Incredible (and Worrying) Video

Just saw this on Michelle Malkin's site:

Edit: The video has been removed. It's probably available elsewhere, but I'm too lazy-- er, busy to hunt it up. Basically, it showed a class of elementary school students rapping/singing about how wonderful "mm mm mm, Barack Hussein Obama" is. Part of it was set to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and one line was "borrowed" from the classic Sunday School song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", with Obama substituted for Jesus.

If this happened in my (nonexistent) child's class, the teacher, principal, school board, superintendent, and so on would be getting an earful, the first I heard of it. (Plus I'd probably move him/her into another class... or a different school... or begin homeschooling.)

It's enough to make you feel physically ill.

Update:
Michelle Malkin writes today about the origins of the video.

The person filming the rap/song is someone named Charisse Carney-Nunes, and the auditorium has also been identified-- B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington Township, NJ. (Yeah, I somehow figured it wasn't anywhere local. (g))

Charisse Carney-Nunes, "a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she was a schoolmate f President Obama", is the author of a 2009 book titled I Am Barack Obama, and there's a copy of it on an easel at the left-hand edge of the video.

. . . Still waiting to hear who "okayed" this charming (and oh-so-educational) event, and whether or not the parents of the children involved were aware of how their sons and daughters were spending the day.

A Trip Through the IKEA Catalog

I love looking at photos of organized spaces. Pantries, mud rooms, and entryways! Hooks, shelves, jars, and boxes! Tantalizing peeks into partially (artistically) opened drawers and cabinets! Those photographs are somehow fascinating. (Larger versions of these photos are just a click away...)





(Ok, I'll admit it. I like to look at "home" photographs in general, even if they're not focused on organization. I also am extremely fond of House Hunters and a handful of house-flipping and -decorating programs.)




For someone who loves the clean look of organization, though, my own ability to keep things organized is sometimes lacking. Of course, no-one (or let's err on the side of caution and say "hardly anyone") keeps his/her home as perfectly/artfully arranged as the rooms presented in many catalog and magazine photos.

There are lots of white-spined books in these showrooms-- probably because white is not distracting and goes with anything. Then there are the photos where some of the books just happen to match the decor of the room. Almost as though they had been carefully chosen for that very reason. . . Like these touches of blue that go with the painted wainscoting:


Coordinating colors in the furniture, flooring, and wall art of the room, I can accept. (I pay some attention to those things, myself.) But what are the chances that the books in the bookcase-- or the clothing stored in the closet-- would magically fit into that particular room's palette? (Unless this person is completely, unhealthily obsessed with a certain color scheme. "No. I keep telling you, I can't buy carrots. The orange just doesn't 'go' in our kitchen.") The results are attractive, but artificial. As much as I like the look of those perfect, photoshoot-ready rooms, I'm just not prepared to arrange my entire life around the color of the family room rug-- or sofa-- or what-have-you.

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Interesting (?) side note:
Years ago, while browsing a book about the "shabby chic" style, I was amazed to see that the author actually suggested purchasing cosmetics (for example) in colors that coordinate with the room where they'll be kept.

Kind of like this, I guess:

Note the "pretty" toiletries in glass dispensers? And see how they're all either white/clear, acid green, or gold? Now, that takes some serious devotion-- especially if you do it in real life and aren't just putting on a temporary show for a photograph or sales display.

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Then we have photos like the one below:


It's a pretty room-- so fresh and open, with all the windows and the white paint, curtains, and bedding. The wall of green houseplants really gives it a little extra something, doesn't it?

But then you begin to wonder who's going to keep those plants watered, fed, cleaned, etc. Some of them are 'way up there. . . Who's going to enjoy the plants when they're five inches from the ceiling? No wall of fresh green houseplants for me.

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If you haven't been to my Flickr photostream in a while, there are some recent photos of our non-catalog-worthy (yet (g)) breakfast room/kitchen. I took them mainly to show the progress we've made on our beadboard wainscoting project.

There's still a lot of painting to do. The cabinets will eventually be painted white. (I've written about it too many times to back out now. ;o)) The walls will also be painted, but at this point I can't tell you whether they'll be robin's egg blue or cream/almond/sand. Then there are the hinges and pulls (more on that another time). . . some crown moulding to install. . . and a few smaller projects for revamping the room's furniture/accessories.

