Is shaking natural in the Natural State?

Even before I read it in the paper, I noticed that central Arkansas was having a plethora of earthquakes. I even posted something about it on my Facebook page.

I have always been interested in such things, so I signed up with the U.S. Geological Survey for notification via email whenever there is an event.

Looking at the cumulative number of shakers, even though they are minuscule by comparison to some around the country, the number of them that have occurred is somewhat alarming. I can't help but wonder just what is going on. Since that time, a few months ago, there have been plenty more--some as high as a magnitude of 4.0, though most are far less.

I haven't felt any of them, but I have a friend who swears she has. She lives near the lake. That makes sense. As the earth moves, it creates movement in the water, similar to the sloshing of the water in a bathtub. That would stand to reason that such an area would be more vulnerable and could enhance the shaking. Out of curiosity, the USGS should measure the area around the lakes.

My friend has noticed cracks in her home that have never been there before. Funny, we have noticed that too. There seem to be more cracks in the foundation and above doorways. While I'm not terribly worried about the house falling down around us, I have certainly noticed a difference.

There have already been two earthquakes this morning. Rarely does a day go by that the earth doesn't rattle a bit. So much for the steady ground beneath our feet...

While geologists seem to have dismissed the notion that drilling for natural gas, oil, and whatever naturally-occurring minerals and other resources being sought. They claim that activity below the terra firma is not responsible for this seemingly sudden occurrence.

I'm not convinced.

While I have no scientific data nor even a theory on which to hang my hat, it just seems to me, using a little common sense, that frequent drilling beneath the earth's surface on a regular basis has to have some effect--and not in a good way.

If anyone reading this has noticed anything in the way of cracking in houses, new sink holes, anything else out of the ordinary, post a comment.

KaDee Strickland merits an Emmy

KaDee Strickland deserves an Emmy. Her portrayal of Charlotte King in "Private Practice" this season was extraordinary, as is shown in this clip of the highly-praised drama entitled, "Did you hear about Charlotte?"



KaDee Strickland's character makes us believe. We felt her pain as doctors stitched together the gaping wound in her arm with no anesthetic. We saw the terror in her eyes as she rewound the incident over and over in her mind. There is no disputing that the initial episode was beyond compelling, but it continues. It isn't just this ultra-dramatic episode where she plays a victim of sexual abuse. Her portrayal has continued to be spot on. The demeanor of Strickland's character, Charlotte, is believable--the denial, the withdrawal, the lack of connection to the woman she once was. It is all credible.

I'm not the only nor the first person to come up with the notion that KaDee Strickland deserves an Emmy. See the discussion on the Private Practice Facebook page.  

The drama this year is raw and moving, as it more closely than ever before, mirrors the dark side of reality. Personally, I prefer the brighter side, but that's just me. I admit that during these dark moments of television drama, I long for the ever-popular happy ending. I miss those Ward and June moments. Yet, how many episodes of Leave It to Beaver really stand out in our memories? The truth is that we will remember Charlotte being sexually abused, thanks to Strickland's character portrayal. Thankfully, writers of such drama don't want viewers to be too depressed to watch the show, which almost guarantees their obligation to provide balance, setting us up for those happy times. That too mirrors real life.

Strickland's talents would have been lost on us, had it not begun for phenomenal writing. As a writer, I am probably most appreciative of the efforts of Emmy-winner Shonda Rhimes, a talented, creative writer who pens stories from her imagination.

Rhimes has already reached heights in her career as the successful writer of "Grey's Anatomy," from which "Private Practice" was born. Rhimes' will pen a third show next season. No doubt, it will be on a par with the others. This is a very talented woman.

Dancing With the Stars invokes anger

The results of this week's Dancing With the Stars results made me so angry it took me three days to write about it.

I was about as angry as the dude who shot up his television set, but my anger is more of the seething variety. I'm not the shooter type. Fairness has always been fundamental in my behavioral arsenal. There is no denying fairness was violated when Bristol Palin was chosen to go on to the dance finals over R & B singer Brandy Norwood, an excellent dancer who garnered perfect scores.

I have been watching ballroom dancing for years--dating back to the days when Juliet Prowse hosted the championship dancing on PBS. I had no idea that Dancing With the Stars would be a fixed popularity contest. But it appears that is just what this has become.

