HIV/AIDS Crisis Discussed at Creating Change

Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis, Dr. Marjorie Hill, led a panel discussion titled: "HIV/AIDS Crisis: This Is What We're Doing About it!"


In the spirit of full disclosure I must confess that I've had a crush on this woman for at least a decade.

The second speaker, Kenyon Farrow, delivered a powerful message.


What I appreciated the most about Kenyon is how feminist he is. As he spoke I kept thinking "this guy has a fabulous mother."

The presentation that brought me to tears was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder. You will only hear a snippet of her fabulous address here and I can only say I hope at sometime those who didn't have an opportunity to be in Denver can hear the whole thing.

‘State of the Movement’ Address at Creating Change

The following is from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rae Carey, as she outlines the 'State of the Movement':

Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey delved into the challenges and offered new hope for the LGBT community with her “State of the Movement” address in front of 2,000 LGBT activists at the 21st National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Denver, Colo.

Carey talked about the gains made during this past year, including Connecticut joining Massachusetts in becoming a freedom-to-marry state, more than 20 localities across the U.S. that passed and held onto nondiscrimination laws or partner recognition benefits, and the record 450 out elected officials who are serving in local, state and federal offices. She also noted the setbacks and challenges, most notably losing the fundamental right to marry in California, as well as the passage of anti-LGBT ballot measures in Arizona, Arkansas and Florida.

But clearly, she said, there is much reason for optimism in this new political climate. Watch the YouTube video excerpt and post a comment.

Later, she expressed ways the movement should move forward in this new era. Watch the YouTube video excerpt and share your thoughts.

And, she offered this call to action: Watch here.

I leave town for a day and ...

It's revealed HHS Pick Daschle Failed To Pay $128K in Taxes.

Former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele is election chairman of the Republican National Committee.

And, President Obama scolds Wall Street bankers who received millions of dollars in bonuses last year, calling the payouts "shameful."

All I can say about Daschel is WTF were you thinking? To Steele: hey, I liked your US Senate ads ... is that why the RNC picked you? And finally, it's about time someone said something about CEO's getting a bonus when they fail at doing their jobs. I owned a business for seven years, and if I made a bad business decision forget getting a bonus -- I didn't get paid at all.

Still alive, still birding!

Despite our ridiculously low temps (in the teens and single digits), I've still managed to log a few birding adventures in the past week. Last Saturday, Laurie and I went to the duck pond near Centre Furnace Mansion, hoping to see two snow geese that--according to the local listserv--had been visiting the pond on a fairly regular basis for the last week or so. As I've never seen a snow goose, I was excited. Here's what we saw:Um--those are ducks. Domestic, albeit perhaps not from someone's farm, ducks. Quacking along with the other ducks. Hmph. I know that the people who'd reported seeing the snow geese are good birders, so my guess is that Earl Cootie's Bird Goddess decided to play a little trick on me. She's like that.

She did grant me a couple of treats, however. If you look closely at that white duck photo, you'll see an interestingly shaped duck silhouette on the upper left.

It came a little closer:And then a little closer:A WOOD DUCK! Granted, not exactly a breeding-plumaged male or anything, but still a wood duck! I always used to try to get photos of these guys back on the marsh, but I would spook them before I could get a decent shot. Yay me! I'm guessing this is a female, what with the white eye ring, but her plumage is still beautiful. Here's another shot:Isn't she beautiful? I didn't see her hubby anywhere; perhaps she was single and lookin'?

UPDATE!--my eagle-eyed commenters pointed out that I got both the drake and the hen wood ducks in that dark picture of the white ducks! here's a crop:
Cool!

We then walked a little to try to see some ducks farther out on the pond:That's a bufflehead waaaay across there. I've only ever seen those when I took the ferry from Lewes to Cape May a few years ago. I tried to get a better shot, but I ended up falling on some ice. (If you're on Facebook, you'll know that I fell THREE TIMES last weekend. This was my first fall.)

Here's a crop:I really like birds with funky-shaped heads, like wood ducks and buffleheads and mergansers. Anyway--it was neat to see one of these again, especially right here in town.

