Wonderful Women Of The World
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 7th, 2011
Good morning!’
I’ve been meaning to post this segment from 60 minutes for a few weeks now. A New York radio personality and theater producer Vy Higginsen, is a woman with a cause. Her cause? To save gospel music. How does she plan on doing it? Through the voices of teenagers.
Five years ago Higginsen started “Gospel for Teens.”, a place where young teens gather in an old brownstone in Harlam every Saturday and sing gospel music. I love gospel music for the sound and the joy that I feel when I hear it. And although I was so moved by her passion and her dedication to the music, my reason alone was reason enough to want to honor her as my choice for Wonderful Women Of The World today. And hey, the cool thing is she’s not only saving gospel music, but some would say she’s saving the teens too.
Check it out:
Readers: Ugh…I don’t know why I can’t get the links to work anymore from 60 minutes. So, click here to watch Part One. If you enjoyed the fist segment, click here to watch Part Two.
Zen Lill: If you don’t check in hear, HOPE that you and Lilly have fun on Mother’s Day!
Jill: Oh good. My pleasure. Have fun at the event!
Liam: No, I am absolutely not giving “orderlyrandomness”, Prism Princess, or anyone else the right to publish material they find here without having to say that it was published on my blog first. And if ”orderlyrandomness”, is Prism Princess, then it would be proper and common courtesy to say that she published it here, on my blog first.
Rick: And they will be relentless at trying.
I’m wrapping it up. The forum is open – speak your peace, or whatever moves your mouth or inspires the tapping of the keys. Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 7th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Passages of Caregiving
Gail Sheehy
About 65 million Americans currently serve as primary caregivers to chronically ill or disabled relatives. Few of these caregivers ever expected to become caregivers, and fewer still are prepared for the enormity of the task.
Until 2008, Gail Sheehy, author of the acclaimed book Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life, was one of those caregivers. Her husband, Clay Felker, founding editor of New York magazine, required her assistance as he battled four separate cancer diagnoses during the final 17 years of his life.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Sheehy, who explained that the caregiving process is like a labyrinth.
As endless as it can seem, there is a path through, but there also are passages, or “turns,” along the way that make it difficult to see what lies ahead.
Here, the eight turns that caregivers can expect and strategies for coping with each…
TURN 1: SHOCK AND MOBILIZATION
The call to caregiving can come out of the blue. A previously healthy relative experiences a major medical problem, and suddenly you’re asked to provide not just care, but assistance sorting through treatment options.
This is important and often complex, yet you are pressured to make quick decisions. Expect to feel fear and confusion.
Strategy: Seek out multiple opinions and treatment options before proceeding.
Example: When my husband’s throat cancer reappeared after a period of remission, Clay’s doctor said his voice box would have to be removed.
Fortunately, we knew not to jump at the first treatment option suggested. We tracked down a specialist in my husband’s type of tumor, and he offered a different treatment strategy that preserved Clay’s ability to speak and extended his life.
Record your loved one’s consultations with doctors using a small portable voice recorder. These consultations can be emotional and confusing, which makes it easy to get the facts wrong if you’re working from memory.
Tell the doctor that this recording will help you avoid bothering him/her with questions later.
During these initial medical consultations, ask doctors…
“Will you be the one to coordinate care?”
“Will you help us decide among treatment options?”
“Will you help address pain and other side effects of treatment?”
These questions will point you toward a “medical quarterback,” a doctor who is willing to take the lead in your loved one’s care.
TURN 2: THE NEW NORMAL
You have reached this turn when you realize that you are a caregiver — and that caregiving is likely to be a big part of your life for a long time. On the bright side, your sense of panic should begin to recede as you settle into this new reality.
Strategy: Do not settle into this new life alone. Seek out friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues who are willing to help provide care and support.
Also, if the patient is elderly, hire a geriatric care manager (GCM), an expert in sorting though insurance and Medicare mazes and finding resources available to caregivers.
These professionals typically charge $80 to $250 per hour and are not covered by Medicare or most insurance policies, but it’s worth paying for at least a one-hour consultation even if money is tight.
The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers can help you find a GCM in your region (520-881-8008, http://www.CareManager.org).
