the aries point

Is The GOP The Party Of Values, Or Not?

2011-11-30T18:14:00.002-05:00

I only ask because I'm lookin' at these polls and see Newt Gingrich going up, up, up. Even in Iowa.

Newt Gingrich? The ONLY Speaker of the House in the HISTORY of the United States to be found guilty of ethics violations? Yup, he's the one.

Fined 300K for those ethics violations, too.

By the way, 300K must be a cosmic number for Newt. It's the same amount he received from Fannie/Freddie after leaving office, supposedly for giving them historical perspective. I bet there are a lot of history teachers out there who are glad to know they can make that kind of dough moonlighting.

And speaking of moonlighting, do we even need to go into Newt's personal failings? Okay, he's married to Numero Tres (who was his mistress while married to Numero Dos) and they seem happy, but his marriages to wives #1 and #2 averaged 18-19 years and he's only been married to the Tiffany's-addicted Callista for eleven. I can just see it now, helmet-headed peroxide blond Callista, meeting with people who are hurting financially as she campaigns around the country, and the ever-pugnacious Newt delivering sharp admonishments whenever anyone mentions Tiffany's.

Sure, it's their money and they have a right to buy fine jewelry. They absolutely do. But is it good judgment to flaunt it when people are worried about how they're going to make their next month's mortgage payment? And is it the right contrast to Michelle Obama, who still buys the occasional off the rack dress at Target?

All this reminds me of another diamond lover. Remember Elizabeth Taylor's quip that she hadn't had any more men in her life than other women had? She saw only one difference between herself and the everyday American woman who averages maybe seven or eight boyfriends in a lifetime but only marries, say, one or two of them. Elizabeth liked to point out that she simply married all her boyfriends. Well, Newt's the Elizabeth Taylor of the GOP, except the last two women he married weren't just his girlfriends, they were his mistresses.

So anyway, I'm reading all about Newt-mania and thinking, Iowans are going to vote their convention delegates to a thrice married ex-Speaker found guilty of ethics violations to the tune of 300K? Socially conservative Iowans? South Carolina I can understand--they let creepy Mark Sanford finish his term and he had a mistress AND had to pay back money to the state for ethical trip-ups. Not only that, he went AWOL for five days.

But IOWANS?

Hey, look, I was giving props to Newtie's debating skills way back when everybody else was ignoring him, so I get that he's a good debater. But criminy, the guy's a living, breathing moral and ethical minefield.

Is the Party of Dumb really going to put him at the top of their ticket, and expect GOP downballot candidates all over the country to just throw their values arguments under the bus?

Wow.

I'm so glad I'm an indy. I'm also glad--make that relieved--to hear Gary Johnson is re-thinking a third party run on the Libertarian ticket.

What Next?

2011-11-28T03:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, so now that DWTS is over I'm thinking about what to post next. All I can come up with is a mix of holiday and politics--an odd circumstance of the primaries starting off the New Year, I guess.

Maybe a mix of holiday and astrology and politics. I haven't been doing much astrology for a while. I could brush up by looking at the Romney and Gingrich natal charts. That's not quite so strange as giving my opinions about the GOP circular firing squad betwixt and between fluffy posts relating anecdotes about my kids (when they were kids) at the holidays and my favorite cookie recipes.

DWTS: Final Results

2011-11-22T23:32:00.001-05:00

Finish first with the judges, go out in third place.

Finish last with the judges, take home the mirrorball.

Normally I'm all for we fans having our say, but this was not a good result. J.R. is a wonderful dancer but I'm a big believer the winner of DWTS should be someone who dances a good final. You'd really have to go back to Season 5 (Helio Castroneves) to find a winner who made so many flubs in the finale.

So who do I think should have won?

There's no doubt Ricki deserved her place as the top scorer of the season on content. She was the best technical dancer performing the most difficult choreographies. The trouble was, she and Derek had no connection as a couple.

J.R. dances really well. There's no doubt he was the most charismatic and the biggest crowd pleaser--until Rob started surging.

Rob spent the last few weeks of the season going up-up-up, while J.R. and Ricki--who should have been blowing the roof off the leaderboard--pretty much either held their own or faltered.

At the end Rob reminded me of another of Cheryl's partners, Emmitt Smith. They both have great lateral footwork and the joy they experience from dancing really shines through.

Of the three finalists, Rob blended dance ability and charisma and for that reason I think he should have won. And I was glad to hear Cheryl say this was her most satisfying season. I think it was her best season, too.

DWTS: The Final

2011-11-21T23:08:00.001-05:00

In a word, disappointing. The three best couples of the season failed to dance a final that was worthy of their potential. Sure, there's always tomorrow, but even if all three step up, the fans will have already voted. Such a shame.

Only one dance out of six was memorable. Rob and Cheryl's freestyle. Good ol' Cheryl really came through like the pro she is. Rob not only danced a good freestyle, his love of dancing really shined through. Honorable mention to Derek for his usual top notch choreography. The trouble is, he and Ricki have no chemistry. Zero, zilch, nada.

Judging disgrace of the evening: Bruno giving J.R. a 9 for a cha cha cha where J.R. was out of time with the music. How do you give a 9 when there's a flaw that significant?

Yeah, there are two more dances but here's my final prediction: Ricki and Derek will be third. Rob and Cheryl second. J.R. and Karina take the mirrorball.

DWTS Week 9 Results: Final Set

2011-11-16T02:35:00.000-05:00

Hope and Maks were eliminated, leaving Cheryl and Rob, Ricki and Derek, and J.R. and Karina to dance the final next week.

It will be interesting to see if Maks returns next season. Just want to say one thing about that--if Maks is out, then the judges should be out, too. Personally I'd rather see the show start next season with a new panel of judges. Maks was right--this group judges some contestants on technique and others on their personal story. For example, lots about what a good person Chaz is, how courageous--and I agree, but then you've got Len eviscerating Hope and Maks for heel leads and Carrie Ann denying Ricki a perfect score because her shoulders are raised ever so slightly as she's exiting hold.

And then there were Bruno's infamous animal comparisons. As Chaz said, "I don't know how to be less of a penguin."

When the judges are upsetting pros, celebs, and viewers alike, it's time to bring in a fresh panel. These celebs try their hearts out--they deserve judges who'll give them some critique they can bring back with them into the rehearsal studio to make themselves better dancers.

Okay, enough of that. We've got final: Ricki and Derek. J.R. and Karina. Rob and Cheryl. The right three couples and pretty much a guarantee of seeing high quality dancing next week. The expected, the unexpected, and the possibility of seeing a closer finish than we could have guessed at the start of the season.

Sounds good to me.

DWTS Week 9: Rob & Cheryl Surging

2011-11-15T09:47:00.001-05:00

In Season 9 after topping the leader board almost every week with Gilles Marini, Cheryl lost a final that was decided by less than 1% of the vote to Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas, who surged during the final weeks and peaked at precisely the right moment.

Could it be deja vu all over again for Cheryl, this time with the outcome reversed? Last night it looked possible. Rob and Cheryl scored a 28 with their samba, a 27 with their Argentine Tango, and won the Cha Cha Cha Relay.

The results of the semi-final are still hours away, but Rob and Cheryl are practically a lock. They finished second on the leaderboard last night, just two points behind Ricki & Derek. J.R. struggled through the evening with an ankle injury, finishing nine points behind R&C with 56. J.R. almost certainly has off the map popularity with the fans, so they're going to carry him through. But here's the thing--with the DWTS scoring equation, J.R. and Karina finishing between R&C and Hope and Maks likely slams the door shut on Hope and Maks. Not only that, J&K have a seven point lead on them (and with his fan base that's probably insurmountable). Rob and Cheryl hold a sixteen point lead over H&M.

Prediction: Season 13 finalists...J.R. & Karina, Ricki & Derek, Rob & Cheryl.

DWTS Results Week 8: Nancy Grace Finishes Fifth/Semi-Final Preview

2011-11-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

Pretty darned good for a fifty year old mom of 2 year old twins whose career hasn't been in entertainment or athletics.

Gotta give Tristan props as well. Not an easy celeb draw for his first season as a pro partner on DWTS and he guided Nancy beautifully.

Both offered classy exit remarks.

Too bad the judges and the producers can't show some class and let go of the unpleasant drama that occurred with Maks this season. The judges are still taking shots at him, the producers are still using the power of the edit to make him look bad. Granted, Maks contributed to the drama, but here's the thing--the producers obviously get that fans sided with Maks over Len. If they didn't they wouldn't be pulling these editing room stunts. My husband was right--Maks has a significant fan base. Not only that, DWTS fans hate "mean" in any way, shape, or form, and they're getting pretty tired of Len, Bruno, and--to a lesser extent--Carrie Ann, for giving "critique" that veers into cruelty. DWTS fans get that these celebs work their hearts out, and time and again have made it clear that cruelty should have no place in the way celebs are treated.

Case in point, Nancy Grace. Monday night Len couldn't help himself. He just had to belch out a nasty remark about the Cinderella, midnight, and the ball being over for Nancy. You've got the scoring paddle, Len. Use it, keep your ugly comments to yourself, and let the fans decide when it's "midnight" for a celeb.

That's always been the problem with Len--he wants to control both sides of the scoring equation and that's not how the show works.

Here's the other potential problem I saw Monday night. While the producers are still obsessed with letting fans know that in their eyes Maks is the real bad guy in the Maks-Len altercation, the judges are trying to puff up Hope. She was ridiculously overscored Monday night, scoring one point less than Ricki Lake in the first round. Carrie Ann denied Ricki a perfect score due to a "slight" shoulder imperfection, but gives Hope the same "9" for a sloppy, breathless, panic-stricken looking quickstep that better resembled a soccer player who's running late for practice and scared she'll get chewed out by the coach.

Who stands to lose from this "let's make sure Hope has a good time and feels good about herself" tack the judges are taking?

Not J.R. In fact, unless J.R. and Karina suffer a dance floor disaster in the next two weeks, the mirror ball is theirs (and deservedly so if they dance like they danced Monday night). I don't think it's a stretch to bet that J.R.'s personal story, combined with his fabulous dancing, is winning the fan vote.

So either Rob or Ricki are the potential losers in this scenario. Hope is not a 9-level dancer. Not even close. There's no doubt Rob is the better dancer and unless he muffs up bigtime in the semis, he should be the third finalist. He's earned it. So has Cheryl, who took a guy with no previous experience (entertainment or sports) that would give him a head start at becoming a good dancer.

I also wonder whether Ricki has the fan base to carry her through another week where she's being picked on for microscopic flaws, so it's possible the three self-important control freaks sitting at the judges table could unintentionally knock her out of the finals. I say "unintentional" because I doubt either the judges or the producers are angling for a final that excludes Ricki's superior dance talent.

So if I'm right that the judges may try to launch Hope into the finals, the celeb they'll be trying to knock down is Rob. What Rob has going for him is Cheryl, who is a far better choreographer than Maks. Multiply that by 10 in the final weeks. Maks doesn't have a mirror ball trophy because every time he gets close he comes up with some off the wall choreography, usually involving a bed, a couch, or a theme that examines the deep, profound relationship between a call girl and her client.

Don't get me wrong. As a viewer I'm beyond fed up with Len and I like Maks a lot. Just sayin' there are reasons Maks has fallen short of the mirror ball. Of course that was then, this is now, but then again, all the other celeb partners he's come this close with had a lot more dance talent than Hope. So we'll see.

DWTS Results Week 7: David Arquette Eliminated

2011-11-02T05:06:00.000-04:00

There's some blowback on this elimination, not only from David's fans, but from viewers who think Nancy should be out by now.

We already know David and Nancy were the actual "bottom two" this week. If history of the show is any indicator, Nancy won't be inheriting any of David's voters next week. So unless Maks and Hope implode (again), Nancy's next dance may be her last one.

The handwriting for the finals is pretty much on the wall now: Ricki, J.R., Rob.

DWTS Week 6 Results: Chaz Eliminated

2011-10-25T22:27:00.000-04:00

Chaz departs with a lovely thought about having wanted to show America a different kind of man. He said that if he'd seen someone like him on television when he was little his whole life would have been different.

He's a wonderful guy and I know we'll be hearing so much more from him in the future.

Going forward, the feud between Maks and Len rages on for another week at least. When the "in jeopardy" couples were announced I thought for sure Chaz would be the survivor. Interestingly it was my husband who said no, that Maks had a big enough fan base to pull him through. He was right.

Next week will sure be interesting when it's Maks and Hope's turn to face the judges.

DWTS Week 6: Maks Calls Out Len

2011-10-25T08:46:00.002-04:00

Maks can be outspoken and on the occasions he's been candid I've usually found myself agreeing with him, at least in part. I actually don't think he was 'crusin' for a bruisin' last night. To me it looked more like he was trying to protect Hope, who was getting skewered after they'd spent the week working very hard to break through some of her inhibitions. Being told by Len that she'd performed her worst dance of the season threatened to undermine that progress. If Len had let pass Maks's fairly innocuous response that as long as the fans were happy with the journey they'd be fine, nothing would have happened and all would have been well. But Len doubled down and only then did Maks hit back.

Upstairs with Brooke Burke Maks kept talking and something interesting arose from those comments. No, it was not the "this is my show" remark. Apparently Maks is miffed that he, Hope, and some of the other couples are being critiqued on their actual performance (in this case heel leads) while others are being critiqued on their "efforts". Undoubtedly he's talking about Chaz, and you know what? Maks is right about that. The judges have been soft-pedaling Chaz, not because he's been injured, but because of his personal story. I've said it myself in my recaps--at a certain point there has to be dancing. Not just sometimes, and not just performing over-simplified choreographies, especially as the weeks--and the other competitors--progress.

Lacey herself told Chaz as much this week--we saw that in the rehearsal video. Chaz performed well. He's got talent. But he's also not physically fit enough to withstand the rigors of the DWTS process, which is grueling. So he performed a watered-down tango choreography well, but that's it. Bruno's penguin comment was off the mark, uncalled for and unhelpful, but Chaz has got to step it up; otherwise, with every passing week there will be increasing resentment as celebs who are doing much more get sent home in favor of keeping Chaz on another week.

Chaz should take Lacey's remarks as his measuring gauge, because Lacey adores him, and if she's calling him out it's because she knows the DWTS landscape and she knows they're not doing enough to justify their place among the remaining competitors.

Onward and upward on the judges' scoreboard last night:

Rob Kardashian--Carrie Anne is right when she says Rob's "right there", teetering on the brink of a real breakthrough. If it happens his dancing could rise to another level--not only figuratively, but literally as well, because Rob's potentially the third finalist. Rob has fast feet, which is always a big plus on DWTS--just ask past champs Emmitt Smith and Apolo Ohno--and his lateral footwork is as good as any celeb who's ever been on the show. Also agree with CA that improvement needs to happen in the upper body and in his salesmanship (performance quality). Underscored.

David Arquette--On a night when Ricki and J.R. performed phenomenal (and phenomenally challenging) quicksteps, David's quickstep didn't even come close. Overscored.

Nancy Grace--Funny thing, while all hell was breaking loose elsewhere among the cast, that little courtroom hellraiser Nancy Grace was having lighthearted fun and impressing the judges with her improvement. She's experiencing the best of the DWTS process, as in yeah, it's hard work but it's also rewarding. Tristan talked about how hard they're working but what transpired on the dance floor seemed fun and effortless and that's what it's all about. Fans love to see this kind of journey and I'd flat-out faint on my living room floor if she doesn't survive tonight's elimination.

Ricki Lake and J. R. Martinez--tied at the top of the leaderboard and on the fast track to the finals.

Prediction: Eeeesh, if fans side with Maks, he and Hope survive another week. If not, they're gone. David had the misfortune to be scheduled to quickstep on the same night as Ricki and J.R. and suffered from the comparison, so he, too, could be the one to go. The show may put Chaz under the red light tonight, just to reinforce Lacey's point, but he'll be safe.

Fox News Hires Disgraced Creep Mark Sanford

2011-10-24T11:21:00.000-04:00

To paraphrase Jenny Sanford's sister:

He told his staff he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he was really off chasing Argentinian tail.

Now this paragon of honesty and devotion to duty will be coming to a TV near you (in your living room in fact), as a contributor to Fox News.

Fox News, doing its part to rehabilitate the public image of a lying politician and a lousy human being.

Yeah, yeah, CNN hired Eliot Spitzer and they shouldn't have, but at least Eliot Spitzer paid the political price by resigning his governorship. Not only that, he didn't dump his wife (come on, Jenny Sanford divorced Mark because he was going to dump her for his Argentine Tango partner as soon as his term was over and she knew it).

So, to paraphrase what one of Jenny Sanford's sons told her about the Sanford scandal--This is worse than Eliot Spitzer.

And the FNC hire of Mark Sanford is worse than CNN's hire of Eliot Spitzer, too.

As Fox News viewers my husband and I agree that whenever this CREEP appears on our tv screen, we're changing the channel.

We don't care what this CREEP has to say about anything, and we don't care how much we like the show he's on, either, whether its Special Report or Fox News Sunday.

It's no skin off my nose. I've been refusing to allow Hannity on my tv screen ever since he flat-out lied (multiple times) about Mike Castle's vote on Obamacare mere days before the Republican primary for the DE Senate seat. I don't care who Hannity has on as a guest and I don't care how much he supports the military.

So we won't be watching Mark Sanford and we won't be changing our minds about that

Period.

GOP Debate (CNN), Nevada

2011-10-19T05:18:00.000-04:00

The mere thought of either Rick Perry or Rick Santorum debating President Obama is cringe-inducing. Perry is a moron who loses his train of thought midway through his own sentences. Santorum yells when there's nothing to yell about. Neither can control himself.

Anderson Cooper couldn't control anyone. Oh, wait, he wasn't even trying. He wanted a WWE-style Royal Rumble and he got one. Stay classy, Anderson, and don't forget to keep the I Love Obama campaign button that's pinned to the inside of your suit jacket bright and shiny.

Seriously, what a waste of time.

DWTS, Week Five Results: Carson Eliminated

2011-10-19T04:47:00.000-04:00

It was time. Still sad to see Carson go. He sure brought a lot of fun to the season.

Anna's best season ever. Yeah, she's finished higher with other partners, but she kept Carson in the game with some wonderful choreographies. Great job.

DWTS Week Five: What Were Ricki & Derek Thinking?

2011-10-18T10:05:00.001-04:00

Running Man in a fox trot?

Sure, the theme was the 80s, but what if every couple had put running man into their routine just for that reason? The entire show would have been a joke. Incredible lapse of judgment and they paid the price. No break from the judges, no consideration for the beautiful fox trot in between, or that the music was hardly a good fit for a fox trot. After what happened the last two weeks, the judges have to know a score of 24 could put her in jeopardy. So while the initial lapse of judgment is Ricki & Derek's to own, if she's eliminated tonight, the judges' will have played a role in that.

J. R.'s samba owned the night. This guy is a wow. He just is. Not much more to say than that.

Rob Kardashian stepped up to make a bid for the third finalist spot with an excellent rumba. He really committed to the style and technique that makes for a smoldering rumba, so he gets my manly-man award of the night, too. Underscored.

And btw, how great was it to see the original manly-man, Romeo, last night?

I agree with Carrie Anne that Nancy Grace is a good dancer. Also agree that she should have committed to a more sensual rumba. She and Tristan had the music, True by Spandau Ballet. It's a beautiful song and they should have gone all-in, though playing a character well (which Nancy did) may help her in weeks to come if she survives tonight's elimination.

The tango is an intense dance, no question about it, so why was I not so thrilled with David's last night? I think it's because watching him, his effort and the stress it causes him is still too visible. He's trying so hard, but that shouldn't show in the performance and it does. Overscored.

Last night Carrie Anne said that Hope isn't feminine. I had said she isn't musical, but after hearing Carrie Anne's critique last night and on second thought, Carrie Anne's got it right. It isn't that Hope's not musical, it's that her movements are clunky, heavy. How Len envisions her as a contender is beyond me, but hey, he's the pro. Overscored.

For the first time this season Carson and Anna fell short on the entertainment factor, but truth to tell, Anna had been coming up with amazing choreographies that were perfect for Carson, and no one can hit it out of the park every week. Look at Derek, who season after season has been one of the most effective choreographers on the show (if not Numero Uno), and even he can miss, as he did last night.

Chaz is back! I agree with the judges that for the first time since the first week, we saw dancing from Chaz. Chaz touts it up to not being injured anymore and that's great news, because we're halfway through the competition and it's time to dance, with no assists from famous moms or leaning on compelling personal stories. Time to dance, Chaz, and you can.

Prediction: Oy. If it were up to me alone, I'd eliminate Hope or David. I find them very uncomfortable to watch and while I don't dislike them personally, they're not particularly endearing or inspiring, either. To be fair, going forward the celeb who'd have the most trouble making it on dance ability is Carson. But the truth is, all the Go Ricki fans from Ricki's talk show better have been talking into their phones last night, and with their e-mail votes until noon today, or she could be the ballroom's next shocking elimination.

GOP Debate (Bloomberg/New Hampshire)

2011-10-12T09:17:00.000-04:00

Hat tip to Bloomberg for the best, most substantive debate so far.

Takeaways:

Mitt Romney won this debate bigtime. For starters, the conference table optic favored his CEO candidate strategy. But he also won on substance. His positions--not always popular with the far right wing of the GOP--were the most thoroughly explained and defended. And btw, pander? I think not. Romney knows his view on TARP isn't the rank and file position. He also knows the far right would like him to disavow Romneycare. Instead, he's making the case, and, in my opinion, the sale. He's also beginning to mention the middle class and that's important going forward, because the decline of every great civilization was preceded by the erosion and eventual disappearance of the middle class. Romney clearly gets that America's middle class is endangered (as he said, he's not worried about the rich and there are programs in place to help the poor) and that saving our middle class is a priority item.