I was a little leery when the show invited Tom DeLay last season, but then to invite Bristol Palin this season should have shown the handwriting on the wall. This is a political venue rather than a dance competition. It is tainted. Bristol should have been voted off that first week because she clearly lacks the talent. Yes, she has improved over the course of the show, but her dancing is clearly not of the same caliber as any of the others who were voted off in her stead.

I was sickened at the judges' positive comments about Palin too. They clearly did not hold her to the same standards as other dancers. Were they issued a directive? Just what are the politics in play at the upper echelon of ABC television? Len Goodman is a tough dance critic, but clearly he let Palin slide. Carrie Ann Inaba was also overly kind, as was Bruno Tonioli.

The results show was in such stark contrast to the previous night when Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough performed the most elegant waltz I've ever seen. It was enchanting to watch the two of them dance so beautifully, as they captured tremendous emotional intensity. I cried as I watched them move effortlessly. Watching a beautiful dance can be as moving as listening to  a symphony or gazing upon the colors of a sunset.

Yet just hours later, it was all tainted, lost in the scandal that so often takes over all that is good and innocent, perpetrated by cheaters.

This example of entertainment television does a disservice to all: absolutely short-changing the viewers of real dance competitiveness; ultimately the show which has lost all credibility; certainly to Brandy Norwood who was far more deserving of a chance to move to the finals; and even to Bristol herself, because she has been made to look like a fool, not to mention a spoiled brat child who has been coddled for a lifetime by her over-bearing mother. Sadly, Bristol might even believe she deserved to win this competition. What an injustice. One day, she will have to stand on her own merit in a real scenario, without her mother's influence over her self-made reality.

What kind of a mother is it that encourages her daughter to compete way over her head? What kind of a mother fails to teach her daughter humility? What kind of a mother throws her own child under the bus to gain popularity for herself?

It is pretty clear that the Sarah Palin factor influenced the initial choosing of Bristol Palin for Dancing With the Stars. Bristol is not a star. She is an unwed mother whose life is controlled by her over-bearing mother. Is there no limit to what Sarah Palin will do? But worse than that, she seems to have the same kind of following as the Rev. Jim Jones and other 'leaders' who prey upon those around them. 

I'm so sick of lying, cheating, and stealing. Yet that is just what happened when voters admittedly gamed the system, giving Bristol her way, most likely at her mothers' urging.

The rapid decline of Dancing With the Stars which began as a fun entertainment venue is is no longer fun. This is serious--symptomatic of where our humanity is going. And that scares the hell out of me.

Remember the oil spill???

My extreme thanks to Truthout, Rose Aguilar and to Riki Ott for this enlightening interview re: the Gulf coast oil disaster that continues even though it remains beneath the radar of the mainstream media and our government. I believe this is important information.

 

Election priorities all wrong

It has taken me six days to get over the recent election.

I was appalled at the priorities exhibited in this election--the amount of money that was pumped into this election by the Republicans. I was sickened as the Democrats tried their best to match it. I cannot tell you how many phone calls and emails I received from the party to which I feel most aligned, begging for money. Perhaps instead of just asking for money, all those phone calls and emails should be expressing the reasons why I would support this candidate.

Living on a pension, I have no money to spare, but if I was inspired by someone, I would likely find a few dollars to donate.

The corporations--the companies with CEO's making millions each year--some of which are not even based in this country, are behind the victors of the 2010 mid-term elections This will come back to haunt us all, unless of course we are among them. I disclose here and now that I'm not a rich CEO of any Fortune 500 company. 

The plethora of television ads this year were particularly scandalous. They should be done away with. They rarely provided information about the candidate, hardly ever told the truth, and most often focused on the other guy.

I had hoped people would see through all it all. I was wrong, evidenced by those that were elected. This was clearly a Republican sweep, bought and paid for. By the way, I felt similarly in the last election cycle when the Democrats swept the election. I believe in the balance of power in a cooperative White House and Congress, not something we can claim at all.

I take my politics very seriously. I have long advocated no votes by the those who are uninformed, either by ignorance or choice. I consider electing a government representative at any level to be a sobering responsibility. It should certainly have more to do with more than fundraising prowess.

I believe that not just the candidates, the office-holders, but the voters need to be accountable. No longer can we afford voting just for the party. No longer can we afford picking the name that we like, even though we don't know any of them. Voting is way too important to choose a candidate based on their television ads or some other criteria that boils down to simply paid-for advertising. If they ever claim, I approve this ad because,...be suspect. Voting should be based on the candidates' record. It should be based on the person running for office, not the letter behind his name. It should be based on the candidates' motive for running for office. If any of the answers consist of money, salary, greed, pension, or fundraising, look the other way.

