babies.............

1) i hope that iris's nighttime waking (two in a row, folks!) is a
growth spurt and not a habit.
2) looking at other people's newborns on facebook makes me want to
have another one. soon. am i crazy?

This is kinda fun!

Subject: Announcing the Free Book Stimulus Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2009

Contact:
Wanda Jewell, Executive Director
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
3806 Yale Avenue
Columbia, SC 29205
803.779.0118
wanda@sibaweb.com

Announcing FreeBookStimulusPlan.com
Increase Your Karmic Footprint

Wanda Jewell has a problem. After serving nearly 20 years as Executive Director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) she is overrun with books. All kind of books; finished copies and galleys, advance reading copies, advance reader editions, paperback and hardbound, slip-covered and not, limited editions, signed and unsigned, personalized and not. Books here, books there, books, books, everywhere…and each publishing season brings more. It was while she was contemplating the management of her extensive personal library, (with the television news on in the background) that Wanda had her “Aha!” moment: How to weed her collection and support her southern indie bookstores at the same time? In a flash of Obama-induced inspiration, Wanda created her own Free Book Stimulus Plan.

Books can be purchased anywhere. So why shop at indie bookstores? Because buying a book at your local indie bookstore doesn’t just stimulate your reading, it stimulates your local economy. Shopping local is an investment in your own neighborhood and good karma all around. And because you can get a free book!

Hoping to stimulate sales at indie bookstores, Wanda is dismantling her personal library and offering it to shoppers one free book at a time. Beginning April 2nd, readers who purchase a book at a SIBA-member indie store and send her a copy of the receipt will receive book from her collection completely free of charge. Visit FreeBookStimulusPlan.com for details and a list of participating bookstores. Print out the request form on the site and mail it in with a copy of your store receipt (the receipt must include the name of the store). That is all you have to do to get a free book from Wanda’s personal library.

This offer is open only to consumers living in the contiguous United States. Completed form with receipt must be mailed to Free Book, 3806 Yale Ave., Columbia, SC 29205 and only while supplies last. Consider this a challenge to deplete Wanda’s library – she doubts it can be done!

Here is all that Wanda asks in return. Visit FreeBookStimulusPlan.com; Pass it on. Post to blog. Pay it forward. Print to press. Play the 411. Shout it out. Share the news. Spread the word. Soapbox it up. Tweet & Retweet. Facebook & Myspace. Get the word out. Free Book for Shopping Southern Indie Bookstores! Increase your karmic footprint!

 

 

i'd buy it....would you?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/26/uk.village.sale/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

good word:

Word of the Day for Tuesday, March 24, 2009

thaumaturgy \THAW-muh-tuhr-jee\, noun:

The performance of miracles or magic.

Of course, none of these improbable meetings ever took place in
reality. But within the realm of showbiz thaumaturgy, they're
perfectly acceptable examples of latter-day digital compositing,
wherein it's possible to have anything share a frame of film or video
with practically anything else.
-- John Voland, "Prez presses tech buttons", Variety, July 21, 1997

There was ever a cautious hesitancy on the part of the clergy to
recognize evidence of thaumaturgy, and the superstitious use of
relics.
-- John Mcgurk, "Devoted People: Belief and Religion in Early
Modern Ireland", Contemporary Review, September 1998

Thaumaturgy comes from the Greek words for "wonder" (thauma) and
"work" (ergon). A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a thaumaturgist or
thaumaturge.

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for thaumatur

rats.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/23/healthmag.red.meat.lifespan/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

worth blogging about

iris reached out in preference to me for the very first time. super
sweet, even though i forsee this means more cryin baby time.

a kinda of blog...

Really, I thought of all of these like they were facebook stati, but
couldn't bring myself to change it that often.

