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Commitment Ceremonies 101
September 22, 2011
Commitment ceremonies: how do you do them? Particularly - how do you explain the idea to family?
My partner and I have been together for just over five years, with the relationship being open (I'm queer and occasionally see other women; he's working on seeing other women too) for the last two. It's been working great so far and we're in it for the long haul.
Recently we've been talking about having some sort of party or ceremony to recognise the journey we've been on, the deep love and companionship we hold for each other, and to celebrate that with the people we care for the most. (Personally I feel that people make an effort to show up to weddings rather than other social events!) However, the idea of marriage/a wedding gives us the heebee-jeebees. His parents are divorced, which has tainted the idea of marriage for him; I find issues with the assumption of exclusive commitment.
We thought about possibly having a commitment ceremony - essentially like a wedding, but without the legal marriage paperwork. While we both like the idea, we're stuck on how to explain it to our families (really, mine, since they're from a more traditional Asian culture; his is pretty liberal). I tried to ask my aunt about it as a test and she replied "How do you have a wedding without the registration? That's not a wedding!"
We live in an area that has de facto laws, so technically we don't even really need to legally marry to get most benefits since we're de facto already. Trying to explain that to said aunt was a little confusing though; she was wondering about how I wouldn't be so sure that he wouldn't cheat on me or run away with the house and all that. (I'm very sure he wouldn't!) And to be honest we're still a little confused ourselves, especially as it relates to visas (I'm applying for Permanent Residency and we were wondering whether a visa based on marriage makes it easier since my app's been in limbo for yonks).
People love him, my family adore him and keep asking when we'll get married, if we did get married we'd probably get "ABOUT TIME" as a response. Yet I don't really want to have to stand in front of my family and go "the reason we're not exclusive is because I am a lesbian whose love of my life happens to be a man, and we've both found that you can be dedicated and committed to each other without needing to limit the sex to each other. Oops, TMI!" I want the celebration, I want my loved ones to be there with us, I want the recognition and validation - I just don't want the hassle.
Have you made it work? How did you get around traditional/conservative ideas of relationships? How do you deal with possibly disappointing your father because he's not going to "give you away", or with confusing everyone because there's no paper to sign? Is there a way to keep everyone happy?
(I feel quite a few people would say "just do what you want to do, screw family"; however, for me, commitment ceremonies of any kind have always had family as a major factor - a blending of families and cultures, in our case. I would like to respect them while also keeping true to ourselves.)
posted by
Human Relations
(29 answers total)
1 user marked this as a favorite
(just idly - do you
to tell your family that you sometimes see other people? When I've been in a see-other-people situation, only my friends know. What about just saying that you
a commitment ceremony rather than a wedding because it's right for you? You'll probably get all kinds of pushback; I often blame my actions on my friends and social circle - "that's just what we crazy kids do now!")
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
2 favorites
Aren't Wiccan handfasting ceremonies based on the concept of committing for "a year and a day" -- at which time you reevaluate and repledge? (Apologies if I'm mixing it all up; I'm not very familiar with it.) It may not be a tradition you follow yourself, but it's a concept that sounds somewhat applicable to your situation.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
Frowner: I probably don't need to be
explicit, but I do need an answer for "why not register a marriage?". I get enough annoying questions as it is! If I could figure out a good way to explain what "de facto" meant without confusing everyone that could help. ("we're legal already! now the party!")
posted by
on September 22, 2011
We did the legal part of our marriage at the courthouse with no family, and the spiritual/family/community/celebration part with guests and witnesses, a la traditional wedding. Both of us felt that the part that makes our union "real" is our commitment to each other, and sharing that commitment and asking for the support of our loved ones. We did the legal part as well because we wanted the legal benefits of marriage, but in my mind those things are not what makes our marriage real. I think in an ideal world, every couple who wants to could have a civil union, with all its benefits, and the parts of marriage that are about family, community, and/or spirituality would take place separate from anything governmental. (end tangent)
We put a note in the printed event program to explain our reasons for keeping the two separate, but practically no one even noticed that nothing legal happened at our ceremony. Why not just have your commitment ceremony, let people call it a wedding if they want to (call it a wedding if YOU want to!) and keep calling each other "partner"?