And here's one of those crazy-ass Muscovy ducks, probably an escapee (perhaps from the same place as those white ducks) who's "gone native," as they say:Check out the talons on those feet! I'd hate to have to scrap with this guy. His plumage was a beautiful emerald-black, though it's probably not visible here (it was getting late). And look at the bare patch of red skin, along with that big old wart thingie, on his face. Is that technically a wattle if it's on top of his bill? Oh--Peterson calls it a "knob."

I also saw a duck I'm a little unsure about:I know it's not a female mallard, as the bill is white/orange, it's darker and less streaky than they are, and the wingspot is a different color. Here's a comparison collage:That is definitely not a female mallard. The bill reminds me of the wood duck's bill, but the head isn't right. I just checked my Peterson's and I think I'm gonna go with my initial guess, made pond-side: that's an American Black Duck, isn't it? Not a lifer, but it's my first photo of one!

That's enough of the duck pond. Here's a pic of a recent sunset:It may be freezing here, but we still get some nice sunsets.

(By the way, for those who are keeping score at home, I fell a second time at the bowling alley where I was working part-time for moving money, and then a third time on some stairs at my friend Joche's house--but I think I told you about that one. My concussed noggin is feeling better, though my shoulder is still very stiff and sore.)

My next birdy adventure happened yesterday. Despite the irruption of white-winged crossbills in the state, I've yet to see one, so when I saw a report of some crossbills right on the Penn State campus, I had to check it out! However, the Bird Goddess was in a bad mood again, and I didn't see anything but a few noisy crows. Oh well.

Today, I saw some reports of redheads out there yesterday, but Gretchen and I are leaving right after work for Pittsburgh, where we'll be visiting THE NATIONAL AVIARY! so I won't get to go out there and see them. I hope they're still around next week, as that would be another lifer for me.

When I get back to my computer on Monday, I hope to knock you all outta your seats with some kick-ass photos of all kinds of groovy birds from the Aviary. I know they don't count on my lifelist, but it's going to be such a thrill to see these birds live, not just on The Life of Birds or whatever. Gretchen and I are both so pumped to go, plus we'll be watching the last disk of The Life of Birds as well as Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (I've been shepherding Gretchen through all the seasons, and we're finally to Season 7.)

I know--how can my little noodle hold all this crazy-fun-time-ness!? I'll answer that question next week. Have a great weekend!

On the road again ...

As mentioned earlier I'm in Denver, what I didn't tell you is that I'm here attending the Creating Change conference. Celebrating 21 years, Creating Change is the largest gathering of LGBT activists in the country. More than 2,000 are expected.

The conference theme is "Power is sexy" and "Action is HOT" and the opening plenary was certainly hot, hot, hot.

MC Kate Clinton warmed up the crowd by leading a group cleansing to rid the country of any bad energy left behind from eight years of Bush & Co. Kate then introduced a true champion of grassroots organizing, Dolores Huerta. If you are not familiar with her work, I strong suggest you Google her name and check it out!

Dolores has worked for more than four decades to make this a better country. She, along with Cesar Chavez, organized the United Farm Workers Union, and Dolores has been involved in many civil rights movements over the years, the most recent to try and defeat California's Prop 8.

In a lighter moment Dolores talked about her first meeting with candidate Barack Obama, where he mentioned that he had stolen her signature line (and one she coined a few decades ago) "Yes We Can." Her responds to him was: "Yes.You.Did!"

I've known Dolores for nearly 20 years, and she never ceases to amaze me every time I hear her speak.

This is my eighth Creating Change, so it's also fun to reconnect with friends from around the country -- and make new friends. More later.

No time for blogging today ...

... there is just too much going on. I'm leaving for Denver in the morning, and will be there until Sunday. I'll tell you more about it later.

Plink on the windowpane

Slate sky

murky cold haze
wind chill
ekes through fibers
coat to sweats to underwear

blasts aching bones
limping feet
hobbled knees
crippled hands

feel the gray
wall of pain

The ice storm began on Tuesday around 6 pm in Bedford. The plink of freezing rain on the pane. An extra shine on the pavement and the exagerated fervor of the weathermen, with maps in white and pinks, heightened the frenzy Ray and I call the Blast of White Death. Indeed, we awoke to a Wednesday world encased in a sheet of ice. No need to shovel. We don't own one.

