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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

If It Quacks Like a Duck

Two minutes and twenty seconds into the president's remarks yesterday at the Big Gay Token Gesture held at the White House, a distinct quacking sound interrupted the dulcet tones of the Smooth Talker in Chief. Moose's first thought, when she watched the tape this morning through the miracle of a poached wireless signal in the remote kingdom of Indiana, was, and I quote,

How the hell did Goose get into the White House?

Yes, kids, it's true. Goose has a quacking ring tone on her iPhone. Moose, because I know you are dying to know, has, of course, a barking ring tone, but she was nowhere near the White House yesterday. No, she was very, very, very far away from the White House, but we're not here to discuss her fraught relationship with her native land, her life. We are here to talk about the silver-tongued president's fraught relationship with the LGBT community, which is not likely to become any less fraught anytime soon if Lt. Dan Choi is discharged from the military today under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a policy Obama has said he is against but hasn't lifted a finger to rescind since taking office 162 days ago.

Anyway, as it turns out, Goose was nowhere near the White House yesterday either, but we are still guffawing with delight at the irony of duck sounds being heard on Pennsylvania Ave. for the first time since Darth Cheney and his hunting rifle left the neighborhood. Who would have thought that the most progressive president in American history would turn out to be such a squeamish footdragger on LGBT issues? Um, well, we did, but you know that already. Who would have thought the self-proclaimed Fierce Advocate would bring out the Kevlar and the hip boots before wading into the cootie-infested waters of equality for the nation's sexual minorities? Yep, we did. Here's a Wa Po quote that nicely conveys what a profile in courage Obama has proven to be vis-a-vis America's tough girls and pretty boys:
The administration has been attempting to tread cautiously with the gay community. While it says it intends to follow through on Obama's campaign pledges, it is also eager to avoid the appearance that the president is giving in to any one group's demands.
Quack, quack, quack, Mr. President. At some point, if you are going to talk like a duck, you might as well start walking like one. Otherwise, you'll be a sitting duck come the re-elect, and the hard-working queers of Roxie's World won't lift a feather to help you.

Watch the vid of the president's remarks, kids. Again, the duck quacks at 2:20. Towleroad has a transcript and the guest list for the event here.

Moose comes home tomorrow to be tenderly reunited with her living dog and her partner in the crime of queer delight for more than a quarter of a fricking century. Hooray! We'll be back to regular blogalicious programming soon, darlings. Meantime, remember: Stone walls don't come by themselves. Get out your picks, your shovels, and your climbing boots. Honor the past by working like hell to change the present. Peace out.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Postcard from Chicago

Here is what you need to know:

1. I am alive. The same cannot be said for certain other super-famous people with whom baby boomers kinda identified and kinda disidentified, but we are so far behind the curve on those stories that we are not even going to try to weigh in.

2. Goose is taking excellent care of me in Moose's absence. Proof: She texted Moose this afternoon to see if I had been given my heartworm/flea pill for this month and would it be okay to go ahead and give it to me if I had not. Moose wrote back to say, yes, give the pill, but make sure Roxie understands flea pills are merely palliative. She is still on hospice care. Dog lives, so fleas must die. Goose dutifully conveyed the message and the pill, wrapped in liverwurst.

3. Moose is in Chicago, having survived her dual-conference, double-paper week and apparently having convinced the community of Willa Cather scholars that Cather would have made "one heck of a blogger." That, really, was the argument of her paper, which was greeted with laughs in all the right places and a warm round of applause at the end. Moose was so pleased with her efforts that she ate an omelet and went to the Art Institute of Chicago, to see its glorious new Modern Wing. She took her camera along so that she could send us one of her occasional photo essays, because in her heart of hearts she is still a yearbook editor. Wevs, kids. It's a little eye candy for you, just so you don't forget us!

Pritzker Garden, looking up

The Modern Wing, looking out

Lurie Gardens, looking over

(Photo Credits: Moose)

Monday, June 22, 2009

God Loves a Terrier

Watch this clip from the finest motion picture ever made so that you can understand how it is that America's favorite dog blogger devoted to politics, pop culture, and basketball is still ALIVE four weeks after my primary vet declared that I only had two weeks to live:

That's right, my darlings: God loves a terrier -- and a certain skinny but sweet-as-pie old terrier loves you, even if you aren't likely to hear much out of me for the next little while. My typist, as I mentioned recently, has not one but two conferences this week, one right here in our ridiculously large back yard and another off in the City of Big Shoulders. Posting will be light, but we will do our best to amuse and edify you as circumstances and paper preparation allow. Moose and I have made a deal: I promise to stay alive until she returns next Wednesday if she promises to tell the truth about who does all the work here in Roxie's World when she does all this big public yakking about the feminist literary pre-history of blogging. Wevs, kids -- She's gotta make a living, but we're hoping she can do it without indulging in too many stretchers.

Meantime, pray to the deity of your choice that Goose can manage to keep me alive for an entire week. Rest assured Moose is coaching her right now and will leave an extremely thorough set of directions, but we'd appreciate your support as well. Just because, well, you know, it can't hurt. You have to admit it would totally suck if I kicked the bucket while one of the moms was out of town.

Here's a couple of dog treats you can peruse while you wait for our next update:

Can Dogs Talk? Goose insists that they can. Moose is skeptical, though she allows that some of us are pretty good writers.

Are Old Dogs the Best Dogs? You know you won't get any arguments on that point around here. (Warning: The Office of Affect Management suspects that this article by Wa Po's Gene Weingarten will make you cry if you have ever known, seen, or thought about an old dog, but we are grateful to Kelly for passing it along to us anyway.)

Stay alive, kids, and stay in touch. Dog loves you.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Hillary's Elbow

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had surgery today to repair a broken elbow after she fell Wednesday in a parking garage at the State Department on her way to a meeting at the White House. The surgery, we are pleased to report, because we care deeply about the SOS and all of her body parts, was a success.

Which means we are now free to ask,

Is the elbow the funny bone -- or is it not?

If you are comedian Craig Ferguson, who had this to say in response to news of Clinton's injury:

Not such a great day for Hillary Clinton. She fell down, broke her elbow . . . . You know, Fox News is going to be all over this story. This proves the Democrats are weak. Reagan fell over 10 times, didn't even break his hair.

Now the official report said that Hillary fell while she was walking to her car in the parking lot of the State Department. But Hillary likes to exaggerate, so she's telling everybody it was sniper fire.

The Secret Service performed beautifully but they had to use the Jaws of Life to cut Hillary out of her pantsuit.

If you are comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who offered this doodalicious little quip:
Our secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is in a cast. She fell and fractured her elbow. Fortunately, her scowl broke the fall, so she is okay.

If you are Dave Letterman, who said this, perhaps hoping not to infuriate the only two women left in the country who aren't outraged at his tasteless jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter:
When he heard [Clinton] broke her elbow, Rush Limbaugh sent over some painkillers. So she's going to be fine.

If you are Melissa McEwan, goddess of Shakesville and most righteously hilarious feminazi on the face of dog's earth (except for my typist), who had this to say on the subject of Hillary Clinton's broken elbow:
The fall is just a cover story. It's really a repetitive strain injury sustained from four decades of nudging dudez in the ribs to get shit done or get the hell out of her way. Feminist elbow.
Now that is funny, Liss. Thanks for showin' 'em how it's done. You get a PAWS UP from the funny girls of Roxie's World, and the SOS gets two Vicodins and this inspirational poster for Edie Falco's delicious new show about another woman with her own wicked case of feminist elbow. Get well soon, Hill. The world needs you, and we love you.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Single Step

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. -- Lao-tzu
(Updated below.)

(Wa Po caption: President Obama signs a memorandum on federal benefits and non-discrimination as Vice President Biden and other officials watch. Gay rights activist Frank Kameny is to the president's left. Photo Credit: Alex Wong, Getty Images, 6/17/09)

Two quick things we can honestly say we liked about the president's signing ceremony today for the memorandum that will temporarily extend some federal benefits to same-sex domestic partners of Foreign Service and executive branch employees:

1. In his remarks, the president referred repeatedly to the fact that this step, made under significant pressure from supporters of LGBT equality who have been disappointed by his administration's actions on their issues to date, is only a first step and that there is much more that remains to be done, including passing the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend benefits to all federal employees, and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, which he described as discriminatory (but which his Department of Justice defended in court last week). We appreciated seeing an American president in the Oval Office identifying by name specific LGBT-affirming legislative actions he would support and pledging "to work tirelessly on behalf of these issues in the months and years to come." No, he didn't announce a Road to Damascus conversion on the issue of marriage equality, but he took an important substantive step forward and he did it in the symbolically resonant space of the Oval Office.

2. We were also pleased and moved to see veteran LGBT activist Dr. Frank Kameny standing to the president's left during the signing ceremony. At its conclusion, the president turned and presented the pen with which he had signed the memorandum to the 84-year-old co-founder of the Mattachine Society of Washington, DC, who has been working since the 1960s to end discrimination against LGBT employees in the federal work force. Having Kameny present for this moment was a nice touch. It sends a signal to LGBT politicos who had started to doubt the president's commitment that someone in the White House understands the history and the stakes of LGBT demands for justice. It's a gesture that may buy the administration a little more time to figure out how to move forward. (For more on the life and legacy of Frank Kameny, please visit the wonderful Rainbow History Project of Washington.)

Tick-tock, Mr. President. Justice delayed is justice denied, but we will give you a qualified PAWS UP for taking a step -- and publicly acknowledging how far we have yet to go.