You'd think at some point more and more GOP voters will realize and appreciate what a smart candidate they've got in this guy. We'll see. I did notice several of the conservative pundits attacking Chris Christie after his endorsement of Romney yesterday (most notable imo--Steve Hayes). So the far right is going to lag behind a while. Lag. Bitch. Moan. Yadda. Politi-thugs like Dick Armey will threaten to boycott the general election. But on the plus side we're beginning to see a few stand-ups against the bigoted elements in the GOP, whether they've endorsed a specific candidate or not. Bill Bennett, Chris Christie, Romney himself, speaking up on behalf of the religious tolerance the founding fathers intended. Romney and Christie are right to ask Rick Perry to disavow Pastor Jeffress--disavowing the bigoted, extremist element of the GOP is crucial to its survival, and frankly, if you want to pin the pander label on anyone, pin it on the candidates who scramble for the endorsements of these haters and nutcases.

(end of vent)

Romney's softball question to Bachmann. Meaningful for a few reasons. Bachmann had used her own question to challenge Rick Perry because she has to pass him to get back in the hunt (remember the drop in her own poll numbers was concurrent with Perry's entrance into the field). Every challenge to Perry benefits Romney, since Perry is his only peer in terms of fundraising. Not only that--Perry, Bachmann, and Cain are all fighting for the same voters, so re-elevating Bachmann may also cut into Cain's surging poll numbers. Dividing and sub-dividing the far right vote benefits Romney, which I believe is why he gave Bachmann the additional time and opportunity to distinguish herself.

Last--and maybe not least--he gave her a show of respect. Notice that Romney is always respectful to his opponents. It's a nice quality, but also a smart one, because whoever wins the nomination will need all the others to rally behind him/her. To me it looks like Romney is genuinely impressed with Bachmann (the quality of her debate AND her campaign has been self-affirming as opposed to scorching the earth around her opponents), and if she should drop out of the race sooner rather than later, he'd very much like to have her endorsement.

I also noticed that later on in the debate, Bachmann referred to Romney as "Mitt", vs. the more formal "Governor Romney". See what I mean? Obviously there are differences on some of the issues, but these are two people who get there's a bigger picture that will need to be drawn after the primary season is over.

And, actually, as to that (the bigger picture), I get that sense from most of the candidates. Gingrich not only gets it, he's spoken to the need for recognizing that the true opponent is President Obama. Herman Cain gets it, too. Santorum, imo, has major temperament issues (like social derangement), but he'd like to get the veep nod, so even he is managing to contain himself, except with Cain, whom I suspect he sees as a major obstacle to his goal of being on the ticket. And I would agree--last night, seeing Romney and Cain next to each other, it's hard not to envision them as a team--a really strong, impressive team. I'm not alone in that view, either--weirdly enough, Ann Coulter (not exactly my political twin) has been voicing the same opinion.

So who doesn't get the bigger picture? Rick Perry. He's the scorched earth guy in the pack. It's a problem, because the clouds of both racial and religious bigotry hanging over his campaign have already rendered him a sure loser in the general election. The question is, how much destruction can he wreak among the GOP field with seventeen million dollars in his campaign coffers?

Unfortunately the answer is quite a lot.

DWTS: Week 4 Results...Chynna Out

2011-10-12T08:03:00.000-04:00

I watched the GOP debate last night and missed the results show...will have to catch Julianne's dances later on youtube.

Chynna is now eliminated. What a shame. Talent-wise she was top three. But here's the thing--the fans had to know she was in trouble after Monday night's disaster. They could have saved her and didn't.

So the band plays on.

DWTS Week 4: The Movie Flops

2011-10-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

What could have been a great theme turned into a real mess. Explain to me why I want to see "The Troupe" on a competition night. The variety show format for the results show is entertaining. Having the competition broken up by "Troupe" performances is annoying. The band is phenomenal, but giving them one more bar than necessary loses the plot--DWTS is about the celebs.

I don't know what else to say except what an overproduced MESS.

The sloppy excess slobbered into the competition, too. Chynna Phillips appeared to be so overwhelmed by all the hoopla she drew a blank. If she gets voted off tomorrow night, blame the producers, the band, and "The Troupe" for costing the competition someone who could have been a finalist.

The recap? Well, there was Ricki, J.R., and everyone else. Okay, not quite--Anna choreographed another truly inspired and entertaining number for Carson, which drew the lowest score of the night. Go figure.

Overscored: Chaz

Underscored: J.R., Nancy, Carson

Cher was in the audience. I love Cher. I always have. So with all the love I've been carrying in my heart for decades, note to Cher: No. More. Plastic. Surgery. Please.

No prediction this week, only a plea: SAVE CHYNNA.

DWTS Results: Eeeeeesh

2011-10-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought something like this could happen and it did--Kristin's out.

She didn't deserve to go, not by a long shot, but with the show's scoring equation, these outcomes are possible. Hindsight's always 20-20, but she probably should have chosen a song that didn't require her to learn the samba in the third week, while the three top contenders were dancing the rumba.

Oh well, the show goes on.

Next week Cher will be in the audience.

DWTS: Stars Shine in Week Three

2011-10-04T09:20:00.001-04:00

I'm so impressed with Season 13's celebs. Last night they really stepped up to the plate, one after the other. And at the end of the night, only one was under 20 points on the judges' leaderboard. For only being in the third week of competition, that is phenomenal.

Starting with the rumba, because some of the best-ever rumbas ever done on the show were performed last night:

Ricki Lake: In a night of outstanding performances, Ricki deserved her placement at the top. There's not a lot more to say, except THIS GIRL CAN REALLY DANCE.

J.R. Martinez: J.R.'s Mom gave him good advice when she told him he'd always know that the people who came into his life would be there for the right reasons. Of course what also helps is having depth of character and being fully engaged with life. And oh, yeah, btw J.R. can dance, too. Not only that, his dancing is so masculine. The "Now THAT is a man" thought always runs through my mind when I'm watching him. I guess partly because he's a real-life hero, but also because J.R. isn't afraid to really commit to the finer points of technique and style. I think it's the commitment that gives his dancing its masculine appeal, even when he's expressing softer emotions. He was right to head in the direction of the entertainment industry, too, because his performances (character of the dance) have been first rate.

Your son's on the path to the finals, Mom--and for all the right reasons.

Chynna Phillips: Chynna has the talent, that's certain. What I'm less certain about is whether Tony can get her to the mirror ball. I'd feel better about her chances if Tony had the fire of Derek, Mark, Cheryl. Tony needs to throw out the book and start thinking about what will make Chynna's talent stand out. In any other season this dance would have been top of the leaderboard, but this group of celebs is so good it's going to take something extra to come out the winner.

David Arquette: Comeback of the night, hands down. He deserves to stay and tonight we'll find out whether he registered a comeback with the fans.

Chaz Bono: Chaz has legit injury issues and legit physical fitness issues, and it's a shame, because he hasn't been able to regain the "go all-out" commitment or the level of performance he showed in the first week. Being in pain will do that--cause that slight tentativeness that makes the dance not only painful for the performer, but causes the viewer to tense up in hopes the celeb will be able to get through it.

On to the rest of the dances:

Well, from the rest of the pack my favorite was CARSON KRESSLEY, and not just because he's a funny and endearing personality. Anna choreographed a brilliant tango that showcased everything that's crazy-wonderful about Carson and he rose to the occasion BIGTIME. He gets the week's most improved award.
Anna's most inspired choreography EVER.

I also enjoyed NANCY GRACE's lovely waltz and the heartfelt personal story that inspired it. The trouble was, it didn't cover much of the floor, and if my untrained eye picked up on that despite enjoying the dance very much, it could account for the medium-range score, because emotionally this performance was pitch-perfect and really captured the wistful quality of Moon River. Tristan's doing a great job with Nancy and proving to be a welcome addition to an already terrific cast of pros. Despite the height difference, this is a very good pairing. One last observation: they (you know, that mysterious anonymous THEY) say that every woman looks good in blue, but last night Nancy wore it even better than that--wow, that is a perfect color for her. Perfect color, perfect shade, she looked so lovely.

Like most people who post on the show I like to play armchair quarterback, second guess the judges and all that. The next three couples fall into my category of "overscored". Only slightly, but still, if I'd been judging I would have given Carson the 24 and Kristin, Rob, and Hope 22's or 23's.

ROB KARDASHIAN did an absolutely great job with the quick, lateral footwork in the fox trot--and not so great in hold, which is like, 70% of the dance. He and Cheryl danced first, and I wonder if they would have scored so well if they'd danced later in the line-up.

Kristin Cavalleri--she got through the samba, but not a whole lot more than that. On the upside, having to struggle with a dance that's not up her alley (so to speak) early on in the competition may help her in the coming weeks.

Hope Solo--okay, time for some candor. I'm not getting the judges' enthusiasm for Hope's dancing. I'm just not. She seems awkward. That's not her fault, of course. As Maks says, she's a big girl. But she's also not particularly musical, either. That said, as always I'll be happy to be proved wrong, but for now I'm just not seeing what everybody else is seeing.

Prediction: Again, a tough week to get a good handle on things. I'm pretty sure Chaz has a lot of support. I like him as well and that should be clear from my previous posts, BUT what's also clear is that he's got problems going forward. He's coping with injuries and physical fitness issues while everyone else is improving practically at the speed of light. So I'm not sure it would be right for the fans to save him again. If his physical issues are going to prevent him from improving, he should be the one to go.

Nancy Grace was next to last on the leaderboard, but I'm pretty sure she's got a good fan following from her current show and from her many years on Court TV. A three point lead on Chaz should be enough to keep her safe.

So my by-no-means-certain guess is that the other candidates for the bottom two (or three) tonight could be David (because we already know he didn't have the fan support last week), Kristin, and/or Hope. I don't think all three will under the red light. I'm sure Chaz will be there again, but those are the celebs who look the most vulnerable from my living room perspective.

DWTS Results: Elisabetta Eliminated

2011-09-28T00:04:00.001-04:00

Last week she scores a 15 and survives. This week she improves her score by six points and gets sent home. Voters must have been turned off by the rehearsal video.

Anyway, we learned tonight's bottom two actually were the bottom two. David Arquette needs to improve his score next week. It doesn't look like he has enough of a fan base to override the judges.

DWTS Week 2: What A Difference A Week Makes

2011-09-27T08:41:00.000-04:00

First, a hat tip to whoever books the celebs. That person (or team) has a real gift for finding celebrities who pour their hearts into their efforts.

And it shows, especially this season. I can't remember a cast that improved so much between the first and second weeks. The only notable exception was Chaz, who's struggling with a chronic knee injury. Seven of the eleven celebrities scored a 21 or higher. That's amazing.

Quickstep:

Kristin Cavalleri did a great job of channeling Marilyn Monroe. Mark admitted to purposely choreographing some breaks of hold (a quickstep no-no). He did the same thing with Shawn Johnson, and I'm guessing it's to showcase the celeb's personality in hopes of establishing a fan base. And just like Shawn Johnson, Kristin made the most of the opportunity.

Nancy Grace--did anyone expect to see Nancy Grace cry, EVER, especially in the second week? Well, she did. Wow, she was rough on herself for her first week's dance (sheesh, Nancy, your cha cha wasn't THAT bad), yet showing her human side enabled her to establish a rapport with Tristan that may prove invaluable in the weeks to come. Len probably overscored the dance to drive home the need to follow the rules, going to great lengths to call their dance a "proper quickstep", but since the extra point(s) didn't unfairly distort the leaderboard at the end of the night, no biggie.

Elisabetta Canalis--improved on her first week score by SIX POINTS. The personality she projected during the dance was charming; the personality she projected in the rehearsal video, not so much. I know the vids are edited and I get that they're having some language issues, but geez it was hard to see where Val did anything to inspire Elisabetta to such a snit. If viewers interpret this as a lousy attitude on her part, it could cost them votes.

Carson Kressley--for the second week in a row I'm not sure what dance he was doing, but it sure was fun.

Chaz Bono--as already mentioned, struggling with a chronic injury. It's easy to see where the constant bounce of the quickstep is torturous to blown-out knees and Lacey had to decrease the difficulty significantly just to get Chaz through the week. The judges were actually pretty kind to Chaz and I suspect the fans will be as well, but if the knees continue to pose an obstacle to keeping up with the rest of the cast, the simplified choreographies will catch up with them.

Jive:

Ricki Lake--Both Derek and Ricki shined through with a difficult, sophisticated jive that seemed fairly reminiscent of something Derek would have choreographed for Nicole Scherzinger. You can see he really believes in Ricki. It's also pretty clear that Ricki's going all-in. Translation: great things to come from these two, depend on it.

J.R. Martinez--WOW! Len thought Karina choreographed a Lindy but WHO CARES? That was just a wonderful, amazing, one of the best-ever efforts for a second week, not to mention a second week for someone who's never danced before. Carrie Ann deducted a point for a lift. Regardless, this was the dance of the night, hands down, and J.R.'s performance quality was off the charts.

Rob Kardashian--Okay, in a week of leaps and bounds, Rob gets the nod for most improved. I totally get why Cheryl sees so much potential in him. During the rehearsal video it was clear he struggled for confidence but somewhere along the way must have made a decision to have fun, because man oh man it showed in the performance. What a transformation, and again, this is only the second week, and, like J.R., the night's other major WOW came from someone who's never danced before.

Chynna Phillips--one of the few who dropped off a bit from week one. I'm not sure Tony is the best pro to be paired with in the long run because of the way he teaches. When he was paired with Jane Seymour we got to see that Tony teaches by rote--step by step, detail by detail, with very little to encourage spontaneity and flow. When the judges were saying that Chynna was too careful, my thought was "I bet it's Tony who was too careful."

Hope Solo--She and Maks kept talking about the difference between a soccer kick and a jive kick, but to me it seemed like Hope performed a flat-footed jive that may have owed more to having to dig in at the goal. No bounce. Possibly overscored.

David Arquette--Again, possibly overscored and performed with too much intensity and not nearly enough fun.

Prediction: Um, after totally flubbing who'd be eliminated last week and with only 6 points separating first place from last, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to see David and Hope in the bottom two, possibly Elisabetta, but that would be due to her pouty rehearsal video--her actual dance was very good. The show may put Chaz in there for dramatic suspense, but that would be a red herring imo, because at this point in the competition Chaz has a lot of fan support. We don't get to see the fan vote totals, but I bet he'll be safe and easily so.

GOP Debate/Florida Straw Poll

2011-09-25T07:30:00.000-04:00

The major takeaway is that the Party of Dumb still won't acknowledge that Mitt Romney is not only the most qualified candidate in terms of resume, he's proving that he can run an effective campaign. In my opinion there are three reasons for this:

1. He's Mormon.

2. No wing, faction, or special interest group in the GOP owns him.

3. He's Mormon.

I think it was Kirsten Powers who once said that Romney's major challenge was having to run the GOP primary gauntlet, and that if he could, he'd actually make a very good presidential candidate in the general election. I agreed with her then and still do--the thing is, I'm starting to think he can win the nomination. He's entirely right that America needs an economic turnaround, and as the only candidate who's ever successfully brought an enterprise of significant size and scope back from the brink (the Salt Lake City Olympics), he's the obvious choice for what ails us.

Here's the real problem for Republicans if Romney manages to navigate a path to victory in the primary--he'd be winning in spite of the socially bigoted, chronically stupid, extremist wing of the GOP and won't be beholden to them. Many of them would sit home in a snit on Election Day and attempt to hold their breath until their local, state, and federal governments turn blue. "We'll stay home" is always their threat, and it worked for them in 2008. But now it's 2012. President Obama has a record and it's a record of failure. There may be enough moderate Democrats to join moderate Republicans and independents to elect Romney president without the stay-at-home extremists.

For Republicans, that's a Lisa Murkowski outcome, which, btw, works great for me; I'm just saying it would be a problem for Republicans. Anyway, when Jim Demint & Co. decided to dispatch Lisa Murkowski (because her 70% PLUS conservative voting record wasn't good enough) and failed, what the GOP got was an independent senator beholden to no one but the constituents who re-elected her, leaving the extremists on the outside looking in.

Again, for an indy like me, this is a political dream-come-true. Just sayin'.

Jim DeMint did, however, get one Marco Rubio (as opposed to the thirty he'd hoped for). So let's talk about Marco Rubio. All the Repubs think he's the prohibitive favorite for the veep nod. I say that's nuts. Marco Rubio is to the the GOP in 2012 what Obama was to Dems in 2008--a newly arrived first term senator with not one whit of executive experience. He looks and sounds attractive to the base--just like Obama. For that matter, similar to Sarah Palin, though at the time of her vice-presidential nomination she'd spent 18 months as governor of Alaska--a slim but existent amount of executive experience.

Political socialites like Bill Kristol think Marco Rubio will bring the Hispanic vote back to the GOP. Did I say political socialite? I should have said political ignoramus, because lumping all Hispanics into one category is the equivalent in ignorance to the bigoted belief that all African Americans look and think alike. Marco Rubio is of Cuban descent. This will mean NOTHING to voters of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.

However, help may be on the way. It may be overly optimistic on my part to think the Party of Dumb may recognize there's an antidote to the misbegotten, Bill Kristol-inspired, Marco Rubio Is The Answer To All Our Problems craze that's been sweeping the GOP.

Indys like me who want fiscal responsibility in the next administration should take heart in the rise of Herman Cain.  Because he's black? Hell, no. Because he has executive experience in the private sector and because he's competent. He's smart and his entire life story has been an exercise in success.

Has he shown some naivete in foreign policy? Yes (let's be honest). Yes, he has, but most governors have the same problem, particularly when they're running against an incumbent president who's had four years of on the job training. But I have hope that Herman Cain is shoring up his knowledge of foreign policy even as I type. Why? Because that's what smart, successful people do. Smart, successful people generally have a quality that idiot politicians don't.  When politicians don't have an answer they whine, they deflect, they finger-point. Smart, successful people look inside themselves and take inventory of what THEY need to do to bring THEMSELVES up to speed.

Besides, I'm not advocating for Cain as the presidential nominee. What I see as a result of Thursday night's debate and yesterday's straw poll in Florida is someone who's well on the way to proving himself the perfect vice-presidential candidate.

Not only is the guy smart, successful, and competent, he'd also complement the GOP ticket in a number of key political demographics. He's from the South (Georgia). He's Tea Party through and through. He's Christian. He's a great speaker. He's kind and personable and funny. He connects with people.

So here's what I'm seeing as a possible winning formula toward restoring fiscal responsibility in 2012. Cain endorsed Romney in 2008. Romney keeps looking at Cain during the debates and singling him out as the only other guy on the stage with the business experience and understanding of what needs to be done.

The turnaround guy (Romney) and the problem-solver (Cain) have obvious respect for one another.

So here's the suggestion of one independent, fiscally conservative voter:

Romney-Cain 2012.

Dancing: My Turn

2011-09-22T10:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight my husband and I begin our fourth year of ballroom dance classes. The problem is, we haven't practiced all summer and my husband hates the fox trot, which is always the first lesson of the semester. He also loathes the tango, though the tango lesson is several weeks down the road.

Me? I don't like the merengue. It always strikes me as entirely appropriate that this is the dance most frequently taught on cruise ships, since the merengue inspires motion sickness--or at least that's the effect it has on me.

What DO we like, one might ask. Well, we like the waltz, the cha cha cha, and the rumba. For whatever reason, those are our best dances, and we can remember the steps and step sequences. That's another big problem for us--memory. Sometimes we'll learn a step sequence and forget it by the time we get home that night.

My husband likes the swing. I try to keep up and I'd probably like swing-dancing even better if keeping up wasn't such a challenge.

We like our instructors very much. They offer the lessons, make fun of no one (ever), and what you get from the classes depends on how much effort you put in.

Tonight's first lesson coincides with the GOP debate, so we'll be catching the re-run at midnight.

GOP Debate: Good News

2011-09-21T12:06:00.001-04:00

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson will be included in tomorrow night's debate on Fox.

I haven't made up my mind as to who I'll be voting for, and won't, at least until November 30, which is the deadline for candidates to get on the early state primary ballots. I make it a point to give everyone (on both sides of the aisle) a fair hearing.

So why is Governor Johnson's inclusion good news? Because he's qualified to be President. There is no doubt. He's a successful two-term governor, so he has executive experience in the public sector. He also started a business. At first, he was his only employee, but his company eventually employed over 1,000 people. So he's also got executive experience in the private sector.

He may not be the candidate who ultimately gets your support or mine. But we need all the qualified candidates we can get. What's more, we need to hear what they have to say. Check out his campaign website: http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/

DWTS: Ron-Gone

2011-09-21T07:48:00.001-04:00

Ron Artest eliminated. Very surprising his fans couldn't overcome a one-point disadvantage on the judges' leaderboard. Guess the NBA voting block for DWTS isn't massive like the NFL's.

Next week: Quickstep and Jive.

DWTS: Celebs Waltz Into Season 13

2011-09-20T09:13:00.000-04:00

Wowie zowie. Waltzers ruled the leaderboard last night and rightly so.

Chynna Phillips: Yes, she was a little nervous (actually, most of the cast started off on that note) but what a gorgeous waltz.

J. R. Martinez: Shades of Romeo, who proved last season that real men can waltz. Can and do. Masculine and romantic.

Hope Solo: Her one point lead over Ricki Lake must have been based on technique and perhaps difficulty of choreography, because to the inexperienced viewer (which is what I am) Ricki looked smoother and more in flow.

Ricki Lake: Lovely dance, and, I thought, slightly underscored.

David Arquette: The judges had this right--if David had just relaxed more, his score would have been higher. And being the pro entertainer that he is, I suspect he will loosen up in the weeks to come.

Rob Kardashian: Much better than I expected. If he gets past tonight's elimination, he may do even better next week.

On to the Cha-chers...