Instead, Ray trudged out to make the long slow drive (1-1/2 hours) to work, and I limbered up my fingers for a day of writing and editing. Ray arrived at his job safe and sound, and I was comfortable knowing I need not drive anywhere. Donning a sweatshirt over my black long sleeved shirt, I wrapped the afghan around my feet, and typed away.

Now, everything has melted and we'll be up to 60s by the weekend. However, an ice day in Texas brings back the little kid in me who loved the freedom of a snow day.

Gene Roddenberry, wife to spend eternity in space

The Associated Press reports:

The creator of "Star Trek" and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in "memorial spaceflights," said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.

The couple's cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys' remains _ and the spacecraft _ will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.

After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec. 18, 2008.

Unanimous Supreme Court Decision Protects Employees

Yes, you read the headline correctly. Could this be a payback from Chief Justice John Roberts for flubbing the presidential oath? If it is, great!

The Supreme Court today unanimously held that federal anti-discrimination laws protect employees from retaliation when they cooperate with internal investigations of alleged harassment.

The court sided with Vicky S. Crawford, who said she was fired from her longtime job in charge of payroll for the Nashville school system after she answered questions about what the court termed the "louche goings-on" involving her boss.

The supervisor, Metro School District employees relations director Gene Hughes, was not disciplined for the alleged actions, but Crawford and two others who testified against him were later fired for unrelated charges.

Lower courts said Crawford was not protected under the federal anti-retaliation law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, because she had not "instigated or initiated" the complaint, but merely answered questions in a case already underway.

The Supreme Court said the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit misread the law.

"Nothing in the statute requires a freakish rule protecting an employee who reports discrimination on her own initiative but not one who reports the same discrimination in the same words when her boss asks a question," Justice David H. Souter wrote.

The case is Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

What also must be noted is the gender difference in reporting this decision. CBS Network news airs before NBC in the DC area, so if I'm home I try to catch both. CBS anchor Katie Couric reported the story. Guess who didn't? That's right the male anchor Brian Williams on NBC.

The minute I read the report of this in the Washington Post I knew it would probably have greater impact, and meaning, for women. Looks like Couric agrees.

Niblet update

FINALLY UPDATED! But not with pics from the vet--I was too busy being worried about my little Son, Moon, and Stars ™ to take pics there. But here he is the day after, running around like nothing had happened.

My prediction of an abscess (finally looked up how to spell that; I knew I had it wrong but was just too lazy to check) was correct. My baby boy and I made it to the vet on Friday, and Dr. Sayre confirmed it.

Niblet was so good and so brave throughout the exam and procedure. First, Dr. Sayre used a flea comb to pull some of the scab-crusted fur out. Niblet didn't even flinch! Then she examined the area and got a little sample of the fluid that was seeping out of the lump for microscopic examination: bacteria.

So she put a numbing gel on the area, then gave him a shot of novacaine. She then took him in the back after he'd numbed up and lanced the lump. She said she cleaned it all out. He had two tiny (1/8") incisions, and the lump was gone.

Little Nibble and I came home, and I have to dose him with antibiotics twice a day for ten days, and a pain med once a day for five days. Both are liquid, and I have to do a Steve Irwin-style jump onto Niblet so I can hold him between my knees/thighs and put a little needle-less syringe into his mouth and squirt in the meds. He doesn't much like it, of course --- but I do reward him with a baby carrot or a dried banana chip, which he does like.

You can kinda see some of the medicine stuff she put on there in this photo. By this point, he'd done a little comb-over action and you couldn't even see his bald spot.

He's still just as bouncy and energetic as before, for which I'm thankful. He's just such a brave little man-bunny. He should make a full recovery soon.

Thanks for all your good wishes for him!

Sunday Funnies

Obama, Religion, and the Separation of Church and State

Much as been written about religious inclusion in events leading up to, and including, the inauguration of our 44th president. Obama's selection of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation sparked a firestorm of protest from liberals. How could the new president choose such a divisive figure to usher in what everyone had hoped would be a new era.