TURN 3: BOOMERANG
Months have passed, perhaps years. You have settled into the routines of caregiving — and then there’s another crisis.
Your loved one’s health has taken a turn for the worse, and you feel like you’re right back at Turn 1. Only you’re not — you’re now much better equipped to handle these emergencies.
You’ve become an expert on your loved one’s medical condition… you’re an old hand at dealing with insurance companies and Medicare… and you have a medical quarterback in place.
Strategy: The relative calm of The New Normal might have convinced you that you can handle caregiving. The emotional roller coaster of the Boomerang serves as a reminder that caregivers require care, too.
If you haven’t already done so, find a support network for yourself. The Well Spouse Association (800-838-0879, http://www.WellSpouse.org) directs spousal caregivers to local and online support groups.
The Family Caregiver Alliance (800-445-8106, http://www.Caregiver.org) directs caregivers to a range of appropriate support groups, many associated with specific health problems.
TURN 4: PLAYING GOD
Many caregivers understandably come to see themselves as pivotal to their loved one’s survival.
It is perfectly fine to take pride in your caregiving efforts — but it is vital that you do not view your loved one’s good days and progress as proof of your value.
If you do this, you are likely to blame yourself for your loved one’s bad days and setbacks — and bad days and setbacks are virtually inevitable with chronic health conditions.
Strategy: When there are changes in your loved one’s condition — good or bad — remind yourself that there is a God, and it is not you.
Be sure to involve family members and the patient in decision-making to protect yourself from guilt if something goes wrong.
TURN 5: “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!”
There are no weekends or vacations for many caregivers. Their responsibilities seem unending — but no one can be a caregiver every day for years. We reach the end of our rope.
Strategy: Get out of the home and away from your loved one for at least one hour each day and at least one full day every month, even if this means stretching the budget to hire a professional caregiver.
If your loved one is on Medicare, contact the hospice or palliative care department (see Turns 7 and 8) of a local hospital and request a “respite.”
Most caregivers do not realize that Medicare often will pay most or all of the costs of having this department look after their loved ones for as long as five days as frequently as every 90 days so that the caregiver can take a break. (Private medical insurance generally does not cover respite care.)
TURN 6: COMING BACK
You have reached this turn when you realize that your loved one is never going to fully recover. He will only become more dependent.
You have reached the center of the labyrinth, and it is time to start planning your journey back out.
This is the most painful turn in the caregiving process because it forces a caregiver to acknowledge that the only way to escape the labyrinth is to start to release his/her loved one.
A caregiver who can’t take this step becomes indistinguishable from his loved one, so lost in another person’s medical struggles that he loses his “self” and becomes a caregiver, nothing else.
Example: By the end of my husband’s life, I began to doubt my ability to write, something I had been doing virtually all my life.
Strategy: Take up a challenging and fulfilling hobby that you can pursue while in the home, such as art, writing or music. Just waiting for your next caregiving task is not a life.
TURNS 7 AND 8: THE IN-BETWEEN STAGE/THE LONG GOOD-BYE
Hospitals are designed to cure medical problems, not treat patients with incurable conditions. Hospice care is intended only for patients in the final months of life. Caregivers often are at a loss for where to seek medical care when neither of these solutions fits.
Strategy: Find a local hospital that offers “palliative care” (go to http://www.GetPalliativeCare.org, then search the “Provider Directory”).
Like hospice care, palliative care focuses on pain relief — but unlike hospice care, it is not just for those close to death, and it can be combined with treatments meant to address the underlying condition.
Hospice care becomes an option once a doctor has determined that the patient most likely has six months or less to live. Caregivers often receive the most cherished benefit of hospice care.
They and other family members almost universally express gratitude for being guided and supported through the mysteries of the dying process. The common refrain is, “We couldn’t have done it alone.”
Personal interviewed Gail Sheehy, an award-winning journalist and author of the book Passages (Ballantine), which spent more than three years on The New York Times best-seller list and was named one of the 10 most influential books of our time in a Library of Congress survey.