Kristin Cavalleri: Good job, but should she have been the high-scorer in the cha-cha group? I don't think so. Also, Mark may need to be a little careful about out-shining his partner, especially in the early weeks. Yo, Mark, you're in competition with the other couples, not your own partner. I started to wonder about this during last season's finale, when he choreographed a hyper-energetic, aerobics' master level freestyle for Chelsea, who, talented as she is, looked frenetic, mostly because she couldn't keep up with Mark.

Chaz Bono: This dance should have gotten the high cha cha score. Chaz showed the most musicality of the entire cast of celebs--his heritage really shined through. Agree with the judges that the footwork was right on the money, and also the performance quality, which was pretty amazing for a guy in his 40s who's got fitness issues and whose profession is activism, not performing. And Lacey, you RULE!

Carson Kressley: Lovable and funny. I don't know about the dancing (though I'm pretty sure he shouldn't be tied with Chaz on the leaderboard) but Carson's line about wearing something from his closet was classic.
I'm with Len--hope he's around for a while.

Nancy Grace: Not bad at all. I suspect fans of her show will carry her through to next week and I hope she'll really let go and have fun. You can tell she wants to, and that little bit of hesitation may have cost her a point or two.

Elisabetta Canalis: Difficult to get a handle on her potential because she really fell apart last night. And Val, using a bed as a prop was not one of your brother's finer moments, so what were you thinking???

Ron Artest: A lot more potential than showed in the score. There's a downside to dancing first on the first night of the season.

Prediction: With no American fanbase and the next to last placement on the judges' leaderboard, Elisabetta will be first to go. Val, we hardly knew ye.

US Open: Incentives

2011-09-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

For what I'm about to say it's probably a good idea to make full disclosure of the fact that I'm a big fan of the Williams sisters. I should also say that Serena's behavior toward the chair umpire was not good.

Let me repeat: it was not good.

That said, no way did it rise to the level of what happened in 2009. Not even close. Not only that, there were no verbal obscenities (a la McEnroe), no threats, no intimidating body language. Serena sassed the chair umpire, period. She did it on the break, sitting in her chair, and never so much as raised her voice. If you were a spectator in the stands you wouldn't even be aware it was happening. In fact the ONLY reason we know it happened is because CBS has the court mic'd. So I'm amazed at the number of pundits (starting with CBS's Mary Carillo) complaining that she was "only" fined two thousand dollars. Some of these nutcases think she should have been banned from next year's Open.

First of all, Carillo's spewing these opinions as she's sitting next to McEnroe, who threw more obscenity-laden tantrums in his career than anyone in the sport. So for starters, was McEnroe ever BANNED from an event? That would seem to be a pretty good measure of what should happen to Serena. And the answer is NO, McEnroe was never banned from an event where he'd misbehaved--and far worse than Serena did on Sunday. So give up on the ban, folks.

Carillo also claims that such a measly fine may as well have said to Serena that she can say anything she wants, anytime she wants. That's crap. Serena has a powerful incentive to improve in the area of impulse control, and, like the magnitude of her talent, it's an incentive that goes above and beyond any fines or sanctions the governing body of tennis can visit on her. Serena has to consider her legacy. She's thirty years old, so she's nearing the time where she needs to start thinking about what her career highlight reel is gonna look like. To a competitor who's accomplished as much as Serena Williams, that's huge.

Next, since Carillo's so concerned about MONEY, how about the endorsements Serena stands to lose (and probably will lose) because she's not giving off the image of "nice"? So we're talking MILLIONS, not thousands, which hopefully will satisfy a never-was like Carillo. And to be fair to her, I suppose the sanction of legacy & lost endorsements would never occur, since her own talent never even got her close to thinking about those things. But as a matter of doing her job as an analyst, that's such a lapse of insight on her part that maybe CBS ought to think about moving Mary Joe Fernandez (who was a top ten ranked player and did play in a few grand slam finals) up to the anchor chair.

But McEnroe certainly could have pointed out the sanctions of legacy & lost millions in endorsements to the clueless smartass Carillo, and frankly he should have. Maybe he would have, if Carillo hadn't previously ridiculed him for speculating on what was going on inside the players' heads. Why he let her take those shots at him without response beats the heck out of me. He's certainly more mature than he was as a player, so maybe he's too humble or too much of a gentleman to point out to her that he can make those speculations because he's been in those situations and inside those tense moments on the court hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times. That's one of the things he brings to his role as an analyst--he's BEEN THERE. Carillo never has.

I'm not saying that should be a requirement for the anchor booth. But in the dozen or so years Carillo's had the job she's never developed a degree of insight that would allow her to go a little farther than scold and censure. Just as she never developed into a top player on the court, she hasn't developed her analytical skills, either.

Last, Serena has a second career--she's a fashion designer. That's even more incentive for her to avoid giving off the impression that she's difficult to work with. Not only that, if the public doesn't like her they won't BUY her clothes and jewelry. Bottom line: There are more than enough reasons for Serena to modify her behavior. So maybe everyone should stop whining that her temper only cost her two thousand dollars.

* * * * *

Nadal's service game was broken eleven times. ELEVEN TIMES. Yes, Djokovic has the best return in the game, but come on, nobody's THAT good. Nadal has admitted that Djokovic has gotten inside his head so there's a psychological element. Maybe he needs to start thinking more about how good HE is--as McEnroe pointed out, he was still in that match despite the collapse of his serve.

I'm also wondering about what happened to Federer in the semis. He won the first two sets, dropped the next two, then had an opportunity to serve for the match and blew that lead as well. Very un-Federer-like. Obviously he still has the talent to win, but does he want to? I know it sounds crazy, but prize money in tennis is so huge that players who don't win majors still have million dollar plus earning potential. So my question is, will Federer be satisfied to earn a few million a year for the next couple or three years ranked at number three or four?

Nadal's only twenty-five, so he's the one with more incentive to work on his game (from both a physical and psychological standpoint). Hopefully he will, because men's tennis is not going to be a whole lot of fun to watch for the next few years if the number one ranked player is always mowing down the competition without challenge.

That Sunny Tuesday Morning

2011-09-11T11:46:00.000-04:00

My husband was off to work. The kids were in school. The phone rang a few minutes before nine o'clock.

"Turn on the TV," my husband said. "A plane hit the World Trade Center."

I turned on CNN, which I watched much more frequently in 2001. For me, Donna Brazile pretending to be neutral in 2008 and CNN continuing to bill her as an impartial Democratic analyst throughout the Obama v. Clinton primary had been the last straw.

Anyway, back in the day I would always turn to CNN. The visual came up on the screen and there was no doubt as to how bad things were going to be. Anyone working in an office at the level of impact or above was in grave jeopardy. For a few minutes I relayed the optics and the reportage to my husband, who in turn relayed it to his co-workers.

I saw the second plane come into view before CNN's anchor had a chance to verbalize it.

"Oh my God," I said into the phone. "Oh my God, oh my God." What was about to happen was so breathtakingly horrific I couldn't get the words out. A second plane. And the certainty of terrorism as the motive.

At the time we lived fifty or so miles outside New York City. No one in our immediate family group was in jeopardy, yet I felt so much better when the public schools sent everyone home and my kids were safely back with me. My older sister, who lived about thirty miles from the city (and whose husband worked there, though not in the immediate vicinity of the towers), later told me of a local private school in her town where thirty two kids had been called to the guidance counsellors' office because one or both parents worked at the WTC.

My husband's office sent everyone home as well. Secure in our own home and together, we watched events unfold. I think, for me, one of the most startling sights was hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who worked in the city, walking back to New Jersey that afternoon and evening across the George Washington Bridge. Others had to be ferried across the river. It just astounded me that this could be happening in America. Thousands of people, just walking, with no certain knowledge of how they were going to get home that night because all mass transit access to and from one of our major cities had been abruptly suspended. Of course now those people would rightly say that at least they were alive and eventually made it home to their families that night. But in those first few hours we didn't know what might happen from one minute to the next.

Since that day and in all the years that followed, I've drawn a lot of comfort and inspiration from the stories of the courage and the self-giving that went on inside the towers on 9/11. I've watched the documentaries that allowed survivors to tell their miraculous stories, several times, and will undoubtedly watch them again. Too many for any one person or media outlet to document in a single work.

One such story that comes to mind is that of a wheelchair-bound woman, whose two male co-workers carried her down tens of flights of stairs, in her chair. When they reached one of the pre-designated floors where the handicapped were to wait for emergency assistance, this woman, long accustomed to rules and procedures that applied to the handicapped, was prepared to wait. She never questioned. She was thankful to the co-workers who had carried her down so far already. She was actually surprised when her two co-workers looked at each other, then at her, and told her no, that they'd all come this far together, and that was how they'd be going the rest of the way. Together.

Needless to say, their unwillingness to leave her saved her life. Many of the handicapped, waiting at such pre-designated stations, never received assistance because emergency workers couldn't get to them.

If you have any doubt that we still live in a great country, with wonderful, decent and good people, tune in to one of these documentaries today. Even when we're down, we're never down and out. That's because of our greatest resource, which is not technology, it's our people. Human beings and their acts of caring and heroism carried us through the nightmare of 9/11, and sustain us to this day.

We should be a country that values human beings more. And, even more specifically, each other. Oftentimes we're too caught up with what will happen to the world, when there's someone standing (or in the case of the handicapped woman, sitting) right next to us who needs our help.

US Open Tennis: Super Saturday

2011-09-10T07:46:00.000-04:00

Due to the two-day rainout, all semifinals will be played today. Wow.

For the first time in who knows how long, tournament seeds 1-4 have all made it through the men's draw. Djokovic v. Federer and Nadal v. Murray. Two huge matches featuring the best men's tennis players in the world. Do I have any predictions? Truth to tell, I only tune in for the Grand Slam events. I'm not even a recreational tennis player, not even a hack. But I'll take one guess and that's that Nadal will beat Murray. Murray has yet to prove that he's in the same league with the top three, plus he was out on the court for a long time yesterday during the full heat of the day. So Nadal's not only the proven player in big matches, he's also the fresher of the two.

Not sure at all about Djokovic v. Federer. For whatever reason my gut's saying Federer, but that's based on nothing and probably means nothing.

On the ladies side, Serena will play Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki's ranked number one without having ever won a major tournament. Still, she got to the top spot by being the most consistent player in the world and there's something to be said for that. Both women are in fantastic physical condition. Serena's favored, but Wozniacki wants that first major title and she'll be fighting till the last ball is struck. For the women, this semifinal will be the match of the tournament, but will the winner necessarily become champion? That could depend on how much they take out of each other day.

In the other ladies semifinal it will be Stosur v. Kerber. Kerber's unseeded and today will probably be the last day of a wonderful run for her. Prediction: Stosur gets through to the final.

The Obama Jobs Plan: No, It Is Not Paid For

2011-09-09T08:27:00.000-04:00

First, he was going to give us healthcare without adding a penny to the deficit. Now he's promising a half trillion dollar jobs plan that will be 100% paid for--by the debt super committee.

Well, of course. It's not like the super committee doesn't already have enough to do. Finding an extra half a tril? Piece of cake.

And it's not as though the committee doesn't already have the decks stacked against success. Using each other's political sacred cows (seniors entitlements for the Dems and defense for the GOP) like human shields as an incentive to get the job done apparently wasn't disconnected enough. Seniors and our men and women in the military are, after all, human beings, so we're talking about people and their lives that are being used as political weapons, and it's pretty clear the Washington movers and shakers don't get that. So now, if these six sorry sacrificial lambs don't find another half a trillion for the president's jobs plan, any blame for continuing high unemployment can be put squarely on their shoulders.

Classic Obama. Find the fall guy. Oh, I'm not saying he'll specifically blame those six legislators. He'll blame the political process. If not for that lousy, abysmal, Congress, that you folks already loathe to the tune of 10% approval, I, Barack Obama, could have succeeded at finding enough jobs for everyone.

You gotta love the structure. Notice how success would belong to him, but failure will belong to the breakdown of the political process?

I think we all get that Washington is broken. But so is the Obama presidency. He can't fix Washington, he can't fix the economy, he can't fix anything.

He can still give a speech, though. Or so he thinks. Makes sense, since his biggest success was as a campaigner. Three years ago he convinced more than fifty million people that experience was irrelevant, and make that completely and utterly irrelevant since he didn't have any. So it stands to reason that in tough times he turns to ~~yak~~ oratory. Seriously, folks, last night he called upon a joint session of Congress to unveil a plan that isn't paid for, more details to follow in two weeks (hopefully the details will be presented in a form the CBO can actually score but don't hold your breath). That took fifteen minutes. The other fifteen was pure campaign speech.

So a couple of weeks ago he makes a bus tour (with prominent stops in Iowa) on a Canadian made bus that cost a million bucks of taxpayer money. Now he's used a joint session of Congress to deliver a campaign speech. This president ought to be ashamed of himself.

With such an abysmal record and his increasingly clumsy, transparent, political manipulations, you'd think he'd be all but gone from office. But I'm not so sure about that. Why? Two words for you: Rick Perry. If the Party of Dumb nominates Rick Perry--Social Security loathing (with no plan to fix it), soft on illegal immigration, anti-science, round up 12 year old girls for mandatory Gardisil injections via executive order--Rick Perry, this center-right country is gonna get four more years of Obama. Only next time around, with no re-election concerns to keep him in check, his second term will be like the first two years of his first term. On steroids.

Yo, Party of Dumb, VET RICK PERRY. Do it yourselves, before a single primary vote is cast, and before the MSM does it for you.

GOP Debate: Perry Debuts

2011-09-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

If Rick Perry becomes the GOP nominee, people who never saw the movie Inherit The Wind will be in for a real treat. President Obama will get to play the role of Clarence Darrow, and he'll be re-elected with just about the worst economic numbers of any incumbent in our nation's history.

Seriously. Last night Rick Perry couldn't name any of the scientists he refers to in support of his loopy claim that there's mixed opinion in the scientific community on climate change. Jon Huntsman called out a warning that the GOP can't afford to be seen as anti-science, but will The Party of Dumb take heed? Chances are good it won't.

Perry's got no plan to reform Social Security, just a bunch of rhetoric about what a "monstrous lie" it is. That'll go over well with seniors. Just ask Paul Ryan, who actually does offer a plan that would put entitlements on the path to solvency. If the Dems can succeed at demagoging and demonizing Paul Ryan (and they have--this serious, hard working, policy-substantive guy from Wisconsin is now the third most hated figure in the GOP), just think what they'll be able to do with a candidate like Perry. But man oh man, that far right wing of the GOP, how it loves red meat like "monstrous lie" and "Ponzi scheme". The far right doesn't even need to hear any more debates--Perry's their guy.

Mitt Romney is right. The next president has got to fully comprehend the economy, domestic and global. That ought to be the baseline qualification in this election cycle. But I've got a bad feeling that what we're going to get on our 2012 ballot is a match-up that features Crony Capitalist on the Left (Obama) v. Crony Capitalist on the Right (Perry), Science v. Anti-Science, All or Nothing At All.

Wow, our center-right country is in trouble. Our two major parties are being navigated from wingtips and they're failing us miserably. With Obama and Perry as our ballot choices, that won't change.

Lobbyist Tea Party Poser Dick Armey Protests Mitt Romney

2011-09-05T06:57:00.001-04:00

Maybe someone who understands the Tea Party a lot better than I do will swing by and answer the following question for me: How does a lobbyist like Dick Armey become a so-called leader of the Tea Party anyway? Isn't the Tea Party supposed to be anti-special interests?

So yesterday lobbyist and master of political thug-speak Dick Armey and his group Freedom Works protested Mitt Romney's appearance at a Tea Party rally. So my next question is, why Mitt Romney? Isn't Rick Perry exactly the type of crony capitalist that Paul Ryan writes about, that Sarah Palin alluded to in her speech yesterday, that the Tea Party is supposed to loathe? Yet Rick Perry's being touted as the "Tea Party" candidate. Perry's been in public service all his life earning a public servant's salary, his wife's a nurse, yet he's a millionaire? How'd that happen? Isn't that exactly the sort of biographical detail that usually raises Tea Party suspicion?

Help me, Tea Party people, I genuinely don't get this.

I guess I'm in good company, though. Apparently Michelle Malkin doesn't get it, either. Or didn't. The Republican Boys Club may have succeeded at shouting her down. The fellas like Rick Perry's tough talk, but as Sharron Angle proved last year, the toughest talkers don't always pass muster with enough of the indy voters that both sides of the aisle need to win elections. If the Tea Party and the Republican Boys Club had backed Danny Tarkanian, Harry Reid would be back home in Nevada with his beloved pomegranates.

On the hopeful front, Sal Russo of the Tea Party Express has called out Armey, saying that all candidates should be heard and that Tea Party members should want to hear from everyone. Makes sense to me, and giving credit where credit is due, I've gotta say the Tea Party Express has come a long way in one short, fast political year. Last year they were putting their considerable muscle behind some questionable candidates, most notably Christine O'Donnell. After the midterms and without naming names, the TPE owned to the need to vet candidates more throughly, which is particularly important for this Tea Party group, since it does endorse (some TP groups don't).

Interestingly, the need to vet candidates was another of Sarah Palin's major points during the speech she gave Saturday.

With the Plutos in Virgo coming into power there's an expectation of perfection (Virgo) that could be described as anal-retentive (Pluto). But in reality we know nothing's perfect, and there are no perfect candidates or political action groups, either. Mistakes are made. And more will be made. The measure of growth should be how well we learn from our mistakes and how we integrate and apply that knowledge going foward. Seems to me that the Tea Party Express is a group that's accomplished meaningful growth.

As for Dick Armey, I'd put him in the Cheney category--Two Dicks Republicans need to hide if they hope to succeed at convincing independents to vote with them in 2012. The question is, are there any up and coming Republican leaders with enough of a brass set to tell these two to sit down and shut up?

Why I Won't Be Reading Dick Cheney's Book (and why I didn't read Rumsfeld's)

2011-09-05T06:15:00.002-04:00

The man who believed himself to be above accountability to the American people for eight years has become the man who won't shut up. It seems the guy who shrugged and said "So?" when Tim Russert pointed out that the American people were virtually shouting their concerns--via the polls--on the Iraq War would like to assure a positive legacy.

No. Or better put, you already have a legacy, Dick. And it's not a good one.

Donald Rumsfeld, slightly different matter, same ending. Donald Rumsfeld is an American patriot. At the age of seventy he was helping to run stretchers to ambulances on 9/11. But that's a personal opinion as to what kind of man he is. What he presented to the American public in the months and years that followed immeasurably harmed the administration he sought to serve.

Rumsfeld's daily DOD press briefings would be better described as master classes in snark. He single-handedly alienated the media, belittled and looked down upon the press corps. If only President Bush had trusted himself more instead of relying so heavily on this "Old Guard" he surrounded himself with. If only he had listened to Secretary Powell, who wanted Tom Ridge as Defense Secretary, and who lost that power struggle to Cheney, who wanted Rumseld.

How different might things have been with Tom Ridge at the DOD podium every day? Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda is always at best a game of speculation, but when we needed a Department of Homeland Security and needed it pronto, there was one. Without fuss, fanfare, or alienation, Tom Ridge got it done. And that's pretty much the story of Ridge's career as Governor of Pennsylvania, too. So I'll climb out on a fairly short limb and speculate that Powell was right.

So now we've got Cheney out there in every media outlet defending himself at the expense of Powell and Condoleeza Rice. Does anybody believe this guy? I sure don't. Reading his book wouldn't change my mind. A guy who's so egotistical he was certain the release of his book would have heads exploding in Washington? His nasty, superior demeanor hurt this country and took the Republican Party to the brink of extinction in 2008.

I wasn't buying the softer, gentler version of Rumsfeld during his book tour, either. Endless interviews on Fox News shows that tried to sell us on the idea that the Secretary of Snark had suddenly, miraculously morphed into Mr. Cuddles. But FNC really outdid itself with Cheney--an hourlong special on the life of Dick Cheney? Please. Stephen Hayes's book on Cheney didn't even make it to paperback. Knowing that,
Fox has treated us to an endless barrage of Cheney--two weeks after the release of his book, he was on Fox News Sunday again yesterday. From that I can only surmise that his sell-through numbers aren't good.

And hey, if sales don't pick up next week, maybe Dick can walk off Piers Morgan's show or something.

U.S. Open: Venus out, Djokovic and Serena Unbeatable?

2011-09-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

Venus has been diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto-immune disorder that she'll have to manage for the rest of her life. Will she be back? I'd bet yes--she's Venus. It was great to hear icons of the sport praising Venus yesterday. Andy Roddick called her the epitome of class. Roger Federer said her tennis family will be there for her.

Something else that will be there for Venus, and it's a big reason why I'm such a huge fan of the Williams sisters--Venus doesn't live her life as a tennis machine. Her ego isn't so huge and she's not so puffed up that she's under the delusion that the world of sports can't exist without her. Same with Serena. Both sisters have interests outside the sport, even second careers. Serena is a fashion designer. Venus is an interior designer. Because of these other, significant, interests, injuries are given time to heal. And when they suffer personal loss, such as the murder of their sister, they take time off to grieve.

These are real, living, breathing, complete human beings. Role models.

Speaking of Serena, she mowed down her competition yesterday. So did Novak Djokovic. Holy smokes. It's hard to imagine anyone else having a chance to win. Of course that's not true, all kinds of things can happen during a fortnight of play, but right now they're both playing like superhuman entities.

Yesterday afternoon I watched a real treat of a match. Not the whole thing--Monfils v. Ferrero was a four hour, forty-eight minute marathon and in my world there are things like errands, housekeeping, life, etc. And of course in ESPN's world there are things like commercials and moving around the coverage to other matches. But the personal story of Ferrero, 31 year old former French Open champion and onetime world #1 player (2003), taking out the number 7 seed Monfils in a five set match, was just a great thing to watch unfold. Years of injuries prevented Ferrero from realizing his full potential, but yesterday was a story of never give up, never give in. Experience and composure counted.