In "Warren Gets No Pass From Me" the Reverend Barry W. Lynn writes:

... once you pass the threshold of having two Protestant ministers, it is not unexpected that one or both (in this case, only one since the Rev. Joseph Lowery did not) is going to pray in the name of Jesus. As you know, I think the prayers should have been restricted to the worship service the then-President elect attended earlier in the day. Adding the Lord's Prayer to the end of Warren's own was really over the top, since this is such a well-known Christian intercession.

Warren doesn't believe non-believers should be elected to public office, at least not to the Presidency. So he still thinks their moral compass is inferior to his own just on the face of it. Also, I don't like people prattling on about "our commitment to freedom and justice for all" when they just participated in a campaign of injustice, in Warren's case his support for passage of California's notoriously discriminatory Proposition 8.

In an attempt to pacify the protests, Bishop Gene Robinson was invited to give the invocation at a pre-inaugural concert. Even that, however, was not without controversy as the television viewing audience on HBO was initially blocked from hearing Robinson's message.

Proving once again that it's important to speak out, the uproar sparked by this omission prompted HBO to eventually include Robinson's invocation in rebroadcasts of the event.

The Washington Post thinks the inauguration ushers in a new era of inclusion.

When President Obama rose to speak between the prayers offered by evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren and civil rights veteran the Rev. Joseph Lowery, he indicated -- without ever saying a word -- the breadth of the religious outreach ahead in his administration.

Though Warren's prayer contained touches of inclusivity, it was nonetheless explicitly and solidly Christian, ending with the Lord's Prayer. Meanwhile, when Lowery, a United Methodist, closed the swearing-in ceremony, he remarked on the rainbow of races and religions Obama will represent as president.

"Keep in mind, Rick Warren prayed while George Bush was still president," noted the Rev. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, professor of African American studies at Colby College in Maine. "It's an interesting ushering out of one era and ushering in of a new era." [...]

Obama's inclusion of gay Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson by having him pray at the inaugural kick-off concert Sunday only expands the expectations for the new president's religious outreach.

"With just the triad of Gene Robinson and Lowery and Rick Warren, that's a very powerful signal to American Protestants -- still more than half of the population -- that Obama doesn't want religious division to get in the way of 'being' America," said Diana Butler Bass, an expert on American religion and author of "Christianity for the Rest of Us." [...]

Lowery's prayer was so broad that even a secularist could embrace it -- and did.

"He didn't say this prayer was for Jesus or Allah or any other god, he said let all who embrace justice say amen," said Lori Lipman Brown, director of the Secular Coalition for America. "I hardly ever say amen, but how could you not say amen to embracing justice?"

And possibly for the first time, non-believers were included in the inaugural speech as well. We are all Americans, believers and non-believers.

Maybe the best way to insure that all are included is to simply take religion out of government-sponsored events. Our founders certainly recognized the danger of mixing church and state, which is why the first words of the First Amendment read: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."

A phrase or image inspires

Where do I get my ideas? From anything and everything. A phrase here, a mentioned incident there, or a memory blast from the past. I read the paper thoroughly and the teensiest news items can trigger a flash fiction. People watching can inspire the creation of a character for a book. Or sitting in line at a Taco Bell and watching a piece of scrap paper cling to a chain link fence gave me a poem.



No Escape


Scrap paper whooshes past me
clings to chain link fence
splatted flat, it wavers


frays

disintegrates


And there's the deck chair in the backyard (see picture)
Ancient deck chair

leans closer to earth
attracts bird splatter

sticky spider web slats
creak, groan
screws rattle

age spots
slurp spray paint
gasps for more

seat wiggles
another season

It's all word play. Some folks play computer games. Others niggle at words. I've re-read the first chapter of my book a zillion times and probably change a word, a comma, or delete a paragraph every single time. Depends on the mood of the day. That's the challenge and the journey.

Then there's the day when the sky is gray, the page is blank, and I've got nothing........until something triggers a fresh bout of word splash.

Joanne

Blog Surfing

h/t to Mock, Paper, Scissors

Quote of the Day
by Melissa McEwan at Shakesville

Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime
by Melissa McEwan at Shakesville

Friday Flashback: High Five
by Lisa at That's Why

OBAMA: 'I Won'
by Taylor Marsh

And look, there's more video!