We get the government we deserve. I just happen to think we deserve better.

Who says you can never go home again?

Who says you can never go home again? I just did.

A tornado touched down a few miles east of Beecher, where I used to live. A house on the Schroeder farm was severely damaged. It was actually reported as being in Peotone, since that was the mailing address. In reality, it was between Beecher and Peotone, the town where I lived and the town where I worked respectively. That was my beat, as a reporter for the local paper. Had I still lived there, I would have covered the story. I often wrote weather stories. This was the grandaddy of weather stories since the barometric pressure in this storm was the lowest on record. Eighteen states were affected by this monster storm. They say it was stronger than the one that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald in the Great Lakes in the 1950's.

I watched the WGN news at noon. Peotone Fire Chief Bill Schreiber was interviewed. I was well-acquainted with Bill and used to talk to him on a regular basis. I haven't seen him since we moved to Arkansas six years ago. It was odd to see someone else interview him. That was my job. Of course there are times I miss working for the paper. I enjoyed the relationship I had with so many people. Not only did I know them; I cried with many of them. Even from 600 miles away, I could empathize with the victims of this tragedy and the personal scope of this story.

I was moved by this trip back to my former on so many levels, but none so much as what occurred in the late afternoon. During the coverage, my former next door neighbor's daughter was interviewed on ABC News. The footage showed not only her home, but the house next door, which was where I lived for more than 20 years.

I admit that was weird. It isn't that I wish we still lived there. I am very happy to be living in Arkansas, but it was odd to see the old homestead, where there were many, many happy memories. I loved that old, rambling two-story house that my children called home. One brief glimpse of it, gave me a similar sensation as stepping into a hot tub. I was enveloped by warm thoughts of our past there, the friendliness of my neighbor Diane who used to come and sit on the front porch as I waited for my husband to come home from work. Family life in a small town was like being in a web that included many others. There was almost constant interaction, with friends, neighbors, children, and their network of friends. It seemed so structured, routine.

My life does not resemble my former lifestyle at all these days. John and I are virtually alone, void of neighbors stopping by or kids running in and out with friends. Being retired has little place for a routine. The phone hardly ever rings. We have made friends, but the friendships are much less intense and more distant.

I loved my former life, but I love this one too. I have pangs of sadness as I long for a hug from one of my children or grandchildren. When that happens I try to replace my thoughts with real memories of them. The cure is a simple telephone call. Just hearing their voices satisfies me. It has to.

It is fitting that after 20 years of writing for newspapers, that my trip down memory lane would be induced by the media. I love that technology makes such things possible. Twenty years ago, my present would have been severed from my past. Yet today, I am able to bring my past and present together almost seamlessly. If this is possible, what does the future hold. I am anxious to find out.

Not an informed voter, stay home!

Is this not the most disgusting election season in history?

The entire premise that rich people can buy elections has been around for decades, but never before has it been more obvious, at least to some. But some people still don't get it.

The I'm-mad-as-hell-and-I'm-not-going-to-take-it-anymore attitude is normally one I would endorse, but not this year. I am a strong advocate of exercising your right to vote, but only if you are an informed voter. If you are the kind of person that simply falls for the television commercials or glossy brochures that come to your door, please stay home.

Candidates of both parties are lying, manipulating, and waging the battle of their lives. I wish I could calculate the monumental costs of this election, but throw more than six zeros at me and I admit getting a little blurry-eyed. In truth, six figures is about all I can comprehend. Yet there are tens of millions being spent every day across this country. Doesn't anyone have a problem with that?

I used to bristle at the fact that only the wealthy could afford to run for public office. Now, I find myself completely freaking out about how unlimited corporate donations and anyone with tons of money and an agenda can turn any wacko into a candidate.

I've often wondered where this wealth comes from. I certainly don't have it, but then I'm a hard-working, honest person who tries not to hurt or take advantage of other people. My goal in life is not to be rich--I'd rather be happy. I would never step on other people just to get ahead. I don't rip people off. I try to tell the truth. I care about total strangers. I don't think I'm better than anyone else.

It isn't just the act of buying elections that is bothersome. I am horrified about the what if's. What if these nutjobs actually become representatives of our government? These people are going to speak on our behalf. They are going to make decisions that will ultimately affect us all.

I'm not sure what the answers are, but we have to learn from our mistakes. Why aren't we?