And so, the inspiration for today is: Just keep going. Never give up. Experience counts.

Chaz Getting Bashed?

2011-09-01T15:21:00.001-04:00

WTF???????

Seriously, I'm stunned by this.

What's the matter with people?

I'm 58 years old with two adult children, no sexual or gender orientation situations, and I'm good with Chaz being on DWTS with a female partner. In fact I'm great with it. He's a good person. Highly intelligent, deeply caring. Anyone who's seen his documentary or has ever heard him in an interview gets this.

Don't be stupid, America.

And don't you quit, Chaz.

Don't. You. Quit.

Put your whole heart into it, work hard, and viewers will love you.

U.S. Open Day Two: Serena Rolls

2011-08-31T14:04:00.000-04:00

After nearly losing her life to a pulmonary embolism and missing most of the season, Serena looks AMAZING! She's slimmed down, in great shape, and won her first round match with ease. The experts are saying they think she can mow through the competition, and watching her last night I wouldn't doubt it.

There's already a controversy about her low seeding (which is legitimate and due to the fact she's been out a year), and that one of the top seeds will have to play her in the third round. But first, the player (Azarenko) will have to get to the third round--there are no guarantees against the early round knockout in major tournaments. Just ask Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova.

So first get to the third round to face Serena, then bee-yotch.

It's still early. Anything can happen. But looking ahead, it could be that the only player with a chance to take the Open from Serena might be Venus.

Exciting stuff.

DWTS: Pairings Announced, Chaz with Lacey

2011-08-31T13:51:00.000-04:00

Chaz will be in good hands. Lacey is quirky, creative, and has produced wonderful if not winning outcomes with celeb partners such as Lance Bass and Kyle Massey.

Maks is back. At the end of last season it had been rumored he wouldn't be, but he's paired with U.S. soccer star Hope Solo. Go Maks! Come on, you can get that win!

Also on the pro roster this time around: Maks's brother Val. I've often wished Val would get a shot on DWTS, and here he is.

One of my favorite pros, Derek Hough, is back after a season off. He's paired with Ricki Lake. Fiery Derek has choreographed some of the most beautiful ballroom dances ever performed on the show. Nancy Grace has been quoted as saying she feels like Cinderella invited to the ball, but also look for Ricki to get a Disney Princess-like transformation, courtesy of wonderful Derek.

Cheryl is paired with Rob Kardashian. Eeeesh, has this guy ever even worked? DWTS takes hard work, humility, and a lot of grit. It's a truly grueling process, so I'm not optimistic about Cheryl's chances this season (but I'm always willing to be pleasantly surprised).

Get ready for Ron Artest's personal story of agreeing to compete in DWTS at the request of his daughter, an eight year old cancer survivor, to melt our hearts. I'm also the parent of a cancer survivor, so Ron and his daughter already have my heart. God Bless, and best wishes for a great season.

Missing from this year's pro line-up: Louis Van Amstel, one of my very favorite pros. Dang.

All in all, looks like the DWTS team has come up with another interesting group of celebs. Can't wait.

On the home front, my husband and I aren't sure what will be happening with our own ballroom classes this fall. Budget cuts have eliminated a lot of the adult school programs, and our instructors are now down to teaching at one school. It's more of a distance for us to drive, but no problem with that--we're just hoping there's enough enrollment so that one remaining class opportunity isn't cancelled.

U.S. Open Begins

2011-08-30T03:03:00.000-04:00

Go Venus! Go Serena!

Both are playing this year. Watched Venus's match tonight. Venus has been injured, hardly played all season, but looked good tonight. Closed out the match with an impressive service game.

Wimbledon champ Kvitova lost. Wimbledon finalist Maria Sharapova got through but needed three sets.

Great having something to watch that's not politics. Yeah, yeah, I'll keep up with the GOP primary, but eeeesh, politics is like a disease. So nice to have a change.

DWTS New Season: Stars To Be Announced Tonight

2011-08-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

Carrie Ann Inaba tweeted the announcement of who's competing on Season 13 will be at 8 p.m. tonight ( on ABC, obviously).

Just reading that Chaz Bono is one of the celebs. He'll be partnered with a woman, which makes sense, since he's a guy.

That's cool. I like Chaz. Intelligent, sensitive person who's been through a lot in his life. Look forward to seeing him on the show and hope he does well.

Irene Aftermath at Jersey Shore: Some Power Outage

2011-08-29T13:05:00.000-04:00

Last night my husband and I went out for a quick dinner, just to get out a little. We did have to make some detours to get to our destination, due to power outages that knocked out traffic lights. Received a robo-call this morning to say there still some areas that haven't yet recovered power.

Irene Moves Past Jersey Shore

2011-08-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

Pretty quiet here this morning. Periods of heavy rain through yesterday afternoon and evening. Enough wind to take down some tree branches. No power outage.

Did the media overhype Irene? Nope. Better to be safe than sorry, always.

Pawlenty Out

2011-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Somewhat surprising that he packed it in so quickly, but otherwise not so much. When a candidate empties his campaign coffers to finish third in a straw poll, the handwriting's on the wall.

He never, ever, should have gone negative on other GOP candidates. From the moment he uttered the word "Obamneycare" it was all downhill. Then, picking lamely at Bachmann, only to get sliced off at the knees with one cutting press release that efficiently recited all his failures as governor, made him look like he'd just been beaten up by a girl.

The opponent was and is President Obama. The candidates who understood that--Romney, Bachmann, and Cain, went straight to the top of the first post-debate polls.

The other mistake that might have come back to haunt if he'd made it out of Iowa was his campaign video on faith. Accompanied by a cover letter from Sarah Huckabee that said "he speaks our language", the video itself opened with Mary Pawlenty, an evangelical Christian, speaking about her faith while using a lot of evangelical buzzwords (get it? he speaks our language????). Her husband then explained that while he had been born and raised a Catholic, he now attended his wife's church. It was a shameless, disgraceful, pander to evangelicals. If you visited the Pawlenty campaign website, you couldn't even find this video. It was stashed on a second site called PawlentyFaith, as though he and his staffers knew the video had little value--and might even be a campaign detriment--outside of Iowa.

I guess on the plus side, you could reasonably argue that he'd separated church and state.

Is he still viable for the number two slot on the eventual ticket? I don't think so. He wasn't able to demonstrate he has the stature of a national candidate. Pure minor league.

Palin: No Impact

2011-08-14T03:54:00.004-04:00

Wowie zowie. Guess there's something to those polls that suggest Tea Partiers and other assorted GOP love Palin but not for president. Zero impact on Ames final results. No write-in presence.

Not only that. Rick Perry, who stepped on the Ames Straw Poll, got over seven hundred write-in votes, a hundred or so more than Romney. I bet Romney's glad he didn't spend another ten million dollars there this cycle.

As of now, I'd say the evangelical and social conservative turnout dominate the Iowa straw poll and caucuses. The economy is secondary to these folks. So are national polls that show Romney faring best against Obama. Piety rules.

My first thought was that Romney shouldn't compete in Iowa at all. One analyst suggested the results force him to abandon his strategy of running against Obama. But after thinking about it for a while, I disagree. If I were Romney, I'd keep that strategy. It's been effective nationwide and the ads he's been running against Obama are devastating.

So nope. I'd let Bachmann and Perry start duking it out for Tea Party support. The Tea Party is Bachmann's base and Perry can't put together a winning coalition without making inroads there. Social conservatism is the Huckabee wing of the party and Bachmann and Perry will be contesting for that vote as well. The trouble is, Huckabee had no primary strength outside of Iowa and the south. So right now I'm thinking that Bachmann v. Perry will be for dominance of the southern primary states.

Bachmann has shown herself to be a very smart politician and she won't shrink from Perry. Actually she extended her stay in Iowa to attend the same event Perry's attending tomorrow--his introductory Iowa appearance. Also, I'm not sure Perry's soft stance on illegal immigration will hold him in good stead with the far right once his record on this issue becomes widely known.

Huntsman's done (was he ever started?). Pawlenty's campaign is in deep trouble and he played a far right strategy in Iowa only to finish a distant third. Even if his campaign gets a second wind those decisions may come back to haunt. So unless there's another moderate/centrist entry into the field (and that ain't Palin), Romney has that territory staked out. He's been smart not to compete in Iowa, where Iowa's social conservatives would have pulled him too far right.

In the meantime, the Bachmann-Perry contest may reveal both of them to have social views that are too far out of the mainstream in today's America. In 2008 John McCain had to reject Pastor Hagee's endorsement. Just last week, Perry's The Response event featured Hagee's support. For anyone not familiar, Pastor Hagee is reportedly of the opinion that the Catholic Church is a "whore". Another supporter of The Response, Mike Bickle, has reportedly offered up the theory that Oprah Winfrey is the Antichrist. In a country where the majority now favors gay marriage, Bachmann's views on gays are likely to be rejected by the full electorate.

In short, Bachmann and Perry will be competing for a wing of the GOP that's deeply burdened with a variety of social/religious prejudices. And as they do, the rest of the country will be watching. If they do start trying to out-do each other on the social issues, look for the polls to show their nationwide support among independents shrinking.

But how about that GOP center? I question whether a center even exists within the GOP anymore. In all likelihood much of that contingent has probably moved outside the party into unaffiliated voter status. Unless indy voters want to see a general election that gives them a choice between Obama v. the Far Right, they ought to consider registering to vote in the primaries.

So now what happens? Do more GOP moderates, like NY's Mayor Giuliani or former Governor George Pataki see an opening and get in? In a recent CNN poll, Giuliani was the only prospective candidate who led Obama and the only candidate in any of the head to head match ups who registered over 50%. Getting over the big 5-0 is both statistically and politically significant.

As for Palin, she can't like today's results. Will she decide she needs to shore up her brand by getting into the race and finishing higher than Bachmann? At this point she wouldn't even need to win (and I doubt that even she believes she could beat both Perry and Romney). She'd just need to do better than Bachmann.

I'm not sure. Palin definitely likes her niche. She still takes a lot of heat but she's making a lot of money. So she might think she needs to defend that territory. Otoh, she's always treated other women much better than they've treated her, so tough as she is, I'm not sure she's up for what the media is likely to bill as a female mud wrestling contest. Another thing she'd have going for her in a contest with Bachmann and Perry for the far right: of the three, she's the one who'd show herself to be the candidate who isn't anti-gay (she stood up for gay participation at CPAC) and I'm pretty sure she doesn't harbor any religious prejudices, either. So there's a path for her. Not only a path, but a viable connection to the GOP center.

It's a toss-up, but if I had to guess I'd say that she's actually closer to getting in today than she was yesterday.

Ames Straw Poll/Palin on Hannity

2011-08-13T12:16:00.002-04:00

Hmmm...So last night on Hannity Sarah Palin tells a loud and adoring crowd that she's thinking about joining the presidential race.

And so I wonder...will that get her write-in votes today? Enough to finish in the top three?

Also interesting is that in making that tease, she may have stepped on Rick Perry, who stepped on the straw poll itself by announcing his candidacy today at a Red State event in South Carolina. Undoubtedly Perry hoped for enough write-in votes to send a signal to the other candidates that he's arrived.

Would Palin really get in his way? Aren't they supposed to be friends and allies?

And whose tally would write-in votes for Palin affect? Perry's or Bachmann's? Earlier in the week I'd been thinking that Palin's visit to Iowa was meant to keep Bachmann from winning to protect the Palin brand from Bachmann's insurgent popularity.

All these questions raise another question...will Palin's well-timed comment have the unintended consequence of opening the door for Mitt Romney to steal third? He didn't spend any money trying to win the straw poll, but that doesn't mean his supporters won't show up and pay their own way to the ballot box. But would there be enough of them to have that kind of impact?

I'm a gambling kind of girl, so I'm going for it:

1. Ron Paul
2. Michele Bachmann
3. Mitt Romney
4. Tim Pawlenty

Bottom line: Sarah gets enough write-in votes to keep Bachmann from getting the win, but (perhaps inadvertently) keeps her pal Rick Perry from making a write-in splash.

And if Romney doesn't get past the well organized Pawlenty team for third, he gets fourth--not bad for a candidate who didn't buy a single ticket for his supporters in Iowa.

GOP Debate on Fox: Winners & Losers

2011-08-12T08:37:00.001-04:00

First, something everyone can agree on: Fox certainly hosts a lively debate. No one can accuse Bret Baier and Chris Wallace of throwing softballs.

Bachmann v. Pawlenty: I'm not a fan of Bachmann. Her social views are heinous, but come on, she kicked Timmy's ass. Old Joe Kennedy once said of his daughter Eunice, "That girl should have been born with balls." So should Bachmann.

I'm a news junkie, so when Bachmann told Sean Hannity in a post-debate interview that Pawlenty had taken half a dozen swipes at her before she struck back, she's telling the truth. I'd characterize Pawlenty's attacks as measly but persistent, like a gnat or a mosquito. It really bugged him that fellow Minnesotan Bachmann's campaign was gaining traction while his wasn't and it showed, making him look small and petty in the process. When Bachmann struck back, she landed a single blow--a haymaker--one efficiently written, scathing indictment of his performance as governor of her state. Pawlenty went flying over the top rope and landed on the floor outside the ring.

And as the late Gorilla Monsoon used to say, "Stick a fork in him, he's done."

And he is. While it's true that you never know what Iowans will do, if they don't elevate Pawlenty in their straw poll on Saturday, it's hard to understand why he'd stay in. Having chosen a strategy of attacking members of the home team instead of the real opponent, he failed, and at this point can only inflict further damage.

Prediction: First to arrive in Iowa, Pawlenty will be the first sent packing. Consider him "winnowed."

Winnow #2: Jon Huntsman. Completely ineffective. And same as Pawlenty, his only avenue left (attack) would inflict more harm than good on the home team.

Do I think either one of these guys will actually retire their campaigns? Probably not, but if they don't, they expose their true motivation for running: self serving ambition. Fellas, the desired outcome is to install fiscal responsibility at the White House, not fulfill your personal lifelong dream. Don't continue to attack from a position of two percent support in the polls. Show some class. Let go. Go to work for the greater cause.

Next up: Santorum v. Paul. My husband and I noticed Santorum wasn't getting any questions. I can only guess the snub wasn't so much a snub as a reflection of Santorum's current position in the polls. The most recent show him at around one percent.

Anyway, Santorum got teed and he took it out on Ron Paul and to a lesser extent, Michele Bachmann. My husband thought he scored a few points. I didn't, but I have an extremely low opinion of Santorum--a bias--so maybe he did get in a few hits. I'd still call this a draw at best, because Ron Paul is always Ron Paul. Agree with him or not, he is by far the most consistent politician in the United States of America. Santorum didn't cost Ron Paul any votes in the straw poll. Whether he picked up any votes from disaffected Pawlenty or Huntsman voters (not a large pool to be drawn from), only Iowans can say.

Prediction: If Santorum doesn't finish dead last, he becomes the Huckabee-campaign-on-a-shoestring candidate of 2012. He's raised less than a million dollars so far, but it doesn't cost a lot to do what Santorum's been doing, which is travel from small group to small group, lots of 'em, making his pitch.

Herman Cain--Cain didn't falter last night, but between the Bachmann-Pawlenty fireworks and Newt Gingrich's standout performance, he wasn't able to distinguish himself as he'd done so well during the New Hampshire debate.

Prediction: Cain's said he needs to finish in the top three in the straw poll. I interpret that to mean that if he doesn't, he'll retire his campaign like the gentleman he's been and he'll endorse someone else--probably Mitt Romney.

Newt Gingrich--rose from the dead last night like WWE's Undertaker. Will he surge to the top tier like Cain did? Probably not, but Gingrich always starts out with a gaggle of negatives, some of which can't be turned back. His pitch has got to be that his positives, along with the urgency of the times, render his negatives irrelevant. Great, GREAT, debate performance last night, and I say that as someone who'd probably never vote for him.

Prediction: He lives to fight another day. He'll absolutely pick up support in the straw poll, probably from what's left of Pawlenty and Huntsman's voting group. Not only that, he gave undecided Iowans a reason to get off the fence.

Mitt Romney--at this early stage of the campaign season whenever he doesn't lose, he wins. And he won last night. Very strong start, ticking off the seven things he'd do as president to start the economy moving again. There was also an incident yesterday at the Iowa State Fair that may have helped him with the fire & brimstone contingent of the GOP. He was the object of a premeditated attack by a far left group. And while he gave them a sound byte that can be used against him in attack ads ("Corporations are people, my friend") for some weird reason the Repubs who post online seem to think he handled himself beautifully. Even Repubs who don't like him were giving him virtual pats on the back. Go figure. Don't get me wrong--I get what he was saying within the full context of his remarks. I just don't understand how giving your opponent a sound byte for attack ads is a good thing. But, whatever.

Big loser of the night: Rick Perry. By deciding to announce his candidacy on Saturday in South Carolina, he bigfoots the Ames Straw Poll, which is a fundraiser for the Iowa Gop. Not only that, he avoids participation in the debate by two days. How convenient.

Actually I shouldn't even get started on Rick Perry. The haters he was willing to share a stage with last Saturday make me nauseous, but more important, the disingenuousness of the GOP's Elmer Gantry deserves its own blogpost.

DWTS: Every Dog Has Its Day

2011-05-25T14:27:00.001-04:00

And last night was a Three Dog Night, as Carrie Anne, Len, and Bruno were frozen out by the fans, who covered a five point deficit to launch Kirstie past Chelsea for second place.

Unfortunately that result supports fan suspicions about the reason for adding the 15 point Winner Take All Instant Dance to the semis. Now we know just how weak Chelsea's fan base was. In all likelihood she needed most if not every one of those 15 points just to make it into the finals.

Yesterday I was reading posts over on the ABC site. One fan pointed out that he had liked Chelsea up until the Instant Dance, and that the Instant Dance had caused him to not like her any more. Another replied that this is the problem with favoritism--it tends to cause resentment toward the person benefitting from the favoritism. The trouble is that more often than not, the beneficiary hasn't done anything wrong, and that was the case here. Chelsea wasn't the culprit.

The whole mess also begs the question of just how much the judges know about how the fans are voting from week to week. They're supposed to be scoring what they see on the dance floor, not compensating for what they think the fans are going to do.

Anway, what a shame. Such a nice group of celebs and a fun season, up until that point.

DWTS: Three Little Letters

2011-05-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

F-I-X

That's my opinion, as is all that follows.

My husband had it right.

Man, I hate being wrong, but I couldn't believe the show would pull this kind of stunt in the final. Or that the judges would. Or something. All I know is that there's no way Hines and Chelsea's freestyles were worthy of perfect scores.

Chelsea Kane looked like she was trying to keep up with her aerobics instructor--and failing.  No way that frenetic mish mosh they did could be characterized as dancing.

And Hines--heck, I don't even know what that was. A drum major and a cheerleader? How juvenile can it get? The ditzy concept was reminiscent of Marie Osmond dressed up like one of her dolls. I keep thinking back to that poster on one of the DWTS forums who said that Carrie Anne needed to start watching Hines's feet. The only change I'd make to that is that all three judges are guilty of not watching his feet.  Hines actually did very little in the way of footwork while Kym danced and twirled around him. Yeah, he did the lifts, but for crying out loud he's a pro football player.

No problem with the scores given to Kirstie. Those were fair.  But the outrageous overscoring of Hines and Chelsea buried her. And having Kirstie and Chelsea both dance sambas was a blatant attempt to create a head to head match up in a last ditch effort to convince fans that Chelsea should be getting their votes. Yet another signal of favoritism.

No way Kirstie should be five points back. No. Flippin. Way. And their comments to her were patronizing. Dear Carrie Anne, Len, and Bruno: Kirstie may be 60 years old and overweight, but she has the best natural rhythm of any celeb on the show. That's why the audience erupted into applause during Carrie Anne's comments last night. So no need to patronize. And Bruno, you used to think Kirstie had talent, too, yet last night you put the emphasis on respect and made it sound like a consolation prize. That's insulting. The woman can dance.

But the judges weren't out to score dances last night. Their entire purpose appeared to be putting enough distance between Kirstie and their own favorites to block fan impact on the outcome.

I was so annoyed I checked the DWTS form on the ABC.com site and fans are pretty much outraged over the perfect freestyle scores. Always good to know I'm not alone in my view. I also saw a thread calling for all new judges next season. I agree with that.

Because after last night, those three have no credibility left. None.

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

End of vent.

So here's the thing. Hines is gonna win this. The judges successfully buried Kirstie (and will likely add a few burial points tonight, just to be sure). Kirstie's fans have been eliminated from the scoring equation and Hines's fans will easily get him past Chelsea.

Julianne was once quoted as saying it's possible for a little known celeb to build a fan base over the course of a season and that's true. That's what happened with Apolo. But it hasn't happened for Chelsea, who is, for a fact, a talented dancer and a nice person who's worked her heart out. But when a celeb tops the judges' leaderboard and still ends up in the bottom two, she's REALLY in the bottom two, despite the show's disclaimer of "not necessarily." In Chelsea's case the show was sending a signal to viewers that another Sabrina outcome was possible.  DWTS pulled out all the stops for Chelsea and gave fans every opportunity to elevate her. They haven't.

Just a thought, but her failure to connect may actually be attributable to how hard she tries--she often looks like she's trying TOO hard, and that can be uncomfortable to watch.

Anyway, bottom line, fair or unfair, the structure of the competition gives equal weight to fan opinion and the powers that be shouldn't be messing with it.

So tonight's only remaining question is whether Chelsea's fan base has remained so miserably small that she'll finish third in spite of the behind the scenes manipulations.

And if she does, that's where the show will get its well deserved come-uppance.