Friday Non-Music Video: The Secret to a Happy Marriage
by SueJ at Nailing Jello to the Wall

Obama Lifts Global Abortion 'Gag Rule'

How fitting that one day following the annual anti-abortion march in DC, President Obama signs an executive order lifting the 'gag rule' on abortion.

President Barack Obama today signed an executive order lifting a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions or provide counseling about the procedure.

The order rescinds the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "gag rule," which President Ronald Reagan originally instituted in 1984 and President Bill Clinton rescinded and President George W. Bush revived in 2001.

The decision had been eagerly expected by family planning groups, women's health advocates and others, who hoped it would restore millions of dollars of funding to programs providing health care, contraceptive services, HIV prevention and other care around the world.

"For eight long years the global gag rule has been used by the Bush administration to play politics with the lives of poor women across the world," said Gill Greer of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. "In rescinding this disastrous and unjust policy, President Obama has returned the United States to the international consensus on women's health. [...]

[A]bortion rights advocates hoped the decision would be the first in a series of moves by the new administration to reverse Bush administration policies related to abortion. They are pushing to increase funding for reproductive health programs, cut funding for sex education programs that focus on abstinence, and reverse a recently implemented Health and Human Services regulation that protects health-care workers who object to providing any care they consider objectionable, including abortion.

"We look forward to working with President Obama on common-sense policies such as reversing Bush's midnight HHS rule, funding comprehensive sex education to keep our teens healthy, and increasing access to affordable family planning that help prevent unintended and teen pregnancies and lead to healthy outcomes for women," said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

January 20, 2009 truly was the end of an error!

New River Wishlist Post #3: Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers

In which I continue my series of posts potential lifers I might see in Virginia at the New River Bird and Nature Festival in April 2009. Much of the Flock will be staying the entire week of the festival; I will do only the second half of the week, arriving on Wednesday night in time for dinner, then birding Thursday through Sunday morning.

Thought I should combine these similarly named birds in one post, especially because the two often interbreed, resulting in the "'Brewster's and 'Lawrence's' warblers. Brewster's looks like a Blue-winged Warbler with a white chest, and Lawrence's looks like an all-yellow Golden-winged Warbler. Backcrosses of hybrids to pure parental types result in many intermediate-appearing birds." That's a lot of interbreeding; quotation courtesy of the Cornell site.

First off, let's look at the Blue-winged Warbler.Now that's a brightly colored bird! Despite this fact, the Cornell site says it's "often overlooked," perhaps because it hangs out in "shrubland and old fields." Boy, that pretty much describes Central PA; why haven't I seen one? Guess I've "overlooked" it.

The female is similarly bright:So purty.

This is, like most warblers, a tiny (4-5 inches) bird, with a yellow head and underparts, a black eye line, and gray-blue wings. Note the two white wingbars (on both male and female) as well. Black legs and feet, beak, and eye.


I love warbler beaks, especially the super-sharp ones like the BWWA's here. They look like they could fly right through you, their stabbing little beaks leading the way. Ouch!

Their call is described as a "bee-buzz." It seems to me that a lot of warblers have these high buzzy songs, you know? I guess it's a good thing they look so distinctive, especially in the spring. Of course, you'll get a mean case of Warbler Neck looking for them, given their size and activity level. However, Dave Pollard from the festival says there's a nesting pair of BWWAs outside the cabin in which most of the Flock will be staying, so this one should be a sure thing!

These birds eat insects and spiders. I am imagining this little guy coming across one of those dewdrop-covered spiderwebs in the early morning; he sticks that fine little tweezers-like bill out and snip! no more spider. My birding pal Gretchen would like that, given her fear of spiders.

According to the range maps, I really shouldn't be surprised to see one of these puppies, even in Pennsylvania, as their breeding range includes points north, south, east, and west of PA and WV. The same holds true for our next bird, the Golden-winged Warbler.
Pretty clear on the field marks here as well--a yellow/orange cap, a black (sometimes gray) mask surrounded by white outline, a gray body, yellow patches on the wings, and whitish underparts. The bill, eyes, and legs are black.

