shoulder. 6- Child on the shoulder #2. 7. The full length famous picture. 8- A portrait of Dorothea Lange. 9- Another photograph by Ms. Lange, taken on the California-Arizona border in the summer of 1936. This is a repost.

While trolling through the archives, trying to avoid writing anything new today, a feature came up from this day in 2008. Influential Men is the first 15 of a list of the “49 Most Influential Men”. In the spirit of living in the present, we will take a look at the Top 49 Men of 2011. Like the 2008 version, this thingie is going to make you click on every page to see the winner. This is a lot of work for a slack blogger. To compensate, we will only examine the top 15, with inappropriate commentary.
01- Steve Jobs is dead.
02- Seal Team Six sent Osama Bin Ladin to paradise.
03- Larry Page is the CEO of Google. He is the top ranked man that PG has not heard of.
04- Warren Buffett has a lot of money.
05- Kayne West sang Gay Fish on Southpark.
06- Mohamed Bouazizi helped spark the revolution in Tunisia. He may be the only person on this list who did anything worthwhile.
07- Prince William has the good fortune to look like his mother.
08- Anonymous is a mystery.
09- Ryan Gosling is an actor with blue eyes.
10- Lionel Messi plays futbol.
11- Cadel Evans rides bicycles, and allegedly does not take drugs.
12- Jon Stewart is an entertainer. Why are comedians taken seriously for their politics?
13- Andrew Mason is the CEO of Groupon. He probably paid for this ranking.
14- George Clooney is an actor.
15- Jay-Z is a rapper, role model for Kayne West, and babydaddy for Beyonce’.
President Barack H. Obama is number 21. He was number one three years ago, when he had not been elected. BHO is ranked ahead of any Republican challengers. This episode of celebrity wallowing is sponsored by Gillette Fusion Proglide. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

PG woke up and turned on the computer. A search in the archives found a couple of posts from 2007 that were ready for a rerun . One held a surprise.
Manifestation is the story of a church sign, and a radio show. There is a link to a site called “Freedom from religion.com”. When you go to the site today, you find Come Follow Me. It is a religious site, where you are directed to “Like” G-d on Facebook.
It seems as though the domain “Freedom from Religion” was bought out. “The Gospel Media Network had a vision to acquire a handful of very important domain names, such as G-d.com, Religion.com, Heaven.com, Christians.com, and many other related names. A group of dedicated, passionate people wish to share the message of the Gospel. Please join us in discovering and celebrating the hope, life and love that is in G-d.”
Freedom from religion had a resource page. One of the programs offered was a counseling service. This service tried to persuade women to not get abortions. When you go to the link for this resource page today, you get the Reach Local Directory. Abortion counseling services are no longer offered.

Your life is a manifestation of what you think of G-d
That was on a church signboard that I passed this morning. While these messages frequently spark a case of platitude fatigue, this one caught my eye. It had the ring of truth, about the people who value belief over performance. A vivid illustration was not long in coming.
On the Laura Ingraham show, there was a debate about Jesus Worship. The players were Dinesh D’Souza and Dan Barker. Mr. D’Souza is an author, who recently wrote a best selling pro Jesus book . Mr. Barker is a radio whiner on Air America, and is affiliated with Freedom From Religion.com. After a civil opening exchange, the affair got nasty. Mr. D’Souza was interrupting his opponent, asking a lot of questions that had little relevance to what he was saying, and generally showing no respect or courtesy. This is consistent with my experience with Jesus Worshippers…that many are rude, love to argue, and show little respect for those with whom they disagree.
Your life is a manifestation of what you think of G-d
It gets better. Mr. D’ Souza was grilling Mr. Barker on where he gets some of his ideas, and Ms. Ingraham jumped in with both feet. “Why do liberals always support abortion?” And she was off, and nothing was going to stop her from a grossout description of late term abortion. Never mind that Freedom From Religion lists counseling services that try to stop abortion. Never mind that Ms. Ingraham is an enthusiastic supporter of the killing in Babylon. If a pregnant woman in Babylon is killed by a cruise missile, does that count as abortion?
Your life is a manifestation of what you think of G-d

The good thing about not having a big audience is the freedom to discuss touchy subjects. I can say more or less anything I want, and since very few are reading, there is no problem. With that in mind, I approach the subject for today’s lesson…the “N- word”. It doesn’t get much touchier.
Now, we all know what that word is. It has six letters, rhymes with trigger, and makes the brains of some people turn into jello. It is a derogatory phrase for people of African origin, and is familiar to a white southern person like myself.
I try to avoid using this term. There are four main reasons for this. If I ever get paid for doing this, I will come up with a top ten list.
1- The N word hurts people’s feelings. I have known many fine Black people, and my life is much richer as a result. I do not want to say anything that will hurt these people. As for the not so fine Black People that I have known, they are G-d’s children just like me. My fellow human beings no not deserve to be insulted just for who they are.
2- Being heard saying the N word can cause all sorts of problems. This can include physical retribution; loss of employment, lawsuits, and having to listen to enough loud angry words to make you wish you had never learned how to talk.
3- It is not a fair fight. There is no equivalent phrase for a Black Person to say to a white person. I do not wish to give that power to another group of people, to turn me into a mass of incoherent rage just for hearing a six letter word.
The closest thing to this is “Cracker”, which I only recently found out was an insult. This is odd, because when I was a boy, we had a minor league baseball team called the Atlanta Crackers. There was even a team in the Negro League called the Black Crackers .
4- The use of the N word demeans the user. When you say an insulting word about another human being, you make yourself look bad. When you hate someone, you hate yourself worse than the person you hate. And frankly, a lot of these people are not worth it. If the N word demeans a paleface like myself, what does it say about a black person who uses it?