DWTS: Judges Save Chelsea

2011-05-18T05:15:00.002-04:00

I have an idea. The next time the show wants to propel a talented celeb dancer with a weak fan base into the final, just call it a Judges' Instant Finalist Pick instead of a Winner Take All Instant Dance. The trouble is, Chelsea's cha-chas were over-performed and no way did she win the dance-off, so it looked like a fix. My husband spent the whole results show saying "The fix is in, we don't even have to bother watching next week." I don't think that's the case. If anything, the judges like Hines just as much. But after seeing Chelsea in the bottom two too many times for comfort, they wanted to avoid another Bristol over Brandy situation.

So the judges like Hines and Chelsea. The fans probably like Hines and love Kirstie, and then (and only then) there's Chelsea. Hines can probably afford to finish second on the judges' leaderboard next week if the celeb finishing ahead of him is Chelsea. Chelsea can't afford to be second with the judges under any circumstance. Even if she tops the leaderboard, unless her lead is as huge as it was last night, Hines or Kirstie can likely overtake her with their fan votes.

As good a dancer as she is, Chelsea's still a long shot for the mirror ball.

I just hope there are a lot of memorable dances in the final. I hope Maks finally masters the art of choreographing a freestyle. Dear Maks, freestyles shouldn't require the prop guys to drag a bed out to the center of the dance floor (Erin). Nor should the central character in the dance be a call girl or a mistress (Mel B.). These ideas just don't play well in the Bible Belt.

I enjoyed the season. I really like the celebs--nice, nice group of people. So it's weird that I'm not more jazzed about the final. Might have been the instant dance-off Monday night. Though I don't agree with my husband and don't think there's a fix in, the instant finalist concept might have been a little too manipulative for my liking.

Oh, well.

DWTS: I Don't Agree (And That's Putting It Mildly)

2011-05-11T12:17:00.000-04:00

All I can say is fans who voted to save Ralph after seeing how much pain he was in better hope he's able to dance a good semi next week, because sending Romeo home was a high price to pay. Ralph must have a huge fan base--making up a six point differential on the judges' scoreboard is no small feat.

The thing is, at this point in the competition there's also a downside to sympathy/sentimental voting and that's ticking off the departed celeb's fans. Every week, millions (MILLIONS!) of available votes are going back into the pool, and I'd bet there's about as much chance of Ralph picking up Romeo voters as there was of Bristol getting Brandy voters last season. And double that effect if Ralph's cyst prevents him from dancing well next week and his fan base ignores the problem by sending Chelsea Kane home instead of opting for a great final.

I'm not singling out Chelsea just for the heck of it. Hines and Kirstie probably enjoy a certain amount of immunity from the effects of Ralph's fans. The NFL vote has always been huge on DWTS. Kirstie is popular and probably came to the show with a built-in fan base of her own. The much lesser-known Chelsea's challenge, from now through the final, is to own the judges' portion of the scoring equation. If she doesn't, she's next to go.

And speaking of the NFL...Len Goodman said that Hines may be the "best footballer ever" on DWTS. Well, Len, two words for you: Emmitt Smith. And it's not even close.

Underscored: Kirstie's samba

Overscored: Though I wouldn't call him overscored this week, I did read a post from one fan who wrote that Carrie Ann ought to quit fixating on Hines's smile and start watching his feet. I agree with that, and also add that his transitions are not nearly as smooth and seamless as Chelsea's and Kirstie's.

Parting words for Chelsie Hightower: It's not about you, it's about your partner. Next season try combing your hair. It's distracting.

Parting words for Romeo: Romeo, Romeo, you gave us the most romantic-ever (Leonardo who?) waltz from a guy celeb and no way did you deserve to go home.

DWTS Week 7: Kendra Gone

2011-05-03T22:19:00.001-04:00

She can learn and perform complex choreographies, yet seven weeks in grace, fluidity and transitions still weren't coming together for Kendra. She wasn't capturing the character of the dance, either.

It was time and honestly, Petra and Chris were both better dancers.

Gotta say--Monday night I was worried that Romeo might be headed home. That was not a good samba and I was afraid he was going the way of other good dancers who got booted after having one off week. Then, when Chelsea Kane ended up in the bottom two, I had another "oh, no" moment.

Geez, this season is close. On the plus side, we're now at that place where we know the winner will be someone who's already performed a few good quality dances.

Barbour Out--Is Mitch Daniels In?

2011-04-26T12:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Haley Barbour is out as a 2012 presidential candidate. Although Barbour was only drawing around 1% support in the polls, his decision to stay out still may be significant, because Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels are close friends who'd already said they wouldn't exactly relish opposing each other in the GOP primaries. So I'm wondering, is part of Barbour's reason for dropping out because he knows something we don't--like maybe that his good friend Mitch Daniels has decided in favor of getting into the race?

Or, could it be that Barbour never intended to run, but rather to serve as a stalking horse for Mitch Daniels? To begin lining up donors and organizing state campaign operations? The timing of Barbour's announcement is interesting here, because Mitch Daniels has said he wouldn't make a decision until the Indiana State Legislature finished its session.

And when does that happen? This Friday. So Barbour drops off, just as Mitch's date of decision comes due. Hmmmm...

Of course this is all total, uneducated speculation on my part. Like I said, just wondering.

So while I'm indulging in a little speculation, here's an equally uneducated prediction to top it off: If Mitch Daniels doesn't run, Paul Ryan will.

DWTS: Romeo, Romeo!

2011-04-26T08:38:00.001-04:00

I love Kirstie Alley, she's definitely one of my faves this season, but last night she was still struggling to catch her breath as Brooke Burke interviewed her while they waited for the scores. So I'm wondering whether she'll have the stamina to hang in there once the competition moves to two dances per week. Hope so--she really is a wonderful dancer.

Romeo, Romeo!!! Wow, did he turn on the romance or what??? Gorgeous waltz. That's two weeks in a row for Romeo and it's so apparent he's decided to go all-in. He and Chelsie are reminding me a bit of the Apolo-Julianne Express in Season Four. Once the A&J Express left the station with their "hot, sexy samba" in week five they never looked back. I agree with Len that Romeo is very good at the ballroom dances, which is surprising for a young guy, and adds an unexpected element to the competition. Any time one of the guy celebs can put big numbers on the board with a waltz, he's definitely a contender.

Romeo wasn't alone at the top of the leaderboard, though. Chelsea and Mark shared the top spot with a memorable (as in so good I'll watch it again on youtube) quickstep. If Chelsea matches Romeo's newfound commitment and decides she's in it to win it, we could very well see Chelsea/Mark, Romeo/Chelsie duking it out in the final.

No doubt about the judging last night, especially at the top of the leaderboard.

Underscored: No one.

Overscored: Kendra

Prediction: Unfortunately, it looks like Chris will be voted off. All the couples are so closely matched that one off-week could spell curtains and that's probably what will happen tonight. Very unfortunate because Chris doesn't deserve to go.

Phil Spector Prosecutor Running for LA District Attorney

2011-04-19T12:30:00.001-04:00

In what may be the only good news coming out of California, Phil Spector prosecutor Alan Jackson has declared his candidacy for Los Angeles District Attorney.

http://votealanjackson.com/

Atlas Shrugged, Part 1

2011-04-19T12:18:00.000-04:00

My husband and I saw this movie Sunday night.

I've read the book more than once and from time to time over the years had heard about interest in making it into a film. Most recently, Angelina Jolie was reported to be very interested in playing the role of author Ayn Rand's female protagonist, Dagny Taggart. A few years ago I'd read that Charlize Theron was likewise interested.

If I'm remembering right, in the book Dagny is around thirty-five. The actress who played her, Taylor Schilling, is twenty-six. Walking out to the car after the movie, my husband (who never read the book and had no idea of Dagny or Schilling's ages) commented that he thought she was too young to be playing a high-powered executive, but I thought Schilling was well cast and acted the part well. In my mind the actors who played Dr. Stadler and Dr. Akston seemed kind of young to have been the college professors of John Galt, Ragnar Danneskjold, and Francisco D'Anconia (all a few years older than Dagny in the book). Still, overall the movie was well cast and well acted. Grant Bowler is dynamic as Hank Rearden and Graham Beckel (brother of Democratic political operative and Fox News analyst Bob Beckel) is very effective as oil tycoon Ellis Wyatt.

In taking on this huge story (the paperback is 1200 pages), Paul Johansson (producer, director, also portrays John Galt) decided to film in three parts. Naturally, each part has to stand alone and Johansson makes a great decision regarding where to end Part 1. We see Dagny and Hank triumph when a Taggart train breaks a speed record on tracks and a bridge completely reconstructed with Rearden Metal. Then, with the sudden, unexpected, disappearance of Ellis Wyatt after an evening of celebration, we learn that all the business moguls who've been vanishing throughout the film haven't met with foul play--they've been leaving voluntarily. The movers and shakers of the world are on strike.

Johansson also manages to work in a few obscure examples of Ayn Rand's reverence for productivity and competence. At the beginning of the film we see Midas Mulligan, uber-rich banker, enter a greasy spoon diner where a waitress has a piece of pie boxed and waiting for him. Clearly the pie take-outs are regular stops for Mulligan. For a man as wealthy as he (who could dine anywhere), there's only one possible reason for him to be there and that's to get an excellent piece of pie. So it wasn't just the movers and shakers of the world or the rich who mattered to Rand, it was the concept of excellence itself, in every area of life and at every level of society.

My husband and I had read online about packed theaters, since the movie is only getting a limited release (about three hundred theaters nationwide). So we went to the final showing of the day--around 9:30 pm--and had no trouble getting tickets. Probably due to the day and time the theater was not full. It's also been reported that audiences are clapping and cheering at the end of the movie and our audience, small as it was, was no different. The critics are busily panning the movie (and Ayn Rand), but I notice as of early this morning, almost six hundred Yahoo users are giving the film an average grade of A-.

I agree. Feel free to ignore the critics and go see the movie.

DWTS

2011-04-19T07:31:00.000-04:00

My favorite dance of the night was Romeo & Chelsie's fox trot. Romeo looks like he's starting to enjoy himself and about 1,000x more relaxed.

I'm surprised the judges didn't call Kendra & Louis for the lack of actual fox trot steps in their routine. Very entertaining and well performed, but geez, if you blinked you wouldn't have known they were dancing a fox trot.

Mark Ballas has won DWTS twice with great partners, but gotta say Chelsea is the partner best matched to him on the show to date.

Overscored: Hines & Kym

Underscored: Petra & Dmitry

Prediction: Petra & Dmitry in the bottom two and possibly the couple voted off. I hope I'm wrong.

Trump for President?

2011-04-14T23:48:00.003-04:00

Every time I hear a career politician say Trump isn't a serious candidate or Trump's a joke, I keep thinking you could probably wallpaper Manhattan with photos of people who underestimated this guy.

I'm not saying I'd vote for him. Just saying.

DWTS

2011-04-13T12:57:00.008-04:00

Yeah, I've been watching again. Happy to see Kirstie Alley on the show. In the past few years, I've posted on DWTS boards in wish list threads, suggesting Alley.

My other suggestion in DWTS wish list threads is always Jamie Lee Curtis. When I saw her in the audience last season I thought, "This is it--she's scoping out the show." Turns out she was there to support her pal, Jennifer Grey, who turned out to be one of the best DWTS contestants ever. Maybe even the best. I'd put her right up there with Apolo Ohno on my personal fave list. In past seasons a bunch of my picks won the final--in addition to Grey and Ohno I've voted for Drew Lachey, Emmitt Smith, Brooke Burke, Shawn Johnson and Nicole Scherzinger.

I think Kirstie can win the whole season and not just due to personal popularity. She has a lot of natural dance ability. I agree with Carrie Anne when she said to watch out for Chris Jericho. I knew he was going to be a good dancer. He's right when he says there's a lot of choreography in a WWE match. He's also a skater (plays hockey, his father was a pro hockey player), and as we already know from past seasons, skaters have fast feet. So Jericho has a lot going for him and it's obvious from the rehearsal videos that he's got a good work ethic as well.

My three faves this season (in no particular order): Kirstie Alley, Chris Jericho, Petra Nemcova.

I was sorry to see Sugar Ray go last night. His waltz with Anna was charming and I was hoping it would be enough to keep him in for another week. I also felt that Kendra finally got the scores she deserved (low) but apparently she's got a good fan base. Louis Van Amstel is one of my favorite pros, and I get that Kendra is able to go through the motions of a complex choreography, but criminy, there's no flow connecting the steps and the performance quality--character of the dance--is non-existent. She should be next to go, but probably won't be.

At Last

2011-01-20T10:02:00.002-05:00

Finally, the Pima County Attorney has told the Pima County Sheriff's Office to shut up. Hallelujah.

AZ Shootings

2011-01-12T08:34:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much over the past year or so. I don't want to say too much about the AZ shootings, because the sheer volume of what's already been speculated is completely disproportionate to the amount of actual evidence that's currently available. I do have an interest in criminal justice, as those who may have followed my blog during the Phil Spector retrial already know. What strikes me as important to note at this juncture in the coverage of the AZ shootings is the behavior of the Pima County Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik. I can't recall ever seeing a law enforcement officer commingle the customary disbursement of facts we expect to hear during a police briefing with his own personal political opinions to the extent Sheriff Dupnik has. I can't see it as anything other than completely unprofessional and irresponsible. It's true there are figures in the media and in the political world who are behaving very badly, but I have to wonder whether they would have leaped so far, so fast, if Sheriff Dupnik hadn't abused the forum of official police briefing to send erroneous signals--via his opinions--that there would be forthcoming evidence linking the shooter to right-wing groups and grievances. We're now five days in and there's still zero evidence of any such connections. That's zero as in zero, zilch, nada. There are twenty victims and families who deserve justice. Let's hope Sheriff Dupnik hasn't said anything that will compromise the prosecution.

Congressman Ryan Chart: Under Siege

2010-08-08T07:58:00.002-04:00

I never did find a birth time on the Congressman, but there are major stress transits to his natal right now, regardless of where they fall on the chart. And because astrology works we can see this stress in manifest within the pages of the New York Times--Ryan's roadmap to economic solvency is under attack from Nobel Prize winner (and NYT columnist) Dr. Paul Krugman. We already know the President fears Rep. Ryan (exs: their exchanges at the Republican retreat in Baltimore and at the health care summit). In my opinion, the Congressman has a third problem, and if I'm right it comes from inside his own political party. If Republicans win the House in November, John Boehner is the likely successor to Nancy Pelosi. The trouble is, Boehner's a moron (and possibly a heavy drinker, according to Joe Scarborough), and the general public can't understand why the Republican caucus would stick with Boehner, whose approval ratings are even lower than Speaker Pelosi's. Why not Ryan--a guy who actually knows how to SPEAK? Anyway and jmo Boehner could be guarding his flanks. Just last week Minority Whip Eric Cantor felt compelled to issue a statement essentially saying he would not be challenging John Boehner for the speaker role. Ryan is known to have expressed minor interest in leadership a few years ago and Ryan's star's been rising ever since, so Boehner may have a case of Ryan-on-the-brain. Or in the back of his mind. Or something. Okay, the chart...By far the most interesting aspect on the Ryan Chart is natal Mars c. Chiron in Aries opposite Uranus retrograde in Libra. At the moment, transiting Pluto retrograde in Capricorn is squaring. Transiting Saturn and Mars are opposing from Libra (though both are still in wide orb from natal Uranus rx). So we have a transiting T-Square. The natal planets are not at the apex of the t-square, which makes me think the Congressman may have some options in fending off attacks. But first he'll have to get past another interesting aspect on his natal chart, and that's the Jupiter-Saturn opp that makes a natal T-square to his Sun/Venus. Jupiter says "go", Saturn says "wait", and we can kind of see how this manifests in the Congressman's career path. A few years ago he expressed interest in leadership, then backed off fairly quickly, citing his young family. He continues to cite the ages of his children (all under 10) now that his name is frequently mentioned as a presidential contender. On the other hand he's been appearing on just about every cable show and frequently writes articles for many, MANY, publications. See the standoff? Jupiter says "go". Saturn says "wait". Because Pluto rx is at the apex of the transiting T-square, we know the undercurrent of all this stress is power. With transiting Saturn and Mars currently opposing his natal Mars/Chiron and approaching conjunct with his natal Uranus rx, these power challenges (both internal and external) will go on for a while. So he has to deal with it, but imo HOW he deals with it may tell us a lot about where his career is ultimately headed. As you can probably tell, this is one of the charts I've been following for a while now. I like following the charts of public figures because you can "see" and "hear" the planetary energies at play and learn a lot about astrology. I think the Congressman may be genuinely undecided as to whether he wants to lead or be an "economic specialist" from within his political party. As a Sun/Venus in Aquarius (ruler Uranus), with Uranus rx trining from Libra (ruler Venus--a stunning aspect, this person is GIFTED), freedom is very important to him, and, let's face it, leadership's not only 24/7, it's like living in a fishbowl. Here's the thing: He can't be EITHER unless he successfully defends against the Krugman attack, so this is a major turning point. Krugman's "audacity of dope" tag will plague Ryan if he doesn't act. He'll need to throw the Jupiter--Sun/Venus--Saturn t-square monkey off his back. The "go or wait" teeter-totter inherent in the natal chart cannot be brought to balance in this circumstance. So what can he do? He has good friends and people like him (Sun/Venus in Aquarius), so he could conceivably allow his friends/colleagues to act as surrogates. Meh, I don't like the "nice guy under attack hiding behind his friends" approach, but then again I'm a Sun/Uranus/Mars, so I could be plagued by my own subjective opinion here. Ryan's already had a little bit of help. Within 24 hours Ted Gayer of Brookings wrote a response to the Krugman column. But honestly, outside of economic circles, who's Ted Gayer? Ted Gayer vs. Paul Krugman? I don't think that works. Ryan also defended himself in the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. Hmmm...MJS vs. NYT? I don't think THAT works, either. Here's the thing about Pluto transits--you can't fight them, you have to work with them, so here's my idea--If Rep. Ryan really wants to get the issue of fiscal solvency to the discussion table, then he should challenge that mofu to a debate. Bury him. Then rise like the phoenix. 'Cause THAT's what you do with Pluto energy. Btw, this wouldn't commit him to a career path before he's ready--the personal commitment would be to keeping all his career options open. And, within the bigger picture, to walking his talk. If he really believes there needs to be a national discussion on long-range fiscal solvency, then he won't shrink from the opportunity to bring it to the forefront. Because that's what this is--an opportunity.

Sound the Fire Alarm for Rep. Bob Etheridge

2010-06-14T10:50:00.003-04:00

Went berserk on a student interviewer. The entire episode is captured on video and posted on youtube. From all appearances, the student did NADA to block the congressman's walking path and only asked him if he supported the Obama agenda. The student ought to press charges. Anyway, Rep. Etheridge: Four planets in fire, including a Merc/Pluto/Chiron stellium in Leo. And I still have no idea why the fiery charts are rearing up. The only possibilities I can come up with are that planets in early Leo are forming the apex of a yod between transiting Pluto (in early Cap) and transiting Chiron (currently at 0 degrees Pisces). Natal planets in late Leo are being opposed by transiting Neptune, but that's been the case for a while now. Planets in the early degrees of Aries going off are a little easier to understand. They're being conjuncted by transiting Jupiter and Uranus, and squared by transiting Pluto. With transiting Saturn having recently gone direct, planets in the early degrees of Aries will also be taking an opposition in addition to the Pluto square. Transiting t-square time coming soon for these folks, and a fairly ugly t-square at that.

What do Joran Van Der Sloot, Helen Thomas, Mitch Daniels and Mike Huckabee have in common?

2010-06-13T13:55:00.005-04:00

Well, they've all got uber fire-charts and all four have been in the news over the past week and a half. Mitch Daniels pissed off Pastor Huckabee (Fire vs. Fire). Whoooo-eeee, the Pastor's undies are in a knot and now he'd like everyone to send money. (My advice: If you've got money to spend, send it to Mitch. He's the one who can fix the economy). Helen Thomas finally pissed off everyone past the point of no return. After sixty years, most of which were spent front and center at White House press briefings, she simply shot off her mouth on a Thursday and by the following Monday, her chair was vacant. Joran Van Der Sloot: Captured and charged. Finally. I'm not entirely sure why fire charts are rising to the top of the headline queue--I'll have to take a closer look.

Anybody Home???

2010-03-04T21:21:00.004-05:00

I'm home. I'm here. Just didn't feel like talking for a while. Okay, a long while. It happens. When last I spoke I was ticked off at DWTS. Saw the new season lineup and think I'll take those hours each week to keep practicing my own ballroom dancing with my husband. We've definitely improved. I don't want to give the misimpression that we're good dancers--we're not, but we've improved. So DWTS can keep those two camera-hoggy aspiring actors, Jake Pavelka and Evan Lysacek. Yikes. DWTS used to be such a great show. ***************** On to politics...and astrology. I've been caught up in all the early speculating on who'll be the candidates in 2012, and I've decided to take an early look at charts on both sides of the aisle. Not too many on the Dem side, but looks to me like Evan Bayh may be thinking about making a run. On the Republican side I'll take a look at some fiscal conservatives (I'm not real fond of values conservatives), so maybe the charts of Mitt Romney, Mitch Daniels, and America's new favorite congressman, Paul Ryan. Ryan's already said he's not running in 2012, but the Weekly Standard's Matt Continetti says there are times the job chooses the man. Sounds a little over-dramatic to me, but what IS real is the way the President's been reacting to Paul Ryan. When our Prez is patting Ryan's daughter on the head with one hand and using the other to dial up the DCCC for an attack and destroy conference call, something's up. Now if THAT scene ever found its way on to the silver screen, it would qualify as a "creepy moment". Anyway, the interaction between President Obama and Paul Ryan is intriguing enough on its own that Ryan's chart is worth a look. I saw a clip of Congressman Ryan on Hardball (ew--Chris Matthews). Congressman Ryan mentioned his several productive conversations with the President. Very civil, Rep. Ryan, great comity. But until I can get to the charts, here's the deal, no astrology needed. To keep it short and simple, I'll paraphrase the dialogue between Steven Abootman and Terrance & Philip of South Park fame (in the Canada On Strike episode): The President's not your buddy, pal. He's not your pal, friend. He's not your friend, buddy. Congressman Ryan was born on a day the moon moved from Libra into Scorpio and I've got no birth time for him. If he's a Scorp moon, he already knows the President isn't his friend (pal). If he's got Moon in Libra, he'll keep thinking the President is his pal (buddy) until maybe one day, when he's been teaching economics at University of Wisconsin for, say, about a decade... I do have a birth time for Mitt Romney, so I'll look at his chart first. No birth time for Ryan, Mitch Daniels, or Evan Bayh. Sometimes when I put the word out on the net that I need chart data, it appears as though by magic in my email box, so here goes: I need birth times for Paul Ryan, Mitch Daniels, and Evan Bayh. My email addy is ariespointkay@ymail.com.