Watch the vid of the signing ceremony. It's short, and it is a kick to see Dr. Kameny enthusiastically receive the pen from the president at the end.

Pam's House Blend has a transcript of the president's remarks here. Text of the memorandum is here.

AM Update: Reactions roll in to the president's move yesterday. Wa Po has a couple of glass half full pieces, one that focuses on responses from federal workers who will be affected by the expansion of benefits and one that focuses on the backstory of LGBT advocates working with the administration from the time of the transition to plant the seeds for pro-gay policy moves. There is also a less happy-happy piece about the president's reluctance to "wade into" gay issues, as if they were some kind of toxic bog of ickiness bound to sully Obama's pretty ankles. NYT is glass half empty, with a piece focused on how disappointed many advocates are with a gesture that seems tokenistic and half-hearted. Meanwhile, over at Americablog, John Aravosis burns with a white-hot rage -- toward Barney Frank, toward HRC president Joe Solmonese, and toward all those bums in the Obama admin who suckered him and many others in the LGBT community into believing they were a part of the whole hopey-changey plan. (That last link gives you reactions from most of the major LGBT advocacy orgs, btw.)

Roxie's World went pretty easy on you last night, Mr. President. It's clear you have a lot of work to do with an important constituency that feels wounded and betrayed by your young administration's (in)actions so far. It's time to throw caution to the wind, sir, and realize that a fighter for justice is going to have to wade into the muck of injustice and get his ankles -- and even his hands -- dirty in order to get the job done.

Land o' Links

Not that kind of links, silly!

This kind:

No time for a proper post today here in the paper-writing factory, but we feel obliged to make sure our readers are up to speed on the unfolding melodrama of The Incredible Numbskullery of the Obama Administration on LGBT Issues. With last week's stunningly insensitive brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act (which the president has repeatedly said he is committed to repealing), the smartest and most pro-gay political team in the history of the republic (Right? Isn't that what they told us?) suddenly finds itself in hot water not just with the Lavender Menace and Light in the Loafers set but with the editorial page of the New York Times! Today, desperate to contain the fallout from its own diffidence and ineptitude, the administration is announcing that the president will sign a memorandum extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees -- but the president will, as the report in the Times puts it, "stop short of pledging full health insurance coverage." Because, you know, who needs that? Oh, and because the (partial) extension of benefits is being accomplished through a memorandum rather than an executive order, the extension will reportedly expire when Obama leaves office. Gosh, thanks, Mr. President. Thanks so very much for the partial, temporary extension of non-equity in compensation.

[Brief pause while the typist bangs her head against the laptop screen and the decrepit old dog covers cloudy eyes with functioning front paws.]

There has been a ton of righteous reaction and thoughtful analysis of the DOMA debacle and its aftermath in the queer and progressive blogosphere and elsewhere. You know we consider Pam's House Blend the go-to place for all things queer and political, though we've also found ourselves giving John Aravosis over at Americablog quite a few clicks lately. This piece by Pam Spaulding on the Times editorial harshly criticizing the DOMA brief has links to lots of other reactions. Here are a few more that you won't want to miss:

The LA Times gets in on the action today with an editorial on "Obama's gay rights gap."

Melissa McEwan, the goddess of Shakesville, weighs in with a piece that is both hard-hitting and deeply felt. We love that Liss can pivot from several paragraphs of trenchant political analysis to a poignant meditation on the wildness and fundamental equality of love. She makes us think. She stirs our souls. And that is fine by us:
See, here's the thing: Maybe the discussion of marriage shouldn't be so goddamned rational. Maybe it should be a little less "maximizing state autonomy and democratic self-governance" and a little more "pursuit of happiness," maybe a little less "scarce government resources" and a little more "abundant love."

Love is not rational. Love is wild and expansive and reckless and unpredictable, and it is one of humankind's greatest achievements — a capacity unique in its magnificence, a radiating splendor which can only be dimmed by the injurious refusal to regard as equal the love between partners on the basis of details that love itself transcends.

To deny love's existence, and equality, in every human heart is to reject our common humanity. We are thus all diminished by anything less than full-throated support for marriage equality, because buried below all the Very Fancy and Very Rational legal defenses of the continued disparity is simply an indefensible avowal that all love is not the same.

Richard Socarides, former aide to President Clinton on LGBT issues, is emerging as the point person on all the Obama administration is doing wrong in its determination to avoid all the mistakes Clinton supposedly made on LGBT rights. (We know the Big Dawg signed off on DOMA and DADT, people. We're just sick of hearing that very different political moment used as an excuse for doing nothing, when Clinton got screwed by conservative Dems the moment he took office.) Anyway, Socarides has an incredibly thoughtful insider's view of how hurtful -- and unnecessary -- the administration's DOMA brief is.

Joe Solmonese, president of HRC, seems to have realized that being a lap dog for an administration determined to find new ways to insult the LGBT community is perhaps not the smartest position to be in if your organization wants to keep raising money in the LGBT community. His letter to the president on the DOMA brief is the best thing we can ever recall him putting out. Solmonese offers a blistering critique of the brief's claim that DOMA is merely "a cautious policy of federal neutrality towards a new form of marriage." "Exclusion is not neutrality," Solmonese contemptuously concludes. Go read it, kids. It'll give you hope that the gutless gay giant among LGBT advocacy organizations has finally found its nerve.

Everyone is saying this, but we think it bears repeating: You don't make change for justice's sake because it is convenient. You do it because it is right and because it is necessary for the health of the body politic. Do it, Mr. President. Now.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Summer Monday Food Blogging

(Photo Credit: The Food Network)

Grilled Tomato and Procrastination Edition

My typist has not one but two conferences to get ready for next week (this one and this one), which no doubt explains why she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the idea of blogging about last night's dinner. I reported yesterday that she went to Takoma Park's wonderful farmer's market and came home loaded with the bounties of early summer -- strawberries, basil, some early tomatoes, and a delicious chipotle goat cheese made by the Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Company of Boyds, MD.

Since there's a depression on and the moms are humble state employees who have already survived one round of furloughs and have a hunch they'll have to endure another in the coming year, the new policy in Roxie's World is to leave no morsel of food behind. Buy it, cook it, eat it. Period. Scrape the mold off the bread. Re-purpose the truckload of rice that comes with every order of takeout from our favorite Indian restaurant. Invite some poor unsuspecting soul to dinner and make her eat cherries until she begs for mercy. Times are hard, kids. We all have to make sacrifices.

Did I mention that my typist has two conferences to prepare for next week?

Anyway, despite using a sizable chunk of the delicious chipotle goat cheese in the scrambled eggs she made for brunch, by supper time yesterday Moose was inordinately worried about how to make use of the rest of the cheese. Then she started thinking about the tomatoes. She had bought a cluster of five because they looked so pretty, but the moms do not have a good track record when it comes to tomato consumption. They'll motor through the first two or three and then the others will languish in the fruit bowl until suddenly Moose realizes there is a disgusting odor in the kitchen and a tell-tale puddle of water in the fruit bowl. Eeewwww!

I digress. Moose had never grilled a tomato in her life, but in the midst of worrying about the goat cheese and thinking about the tomatoes and not writing her conference papers and feeling a little sad about the prospect of my demise, she suddenly found herself fixated on the idea of grilled tomatoes and goat cheese. She even talked about it on the long walk I sent her and Goose off to take late in the afternoon. "Doesn't that sound good?" she said as they strolled along in the golden light of a splendid summer day. "I'll Google it when we get home."

She did, and she found this recipe on Epicurious, but she didn't have any sage or green onions, so she kind of had to improvise, which is not Moose's forté as a cook. (She slavishly follows recipes, while Goose could whip up a feast out of peanut butter, brussels sprouts, and a couple of stale crackers if she had to.) The truth is, if you've got a good goat cheese, you don't really need a recipe for grilled tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, but here's another one from the Food Network, just in case you can't bear to work without a net.

And here is Moose's Not Exactly a Recipe for Grilled Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese:

2 medium-sized tomatoes
1/3 cup chipotle (or not) goat cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon olive oil (you won't need this if you're using a really soft goat cheese)
2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
pinch of salt and a twist of black pepper

Using a small sharp knife, remove cone-shaped piece 2 inches wide and 1 inch deep from top of each tomato. Mix all the other ingredients together in a small bowl. Jam as much of that mixture as you can down into the tomatoes.

Grill for 5-10 minutes on a medium-hot grill. Place them right on the rack, and close the grill cover.

The moms had these with grilled tuna, grilled pineapple, couscous, and a crispy white wine while watching the season premier of HBO's True Blood. Dinner was delicious. Their verdict on the quirky show about vampires who achieve respectability through synthetic blood? Meh -- I coulda had a V8.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

I'm Still Here

Today's health update and musical interlude is brought to you by Clio Bluestocking, who knows there's nothing quite like seeing an aging diva belt out her gritty determination to survive to inspire an old dog on her last legs. Yep, this one nicely captures the mood here in Roxie's World, as I continue to defy my vet's prediction that I would be sinking my teeth into the ankle of the big postman in the sky by now. Sing it, Shirley:

Yeah, I'm still here, kids, but let's not sugarcoat it. I may be taking my sweet time and going rather gently into that good night, but it does begin to feel that I am going. The moms hover around me, carrying me tenderly from place to place, and feel me shrinking in their loving hands. I eat, but I am wasting away. They search my eyes for signs of discomfort. I whimper a little from time to time, but usually that just means I have gotten stuck in a corner or in an awkward position. Once upon a time I leaped and raced around a ridiculously large back yard. No squirrel dared to cross my path. Now my exercise is pulling myself around in circles with my front paws. I don't get anywhere, but my body remembers what it was to be strong and swift, agile and fierce.