Seconding that your sex lives are none of anyone else's business.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
"We live in a state that just assumes you're married after X years and gives you all the nifty benefits that go along with being legal. And guess what? The Mister and I have been together for X years! Woo! So we're already legal! Let's party!"
posted by
on September 22, 2011
Call it a five year anniversary party? And if you do a short ceremony with personalized vows without a legal officiant, it'd be renewing the your commitment with your family there to celebrate, maybe that'd be easier for those with more traditional views to accept.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
There is no actual way to answer "why not register a marriage" because the government does not really care whether you're monogamous (at least not here in the US).
The government cares whether you want to be married in a legal sense. If so, they will give you a certificate. They do not police your bedroom or your heart.
If you are ethically opposed to lying to the government, that is fine, but you are probably not even lying to the government because they're probably not asking.
If you feel like you are lying to your family, well, I am a big fan of lying to family about things that they don't want to know about and that generally don't concern them. If you plan to be closeted to your family anyway, what's the difference? You wouldn't be telling them at a commitment ceremony, you wouldn't be telling them at a wedding.
If this commitment ceremony is not a wedding because one or both of you doesn't believe in weddings, you can't expect people to treat it exactly like a wedding. You don't believe in weddings, then you don't believe in the perks, either. (This does not apply to people who are unable to be married due to bigotry.)
posted by
the young rope-rider
on September 22, 2011 [
4 favorites
I'm not sure there
a way to get everyone to understand. Either you're having a wedding, which they understand, or you're not, which they will have questions about. You can't have something in between without confusing your family.
is a binary state -- you are or you aren't.
is whatever you and your partner define it to be.
My husband and I had a tiny private wedding. In and out in less than six minutes. Only parents and siblings present. (Yes, there was arguing with my mother-in-law about who was invited and why it wasn't in a church.) We had a reception a week later that everyone was invited to. That was our solution for all the inane wedding stuff that neither of us wanted to be anywhere near. And we were very happy with how everything turned out.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
1 favorite
Your profile says you're in Australia, so the laws are bound to be different than in the U.S., but - there is nothing that says you have to get married to have a wedding. My long-term partner and I got a civil union (in the U.S.) even though we are a hetero couple, and are "getting married" next year. Plan a wedding, explain to your officiant that you're actually just going to have a commitment ceremony but that it's hard to explain that to your families, and write a ceremony together that suits you both. You don't have to go into details with your families. No one sees the legal paperwork except you and the judge, anyway.
You might find some support at
, they have a decently large Oceanian contingent who could offer you some good advice on how to pull this off, how to find an officiant, etc.
We explained to our parents that we chose this alternate route because it matched what was in our hearts - that marriage felt less meaningful to us because some of our (gay and lesbian) loved ones could not get married. We let them know that
didn't have to tell
respective families and friends that what we were doing wasn't technically a marriage, which was a huge relief to them. In the end, our parents just want us to be happy. Yours probably do too, you know? Get on with the wedding planning. One missing sheet of legal paper isn't going to change things one way or the other. Congratulations!
posted by
on September 22, 2011
I've never been to a wedding where the paperwork was signed in front of the wedding attendees (well, except the one I was in in Canada, but that's a longer story). I was just at a lesbian wedding (actual legal marriage thing) in Massachusetts and there was no public paper-signing. It looked exactly like a commitment ceremony.
Regarding your visa issue - I'd really talk to a lawyer before you decide whether to Officially Marry or Officially Commit. If getting Actually Married were to help in clearing up your status and hurry things along (I'm assuming he's a citizen), then would you both still have heebie-jeebies about it? Consider that the nature of marriage is essentially bureaucratic.
Anyway, what others have said: if you have a wedding, there's a lot of stuff you won't have to explain to any family members because everyone knows what "wedding" means. If you go another route, you will have some explaining to do.
And just because it's a commitment ceremony doesn't mean your dad can't walk you down the aisle, or you can't register for gifts, etc. You can be as traditional as you like with a commitment ceremony; likewise, you can have a official wedding with paperwork and all and not do any of the traditional stuff.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
"We're having a ceremony that celebrates us being together. We'd be so glad if you could come."
"Well, why just just marry each other?"
"This is something we talked about a lot and this is what we chose. We'd be so glad if you could be there to celebrate our love."
That's it.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
have good advice.
I suspect, but do not know, that being married would indeed make it easier to get your visa. Talk to an immigration lawyer. You might also want to make sure you're aware of the differences between common law and government registered marriage where you're from, so you know what you'll be foregoing.