1) I love being creative in the kitchen
2) Man, I can't stop eating andouille!
3) Sometimes I confuse "chunky" with "larger than bite size"
4) I hope my chicken-tomato-eggplant-mirliton-onion-garlic-white
corn-andouille-and maybe barley soup (or stew, as it may turn out to
be) is good.
5) I must be really out of shape or pretty sick, because I am TIRED
after standing up for so long cooking.
6) Tomorrow is my and Roy's second anniversary. Hurray!

why don't Christian's celebrate purim? it looks like fun!

March 9-11 - Purim (Judaism)

Purim commemorates the story of Esther, who saved Persian Jews from
extermination. A day for eating, drinking and being merry, Purim also
features hamentaschen, triangular cookies that resemble the hat of
Haman, Esther's nemesis.

grocery purchases

lemon juice
cereal (muesli and frosted miniwheats, kroger brand)
chocolate covered granola bars
soup, various kinds of chicken, healthy choice
community coffee (dark roast with chicory)
yogurt
half and half
creamer, french vanilla
orange&pineapple juice, half gallon
orange juice, gallon
milk
beef, some fancy organic cut (managers special)
fish, ditto
fresca, 12 pack
bananas
jimmy dean croissanwhiches
freezer pizza, two
chicken breasts
pork loin
turkey sandwich meat
andouille sausage
bag salad
egg plant
chayote (other wise known as mirliton or something like that)
corn chips
popcorn
ginger snaps (kroger brand) *not very good
bread
baby food (carrots)
flour tortillas

we'll see what happens.

we might be the worst parents ever

well, maybe just in the top ten...

but anyways, I was going through our laundry basket, preparatory to
washing clothes for this weekend (more on that later) and we found TWO
bottles! one moldy, one not. IN OUR LAUNDRY BASKET. I'm not sure how
they got there OR how long they've been there. But frankly, I'm a
little grossed out. Don't tell Iris. I don't think I'll be using the
moldy bottle again.

This weekend, we are visiting a church in Alabama. We have a couple
more churches lined up to visit. I'm not actually sure how discreet
one's supposed to be about the whole preacher-job-finding experience,
but I have to say, it's kinda like dating multiple people at
once...weird. almost like the bachelor. ..."these churches are all
amazing! how can i choose when i have feelings for all of them?"

And we have to travel to get there. Travelling makes me so nervous,
even though every time we have travelled, it's been fine. But
travelling with a baby and a pumping mommy makes everything more
complicated. I don't want to get into too much detail, but interesting
things are going to be happening on the interstate.

On giving up TV for Lent. I actually picked it because I thought it
wouldn't be too hard to do. Is that terrible? I haven't ever been a TV
watcher til I was pregnant with Iris, and didn't do as much night
church stuff. So, though I'll miss knowing whom the bachelor picks,
I'll probabbly just look it up online after the show.

IRis, by the way, is hitting some nice milestones. She can roll over
now, though not from her right side, and roll back. she can pull her
bottom lip in. She'll be FIVE calendar months tomorrow. (Shout out to
her Aunt Juli, who'll be more months than that...also Trey). She has
crawled a tiny bit. Being on her stomach seems to make her spit up a
lil bit more, so we'll have to wait for that to work itself out before
she's a really comfortable tummy girl. She smiles at me every morning
when I go to see why she's making all that noise. She likes toys. She
takes baths in the tub now, something I was deathly afraid of until I
realized that I could lay her down as long as I didn't put too much
water in the tub. She likes it a lot better now, too, and loves her
bath toys, though it's mostly to chew on. but she kicks and splashes a
little more now. I'm still waiting on her sitting up by herself, but
she's so chunky, all the milestones that require muscle development
take a little more patience. She would like to sit up, though. Also,
we are probably going to see if she likes orange vegetables next week.
I'm still nervous about that...for some of these apparently basic
parenting skills, my imagination fails me and I need step by step very
literal and complete instructions. She's been having rice cereal in
her bottle for breakfast (with the concomitant stinkier poo), but
spoons and real food will be an adventure.