It's a beautiful day in Roxie's World, my darlings. Moose went to the farmer's market this morning and came home with strawberries so sweet they made her think of Norway. She whipped up a mess of scrambled eggs with chipotle goat cheese, and Goose saved the last, best bites for me. The air is soft and the sky too clear to keep my typist sitting in a chair thinking about death or the latest insult the Obama administration has aimed at the LGBT community.

I am sending the moms on a long walk. If you need to stoke your outrage about the Justice department's brief in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, then head over to Pam's House Blend, which is doing its usual thorough job of reporting on the issue and calling the administration to account for its manifest failure to be the Fierce Advocate the president declared himself to be. Tenured Radical is less up in arms over the brief than a lot of pro-LGBT analysts have been. She thinks it might not be such a bad idea if DOMA ends up being resolved legislatively rather than judicially, given the uneven outcomes that have resulted from American courts intervening to overturn discriminatory laws on, for example, school segregation and abortion. It's a long, complex piece, hard to summarize but well worth reading and pondering. TR pointed us toward a thoughtful reaction from law prof Nan Hunter at Hunter for Justice. Hunter also thinks Congress is where the Obama administration will be obliged to make good on its promise to repeal DOMA, so she also isn't especially surprised or upset to see the administration defending the law in court -- because that is what government lawyers almost always do. (John Aravosis points out a number of exceptions to that rule here.)

There is no outrage in Roxie's World today, beloveds. Only tenderness. And strawberries. And a trail that an old dog's worn-out legs still remember. Peace out.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Becoming a Man

(H/T: the late Paul Monette.)

Chastity Bono, child of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, announced yesterday that s/he is transitioning from female to male. Bono, 40, came out as a lesbian (to family in 1987 and publicly in 1995) and has been a high-profile advocate for LGBT equality for nearly 15 years. He has published two books, Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming-Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families and The End of Innocence: A Memoir, been a spokesperson for HRC, and served as Entertainment Media Director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

According to a report in yesterday's New York Daily News, Bono began transitioning shortly after his fortieth birthday in March and now goes by the name Chaz. His publicist Howard Bragman was admirably low-key in announcing the news:
"Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," Bragman said.

"He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by loved ones.

"It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did nearly 20 years ago."
You know, there are way easier jobs for the children of former pop cult icons than prying open the dead-bolted hearts and minds of "the public." Oh, sure, "the public" might occasionally do something as sensible and noble as voting for a smooth-talking young black guy over a scary-talking old white guy, but "the public" still includes just enough gun-toting wack jobs (e.g., him and him) that a celebrity kid could be forgiven for deciding to keep quiet about his or her gender identity. It's my life, Chaz might easily have thought, my body, my complex web of intimate feelings, choices, and relationships. The public doesn't need to know and has no right to weigh in on who I am and how I live. Screw the public. Let somebody else be the poster kid, the whipping boy for gender transitivity.

Now, of course, "the public" also has a way of not letting celebrity kids keep their stuff private, so perhaps Chaz Bono was largely motivated by a desire to get out ahead on a story that was bound to come out sooner or later, one way or the other. If that is the case, you can hardly blame him. To step up before the physical effects of transition have become apparent and say, "This is who I am, this is what I am doing. My family is on board, and I am inviting you to get on board," frames the narrative in terms designed to assure his dignity and elicit the audience's sympathy. The statement, laconic as it is, also offers a preview of coming attractions. Reading it, you can already see Chaz and Cher off on the Happy Trans Family Tour of 2009, curled up on Oprah's couch, getting real with Dr. Phil, yukking it up with Ellen. "My child is my child," you can hear Cher saying, her hands wrapped lovingly around his as the camera zooms in. "Was I surprised? Yes. Do I mourn the loss of a daughter? In a sense, yes, but at the same time I welcome, support, and honor my son. A parent knows what a child needs, and this is what my child needs. I am with him, absolutely and unconditionally."

Cher will say those words, or something very close to them, and somewhere out in TV land, a trans kid will hear them and know that telling the truth doesn't necessarily mean losing the ones you love and need the most. Or a mother will hear them and say to herself, "I can do that, dammit. If Cher can do it, I can do it. I can tell the truth, for my kid's sake." And she will. And the sweet old world will go on spinning on its axis.

PAWS UP to Chaz Bono, for telling the truth and for believing that the public can handle hearing it. Dogspeed on your journey, Chaz. Know that the whole pack here in Roxie's World is running with you -- proudly, lovingly. We got you, babe. We got you.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

1. Roxie, how's the dying going? Weren't you supposed to be dead by now?

Indeed, I was, thanks for asking, but I hope loyal readers won't be disappointed to learn that I am way behind schedule on the whole dying thing. Perhaps I have picked up my typist's habit of procrastination, or perhaps my primary vet, Dr. Kevorkavet as she is known in our house, was off in her prediction (dramatically announced here) that I would expire in two weeks without treatment. The sand has run through the hourglass she set up for me two weeks ago this very day, but I live and breathe, beloveds, and don't have any sense that the curtain has risen on my play's last scene, so put your hankies away until further notice.

I am still on what we are calling hospice care but doing well under the tender supervision of an expanding platoon of nurses. I've been off all medications for more than two weeks. My back legs aren't working, but I am not in pain, so Moose has decided I never was in pain and that the problem with my mobility in the past couple of years was probably due not to arthritis but to a neurological condition that causes weakness but not pain. (We'd have to do a bunch of tests to confirm that diagnosis, but, frankly, at this point, we have more faith in our guts and good sense than we do in doctors, so we are opting not to do that.) I continue to eat, drink, and poop normally, and my coat is so soft that Moose buries her nose in it at least once a day. I use my front paws to scoot around the house a little and can still take a few steps out in the yard. I remain alert and content. At least once a day, I cover Goose's face with kisses just to let her know who is boss.

2. If a tree falls on the White House lawn and nobody hears it, is it still George Bush's fault? (Apocalyptically bad weather in the DC-area again today, kids -- It has to be somebody's fault.)

Absolutely. I think this AP video proves that beyond the shadow of a doubt:

3. Will the terrorists win if American cartoonists depict Dick Cheney as a leather queen doing a really kinky dom scene?

Oh, hell, no. Cheney sent our kids to Iraq to make the world safe for just this kind of stuff:

(H/T: Mel.)

4. If Obama is a "fierce advocate" for LGBT equality, what would an un-fierce advocate be doing on DADT, DOMA, ENDA, and other issues?

Excellent question -- Let's hand that one off to Butch PhD, since she came up with it on last night's show:

5. It's summer. Soon it will be too hot to go outside. I can't afford a vacation and, really, if I write all summer long I run the risk of finishing that dissertation and having to go out on the job market in a year when there will in all likelihood be no jobs whatsoever. What should I watch on TV?

Easy: Get Showtime for the summer and watch Weeds (season 5) and the brand new Edie Falco vehicle, Nurse Jackie. Granted, that is only an hour of viewing pleasure every week, but, hey, you can watch each episode two or three times and tell yourself you are looking for clever pop cult references to sprinkle into the diss that you aren't finishing! We continue to worry about the dark turn Weeds has taken, but it pairs brilliantly with Nurse Jackie, where Falco's Eliot-quoting, oxy-snorting, nun-educated tough girl is riveting. The show is smart and stylish, and the supporting cast (which includes Anna Deveare Smith!) is strong. We have a hunch Nurse Jackie is going to make us long for a check-up. (Watch the first episode of Nurse Jackie here. See Mary McNamara's review of both shows here.)

What else have you got cookin' this summer, kids? Let us know. If my death is on hold, I better get back to living at full throttle, and that means making sure my legions of loyal fans are well and happy and pleasantly distracted from the seriousness of everything. Don't be strangers, darlings. Give your old pal Roxie a click sometime. You won't regret it. Peace out.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Picturing Liberty

(Photo Credit: Moose, 6/6/09)

Why bother trying to photograph the biggest visual cliché in the national image repository? Why waste one more click of the shutter on the most photographed statue in the world? If the clichés don't defeat you, the monumentality will, especially if you are on a rocking boat whose speed and distance from the object you cannot control. And trying to take the picture without spilling a glass of wine or letting a favorite pair of sunglasses slip out of your hands and into the waves.

Why, why, why, oh, why even bother, silly tourist?

Because it was there, and you were there, with a decent camera in your hand, on a splendid summer evening when a full moon was rising and a best friend's girl had orchestrated a magical way to ease the pain of turning fifty. Oh, what the hell, you say to yourself, as the shutter clicks five or six or a dozen more times. On a night like this, even a cliché has a touch of the magnificent about it.

(H/T: Kate, who takes better pictures than we do and always has something thoughtful to say about them. And with gratitude to KB, an old dog's best new pal, who made sure I held up my end of the bargain so the moms could get to the party.)

Friday, June 05, 2009

Reasons to Love

The calendar says June, but two days of cold, ceaseless rain have made it feel like a damp, drizzly November in the soul of Roxie's World. We gather ourselves, Ishmael-like, in an effort to drive off the spleen. My typist fights off the remnants of whatever she picked up from Goose last week. I remain among the living and have settled back into my Buddha state. Yesterday, I was a little agitated, which upset the official worrier of Roxie's World, but today I and she are both breathing more easily.