You may want to examine the framework you're using to view this - that marriage represents only a specific set of values, and cannot be re-imagined any other way.
Marriage as a concept says nothing about requiring monogamy, and I urge you strongly not to mix your own personal sex lives into the list of reasons you present to family who ask "why not a wedding?"
Your own commitment vows are what you make of them and can include or not include whatever you feel comfortable with. That being said, I think what happens in your bedroom is your own business - unless you want to suddenly be dealing with a lot more drama about your life choices.
Likewise, sadly, being married or not will not protect your relationship from heartbreak.
Marry or don't marry, but make sure you're making the decision on the basis of the facts of the matter, and not just a surprisingly traditionalist view of what marriage is supposed to be.
posted by
canine epigram
on September 22, 2011
Marry or don't marry, but make sure you're making the decision on the basis of the facts of the matter, and not just a surprisingly traditionalist view of what marriage is supposed to be.
This is exactly what I wanted to say, combined with inturnaround's answer.
I hope I didn't sound like too much of a downer, but the reality is that most of what you're saying doesn't come across as particularly logical, especially from my point of view (a non-monogamous, legally married person).
Expect your relatives to be old-fashioned and to worry about you, because they are older and they want you to be safe and happy. For them, that means marriage, but showing them that you are secure, confident, and happy with your decision will go a long way towards reassuring them that you're not making excuses for your partner, and that you really will be happy and okay.
posted by
the young rope-rider
on September 22, 2011
Pros of marriage: your relatives will understand it (they don't want to know about/won't understand queer non-monogamy and what they don't know won't hurt them), legal benefits, potentially speeds up your visa
Cons of marriage: it gives you and your partner the heebie-jeebies.
Not to be all "it's a piece of paper", but it really is. It doesn't need to change how you and your partner think of each other or live your lives together.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
1 favorite
I'm sure you have your reasons to oppose marriage qua marriage, but I don't know if I understand them.
You want a commitment ceremony, you have most of the legal perks but not, say, the VISA, you have the perfect life partner, why not get married? Marriage doesn't mean monogamy, it doesn't mean heterosexuality, it doesn't mean tradition, it doesn't mean a white dress, a registry, a wedding party, or any of those trivialities. It's a commitment ceremony that the state recognizes as such.
All the commitment you promise your partner, you can promise in a marriage ceremony. All the crap you don't want to consider, you can ignore in a marriage ceremony. You're not lying by omission, you can write your own vows to say exactly what you want them to say.
I only say this because I'm also queer, also planning a wedding to a man, though we're not in an open relationship. But, again, who knows, we're not swearing to never have an open relationship, we're affirming that we love each other and plan to do so for a very, very long time.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
2 favorites
I agree with the other responses pointing out that you don't have to be monogamous to be married, so it doesn't make that much sense for that to be the reason you don't want to get married. You don't want to get married because you don't want to get married - that's fine, and that's the reason you can tell people. You could tell people you're not getting legally married because you're opposed to government intrusion in people's private relationships, or that marriage has such a sexist history that you refuse to participate in it, or that it's wrong to get married when many queer couples can't marry, or that you're a free spirit who can't be tied down by the man.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
My best friend and her partner had a commitment ceremony a few years ago and explicitly decided not to get legally married. (They both changed their last names in practice as well, though I don't think either of them paid to do it legally yet.) Their event was a long weekend away for everyone who wanted to come out and stay at their venue - a farm in Northern CA - with a day-long celebration for anyone who just wanted to come in for the ceremony.
Their concept was based on Quaker wedding ceremonies, similar but not exactly as described
. There was no minister. The two of them just sat in the center of a circle of all of their loved ones, and Quaker-meeting style, everyone sat in silence unless they were moved to speak and address the crowd to give them their blessing or share a memory. Everyone spoke, everyone cried. When my friends each spoke, it was both an exchange of vows and a public declaration.
Neither of their families are Quaker or knew what to expect. Because there was so much logistical planning to get the weekend together, I think everyone showed up knowing not to expect a wedding. However, during a fantastic meal before the ceremony, we placed a single typed page at every seat explaining what it would look like and why they chose to commit themselves this way.
It was totally beautiful.
