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Free-Spirited Ruminations

  • The Little Red Haired Girl

    Charles Schultz

    I read somewhere once that only two percent of the population are natural redheads. I didn't always appreciate my hair, and really don't appreciate that now there is a little gray mixed in occasionally - but as I get older I like it [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 9:14pm EST

  • Happy Thanksgiving

    I remember a few years ago when a coworker, who had just moved here from England, was laughing at all the fuss made over Thanksgiving. "We don't have that in England," she said, "We actually find it quite funny. Sounds like an excuse to eat too much. You Americans do'" [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 9:56pm EST

  • Europe Takes a Stand on the Too Skinny

    In a society where way too many people are overweight, we also have the opposite problem: people who are way too skinny. This is perpetuated by models that look like they are going to blow away in the wind. Neither is healthy. People should strive to be at an appropriate [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:28pm EST

  • Media Frenzy

    As a writer, the one thing I've never been interested in is pushy journalism. Or just plain silly or sensationalistic journalism. Of course, there are some excellent journalists, but they are greatly outnumbered by the sensationalistic ones. One of my favorite blogs, Margaret and Helen, had a post on' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 6:58pm EST

  • No Longer Silent

    I frequently joke that working in social services gives me book material as a writer. But, it is actually quite serious. A serious comment. A serious business. My clients actually inspire me everyday. What they have had to overcome in their lifetimes, and on a daily basis, would make most [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:36pm EST

  • When the Berlin Wall Came Crumbling Down

    A very good friend of mine was in Berlin when the wall went down in 1989. Fortunate to work for the airlines at the time, he was there for the festivities and all the excitement. He said the best way he could describe it when the eastern residents came across [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 12:42pm EST

  • Good Luck, Uptown Bar!

    I still feel the most at home in Uptown. It was the area I missed the most when I went back east. It has always had a different feel from everywhere else here - the lake nearby, the variety of people, the trendy, fun atmosphere. I understand that the area [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 6:18pm EDT

  • Obama Signs the Important Hate Crimes Law

    With all the talk on health care reform and all the arguments going on, it was nice to see a very important bill almost quietly signed. According to The Oval:

    "After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our'" [...]

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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 8:51pm EDT

  • Health Care...and Related Bankruptcies

    All right, Al! I like how he not only has the facts, but stands up for them. Way to go!

    [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 8:18pm EDT

  • Sexist Rush Limbaugh & Miss America?

    I'm wondering who the genius was who decided to put Rush Limbaugh on the panel of judges for the 2010 Miss America Pageant. Here we have a man who only judges women by their looks - in the ultimate contest of just that.

    The women I mentioned this' [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 10:23pm EDT

  • They Seriously Voted Against This Amendment?

    I've seen several comments about Al Franken's first amendment. One of them actually said it should have been voted against because "anything that happens inside a war zone cannot be controlled." Are you kidding me? This is rape we are talking about - and not just rape: gang rape. [...]
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    Posted: October 18, 2009, 9:48pm EDT

  • Fox...and Other Friends

    There is a poll going around as to whether or not Fox News should be shut down. The first comment I have is: quit calling it Fox News. Call it "Fox Noise," "Fixed News," or any of the other names it's called. It is about as much news as the' [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:40pm EDT

  • For a Dear Old Friend...and Niece

    I had many roommates in college, but only one ended up being my sister-in-law. A great person, she also had a great dog and followed that with great kids. Married to my then husband's older brother, her marriage has worked out, mine did not.

    We lost touch after that,' [...]
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    Posted: October 11, 2009, 1:47pm EDT

  • The Lies Continue

    Why does this woman keep lying and getting away with it? I used to think she was just plain stupid, now I think there is more than stupid going on - there is an agenda that is manipulative and downright immoral. Enough Michelle - check your facts and quit spreading [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 6:52pm EDT

  • And He Wants to Be President

    The only humorous part of the very unqualified Sarah Palin being introduced at the Republican Convention was that Tim Pawlenty was standing in the wings expecting to be in her place. Oh, the embarassment - and in his own town too.

    I live in Minnesota. I never hear a [...]
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    Posted: October 03, 2009, 11:04pm EDT

  • Women's Right to Vote

    As with most American women, I'm glad I was born where I was. It is disgusting to see what women put up with in other parts of the world. Slavery still exists all over the world - and the majority of slaves are women. Or they must cover their heads.' [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 8:00pm EDT

  • Neverending Wars

    It is interesting that as people continue to blame President Obama for all the problems we have, they conveniently forget he walked into a mess. The economy was a disaster, the two wars were a disaster, and too many people had lost their jobs and their homes.

    He cannot [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 4:29pm EDT

  • Setbacks

    Why is it that when you think things are getting better there is often a setback?