Seeking shelter from the storm, we find it in the kernels of good news and warm wishes that arrive in the in-box or the daily news or reach us from the depths of cyberspace. For every plane that vanishes mysteriously from the night sky, for every titan of industry that falls to its knees in the midst of economic crisis, there is a little something that gives us hope, cause to smile, a reason to love. Call it the Law of Bad News, Good News. Things have a way of balancing out, or so we like to suppose. Feeling the need for a little pick-me-up, a happy something to keep you from knocking people's hats off on the street? Stay with us, kids. Good news comin' your way!

1. Good Grammar and Good Taste: Not that we lacked reasons to love Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but the English profs of Roxie's World were tickled to see this little tidbit in a Wa Po story on how Judge Sotomayor's ethnicity has shaped her sensibility and perspective. It would appear that her experience has made the jurist impatient with "long-winded lawyers and bad grammar":
[E]ach time I see a split infinitive, an inconsistent tense structure or the unnecessary use of the passive voice, I blister.
Amen, sister! Now that's a wise Latina woman for ya. Do you think Sotomayor will be able to edit the pomposity out of Scalia's opinions when she gets to the high court? Pretty to think so, isn't it?

2. Onward Christian Parody: We had kind of lost track of America's best Christian, Mrs. Betty Bowers, whose pants-wetting advice from Laura Bush on "raising Christian young ladies when you only have twenty minutes and two shot glasses" helped get us through the Shrub years. We ran across Betty on Facebook today, though, and we're pleased to report that she is as spiritually shrewd as ever. Here she is, helpfully weighing in on the roiling question of marriage, with a detailed biblical explanation of the Lord's surprisingly complex take on this simple issue:

3. Puppies! Lots and Lots of Puppies!: This comes to us by way of my cousin Foxy, warrior princess of the remote kingdom of Illinois, who lost a member of her pack not too long ago. Follow the link to meet Lucille, a foster dog who gave birth to seven puppies on May 31. If you tune in at the right time of day, you can even watch Lucille and the little guys live on the PuppyCam! Go on -- What else are you gonna watch, with Big Love on hiatus and no more Damages to test your brain's capacity to absorb plot twists? Puppies are simple. They sleep. They suckle. They tumble. Life is good when you're a puppy.

4. Dog Be With You: And with you also. This comes by way of my most far-away reader, sweet Fiona of Down Under, who visits me when most of you are sleeping and dreams of me when you are hard at work. Fiona sent us this wonderful cartoon from the Australian artist Michael Leunig. (Apologies for the lopped off right side of the image, but it was the best we could find.) Thanks for thinking of us, Fi, and for reminding us that dog's love is eternal and unconditional. Amen again and happy Friday, sweet undeserving humans.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

With Friends Like This . . .

President Obama tells NBC's Brian Williams he thinks lesbians and gays have a "friend in the White House." Really? Let's go to the videotape (picked up by way of Pam's House Blend):

Okie-dokie, Mr. President. You're right -- These seats in the back of the bus are every bit as comfortable as the ones up front. Absolutely! Separate is equal! Up is down! War in Afghanistan will bring peace to Afghanistan! Thanks for clearing that up.

Any other questions?

Monday, June 01, 2009

Stayin' Alive (Reprise)

Inspirational Geezer Edition

And the Indiana Jones Award for the Discovery of Hidden Treasures on the Interwebs goes to Dog-Eared Book, who sent in these gems in response to yesterday's meditation on the Bee Gees, the Buddha, and be-ing. I swear, sometimes I think DEB must be some kind of professionally trained researcher or something. With a charmingly quirky sense of what counts as culturally significant. Watch this now, or Dick Cheney will show up at your Fourth of July party to tell everyone that you are a really inept hostess and eating guacamole makes America less safe:

The punksters among you will also want to check out Young@Heart's creepy, crazy, wonderful rendition of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated." (Sorry to take you off-blog, but embedding on this one has been disabled. Follow that link, though. You won't regret it.)

Curious about who these singing, hoofing, aging children are? Young@Heart was established in 1982 at an elderly housing project in Northampton, MA. It is directed by Bob Cilman. The current group of performers ranges in age from 73 to 88. (Hey, maybe they need a canine mascot, who, at 105 in human years, would make them all spring chickens!) Full scoop on the group is here. And here's a trailer for the 2008 documentary, Young@Heart, directed by Stephen Walker.

Thanks for making our day, Dog-Eared Book. And thanks to all y'all for being, you know, the wind beneath our wings. Peace out.


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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Crochet cats and creativity

A few weeks ago, I came to the sudden realisation that I had again been starving my creative self. I am not pleased with how the earnest pursuit of survival frequently causes me to forget that colour even exists.

I needed a quick remedy, so the following day I set aside an extra couple of hours in the city en route to church, to sit in the craft section of the Japanese bookshop and absorb ideas.

Which is how I came to make the acquaintance of:

It's a hybrid of photographic storybook and pattern/idea book, with full instructions for making your very own amineko (Japanese contraction for crochet cat) and its accessories.

I love cats; I love miso soup. I all but giggled when I opened the book to the sight of the blue neko with perpetually closed eyes imbibing. Yes, I'd been that deprived.

And yes, I know. I have a whole collection of my own photographs of stuffed animals in various poses and settings. It's just nice when I find myself in company.

And if, like me, you have no craft book budget at present, fear not. Nekoyama's original pattern is available for free here. You don't get the patterns for the other items; no glossy pages full of quirky amineko tableaux (such as black amineko hard at work "crocheting little ones")...

But hey, you can still crochet your own amineko to pose anywhere and any way you want. Whether or not yours turns out to be reproductively minded, it looks like fun. Wonder if I'll ever get around to it. Probably sometime after I learn to crochet.

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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

7: Stationery

Town Hall Square Library Link, Sydney

This is what I'm likely to have with me on any given day: donkey, blank book, pens -- alongside the things more typically found in a handbag. (Keys, sunglasses, phone, camera, yes; five colours of lipstick, no. Maybe "typically" wasn't the best choice of words.) It isn't great for the shoulder, but at least I'm never caught without a place to write down a sudden observation/story idea.

I have a special place in my heart for inexpensive writing implements that write reliably and maintain their nib integrity up to the last drop of ink. I like even more that this Pilot G-1 (my favourite inexpensive reliable model of pen, most vexatiously not sold in Australia) in the picture has an old-fashioned price tag on it, and it's even reinforced with sellotape to prevent customers' itchy fingers from peeling it off. On that price tag is the logo of the stationery shop a few roads behind my family home in PJ, a shop that has been there since my childhood. My brother, youngest ketchup sister and I used to walk over as a special after-lunch treat on some days. The dim, dusty aisles topped with tidy rows of decorated pencils, arranged by design and lead colour, were fascinating to pre-formal schooling me.

It's no longer dim and dusty; some years ago the owner put in air conditioning and rearranged things a bit, probably wiping things along the way. But whenever I'm back it's still my go-to place -- to stockpile pen refills, of course, but also to browse other Malaysian stationery shop ephemera: badminton racquets, harmonicas, ping-pong nets, carrom men, ledgers, fishing rods, hula hoops. Things that can't be labelled stationery by any stretch of the imagination. So maybe it's not only stationery that I have a weakness for; it's the idea that it is possible to endure without conforming to a label.

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Monday, April 2, 2012

Fresh Start Mondays a Success!

The Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce's new Fresh Start Program titled "Fresh Start Mondays" had it's first event earlier today. The fresh start is in reference to refreshing the cleanliness and safety of our community. Neighbors gathered to pick up litter and trash including broken glass, fast food wrappers and discarded cigarette butts at 7315 N. Sheridan Road.

The location was selected due to regular complaints that the chamber of commerce received regarding the neglected property and it's close proximity to local businesses Quest Network Services, Sheridan Beach Foods and The Lighthouse Tavern at 7301 N. Sheridan Road.

Fresh Start Mondays are scheduled for every first and third Monday of the month, all year long. You can join the Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce in freshening Rogers Park up!... for a cleaner and safer neighborhood with less litter, debris and contaminants on our sidewalks, streets and beaches.

Photography by Kris Luck of Quest Network Services

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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

By Juan Montoya
In his spiel for before the Cameron County Court of Commissioners, City of Brownsville planner and hike-and-bike trail guru Ramiro Gonzalez revealed some telling facts about the Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Transportation and Tourism Plan he was trying to get the county to adopt.

Now, semantics is very important here. The item placed on the agenda by County Judge Eddie Treviño did not word his item as the court expressing its"support."

He wanted the court to "adopt" the plan. This was not a resolution which did not bind, as other cities in the county had done. If in the future the plan that was to be implemented by a executive officer and coordinator of the Rails To Trails Association, they would be hired at a cost of between $90,000 to $110,000 to be paid by the participant cities and the county.

Then there was also the commitment required of the county that might include a cash "participation," potential transfer of county property and right-of-way, purchase of the properties abutting drainage and irrigation canals belonging to different districts, and an assumption of liability should someone
fall into one of these ditches or otherwise hurt themselves.

As he fenced questions raised by the commissioners, Gonzalez was careful to gloss over issues surrounding the plan which envisions connecting Cameron County cities through a 129-mile system of hike-and-bike trails.
One of these was the planned building of a bike ramp over the Queen Isabella Causeway. On July, 29, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the City of Brownsville is the only community in Texas to receive $10 million under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant Program.