On the back page of Vanity Fair is the Proust Questionnaire, a series of questions answered by a celebrity. The quiz was not written by Marcel Proust. He is said to have taken a similar quiz twice, once when he was thirteen, and again at twenty. There were different questions on both occaisons, and the VF application is different from both. The quiz taken by the thirteen year old seems to be the easiest. This will be the basis of today’s feature. Pictures are from The Library of Congress .
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Listening to a Jesus Worshiper.
Where would you like to live? Atlanta GA
What is your idea of earthly happiness? To be surrounded by friends, food, and music.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent? The desire to sleep.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Porter Osborne Jr.
Who are your favorite characters in history? The Confederate deserter who lived with Walt Whitman.
Who are your favorite heroines in real life? Joni Mitchell
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Sissy Hankshaw.
Your favorite painter? M.C. Escher
Your favorite musician? The anonymous studio players on disco songs.
The quality you most admire in a man? Wit.
The quality you most admire in a woman? Friendliness.
Your favorite virtue? Not having a favorite virtue.
Your favorite occupation? Making sticker pictures.
Who would you have liked to be? Someone with more imagination.
As PG was processing this post, a chain email came in. It asked that you send a message to 12 people. It is not certain that 12 people will read this feature. However, as an act of optomism, the following message is sent your way.
QUICK PRAYER Please do not break. Just 27 words – “G-d, our Father, walk through my house and take away All my worries and illnesses and please watch over and heal my Family, Amen.” This prayer is so powerful. Pass this to 12 people Including me. A blessing is coming to you in form of a new Job, a house, marriage, finances, or maybe an answer to Something (a prayer, a request) that you have been waiting For. Do not break or ask questions. Stop what you are doing & send it to 12 people Now. Watch what he does!

This list of questionable laws is borrowed from Bored dot com, who borrowed it from someone else. They advertise a product called Flumist. Today we will look at the A states… Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and Arkansas. When the supply of things to write about slows down, we will look at the other 46 states. Chamblee54 does not guarantee that this list is accurate. When in doubt use common sense. Wait a minute, these are governments making laws. Common sense has nothing to do with it. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress . Alabama• A 1950 anti-obscenity law in Irondale, Ala., prohibited any showing of anyone nude or “in a substantially nude state” except a babe in arms. • Anniston: You may not wear blue jeans down Noble Street. • An ordinance in Linden, Ala., provided that all women of “uncertain chastity” had to be off the streets by 9 p.m. • Bear wrestling matches are prohibited. • Boogers may not be flicked into the wind. • Children of incestuous couples are deemed legitimate. • Dominoes may not be played on Sunday. • Hunting is not allowed on Sunday. • Incestuous marriages are legal. • It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. • It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy. • It is illegal to maim oneself to escape duty. • It is illegal to stab yourself to gain someone’s pity. • It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. • It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile. • It is unlawful to wear women’s pumps with sharp, high heels. • It’s against the law for a man to seduce “a chaste woman by means of temptation, deception, arts, flattery or a promise of marriage.” • Jasper: It is illegal for a husband to beat his wife with a stick larger in diameter than his thumb. • Masks may not be worn in public • Men may not spit in front of the opposite sex. • Mobile: It is unlawful to howl at ladies inside the city limits. It is unlawful to wear women’s pumps with sharp, high heels. • Montgomery: It is considered an offense to open an umbrella on a street, for fear of it spooking horses. • No persons may sell “blow-out nuts”. • Peanuts are not allowed to be sold in Lee County, Alabama after sunset on Wednesdays. • Pool halls may not be operated between 11:30 PM and 6 AM. • Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death. • Slavery is still legal in Decatur, Alabama. • The game of crackaloo is illegal in Fairfield, Ala. • Women are able to retain all property they owned prior to marriage in the case of divorce. However, this provision does not apply to men. • You cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant. • You may not drive barefooted. • You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. • You must have windshield wipers on your car. Alaska • A law in Fairbanks does not allow moose to have sex on city streets. • Even though it is legal to hunt a bear, it is illegal to wake a bear and take a picture for photo opportunities. • Fairbanks: It is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose. • In Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone’s ear while they are moose hunting. • It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane. • Kangaroos are not allowed in barber shops at any time. • Moose may not be viewed from an airplane. • State policy states that emergencies are held to a minimum and rarely found to exist. Arizona • A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month. • Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is considered a felony (This goes back in the days of the Wild West). • Cards may not be played in the street with a Native American. • Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs. • Due to a typographical error in the Tempe, Ariz., code, a shooting range can be run by the “Amateur Crapshooting Association.” • Glendale: Cars may not be driven in reverse. • Hayden: If you bother the cottontails or bullfrogs, you will be fined. • In 1985, an Arizona legislator proposed that each candidate for the legislature take a reading and an I.Q. test three months before the election. The scores would have been posted on the ballot, had the bill passed. But a majority of legislators, for whatever reason, voted it down. • In Arizona it is illegal to take naked photographs before noon on Sunday. • It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling. • It is illegal to hunt camels in the state of Arizona. • It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water. • Maricopa County: No more than six girls may live in any house. • Mesa: It is illegal to smoke cigarettes within 15 feet of a public place unless you have a Class 12 liqueur license. • Mohave County: A decree declares that anyone caught stealing soap must wash himself with it until it is all used up. • Nogales: An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders. • Oral sex is considered to be sodomy. • Prescott: No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of the county court house. • There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus. • Tucson: Women may not wear pants.• When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses. • You may not have more than two dildos in a house. Arkansas • A law provides that school teachers who bob their hair will not get a raise. • A man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month. • A voter is only allowed five minutes to mark his ballot. • Alligators may not be kept in bathtubs. • An Arkansas legislator not long ago proposed that the state provide growth hormones to dwarfs. • Arkansas must be pronounced “Arkansaw” • At Arkansas State University two people cannot hold hands while standing in a doorway unless they belong to a union. • Fayetteville: It is illegal to kill “any living creature”. • Flirtation between the members of the opposite sex on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term. • In Arkansas it is illegal to buy or sell blue lightbulbs. • It’s illegal to mispronounce the name of the state of Arkansas in that state. • Little Rock: Dogs may not bark after 6 PM.; It is unlawful to walk one’s cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday; No person shall sound the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9:00 P.M. -Little Rock City Code Sec. 18-54 • Oral sex is considered to be sodomy. • The Arkansas legislature passed a law that states that the Arkansas River can rise no higher than to the Main Street bridge in Little Rock.

