Stirrers

The Chez has perfectly expressed one of my pet peeves. She says it better than I could.

I'm The Chez & You're The Macaroni: Mind Your Manners Monday!

Dedicated to the naysayers out there

This article lists 15 Failed Predictions about the Future. So the next time someone says you can't do this, or that isn't practical, remember that Margaret Thatcher never thought there would be a female prime minister in her lifetime.

Also, don't be afraid to eat your words. I prefer mine with Worcestershire sauce and a hint of garlic.

WOW!! My own award!!

WOO HOO!!! I got an award! Who'd'a thunk it, especially since my blogging lately has been sporadic, oh heck, let's call a dog a dog, nonexistant lately. I've been hit with a setback and it's been throwing me for a loop, hence, no mental energy for blogging, and precious little for anything else. But now, now, I'm starting to emerge from the fog and getting back to it. So, the first order of business is to thank the wise, learned, hysterical, and occasionally gross BuzzardBilly for this award. The second order of business is to thank the always interesting Muze Euterpe for it. Can you believe it? Two blog awards!! And during my hiatus. Maybe I should go on hiatus more often.....



Pretty spiffy, huh? But, as with all blog awards, there are rules....

The Bella Rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So here goes..... in no order whatsoever....

1. I'm giving it back to Buzzardbilly as, well, she deserves it. She's a bright observer of human behavior, and a student of Appalachia and Appalachian behavior. Plus, she's damn funny.
   
2. And right back at Muze as well. Muze and I disagree on pretty much everything. We can both get very intense about our (opposite) politics, but we are able to discuss mostly rationally and always respectfully. That is so rare these days.
   
3. Next up has to be Maura at Maura's Bliss Adventures. She was my first friend in this town and is a terrific person with fascinating insights on lots of topics. Recently she had a beautiful baby girl. So, in essence, this blog has everything you need: lovely thoughts and baby pictures. What more could you want from a blog?
   
4. Sarah at The Putnam Scoop. She doesn't post often, but when she does it's either beautiful, profound, or something that really makes you feel good. Often all three.
5. Evil Twin's Wife, who is probably rolling in these awards by now. She's a faithful blogger in this area, and just a terrific person. Oh, and if you get her and the previous three together, you're guaranteed a good time.
   
6. The Neurotic Attorney. Interestingly, she is from my part of the state but now lives here. And she has a myriad of correct opinions (correct meaning, of course, that she agrees with me).
   
7. And, lest you think I'm a sexist blogger, The Film Geek. Film reviews, Jacknuts, local commentary, and reflection. Plus, Saturday morning cartoon memories!
8. Sagacious Hillbilly. He is both, certainly. Left-leaning politics, a healthy measure of common sense, and a dash of righteous outrage. Add gardening and you've got SH. He's on hiatus now but he certainly deserves this.
9. MadDaddy at daddyBstrong. A counselor, thinker, and poet from Atlanta that's transplanted to the Twin Cities, his series on blues and poets you should read soothe the soul.
   
10. Kit is on hiatus, but never mind. Go back and read her "Hard Rocks" series. And she predicted this current financial mess for a good year before it hit. And was scarily accurate.
    

I gave 10, but there are so many more than I could give. But the laundry is almost done, and I 've got other things to do. If you didn't get one, then you were probably number 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15.

And if you don't want to play along, no problem. I just want you all to know how much you are appreciated.

The economic case against Mountaintop Removal coal mining

This article from West Virginia Blue is a must-read. It brings together (and backs with data) a lot of the arguments that I have had against mountain top removal. I am not anti-coal, nor do I have any intention to live in a cave, as some pro-MTR folks have suggested.

MTR is a blight upon the earth. Literally. We need to be aware of the facts, not just the propaganda by both sides, and this article does a great job of making an argument backed by facts, not emotion, which is sorely lacking in today's debate.

Hey Kids, Take Your Vitamins!!

I just love this Quote of the Day from Larry Messina's Lincoln Walks at Midnight blog, focused on political news from West Virginia:

"(I)f people are consuming lower numbers of fish, that number in the fish tissue can be a little bit higher because they’re not taking as much in.”

-- Mike Arcuri, an analyst with Department of Environmental Protection, explaining to Public Broadcasting why his agency believes that West Virginia should allow more mercury in its waters than what federal standards recommend.

Because we have to make sure that we have our Recommended Daily Allowance of Mercury, and if we're not getting enough, well, by golly, let's let more mercury into the water so that we can catch up.

It boggles the mind.

UPDATE: Ken Ward Jr., arguably the best investigative journalist in the state, at Sustained Outrage continues with the story on mercury and fish in WV waters.

A lesson

One of the things that I love about blogging is the ability for a do-over. First I'll tell you what happened.

My honey and I were at a local business on Sunday, standing in the checkout line. The checker asked the gentleman in front of us if he had served in the military. When he answered "yes," she gave him a white carnation from a vase set aside for that purpose. "How nice," I thought. "Even though it's Memorial Day instead of Veteran's Day, it's a great gesture."

I moved up to pay for my purchase. She asked my honey if he had served. Then she took my money and gave me my purchase.

Notice anything missing? That's right, she didn't ask the "girl" if she had served. Now, I look young, but not under 18!

Here's what should have happened: I should have said, "aren't you going to ask me if I served?" She would have asked, then I would have said, "No, but my best friend served for 20 years. And if it had been her instead of me in your line, she'd have ripped you a new one. Women have been serving in the military since World War II. I have a feeling that they'll not be pleased to have this service ignored."