In its application, the city stated that it planned to expand the width of the Queen Isabella Causeway by about four feet to accommodate a 14-foot-wide, two-way pedestrian and bike pathway to South Padre Island. According to the fact sheet, the causeway for pedestrian and bikers will be one of the longest in the United States and the first of its kind in the state of Texas.

However, under questioning by Pct. 2 commissioner Alex Dominguez, Gonzalez admitted that the plan had not been approved by either the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA) or the Texas Dept. of Transportation.
"They have been at all our meetings..." Gonzalez started.
"That's not my question," Dominguez said.
"The San-Benito Harlingen MPO and the Brownsville MPO already adopted this plan. TxDot does not adopt plans," Gonzalez said.
"So 10 communities and the MPOs have adopted the plan, Right now the only entity that has not adopted the plan is Cameron County?," Treviño ased.
"Yes, sir."

Under further questioning by Dominguez, Gonzalez said the CCRMA had performed studies that gave the Queen Isabella bike/ped trial three options, one that cost $2 million, another $9 million and another $25 million to construct the bike/ped ramp if they can get TxDot support. Under the $2 millioon plan, one of the two lanes would be reduced in space and bicycle barriers would be installed to protect bikers. Under the $9 plan in the city's application for the TIGER grant, a four feet extension of the roadway would be added to accommodate a 14-foot-wide, two-way pedestrian and bike pathway. The $25 million option would see the construction of a separate causeway limited only to bicycles and pedestrians.

"Didn't TxDot say that that bridge could not support any more weight?" Pct. 3 commissioner David Garza.
"I think we're digressing here," Gonzalez countered.
"But isn't that what they said at the last meeting?,"" Garza persisted.
"It's my understanding as of today that is true, and we're using that as an example," Gonzalez said.
"I've heard that some things from TxDoT, that TxDot doesn't have this in their long-range plan," added Dominguez.

"We are not asking $1 from this county," Gonzalez said. "Se haven't asked anybody for a dollar. In fact...
"Didn't you...I was at the same meting you were at in at Laguna Vista...and I understand that you did ask for money and I understand that you were at a few other meetings and that you did ask money...," Garza said.
"Let me clarify that," Gonzalez said."
(At this point Treviño intervened and asked Garza to allow Gonzalez the time to answer the question.)
"You know when he says something that is a misstatement, judge, I am going to question it because we were both at the same meeting at which he made a request to the city for money..." Garza replied.

"That is exactly what I was going to say, commissioner," Gonzalez said. "That is part of the process...we formulate a plan, and if we need some funding we come back (to undertake an economic impact study) and we did come back to ask these communities to participate...The Island said no, we said Ok. Laguna Vista did participate. That's part of the process, if we need some funding, we come back. If we need some funding, we come back..."

"I just wanting to make that when you make a statement that you had not asked, that I was there and you did ask," Garza said.
"You're absolutely right," Gonzalez admitted.

Anonymous said...

So what?!

Anonymous said...

Too much "inside baseball" here. Not interesting, juan!

Manuel Perez said...

Nobody reads this shit, juanito. Write about the godammned bars, bro. about loose broads, too

Anonymous said...

Some of us see this new addition to the bay bridge as new fishing piers. Just how many citizens will benefit from this million dollar investment? Sounds to me that Ramiro is doing the dirty work for Rose Gowen. Does anyone know how many people might use this trail if built? Does anyone know how many jobs this might create? I very seldom see any bikes on the "bike lanes" along 6th and 7th streets....unless Rose is closing the city for one of her bike events. And just what event does she have in mind for the bay bridge and the county???? Behind this expenditure is surely an event!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Juan, flash! saw a fat guy on a bike yesterday that looked like Blimp. Is he pro-Gowen? Wow. Blimp-on-a-Bike.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else noticed how the bikers and runners on the bike trails are always way more fit and attractive than your average Brownsville lardass. Why is that?

Anonymous said...

Stop wasting tax payers monies on bike lines on city streets that are never used. We already have many miles of established bike trails.

Big worm said...

People need to wake up she's not dumb Gowen found a niche of voters that will vote and in turn keeps her hand in the cookie jar.If you really want change stop crying get off your fking asses and vote.

Anonymous said...

Stop crying about the naked tub of lard you see in the mirror every day, get off your fat asses and bike. It's that simple. The ability and opportunity has been provided to you. Methinks there are a lot of fatasses who are too scared to test their bodies and just want to complain about those who have made an amazing change for themselves. And no it did not cost $1000's in gym memberships. Just walking and biking on the trails that have been provided to you, free to use. Make the positive change now


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Mean Sopheap, Hemakcheat Theater, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

As a young woman Mean Sopheap lived in the Pailin province of Cambodia and escaped the Khmer Rouge onslaught by fleeing to the Koa-I-Dang refugee camp in what is now the Sa Khaeo province of Thailand. It was in this camp that she studied classical Khmer dance for the first time and was singled out for her dancing skills. In her prime she was well known for her extraordinary grace and by most accounts a stunning beauty. The U.S. government awarded her a scholarship in 1982 and invited her to perform in Los Angeles, California. She could have stayed in California but she chose to return to her family in Cambodia only to discover seven of her ten children had been killed by the Khmer Rouge. After one of her sons squandered her savings on drugs and gambling her life began a slow brutal downward spiral that left her living in the squalid conditions of the Hemakcheat Theater up until the time of her recent death. She is survived by her three remaining sons.


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Friday, April 4, 2014

In Conversation with the Gülen Movement’s Media Foundation Head

Ankara, Asharq Al-Awsat—Founded in 1994, the Journalists’ and Writers’ Foundation (GYV) of the Hizmet movement has been at the forefront of attempts by the organization and its founder, Fethullah Gülen, to promote its message in the Turkish and global media.
Mustafa Yeşil, chairman of the Writers' and Journalists' Foundation, in Istanbul, March, 2014

Amid the continuing political instability in Turkey, Asharq Al-Awsatspoke to the chairman of the foundation, Mustafa Yeşil, about the organization’s public image in light of the ongoing feud between the movement and Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Yeşil graduated from Marmara University with a degree in theology in 1985 before becoming a high school religious studies teacher. After obtaining a master’s degree in social studies from Dokuz Eylül University in 1992, he joined the staff of Zaman, eventually becoming its London correspondent in 2003.

Asharq Al-Awsat: What is the Hizmet movement? Who funds it?
Mustafa Yeşil: The movement was founded in Turkey, and because of that it is Turkish in character. Generally speaking, it is a movement that inspires faith, but it is not a religious movement. It focuses on the common humanity in all of us, and on peace. It operates in more than 160 countries. As for the sources of funding, it depends upon the donations of members. The movement does not espouse violence or underhandedness. It strives to solve problems through peaceful means.

Q: What is the movement’s base, broadly speaking?
As a transnational movement, there are three basic axes from which the Hizmet movement addresses the three main problems in the region and the world in general. These problems are, first, ignorance, which the movement attempts to combat through education. Second is poverty, which the movement tries to stem by developing businesses and [creating] job opportunities and through humanitarian and social work. And, third, there is conflict within and between societies, which the movement is trying assuage through dialogue.

The movement’s ability to administer and oversee various productive initiatives throughout the world emanates from its moral values and humanitarian principles. Wherever the movement operates, its volunteers work with the same code of ethics, and that is what enables us to endure.
As for the values and principles, the basis of our common principles is discipline. As for values, our overarching goal is to always seek to please God; this is our greatest motivating factor. We are not motivated by material gain when joining the movement. It is instead based on giving to society and the people. Principles such as love and tolerance are constants in the movement and have become second nature to the volunteers. In the end, we are all human beings. We come from different orientations and different climates, but what unites us are our humanitarian principles. Man is the supreme art of the Creator, and this truth shapes our approach. Innovation is a fundamental principle in the work of the movement, for we live in a changing world. The movement is committed to its principles, but not so rigid that it isn’t open to innovation.

Q: What is the decision-making process in the movement?
There is no individualism in the movement. Rather than take on projects on an individual basis, Hizmet takes decisions in a liberal way. People gather and discuss the key issues and decide how to proceed together.

Q: The movement has supported the AKP since its inception, but recently you withdrew your support. Any comment?
During the three terms the AKP has been in government, the movement supported what it felt was right and criticized what it saw as wrong. Their expectations were different; they were expecting full political loyalty, which was never an option. Our loyalty is to our principles and values, not to political organizations.
The movement never planned to turn into a political movement, and our founding principles dictate that. It is very important to us that we adhere to that. But this does not mean that we are completely separated from politics. Democratic societies are home to non-governmental organizations which [seek] to influence politics, and yes, that is what we are doing. We want a better democracy, and we believe that politics should be void of authoritarianism, be it civilian or military. We are a constructive movement, and we do not have a confrontational character. We avoid violence at all costs. We are accused of basically being passive because we do not participate in any violent acts.
In the recent crisis with the ruling AKP, we adhered to the law and defended ourselves only through legal means. Now the AKP is exploiting public resources for partisan gains, and it engages in hateful speech about the movement. However, we continue to maintain our composure. On this topic, we have said before in a statement that the prime minister’s words are meant to incite hatred and could lead to violence. There is negative energy between him and the people, and he cannot control them.

Q: Why the change of heart regarding support for the AKP?
Eighty percent of our supporters voted for the AKP in 2011. That was when the party promised to bring Turkey into the European Union, to end military rule and to establish a new constitution that would protect the civil rights of all Turkish people. But after 2011 the AKP developed a powerful hubris and changed radically. Once the party controlled the Grand National Assembly, they began to try to control the judiciary. That’s when we began to smell corruption in the wind, and it finally exploded and was larger than anything we could have imagined.