Her latest book is Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life (Morrow). Sheehy served as AARP’s Ambassador of Caregiving in 2009. http://www.GailSheehy.com
May 7th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Prism Princess:
Thanks for the poem, I think. —————his one is written for Liam to see
This one is written for Liam to see
to know that my words belong first to me
I share what I feel on moquin.com
But these are my poems so I’ve done nothing wrong.
This site is new but the phrasing is not
The words lived before and on paper were caught
I mail myself copies with postmarks and such
because of people like you who just have to touch.——————–
I am no thief. I would not steal anyone’s product, service or idea. I did notice though that you were so aware and concerned about your rights that you took the precaution to, as you said, to send copies of what you submitted to Michelle’s blog to yourself. And I notice that you say in the poem you wrote to me that it was only for me to “See.”
One so cautious should also allot a little time for courtesy to others. Like a simple acknowledgement that YOU are Prism Princess and that you first published the poems on blog.michellemoquin.com. That would have gone a long way towards making her readers, like me, visiting your blog feel comfortable commenting on it.
As it is, I feel that you wrote those poems to her blog as a sneak advertisement for a blog you intended to write but didn’t want to put in the sweat-equity to build your on reader interest. I can understand that. It is the American Way! But to do it without acknowledging the connection probably will not go over well with her readers.
I could be wrong and your blog will be in the next top 100 soon. But the title Orderlyrandomness and the theme featuring aliens is so close as to probably make her readers feel the connection. I did. Nothing wrong with a good idea. Who knows you may do it better. That’s why I’m giving you the plug at orderlyrandomness.com. Check it out guys. It is nicely done.
Oh and thanks for the poem you wrote or rather addressed to me. I especially like the way you wove the legalese into rhyme. But it wasn’t me who reached out to “touch,” that breach of etiquette belongs to you here. As it was the readers of Michelle’s blog you touched to start your own.
Liam
May 7th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
I am fascinated by all the preparation that went into the assault on OBL’s compound. Here is a synopsis I read recently.
——————————————-
Death of Osama bin Laden: Phone call pointed U.S. to compound — and to ‘the pacer’
By Bob Woodward, Published: May 6
It seemed an innocuous, catch-up phone call. Last year Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the pseudonym for a Pakistani known to U.S. intelligence as the main courier for Osama bin Laden, took a call from an old friend.
Where have you been? inquired the friend. We’ve missed you. What’s going on in your life? And what are you doing now?
Kuwaiti’s response was vague but heavy with portent: “I’m back with the people I was with before.”
There was a pause, as if the friend knew that Kuwaiti’s words meant he had returned to bin Laden’s inner circle, and was perhaps at the side of the al-Qaeda leader himself.
The friend replied, “May God facilitate.”
When U.S. intelligence officials learned of this exchange, they knew they had reached a key moment in their decade-long search for al-Qaeda’s founder.
The call led them to the unusual, high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a city 35 miles north of Pakistan’s capital.
“This is where you start the movie about the hunt for bin Laden,” said one U.S. official briefed on the intelligence-gathering leading up to the raid on the compound early Monday.
The exchange and several other pieces of information, other officials said, gave President Obama the confidence to launch a politically risky mission to capture or kill bin Laden, a decision he took despite dissension among his key national security advisers and varying estimates of the likelihood that bin Laden was in the compound.
The officials would speak about the collection of intelligence and White House decision making only on the condition that they not be named.
U.S. intelligence agencies had been searching for Kuwaiti for at least four years; the call with the friend gave them the number of the courier’s cellphone.
Using a vast number of human and technical sources, they tracked Kuwaiti to the compound.
The main three-story building, which had no telephone lines or Internet service, was impenetrable to eavesdropping technology deployed by the National Security Agency.
U.S. officials were stunned to realize that whenever Kuwaiti or others left the compound to make a call, they drove some 90 minutes away before even placing a battery in a cellphone.
Turning on the phone made it susceptible to the kind of electronic surveillance that the residents of the compound clearly wished to avoid.
As intelligence officials scrutinized images of the compound, they saw that a man emerged most days to stroll the grounds of the courtyard for an hour or two.
The man walked back and forth, day after day, and soon analysts began calling him “the pacer.” The imagery never provided a clear view of his face.