. . .Oh, and I just remembered the "tables and chairs" project. . . So I'll probably have the official "before and after" photos ready for you in about two or three years.

Ohhh! The *Incivility of It All*!!

I really don't want to become someone who only blogs politics and/or links (maybe it's already too late), but...

Today I read this article: "Secretary Slams Political 'Trash Talk'".

A Republican member of President Barack Obama's cabinet blistered conservative talk-radio hosts and cable-television news yesterday, saying they have eroded civility and impeded the nation's ability to solve big problems.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Dispatch that the level of "harsh discourse in Washington has probably reached an all-time high," and he partly blamed it on "all of this trash talk about the process and about politicians 24/7" on cable television and talk radio.

LaHood referred to criticism Obama received for appearing Sunday on five television news shows to promote his health-care overhaul. The secretary also indicated that even the president's bully pulpit is no match for the cacophony over the airwaves from the political right.

"He can't even compete with all this stuff that people are saying about him, so the idea that he did five interviews on Sunday, that's just minuscule compared to the kind of trash talk that goes on all week prior to that," LaHood said.

"All of this background, all of this trash talk in the background, it does not contribute to civil discourse, and it does not contribute to the government or the country's ability to solve big issues."

. . . I believe the expression I'm looking for here is (clearing throat and assuming my best oratorical tone)--
"Boo hoo. Cry me a river."

Yesterday, LaHood named them [Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck] and Fox News commentator Sean Hannity for diminishing civility. In the rural central-Illinois congressional district LaHood used to represent, he said, Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity dominate the daytime airwaves.

"Now, when you get farmers picking their corn and beans, driving around in their (tractor) cabs listening to, from 9 to 3, these guys all revved up against Obama, against everything that he's trying to accomplish, that gets people stirred up. They're making an enormous amount of money by trashing politicians and trashing the process."

Referring to cable TV news shows, LaHood said, "Look, you know as well as I do that there's not enough news for 24 hours, so what happens is that these channels keep repeating politicians yelling at one another or people that are all exercised, and that gets people all revved up.

"And it also gives the idea that maybe these politicians don't know what they're doing."

Asked whether he envisions any changes in the media that might reverse the trend of incivility, LaHood replied, "In a word, no. Unless the people decide that the way, you know, (is) to shut it off, turn it off."

Oh, man! This guy should be a stand-up comedian!

"And it also gives the idea that maybe these politicians don't know what they're doing."

Wha..? How on earth could we get a crazy idea like that? Clearly all politicians are geniuses capable of solving the world's problems without any in-put from the rest of us. And they're all so noble, with only our best interests in mind! All any of them want is to help little old me and you. None of them are power-hungry. Not a single one of them is incompetent. And as for the ones who aren't power-hungry or blatantly incompetent, you know that they are incapable of making mistakes (like a mere mortal might be).

I particularly love the way he oh-so-subtly insinuates that those poor idiot farmers-- you know, the ones "picking their corn and beans, driving around in their (tractor) cabs listening to, from 9 to 3, these guys all revved up against Obama, against everything that he's trying to accomplish"-- are too weak in the head to make up their own minds about what they're listening to. (Well, you know what farmers are like. They believe every word they hear-- 'specially if it comes out of the Magic Talkin' Box. No critical thinking ability whatsoever.)

This savvy politician knows that it's bad news when the people get "stirred" or "revved" up-- or woken up.

Hush-a-bye, baby! Close your eyes. Go back to sleep.
Everything's alright. Just leave it to us. We know best.

To Market She Will Go!

It strikes me that this article (from The Washington Post) might be amusing to look back upon, someday:

Hi-Ho, the Derry-O

By Dana Milbank
Friday, September 18, 2009

Let's say you're preparing dinner and you realize with dismay that you don't have any certified organic Tuscan kale. What to do?

Here's how Michelle Obama handled this very predicament Thursday afternoon:

The Secret Service and the D.C. police brought in three dozen vehicles and shut down H Street, Vermont Avenue, two lanes of I Street and an entrance to the McPherson Square Metro station. They swept the area, in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with bomb-sniffing dogs and installed magnetometers in the middle of the street, put up barricades to keep pedestrians out, and took positions with binoculars atop trucks. Though the produce stand was only a block or so from the White House, the first lady hopped into her armored limousine and pulled into the market amid the wail of sirens.

Then, and only then, could Obama purchase her leafy greens. "Now it's time to buy some food," she told several hundred people who came to watch. "Let's shop!"