Q: Your movement has had accusations leveled at it that you are building a “parallel state,” to use the prime minister’s words.
The movement has no plans to build a state within a state, because it does not have the historical framework to impose control on the community via state institutions. It adheres to the theory of civilian Islam. The movement calls for democracy because it is the best way to live. We believe that differences need not be the cause of conflict in society. The movement does not conceal any hidden agenda and we do not practice dissimulation in any way. We have credibility, and this is all we have. One of the most important political principles of the movement is that it maintains its independence. We have no contacts with any government organizations or foreign institutions, whether financially nor administratively. This is the major cause of our current dispute with the Justice and Development Party (AKP), for we did not succumb to the political will of the AKP.

Q: How large is your movement?
We have no enrollment system, and thus we have no records on new members or withdrawals. Whoever feels that the movement is beneficial and subscribes to its tenets can join, and he will earn increased responsibility as time passes.

Q: How many people does your movement employ?
It is impossible to know how many members the movement has for two reasons. First, we do not have a membership system. And, second, the movement is not a centralized body, but there are some indicators that can help us make a guess at membership numbers, such as our newspaper subscriptions and our student enrollment. Observers have placed the number anywhere from 4 to 6 million, while others have estimated that as much as 25 percent of the population of Turkey supports the movement in one way or another.

Q: Is the movement organized in any specific way?
Both funding and decision-making in the movement is organized on a local level, but there is an umbrella organization that manages these activities. For example, all of the Movement’s schools in Turkey are part of a consortium called the Union of Private Schools, and all of the movement’s institutions are connected to each other in some way through their work and occasional joint projects. Another example is the Turkey Foundation, which provides technical support for teachers who are studying the Turkish language outside the country. They organize lessons, publish books and organize the Turkish Olympiad, in which students from 160 countries compete.

Q: What media institutions does the movement manage?
The movement has been at work since the early 1970s. Things were difficult back then, and it seems they still are. The secular elite that held power at the time were wary of the movement’s work, and so they put a lot of restrictions on us. The secular media were also interested in us and wary of us. The movement wanted to interface with the public, and so we began circulating the newspaper Zaman in 1986 as a means of responding to the accusations leveled at us. The paper initially sold 5,000 copies, but has since become the most widely distributed paper in the country, selling roughly 1.2 million copies, more than twice the distribution of other leading periodicals. This displays the attitudes of Turkish society towards us. There is another newspaper, Bugün, which is published by a businessman who is sympathetic to us. It sells about 200,000 copies, so the movement sells 1.4 million out of the 5 million papers distributed across Turkey.
In the field of television, the movement manages the Samanyolu station, which provides many specialized channels, covering news, culture, economics, children’s interests and more. Conservative and liberal groups across the nation watch these channels.

Q: There is talk of your great influence within the judiciary and the police force. Is this justified?
[Laughing] It took a very long time . . . We’ve had to answer this question on several occasions, and it got to the point that we had to issue a statement regarding it. We’ve been running educational institutions for 40 years, and graduates of our schools have now made their way into the private sector and the bureaucracy. They’ve taken official positions, as is the right of every Turkish citizen, and the diversity of the community should be reflected in the government. For a while the secular elite considered the administration a closed circle, which did not lend itself to participation by ordinary or religious citizens. This began to change under President Turgut Özal, and people who supported the movement began to enter official institutions.
As to the accusation that the movement has built a parallel state, it was nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the corruption scandal that erupted on December 17. This corruption was much worse than anyone could have expected. It was grand in scope and highly systematized, and they attempted to seek a fatwa in favor of it. So they leveled this baseless accusation against us, although they possess all the means by which any evidence could be brought to light.

Q: How does the movement respond to being declared a terrorist organization by the government?
They are trying to instill fear within the hearts of the people. This kind of talk is almost a joke, and we should laugh at it. In the 1970s we were accused of being passive because we refused to get involved in street wars. We promote dialogue and understanding, and all of our principles are based on solving problems through dialogue. They cannot sell this to the people, because no one will believe them.


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Trek For Timor 2011

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Trek For Timor is a 50km event put on every 2 years in Kangaroo Valley to raise funds for the Remexio area south of Dili in East Timor. They raise funds to provide solar powered lighting to houses, which improves local life as it means not all tasks need to be completed during daylight, and helps save money on fossil fuels. Each unit to provide light to one house costs $160 and every cent goes to the lights. Staff even pay their own airfares to Timor, and top up the commission that Paypal removes with their own money.

After a terrifyingly warm day on Friday, a cool change came through and set us up for a 14-18 degree run through Kangaroo Valley. Perfect running weather, a little cool, no hot sun, and it was only raining a little bit. My team mate and I, Jeff Duncan, stayed at a friends pub in Sutton Forest, waking up at 4.30am -only a few hours after the pub had shut.
A quick breakfast and it’s in the car to the start, at McPhails Trail. There’s no starting gun, you turn up, register and when you’re ready to leave your time is recorded and off you go! We were told that due to National Parks burning off, the event had been reduced by about 4km to around 46km from the original 50km. When we left, our vollie (Volunteer) asked us what time to record, and Jeff said 6:18am, he was out by 2 minutes but I figured if it was important that I could bring up the fact that I was wearing a Garmin that gets its time from a satellite.
….And then 100m from the start is the first major climb. It’s very steep, and according to the map only flattens out after about 6.5km. However we did get to run some flats and it wasn’t as bad as it first looked. A couple of stinging nettles in the legs reminded me I was alive, and some beautiful views including an abandoned farmhouse  Checkpoint 1 @ 13km was at Fitzroy Falls visitors centre, we had passed all of the walkers in the first hour, so I was very curious to hear about who was in front of us. We were told there was a team about 10 minutes in front, which raised my long dormant (previously non existent) competitive instinct. I knew they had to have started before us as no one had passed us, and I also knew they couldn’t have started before 6am, so we were either faster than them, or marginally slower. The trails around here are full of leaf litter and sticks and not well travelled, unlike other trails where the ground is packed hard and you just have to deal with rocks. I mention this because just after CP1 I managed to shoot a large stick into my leg, slashing it open nicely. Jeff said I was just opening up a vein to attract the leeches, which wasn’t very funny as I have a thing about leeches…….. I also seemed to have an uncanny ability to kick up small rocks directly into my ankles, which hurts more than childbirth. I should know, I’m a man. An interesting diversion about halfway to Checkpoint 2 we came across some signs asking us to guess song names, and sure enough every couple of hundred meters was a display relating to a well known song. it was kind of nice to realise my brain was still working. This is where we came upon the team in front- they had 2 female runners and a guy who was carrying a pack big enough for a tent, bbq, and provisions for the night. I had a bit of a look and decided that if we got in front, we probably didn’t need to worry about them catching up. I know, famous last words…….
(that’s mist, not smoke- although we did have some smoke and flames later, left over from the burn off)
I was silent for the next few hundred metres (unusual, I know) and then blurted out ‘I don’t care what happens from here on in, but I will go to my grave knowing that I’ve  been in 1st place in an ultra marathon. Once.’
When we arrived at Checkpoint 2 @27km, they offered us soup, but I figured that this was going to mean boiling the water, getting the soup, waiting for the noodles to soften, waiting for it to cool enough to eat etc. And I knew we weren’t that far ahead of the other team, so we couldn’t relax. Lucky, as we heard the vollies clapping them in just as we headed off!
We arrived at the last checkpoint (Jack’s Corner at 37km) to be told that Parks had given the go ahead for us to use the full course, so we were back up to a 50km event. They had home made muffins! I snarfed down a chocolate and raspberry one which made my day. I was a little fearful here, as the extra distance could allow the others to grind us down, and as we were in front we had no idea how far back they were, but they knew approximately where we were. As usual, the marathon madness settled in- that point about 34-36km where you just don’t want to go on. Your body screams at you to stop, and instead of yelling out ‘victory or death!’ your body would happily settle for death. With only 12km to go it became an internal battle rather than one with another team. For the last 10km there were markers each km, and at 42.2km I pointed to a white road marker and said ‘there you go Jeff, that’s the marathon done!’ I swear I saw him kissing the ‘5km to go’ marker- I would have done it too if I’d had the energy. It’s surprising how long you can go with a little marathon shuffle, the hills don’t look so bad, and I only had to stop when my heart rate got a bit high. The final k’s were made a little easier by seeing so many kangaroos- inquisitive creatures, and by then I could have really used some of their leg strength! I told Jeff not to get too close to the roos as they can eviscerate you quite easily and he turned to me, looked exasperated and said ‘is there anything in the Australian bush that WON’T kill you?’. He has a point. Jeff was the most brilliant team mate during this time, he walked when I walked, ran when I ran and didn’t scream ‘Schnell Schnell!’ even once. No matter, I couldn’t have replied ‘jawohl, herr kommissar‘ anyway.
Yes, mixing my Russian and German, you don’t think anybody will notice, do you? A bit confused at the end, we went through a gate and up towards a school at Glengarry where there were huge banners for a mountain bike race. Were we in the right place? Yes, but the finish was up another mild rise (see, I didn’t say the ‘Hill’ word). Shouts of ‘Go Adam!’ from down the hill (I mean rise) and it turns out there is (I think) Ann Powell off on another crazy mountain bike adventure. Ann, you know those things are dangerous don’t you? Actually I’m pretty sure that’s why she does it…..
So we finished in 6:21 by my Garmin, official time 6:25, but because of the staggered start didn’t know whether we would get handicap honours as well as line honours. The other team, Zahra & Laura (their porter was not an official runner) came in about 15 minutes later and revealed that one of them had sprained an ankle in the first 100m, so if they’d been healthy they probably could have knocked us off! That’s a stunning achievement with an injured team mate. Their total time of 6:43 made us the overall winners! I almost cried with happiness, it was a very emotional moment for me.
Now let me be brutally honest here- I reckon way more than 50% of the club members are faster than me, and only 16 runners were registered. So we only had to beat 5 or 6 teams, it doesn’t make me the next Killian Jornet. But it does make me a very happy old bloke.
Jeff asked me how I would feel on Sunday and I replied ‘I’ll probably have trouble walking, but every time I get a muscle twinge I’m going to remember we won, and laugh my arse off’. I posted on Facebook that I felt like Charlie Sheen as I was ‘winning’ and ‘full of win’ and my kind friends reminded me that I didn’t have a house full of rented ladies, briefcase full of cocaine and a multi million dollar salary. Or tigers blood. Pretty sure I’m not going to get those things running, but I feel like I got a much better deal than Charlie. Now I’m off to write an ebook to make my fortune. It’s called ‘How to go from the bottom 50% of the running pack (Coastal Classic) to winning an ultra marathon in 2 weeks’ So far it’s not a very long book, it just says ‘make sure nobody faster than you signs up’.
Thank you NRG for helping me to achieve something I never thought was possible. Particularly Steve Bruggeman, who puts up with the groans every time he tells us what tonights special torture has in store. Honestly Steve, those swear words come out all by themselves. Every one of you helps me every week, whether you’re out in front making me want to do better, or up the back with me trying to do better! Well, that was my moment of glory, and I enjoyed it a lot, thanks  NRG!
*And special thanks to photographer Ian Watson, who provided these photos*