Intelligence officials were reluctant to bring in other means of technical or human surveillance that might offer a positive identification but would risk detection by those in the compound.
The pacer never left the compound. His routine suggested he was not just a shut-in but almost a prisoner.
Was the pacer bin Laden? A decoy? A hoax? A setup?
Bin Laden was at least 6-foot-4, and the pacer seemed to have the gait of a tall man.
The White House asked the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which provides and analyzes satellite imagery, to determine the pacer’s height. The agency said the man’s height was somewhere between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-8, according to one official.
Another official said the agency provided a narrower range for the pacer’s height, but the estimate was still of limited reliability because of the lack of information about the size of the building’s windows or the thickness of the compound’s walls, which would have served as reference points.
In one White House meeting, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told Obama and other top national security officials that the general rule in gathering intelligence was to keep going until a target such as the Abbottabad compound ran dry.
Panetta said that point had been reached, arguing that those tracking the compound were seeing the pacer nearly every day but could not conclude with certainty that it was bin Laden, officials said.
Panetta noted that there was no signals intelligence available and contended that it was too risky to send in a human spy or move any closer with electronic devices.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the agency established a safe house in Abbottabad for a small team that monitored the compound in the months leading up to the raid.
The decision
Obama and his advisers debated the options, officials said. One option was to fire a missile from a Predator or Reaper aerial drone.
Such a strike would be low-risk, but if the result was a direct hit, the pacer might be vaporized and officials would never be certain they had killed bin Laden.
If the drone attack missed, as had happened in attacks on high-value targets, bin Laden or whoever was living in the compound would flee and the United States would have to start the hunt from scratch.
Panetta designated Navy Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, who had headed the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for nearly three years, to devise a boots-on-the ground plan for the special forces that became known as “the McRaven option.”
McRaven had increased the intensity of Special Operations raids, especially in Afghanistan. During his first two years as head of JSOC, the “jackpot rate” — when the strikes got their intended target — jumped from 35 percent to more than 80 percent.
His decision to assign the operation to the Navy SEALs, a Special Operations unit with extensive experience in raids on high-value targets, was critical.
SEALs have a tradition of moving in and out fast, often killing everyone they encounter at a target site. Most members of the SEAL team in the bin Laden raid had been deployed to war zones a dozen or more times.
A “pattern of life” study of the compound by intelligence agencies showed that about a dozen women and children periodically frequented it.
Specific orders were issued to the SEALs not to shoot the women or children unless they were clearly threatening or had weapons. (During the mission, one woman was killed and a wife of bin Laden was shot in the leg.)
Bin Laden was to be captured, one official said, if he “conspicuously surrendered.”
The longer such raids take, the greater the risk to the SEALs. One senior official said the general philosophy of the SEALs is: “If you see it, shoot it. It is a house full of bad guys.”
Several assessments concluded there was a 60 to 80 percent chance that bin Laden was in the compound.
Michael Leiter, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, was much more conservative. During one White House meeting, he put the probability at about 40 percent.
When a participant suggested that was a low chance of success, Leiter said, “Yes, but what we’ve got is 38 percent better than we have ever had before.”
The assault
Officials said Obama’s national security advisers were not unanimous in recommending he go ahead with the McRaven option. The president approved the raid at 8:20 a.m. Friday.
During the assault, one of the Black Hawk helicopters stalled, but the pilot was able to land safely.
The hard landing, which disabled the helicopter, forced the SEALs to abandon a plan to have one team rope down from a Blackhawk and come into the main building from the roof. Instead, both teams assaulted the compound from the ground.
The White House initially said bin Laden was shot and killed because he was engaged in a firefight and resisted.
Later, White House press secretary Jay Carney said bin Laden was not armed, but Carney insisted he resisted in some form.
He and others have declined to specify the exact nature of his alleged resistance, though there reportedly were weapons in the room where bin Laden was killed.
A senior Special Operations official said that SEALs would avoid providing more details about the raid, to prevent the disclosure of methods central to their success.
The individuals who took part in the raid, the official said, would not grant interviews and had signed nondisclosure agreements about their classified work.
“They are interested in closing ranks and getting on with business,” he said.