Cowbells were rung. Somebody put a lei of marigolds around Obama's neck. The first lady picked up a straw basket and headed for the "Farm at Sunnyside" tent, where she loaded up with organic Asian pears, cherry tomatoes, multicolored potatoes, free-range eggs and, yes, two bunches of Tuscan kale. She left the produce with an aide, who paid the cashier as Obama made her way back to the limousine.

There's nothing like the simple pleasures of a farm stand to return us to our agrarian roots.

The first lady had encouraged Freshfarm Markets, the group that runs popular farmers markets in Dupont Circle and elsewhere, to set up near the White House, and she helped get the approvals to shut down Vermont Avenue during rush hour on Thursdays. But the result was quite the opposite of a quaint farmers market. Considering all the logistics, each tomato she purchased had a carbon footprint of several tons.

The promotion of organic and locally grown food, though an admirable cause, is a risky one for the Obamas, because there's a fine line between promoting healthful eating and sounding like a snob. The president, when he was a candidate in 2007, got in trouble in Iowa when he asked a crowd, "Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?" Iowans didn't have a Whole Foods.

For that reason, it's probably just as well that the first lady didn't stop by the Endless Summer Harvest tent yesterday. The Virginia farm had a sign offering "tender baby arugula" -- hydroponically grown, pesticide free -- and $5 for four ounces, which is $20 a pound.

Obama, in her brief speech to the vendors and patrons, handled the affordability issue by pointing out that people who pay with food stamps would get double the coupon value at the market. Even then, though, it's hard to imagine somebody using food stamps to buy what the market offered: $19 bison steak from Gunpowder Bison, organic dandelion greens for $12 per pound from Blueberry Hill Vegetables, the Piedmont Reserve cheese from Everson Dairy at $29 a pound. Rounding out the potential shopping cart: $4 for a piece of "walnut dacquoise" from the Praline Bakery, $9 for a jumbo crab cake at Chris's Marketplace, $8 for a loaf of cranberry-walnut bread and $32 for a bolt of yarn.

The first lady said the market would particularly appeal to federal employees in nearby buildings to "pick up some good stuff for dinner." Yet even they might think twice about spending $3 for a pint of potatoes when potatoes are on sale for 40 cents a pound at Giant. They could get nearly five dozen eggs at Giant for the $5 Obama spent for her dozen.

But whatever the socioeconomics, there can be no doubt that Obama brought some serious attention to her cause. Hundreds of people crowded the market entrance on I Street as police directed pedestrians to alternative subway entrances. Hundreds braved a light rain and gave a hearty cheer when Obama and her entourage took the stage. "I can't imagine there's been a day in the history of our country when people have been more excited about farmers markets," Mayor Adrian Fenty, Obama's warm-up act, told the crowd.

The first lady, in gray slacks and blue sweater, marveled that the people were "so pumped up" despite the rain. "I have never seen so many people so excited about fruits and vegetables!" she said. (Must be the tender baby arugula.)

She spoke of the global reach of her cause: "The first thing world leaders, prime ministers, kings, queens ask me about is the White House garden. And then they ask about Bo."

She spoke of the fuel fed to the world's most powerful man: "I've learned that when my family eats fresh food, healthy food, that it really affects how we feel, how we get through the day . . . whether there's a Cabinet meeting or whether we're just walking the dog."

And she spoke of her own culinary efforts: "There are times when putting together a healthy meal is harder than you might imagine."

Particularly when it involves a soundstage, an interpreter for the deaf, three TV satellite trucks and the closing of part of downtown Washington.

Three Photos

There's been lots of painting lately. Still no new wall color (and we're still not even settled on what that color will be-- robin's egg blue or almond/cream), but lots of white paint on the beadboard wainscoting.

The sad thing is, I've barely begun to paint. There are so many painting projects on my to-do list that I don't even want to think about it. I don't mind painting a little now and then, but I think I'm going to be sick of it before long. At least painting is a satisfying job. You get to see almost immediate results-- good motivation to keep at it.



Trixie's still perfecting her grasp of the "stay" command. Meanwhile, she's having fun with an occasional frisbee outing and indoor fetch sessions.



Outdoors, it's still warm and humid, and we're still getting at least one shower a day. It's not October yet, so we won't complain too much.

One of our hurricane lilies is blooming...