The following document is an attempt at liveblogging the Republican debate. PG cannot type well enough to provide a running transcript, but did the best he could. Some of the mistakes will be edited out. Select comments from twitter are added for your enjoyment. The candidates had rude things to say about Iran, and a plot that went down recently. Juan Cole has a different take on this story. 7:57:57 PM Some guy is warming up the crowd. He just introduced Anderson Cooper. The cable TV audience will not see this part. This is the last chance to make a sandwich before the action starts. This event is in Las Vegas. A few days ago, there was an auto race in Las Vegas that did not turn out well. 8:03:33 PM Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Romney, Mr. Cain, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Santorum come on stage. Bachmann is wearing her hair in a nazi bun, Cain still has the same yellow tie on. It is time to sing the national anthem. /// daveweigel Gary Johnson winning this so far #cnndebate /// Santorum is singing along with the anthem. 8:07:26 PM Mr. Cooper is the solo moderator. Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Perry are not wearing flag pins. 8:08:43 PM Mr. Paul looks like an extra from a horror movie. Mr. Perry is the first one to say conservative. 8:11:19 PM A man in the crowd asks about a national sales tax. Mrs. Bachmann says if you give congress a new tax, it never goes away. PG agrees with this. 8:13:07 PM Mr. Cain is defending his plan. His lips are moving. Mr. Santorum says that Mr. Cain means well. 8:17:40 PM I’ll bump plans with you brother. Mr. Perry wants to rumble with Mr. Cain, who says you are replacing apples with oranges. Mr. Cain says he is misunderstood. Mr. Romney asks if you will pay the state sales tax, and Cain says we are talking about apples and oranges. Finally, Cain admits that the state sales tax will stay. /// txvoodoo Another drinking game phrase: apples, oranges or combination thereof #cnndebate 8:22:05 PM levihenry Is “brother” what Rick Perry is calling them now. He’s grown up since his days on the ranch /// 8:23:51 PM The first mention of Ronald Reagan of the night. Marcus outdid himself on that new hairdo. /// Edward Champion Bachmann: “Even if it’s a dollar, everybody needs to pay something in this country.” Even if your wallet is empty? /// Oliver Willis man, rick perry is just like george w bush, winging it through a debate without answering an actual question #cnndebate #bush2/// first mention of obamacare of the evening /// politicoroger How come Perry calls Gingrich “Newt” and not “Brother”? 8:28:20 PM Mr. Romney tries to back off from Romneycare. Mr. Santorum interrrupts Mr. Romney repeatedly, acting like a Christian. Mr. Romney says he will repeal Obamacare. /// laura myers Santorum calls Romney on Obamacare, saying he has no credibility when he says he would repeal it. Rick gets under Mitt’s collar. 8:33:39 PM Mr. Romney says in MA that people bought insurance from private companies, which was the deal nationally. The lack of a public option is a problem 8:34:58 PM first break of the evening. /// Suzy Khimm So much squabbling, yelling over each other. So many minutes of the debate that are still left. #cnndebate /// Brad Friedman Wow. Newt busted. Forced to admit he supported “individual mandate” on healthcare. Boom goes the dynamite. #cnndebate /// Internet is not showing the commercials . /// Josh Dorner BREAKING: Romney and Newt finally admit that satanic individual mandate is product of Heritage Foundation’s loins #cnndebate /// Ravi K Loving the tweet from someone with Cato institute in the background of their avatar asking about spending cuts #cnndebate /// This is an interesting experiment. PG is not a very fast typist, and is making a lot of mistakes to correct later. 8:38:04 PM Mr. Paul and Mr. Cain don’t like obamacare. 8:40:58 PM Mr. Perry is asked about uninsured people in Texas. He says that Houston Medical Center…. Mr. Perry says that Mr. Romney hired illegal aliens, Mr. Romney laughs at him. Mr. Perry will not let Mr. Romney answer his question. Mr. Romney talks about Perry’s record about immigration, but does not answer question about illegals working for him. /// If you want to be President, you need to let people speak /// Ryan Nelson I feel like this #cnndebate is a bunch of men & one woman screaming so much you can’t understand them. Time to turn 8:45:44 PM Mr. Cain is asked about electrified fence on the Mexican border. Mr. Cain says a lot of stuff. He says he is a non politician, which is another lie. 8:48:12 PM Bachmann says that Obama has a problem with illegal alien relatives. She will build a double wall on the border. /// The Fix Bachmann is ignoring every one on stage. Just attacking Obama. #cnndebate The Fix If you build it, they will come. #cnndebate /// Jesse Taylor This audience looks as pumped for legal immigration as kids look for steamed tofu. #cnndebate 8:52:49 PM An audience man asks what is the message for latinos.. Mr. Gingrich says they want jobs and health care insurance. /// NYDN Daily Politics Mr. Perry says Mr. Romney’s the problem #cnndebate 8:54:12 PM Mr. Paul says that anti illegal measures are not anti latino /// Zach Tumin Perry just said Mitt is an illegal immigrant. Or hired them. Or worshipped their false idols. Or….#cnndebate 8:55:39 PM Mr. Cain is asked about 14th amendment, and he talks about the economy on life support. Mr. Perry…you get to ask the questions, I get to answer them the way I want to… /// Andrew Hyde I feel like the new Muppets movie will be a repeat after seeing the #gopdebate #cnndebate ///Mr. Perry rants about green energy, but does not support repealing 14th amendment 8:57:49 PM Bachmann talks about anchor babies when asked about 14th amendment, says it can be dealt with legislatively… Mr. Santorum says Latinos are faithful family oriented people. It doesn’t answer the question either. /// Josh Nelson Perry was asked about the 14th amendment and responded by talking about coal mining and gas prices. #cnndebate 8:59:42 PM Mr. Paul says we worry more about the border with Afghanistan and Iraq than with Mexico. this is the first mention of the wars 9:00:41 PM Mr. Gingrich is talking about nuclear waste storage. The crowd gets quiet. /// Drew Cline Santorum mentions family breakdown in every debate, but fails to transition to what policies he would use to strengthen familie #cnndebate /// Mr. Paul says that 49 states should not tell one state they should take the waste. There should be no subsidy of nuclear power. Mr. Perry agrees, and says to let the free market work on where we put nuclear waste. /// Al Ramirez Bad answer! Bachmann throwing around racial slur “anchor baby” shows ignorance. Big disappointment. #cnndebate /// 9:04:35 PM man asks about how to repair real estate meltdown. Santorum says that all of his rivals supported TARP. 9:07:16 PM Mr. Romney says the economy needs to get better. Mr. Cain backs down from his support of TARP. Then his lips move about reforming economy. Mrs. Bachmann trashes obama, talking about moms, says she will turn things around but does not say how… 9:09:45 PM Mr. Cain still says if you don’t have a job it is your fault Mr. Paul points out that the banks and wall street were responsible for the money problems 9:12:48 PM Mr. Paul says that you can’t blame the people for the economic disaster. Mr. Romney says that Mr. Obama has made the economy worse. /// Melody Ann Ross RT @allisonkilkenny These debates should have a dude in the background, Googling, and regularly shouting, “WRONG 9:19:36 PM Can a candidates faith shape the debate? Mr. Santorum is asked about cults. Santorum is a member of Roman Pedophile Church. Mr. Gingrich how can i trust you if you don’t pray? Mr. Perry is asked to repudiate bigot aid, but talks about his wonderful religion. Manages to work in a dig about obama.Mr. Romney says that it is wrong to put religion above morality, and base our selection of president based on religion. 9:26:22 PM Man asks whether 500 bil should be cut from the military budget. Mrs. Bachman says that the president of Iran is a homicidal maniac. She says that usa is disrespected because Iraq will not grant our soldiers immunity. 9:28:22 PM Mr. Gingrich I’m a hawk but I’m a cheap hawk works in dig against Mr. Obama. Mr. Paul asks why we have troops in Japan and Germany, we are broke and paying for the socialism in other countries 9:30:32 PM Mr. Cain is asked whether he would negotiate with terrorists. Of course he says that he won’t Mr. Santorum won’t negotiate with terrorist, but will not cut one penny from defense budget. JS says central problem is Iran. 9:33:20 PM Mr. Paul says it is economic suicide to spend so much money on military. 9:34:07 PM Lady in hall asks about foriegn aid .Mr. Perry says we should defund the UN, trashes Palestinians. /// katethegreat The #cnndebate tweets make me glad I don’t have a working tv, but man, I’d love to see a pic of the Rhythm Nation gettup Bachmann is wearing /// Roger Simon Paul: “We have enough weapons to blow up the world 20, 25 times.” Which is it? Stop waffling! #cnndebate 9:36:26 PM Mr. Paul should be easiest place to cut is foriegn aid, says the aid to egypt was disaster. Mrs. Bachmann says we should not cut aid to Israel, says that Israel is the greatest ally of usa. 9:39:39 PM Mr. Paul asks if reagan should be criticized for iran contra, js says that iran was a sovereign country, Mr. Gingrich says that iran contra was a mistake. /// Ben Werdmuller It’s nice to see politicians pander to that elusive “people who relate to Hallmark platitudes” vote. #cnndebate /// Mark Larson From Reagan Breakfast History: I never exchanged arms for sausages. #cnndebate /// Ross Neumann “Dear Iraq, we look forward to being reimbursed for the invasion.” Really Bachmann! Reimbursement?? #cnndebate /// Thomas Keeley Yes, Bachmann just said Iraq should reimburse us. Reimburse us for invading their country? I guess thats 1 way to cut the deficit #cnndebate /// mary squillace Wait, why is Bachmann dressed like Michael Jackson? #gopdebate #cnndebate /// 9:44:26 PM Mr. Cooper asks who is the best man to beat BHO. Mr. Santorum says he won elections in PA, which no one else has done. /// Monica Showalter Electability question? Borring! Inside beisbol. Need questions on Iran, Mexico, free trade, Social Security reform, Chilean Model #cnndebate /// Tim Republicans to the American People, We’re not giving you anything and we’re taking your pot #cnndebate /// Pirate Wench RT @Yeggo: Based on the way Michele Bachmann’s dressed, the Salvation Army repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. /// Erin Ann McBride I’ve never been more proud to be an independent. I would say I’m a libertarian, but the Tea Party has tainted that word for me. #cnndebate /// 9:48:25 PM Mr. Romney says that half the jobs in texas were created for illegal immigrants /// 9:50:20 PM Mr. Cain says if he is the repuglican candidate /// Seema Mehta Perry essentially says “Liar liar pants on fire.” #cnndebate /// Mb has the most annoying voice of the candidates /// Ameya Pendse WHOA, is Perry NOT wearing an American flag pin? /// Blue DuPage We need a Presiident who can clean the parking lot. #cnndebate /// Lauren Balog Foreign Aid is less than 1% of the fed budget. Cutting it would symbolic and deadly. #cnndebate /// Faithnpoli #cnndebate just a few years ago, some of you spoke of the dangers of global warming, now you dismiss its harmful implications-Why the shift? /// Aisha Tyler ladies, ladies, can’t we all just do kamikazes and make out a little bit? #romneyvsperry #cnndebate///selah