I think I might have overloaded the washer...i should go check on it.
and also be diligent...only 2.5 hours until we're supposed to leave!

too-high c-section rates or not, i'm so glad i live the US

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24hospital.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc&_r=1

i'm a little sad about this

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/23/forgotten.veterans/index.html

our government has commited so many injustices.

thoughtful

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/20/dyson.holder/index.html

read this...

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880451,00.html

and then don't ask me to join any more facebook groups about it. please.

love,
Emily

I Love Joaquin Phoenix and David Letterman For Making This Happen

http://www.cbs.com/late_show/video/video.php?cid=446418043&pid=TOnYWLFIAq4k8vA0Me2lpEWu5ovWrJzB&play=true&cc=1

Thanks Will for telling me about Letterman's interview with Joaquin Phoenix.  I've re-watched it over and over and have just been continuing to study it while laughing hysterically.  What are y'all's thoughts?

I Wish This Wasn't Criminal Activity...

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies

also

EMily is so freaking tired of washing bottles.

little bits

Emily is sick of washing bottles.

Iris is huge.

Emily doesn't have an infection or anemia.

Iris is making unhappy noises...

Fwd: [ACTS-TALK] Scandinavia: Success without God?

this is thought-provoking.

from a Christian Sociology listserv I follow:

Thursday, January 15, 2009 (ALC) - During the years 2005 and 2006,
American sociologist Phil Zuckerman spent fourteen months in Denmark
and Sweden to study these two societies. According to Zuckerman, Danes
and Swedes are among the most contented and generous people on the
planet. But that's not all that Zuckerman has to report about these
two nations. Remarkably, he notes, two of the most prosperous
societies in the world are also two of the least religious.

Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.A., Tom Shipka, WYSU-FM 88.5 MHZ, Fine Arts
Radio Station for Youngstown State University and the Mahoning Valley
Community www.wysu.org January 14, 2009

During the years 2005 and 2006, American sociologist Phil Zuckerman
spent fourteen months in Denmark and Sweden to study these two
societies. In a recent book, he reports these findings: (1)

Denmark and Sweden have among the lowest rates of violent crime in the
world. (pp. 28-29) (2)
Denmark and Sweden have the lowest rates of HIV and AIDS in the world. (p. 27)
Sweden is third and Denmark is fifth in the world in economic
competitiveness. (p. 27)
On gender equality, Denmark is second and Sweden is third in the world. (p. 27)
On access to the Internet, Sweden is third and Denmark is fourth in
the world. (p. 28)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for the lowest infant mortality rates in
the world with Norway, Iceland, Japan, and Singapore. (p. 26)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for first place with the Netherlands in
the health and safety of children. (p. 26)
Denmark ranks fourth and Sweden ranks eighth in the world in the
standard of living. (p. 27)
Political corruption is virtually non-existent in Denmark and Sweden. (p. 28)
Denmark and Sweden are tied for first in the world in a recent
international study of social justice (p. 30) (3), and
Denmark ranks second and Sweden ranks third in the world in financial
aid to poor nations. (p. 29)

Thus, according to Zuckerman, Danes and Swedes are among the most
contented and generous people on the planet. But that's not all that
Zuckerman has to report about these two nations. Remarkably, he notes,
two of the most prosperous societies in the world are also two of the
least religious. (4) Indeed, a huge majority in both countries are
atheists or agnostics. Only 24% of Danes and 16% of Swedes believe in
a personal God compared to more than 90% in the United States. (p. 24)
Only 18% of Danes and 33% of Swedes believe in heaven compared to 80%
of Americans. Only 10% of Danes and Swedes believe in hell compared to
75% of Americans. (p. 11, pp. 24-25) This is the lowest rate of belief
in hell in the entire world! (p. 25) Next, only 7% of Danes and 3% of
Swedes believe that the Bible is the literal word of God compared to
33% in the United States. (p. 25) Further, Danes and Swedes have the
lowest church attendance in the world with only 3% of Danes and 7% of
Swedes attending regularly. (p. 25, p. 162) (5) Also, only 8% of Danes
and 15% of Swedes consider it important for a politician to believe in
God compared to 64% of Americans who do (p. 12), and contrary to
public and private practice in America, very few Danes and Swedes
pray. (p. 2) Finally, more than 80% of Danes and Swedes accept
evolution while less than half our population does. (p. 10) (6)

