This photograph appeared on msnbc.com this morning.

Bolivian police were trying to disperse protesters and this woman did not budge.

Take a good look at this picture.

We have no dialogue about this picture but I have to wonder if the kneeling policeman is trying to protect himself or reason with her.

In any event, it took courage to roll into the mayhem to make your point.

In the midst of that mayhem, if the policeman is trying to dissuade the individual from continuing, then that took courage as well. 

Courage is what you know that you must do and what you know you must not do.

Courage.

Both sides.

Both people.

One picture.

A picture truly is worth a thousand words.

I am noticing a disturbing trend.

Adult contemporary radio stations are being switched over to country music radio stations at an alarming rate.

Several years ago, I enjoyed a nice station with a nice mix of recent oldies (80s and up) and current contemporary adult music. The station was moved on the dial and it's format changed when it was discovered that a county served by this station was deficient in country music stations. So a change was enforced. A new station took over the slot and the power in order to provide country music to the masses in an urban area which, apparently, was under served by the strum and twang. The station lost 90% of its power and now is relegated to an amount which no longer covers my area. I found this distressing.

Now I am noticing that more and more of the contemporary stations with powerful wattage are being converted to country formats.

Ugh.

I live in a rural area, a really, really rural area. But I do not live the country music lifestyle. Beer is not a staple in my life, I don't live on a farm, I don't fight in bars, and I don't use the word "ain't". Daisy dukes are not my style of dress and I don't vote Republican. My life is not a series of dramatic events involving broken hearts and orange cars jumping over police cars. The swamp is not my hangout. My roads are paved and my library is full.

Some of us have ears which do not appreciate whiny voices, strum and twang and songs about beer. My theory is that a country song must have one of the following: beer, pickup trucks and somebody doing somebody wrong. A hit country song has all three.

Please.

Am I acting snobbish about my music? Probably to those who love country, I must seem that way. But honestly? Isn't there room on the dial for all types of music?

Now you may say that economics is driving this force. Really? On my dial, there are 15 country stations, 2 hard rock stations, 2 NPR stations, 4 talk radio, and 2, very small, sort of but not really, contemporary adult stations, which are often taken over by local events such as football games, basketball games, wrestling matches and the local NFL or NHL game.

I can't be the only one who despises this trend. Just because I live in a rural area should not mean that I am subjected to a limited arena of country music only.

Yes, on my satellite tv I can get a variety of radio stations and sirius radio does provide for a change as well.

But if we only have country music to listen to, we run the risk of developing that red state mentality which is afraid of anyone or anything that is different from redneck viewpoints.

I know I promised to write more here, but I've been busy. It's budget time. 'Nuff said.

However, while in the midst of all that "doing", I have also been thinking....and I'm pretty sure that some of what I've been thinking, would, if shared, annoy some people.

Oh well, here goes.

SOPA:
I know where I stand on protecting intellectual property. I think, however, that some of the fuss over SOPA comes as an age divide rather than a philosophical one.

Let me explain. If you are under a certain age, I will make a blanket statement and say that you have come of whatever age you are now with the expectations that technology can and should provide you with whatever you seek, with little or no limitations. If you are above that age, you will, and again I boldly state this, use the technology to provide what you want, with perhaps a twinge of guilt that maybe you shouldn't, because someone else actually owns what you want to use.

Have my ageism annoyed you yet?

I am astonished by what people will fuss about in the "real world" if they owned it, someone borrowed or took it without permission and they were not getting paid for it. Call the police! I've been robbed! Those same folks will blatantly take and use whatever is in the "digital" world because it's easy and they can and the likelihood of repercussion is slim. It's flattery, right? Nobody is really being harmed, right?

The wonder of the digital world is that even those of us with minimal creativity can put together websites, blogs, twitter accounts, vlogs, youtube videos and the like simply by using another's stuff. And we can look like real professionals doing it.

The problem with that is that what makes us look good, with the exception of our own words (at least those we haven't stolen from someone else), probably was the creation of another person-the creativity of their minds, their hands, their vision. And those folks should have some say, unless they give up that say, in where and how their work is being used. Yes, I know that some folks put their creations on the internet freely for others to use. But others have a lot of time, expertise and money tied up in their product.

Those who have lived awhile understand the toil that comes with creating really good, useful things.

Those who have grown up in a world where the technology has come easily and the availability of software, digital images, music, programming, etc has been easy to come by, find the idea of paying for something rather quaint.