Politics: Winners and Losers

2009-11-09T06:29:00.004-05:00

Election Day Winner--Independent voters. Yeah, yeah, Republican pols & pundits want us to think they won, but the truth is that Republican voters could not have effected the outcome in NJ and VA without independents. And btw, independent voters aren't swinging back toward Republicans, per se, it's just we don't have a party and we don't have candidates of our own. Republicans and Democrats are the choices available, that's all. If we liked either party all that much, we'd be members...not only that, the approval numbers for Congress would be a lot higher than 25%. But hey, Repubs, go ahead and start nominating candidates from the extreme wing of your party and watch how fast we independents swing back the other way. Or pay attention to Bob McDonnell, who's as conservative as they come, but who campaigned on issues, not ideology. And you should probably get your pollsters to check with independents (and not just Republicans) before you get comfy with the idea that Pastor Mike Huckabee's your best shot at winning the WH in 2012. But hey, I'm just an independent voter, what do I know? Election Day Loser--far right wingnuts, they just don't know it yet. They think Doug Hoffman's close defeat was a win. Go figure. Did anybody see Doug Hoffman speak? Not impressive at all. I saw an interview on tv where he was sitting between Fred and Jeri Thompson and yowza, he looked like Wally Cox being coached by Jayne Meadows and Steve Allen. I can't believe so many big names of conservatism put their cred on the line for this guy, who admitted he wasn't even familiar with the issues and concerns of the district. Sheesh, nothing like saying you don't care who your candidate is, as long as he's checked off the right (pardon the pun) boxes. And btw, the Hello/Goodbye Award goes to NY-23's Bill Owens, elected on Tuesday, political sewage by Saturday night, when he voted for the health care bill after telling voters he wouldn't. Well, pundits are calling Nancy Pelosi a big winner because she bullied a health care bill that's already DOA in the Senate through the House. At insider politics, maybe she's a winner, but that's only over the short term. Nobody who leads her group to a 25% approval rating with the American public is a winner. Winner--Chris Christie. Christie likes to say he'll never be the smartest guy in the room, but I disagree. From the get-go, Christie knew what he had to do to win in NJ. Fortunately, the number of extreme right wingnuts in NJ can be fit on the head of a pin, although they did try to take him out in the primary by saying he "wasn't conservative enough" and by drawing the Corzine campaign a virtual roadmap of where and how to attack him. And when Sarah Palin resigned her governorship and Michael Steele said he thought she'd be of great help to Christie in NJ? Chris said no thanks and he was right. Palin would not have been helpful in NJ. While Corzine brought in the biggest gun of all, the POTUS, Christie brought in Rudy Giuliani and former NJ Governors Tom Kean and Christie Todd Whitman. What voters should watch out for in 2010--Faux independent candidates. There's a big question as to whether Chris Daggett was a legit independent in the NJ gubernatorial race, or whether he was backed by Democrats to keep Christie from getting voters who were disgruntled with Corzine. So be on the lookout for so-called indy candidates who fit the following profile (as Daggett did): 1) show up early in the race (and seemingly from nowhere) with an announcement that they've raised enough money to qualify for matching funds. 2) used to be affiliated with one of the major parties. Daggett billed himself as a former Republican who'd originally been appointed by Governor Tom Kean and had worked in the Reagan administration. All true--twenty years ago. However, Daggett's most recent government experience was as a Corzine appointee, and he voted for Barack Obama in last year's presidential race. We independents are on a roll--we're holding the key to the 2010 elections in the palms of our hands, but we have to stay alert and do the homework. Barack Obama got elected by managing to convince voters he was a moderate, when merely reviewing his record (in the US and Illinois Senates) would have shown us he's a far left, ideological liberal. When the term "running to the center" has disappeared from the language of punditry, we'll know we've done our jobs. Special closing note to far wing conservatives: You're wrong about running on conservative ideology. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's the economy. And jobs. And if by any chance you're successful in next year's election, and if by any chance you continue down the now decade-old path of misreading mandates, and decide to take your victories as a signal to force your own wingnut ideology on the country, just remember--we independents can kick your asses out of office, too. Any mandate you get will be for fiscal conservatism, period. Take it or leave it.

Still Quitting DWTS

2009-11-02T11:10:00.002-05:00

It's show day and yeah, I'm no more inclined to tune in tonight than I was after last week's results show. Sorry, but the stack-ranking PLUS a judges' save was just too much. With the stack-ranking, sure, the top scorers would have scored 8's thru 10's for individually judged dances, but the bottom three (not ironically the bottom three on the results show) would not have scored 2's, 3's, and 4's. Again, that creates a leaderboard gap the fans have zero chance of overcoming. All you can take from that is that the show doesn't want fan participation, so I'm happy to oblige. Now I don't have to set up the VCR on Mondays. That works for me, too.

DWTS: I'm Done

2009-10-27T22:04:00.003-04:00

I said I didn't like the mambo dance-off because having the opportunity to stack-rank the couples gave the judges an overwhelming advantage over fan votes and that's what it did. The judges buried one of (if not THE) biggest fan favorites of the season. Without the stack ranking from the mambo dance-off, the scores from the first dance did not create enough of a gap between the contestants to effect the results we saw tonight. As a viewer, I wanted to see Louie and Chelsie dance, I have little interest in watching Aaron Carter continue (or, for that matter, Donny Osmond). Plus, six weeks into this season I don't really find any of the couples exciting enough to get behind, and so--- and soooooo-- that's it for me.

Dancing With The Stars, Week 6

2009-10-27T08:59:00.002-04:00

I agreed with the judges a lot last night. What's up with THAT?????? I think they got the top of the leaderboard right--Joanna & Derek. And I have to admit Aaron Carter looked a lot less manic last night. As a matter of fact, I thought the character he created was really interesting and the only criticism I'd make is that there were noticeable moments during which the "rise and fall" of his waltz movement could have been smoother and more seamless. I also agree that it was an off night for Mya. Her performance was way too timid and prim for the jitterbug, and she was scored appropriately. Where I thought they got it wrong--I agree with Len about Michael Irvin's waltz. It was gentle and charming, and jmo but we're now to the point where Michael's being underscored based on past weeks. I didn't like the tango competition concept AT ALL. Here's why: it gave the judges an opportunity to create a huge gap on the leaderboard between their top scorers and the fan favorites, one that's almost insurmountable for the fans to bridge with their votes. That flies in the face of the show's original concept, where fans have the opportunity to "save" their favorites. And the show DOES use the word "favorites" (as opposed to "best") when giving its voting instructions. Adding insult to injury we learn that tonight the judges will get a "save". Here's what this likely means: If Aaron is in the bottom two again (for the THIRD week in a row) the judges will save him via the dance-off, and send one of the fan favorites (likely someone whose leaderboard score was already buried by the judges via the mambo contest) home. The "save Aaron, bury Michael and Louie" efforts were visible in the mambo competition, where Aaron was NOT better than Mark Dacascos or Donny Osmond, but scored better than both of them. And no way was Melissa worse than Kelly, who I like very much (and do believe has a lot more potential than Melissa). But come on, fair is fair, and it's getting past time for Kelly to step up and dance with abandon. As a viewer, I feel for her confidence issue, but I'm also getting frustrated that she's not making any strides toward reaching her potential. My prediction: Look for the judges to have things their way--to a point. Aaron will be saved by the judges (and may have received enough of a boost from the judges to escape the dance-off), but the fans will save Louie. On the block: Kelly (outside chance), Michael, and Melissa. Mark Ballas is the kind of pro who can make a difference in this type of situation. We saw that last season when he choreographed Shawn to a come from behind, closerthanthis win over Gilles. So I'd say of the contestants likeliest to find themselves in the dance-off, Melissa's probably in the best shape to avoid elimination--unless she finds herself in a dance-off against Aaron. Actually, if Aaron ends up in the dance-off, we may as well turn off our tvs at that point, because the judges are gonna save him, period.

Natalie, Gone...

2009-10-21T07:40:00.002-04:00

That was a shocker. I didn't even mention Natalie in my recap, mainly because it never occurred she could be at risk. If I had thought of it, I would have said she got the short straw when it came to music Monday night. Weird musical selection for a paso doble, and the couples don't get to choose their own music, so if any one factor is to blame for her elimination, maybe that. Darned shame--she has a lot of dance potential and would have kept working her heart out without any drama. Way too soon for her to be out. If Aaron doesn't get a new personality by next week, he'd better top the leaderboard or he's next to go. Last week he was bottom two with a judges' score of 18; this week he had a cushion of 24 points--a pretty good score--so now we know for sure he hasn't got much fan support. Plus, Michael Irvin's improving, so Aaron probably won't be able to count on Michael and Anna scoring any more 14's. Michael's challenge is his size--he's a big guy, not an uncoordinated one, and he's winning over viewers with his funny and kind disposition. Who's got the fans? I checked out votenumber1.com (accurate about 95% of the time) and it looks like Louie and Chelsea are the fan favorites by a lot. Makes sense, they have chemistry as a couple. If Louie had Apolo's feet this season might even be decided already, and if Louie improves his footwork, look out.

DWTS, Week Five: Dancing Cheek to Cheek

2009-10-20T08:47:00.003-04:00

I hope Michael Irvin gets to stay on. The "coin in the butt cheeks" had me laughing out loud; plus, he performed a very good paso. Endearing guy, and you gotta love his "I'm willing to do anything to improve" attitude. I also hope Joanna Krupa and Melissa Joan Hart don't come down with the flu. Maybe I was reading too much into Melissa's dance last night, but it seemed to me like she might have been weighing the wisdom of dancing cheek to cheek with Mark versus the health of her two small children. Well for once in his life Donny Osmond managed to come across like a guy instead of a self-pitying has-been child star and he danced a great tango. But to my eyes Mya's tango was beyond this world. I get that the judges will be tough on her because of the amount of dance training she's had--otoh, she takes nothing for granted, works really hard, and she's a nice young woman, so GO MYA!!!!!!!! The chemistry was back in force for Louie and Chelsea, so they should be safe tonight. I couldn't believe Aaron Carter trying to bet Louie that he could do a better flip. Donny Osmond ought to be paying Aaron, because as long as Aaron is on the show, Donny looks like a mature adult. Once Aaron goes, look for Donny's inner brat to take center stage. Kelly's really got to get a handle on her nerves. She definitely can dance but to me it looks like her best performances are still in the practice studio. I have no guess as to who'll be going tonight, but I bet Aaron Carter's in the bottom two again.

The Big Dirigible

2009-10-19T08:17:00.003-04:00

A few months ago I asked OTCA (outthecometsass@blogspot.com) about possible manifests for the Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune conjunction and she called it the "big dirigible". Now we have a news story with an actual dirigible involving the Heene family. Astrology works :D Government's also getting pumped up to something that could possibly explode right before our eyes. I mean, come on, a one thousand page health care bill? The government of California has already exploded and New Jersey may be next, especially if it re-elects an already failed governor in a few weeks. Chris Christie's a pretty big guy himself, but he's the candidate looking across the state line and saying he'll do what the Governor of Pennsylvania (a Democrat) did (create a business-friendly environment) to prevent more businesses from leaving NJ. Unfortunately, negative ads have voters so preoccupied with the Christie's body weight that nobody's listening. So here's how the race is shaping up: more big government or just a big governor? Plus, we have a possible epidemic (swine flu) on the horizon. Astrology works : ( I'd be interested to know if there's anyone out there who thinks Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune is playing out in a positive way for them.

Dancing With The Stars, Week Four

2009-10-13T08:24:00.002-04:00

Well, Carrie Anne told Aaron Carter the combination of trying too hard and showing too much emotional intensity could prevent viewers from finding him likable and jmo she may be right. Aaron could be the the one making a surprise departure tonight. Otoh, Louie's two-step was dreadful, but he IS likable and that may be enough to save him from elimination. The "like" factor doesn't last forever, though. We've all seen it before on DWTS--viewers will make the save for a couple of weeks, maybe three at most, then the hook will start catching the likable contestants who fail to deliver the goods. My favorite dance of the night: Derek and Joanna's lambada, followed by Dmitry and Mya's lambada. I love Mya already but imo she and Dmitry over-finessed the choreography, while the raw quality of Derek's interpretation was truer to the lambada and just right. The final move was over the top, but maybe that's why he and Joanna didn't top the leaderboard. Still, their score is probably enough to keep Joanna out of jeopardy and give her a chance to build a fanbase. I was very impressed with how well Melissa kept up with Mark's very fast-paced, intricate, charleston choreography. My prediction: Louie gets through. Bottom two will come from the trio of Aaron Carter, Michael Irvin, or Chuck Liddell.

President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T12:34:00.004-04:00

This will serve as an inspiration to speechwriters everywhere :D * * * * * Astrology: Transiting Jupiter retrogrades over Obama's ascendant, conferring upon him an award he was nominated for last February, mere days after assuming the presidency.

Dancing With The Stars, Week Three

2009-10-06T03:28:00.002-04:00

I hope Paula Abdul was in the audience as a possible replacement for Len. I know he's been ill, but his scores tonight were inexplicable. In all nine seasons I don't think I've ever seen a show where one judge's scores were so far out of line with the others. Len scored Mya on Dmitry's choreography, which he didn't like, and so ended up giving a phenomenal performance a "7". That's nuts. Ditto the "5" he gave to Louie Vito and Chelsea. I agree with the judges that Kelly's got to get back her confidence, because she dances very well. Natalie Coughlin--wow performance. Most improved--Melissa Joan Hart (and imo was a bit underscored). Possibly a bit overscored--Aaron Carter, Joanna Krupa. Aaron Carter looks a little wild-eyed when he dances. I dunno, maybe he does overperform and that's what I'm noticing, but he just seems a little "off" in a way that's distracting. For some reason, there are moments Louie and Chelsea remind me of Apolo and Julianne. Probably the chemistry. Some nights the musical selections are weird. This was one of them. * * * * * My husband and I started our classes tonight. Same teachers, different school, and, as it turns out, this class has been taking lessons together for a very long time (like, YEARS). Still, we managed to hang in. We worked on the foxtrot and the rumba.

Any Astrologers/Students Reading-In?

2009-10-05T00:55:00.004-04:00

I have a question. I'm looking at a natal chart that has Mars conjunct Chiron in Aries (aspect within minutes, it's THAT close), opposite Uranus rx in Libra. Unfortunately, no birth time on this chart, so we don't know what houses/areas of life this aspect is affecting. Any thoughts as to potential manifests or impact on the chart native? What interests me about this aspect is that Mars is in its own sign, but conjunct Chiron, which indicates there is some sort of impairment to what should be an ideal Mars placement. Normally, the opposition to Uranus would indicate (to me, anyway) that the chart native could be prone to outbursts, temper, etc., except Uranus is retrograde. So I'm thinking this could be someone who's either a) deceptively alpha or b) is keeping extra strength Tylenol in business during a tough economy. I'm stuck on those two, and there must be more possibilities, so any additional thoughts will be appreciated. Also, if you don't want to post an open comment, my email for this blog is ariespointkay@ymail.com.

Dancing With the Stars

2009-10-03T00:44:00.002-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I've been watching. My prediction: a woman will win for the fifth season in a row. I think Mya and Kelly Osbourne look really good starting out. The Osmonds have already proved their fanbase can only get them to third place, and Donny's waaaay more obnoxious than Marie ever was. Yes, he danced a very good jive, but he has one of the few female pros who's good at that particular dance--remember the insanely great jives Kym choreographed for Joey Fatone? Tom Delay's a pretty good dancer and imo he's been a bit underscored. If his foot injury doesn't do him in, he should only improve. I keep reading items about how everyone on the show really likes him. Go figure.

Obama and Chicago's Lost Olympic Bid

2009-10-03T00:39:00.002-04:00

Transiting Moon approaching transiting Uranus and opposing Obama's natal Mars, which is currently conjuncted by transiting Mercury. Bad news transit, and the failed Olympic bid wasn't the only bad news he received yesterday--unemployment up to 9.8%. On the plus side, he finally gave General McChrystal twenty five minutes of his time. Loved the Drudge headline on the Olympics story: The Ego Has Landed.

Another Merc Square Pluto Event?

2009-09-15T06:05:00.002-04:00

A note from Jacqueline Kennedy to Ethel Kennedy has surfaced, and there is some controversy over the details. The note turned up among the effects of a former employee of Ethel's. The son of the employee, assuming the note belonged to his father, sought to sell it at auction (value has been set at 25K). The Kennedys claim it belongs to Ethel, and ownership may become a matter for the courts to decide. But reading the news item put me in mind of the current Merc rx square Pluto. We have the possibility of a stolen communication, written over 40 years ago (rx). In addition, Jackie wrote the note to express sympathy over the death (Pluto) of Robert Kennedy. Also referencing yesterday's blog entry, there was another unexpected outburst at the men's final of the US Open. Roger Federer (of all people)--there couldn't be a nicer guy in all of sports, so to call this event a Uranian surprise is an understatement. Current pass of the Uranus-Saturn opp. and Merc square Pluto having some very potent and tangible manifests.

Outbursts and Stolen Moments

2009-09-14T10:59:00.003-04:00

Congressman Joe Wilson. Serena Williams. Kanye West. What's with the outbursts? President Obama, Kim Clijsters, and Taylor Swift would like to know. Me, too. Must be a transit. I'm guessing Uranus opposite Saturn for the outbursts of criticism, and Mercury square Pluto for the aggressive words and moments stolen from others. I'm also wondering about two stories within one week having to do with finding people behind walls. One, a little boy whose mother and grandmother were hiding him from his father (and custodial parent), and a second, more devastating find just this morning, as it appears the missing grad student from Yale has been found dead behind a wall in a campus lab. Wondering if these incidents might be attributable to Uranus (surprises, shocks) opposite Saturn (structure) as well? Like I said, just guessing. All I do know is that none of it's good.

Of Portuguese Water Dogs and A-holes

2009-08-30T11:02:00.002-04:00

I just saw a headline about how Senator Kennedy's Portuguese Water Dogs will be missed on Capitol Hill. Has the media finally hit bottom, like the Senator's car at Chappaquiddick? Somebody (mighta been my husband, mighta been a pundit) said if the Dems' health care bill is renamed the Edward M. Kennedy Healthcare Reform Bill to memorialize his life, the bridge at Chappaquiddick ought to be renamed the Mary Jo Kopechne Memorial Bridge. Yeah, I'm being harsh this morning, but I don't care. The amount and tone of media coverage of this funeral is a national disgrace. And it wasn't just the media and it wasn't just the pols. NOW, Emily's List and Planned Parenthood all demonstrated that our women's souls can be bought for the price of a vote by issuing gushing statements about the Senator. I mean, come on--this man committed CRIMES against women. Mary Jo Kopechne may have been the most famous of his victims, but she was not his only victim--just ask the waitress that EMK and Chris Dodd reportedly slammed down on a table at a DC restaurant in the early 1990s, with such force that glassware shattered and went flying. In a weird and unintended way, perhaps the author of that ridiculous article on how even the Senator's dogs will be missed has hit on the appropriate epitaph: Here lies Edward M. Kennedy, a man who treated dogs better than women. And to all those pols who were beside themselves eulogizing pearly gate scenarios where Ted is at long last reunited with Jack and Bobby--let's hope God gets it right, and that before Ted gets to toss back any green beers with his brothers, he has to answer for Mary Jo, something he was never called upon to do here on earth. Mary Jo Kopechne's mother has been quoted as saying she doesn't ever recall him saying he was sorry, and one of Kennedy's friends (!) has told a charming little anecdote about how Ted would ask if anyone had heard any good Chappaquiddick jokes lately. Today Rasmussen reports that given a chance, 57% of voters would replace Congress in its entirety. That number is entirely too low. Maybe by the 2010 elections more Americans will have gotten with the "kick the bums out" program. Toward that end, I suggest everyone take a few moments to google the name "John Farrar", a nearly anonymous American who happens to be the diver who recovered the body of Mary Jo Kopechne. John Farrar has spoken with clarity and professional expertise on the condition of Mary Jo's body, and what that meant in terms of describing her death. He believed so strongly that she died a slow and agonizing death of asphyxiation (not drowning) that he again recounted the facts on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Chappaquiddick. Very few people--including the grand jury that heard his testimony in 1969--have truly processed the account of John Farrar, and in the nearly 40 years that have passed we as a people have not become better listeners when it comes to our icons. The lesson of Ted Kennedy for the American people? We need to take our fingers out of our ears.

Notes: Dancing, the LuvGuv, Etc.