PG read Run with the Horsemen. It is an autobiographic account of growing up on a family farm during the depression. It was written by Ferrol Sams. He was an MD in Fayetteville GA, who decided, when he was sixty years old, that he wanted to write.
There is a story about three Russian brothers, named Berrol, Cherrol, and Ferrol. One day, Berrol said “I am going to America, and they will call be Buck”. Cherrol said, “I am going to American, and they will call be Chuck”. Ferrol did not say anything.
RWTH came to PG as a yardsale find. He carried it around for a few weeks, reading when he could. At a Know Talent show in Tennessee, PG read a description of a privy from page 19. He was followed by Dolly Parton. She played a guitar her daddy made from a spam can, and sang “Rocky Top”.
When you are reading a really good book, there is a momentum as you get close to the end. You get wrapped up in the story, and when you get a free minute you want to read more. PG was working as a movie extra when this happened with RWTH. He was in a dark studio, and would step over to read from a red spotlight between shots.
During one of these breaks, PG read the story of how Moo Cow Mullins got his name. It seems the young man took literally the stories about stump breaking cows. When it was his turn, Moo Cow got a five gallon bucket to stand on, and tried to romance a cow. The bovine was not impressed by what Moo Cow had to offer, and dumped a load of feces on his unbuttoned bib overalls. When PG read this, he started to laugh hysterically.
Later, in the holding room, an older gentleman told PG he had seen him reading and laughing. He asked what the book was, and said he thought it was the Bible.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress .

“After all is said and done, a lot more will be said than done.” /// It does not seem to do any good for me to voice my opinion. Nobody listens. Nobody gives a damn. Just as easy to keep my mouth shut. It all pays the same. One of these days, it won’t matter anyway. /// The very worst line in Latin poetry’ was, according to Professor Tyrrell, achieved by Statius when he apostrophised the condition of childlessness as ‘to be avoided by every effort’ (Orbitas omni fugienda nisu). /// Why is it that #OccupyLA can sleep on the lawns of City Hall willingly but legitimately homeless people aren’t afforded the same comfort?… /// “I wouldn’t watch this show if you taped it to a rock and threw it through my window.” /// I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned /// I have often wondered .. Why do some people THINK that they are so much better than me? LORD please KEEP YOUR ARM around my shoulder and your hand over my Mouth! !! /// “Dagara people [in Burkino Faso, West Africa] have made up their minds that they can’t live without elders.They know well enough that in the absence of the elders, the container of cultural wholeness breaks and social chaos arises. Indigenous belief in this is so strong that tribal communities cannot understand how cultures can thrive without elders, the same way that a modern person would have a hard time imagining a life without electricity and running water.” /// After Daylight Savings Time ended, I stopped in to visit my dyslexic friend. He was busy covering his penis with black shoe polish. I said to him, “You idiot! You’re supposed to turn your clock back!” /// young hot thang fuck my bra and gave em brain expect me to love her i could never be a lame attracted to u sexually but u aint my main /// Ignore previous message. /// “Most men employ the first part of life to make the rest miserable.” — Jean de la Bruyère /// The world is divided into two kinds of people: People who show up, and people who are poopyheads. /// “When you’re young, you look at television and think, there’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought.” — Steve Jobs /// “A revolution without cuddling is not a revolution worth having.” ~ Emma Goldman /// Thought for the day: I stand with the 99%! (but I’m still buying a new iPhone!) /// #dontbemadatmebecause you have no friends. Not my problem that you walk out of every single friendship that goes on in your life. /// I thought you should know that there is a scientific law stating that when there is booze, people talk about your dick. /// Oh I forgot to tell you that while you were in the bathroom last night I made friends with a gay man named Rodger from Venezuela and he kissed me cheek and told me I “knew how to shake my thing”. From now on we go to the bathroom as a team. /// I have a busted ear drum from when he honked his horn when we started to have sex on his car in the parking lot… /// Apparently, I kept going on about how i’m going to name my first born Ramen. I think this is a good parenting move. /// CTO: Hey, what are you doing? Female working on office chair with power screwdriver: Trying to prove I don’t need a man. So far, I’m succeeding. CTO: Totally wrong power tool for that. /// Coworker No, no. He is not retarded. He is just a creepy Bastard. /// Drive-through customer: Yeah, I’d like a number 7, and I want those fries hot and fresh. Cashier: Okay, number 7. What did you want to drink? Drive-through customer: Didn’t you hear me? I said I wanted hot and fresh fries! Cashier: Sure, I heard you. Drive-through customer: Well aren’t you going to do anything about it? Cashier: Oh, don’t worry. I pushed the “hot and fresh” button. Drive-through customer: Oh… okay. /// Admin assistant to partner: Enough with the accountant’s version of internet porn. Can’t you google boobies like a normal man instead of governmental auditing standards? /// Flu shots are gross. They have like formaldehyde and crazy shit in them. I was glad I’ve never gotten one when I read about what’s in them. The good part is that your body can start producing web fluid now and you’ll be swinging around the city in no time!