    We watch week after week as our friend, Fidel, finally comes out of the coma after his brain surgery. We thought he was getting close to getting out of the woods. He left [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 12:09pm EDT

  • The Health Care Debate Continues

    In a country that has vast resources - despite the current economic situation - how much sense does it make that we are #37 on the list for best health care? And why are people fighting it so much?

    Perhaps the fact that I work in social services and [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 1:32pm EDT

  • Enough Disrespect of the President

    The level of disrespect toward our president is just plain getting old. With the outburst by Joe Wilson on September 9, 2009, it really reached another level. How does someone in congress think they can be that downright disrespectful and that downright childish toward the President of the United States?
    [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 9:33pm EDT

  • The President Speaking to Kids is a Good Thing!

    Let's see if I can get this straight: Our president wants to speak to school kids about staying in school and working hard. This is getting protests? On how many levels is this wrong? To begin with, he is our president. What happened to showing respect - and respecting the' [...]
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    Posted: September 06, 2009, 10:54pm EDT

  • Rest in Peace, Dear Friend

    Admittedly, slow, I finally joined Facebook. As a writer, this was rather important. To reconnect with old friends, family, and coworkers - even more important.

    As I was searching for old friends, I decided to look up an old favorite roommate, Sue. We had lived together during college in [...]
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    Posted: September 03, 2009, 9:11pm EDT

  • Michele Bachmann Really is Nuts

    Ah, Michele Bachmann. Endless material for comedians. But, once again, why does this woman have to be from Minnesota? She just keeps getting crazier and crazier.

    According to the Colorado Independent, Bachmann stated - no screamed - this rant when talking about health care reform:
    "This cannot pass," [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 5:36pm EDT

  • An Unveiling

    I had the privilege of going to an unveiling of a tombstone today in a Jewish cemetery. It was a wonderful service, full of joy and remembrance of Paula, the lady who had passed away. The beautiful tombstone had both Hebrew and English written on it.

    I am not [...]
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    Posted: August 30, 2009, 5:12pm EDT

  • Rest in Peace, Senator Kennedy

    Serving as a Senator for over four decades, Ted Kennedy did much in his lifetime. As a Kennedy, he was born into a life of priviledge, but suffered so much tragedy and loss.

    Despite his status, he always looked out for regular folks - and the underdogs. He authored [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2009, 8:36pm EDT

  • Don't Pull the Soul of Uptown

    When I left Minneapolis in 2001, ultimately to come back, the things I missed the most were Uptown and the lakes. I still love Uptown and still feel the most at home there, and additions are nice. But there is such a thing as taking away its soul when too [...]
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    Posted: August 25, 2009, 4:49pm EDT

  • Hurricane Bill

    The ocean has always been the most relaxing and inspiring place in the world to me. The waves on the shoreline are rhythmic and beautiful - they spark my creativity, and bring me peace.

    As Hurricane Bill plows through the east coast, we are reminded that the beauty of [...]
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    Posted: August 23, 2009, 9:33pm EDT

  • Way to Go, Barney Frank

    After the yelling matches when a healthy debate would have been much more useful, it was nice to see Barney Frank yell right back at a crazy woman who said Obama was a Nazi....do these people have any idea just how evil Hitler was and what he stood for? And [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2009, 8:34pm EDT

  • "Socialized Medicine"

    The health care reform debate goes on....

    Working in social services, I know there is a need for reform. Working full-time in a job that supplies my health care for only as long as I work, I know we need reform. Living in one of the richest countries in [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2009, 9:42pm EDT

  • Thank you, State Farm

    I've been with State Farm insurance for years. I know there are others out there that are great - and have great ads - like Geico and Progressive - but State Farm has been good to me in my coverage thus far.

    I was ready to write them a' [...]
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    Posted: August 15, 2009, 11:04am EDT

  • The Daily Show's "Death Panel Debate"

    As many far right conservatives continue on with the massive fear of the health care bill, with little knowledge of what it is really about, the Daily Show addressed it in such a funny way I had to post it. Between the "Birthers," the plants at town hall meetings, and [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 8:50pm EDT

  • Fidel Has Spoken

    In something right out of a movie, our dear friend Fidel is finally waking up after six weeks in a coma. His first words: When his girlfriend, Melissa, said "I love you," he said "I love you too, babe." Could there have been a more appropriate set of words for [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2009, 1:43pm EDT

  • w87dhei63g

    [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 6:21pm EDT

  • Freedom for Laura Ling & Euna Lee

    As writers, we are always talking about creativity and freedom of expression. This is something we take for granted in the United States and many other places. I cannot begin to imagine the thoughts that have run through the minds of Laura Ling and Euna Lee over the last five [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 7:55pm EDT

  • ...And on the View

    Let's see...so now Michelle Malkin is pumping her book on "The View," and I suppose everywhere else. I'll refrain from talking about the obvious. Just a couple of points:

    1) Talking louder and over everyone else does not make you smarter, just louder.