According to the Cornell site, the female looks similar to the male except that her mask is gray rather than black, and her wings will have either a smaller yellow patch or two bars rather than the patch. Interesting. It's not often that the female retains similar colors to the male, but hey--more power to her. Still, the USGS bird site shows her looking a little more gray-green than the gray-blue male:Kinda greeny, don't you think? A result of the yellow on gray. Note those nice white feathers on the tail edges too.

My birdJam shows that the GWWA's song is a "zee-bee-bee-bee." I have a feeling there's going to be a virtual din of zees and bees and buzzes all around us in the woods of West Va. We'll just have to keep our eyes sharp.

Speaking of eyes, I'm getting a little concerned about my vision. It seems like I can't see up close anymore without readers (and I might need more powerful ones soon), and I can't really see far away that well either. I know my eye doctor has told me that this is the result of my right eye's having a "slight" case of astigmatism, but not enough to correct for. The last few times I've gone, my contacts prescription has stayed the same, but I haven't gotten a new pair of glasses in probably six years. Maybe I should do that, just in case. It seems like I'm always having to blink and kind-of adjust my eyes a lot when distance-viewing (close-up viewing too), and they're sometimes kinda teary-feeling or even gummy-feeling (eeeww). I'd hate to miss out on a great bird or a great view because I just plain can't see it well enough. Hmmph.Another medical note: Niblet has developed some sort of lump (absess?) where his right ear used to be. The vet had always said it was healed over, but it seems like something is seeping out of there, and on Tuesday night, I noticed he had developed a sort of bollus under the skin there. I'm taking him to the doctor today, where I'm hoping they'll just say it's an absess, drain it, and give him a little shot of antibiotics. I just hope it's nothing serious. I'll keep you posted.

Senate Passes Lilly Ledbetter Act

The Senate, tonight, passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act. The version is slightly different from what the House passed earlier, so once the House passes the revised version the bill will be on its way to the President for his signature.

The Washington Post reports:

A wage discrimination bill that heralds the pro-labor policies of the Democratic-controlled Congress and White House cleared the Senate Thursday and could be on President Barack Obama's desk within days.

The legislation reverses a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that narrowly defines the time period during which a worker can file a claim of wage discrimination, even if the worker is unaware for months or years that he or she is getting less than colleagues doing the same job. It has been a priority for women's groups seeking to narrow the wage gap between men and women. [...]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted that "the first bill that President Obama will sign will be this piece of legislation." He said the bill would send an important message because "this administration stands for equality and fairness."

Obama strongly backs the measure and invited Lilly Ledbetter, the retired Alabama tire company worker whose lawsuit inspired the legislation, to accompany him on the train trip bringing him to Washington for the inauguration.

Bush had threatened to veto the bill, but it never made it out of the Senate. This is a good day for women!

Roe v Wade: Celebrating 36 Years of Justice

On a cold winter day in January 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that women were fully capable of making decisions regarding abortion for themselves. Kudos go out to Justice Harry Blackmun, who authored this important decision. Looking at today's Court, one has to wonder whether women would get the same outcome.

The decision sparked a firestorm of protest that continues today, and over the years we have seen an erosion of our reproductive rights.

With a new administration and Congress, we now have a chance to fight back! This is not the time to breath a sigh of relief, sit back and relax -- now is the time to push forward. To reclaim rights that have been lost, to secure reproductive justice for all women.

There are a number of advocacy groups working on this issue -- Planned Parenthood, NOW, Feminist Majority, National Abortion Federation, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. And political organizations like EMILY's List.

I urge you to find the one that you like best and JOIN! Get on their action alert list, send those emails and make those calls! Now IS the time for action.

Madam Secretary of State - It's Official

Hillary Clinton was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate today as our new secretary of state by a vote of 94 to 2. Diaper boy Vitter was joined by South Carolina's Jim DeMint as the lone "no" votes.

The New York Times reports:

The vote on Senator Clinton was 94 to 2. (She did not vote.) When the result was announced, there was a hearty round of applause in the chamber.

The senator was sworn in as secretary at 5:29 p.m., her office said, and immediately resigned her Senate seat, sending identical one-line letters to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is president of the Senate; to the office of the secretary of the Senate and to New York Gov. David A. Paterson, who has said he will name a replacement soon. [...]

