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Perspective

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:57:46 -0400

I was forwarded this by a good friend today and it is a great reminder of things I often forget--or better yet--take for granted. Not trying to get on the soapbox but thought it was a good enough view point to post here.

And for the record, I prefer Letterman over Leno any day but again--it's good perspective for all of us!

Subject: Jay Leno on President Bush (Surprising)

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

"As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?

A.. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.
H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home?

J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.
K.. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family?

against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents.Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen.No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out?   The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11?   The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession?   Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it.

The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig. So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?
Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it blleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a    book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!
Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative. With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?" -Jay Leno

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Alert: Baby Pig wearing Wellies!

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:20:36 -0400

PIG_IN_BOOTS_404_677893c

Read about the pig who got over her fear of mud by wearing Wellies...God Bless these owners. Hilarious, strange but most of all: CUUUUUTE!

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About Time

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:46:36 -0400

There is finally an update on this terrible, heartbreaking story: Although I am glad he is being punished, I certainly don't think that losing his job is enough. How about some jail time? Or being thrown off a cliff? I'm all for an eye for an eye when it comes to how animals (and babies, senior citizens, and people in general) are treated.

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This is why it's hard to leave in the morning

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:21:16 -0400

IMG_0418

If only I could work from home or take a maternity leave...having a new dog is like having a new baby in my book!

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1st Barbecue of the Summer

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:18:48 -0400

Great friends, good food, animals and tow--followed by a Doobinin gig at Rockwood....could I ask for a better day to kick-start the summer?

An Amazing Read

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:23:25 -0400

I just finished The First Man by Camus, which was one of the most poignant, beautiful books I've ever read. I haven't felt the need to openly cry over a book in ages. LT: 0 Camus: 1

The First Man

Albert Camus

After he died in a car accident, his family found the manuscript, along with notes and sections completely crossed out. His wife did not want it published and until her death, his children agreed. After they read it and thought about it more, they decided to go ahead and publish it to give his readers more insight into his life. When I started reading it, I felt a sort of disloyalty because as many of you know, I have struggled with letting certain things from people I have known who have died being brought out for public consumption. What I have learned from being allowed to read such a beautiful book, is that in the end, all that matters is that the original material should not be edited or retouched. It should be left as is--which is exactly what this book was to really honor that person and their wishes.

There are footnotes throughout the entire book, noting things like "illegible word" or "sentence ends here." The last section of the book are his notes--which mostly contain random facts and beautiful ramblings for thoughts on how some sections should be rewritten. It ends with two letters--which were so beautiful and humbling--I feel lucky that I was able to read them and peek inside this iconic writer's inner life.

The First Man is a semi-autobiography about Camus childhood in Algiers and the struggle he felt while growing up in poverty and the hope and passion he had for life because of it. It is an amazing book and I highly recommend it.

Case in point:
"...today he felt life, youth people slipping away from him, without being able to hold on to any of them, left with the blind hope that this obscure force that for so many years had raised him above the daily routine, nourished him unstintingly, and had been equal to the most difficult circumstances--that, as it had with endless generosity given him reason to live, it would also give him reason to grow old and die without rebellion."

Go read this book now!

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Death by Nostalgia

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:03:04 -0400

Spring will always get me. I miss the days of running around and having no responsibilities--and having my biggest problem be what guy I was going to go after...

Ahh youth.

I Remember You - Skid Row

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Week of 3/31: Measure For Measure Post(s)

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:06:09 -0400

MeasureForMeasure

Featured Artists:
Darrell Brown and Suzanne Vega

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Books of a Lifetime

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:10:37 -0400

KT once told me about someone she met that enjoyed talking to. She asked him for a list of 5 books she should read in her lifetime. She enjoyed the list. I loved that idea so I am asking you, dear friends, what 5 books would you tell me I must read before I leave this earth? Comment back please!

If I could only bring 5 books with me on a desert island and/or to my death bed, this would be my list*

*subject to change at any time and I am cheating by throwing in a 6th so I can get my poetry in there too

Twilight Sleep

Edith Wharton

Anything by Edith Wharton is amazing. I love her to pieces. Her stories of Old New York are timeless but this one is pure magic.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

*Sigh* He is one of my favorite authors, dead or living, hands down. I'm sad though because I've read everything--including his short stories, autobiography and magazine articles so I may have to reread this again soon for another fix

On Love: A Novel

Alain de Botton

My generation's "Unbearable Lightness of Being" (just cheated again!) Hilarious and poignant--and love the diagrams (pre-Eggers)

Where the Red Fern Grows

Wilson Rawls

Ok. This is a kids book. But this is not for the faint of heart. One of my first real-life (and not Hollywood) crushes was Mr. Loffler--my 4th grade teacher who read this out loud to us every day after lunch. One chapter a day. As we got towards towards the end, he started crying and tearing up so much that he couldn't finish the book and it became a home work assignment. When I finished it at home, I had to sleep downstairs on the couch, next to my parents room and with my dog right at my feet for quite a while. I cried like a baby over this book for a good week. I don't know if a book has effected me that much since.

As She Climbed Across the Table: A Novel

Jonathan Lethem

Thus began my Lethem fetish.

Book of Poetry: Tie (extra cheating)

Satan Says (Pitt Poetry Series)

Sharon Olds

A line from "The Victims" to entice you--it's really powerful--all the poems are:

"Now I pass the bums in doorways,
the white slugs of their bodies gleaming through slits in their
suits of compressed silt,
the stained flippers of their hands,
the underwater fire of their eyes, ships gone down with the lanterns lit,
and I wonder who took it and took from them in silence
until they had given it all away and had nothing left but this"

Collected Poems 1947-1980

Allen Ginsberg

I don't believe this fella requires an introduction.

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Help Me Help Animals in the City Shelters

nobody@vox.com(lauriert) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:37:57 -0400

A few weeks ago, I went with my friend Jill to pick out a dog at the Brooklyn branch of the NYC Center for Animal Control. My heart broke into a million pieces and I highly doubt it will ever recover. Ladies and gentleman, this is no ASPCA. This is the lowest of the low. Dogs, Cats and Rabbits are shoved into tiny cages, no blankets, no toys, a bowl of water and little hope.

After 7 days of being posted, if no one adopts or claims them, off they go to Animal Heaven. 20,000-30,000 adoptable, healthy dogs are euthanized every year in NYC alone because of overcrowding. I don't even want to know what the total number of animals (including cats, rabbits, etc.) is. The whole thing is truly wretched.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. I have to do something to help. I've decided to give as many animals as possible a little trinket to play with or a nice place to snuggle while they are in the shelter system.

This is where you come in.

Every month, I'll be collecting gently used blankets, towels and new toys for any of the above animal types and will be dropping them off at the Brooklyn branch. I will be donating at least $25.00/month or more to the cause and will personally drop off anything I collect.It's not a lot but at least it's something.

If you are interested in helping, please comment back and I will email you with my mailing address so you can send whatever you would like to donate. I will post pictures or a note from a NYACC rep to prove that it's all going to this new cause I'm on.

I'm calling this initiative the Furbaby Blanket Fund and will be creating a separate blog to post updates.

Thanks for reading this--and thank you in advance for any blanket, towel, toy or donation you send.

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