SEALs scooped up dozens of thumb drives and several computer hard drives that are now being scrutinized for information about al-Qaeda, especially an address, location or cellphone number for Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s second in command.
But officials said the delicate process of sifting this intelligence bonanza is made more challenging because of worries that using the wrong passwords could trigger a pre-planned erasure of digital information.
In the White House Situation Room on Sunday night, the president and his national security team watched a soundless video feed of the raid.
When bin Laden’s corpse was laid out, one of the Navy SEALs was asked to stretch out next to it to compare heights. The SEAL was 6 feet tall. The body was several inches taller.
After the information was relayed to Obama, he turned to his advisers and said: “We donated a $60 million helicopter to this operation. Could we not afford to buy a tape measure?”
Evelyn M. Duffy contributed to this report.
——————————————–
After reading it, I came away with a few opinions of my own. For one to Anonz I would say; I think Obama is removing Panetta from the head of the CIA because he is not competent to run the agency. His insight is lousy. If it had been left up to him and not Obama the US would have abandoned the observation of the compound.
Panetta said – “In one White House meeting, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told Obama and other top national security officials that the general rule in gathering intelligence was to keep going until a target such as the Abbottabad compound ran dry.
Panetta said that point had been reached, arguing that those tracking the compound were seeing the pacer nearly every day but could not conclude with certainty that it was bin Laden, officials said. Panetta noted that there was no signals intelligence available and contended that it was too risky to send in a human spy or move any closer with electronic devices.”
—————————–
Clearly had Obama taken Panetta’s advice Osama would still be inhibiting the compound without any further surveillance by us.
If you add to that the failure of Panetta to put to rest for all time the claim that any information that lead to the assault on the compound came from water boarding, when he made the innocuous statement that he wasn’t sure.
He made that after his own department stated that the information was gathered using standard interrogating techniques WITHOUT water boarding. What an idiot!
Obama may want to keep control of the CIA through Panetta, but I bet he rest easier knowing Patraeus is heading the agency.
Reading this America can see how lucky they had Obama as president rather than the “decider,” or we would still be looking for OBL.
Jerry
May 7th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I have always thought Panetta was an idiot. Witness his suggestion that we release the photos of the dead OSL.
Anyone who has served in the military who know that would inflame the morons that serve Al Qaeda to torture and treat members of our military who were captured.
The guy doesn’t belong in an intelligence agency. And to me his loyalty as a team player is suspect. He doesn’t appear to be all that loyal to Obama.
Jeff
May 7th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Both you guys have it right. Panetta has always been a pompous bragging idiot. Here he is claiming credit for the assault that he would not have been on except for his boss Obama refusing to accept his recommendation to abandon the checking on the compound.
————————
In a written statement handed to reporters as they left the briefing, CIA Director Leon Panetta lauded the agency’s “perseverance, skill and sheer courage” in bringing bin Laden to justice.
“The material found in the compound only further confirms how important it was to go after bin Laden. Since 9/11, this is what the American people have expected of us. In this critical operation, we delivered,” Panetta wrote.
—————————–
The nerve and ignorance of this guy to attempt to step up and take credit for something he had been advising against. So now he gets to benefit from that principle that says one is usually promoted to his next level of incompetence.
In that vein he will most definitely live up to his appointment as Secretary of Defense.
Luis
May 7th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Both you guys have it right. Panetta has always been a pompous bragging idiot. Here he is claiming credit for the assault that he would not have been on except for his boss Obama refusing to accept his recommendation to abandon the checking on the compound.
————————
In a written statement handed to reporters as they left the briefing, CIA Director Leon Panetta lauded the agency’s “perseverance, skill and sheer courage” in bringing bin Laden to justice.
“The material found in the compound only further confirms how important it was to go after bin Laden. Since 9/11, this is what the American people have expected of us. In this critical operation, we delivered,” Panetta wrote.
—————————–
The nerve and ignorance of this guy to attempt to step up and take credit for something he had been advising against. So now he gets to benefit from that principle that says one is usually promoted to his next level of incompetence.
In that vein he will most definitely live up to his appointment as Secretary of Defense.