Senator Clinton’s confirmation, which was never in doubt, was a consolation of sorts for the Obama White House. The action came not long after a Senate committee vote on the nomination of Eric H. Holder Jr. to be attorney general was delayed for a week after Republicans insisted they needed more time to question him.

Clearly, Holder is much too ethical and honest for Republicans.

Following the confirmation vote, Clinton was sworn in as the 67th secretary of state, a post first held by Thomas Jefferson, at 5:29 p.m. Washington time with President Clinton present, according to her Senate office. She resigned from the Senate shortly afterward.

Congratulations Madam Secretary!

Bookish thoughts: "In Search of the IBWO"

Arthur Allen took this photo, probably in the 1930s

Or however you would abbreviate "ivory-billed woodpecker."

I finished reading Jerome A. Jackson's In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, and to be honest even I'm a little surprised at how much I liked it. I never really read many of the stories about the searches for the bird (though I don't know why), except for Birdchick's accounts of her participation in a Cornell-sponsored search (I can't find the link now--but it was back in 2005-2006, which is actually when I started reading her blog, and the rest of my birding and bird-blogging is history!).

If you like to read about birds or history, this book will satisfy both your cravings; my only problem was the incredible sadness and frustration that gripped me throughout. Greedy logging companies, chopping wood for everything from sewing machine cabinets to our WWII efforts, pretty much caused this bird's extinction (if it really is extinct). I realize that species go extinct every day thanks to humans, but learning so much about so magnificent a bird, only to be denied the chance to ever to see one--well, it was really sad for me.

Still, the book was filled not only with details about ivory-billeds but also the birding history of the United States. I found out some fun facts like these:

--in one of the quoted passages, Audubon called mating season "the love season" (tee hee)

--red-bellied woodpeckers are attracted by the sound of a pocketknife tapping against a plastic hotel key tag; downys are attracted by the sound of a metal key tapped against a quarter cupped in the palm

--Audubon once saw five IBWOs feeding together; another guy (W.E.D. Scott) saw a flock of 11 in 1905!

--the largest woodpecker in the world is Mexico's Imperial Woodpecker, which shares a common ancestor with the IBWO

--there are only five sets of "probably authentic" IBWO eggs (kept in several museums). There are a little over 400 known IBWO specimens (stuffed) in existence today. Most were collected in Florida.

--Roger Tory Peterson had a stuffed IBWO specimen he got from someone; the specimen had been collected in 1881. RTP saw two female IBWOs on May 9, 1942; it would be the last time he'd see an IBWO.

--Arthur Allen, who founded the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, thrilled when he finally saw one, saying he'd found "that which they said could not be found." He started recording bird sounds with his grad students in 1929.

--James Tanner, who spent lots of time in the Singer Tract area of Louisiana (which is probably a mall by now) studying IBWOs, was the last to photograph one, and the only one to photograph one in color. He even has photos of young IBWOs on his arm and his shoulder. (I'm crying a little bit at this point)

--the last person to paint an IBWO from life was Donald Eckelberry, in April of 1944. When I went looking for an IBWO image for this post, I found this one by Julie Zickefoose, and I noticed she noted "not from life" there. It made me sad.

--fellow Flocker Julie Zickefoose helped Jerome Jackson (along with Christopher Cokinos) review some of the searches for IBWOs, "chronicling the difficulties and lure of the hunt for this bird" (here's the link to Cornell's site about IBWOs)

Some not-so-fun facts I learned:
--"Birds continued to be shot for collections long after it was realized that they were in danger of extinction." The "scientists" of the day didn't have a problem with collecting IBWO specimens for "scientific" purposes; they only begrudged the "commercial rather than scientific purposes."

--the Singer Tract, where IBWOs were seen into the 1940s, was not preserved until June 1980--pretty much after every damned tree had already been cut down. This seemed to be the case with most of the habitats; many were preserved long after it was way too late and all the trees attractive to IBWOs had already been cut down

--the author has searched far and wide in America and Cuba but, aside from possibly hearing some possible IBWO calls and finding some possibly promising habitat, he never saw one. He remains hopeful that there are some still alive, and he even recommends some good potential areas for future searches, but he warns, "Don't get your hopes up."

If you haven't read this book, read it. Read it and weep.