2009-08-19T04:26:00.002-04:00

My favorite show is Dancing With the Stars and boy have the producers ever gone off the deep end. Donny Osmond and Tom DeLay??????? Does anybody remember the Osmonds coming out of the woodwork when Marie was on DWTS? Cripes, they were everywhere! And during a previous season wasn't it Tom DeLay who sent out a letter asking everyone to vote for Sara Evans? Get ready for obnoxious shilling up the wahzoo this season. I don't even know if I can watch. My husband and I took a summer class that focused on three Latin dances and our regular class starts up at the end of September. Maybe I'll just take the hours I would have watched DWTS and put them toward extra practice. ********** Am I the only one who thinks Jenny Sanford is setting up her cheating husband for a winner-take-all divorce settlement? Don't get me wrong--the guy takes the grand prize not just for cheating but for insensitivity, and I have only admiration for SC's first lady. Seriously, Mark Sanford makes Rod Blagojevich look like a mischievous little munchkin. All I'm saying is that Jenny's public statements seem to be establishing a "state of the union" timeline. Almost two months after public disclosure of the affair, she's out of the Governor's mansion (with pics of the move) and telling Vogue "the ball's in his court." Translation: If there's a divorce, it'll be because HE wanted out to be with his mistress. Jenny does have a personal fortune to protect, and he sure doesn't deserve any of it, which is why I think she's making it real clear that if the marriage breaks up, it will be his fault alone. Governor Creepy will get to be with the object of his obsession, but that's all he'll get. That and child support payments, including college tuition, for four boys, and half interest in a main residence worth millions that can't be sold until the youngest is eighteen. I doubt Jenny's lawyers will let the court forget that for fourteen years of their twenty year marriage, Snarky Mark was earning a public servant's salary. Maybe the Guv and his Soulmate could make some extra cash doing their Argentine Tango on DWTS. Personally I'd rather see Rod Blagojevich in an Elvis wig dancing the jive, but whatever. ************** So let's see...now that DWTS has advanced into the arena of disgraced former politicians, who's next? Maureen Dowd dressed up like Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin dancing a foxtrot? Chris Matthews? Really, who could ever forget Chris Matthews trying to dance with Ellen DeGeneres? What started out as a dance ended up looking like an assault (Freud, anyone?). Nancy Pelosi partnered with Corky Ballas? Glenn Beck breaking out the liederhoesen for his freestyle?

MoJo the Helper Monkey Expands His Online Domain

2009-07-31T10:03:00.002-04:00

Having a busy summer here, so not too much time to post, but I did notice my little friend, MoJo the Helper Monkey, started a second blog dedicated to his travel experiences. http://www.mojovoyage.blogspot.com.

Cooking: Brats and Beer

2009-07-25T13:48:00.002-04:00

Looks like I forgot to include this in my summer posts. I found it in a Better Homes and Gardens grilling magazine a few years ago. It's a good one, gets lots of compliments, lots of requests for the recipe. Ingredients 4 fresh bratwurst (about 12 ounces total) 1 12 oz. can of beer 10 whole black peppercorns 1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings 1 tablespoon margarine or butter. 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seed 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 4 frankfurter buns, split and toasted Coarse-grain brown mustard Directions Prick the bratwurst in several places with a fork. Combine bratwurst, beer, and peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes or till bratwurst are no longer pink. Drain. Meanwhile, cook onion in margarine in a small skillet till tender. Add caraway seed and cook five minutes more. Stir in vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Grill bratwurst on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium-high coals for 3 to 5 minutes or till heated through and skins are golden, turning frequently. Serve bratwurst on buns with mustard. Spoon onion mixture over bratwurst. Or, preheat gas grill. Adjust heat for direct cooking. Place bratwurst on grill rack directly over medium-high heat. Grill uncovered as directed.

More Messages From the Universe

2009-07-19T16:22:00.002-04:00

Those who read-in here know my sister passed away in May, and since then I've had what I describe as messages from the universe--signs that she's nearby and tuned-in, so to speak. Well, last week I was thinking about her husband and children. Actually, I've been thinking about them all along, but this time I was thinking almost a couple of months had gone by and I hadn't heard from them. I was wondering if I should call them, and thinking maybe I shouldn't, or even couldn't. We were not close, my sister and I, not in age, or in lifestyle. We talked occasionally on the phone, and basically saw each other once a year after the Christmas holiday. Our kids are all grown up, so the two of us and our husbands would meet for a nice dinner. We took turns driving--one year my husband and I would drive up to their part of the state and the dinner would be at a restaurant of their choosing; next year, vice versa. That's not exactly a lot of contact, so I was thinking I didn't want to intrude on their mourning period. I decided to tell my sister--aloud--about this angst I was experiencing. I also told her I'd lost a lot of social confidence over the past several years, and though I wanted to be helpful to her family if I could, I knew they already had very good friends in their lives and in their community. Maybe the most they'd ever want was an annual exchange of Christmas cards. I told her I felt so uncertain about making the first contact that I needed them to be the ones to contact me. I'd say this was three, four, days ago. An hour or so ago I ran out real quick to the corner store, and when I returned there was a message on my answering machine from my brother-in-law. Like I've posted before--our loved ones leave the physical body but they don't leave us. Be receptive. Communicate. And oh yeah--give them a few days to respond :)

Solar Returns

2009-07-19T13:39:00.002-04:00

Mine's coming up shortly. I always take an advance look (like, months before...LOL) and have the Chiron/Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in House 6, right on the DSC. On my natal chart this big conjunction is transiting the 2nd house cusp. I have no idea what this means or what to expect. I remember OTCA calling the transit of Chiron/Jupiter/Neptune the big dirigible, and like all big dirigibles, it's just, well it's just way over my head :) If anyone's had the experience of Chiron/Jupiter/Neptune in manifest, I'd be interested to hear about it.

Yo, Smart People...

2009-07-18T10:44:00.007-04:00

Spent an hour laughing at reader comments to Sarah Palin's op-ed piece in the Washington Post. First, you know she wrote a good op-ed when there are THOUSANDS of responses from the brie-and-chablis crowd saying she couldn't have written it, that Bill Kristol must have written it, yadda yadda. One of my favorite comments from among this elite group came from someone who supported the "Palin couldn't have written it" premise by pointing to all the grammatical errors on the Governor's website. "Grammar alludes her and she doesn't know when to use periods." "Alludes" her? Don't you mean "eludes" her? But hey, you're one of the smart people, so I'm sure you're right about the appalling misuse of periods on her website. Another smart person who claimed to be a teacher abused his academic authority by stating that people ALWAYS write like they talk, period (no pun intended). Translation: the op-ed is well written (yet another concession), and so couldn't have been written by Palin because Palin is not well spoken. However, if this theory held water then people with speech impediments could never write well, neither could deaf people, and neither could people unable to speak at all. We would likewise be able to identify a writer as handicapped simply by reading their work. On the subject of written vs. extemporaneous speech, how about our PRESIDENT? Not only is he the nation's first offender when it comes to uhs, ums, and next-day clarifications of off-the-cuff misstatements, but the fact he even uses a teleprompter at press conferences suggests that his responses are pre-written whenever possible. Sorry, smart people, but he's using a teleprompter at press conferences because he AND HIS STAFF have prepared answers for questions they expect. Heck, over the past two weeks they've been accused of writing the freaking QUESTIONS. Most politicians employ writers, but the smart people would probably tell you when Barack Obama writes an op-ed, or when John Kerry wrote the op-ed to rebut Governor Palin's, eloquence flows from brain to keyboard. Their command of language is so pristine they do their own editing, too. Nobody checks them for grammar or punctuation. Barack Obama and John Kerry are so darned smart not even their facts need checking, right? Yah--and to quote the President--"uhhhhhhhh" huh. Speaking of fact-checking--and just because I want the so-called smart people to have a truly apoplectic weekend--Politifact fact checked Palin's op-ed. Guess what? She passed. With flying colors. And isn't it the facts that count?

Tarot: Five Card Layout

2009-07-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

I like this layout for specific questions. As always, I do not look to tarot for the answer to a question. I only use it as a starting point for contemplation. If I find an answer or solution within a layout, it's my belief the answer is something I already knew, deep within myself. The five cards are spread into a single row. 1st Card: Recent Past 2nd Card: Present Situation 3rd Card: Underlying Influences 4th Card: Advice 5th Card: Potential Outcome

Palin: The Week In Review

2009-07-11T09:45:00.002-04:00

The Doll in the Glass House Throws Stones--Palin is called "Caribou Barbie" by none other than...Plagiarist Barbie!* *Accessories for Plagiarist Barbie include Pulitzer Prize and toilet. Palin's critics challenge her figures on cost of ethics complaints to Alaskan taxpayers--yah, the figures were off by 1.41 percent. Hang her high. Levi Johnston says Palin quit to cash in--When Levi Johnston makes msm headlines you'd think it was a slow news week or something. It wasn't, yet there's his take, right alongside reports of the President at the G8 Summit and the Vatican. OMG, Levi Johnston SAYS... May we have an eyeroll please...

Palin: Independent Woman

2009-07-07T13:18:00.003-04:00

Check out the four Palin interviews, ten minute interviews she gave to Fox, CNN, NBC, and ABC. She says she'll be supporting candidates of ANY party who share her principles. What'd I post just a couple of days ago...that she'd be a rainmaker, and that the candidates she'd help wouldn't necessarily be Republicans. Seriously, people, could the Republicans have been any dumber in their response to Palin's resignation? Giving a hostile media headlines that question the wisdom of her decision, some even going so far as to join the "quitter" chant? Dumb, Dumb, DUMB. This stupid gang should have been defending that resignation, underscoring the expense of frivolous lawsuits and ethics claims to the taxpayers of Alaska, and pointing out the danger of political tactics that deter citizens, most especially middle class citizens, from entering public service in the future. Middle class citizens don't have half a million dollars to spend on legal defense against frivolous complaints. THESE are the things these dimwits should have been emphasizing. They are crucial issues to our country going forward, and what's more, they are UNIFYING issues to which middle class Americans can relate. Never doubt that Sarah Palin is a smart woman. Besieged, yes, dumb, no. Supporting candidates based on principle over party may very well be part of her core belief system. After all, she did make her name on bucking her own party, exposing some of them as liars and frauds, and she did initiate her administration as bi-partisan. So don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting she's disingenuous. But she is also one smart politician. Her interview comments prove it. Sarah Palin knows she's the crowd draw for the Republican Party (and at the moment the ONLY one). And its biggest money tree. Those interviews she gave yesterday reminded her so-called teammates of the way things are. And if her teammates aren't truly as dopey as they've been looking, they heard her. Look for the smartest ones among this dumb bunch to start defending her, albeit belatedly. Give extra points to the guys and gals who get out there TODAY.

Fourth of July Barbecue and the Current Events Discussion

2009-07-05T16:41:00.002-04:00

My sister-in-law has a great mother-in-law. Well traveled, interesting, in spite of some pretty serious health issues. Yesterday, at the picnic table where we were all congregated for a barbecue, she started rattling off current topics, kind of like a current events lightning round. Michael Jackson and the media coverage...check...the economic crisis...check...North Korean missile launches...check...everyone had an opportunity to weigh in. Then came the topic of Sarah Palin... "I can't stand her," my own mother-in-law immediately chimed in. "It doesn't matter whether we like her or don't," I shot back, "voted for her or not. What's important is that a middle class public servant has been battered with frivolous lawsuits, all proven baseless, and in the process accrued a half a million dollars of legal debt she can't afford. Everyone should care about this. This type of tactic affects the quality of future candidates and we should all say 'no' to the people who file these lawsuits for the purpose of driving others out of public service." And though I wasn't aware of it yesterday, this morning I've read Alaska's Lt. Governor Parnell, soon to be sworn in as Governor, assesses damage to Alaskan taxpayers as well, to the tune of two million bucks. During her press conference Palin also mentioned the attacks on her children, singling out her youngest, Trig. Last night during my net travels I learned anti-Palin bloggers have been having themselves a field day photoshopping pictures of Trig, a Downes Syndrome baby. For Pete's sake, people. Like Palin or not, vote for her or don't, but can we all agree that photoshopping pictures of a Downes Syndrome child crosses a line? And might we stand together long enough to agree the people who do these things are reprehensible and out of control?

Palin Quits? Hardly. She's Only Begun To Fight.

2009-07-04T07:57:00.002-04:00

Palin's detractors ought to put away the "quitter" label and shelve the insults. Palin's not running for president in 2012 and she's not running for Lisa Murkowski's senate seat, either. Here's my take on what she's going to do. She's 45 years old. Young. She's going to raise her kids and make money. Lots of it. Not just for herself. She's going to be a major rainmaker for the candidates of her choice, which may not necessarily be Republicans, so Repubs ought to mind their Sarah P's and Q's if they want to earn some space under the Palin Money Tree. Her future is so rich, both literally and figuratively, that those who are saying her career is over are going to look like idiots. Sarah's just bought herself the gift of time. Time to travel, time to study, time to learn, time to write books and articles, time for speaking engagements...the latter two for mega-fees. When she shows up to campaign/raise money for a pol, it'll be a big deal, and those pols will have to ante-up support when her detractors employ their smear tactics, because support from her own team is something she got precious little of over the past year. In fact, so little the Libertarian Party inner circle ought to be reaching out to her. I like Michael Steele, and I sure don't envy the civil war he's had to navigate since taking over the reins of the Republican National Committee, but yesterday, after that extremely nasty statement the Dems made regarding Palin's resignation, Steele should have wasted no time firing back a statement to remind the Dems that what's been "unprecedented" about Palin is the half mil she's had to put up to defend herself against lawsuits, every one of which has been proved specious. Palin didn't come to public service as a wealthy person. But she will be wealthy. And with the gift of time on her side she's going to re-emerge looking so sage, so polished, the same media that persecuted her will fear her. Why? Because Sarah has always been smart. She hasn't always been ready. Next time she'll be ready. Astrology on Sarah? I'll take a closer look but do know she's under some brutal transits right now. I would speculate she's feeling down right now, possibly depressed. But she's a true Aquarius, with an Aquarius stellium. That stellium has been and continues to be under siege by transit, but Aquarians are known for declaring their independence, for breaking free, and that's what she's done here, not so coincidentally on the eve of Independence Day. Depressed she might be, but make no mistake, she's also got big dreams, big plans, and today is the first day of the rest of her life. I'll try to blog within the next few days on her chart.

Something Good (for a change): The Williams Sisters

2009-07-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

Venus and Serena will be facing each other in the Wimbledon final on Saturday. Again. Big fan here. I love the Williams sisters. I love how they aren't sports machines. These women have full lives. Venus is an interior designer and Serena's a fashion designer. They're not afraid to walk away from tennis to focus on other aspects of their lives, whether it's their other careers or to grieve for a murdered sister, or to properly tend an injury. Then there's the talent. I'll never forget Serena at the Australian Open a few years ago. Coming off an injury, Serena arrived at the Open unseeded, intending to "work the rust off" her game. She ended up blowing through the seedings and winning the tournament. We never have to worry about the sister vs. sister aspect of their match-ups, either. Zero competitive issues, zero avoidance issues. They love each other. They WANT to play each other. And all we have to do is sit back and enjoy their fabulous, amazing tennis. Venus and Serena rock the casbah.

It's About The Kids: Jenny Sanford Gets It Right

2009-06-30T10:05:00.002-04:00

I wish I had astro data for the Sanfords, especially Jenny Sanford, whose response to her husband and his betrayal of their family has been pitch-perfect. This woman doesn't even ask for anything for herself, and that's saying something. Imagine what it must have been like to live her life for the past six months...you forgive a spouse an indiscretion, and he responds with never-ending pleas to see his mistress. Criminy, that must have been awful for her as a woman, yet Jenny put ego aside to fight for the character of her children. The message she's sending is so powerful. It's not about us. It's about our children and their tomorrows, their ability to invest trust into future relationships, and their ability to do right by their children. I'm not sure her husband gets that, even now, even after public exposure. And honestly, what's going on within their household would be none of our business, except by abandoning both his job and his family for five days, there's an overlap that's impossible to separate. If I were a citizen of South Carolina, I'd want him to resign, and complicated as this is, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to say that without making moral judgment. Here's my thinking: for five days this man's mistress was more important to him than his job, his marriage, his children. Government is, at essence, about people and families, so how does a guy who goes five days without even giving a thought to the consequences of his actions on his own kids sit in judgment on what's best for everyone else's? As for Jenny, well, it may not be much consolation, but consider this...since Jenny learned of her husband's infidelity last January, and withdrew her considerable professional support to focus on her children, this guy's career has been a nightmare of lost battles, including the biggie--the legal battle for the right to refuse stimulus monies. Maybe that's a message from the universe for the governor to consider--when he compromised his relationship with a brilliant and supportive mate, he began a downward spiral that wasn't limited to his personal household. That may be something for voters to consider as well. Without her, this guy may be nothing.

Notes

2009-06-24T06:08:00.002-04:00

My Saturn ruled chart is prone to delay, but my Moon in Scorpio does remember. June 20th was the 100th anniversary of Errol Flynn's birth. My favorite-ever actor and apparently I'm not alone. Over the weekend I did some searching on the web and the Flynn career stands the test of time with quite a number of web sites, blogs, and forums dedicated to him. His daughter, Rory Flynn, a still photographer and mom of Zoey 101's Sean Flynn, has a site on the web and recently attended a 100th birthday celebration in honor of her famous Dad in his birth place of Tasmania. * * * * * A lot of people are unhappy with Chris Brown's sentence in the felony assault of Rihanna. I disagree. The sentence of five years probation and 1,400 hours of service is consistent with what other offenders in the LA area have received. His community service will consist of cleaning grafitti and cleaning trash off roads and highways. Most important, this sentence will keep the focus on domestic violence for a long, long time. And because the judge also imposed a "stay-away" order on both Brown and Rihanna, there won't be any more orchestrated meetings at basketball games or anywhere else, so their PR people won't be able to spin this back into a love story. High-five to the judge. * * * * * I don't watch Jon & Kate + 8 and have to admit I was astonished this morning to see a poll that has 61% in sympathy with Jon. I'm astonished because what's been playing out in the media makes him look like a guy who's left no stone unturned in finding ways to make a public display of how much he hates the mother of his children. He also brought his "friend", the 23 year old third grade teacher, home to sunbathe in her bikini on the lawn where his kids play while his wife wasn't home. And of the two (Kate and Jon), Kate's not the one saying how "proud" she is of any element of their break-up, and btw--earth to Jon--refusing to speak to your wife is NOT standing up to her, so at some point during your second adolescence you'll still need to grow a spine, or the next person to use your back as her personal treadmill will be the 23 year old schoolteacher. You've gotta hand it to the guy for consistency, though. He sure does have a knack for finding women who know how to manage kids. Freud, anyone? * * * * *

More Messages From the Universe

2009-06-18T22:49:00.002-04:00

This morning I received a comment to my blog entry titled "My Sister Passed Away". Very kind condolence comment which referred to my seeing wisteria (my sister's favorite flower) for sale outside the supermarket. This got me thinking about the wisteria again, specifically whether I should have bought one that day. A short time later I got out my tarot deck to draw a daily card. I should probably mention again I'm not psychic and I use tarot as a prompt, a jumping off point for contemplation. So I go through my daily routine, riffle nine times, shuffle nine times, and whichever card ends up on top is the daily draw. For years I used the Mythic Deck as my primary reading deck, but January 1st of this year I switched to the Goddess Deck. Have no idea why, but stayed with it. Still, even after six months I'm not as familiar with the symbolism and author interpretations, so I've always got the deck author's (Kris Waldherr) book next to me, and I always look up the card and review her card descriptions/interpretations as part of my process (and to learn the deck). And so...today I drew the Six of Cups and looked it up in the book. Here's Waldherr's description of the card: "In a dream, the woman sees the tide rise around six generously proportioned cups. Pulled by the moon's gravity, salt water floods around three cups. The remaining three rest upon an entry way to a thatched cottage full of memories and hopes of the past. These cups are filled with wisteria as a sacred offering to Venus, who brings forth flowers from the earth--symbolizing the rejuvenative aspects of the Divine Feminine." (end of book excerpt) I kid you not. That's the card I drew. But with Saturnian caution I looked through every card in the deck to see whether wisteria is a recurring symbolism. Nope. This was the ONLY card in a 76 card deck that referenced wisteria. Obviously I want to thank the person who sent me the kind comment. Like you, and like Mandelay (who also commented to the blog entry), I'm such a believer that spirit remains, does reach out, and can connect with us if we are receptive. I don't know if you've visited my blog before, but I hope you will again. I feel like you gave me yet another opportunity to make a connection with my sister. These events are so comforting and reassuring as to what happens after we leave the physical body, which is why I'm responding with a new blog entry instead of in the comments section--it's another opportunity to encourage people to be receptive after they've experienced a loss. Our loved ones leave the physical body but they don't leave us.

the aries point...one year old today

2009-06-14T19:38:00.005-04:00

One year ago today I started this blog. I'm not a stat person, but one thing that jumps out at me is while my posting schedule was erratic, it all came out in the wash--39 posts from June 2008 through December, and 39 posts from January 2009 through yesterday. I was prepared to treat the blog like a journal and figured I'd be talking to myself in a vacuum. What surprised me so much was when people showed up. Still does. I get such a kick that with blogging you can be sending out messages into cyberspace almost like messages in a bottle out into the ocean, and then, suddenly, wow, people! I get such a kick out of that. I've noticed traffic is transient. Stands to reason since I do break the numero uno rule of blogging by bunching all my interests on one blog. I couldn't even imagine trying to keep up separate blogs for my various interests, so that won't change going forward. So the people who like to talk about politics are not the same people who trial-watched with me. So far no one shares my interest in cooking or tarot. I haven't blogged much on gardening--my bad but 'tis the season so maybe soon. One other "stat" and I think it's a pretty nice one. When I was setting up the blog I decided on using the "moderate comments" feature because kids could be reading-in, and as we all know, sometimes people say stuff. But you know what? Of all the comments made to this blog, I haven't had to reject a single one. Everyone who's shared thoughts here has been nice. The only comments I didn't publish were from people who asked me not to for reasons of their own. I always respected that request and will continue to do so. Anyway, after a year I find I really enjoy blogging, and so wanted to note the day.