Luis
May 7th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Liam, I checked out the site. There isn’t much there but it looks good. Certainly looks like it has potential. But did you check carefully? She wrote that she was Prism Princess. So yeah, she may should have given a shout out to Michelle for having first published on her blog. But she was intellectually honest because she admitted that she is the author of the poems.
I kind of like her writing. Bet she’s hot in bed, too. It’s hard not to like a woman with the mind to call herself “Prism Princess,” Like Zen Lill, it rings of sensual delight.
Nick
May 7th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Howie, what’s your take on this bin Laden thing? You think they really got him?
Rusty
May 7th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Michelle, It always takes several tries to get on your blog. I have no trouble accessing other blogs. What’s up?
Prism Princess, why do I have to leave my email address to post a comment? If it is not going to published, why is it needed?
Orderlyrandom – like fucking with a rubber. It’s almost just as good but it is safe.
Oh, and Liam you do owe the lady an appology because although she didn’t say she had published her poems here first, she identified herself as the owner of the blog and the poems.
Man Up.
Rob
PP love the layout of your blog.
May 7th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Prism Princess, can’t wait to see how you develop your blog. Love your poetry. May I ask to whom the lovely sentiment is directed?
Tamarai
May 7th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Michelle, I checked out Orderlyrandomness. It and Prism Princess are one and the same. Liam didn’t read the acknowledgement that said “Content copyright 2011. Prism Princess. All rights reserved.
Just like a man to half ass do something and then commence to criticize from his point of error.
If may quote a man. “Man Up Liam with that apology. I for one am going to be a regular to your blog Prism Princess.
Zena
May 7th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Does anyone have any information on the woman that was killed? Why was she killed? And who was she?
Jason
May 7th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Prism Princess are you from India? Your writing reminds me of the ribald classics my mother used to read to me written by women of her grandmothers time. You write like a woman free of the restraints cast upon them by men. In another life you would be gay. Free to love and be loved by a woman with like mind.
Gajra
May 7th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
We are in 1871
The “Hole In The Wall” saloon, between Dover and Ward Streets, New York, has been closed. For 20 years this vile dive has been the most dangerous place in Fourth Ward.
Strangers were mugged, beaten and thrown out on the street. Muggers who killed their victims were expected, as a matter of courtesy, to remove the body in a cart.
For many years, public order was maintained by one-armed Charley Mornell in partnership with a 6-ft English harridan called “Gallus Mag” (her “galluses” being the men’s braces with which she kept her skirts up).
She punished troublemakers by biting off their ears, and kept the trophies pickled in alcohol behind the bar. One came from a man who rudely asked her age.
The joint’s most notorious fight was between two ruffians called “Slobbery Jim” and “Patsy the Barber,” who quarrelled over 12 cents they had taken from a passing pedestrian they knocked out before drowning him in the harbour. Jim bit off Patsy’s nose, before she cut his throat and kicked him to death.
But now the Hole In The Wall has gone too far, and the authorities have ended its evil days.
May 7th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
AH, what happen to the cowboys? I thought the “Hole In the Wall” gang were members of the ole west.
Allen
May 7th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Please accept my apology for not checking your blog before I as Xena(the warrior princess) or Zena(some town in New York) noted.
But I was still correct when I said you could have acknowledged that you first posted some of the poem to Michelle’s blog.
Liam
May 7th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Now, Liam that was as half ass an apology as I have heard in a long time. What part of “Man UP” was that?
May 7th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I don’t usually answer my critics, but this one is begging for an explanation. Howie has accurately explained why I am reporting on westerns, though I must admit my fascination with the wild unchecked behavior of the un-policed males in the Wild, Wild West. It really shows to what extent a protected group would go if they were permitted to murder or do anything to another race without fear of retribution or retaliatory justice. It was a precursor to the inhuman treatment and extermination of the Jews by whites whose nation gave them the same immunity that was given to white men of the old West.
Less one thinks that only white men were famous, let me inform you that most of the western towns were settled by those other than white men. Indeed many towns were constructed by OTWs fleeing terrorism inflicted upon their race by white men in the East.