Tonight We Party

I loved seeing our new President dancing with Lilly Ledbetter at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. The House just passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act, and we are now waiting for the Senate to follow. This courageous woman is working tirelessly to try and prevent other women from facing the same discrimination she faced during her 19 years at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

The Chicago Sun Times reports:

Legislation to combat pay discrimination is advancing in Congress, including one bill that would reverse a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricted workers' ability to sue for pay discrimination and another that would expand the amount of damages victims could receive.

Both bills passed in the House earlier this month, and the so-called Lilly Ledbetter bill moved closer to a vote in the Senate on Thursday. The Senate voted 72-23 to consider that bill, which would reverse a Supreme Court ruling that a worker must file claims of wage discrimination within 180 days of the first decision to pay that worker less, even if the person was unaware of the pay disparity. A final Senate vote could come next week.

Thank you Lilly, for standing up for all of us!

Finally ...

a president who might actually hear us!
Oh, Mr. President ...

A Proud Moment

President Barack Obama receives a thumbs-up from daughter Sasha following his address to the nation.

Obama Inaugural Address

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You've Gotta Love the Queen of Soul

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Senator Kennedy Taken from Luncheon on Stretcher

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Let's hope the Senator will be fine.

Chief Justice Roberts Flubs Line

What was otherwise a perfect day had one hiccup ... when Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office. Geezz, the guy had ONE thing to do, and he couldn't get it right. He certainly goes right on everything else!

NBC's Pete Wilson had this to say:

The recitation of the presidential oath came in fits and starts.

The Constitution prescribes the text: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

But Chief Justice John Roberts, using no notes, flubbed his lines, and Obama knew it.

First, Obama jumped in before the "do solemnly swear" phrase, which seemed to throw the chief justice off his stride. Roberts rendered the next phrase as "that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully."

"That I will execute," Obama repeated, then paused like a school teacher prompting his student with a slight nod. Roberts took another shot at it: "The off ... faithfully the pres ... the office of President of the United States."

The oath then got more or less back on track after that. Close enough for government work.

**UPDATE**

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The Reign of Terror is Over

We are now more than an hour into President Barack Obama's administration and I think many of us are feeling an incredible sense of relief! It's been eight long years, and today could not come fast enough for people who care about our country, the Constitution and the world.

There are many historic things to celebrate today, but before going there I must say my favorite moment from the came just a few minutes ago when George W. Bush boarded a helicopter to leave Washington, DC -- hopefully for good! It was a moment that brought me to tears.

So in honor of that moment, here are my first favorite photos of the day:

A New Day Has Finally Arrived!

Hallelujah!

6 hours to go ...

People are streaming onto the Mall in Washington, DC, while some have been camping out all night. The Metro trains are beginning to fill up, some Metro parking lots are already full. The temperature in DC is 20 degrees. By noon it's expected to be 30 degrees, with a wind chill of 10-15.

The street leading into New Carrollton Metro station is bumper to bumper, and the parking lot there is already full! A number of other lots are full as well!

Cars are prohibited, but people are walking across the bridges from Virginia into DC.

1,387 groups applied to be part of the Inaugural parade, more than twice as many as has ever applied before -- only 100 groups were selected.

Extra cell phone towers have been brought in to handle the expected flood of calls and text messages that will originate from the Mall today. People are being asked to not send photos, for fear the high volume will crash the system.

This is a very exciting day!

12 hours to go ...

... until this reign of terror comes to an end. And how fitting that Cheney will be attending the inauguration in a wheel chair ... all the better to transport him directly to jail! Do not pass "GO" and do not collect $200 (billion) dollars. You have stolen enough!

As regular readers know, I was not an Obama supporter during the primaries. And while I am very excited at the thought of George W. Bush leaving office, I must confess that I will be watching the festivities later today with somewhat mixed emotions.

Barack Obama is growing on me, and I think he is a vast improvement over Bush -- but I can't help but wonder how long it will be before we get to celebrate the inauguration of our first woman president. 18 million of us had hoped this would be the year.

I wish President-elect Obama all the best as he begins to tackle the mess he is inheriting. Times are tough so we all need to be cheering him on.

A New West Wing

Bush Daze end just HOURS AWAY