What do you think? Should I have said it, or should I have just kept silent and let the female vet who wasn't asked tear her up?

Finally, A Voice of Reason

I saved this about a week ago but never got around to publishing it. In this story, from The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia Retired Justice O'Connor cites Benjamin ethics case, saying that Benjamin should have recused himself from this case because of the perception of possible partiality (now try saying that one three times fast!).

Finally, someone is saying publicly what we always knew: if your best bud brings a case to the court, and everyone knows he's your best bud, it might be a good idea to recuse yourself from the case, even if you are, indeed, completely partial. Which is what we all knew anyway, right?

House Panel Says West Virginia Chemical Firm Withheld Information About Explosion - NYTimes.com

You have heard the story, right? If you're in Wv, probably so. If you're outside, probably not. Last August there was an explosion at the Bayer plant about 40 miles away from me. No one really knew what was going on. Folks were furious with the County Commissioner for not telling residents what had happened. He blamed the chemical plant. Turns out he was right. And Bayer had a right to be scared. The blast came damn close to blowing up a tank of MIC. What's that? The same shit that leaked in Bhopal in 1984 and killed over 2000 people. Yeah, that.

At least the New York Times has picked up this story. House Panel Says West Virginia Chemical Firm Withheld Information About Explosion - NYTimes.com

Once again, if this happened anyplace else, it would have been major news. But since it happened here, no one's all that concerned.

What's an Affrilachian?

How would you feel if you learned that you didn't exist? Ask Frank X. Walker. In 1991, he looked up the definition of Appalachian in Webster's Dictionary and discovered this definition referring to the inhabitants: "white residents from the mountains.” So Mr. Walker, a black man from Danville, KY, did not exist, according to definition.

What would you do? Mr. Walker and his fellow poets decided to create another word to describe them: Affrilachian. Not only was this a word but a movement. And it wasn't just African, or Appalachian. Affrilachian have a keen sense of the world around them. When you read an Affrilachian poem, you might read about social justice (or the lack therof), men, women, mountains, India, Cuba, you name it. What ties them together is their supportive community and their way with words.

If you're in the Charleton/Huntington area, stop on by to see them. Affrilachian poets should be heard if possible. If you can't, head on over to The Affrilachian Poets site.

Here's a teaser from Parneshia Jones, dedicated to the founding Affrilachians:
"
Anyone that walks these bluegrass lands
know the stories.
They know when thunder shakes the hills,
Affrilachians are writing."

Read the rest here.

The Affrilachians are Coming!

If you're in Charleston or Huntington, try to make it out to see the Affrilachian Poet Tour. The press release follows:

Affrilachian Poets to appear at Marshall March 13

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University’s Huntington campus will be host to the spring bus tour of Affrilachian Poets at 4 p.m. Friday, March 13 in Marco’s in the Memorial Student Center.

The word “Affrilachian” was coined by poet Frank X Walker to reflect African Americans who are part of the Appalachian region, which has often been described as all white and poor. The Lexington, Ky.-based writing group has slowly established a regional and national presence with their collective publishing efforts, accumulated awards and reputations as accomplished teaching artists at some of the nation’s most notable institutions and writing programs.

While in West Virginia, the group also plans two appearances in Charleston on Thursday, March 12. They’ll be at the Capitol Market, 800 Smith Street, at noon and at the Tricky Fish, 1611 Washington Street East, at 8 p.m.

Members taking part in the various readings and events on the tour include Walker, Crystal Wilkinson, Ricardo Nazario-Colon, Kelly Norman Ellis, Ellen Hagan, Parneshia Jones, Mitchell L.H. Douglas, Keith Wilson, Bianca Spriggs, Tania James, Crystal Goodwoman, Norman Jordan and Amanda Johnston. For more information about the poets, visit www.affrilachianpoets.com.

The tour events will also introduce the new publication, “PLUCK! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts and Culture.” It is also available online at www.pluckonline.com.

The Affrilachian Poets’ appearance in Huntington is sponsored by the Marshall Student Government Association, Center for African American Students’ Programs, the English department, and the College of Liberal Arts.

For more information about the tour, call Walker at 513-375-7221 or e-mail Affrilachia@aol.com.

What is an Affrilachian Poet? See the next post.

MTR and Coalfield Justice Talk

I'm finally emerging from my winter torpor. I saw a great lecture last week on the sister of Carter Woodson, Bessie Woodson Yancey, who was a fascinating writer in her own right. She would have been one hell of a blogger too, had she lived now. Her story needs to be told, and I had a wonderful post in mind, to be written tonight. Then I found that there is a discussion with a native filmmaker close by on the subject of Mountaintop Removal. And it's WEDNESDAY, which is day after tomorrow. So, Mrs. Yancey, you'll have to wait. My apologies.

Here's the press release:

Marshall University Graduate College (South Charleston campus) will host a Graduate Humanities Program event sponsored by Friends of the Humanities. It concerns a public talk by Catherine Pancake, a filmmaker and musician, called "Growing Up Without Television . . . Trials and Tribulations of Developing Visual Media in a Culture of Oral Tradition" on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 pm, in Room 319. A reception will follow.

Pancake is most well known for her award-winning documentary *Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice*. http://www.blackdiamondsmovie.com/.

The event is free and open to the public.

Next post: "Here come the Affrilachians!" They'll be in Huntington WV on Friday and Charleston WV on Thursday. I've heard them read before and they are WONDERFUL. Maybe I'll even get the nerve up to speak to Frank X. Walker. (I'm quite nervous and shy when it comes to meeting authors I admire.)