That said: considering the stress, planning, clothes, catering, registering, and chaos leading up to this event, I am personally hard-pressed to say it wasn't a wedding. It sure felt like one. I mean that in a mostly good way: this was a big event and I don't think they would change a thing. But, for instance, my friends didn't want to register and almost every single one of their guests protested until they did. This was a big reminder that these kinds of social engagements come along with obligations that you don't always foresee and are maybe even trying to avoid.
If you'd like to see the note they wrote their guests to explain the ceremony, I can memail it to you.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
1 favorite
I'm with juniperesque. There's no reason you have to explain about the paperwork because no one is going to know the difference. You will only get the confused reactions from family and friends if you try to explain it to them, no one is going to spontaneously ask you "are you registering your marriage?" right?
Just have your party and let people understand it as a wedding, because regardless of what you call it, people are going to assume that you're pledging an exclusive commitment to each other, and there's very little you can do to change that other than give them TMI about your sexual preferences and intimate details of your relationship.
Maybe those of us in the United States are confused by the question because of cultural differences, but in the United States, you sign the papers in private either before or after the ceremony and no one ever knows the difference. Do other people need to know about the papers/registration in Aus?
I haven't dealt with this situation personally, but our American Miss Manners sometimes suggests turning awkward questions around on other people in a polite way so that they are put on the spot instead of you, i.e.
"Why aren't you calling this a marriage?"
"How would it make a difference to our relationship or to you if we did?"
(to pull this off you should try to ask the question with a calm, genuinely curious demeanor)
"Why aren't you doing X traditional thing as a part of this ceremony?"
"If we don't do X, does that diminish the value of our commitment to each other?"
it's hard to imagine people being able to give any answers to these questions aside from "um, I dunno, because that's how we usually do it." At which point you're in a strong position to blow them off with a comment like "Oh, well, that's OK, we aren't really the types to do things exactly the way everyone else does anyhow."
posted by
on September 22, 2011
Marriage is whatever it means to you. No two are alike. Feel free to make up your own definition.
posted by
Green Eyed Monster
on September 22, 2011
Actually, I disagree with treehorn+bunny that 'nobody will ask about the paperwork'. Given your visa troubles, I expect that pretty much everyone you know will say 'omg that's great! So is that going to make it easier for you to get a job/PR/etc?'. In particular, I would expect your parents and family to ask about this aspect. And if you tell them "no it won't, because we don't want to get that kind of married" then you should be prepared for a lot of bewilderment, and probably reduced sympathy for any future immigration hassles (such as "well if you'd gotten properly married you wouldn't be having this problem!").
A legal marriage may well be an emotionally irrelevant piece of paper, but so is a permanent residency. It seems almost wilfully masochistic to try and figure out a way to avoid the first one when you are trying so hard to get the second one, and marriage would probably make it easier to get.
It's possible it wouldn't, in which case none of this applies because you can just tell people that getting married doesn't affect your status because 'x', and not bother explaining that you aren't legally married anyway.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
2 favorites
I'm in Canada where marriage can be legal or common-law (de facto in your parlance) between any two people (and anti-polygamy laws are expected to be challenged for the next few years. After my second date with my boyfriend I signed the papers to make him my common-law husband for health care reasons. So although I understand the argument "we are JUST like legally married" (because the legal protections are the same) I do think it is fair for older people to still think marriage is more "proper". And although I have no problems with my friends that either chose to quietly move into a common-law marriage or get legally married in any form from a city hall ceremony to High Church, the people that chose the middle ground, having a non-legally binding commitment ceremony, that never lasted. I don't know if it was because they had hoped for public validation that never came, the fact that ALL of them overshared how THEIR love was bigger than a normal legal marriage could possibly hold, or what, but all those "committed" relationships have ended in in all of them at least one part of the couple later legally married someone else.
Yes, that is just anecdote, but maybe it will help you understand how your family may look at this as "playing house" because you aren't mature enough for a "real" marriage. Marriage means a commitment, not necessarily monogamy (you seriously have no idea how many married people have been flexible about monogamy and orientations) and trying to convince anyone with a bit of life experience that no, YOUR love is DIFFERENT from all the other plebes that bought into the patriarchy and got married.
Sorry if I Sound harsh, I really don't mean to be, but I think this is one where you have to shit or get of the pot. Either get legally married or live together without the public validation from your family.
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
1 favorite
After my second date with my boyfriend I signed the papers to make him my common-law husband for health care reasons.
We did something like that too. Second dates are wicked!
(In Canada).
posted by
on September 22, 2011 [
1 favorite
I do need an answer for "why not register a marriage?"
