Political Roundup, Things to Watch, An Ongoing Post

Is Obama In or Out of the Healthcare Webcasts?

From TheHill.com
Nine candidates set for webcast health forums
By Jeffrey Young
September 20, 2007
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) will be the first of at least nine presidential candidates to participate in a series of webcast forums on healthcare reform co-sponsored by a liberal advocacy group and a hospital lobbying organization.

Obama doesn't seem to be included in the long list of participating candidates, yet.


An Easy Grader and A Spintastic Soothsayer

from TheHill.com
Bush gives himself an ‘A’ on tax policy
By Klaus Marre
September 20, 2007
President Bush Thursday awarded himself the top grade on cutting taxes and warned that a recession could hit the country if Democrats had their way and raised taxes.

Ah yes, a recession would be the Democrats' fault. "Turn your eyes away from the lax restrictions on subprime lenders," says the spinning soothsayer.

Friday Fun -- Total Momsense

By Anita Renfroe

Special acknowledgment to Laurie's Reflections for finding this little gem.

Mrs. Chicken's Party

Mrs. Chicken's got a new roost, and she's throwing a housewarming party. Stop by and have a look around.

Wacky Wednesday: Avast Mateys! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

September 19, 2007 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day

From "Tomorrow you'll pay a buccaneer for corn?" by By Paul Majendie on Reuters.com Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:54pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Put a parrot on your shoulder, strap on a peg leg, hit the rum and start bellowing "Shiver me Timbers" -- Wednesday is International Talk Like A Pirate Day.
. . .
Pirate fans around the world have rallied round, showing that surreal silliness is alive and well.
. . .
A bar in Venice, Italy is holding an olive stone-spitting contest for would-be buccaneers.
. . .
A Brazilian fan even sent a letter of support in a bottle while one overjoyed Argentinian whose birthday falls on the same day said "It will be difficult to talk in Spanish like pirates but we will try."

Sign me up for the olive-stone spitting contest in Venice. I would like to request Orlando Bloom as my partner. What do you mean he's not a real pirate?

Find yer How to Talk Like a Pirate guide here. Audio clips available in German, Swedish and Mandarin Chinese.

Luxury Looks for Less

I like a little luxury. Who doesn't? But let's not get crazy. I don't need $9 scented dish soap or $16 dryer sheets infused with essential oils. But jewelry from Tiffany's, perfume from Saks, and luxury bed linens? Yes, yes and yes!

A little luxury in the right places goes a long way. Lovely jewelry can dress up a mundane mommy outfit, intoxicating perfume plays out its own scenario in your mind, and striking bed linens set the mood when you enter a room.

The price of luxury can be steep, so when something luxurious tickles my fancy, but seems just a bit too much at the time, I keep my eyes open for less expensive alternatives. The October issue of Family Circle brought me a welcome surprise. I was thrilled to find this line of linens from Martha Stewart Everyday.

Because I love the crisp tailored look and high-thread-count feel of fine hotel bed linens, I have been mulling over these similar collections from Restoration Hardware and like styles from Pottery Barn for some time. While I am not a regular Kmart shopper, these linens from Martha Stewart Everyday are just the sort of item that might make me walk through their doors.

Weekend Political Feature: In Their Words, Iraq War Blogs

A roundup of commentary from soldiers and their spouses and Iraqi citizens:


Dragonfly, the blog of a personal friend whose husband is currently serving in Iraq. This post is particularly insightful. I admire the grace and strength with which she approaches life while her husband is at war.

She Who Waits from the loving wife of a marine serving another tour of duty in Iraq.

Intel Dump from Phillip Carter who served in the Army's 101st Airborne Division as an adviser to the Iraqi police in 2005 and 2006.

Great Baghdad, the blog of Al-Rasheed, a 33-year-old man living and working in Baghdad. In "The Federal State of Iraq" he supplies an analysis of what some politicians and pundits positively spin as federalism in Iraq.

My War
"Endlessly surprising…delightfully profane… an unfiltered, often ferocious expression of his boots-on-the-ground point-of-view of the Iraq war."
- Arianna Huffington

An American Soldier, in Still Alive, January 15, 2007, Rob offers a first-hand account of Al Qaeda's strong presence in Iraq.

Baghdad Burning a young Iraqi woman tells of her plight and that of her country.

365 and a Wakeup from soldier who returned home in 2006. Excellent photos from a soldier's viewpoint. Albums accessible from the right column. Links to United States Central Command and Military.com sites.


(Blogs of current soldiers and military spouses are subject to regulation under military code and therefore may be subjected to heightened scrutiny.)