Agent #1: Is that Harry Potter on your notebook? Agent #2: Yeah, I was just writing in it. Agent #1: I read one of the Harry Potter books. It was totally demonic. Agent #2: Really? What was the story about? Agent #1: I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention. ///hmm not sure that is a good thing LOL /// “Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists.” ~ G.K. Chesterton /// @tejucole: A pair of tough dames, Grace and Onobong, dissected each other at a beer parlor in Oworonsoki. Love rivals. /// Love gave her strength RT @tejucole Franca, 59, of Anambra, delivered 6 children,…, but couldn’t deliver D 1.5kg of cocaine in her luggage /// Jesus take the wheel…cause I need to reach in the back & smack these smart ass kids!!~ /// Some men are like alley cats, when they feel like they are not fed enough at home,they go rummaging through the trash! /// The difference between surprise and suspicion is whether the number of eyebrows raised is even or odd. /// If our elbows bent the other way, we could constantly pat ourselves on the back, but we wouldn’t be able to masturbate. Tough call. /// When Marshall Bean left the Army in 1965 after eight years’ service, he inverted his name to escape his creditors. His new driver’s license and Social Security card read Naeb Llahsram. Unfortunately, this fooled the Army, too, which drafted him back again in 1966. It took him more than a year to convince them he’d already served. “All this is his own fault,” an Army spokesman told the Associated Press. “It would not have happened in the first place if he hadn’t spelled his name backwards.” /// 12,000,000 people live here in Tokyo. I know I’m not alone. Others must feel the way I do. /// *An eppy of CSI then sleeps me thinks…Then another long day at the office…Payday better be worth it this week *chuckles* /// Operation See As Many Parts Of The World For Free As Possible is going strong with an early start tomorrow for legs 5 and 6 of 2011… /// In the wake of the death of Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, a look at the dangers of auto racing: /// Middle Eastern guy with only very slight accent, to his lawyer: So do you think the judge will let me out of the contract? Middle aged white lawyer: Sure. Just say that the interpreter signed the contract without telling you what it said. /// Little girl, leaving theater: But why, daddy!? Father, with heavy Long Island accent: Cuz it was rainin’ meatballs /// Girl #1: Why are you wearing a man’s batman shirt? Girl #2: Because Batman is the best darn superhero in the world. Well, not in the world. That’s Jesus. After Jesus, there’s Batman. /// Accidently said “your going to hurt the baby” when he got forceful with his thrusts. I guess I forgot to mention to him that we are pregnant. /// This inappropriate post strip club text brought to you by Cheetah of Palm Beach and vodka. Blowjob in the champagne room and the clap for the low low price of your paycheck. /// He gave me a hug and said “He doesn’t deserve you, Anna. Your boobs are great, and I’d fuck you anytime. Any. Place.” I need a new ‘gay’ friend. /// I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. ~ Joseph Campbell /// Onomasticist Elsdon Coles Smith keeps a file on unfortunately named law firms. His list includes Ketcham & Cheatham in New York, Wind & Wind in Chicago, Ruff & Ready in Miami, and Dilly, Dally, Doolittle & Stahl in Akron. Novelist Paul Auster insists he encountered an Irish firm called Argue & Phibbs. /// “My opinion of mankind is founded upon the mournful fact that, so far as I can see, they find within themselves the means of believing in a thousand times as much as there is to believe in, judging by experience.” — Augustus De Morgan /// “What you can do is simply a matter of what you will do.” — The Phantom Toolbooth /// He throws nickels as though they were manhole covers /// toxic chemicals and virus strains grown on living tissue and/or genetically modified in sterile laboratories are in your body now…great /// selah