Those born under a certain age view the creative process as one shared, or at least one imitated. The concept of someone stealing from them is alien. If someone takes their stuff, it must be because it is good. Therefore, that is the payment-flattery.

Those born after a certain age have labored in different worlds of creativity-where materials and sweat and time invested meant that an expectation of being compensated is not unrealistic.

Has the law caught up with the technology? Obviously not. Is the structure of SOPA the best we can come up with. Obviously not.

Creativity has a price attached to it. How we can express ourselves often involves the need for music, images, etc. Those who created them should have a reasonable expectation that they will be compensated for their work. The age groups differ in how they view this.

But, the concept of taking the work of someone else, something which belongs to them, without express permission is still stealing. No matter how good the reason, it's still stealing.

No matter what your age.

At school, being in the library, some of the darndest things come our way.

Today's entry for the absurd came in an oversize mailing envelope, white, with the following printed over the address:  Religious Materials Inside.

That caught my attention right away.  Being a public high school, we rarely get religious materials. 

Intrigued, I opened the envelope.

Inside was what looked like an addendum or a correction signature to be placed in a book.  (Both of these are fairly common for libraries to receive.)

Instead, the cover read (paraphrased...):  Repent!  A revelation of man from Jesus Christ and to Ahman, another son of God. 

Say what??????

Upon opening it, I discovered that Warren Jeffs (yes, THAT Warren Jeffs) had received some revelations from God (or so he claimed) on November 4, 7, and 8, 2011.  These revelations went on for about 12 pages and the final page was a signature sheet signed by two men who I assume were religious leaders of the Church of Latter Saints (the Mormons...).  Interestingly, the "claims of authenticity" were signed on October 31. 2011 or the week before the first revelation.

So, either Jeffs added this document to his revelation without checking the dates, or else the religious leaders were clairvoyant, knowing that Jeffs was about to have this religious experience.

So why was this the most appalling thing?

Not because of the date mixup.  But we librarians are somewhat anal about fact checking.....

Not because it came from the Church of Latter Day Saints.  Jeffs claims to still be a part of that group, although I'm not sure they want him.

No, the biggest reason that I was appalled by this is that Jeffs is supposed to be in prison, unable to be in contact with the outside world, and here he is, spending someone's money to try to proselytize individuals to his way of thinking.  You may recall that Jeffs was arrested for marrying and abusing young girls. 

(By the way, Ecuador and Bolivia, clean up your act.  Jeff's revelation specifically names you.)

Oh, and if you live in North America, the revelation says that the New Jerusalem will be coming to North America.  What the rest of you are supposed to do is beyond me.  I've not had any revelations on that matter.

so yeah, I was appalled.  As a librarian, I am to make available divergent points of view.  However, since we presently do not have a copy of the Book of Mormon (or the Cabbala or the Koran because someone keeps stealing them), I cannot add this signature to our copy. 

So for now, it's safely tucked in my filing cabinet.  Which is somewhat like the Bermuda Triangle.  Things go in there and never come back out.

Mr. Jeff's revelation is safe from prying eyes.

I stared in disbelief at the news feed.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.  Yep, there it was.  Rick Santorum almost picked up the upset in Iowa's caucuses.

Oh, people of Iowa!  What on earth were you thinking?

The good people of Pennsylvania got rid of this individual as "our" representative in Congress for a couple of very good reasons.

Reason #1: Mr. Santorum lived in Virginia 362 days out of the year.  He rarely visited Pennsylvania.  He kept an empty house near Pittsburgh in order to have a Pennsylvania address.  He came "home" to Pennsylvania perhaps 3 days out of the year.  During that time, Pennsylvania taxpayers were forced to pay for his children's homeschooling expenses.  Mr. Santorum may have represented someone, but it wasn't Pennsylvanians.

Reason #2:  Mr. Santorum is a flaming hypocrite.  By now, I'm sure you have heard of how he's the only good Conservative running for President.  He is against contraception but also against offering aid to families to raise those children.  He's against abortion, even if the mother has been raped or her life is in danger.  This one, I think, galls me the most.

See here:  http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/06/08/239111/santorum-calls-abortion-exceptions-to-protect-health-of-the-mother-phony/

See http://freethoughtblogs.com/lousycanuck/2011/06/19/santorums-wifes-abortion-was-different-you-see/

There are other articles which tone down the situation, claiming that the child was dying anyway, that Mrs. Santorum had gone into premature labor, etc.