Professor Zuckerman sees an important lesson for us in his study of
Denmark and Sweden. Contrary to what we've heard from "certain
outspoken conservative Christians" (7), the sociologist suggests, a
secular society need not be a scene of violence and depravity. (p. 4,
pp. 17-18) Denmark and Sweden, he says, are not only "impressive
models of societal health" (p. 17) but living proof that humans can
survive and prosper without religion. (pp. 55-56) (8)

1. Zuckerman reports his findings in Society without God: What
the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, New York
University Press, 2008. All references hereinafter are to page numbers
of this book.

2. For instance, in Aarhus, Denmark, a city of 250,000
residents, there was a total of one murder in 2004. (p. 6)

3. This study was done by a German group of social scientists
associated with an institute called Hans-Bocker Stiftung. (p. 30)
Denmark and Sweden are not without problems, however. Taxes are high,
there is social friction due to recent waves of immigration, children
eat too much candy, rates of bicycle thefts are high, fertility rates
are low, and alcohol consumption is high. (p. 34)

4. Other irreligious societies are the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic, South Korea, Estonia, France, Japan, Bulgaria, Norway,
England, Scotland, Wales, Hungary, and Belgium. (p. 25) Zuckerman
points out that in all of these relatively secular societies the
citizens freely gravitated from a religious to an irreligious
perspective unlike North Korea, the former Soviet Union, China, and
Albania where the governments attempted to impose secularism on the
citizens. Zuckerman says that forced secularism doesn't work. See pp.
20-22.

5. Paradoxically, despite the fact that most Danes and Swedes
are atheists or agnostics and don't attend church regularly, 83% of
Danes and 80% of Swedes continue voluntarily to pay a tax to the
National Church, which is Lutheran (p. 112), and many hold traditional
events such as weddings, baptisms, confirmations, and funerals in
church. Zuckerman says that Danes and Swedes, while rejecting the
supernatural dimensions of Christianity - Jesus performed miracles,
Jesus was God, Jesus rose from the dead, the Bible is God's
revelation, the Genesis account of creation is accurate, there is an
afterlife with a heaven and a hell, etc. – maintain a "cultural
religion" similar to many Jews. (pp. 153-155) Oddly, in Denmark a
person may be a pastor and an atheist. (p. 154)

6. Despite the fact that Danes and Swedes are irreligious, they
are not hostile to religion, they shun serious discussions of it, they
deem a person's views about religion a private matter, and many
non-believers dislike being labeled an atheist because they take the
term to imply hostility to religion. Further, many non-believers
self-identify as "Christians." When one asks them what it means to be
a Christian, they say it means being kind, helping people who need
help, not hurting others, etc. As a rule they reject the supernatural
components. See Chapter 8, "Cultural Religion," pp. 150-166. Also, see
pp. 97-109.

7. Zuckerman lists the following examples of Christian
conservatives who claim that a society that is irreligious will fail:
Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly,
Laura Schlesinger, William Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, and Paul Weyrich.
(p. 4, pp. 17-18)

8. American fundamentalists will no doubt object to Zuckerman's
strongly favorable evaluation of Denmark and Sweden by noting that in
these countries abortion has been legal for more than thirty years,
prostitution is legal, and homosexuality is tolerated.

Source: http://www.wysu.org/commentaryview.cfm?RecNum=154

Photo: Book Cover: Society without God: What the Least Religious
Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, Phil Zuckerman (Amazon.com)
------------------------
Latin America and Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC)
English edition: Casilla 17-16-95 - Quito - Ecuador

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milestones

Iris is getting baptized the second sunday in February. There will be
a baptismal feast afterwards.

Also, Roy informed me that she held her bottle all by herself this morning.

She's working on rolling over, but so far, not successful.