    2) Saying you wrote "400'" [...]
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    Posted: August 03, 2009, 5:11pm EDT

  • Michelle Malkin's Obvious Jealousy

    One has to wonder why certain members of the media have to be so nasty. I've never figured it out with Ann Coulter. She just seems to be nasty for no other reason than to be nasty. This also seems to be true with Michelle Malkin, who is just another' [...]
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    Posted: August 02, 2009, 8:31pm EDT

  • Sarah Palin's Last Speech...for Now

    I've never quite understood the whole "Sarah Palin for President" thing. She doesn't even seem to be able to put a coherent speech together, let alone run a country. The thought is quite scary, actually.

    The speeches she did during the campaign were memorized, and the ones she writes [...]
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    Posted: July 29, 2009, 10:42pm EDT

  • Real Priorities, Real Hope

    When a friend or relative is sick, priorities seem to really line up the way they should. With all the things happening in the media with celebrities and political figures, it is interesting and often we get quite caught up in all of it. When something is happening right in [...]
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    Posted: July 26, 2009, 9:31pm EDT

  • Gates and Unlawful Assumptions

    I can't say I wouldn't go a bit ballistic if I was in the same boat as Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Harvard professor arrested for breaking into his own home. Let's see, if I was in my own home, showed identification proving that, and could also point out pictures' [...]
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    Posted: July 23, 2009, 8:17pm EDT

  • Rachel Maddow Speaking on Race

    This was just too good to not post. It gets funnier and funnier as older white men are screaming racism and discrimination. This handles it all quite well, with class, humor, and the facts.

    Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

    [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2009, 10:15pm EDT

  • Painkillers and Celebrities

    Michael Jackson is only the latest celebrity with an addiction to Oxycontin. We watched as Rush Limbaugh - ever the most judgmental of anyone else - became addicted. We watched as Heath Ledger, like Jackson, went to several doctors to be able to mix painkillers with other legal drugs until [...]
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    Posted: July 20, 2009, 4:56pm EDT

  • A Tribute to Walter Cronkite

    Most writers think of becoming journalists...few reach the level that Walter Cronkite did. In hearing of his death this evening, a lot of memories came flooding back. I remember growing up with him, and watching him each night on the news. Many called him "Uncle Walter." In an article by [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:41pm EDT

  • The Next Harry Potter Craze

    I am an avid reader who generally ignores hype of any kind. I'd rather read a book because it won a Pulitzer Prize or because it was recommended by the staff of my favorite book store or a friend. So, I avoided the Harry Potter craze...for awhile.

    When a' [...]
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    Posted: July 14, 2009, 8:58pm EDT

  • True Freedom for Women

    As an American woman, I know I have freedoms that many other women in the world do not have. Although the United States is far from perfect, I often think that, as a woman, I was fortunate to be born where I was born.

    Slavery is the most appalling [...]
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    Posted: July 11, 2009, 10:39am EDT

  • What is Sarah's Real Agenda?

    Sarah Palin just can't seem to stay out of the media. She complains about the media and says that is part of the reason she is resigning. Then she invites them to her resignation speech (in waders, no less). She complains her kids are picked on after she parades them' [...]
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    Posted: July 08, 2009, 6:56pm EDT

  • Bachmann and the Census

    Michele Bachmann just seems to keep on giving comedians material - and embarrassing Minnesota residents. Her latest project to boycott the census follows a very long line of idiotic moves. She seems convinced that President Obama started the census and that it is now unconstitutional (one of her favorite statements) [...]
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    Posted: July 04, 2009, 10:10pm EDT

  • Congrats to Senator Al Franken!

    I've been on the road traveling for a couple of days and unable to do a post until now. A friend called us in the car while we were nearing Chicago, the first leg of our trip, and told us the good news. There was cheering in our car...
    [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 2:17am EDT

  • Michael Jackson...Rest in Peace?

    I grew up with Michael Jackson. From the time I was little, I loved the Jackson 5, and even remember the Saturday morning cartoon. Throughout the years, I liked a lot of Michael Jackson's music. He was enormously talented - an incredibly gifted dancer and good singer. His music was [...]
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    Posted: June 28, 2009, 3:45pm EDT

  • Cheating Republicans and Rush Limbaugh

    As yet another politician is in the limelight for not being able to keep it in his pants, they seem to be the same ones who pointed their critical fingers at someone else. It is not only hypocritical, but sickening.

    With the latest scandal, Mark Sanford, the bigger deal [...]
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    Posted: June 27, 2009, 11:48am EDT

  • On Health Care

    As the debates continue on health care, it becomes more and more obvious that we need something. If, as debated, Canada's model is not good, let's look at France's model. But, we have to do something.

    If a person is employed full-time in this country, chances are they are [...]
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    Posted: June 20, 2009, 4:51pm EDT
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