Bottom line is this:  No matter what Rick may call it, he knew when the antibiotics were administered that he was choosing one life over another.  The doctors made it plain to him that the fetus would not survive in the womb.  At 20 weeks, this fetus had a medical procedure which insured that it would be expelled from the body.  That's an abortion.  Even if you don't want to call it that.

In his mind, I'm sure Mr. Santorum has found a way to reconcile this and does not suffer the pangs of guilt about it.  That's his prerogative.  But making policy that denies other women the right to choose to live is not.  Mr. Santorum has been heralded as the poster boy for right to life.  How easily some want to believe.

Don't be fooled by the choir boy face.  There is a Machiavellian mind in that head that has no limits on what it will do to achieve power. 

We can only hope that the rest of the country is not as dumb as the people of Iowa.

Welcome 2012!

Depending on your viewpoint, 2012 is going to be interesting.  The Mayan calendar stops in December.  The sanity of the United States will be tested everyday until the election in November.

It's my hope to be back here more often this year than last.  My opinions will still be stated here,. 

Who knows what I might think of to talk about?

Stay tuned!

I've not been on here in awhile.

Too much going on in my part of the world.  Maybe I can focus better if I unload some of it here.

JoePa and the Penn State mess:  There aren't enough words of sorrow for those boys.  Not the ones in football pads, the ones who wear the burden of shame everyday, the ones who blame themselves for something that was perpetrated on them for no other reason than that they were available and so was a monster.  A venerated coach was forced from his job, perhaps rightly.  Perhaps he just stayed a year too long.  This probably isn't over.  The police are calling lots and lots of young people who were in contact with the monster.  I'm fairly sure there will be more of this mess oozing up and out......

Of course, the nutjobs at WBC (Westboro) have made their statement that they will picket.  This might be the dumbest idea they've ever had:  picket an emotionally charged event where most of the 100,000 will have been drinking.  Yep, smart idea if I ever heard one.  If they show up, expect fireworks.

Herman Cain.  Herman?  Listen up.  Just because you have a dick doesn't mean you should act like one.  We expect more from our Presidential candidates.  Women are not your toys.  Hands off.  Mouth shut.  Got it?

Rick Perry.  Um, Rick?  When you make it a point to hammer home the idea that government is bloated and that you are targeting a few departments to go right away, it's a good idea to remember what you said.  If you can't remember what you said, people tend to think you might be lying.  You looked dumb, Rick.  And that's a moniker you already have.  Trying to laugh your way out of the situation just made you look dumber.  Here's a smart suggestion.  Quit now before you really get into debt.  Because clearly?  You are in over your head.

Michelle Bachmann.  Humpf.  A bunch of people show up at a public meeting and begin a rhythmic chant.  But this time, it's not the Tea Party, it's a group disrupting Ms. Bachmann's speech.  Funny, when the Tea Partiers were disrupting town hall meetings, you cheered them.  But when you were the recipient, frankly?  You just looked terrified.  Not very presidential at all.  It didn't help matters that your police protection took it's good old time getting there.....I'd work on that if I were you.....

Ok, and that's the news from the world of the stupid.....gee, I feel better already! 

Xanga-it's not just a blog, it's good therapy!

Technology allows for some amazing views....whew!

Jeff Berkes is the photographer of this picture and it is simply amazing.  You can read more about this picture and his work this article : http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/24/8470300-catch-a-falling-star-and-fall-colors .

I'm waiting and I'm probably waiting in vain.

An infant was found on a  porch at 9:30 am on Saturday morning in Philadelphia, Pa.  The baby's umbilical cord was still attached and the authorities are concerned that the mother is somewhere needing medical attention. 

It's a valid concern.  Women still sometimes bleed to death after giving birth.

But what I'm waiting for, and probably waiting in vain for, will be the self  criticism of pro-life groups who spend a lot of time and money and energy making sure that women have a hard time (or a harder time) finding good health care and information about contraception.  I want to hear them admit that they failed this individual.

Because, you see, doing the actual work of assisting pregnant women in crisis is time consuming, hard work, and doesn't get you an awful lot of publicity.

And it also means you must get involved--not in a cause, but with a person.  A person who may have made choices that you would not have made, who lives in a family culture far different from yours, or who is pregnant because of a circumstance that involves a crime such as rape or incest.  Getting involved is messy and may make a person have to confront that some problems are much bigger than a slogan or a cause. 