2 thoughts on “Trek For Timor 2011

  1. You skinny bastard, do some curls!

    Whoops, I mean, congratulations and you look less like an idiot than I was hoping for in the photos… you have the weirdest youtube links of any blogger ever.

  2. the links were made in Mail, I simply copied the text from Mail and it preserved the links. What do you mean weird?

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Double Duty

This morning I started with the elliptical machine, 2.6 miles in 35:12 minutes. I was itching to get on the road, though, eventhough this chould be a rest day. Since I put new over-the-counter orthotics in my new-ish running shoes last night, I decided I should take the new set-up for a spin for tomorrow's long right--right?? I did trot around the area outside my gym for 7 minutes, going a whopping .56 miles. Not bad.

Tomorrow will be interesting, a 6 mile long run with the training group. It's been over 20 years since I've run that far! Yikes! :)

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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Today's Workout

I slept in a bit today, then puttered around and read for a while, so I had a late morning workout today. I ran for 40 minutes (3.32 miles) on the treadmill, then rode 17:02 minutes (3.33 miles) on the recumbent bike. No big deal. Wasn't in the mood to workout today, but not I'm glad I did.

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Friday, December 7, 2012

Inside The Wardrobe: What Is Plaid?

Whenever I say "plaid" here, I get strange looks.

Apparently, the American "plaid" is the British "check".

Personally, when I think of checkered print, I think of a checkered (racing) flag. More of a distinct tessellation, less of an overlapping pattern. (I can't believe I just used the word tessellation. #MathNerd)

But going on the "I'm in England and speak English" thing, I shall use the word checkered.

I LOVE checkered prints. I secretly wish I had a uniform in school so I could have worn polo shirts, checkered skirts, and knee high socks. Call me crazy.

But nowadays, anytime I wear checkered shirts with my glasses (too lazy for contacts most days), I get called a wannabe hipster. (As opposed to any other day where I just get called Amy Farrah Fowler. PICK A SIDE, PEOPLE! I CAN'T BE BOTH!) For the record, I'm not a wannabe hipster. Just a girl with poor eyesight.

So I'm going to go with a more subtle checkered print.

I really like layers as the weather gets colder. I think check shirts go great under plain jumpers with the collar over the top and the checkered sleeves rolled up over the jumper's sleeves.

(Since the red is a bit of a contrast to the green trousers, I'd definitely keep the check shirt tucked in but leave the jumper out.)

And how cute is that dog necklace??? I know normally I'm an owl fiend, but I couldn't resist this little pup!

How do you like to style check/plaid prints??
And totally off topic, do you have a celebrity look alike? Do people constantly tell you that you look like someone else?? (Like I get, "hey, you look like that girl from The Big Bang Theory!")

(Link up with My Friday's Fancies)

  1. hahaha i don't know who you've been talking to but i'm pretty sure we do say plaid - especially in relation to skirts/kilts... "scotch plaid", "tartan plaid" (maybe boys, because they have no idea?! i just checked with one if he knew what i meant by plaid and he said "yeah, pleated". doh!)

    1. Oh cool! I clearly hang with a silly crowd then!! And just when I thought I was starting to think I sounded like I know what I'm talking about, England throws me a curve ball. Damn. Thanks for the heads up!

  2. haha how appropriate - a Scottie on the necklace! too cute :)

  3. i definitely refer to it a plaid but i would know what someone meant if they said a "checked shirt". so funny that there are so many differences between the two languages :) xx

  4. Ha. Love this. That necklace is great!

    xo, Emily

  5. Perfect holiday plaid outfit- love the green pants!

  6. love the plaid, and the green pants are the perfect compliment!! just got some from H&M recently!! ;)
    P.S. check out my latest giveaway - last day to enter!! XOXO

  7. Those pants are the perfect shade of green for the holidays! And I am in LOVE with those shoes. Have a great weekend :) xoxo

Thank you so much for stopping by! I love reading what you have to say, so feel free to leave a comment!


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Bagshot, Surrey

Houses and Apartments Development
Rushmoor Engineering were engaged by Space4 to provide the structural designs for this Charles Church development consisting of a mixture of two bedroom apartments and two, three, four, five and six bedroom homes.
These premium homes are built to a high standard and situated behind the Nottcutts Nursery on the A30. The Space4 unique and patented timber frame system improves insulation and air tightness providing reductions in heating costs and a comfortable living environment.
Main Contractor - Charles Church Developments
Timber Frame Manufacturer - Space4
Architect - Head Projects


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©Fadi Yeni Turk 2014

Ruth Pollard

Ruth Pollard is an award-winning multimedia journalist specialising in conflict reporting across the Middle East and North Africa.

She focuses on those affected by war and repression in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan as well as the Israel-Palestine conflict and the refugee crisis that now stretches from the Middle East and Africa into Europe and beyond.

Working across multiple platforms, she produces compelling, interactive journalism.

From 2011 - 2015 she was the Middle East Correspondent for two of Australia's leading newspapers - The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age - and their associated online news sites.

Based in Beirut, she is available for reporting, editing and research commissions throughout the region.


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Healthy Eating and Local Food in the Rogue Valley: Where are We Now?

November 8 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

The Rogue Valley Food System Network invites you to a presentation about the regional efforts to improve access to healthy and local food in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Almost 5 years ago residents of both counties conducted community food assessments. The recommendations that followed generated several on-the-ground projects that address some of the barriers to healthy eating. This presentation will provide a review of where we are, the remaining gaps, and a panel will present on-the-ground projects they currently work on or participate in. A question and answer session will follow as well as an opportunity for the audience to share their insight and interest in learning about the barriers to healthy eating and local food.

The panel will tentatively cover the following projects: Healthy Mobile Food Pantry, Veggie RX, SNAP Incentive Match Programs, Healthy Corner Store Initiative

Intended Audience: Community members, CCO and health-related industry staff interested in determinants of health as they pertain to food, food system advocates, and advocates of healthy eating.

For more details or questions, please contact Regan Emmons at coordinator@rvfoodsystem.org or at 541-507-7742.

We greatly appreciate your RSVP to our Facebook Event.

November 8
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Rogue Valley Community Church
623 Pine St.
Rogue River, OR 97537 United States
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Monday, September 21, 2009

BSF women soldiers my comments in indian express

Gandhi would not know what to say to this confident group of women who will help in the struggle for gender equality. These soldiers make us all proud and their children will be officers in the armed forces .Their is a desire that The disparity, a colonial legacy of officer and jawan will be reduced in near future and eventually eliminated .Single structure and continuing education in the armed forces can make it a more effective military.
I salute these pioneers.Strong men,women and families make a strong nation.

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Birchard Co/EZDrop

Claremont,  CA
United States
  • Booth: 521

EZDROP STAINLESS STEEL book drops and molded carts- NOT SOFTER ALUMINUM! EZDrop is the only book drop with these exclusive STAFF FRIENDLY FEATURES; No key 5 button lock, field tested by FedEx in 80,000 boxes, never freezes and combination can be changed by you. All Stainless Steel Book Returns. Molded light weight/safer carts DUALDROP with separate carts for staff efficiency !!!

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Commentary: Sowing and Reaping

Sowing and Reaping

What is sowing?  It is to plant seed for growing, especially by scattering.  What is reaping?  It is to cut or clear with a scythe, sickle, or machine; to gather by or as if by cutting the harvest.  Another definition is reward.  What is a harvest?  As a noun it can be the mature crop of what was sown.  It can also be the act of gathering the crop.  It is also the season in which the crop is ready to be gathered. Also, it is the product or reward of effort.  As a verb it is to gather in a crop; a synonym of reaping.  How do the concepts relate?  One is the cause the other the effect.  The harvest is the product of what is sown.  So you reap or harvest what you have previously sowed.  If you sow wheat you will harvest or reap wheat.  If you sow orange seeds, you will harvest oranges.  Less we take it for granted: you cannot sow cherries and expect mangoes.