"We believe in the freedom of declaring our relationship without the state/government/'The Man' involved with what should be shared with our friends/relatives/family/loved ones. I'm so happy you are here to share our special day!"
If it's going to make your residency paperwork easier, or if it would disrupt the process of getting it, it would make quite a lot of sense that you aren't getting married. If your relatives are concerned about financial risks to you, maybe you could talk about risks you'd be avoiding by not getting married -- maybe it's advantageous in some way, in the US if someone sues your spouse it can end up with you having a judgement against you. Or you could tell them that he'll have to stay on his best behavior since HE won't have that bit of paper.
If people are expecting to see a paper get signed at the ceremony, are you against declaring your commitment to each other on paper for some reason? Just print up something on some nice looking paper. I've never seen the papers get signed as part of a wedding ceremony, but families have their own customs.
If you don't want to go telling your family the reasons you aren't exclusive, just leave that bit out. It sounds like this is a commitment ceremony for two people, it's not as though you will have more people up there you need to explain. If you meet someone you want to introduce to your family, or have another commitment ceremony with, you can figure it out then. It'll be much easier to introduce them to a particular person instead of an abstract idea. Or, if you have no plans to introduce any of your lovers to your family, why are you even worried about this?
You can't really persuade people you are having a wedding instead of a commitment ceremony. It is what it is. If you call it a wedding, of course they will think you will file the paperwork and do all the other things they associate with weddings. And it's NOT the same as a wedding -- clearly, if they were equivalent, you wouldn't be eagerly planning one of them while having the heebee-jeebees about the other -- and that's why your family may never see this as a wedding equivalent, you had the choice open to you to marry and picked "heebee-jeebees, not that!"
Telling them you already have most benefits is just confusing people with extraneous information -- people don't go to weddings and congratulate the couple on being able to file their taxes jointly and have immunity from being forced to testify against each other in court.
Is there a way to keep everyone happy?
Hahahaha! No!
And it's the same answer for people having weddings.
posted by
on September 22, 2011
I would send invitations that outline what your party is about...
using your words from your AskMefi...
Lover A and Lover B
cordially invite you to join us
as we celebrate our deep love and companionship
with the people we care about the most
And if/when you get asked "why not marriage"
your response is simply--
"oh, that's just not us!"
posted by
on September 22, 2011
So I see two things from your description:
1) Your partner and you already have a rough idea of what kind of ceremony you want,
2) You're essentially asking how you'd like to market this to your (extended) family
3) To your full credit, you also are clear to yourself why a traditional Asian-isque marriage isn't for you.
4) However, for cultural reasons, you still seem to be angling for at least some tradition anyway
The question I'd ask myself if I was in your situation is as follows: leaving the (Australian) legal aspects aside for the moment, what aspects of a traditional (Asian) marriage make you (not your partner, you) feel uncomfortable with? Based on the answer, you may want to include or drop aspects from a regular traditional marriage into yours. If anyone asks details, just blame it on your partner's family (I'm presuming there's a bit of cultural differences as well)
Also, there's this good ol' "Log kya kahenge?" ("manush ki bolbe" in Bangla, "What will people say?") question. My suggestion here is to come as clean as you can with elders you feel comfortable with, and get their help in thinking of how to market this to the rest of the tribe. Generational gaps in our part of the world are too huge to overcome without some additional firepower from "go-betweens"; the trick is to not tackle it full-on, but to gently tackle it from the side, as it were.
posted by
the cydonian
on September 22, 2011
the cydonian:
OMG "manush ki bolbe" YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I'm uncomfortable with the idea of exclusive commitment together forever the end amen. I've seen some relationships within my family that may have been better off ended, but they feel like they
have to
be stuck to each other. Also there's this assumption of total dependence - after my sister got married my dad cried & when I asked him why he said "well now who's going to take care of YOU?!". And he's telling this to someone who's fought tooth and nail to be independent. My partner and I have a healthy interdependence, we support each other how we can, but I'd rather not get subsumed into wifey material. We're equals, always have been. As for elders - hm. The one person I
could be my go-between was my sister, who's usually pretty open and has gone through a lot of the marriage crap already (foreign partner, not wanting to do the religious ceremonies, MKB, etc) but she's since come up with some strange assumptions about my relationship and I'm not quite as confident. But we'll see.