The giving of absolute power to the white man to kill at will was not done as an idle gesture. It was done to “Tame the West.” An expression carved by racist and white supremacist to eliminate any but the white race from claiming the desirable lands of the new country.
Most of what is known as the “HeartLand” was settled by OTWs first. They came and tilled the land, farmed and tamed it. Then whites moved in with guns to take it away. The OTWs had their owned skilled gun hands and were able to defend their property very well. But they could not stand up to the systematic murder of their race done by the white “cowboy” and the United States Military. Often the military would set up at night and shell the town at first dawn unmercifully. The the white civilians were allowed to move in and kill whoever survived the shelling.
Many of the farms were set upon by the military and all the inhabitants were murdered without recording the event. It was as if they never existed. The Western media never mentioned the exploits of non white men or the mass murder of OTWS by white posses or the US military. Hence the belief that the West was settled by white men alone remains unchallenged today.
The events were classified as clearing indians out. One town of 4,200 Chinese was slaughtered by the US Calvary. Every man woman and child was buried in mass graves. Often trappers would scalp or mutilate the bodies, selling parts as souvenirs. Their most famous habit was to cut off the woman’s breast and make it into a change purse or water container. Many trappers wore the skins or OTWs as hats or soles of their moccasins.
No non white town was safe from the drunken rage of a white man. If a white man was killed by any OTW. The resulting vengeance of white men or the US military usually spelt death for the town.
Actually English was not the predominate language spoken in the West. Many dialects were a mixture of German, English, Spanish, Indian, African, Irish, French, and the Scandinavian languages of the peoples that came West.
I have no idea what’s gotten into Bita. She has taken a morbid interest in the death of women by insane men and in the deaths dealt by insane women. So we are off to 1873 to visit the hanging of one of the most notorious of the era, Mary Ann Cotton of Durham England, a city in the County of Durham in North England.
We will of course be checking out other murders and murderers in Europe before heading to San Francisco to visit some of the famous houses of prostitution in that time. So I guess it will be cowboys later after my lady gets hers, so that she won’t refuse to give me mine. One can hardly blame a gentleman for this.
AH
May 7th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
There isn’t a lot on that PP/OR site. BFD.
But Rob I played around there and you can leave a message anonymously or use just a name, like here, but you do have to put the authorization code in that pops up in the comment block.
Seems like both odd stories and heart writes pages are open forums.
If you use the visible visitors link, that’s a guest book and you have to put info, just like if you were using the write me link, I believe. I only tried the two pages where it said leave a comment though. Some of the links didn’t work very well.
Anyway I didn’t get the sense that this PP is trying to copy anything from M’s blog in the way of real content. IMHO
Happy Mothers Day to you Moms! We couldn’t be here w/o ya!
May 7th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
And the boss must wrestle and scheme and toil
And the stick to the uphill job,
And battle it out with the fiery drought
For the sake of the starving mob.
And at night he’d go to the stockmen’s hut
For word of the day’s work done.
And he’d stay for a smoke, or a yarn and a joke,
And talk of the outside run.
But it seemed somehow to the boss’s wife
A deep and rankling slight
That his plans were made with outside aid
When it came to an uphill fight.
And at night when he’d gone, she’d wait and watch
In loneliest contemplation
Of the lot and life of a station wife
And the ways of an outback station.
May 8th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Thanks, Mischa, we will : )
Liam, I think YOUR point was to direct people to PP’s site. : D
My site is more about exercise/health and zen thoughts/thinking and to my delight at a party last night, a few women commented and asked me what was my take on this/that and most importantly: avoiding some of the female hormonal things of life, an interesting topic…so my research in that area will be showing up shortly also. Hint: It is always about what you’re eating and drinking (and exercise) and mostly YOUR THINKING : ) though I’m quite positive you’ll all argue that point (go ahead doesn’t mean it’s not true) : ))))))
Today is a Mother’s Day video, mothersfor peace.org bc M Day was created by women who’s children were off at war…wars they never wanted their children (yes, men were all children once) to participate in, and 18 year old boys are basically still too young to pay the price (their lives) for decisions that their white haired older versions decide they should fight for them.
Women of MM blog, Enjoy your day, Luv, Zen Lill