After publishing a feature about white privilege , PG thought it would be fair to look into black privilege. When you visit Mr. Google, some of his suggestions are black privilege checklist, black privilege furniture, and black privilege fact or fiction. The top result is a feature in American Thinker. “Personally, I have never had a moment of white guilt in my life. Now this is a significant statement given that I am Jewish and from New York. I feel guilty about pretty much everything!”.
NPR has an audio file called Black Male Privilege? . It is downright fascinating.
Prof. LEWIS: I think youve unfortunately identified one of the central issues of black male privilege. So often, black men are used to being under attacked that when it comes to being accountable for the actions we may have, we quickly say, well, I couldnt possibly be doing anything wrong. Look at all the ways in which Im oppressed. Look at all the ways in which Im at the bottom of the barrel. What that does is rob us of an opportunity to actually build stronger community and it robs black men of a chance to actually take hold of the actions that they have so that we can empower the community.
MARTIN: What reaction do you get when you talk to people about this?
Prof. LEWIS: Among black women, in particular, I get a lot of amens and saying, thank for actually exposing this. Among black men, one of the most common ones I get is, well, this seems ridiculous. Its an oxymoron. How could black men be privileged? Its like jumbo shrimp. It doesnt add up. … And they say, you know, what did my black male privilege get me? Im unemployed. … : Initially, my first exposure was actually around the Million Man March. I felt that I was transformed by the Million Man March, and I thought it was one of the most powerful events ever. And I was having a conversation in class with a professor, Dr. Beverly Guy Sheftall, and she said that she couldnt support the Million Man March because it was very patriarchal and it put black men at the center. And I said, well, it doesnt always have to patriarchal. You dont always have to put black men at the center. And if she said, isnt it an amazing privilege to tell someone else what they dont have to take seriously? And that paused me for a moment. And I said, wow. What is it in my past that makes me say I can define what someone else would think of as important? (Here are more thoughts on this subject by Dr. L’Heureux Dumi Lewis )
Times are tough in the US of A. To an unemployed white person it is easy to say, what good has this privilege done me? And isn’t it a form of privilege to label anything you don’t like about someone as being due to privilege? Has privilege become a catch22 for anything you don’t like about a person?
This feature is not a complete recap of the google results for black privilege. There were a couple of white racist sites that are best ignored. Two wrongs do not make a right. Pictures today are from
” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”

PG had heard the phrase “white privilege” a few times, and decided to ask Mr.Google about it. The top choice was White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack “This article is now considered a ‘classic’ by anti-racist educators.” It is four pages long, which might not break the attention span.
A document like this is almost impossible to read with an open mind. You are a member of a group, such as a white male like PG. There are a lot of things here which PG agrees with, a few his disagrees with, and a few that are dependent on the reader’s point of view. The sentence that PG felt obliged to copy was ” I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes”. It is as if the attitudes of black people did not matter.
There are more headshakers in this article. In a list of privileges white folks take for granted, number 18 was ” I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in charge,” I will be facing a person of my race.”. That might have true once, but is not today.
Getting back to White Privilege (and ignoring the White Privilege Conference results), there are lots of people thinking about this subject. The University of Dayton contributes Defining “White Privilege”. In the text, the author mentions starting a site, Whiteprivilege.com. This site is currently under construction. It does give you the opportunity to buy “Privilege Car Insurance”.
A feature, What is white privilege?, compares every person with pale skin to the Palin family. “White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.” This runs counter to line 21 of the Invisible Knapsack list, ” I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group. “
PG went looking for answers, and got more questions. He does not deny that being caucasian has advantages in our society. These advantages do not mean that one should lay down quietly and let black people get their revenge. We are all G-d’s children. You should be proud of who you are, without taking advantage of your neighbor. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

This is a double repost of material originally published in October 2009. There is a certain synergy between the two topics. One refers to a video, which is no longer available for viewing. As the white letters on the black screen say, “This video cantains content from NBC Universal, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.” The pictures are from Little Five Points and Oakland Cemetary. Again, there is a certain co dependence between the two subjects.
When you step into the world of Avitable, you never know what to expect. Today, it was a list of things that Avitable wishes he could do. To illustrate, he posted a video of a man singing.
There is a rule in the south about wishing. You are required by law to repeat this saying about wishing whenever the concept is mentioned. You can wish in one hand, and s**t in the other, and see which hand gets full faster.
Looking at the video, PG suspects that was what Shane was doing. The viewer does not know which hand got full faster. It is best if Shane washes his hands.
There have been lots of comparisons of singing and defecation. There used to be scat singers. Playing Frank Sinatra records in a garden makes the roses grow faster.There is a saying about being busy. “I don’t know whether to s**t or go blind”. Stevie Wonder wishes he had tried ex lax.