Transiting Mars and Birth Chart Rectification (Mine)

2009-06-11T23:29:00.004-04:00

There's a 38 minute discrepancy between the birth time on my birth certificate and what Mom said. As I am very careful about clarifying, I'm an astrology enthusiast, not an astrologer, and it's been a long time project of mine to try to rectify my birth chart. A couple of years ago I thought I'd made a big leap of progress when transiting Mars went retrograde near the vicinity of my IC (fourth house cusp). The fourth house rules the concept of foundations, including issues pertaining to our actual home. Mars is fire. Mars initiates. Mars can be aggressive. And over a few days' time I noticed a rush of Mars-like activity. The pilot light on our furnace went out. The igniter on our clothes dryer had to be replaced. And one morning before dawn, I hopped in the car and took a quick ride to our neighborhood convenience store to buy milk, because I knew we'd need some for breakfast. Okay, I was really thinking milk for coffee, but that's not relevant to my story. I thought nothing of leaving my house before daylight. I feel safe in my home, safe on my street, safe in my car, and safe at the neighborhood convenience store. So I buy the milk and head back home. I pull into my driveway and I'm halfway up the walk to my house when I notice that a car (with lights out) had pulled into my driveway behind me and was in the process turning around. It was only then I realized I must have been followed home. Had never noticed him in my rear view mirror on the ride home, maybe because his car lights were turned off. In retrospect I guess he could have been lurking in the lot at the convenience store looking to victimize someone coming off a night shift. As to the reason he belatedly decided I wasn't the right victim? Two things. I live on a dead-end street, so he saw it wasn't going to be an easy exit. Nobody who's trying to make a fast getaway from the scene of his crime wants to have to make a K-turn. Second, I'd left a couple of lamps in my house switched on, so he probably wasn't willing to take the risk he'd have to confront more than just me inside the house (and there were other family members inside but they were asleep). (End of Mars as aggressor anecdote) I don't know whether an astrology book, article, or online post caused me to connect these incidents with Mars and the fourth house cusp but I did. The activity seemed so pronounced and the incidents occurred in such quick succession, I figured Mars must have gone retrograde either exactly conjunct the cusp or within a degree or two on the approach. I've been using a chart with a rising sign degree determined by that approximation ever since. Flash forward to the present. During the past week, I was vaguely aware transiting Mars was approaching my IC. Then, last night, I get into a tense exchange of words with my husband. Those are rare. To be even more specific about the details, I'd asked my husband a question and he reacted defensively. Natal Mars is in my 7th and that's a defensive placement for Mars, but my point is that my husband's hairtrigger reaction to my question was uncharacteristic. Then, today, TODAY, I'm posting in a thread at a forum I like. It was a debate style discussion, no doubt about that, but I'd made what I thought was a fairly innocuous response to another poster's reply to one of my posts. Next thing I know this person is ripping up on me like you wouldn't believe. So I'm just staring at this post, dumbstruck, when suddenly I remember Mars is approaching my fourth house cusp, the almost-argument with my husband the night before, and I just burst out laughing. It's not like me to be that insensitive to a fellow poster's obvious unhappiness (and to call her unhappy is putting it mildly), but truth to tell, that poster's attack was so loaded with vitriol I didn't feel too badly. And to be really, really honest, I felt even better when I quickly checked the exact degree I'd set my IC at two years ago, because the position of transiting Mars today was dead on it. I mean within twenty minutes. So all I could think was that I'd done it. Even though it had taken me years (remember I'm Saturn-ruled and remember Saturn and delays...LOL), I'd correctly rectified my chart and I'd done it myself! Mars bars all around! The exchanges of last night and today have me mulling another question. I'd say even though my husband reacted defensively, I asked him a question I knew he wouldn't like, so I "initiated" that conflict. Today, I wrote a post that set someone off in a much bigger way, but that reaction seemed to come out of nowhere, and attributable to nothing I'd said. So in that situation I'd say the other poster initiated the conflict. This has me thinking. Transiting energies influencing a chart can either be expressed by the chart native, or experienced by the chart native. From the inside-out OR the outside-in. Qualities we can either project as an aspect of personality OR have projected on to us. Does this also hold true of our natal charts? Do they represent the qualities we are likely to possess, the qualities and experiences we are likely to encounter, or both?

Hillary One Year Later: Phoenix Rising

2009-06-07T09:19:00.003-04:00

Just one short year ago Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic Presidential Nomination to Barack Obama. In my previous blogpost on Caroline Kennedy I talked about Saturn transiting Caroline's 9th. Hillary had Saturn transiting her 9th house as she sought the nomination. The 9th rules politics, Saturn poses obstacles. But resolution is often achieved when Saturn crosses the midheaven and into its natural home on the zodiac, the 10th house. Look at Hillary now as Saturn transits her 10th. Widely acclaimed as Barack Obama's finest cabinet pick, Secretary of State Clinton commands all the respect and authority Saturn can bestow. Still, the title of this article mentions the Phoenix, a Scorpio association, and with Ascendant, Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Chiron there, Hillary's the Scorpio poster girl. And at the age of sixty-one, she's seen every Scorpio theme in just about every manifestation you could conjure up. The ones that interest me most as we observe the anniversary of Hillary's concession speech are betrayal and retribution, because along the way to defeat, Hillary experienced political betrayal many times over. I myself have a Scorpio Moon, and probably for that reason end up knowing and talking with a lot of Pluto/Scorp types. Inevitably topics of betrayal and retribution come up. I always know who the "evolved" Scorpios are. They're the ones who say they never even think about payback--payback takes care of itself without them ever having to do a thing. This is often true and it's been true for Hillary. Remember what she told us during those early speeches after she conceded the nomination and immediately began campaigning for the candidate who defeated her: "You didn't think this was about me, did you?" Essence is another Scorpio theme. Essence, what lies beneath, what's really important, and to use her own words, Hillary simply "rolled up her sleeves and went to work" without ever looking back. Hillary worked harder for the election of Barack Obama than any other former campaign rival had in the history of our country. Payback took care of itself. Let's take a look at some of the famous names who either betrayed Hillary or worked overtime to vanquish her. As I tick off the names, think about how these folks are faring one year later, while Hillary the Phoenix continues to rise. And feel free to add on any names I've missed. Maureen Dowd--recently the subject of a plagiarism scandal. Howard Dean--passed over for HHS Secretary not once but twice. Nancy Pelosi--will probably have the CIA on her back evermore, after accusing them of lying to Congress. John Edwards--political career destroyed. Bill Richardson--wanted Secretary of State (the position Hill got) but would have settled for Commerce Secretary...had to withdraw due to pending corruption scandal. Chris Matthews--had he not made a misogynistic clown out of himself bashing Hillary, would have inherited the hosting duties of Meet the Press in a walk following the death of Tim Russert. Instead, he's still languishing on cable with ratings that don't even rise to the bottom of the cable rankings. And his other goal of possibly challenging for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania? According to reports he feared backlash from women too much to even make the attempt. Caroline Kennedy--withdrew her name from consideration for appointment to Hillary's Senate seat. Exposed in interviews as a verbal stumblebum and her once pristine reputation is now tarred by rumors of an extramarital affair. Scorp/Pluto types who still get hung up with issues of betrayal and retribution should take a lesson from Madame Phoenix. Move on, focus on what's truly important, and be too busy and successful to even notice that the universe is providing the payback.

Caroline?

2009-06-01T21:51:00.047-04:00

Caroline? was the title of a TV movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist. The title character is a young girl whose wealthy family believed she'd been killed in a plane crash many years before. As the movie begins, Zimbalist shows up, claiming to be the long lost Caroline. To make a two hour story short, she isn't, but by the end of the movie it's apparent she has gifts of her own to share. Seeking an entitlement to which you have no claim takes some hubris, a quality that could well describe a much more famous Caroline's grab for Hillary Clinton's senate seat earlier this year. Caroline Kennedy seemed to think Clinton supporters either wouldn't care or wouldn't remember that mere months before she'd delivered a public and devastating blow to Hillary's presidential campaign. Adding gall to hubris, Caroline began her campaign for the appointment with a "listening tour" in upstate New York, just as Hillary had done in 2000. As it turned out, not only did Clinton voters object; established politicos in the New York State Democratic delegation, who hoped to be appointed themselves, refused to part like the Red Sea before Moses so the Princess of Camelot could pass through. Instead, they held their ground. Caroline withdrew--literally and figuratively. How'd it all happen? And what happens next? Caroline Kennedy: 11/27/57. 8:15 a.m. New York, NY. The natal chart tells much about Caroline's early life, and much about the public's perception of her. Her 12th house Sun is squared by Pluto in the 8th, which may indicate the boundary between her ability to self-define and her family legacy was blurred by her father's death. The Sun gives an indication of how someone perceives him/herself, and both Pluto and the 8th house hold rulership over concepts of death, power, and inheritance. Certainly in Caroline's case there is enough manifest evidence for fair speculation that she may view her entire life as inherently connected to and perhaps even defined by the death of her father. Even a quick examination of the most mundane elements--her birth date and his date of death--supports this possibility. JFK died less than a week before Caroline's sixth birthday. Every birthday since has been overshadowed by publicity that commemorates the anniversary of her father's death. This was also true of her brother, born 11/25/60, and who also had the Sun square Pluto aspect. Caroline's natal Moon conjuncts Chiron in the 2nd house. Moon/Chiron is in Aquarius, ruled by Uranus, with natal Uranus opposing from the 8th. Uranus rules aircraft. With this aspect we see evidence of another sudden death, the death of her brother in a plane crash. Clearly she bears emotional wounds from the sudden deaths of loved ones. Since the moon can also represent the mother--especially a child's perception of his/her mother--it seems likely Caroline observed changes in her mother after her father's death. It's also possible the unexpected loss of husband/father changed the dynamic of their mother-daughter relationship. The moon fluctuates, and when a parent dies, it's possible for a child to experience fluctuation as the surviving parent juggles both the mother and father roles. A look at Caroline's 10th house speaks volumes about public perception. Both natal Jupiter and natal Neptune reside in the 10th, and that repeats the energies influencing Caroline's Sun, which is in Saggitarius (ruler Jupiter) in the 12th house (natural ruler Neptune). Neptune is sometimes found in the 10th houses of people who are in some way idolized or idealized, and there is no doubt that as a Kennedy, Caroline represents the closest thing we have to American royalty. Jupiter in the 10th indicates the public regard she enjoys owes to good fortune. How could Caroline expect an appointment to the Senate seat of a politician whose hopes she'd so recently damaged? A significant part of the answer is here in the 10th house. For the sense of entitlement, we--the public who did the idealizing--must shoulder our share of the blame, because this woman has never known anything other than our absolute, unconditional approval. Natal Venus is in first house Capricorn. Not the most comfortable sign for Venus, but indicative of the arm's distance Caroline has kept between herself and others. She is known to be reserved, private, and not easily approachable. Difficult to speculate on how this plays out in the personal relationships of someone as private as Caroline, so without trying to go for too much on too little manifest evidence, I would guess at the very least her relationships are structured, prioritized. Possibly the kind of structure you would expect of someone in her position--for example, maybe the true intimates, the social friends, the political friends, and so on, comprise a distinct hierarchy. There's a square between Venus and Jupiter in the 10th, so she may feel she inherited a position in life (Jupiter in the 10th) that puts constraints (Capricorn) on her relationships (Venus), but views them as necessary and with good reason. Last year when she unexpectedly came forward to endorse Barack Obama--after she'd made the maximum contribution to Hillary Clinton's campaign--Caroline was experiencing her Chiron Return. Remember, Caroline's Chiron conjuncts natal Moon and opposes Uranus. Uranus accounts for the unexpected nature of her endorsement. She continued to take an active role in the Obama campaign by campaigning for him during the primaries, then accepted the role of vetting vice-presidential candidates. Then, after Obama's election and his appointment of Hillary as Secretary of State, came Caroline's announcement of interest in the senate seat. Reportedly, she had reached that place where her children were older and she was thinking about what to do with the rest of her life. And don't forget Caroline's birthdays. They're important, too. Having passed the age of fifty, every birthday could be depended upon to bring a rash of anecdotes, newspaper and magazine articles, and even after all those years the occasional publication of a book--about her father's life. Caroline's Chiron Return signified a crossroad that may have caused her to contemplate not only the next phase of life, but perhaps "who" the next phase of her life was going to represent. When she declared her interest in the senate appointment, it became clear she wanted something of her own, something that went beyond stewardship over a family legacy. But with 12th house Sun square Pluto there is the boundary issue, and so in seeking an identity for her "self", Caroline succumbed to the natal knee-jerk of the square and attempted to use her family legacy as springboard. She then failed a second time to create a clear distinction between self and a predecessor. After the power of her family name didn't produce the formula for instant appointment, she sought to identify her "self" with Hillary by emulating Hillary's "listening tour" of 2000. But Hillary's tour had been in conjunction with an upcoming election, where voters had an opportunity to respond to her candidacy in the voting booth. Both women are licensed attorneys, but only Hillary ever practiced law. Still, Caroline set out in Hillary's footsteps as though entitled to the path. It may not be a coincidence that Hillary's chart ruler is Pluto--in addition to Hillary's Scorpio ascendant, she's got Sun, Venus, Mercury and Chiron there. In confused (12th house) pursuit of something for her "self" (Sun), Caroline again turned to Pluto as a power source and became caught in the trap of the square bigtime. Pluto not only rules concepts of power, inheritance, and death, it rules destruction, and in this case Caroline sought to identify herself with someone whose presidential hopes she'd helped to destroy. And perhaps for the first time in her life, she heard a collective "no" in response, and a humiliating, degrading "no" at that. By the time she withdrew, her image had been tarnished by rumors that an extramarital affair had turned up in vetting. Pluto also rules sex. She encountered other problems as well. Her previous image included a legacy of quickness and wit from both father and mother, but Caroline has Mercury and Saturn in wide conjunct on either side of the Ascendant. As we now know, in the absence of prepared text her own speech is halting and heavily handicapped by "ums, uhs, and you knows". This doesn't mean Caroline lacks wit or humor, but more likely it is the wry, understated humor of Saturn, which tends to color an ascendant with its own qualities. Not even the jovial, outgoing nature of Saggitarius/Jupiter (Caroline's rising sign and chart ruler) is immune from the effect of Saturn in close proximity to the ascendant. Another problem may have come from natal Mars, which is conjunct Caroline's North Node and sits at the apex of a t-square between the Moon/Chiron-Uranus opposition. This aspect configuration suggests a couple of possibilities that may have been borne out by manifest evidence--problems with men. There was not only the rumor of an extramarital affair, but also the eventual clash with a member of the Governor's staff, who wasted no time floating the affair rumor after one of Caroline's advisors made the mistake of suggesting the Governor had been "just about to select her" when she withdrew her name from consideration. Bad move. Bad, bad move, since it instantly characterized whoever he selected as a second choice. And Caroline paid a price for it. The energies involved in the t-square also suggest she may be temperamental, but since there is no manifest evidence to support that, it can only be mentioned as a possibility and nothing more. It's possible her brief foray into politics occurred as a result of an attempt to resolve a North Node issue. Her Mars/NN conjunction as the stress point within a t-square tends to build upon a chart theme extending to issues of "self-worth" and "self-assertion". The Chiron return pushing at the 2nd house (Moon/Chiron) leg of the t-square may have served as catalyst. I haven't studied progressions too much, but took a quick look at Caroline's and notice her progressed Moon and Mercury have been under stress from transiting Pluto. She also has one transit to natal that jumped out at me and that's the transit of Saturn through her 9th house. The 9th house rules politics. Saturn presents obstacles, and we can say with certainty that Caroline's attempt to enter politics was fraught with them. We haven't even begun to discuss the problems she encountered among women, though I'm about to get to that shortly :) There is something Saturn in the 9th is great for and that's publication. The 9th rules publishing and Saturn can give form and structure to thoughts and ideas. Caroline's co-authored books in the past, but what might have helped her as a pre-amble to entering public life would have been a book about herself and her experience of living within a dynasty, of enormous gifts and unimaginable loss--perhaps something similar to Barack Obama's two books about the life experiences that shaped him as a person. The trouble is, Caroline has been so inhibited and constrained that a public sharing of her thoughts about her life may be beyond the potential of her chart. But even if she had written such a book for her own benefit, what might have come to light for her own private contemplation were some of the difficult themes she's now had to encounter in such a public, embarrassing way. Saturn can also signify delays, and because it's still transiting Caroline's 9th, I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm not sure she's finished with politics or public life. I've seen Saturn transits cause difficulty with 9th house matters, only to resolve once it crosses the midheaven. There's something else that makes me think there could be a comeback in Caroline's future, and it has nothing to do with astrology. Caroline experienced enormous backlash from women, myself included. Not so much when she endorsed Barack over Hillary--we are all free to choose our candidates. But when she tried to jump the line for Hillary's senate seat, ahead of much more qualified candidates, she encountered an avalanche of disapproval from women. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the comments section of the New Agenda blog. But here's the interesting thing: now, months later, Caroline has re-emerged to announce Sheila Bair and Brooksley Born as recipients of the Profiles in Courage Award. What's so significant about that, you may ask. Only that Sheila Bair and Brooksley Born have been profiled frequently on the New Agenda blog as the wise financial minds they are, for raising the red flag on the very economic indicators that led to our current woes. Over a period of years, Bair and Born encountered bullying from either Larry Summers, Timothy Geithner, or both, but suffice it to say their warnings were blown off by the boys' club. Anyway, when I read about Caroline giving them Profiles in Courage Awards, my eyes nearly jumped out of my head. My first thought was that she's been reading the New Agenda blog, belatedly (remember Saturn and delays) realized she has problems with women and wants to repair the damage. Great move on Caroline's part, though of course the important thing is that Bair and Born richly deserve the recognition. But that's what has me thinking Caroline may not be done with politics just yet. We'll just have to wait and see :)

My Sister Passed Away

2009-05-24T03:54:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday, 5/17, a few minutes after 8 am, EST. There were no viewings. My niece said they'd essentially been viewing her for two weeks and I agree with that. Our mother held a strong conviction that ceremonial mourning should be brief and I guess that made an impression on both of us. My brother in law told me something I hadn't known, that my sister had specified cremation. He and the kids plan to make a trip to a historic beach community my sister had always loved to scatter her ashes. I not only agree with that, I think it's perfect. She had so loved this little community that the protagonist of her book owned a little Victorian farmhouse much like the Victorian houses the community is known for. And so--perfect. Ever since our parents passed I've always believed the presence of spirit remains. Not only remains, but makes itself known and most especially so in the days that follow the passing. This proved true once again, at least for me, which is why I mention and encourage everyone to be receptive to the possibility that loved ones they think they've lost will try to reach out to them. I have a small home business. Monday morning, when I logged online to place my customer orders, the first thing I saw was my sister's name. She'd placed a direct delivery order a week before she was stricken. What was significant was the timing. She liked one product in the line I sell. That product lasts months and so she didn't order very often, maybe a couple of times a year. As I may have mentioned in previous blogposts, my Venus/Jupiter conjunction in 5th house Gemini likes to go to the casino. I also play the lottery. So Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, I bought a two dollar scratch-off at the neighborhood convenience store. Forty dollar winner. Rather than leave it in my purse and maybe lose it (my purse is huge and always a mess) I went back into the store and cashed in. I decided to play five dollars of my winnings on a five dollar game. I've never played a five dollar game but the forty I'd just won was like found money so what the heck. Hundred dollar winner. Two out of two for a hundred and forty bucks. Thursday or Friday I log on to my blog and find my friend OTCA nominated my blog for an award. What meant so much to me is that someone I like and think a lot of thinks I have something to share. Last, I go to the supermarket, and they're selling wisteria, my sister's favorite flower. She so loved wisteria she made it her protagonist's favorite, too. I have never, EVER, seen wisteria sold at the supermarket before, and there it was right next to the front door. Our loved ones leave the physical body but they don't leave us.

Notes: Posting a little, DWTS

2009-05-13T13:55:00.003-04:00

Trying to move my mind to other things, at least for a little while today. I've already been over to HCF (Hillary Clinton Forum: Seeking Common Ground) and responded to a few posts. Getting some laundry done and puttering around the house, basically clearing away a little clutter. Nothing too much. Just trying. After last night we now know who the DWTS finalists are: Gilles, Shawn, Melissa. My voting MO for DWTS is that if there are finalists with dance backgrounds and finalists without, I vote for a couple that had farther to go on the learning curve, so I won't be voting Melissa unless both Shawn and Gilles totally tank next week. My one caveat is that I think the winner should be someone who dances well in the final, so I have parted with my MO, but only once, when I voted Mel B. over Helio, who performed a jive that resembled Ty's nervous first week cha cha. Speaking of Ty, I wish he'd made the final. I don't think any of the final five should have had to compete against Melissa from the point at which they performed a team dance and she didn't. But whatever. Water under the bridge. I've been dividing my votes between Shawn and Gilles all along (and earlier on was also giving votes to Ty and DAG), so I'm glad they're in. I'll only vote for one in the final, though. It's hard to vote against Gilles. He fits my voting profile to a "T"--he's the best dancer who doesn't have any dance background, plus he's a nice man. He's also paired with one of my favorite pros. But so far I'm leaning Shawn's way, because I think Mark had the greater challenge being paired with an underage pro and week after week having to come up with choreographies he's called "age-appropriate." In Ballroom/Latin, where the man-woman connection is key to so many of the dances, that was no small matter, and Mark's choreographies for Shawn have been pitch perfect. That's it. So far, Shawn, though if Gilles and Cheryl come out and perform like they did this week, that could be the game-changer for me.