Another thing is that there is a process for the seed to grow into what will be harvested.  This means that time has to pass by.  This implies then that there is a season to sow and a season to reap.  Sow outside of that season and your harvest will be affected.  There are other considerations: type of soil, climate, moon phase, etc.  All of these will affect the harvest you get from what you sow.

The following illustration (found in our lesson study) reveals the relationship between sowing and reaping. Some potato farmers decided to save the biggest potatoes for themselves and to plant the smaller potatoes as seed. After a few disappointing harvests, they discovered that nature had reduced their potato crops to the size of marbles. Through this disaster, those farmers learned an important law of life.  They could not have the best things of life for themselves and use the leftovers for seed. The law of life decreed that the harvest would reflect the planting (sowing). Small potatoes will yield small (or even smaller) potatoes.  They reaped what they sowed.

There is an application to life.  "In another sense, planting small potatoes is still common practice. We take the big things of life for ourselves and plant the leftovers. We expect that by some crazy twist of spiritual laws, our selfishness will be rewarded with unselfishness."—International Student Fellowship Newsletter, March 2007.

So let's consider this: whenever believers' lives are dominated by secular media—television, radio, Internet, and so on—how can they expect significant spiritual progress?  What if on the other hand the believer spent time praying and studying the word of God?  There are higher chances of spiritual progress.

Paul seems to understand this.  It is probably why he applies this principle in Galatians 6:1–10.  Spiritual attainments are proportionate with spiritual investments. Those who desire greater spiritual strength must engage in spiritual exercise and avoid spiritual fast food. Little investment equals little advancement. Spiritual profitability arises from investing time with spiritual things. Now Paul's metaphor about sowing and reaping is not unique. It is a fact of life that appears in many ancient proverbial sayings. What is significant, however, is how Paul uses it to highlight his previous comments about the flesh and the Spirit.  Let us read Galatians 6:  7 - 9

Galatians 6: 6-9 (NKJV)

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

A modern colloquialism that is based on this concept is, "no pain, no gain."  Another similar one is, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."  James D. G. Dunn notes, "A modern equivalent is that we are free to choose, but we are not free to choose the consequences of our choice."—Galatians, p. 330.

Ellen White comments on this,

"The Spirit of God keeps evil under the control of conscience. When man exalts himself above the influence of the Spirit, he reaps a harvest of iniquity. Over such a man the Spirit has less and less influence to restrain him from sowing seeds of disobedience. Warnings have less and less power over him. He gradually loses his fear of God. He sows to the flesh; he will reap corruption. The harvest of the seed that he himself has sown, is ripening. He has a contempt for God's holy commandments. His heart of flesh becomes a heart of stone. Resistance to truth confirms him in iniquity. It is because men sowed seeds of evil, that lawlessness, crime, and violence prevailed in the antediluvian world.

"All should be intelligent in regard to the agency by which the soul is destroyed. It is not because of any decree that God has sent out against man. He does not make man spiritually blind. God gives sufficient light and evidence to enable man to distinguish truth from error. But He does not force man to receive truth. He leaves him free to choose the good or to choose the evil. If man resists evidence that is sufficient to guide his judgment in the right direction, and chooses evil once, he will do this more readily the second time. The third time he will still more eagerly withdraw himself from God and choose to stand on the side of Satan. And in this course he will continue until he is confirmed in evil, and believes the lie he has cherished as truth. His resistance has produced its harvest (MS 126, 1901)."—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1112.

So, as Paul says in Romans 1: 18 – 32 that God has to let those who refuse His grace go.  Not as punishment, but because they chose to leave.  So, in making their choice they also chose the consequence.  It is not God who punishes them; they are suffering the unfortunate consequences of their own choices.  Our eternal destiny will reveal the choice we made.  It will reveal what we sowed.  In the end no one will be deceived.

Raul Diaz


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Thursday, March 5, 2015

Burlap canvas layout

Hello All, Today, I would like to share with you a burlap canvas that I have created. This 12x12 canvas is created due to overwhelming inspiration by Song Li. She has been sharing her photoless layouts on facebook lately that I just knew I have to create one. Not to sound like a copy cat, I decided to go with a canvas instead of a layout lol. IMG_8558 IMG_8556 IMG_8555 IMG_8554 In terms of color inspiration, I was so much inspired by this music video. I just love the vintage retro feel of this video so much.

Please check out Sa's blog for these cute chippie goodies.

 Hope you like my creations ;)

 SaCrafter's products used.-
 Chipboard Roman Clock
 W-mini birdhouses
 Leaves no.1
 Sentiments Set 1

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Battleground Territory – The Fight Against Tooth Decay Starts Here

Background Territory

There are four typical sites for tooth decay. These spots are difficult to clean, so bacteria can usually gain a foothold, unless our patients are particularly diligent with their oral hygiene. Without regular cleaning and dental check-ups, these sites often suffer pits, fissures and lesions in the enamel and dentin that result in dental caries, more commonly called cavities.

Grooves in Teeth The first of these sites are the natural grooves of the grinding surface of the teeth. Food is easily caught in these formations in the enamel. With particularly deep fissures or pits, decay is almost inevitable. Dental sealants or pre-emptive treatment with composite fillings are methods for preventing serious destruction of the enamel by opportunistic bacteria.

Interdental ToothbrushAnother common location for caries is between the teeth. Flossing is the primary way to remove food particles and bacterial biofilm from these tight gaps. Some patients also report good success by cleaning these areas with interdental brushes, small brushes that fit between the teeth. Crowded teeth are especially susceptible to tooth decay since it can be difficult to fit either floss or brushes between them. This problem is best resolved by orthodontics.

The gum line is a third location where caries are often found. Developing caries in this zone is extremely hazardous to dental health, since it is more likely that the disease will progress into the root. While it’s important to brush this area regularly, use caution to not brush too aggressively, or you may damage the very gum line you’re trying to protect. Bleeding gums are a sign of serious problems and should be brought to the Sacramento Dentistry Group for examination.

Gaps between fillings and your tooth are the final “trouble spot” for caries. Unfortunately, this is an area where most people assume they are immune from decay, since they have already been treated once before. The point must be made that there is no place in the mouth safe from tooth decay. Replacing amalgam fillings with composite materials wherever possible lessens the likelihood of this type of dental caries, since composites are much more form-fitting as a dental restoration.

We encourage our patients to make daily use of fluoride toothpastes in the battle against caries. Fluoride encourages remineralization of damaged enamel and dentin. Taking this step, along with others that can be discussed in our Sacramento offices, goes a long way towards keeping your teeth healthy and whole.

Sacramento Dentistry
  • Myra
    Posted at 10:03h, 10 July Reply

    I’m guilty of brushing to hard and now my gums are receding a bit. I switched to a soft bristle toothbrush and that’s helped a lot.
    The post said, “make daily use of fluoride toothpastes in the battle against caries. Fluoride encourages remineralization of damaged enamel and dentin.” So, enamel can come back? I heard that once you lose enamel, you never get it back.

  • Jessica (@squareduptweets)
    Posted at 18:53h, 31 July Reply

    I have been cursed with what the article called “particularly deep fissures or pits” in my molars. I would have been a great candidate for sealants when I was younger. Now I get to spend money replacing old fillings on teeth no one sees. Brush those back teeth, kids, brush!

  • Sacramento Dentistry
    Posted at 21:42h, 07 August Reply

    If the enamel has not been worn down completely to the underlying dentin layer, yes it can remineralize and actually come back stronger than it was before.

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Fighting Periodontitis

Wiping out periodontitis is possible with ADA recommendations.

ADA Study Generates a Recommendation

Periodontitis is a severe form of gum disease. When it reaches this stage, the gums have started to or are already receded, the pockets formed by loose gums are large and the teeth may even be starting to feel loose, as the roots are being damaged by bacteria. There are many treatment options for periodontitis, but the American Dental Association recently released a report pointing to root scaling and root planing as the primary treatment for this disease.

What is Root Scaling?

Root scaling is the process of getting all the plaque and tartar out from under your gums. These bacterial substances are the cause of your periodontitis, since they inflame the gums. Special tools go to the bottom of any gum pockets, pulling all of this damaging stuff out, so that underneath your gums is clear of any bacterial structures. A local anesthetic makes certain that you feel no discomfort during the procedure. If you’re especially fearful of dentistry, however, we can always use oral conscious sedation to make your visit easy.

What is Root Planing?

As the bacteria damage your roots, these supports for your teeth become rough. As the name suggestions, root planing smooths out the roots. This encourages the gums to reattach, so that the roots are properly protected. Reducing the size of your gum pockets is one of the first steps in fighting periodontitis, so these two procedures are directly connected with accomplishing that.

What About Other Treatments?

The ADA did state that other treatments may also be useful, and that the dentist must decide the proper course of action for every individual patient. For example, certain antibiotic treatments, such as with Perio Protect, may also be beneficial in certain circumstances. Nevertheless, scaling and planing are recommended as the first course of action to improve your oral health when fighting severe gum disease. If you need assistance with periodontitis, the dentists and hygienists of the Sacramento Dentistry Group are here to assist with this vital form of treatment.

Sacramento Dentistry
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