Atlmalcontent has put a name on something that PG has known about for a long time. He calls it frown syndrome, and says it is because of poor bone structure. PG calls it sad face, and it has had an impact on his life. If PG ever forgets that he has frown syndrome, there is always someone to remind him.
The nutshell is that PG’s face has a default setting that many see as being unhappy. PG does not know why this is, and, if he thinks about it, can make an effort to “put on a happy face”. However, if he is tired or bored, this is probably not going to happen. PG then looks like he just lost his best friend.
The ever helpful Urban Dictionary has a listing for frown syndrome. It is “A cranky little bitch whose a downer no matter what.” Wikipedia does not have an article for frown syndrome.
The suggested Wikipedia alternative that caught PG’s eye was Washlet syndrome. A washlet is a Japanese commode that shoots water up a body cavity, for hygienic purposes. It seems as though some people abuse this device, for pleasure purposes. Whether or not they smile was not discussed. The article…actually a section of a longer article about Japanese toilets…said that washlet syndrome was frowned upon by Japanese society.
Persecution of those with frown syndrome is acceptable in modern culture. Once a person is tagged with the dreaded label “negative attitude”, anything you say or do to this person is all right. Perhaps in a more enlightened society, people with a sad face will not face discrimination.

PG saw the “story” at the top of this feature on facebook. His first reaction was different from the 66,666 people who “liked” the story. Here was a mentally impaired woman, using deadly force, about a parking lot mistake. What kind of society gives this person access to deadly force? What kind of society encourages the “senior” to arm themselves, with lurid daily reminders about the need to kill their neighbor? PG recognizes that the handgun pandora is long out of the box. Our society is sick.
The seminal picture is not text paste friendly. PG wanted to write about this business, but did not want to retype the entire tale. He went to Mr. Google, and asked for “Gun Crazy Lady in Sarasota”. The first page of results should provide plenty of merriment for today’s post. Those who were offended by the first paragraph can come back now. Pictures are from The Library of Congress .
The top result is from the urban myth busters at snopes. They say it is a Legend. Three versions of the story are presented. One of them was published by “Dear Abby” in 1998. Some versions of the story have a racial angle, with black men chased from their vehicle by a white granny.
Traffic Ticket Secrets has a whimsical list of traffic regulations. In Sarasota FL, if you hit a pedestrian you are fined $78.00. In Pensacola FL, It is illegal to roll a barrel on any street, fines go up according to the contents of the barrel. In a statewide Florida law, If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. Just over the state line in Quitman GA, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.
Some adrag called the Herald Tribune has an uplifing story, “High-speed chase followed shooting, robberies.” The alleged actors were driving a Mercedes, with a flat tire in front. They were arrested after a high speed chase.
The inerrant facility known as Wikipedia  adds to the fun with List of unusual deaths. In 1974, “Christine Chubbuck, an American television news reporter, committed suicide during a live broadcast on July 15. Eight minutes into her talk show on WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida, she shot herself in the head with a revolver.” In another Sarasota story, the person sitting in front of PeeWee Herman was not injured.
Another news processor (with a header ad for the 2012 Lincoln MKX) has a feature called FloriDUH. In keeping with the Sarasota theme, we will only present stories from that fine town. 44yo Michael Wayne Arnold is the “ Sarasota man charged with ‘doctor shopping’ to obtain almost 11,000 pills “In all, he obtained an estimated 10,775 pills of Oxycodone, Dilaudid, Carisoprodol, Morphine, Methadone and Xanax, approximately 879 pills a month,” a sheriff’s news release states. According to the sheriff’s office, Arnold has an extensive criminal history and, at the time of his arrest was out of jail on bond for a DUI charge in May of this year. The sheriff’s office identified Arnold as an unemployed construction worker.”
A fun loving Sarasotan is “33-year old Ryan Michael Leach. He is charged with Exploitation of the Elderly for misappropriating more than $100,000 of his grandmother’s money for personal gain. Leach gained Power of Attorney over his 84-year-old grandmother’s accounts in August 2010. At that time the deductions started to reflect purchases at bars, restaurants, hotels, theme parks, airfare, and recently, a $14,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle … Detectives determined Leach took $102,277 from his grandmother’s accounts, including her checking, savings, a CD and home equity line of credit. The victim, who displays confusion and cognitive impairment, said Leach told her she would be placed in a nursing home if Leach was put in jail.” It is not known if Granny was armed.
Not all of the stories are about crime. Two sets of triples, three sets of twins born in one week at Sarasota Memorial. “Desiree Chubb, the remarkably relaxed mother of the Bradenton triplets, is happy to be taking them off Peco’s hands. She and their father, Dean Garati, have built what they hope is a sleep-inducing secret message into the girls’ bedroom. “We have three letter Z’s on all the walls, and we’re praying they’ll take that as a hint,”