Unlike a marriage, there is no such thing as a "de facto permanent residency" that would give me nearly as much rights as a PR. If it wasn't for just putting the app in (I already have an application in under their General Skilled Migration program and it's been delayed so much that DIAC is recommending looking at other options in case) I wouldn't be able to be in Australia
at all
; as it is I'm having trouble finding jobs or next steps or anything. If there was such a way I wouldn't have bothered with the PR at all! (And no, it's not emotionally insignificant; if it was I wouldn't have lost so many tears over it.)
I'm talking to my partner right now about this (he's read this AskMefi). I'm more comfortable with the idea of marriage than he is, but he's being a lot less freaked out about it now that he's reading other perspectives of marriage being what you make of it. I personally still have qualms about how marriage is an assumption that you're
, that you've found The One and that's it, no more searching - when we've both still got a long way to go yet in life! (We're both in our 20s) What I want to do is honour the life we had and will have, have our families and friends take our partnership seriously enough to include us in each other's lives, reflect that while the future could change things drastically we've got something really amazing and we'd like to celebrate that with the people we care about.
posted by
on September 23, 2011
and trying to convince anyone with a bit of life experience that no, YOUR love is DIFFERENT from all the other plebes that bought into the patriarchy and got married.
oh God no. if anything I feel like taking on marriage is a bigger responsibility than I (at least, can't speak for the dude) can handle! I respect those that made the leap!
posted by
on September 23, 2011
Not to be argumentative, but you sound like you think of a commitment ceremony as less than marriage then, less of a commitment. So expecting other people to view it as an equivalent to marriage and validate your relationship seems a bit ...off. It is kinda like celebrating your third month of dating, significant to the two people involved and a milestone worthy of congratulations but not really something people outside the relationship would really take note of, except in passing.
If you guys are committed to each other, love each other and want public support for that, then legal marriage is the only way to go - especially because of your immigration issues. Sometimes you can compromise on things in relationships but just like you can't be a little bit pregnant when it comes to marriage either you are, or you aren't. Marriage is a commitment, ideally for life (but life can throw you curveballs!) and if you can't commit to that now then maybe you should wait. The best advice I got was that you only get married after you honestly truly feel you ARE already married - the vows are just a poor echo of the reality. That was certainly true in my case.
If your boyfriend doesn't want to get married now, or forever, that is fine and it is good that he knows what he wants. But you have to either accept that or move on if you want your family's validation of your relationship.
posted by
on September 23, 2011
*Waves to divabat's partner!*
As you folks figure out all this committment jujitsu, here's something to contemplate: a Marriage ceremony distinct from "marriage". Indeed, in my previous response, I was trying to limit myself to an actual ceremony, not the institution of marriage itself.
So my point was this: take a much appreciated ceremony in your family as a basis -your sister's ceremony as an example but not necessarily so- what aspects would you like for yourself? And what aspects would your folks like? What aspects would make you or your partner uncomfortable? Mentally walkthrough a sample ceremony in your family, but with you both as the players. You'll readily know how to approach your sister (or anyone else), or even clarify to yourself whether you want to approach her in the first place.
Also note that sub-continental marriage ceremonies can become massive marathons, depending on families. You may potentially need lots of stamina for this.
As for whether marriage per se is for you, thats an entirely different question altogether; tried not commenting about it much aince you werent asking about it. :) But since the topic has been breached: obviously, that's something you have to answer for yourself obviously.
My only suggestion is to not delude yourself into accepting something that isnt; then again, both of you seem to be quite aware of this. However, you can be sure that the family pressure won't stop with a commitment ceremony, no matter how lightly you design it; I've had my own MKB-non-desi marriage for six months, and already both sets of families have been putting pressure on getting a house, kids and so on.
The question, then, isn't what you will answer if people ask about your Aussie visa; it'll be about what you will say when, say, your aunt starts dropping passive-aggressive hints on kids and 'settling down' about three months after your ceremony. How ready are you for that kind of interest in your relationship? How would you answer that?
Essentially, don't kid yourself by presuming any of this will stop with any ceremony. If any, it'll increase. :) Thats how it works in Asia; globalization or not, the entire tribe will try and raise your kid, so to speak.
posted by
the cydonian
on September 24, 2011
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Fender Stratocaster 'Hardtail' Sunburst 1977 (consignment) Sold
|Here's a Fender Stratocaster 'Hardtail' from 1977. The Stratocaster, one of the manifestations of Leo Fender's genius, was introduced in 1954 with options for floating trem bridge and hard-tails, employing the back-of-body string ferrules found on the Telecaster. The hardtail verion was produced in smaller numbers until 2007, when it was discontinued. Hard-tail strats have a little more attack, bite, and sustain due to the lack of spring tension absorbing some energy.