Some problems are personal.  Some problems need to be dealt with face to face and heart to heart.  It involves being able to look past a person's mistakes, culture or victimhood and seeing that pregnant mother as a person as needing love and care as much as the un-named fetus.

Such care means that if you are pro-life, you need to be pro-live for the mother as well.  It means that you have to leave the comfort of your idealogy and get your hands dirty.  It involves your heart and not just your mouth or pocketbook.

It means you listen.  It means you care.  It means you must get involved.

I'll wait to hear that statement of fault and guilt.  But I suspect that I'll be waiting a long, long time.

Herman Cain is running for President of the United States.  Good for him.  He's a businessman who has come from hard places to make his own place in the business world and has developed a creed of hard work and common sense.

Mr. Cain has put forth what he calls the 9-9-9 plan.  This plan would place flat taxes of 9% on sales, 9% on income and 9% on corporations.  Taxes on corporations, a national sales tax and what seems to be a fair, income tax.

At first glance this sounds doable.  Everyone paying the same income tax would lesson the need for such an intrusive IRS. A common sales tax would stop all of this confusion about which states do and which do not have to pay taxes on internet sales.  And in this time of great grumbling and protesting about corporate greed, most people would agree that 9% on corporations is a good idea.

Well, maybe.  Let's do the math, shall we?

Income:  The 9% plan calls for the elimination of deductions and such, meaning that the 9% is a straight 9%.  So, the families at the lower end of the pay scale, say a family of four with a total family of earnings of $25,000  year would be paying $2250.00 a year in taxes which is a lot more than they would have paid before, since the deductions, etc would have put them in a much lower tax bracket. So now that family has approximately $1896.00 per month to live on.  Let's say rent/mortgage (if they could get one) is around $350.00 per month.  That leaves $1546.00 per month.  Subtract a car payment (used, of course) of $200.00 per month and you have $1346.00.  Gas, electricity, water, trash take another $350 per month.  This leaves $996.00 per month.  Gas for the car takes another $200.00 per month.  Now you are down to $796.00 per month. If you figure a very conservative $100 per week for food, that leaves you $396.00 for the month for medicines, school fees, church, clothing, etc.  And don't forget, two kids means clothes wear out rapidly, vehicles need inspection, oil, tires, etc.  Household items often run $50-60 per month.  Basic cable is another $40 per month (since TV practically doesn't exist without it) and this may be your form of entertainment.  That allows about $200 per month for living expenses-car expenses-any entertainment you might try to have-and emergencies. Savings probably aren't going to happen, just prayers that they don't have a big expense coming up.  Keep in mind that I lowballed the expenses and food money.

Now let's look at that same family of four on a yearly salary of $60,000 per year.  They will pay $5400 a year in income taxes.  They have $4550 per month to work with.  Their mortgage will be higher, probably $600 per month.  Their car payment might be $450 per month for the presentable middle management car.  Their utilities may run as much as $500 per month and they can spend $200 per week on groceries. That still leaves $2800 a month for all the other living expenses-around 33% more to work with than the lower income family has to START with.

Somehow, that 9% is beginning to not look quite as fair.  In fact, it seems to multiply the misery for the lower end of workers.

Now, some will argue that the 60 grand family was better educated, worked harder, etc.  Maybe.

In today's wonderful economy, there are a lot of college educated individuals who are working in fast food, retail, and what non-union factory jobs that are left and trying to make ends meet on that 25 grand.  Some are making do with even less.

Well, some will say, those folks just need to work harder.  This country rewards hard work.

That must have been why Wall Street almost drowned in their own greed.  And you can bet that they will be the loudest to howl if they had to pay 9% in corporate taxes.

To this I say, it used to reward hard work.  Now it seems to reward the high end of manipulation of resources.  Can you say Wall Street?  What a great deal they pulled!  If we fail, the country fails.  So we bail them out and they take the bonuses and run, laughing all the way to their protected accounts.  And then they wonder why the rest of us are so upset with them.

My point here is that simple answers often sound so grand, but when they are analyzed, the reality behind them falls far short.

Mr. Cain is a man of numbers.  But his numbers, while sounding so logical and simple, simply don't add up in this instance.

Mr. Cain may be on the right track.  But it's a little more complicated than he presents.