At this point, the serial number had migrated from the neckplate to front of the the headstock. Later, the serial number would move to the back of the head. This particular serial uses a letter – first number scheme for dating the instrument: S for 1970′s, E for 1980′s, N for 1990′s. However, while giving a general guide to the year of the instrument, that scheme also has some rollovers around the ends of years.
This particular instrument is in good working order. It's definitely been played, and the refret ensures that it can be played for a long time to come.
Serial NumberS791061Pricing$1,699 CAD with original case.NeckMaple neck with skunk stripe. Lacquered maple fingerboard.FretsThis Strat has been refretted and has minor wear.BodyAlder body with standard Strat contours, but no Trem cavity.FinishFender gloss poly sunburst finish in some checking and damage.Hardware/electronicOriginal hardware, lower tip of pickguard is cracked off.Playability/ActionThis instrument has been refretted and plays well.CaseOriginal harshell case included.
For more details or to purchase this instrument contact us here
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Tags: Fender, hardtail, strat, Stratocaster, Vintage

subset: commoncrawl


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Bob is right ON.
On February 26, our son Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as he walked to a family member's home from a convenience store where he had just bought some candy. He was only 17 years-old.
Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, admitted to police that he shot Trayvon in the chest. Zimmerman, the community's self appointed "neighborhood watch leader," called the police to report a suspicious person when he saw Travyon, a young black man, walking from the store. But Zimmerman still hasn't been charged for murdering our son.
Trayvon was our hero. At the age 9, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17 he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that's all gone.
When Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the police, they told him not to confront him. But he did anyway. All we know about what happened next is that our 17 year-old son, who was completely unarmed, was shot and killed.
It's been nearly two weeks and the Sanford Police have refused to arrest George Zimmerman. In their public statements, they even go so far as to stand up for the killer - saying he's "a college grad" who took a class in criminal justice.
Please join us in calling on Norman Wolfinger, Florida's 18th District State's Attorney, to investigate my son's murder and prosecute George Zimmerman for the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin."—
From the Change.org petition by TRACY MARTIN and SYBRINA FULTON (via inothernews)
It is appalling to me that Zimmerman has not been arrested.
(via wilwheaton)
First of all, as a student of culture and popular culture and the impact that it has on us all, I know this to be true: Seeing yourself represented in the popular culture is really critical in terms of forming your own self image.
I'm old enough to have been around before seeing black people represented in the popular culture in diverse ways. When I was a kid, it was a big deal to see a black person on television. So that's why it was important in a science fiction thing — in "Star Trek" — it was huge. I read a lot of science fiction books as a kid. As a kid of science fiction, "Star Trek" was important to me and seeing a person of color in a command position was hugely important to me."—
actor Levar Burton, Star Trek and Reading Rainbow.
Full interview here
(via racebending)
Pete Townshend (via perfumedsecrets)
Exactly Pete. EXACTLY.
^^This quote encapsulates my entire being.


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The American Bureau of Shipping Information Commons building at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay has several green initiatives, including a round dome incorporating bamboo construction. The college has been named a finalist in the Climate Leadership Awards, which are put on annually by Boston-based nonprofit organization Second Nature.
Cape Cod Times/Merrily Cassidy
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Friday, September 19, 2014
Box Office Gods Smile at 'Immortals' and 'Puss'
It was a good weekend for Tarsem Singh's Immortals, the vfx-laden Henry Cavill-starrer, which was the No. 1 movie at the box office and made $32 million in the U.S. and $36 million ... Continue Reading →
Warner Bros.' Greenlights Hybrid 'Lego' Movie
Warner Bros. has given the go-ahead to the upcoming Lego movie, based on the popular Danish construction toy, reports Variety. The feature, which will be written and directed by Phil ... Continue Reading →
Disney Releases First Image from Pixar's 'Small Fry'
USA Today unveiled the first image from the new Toy Story short Small Fry today. The short accompanies The Muppets (in theaters on Nov. 23). Directed and written by Pixar veteran Angus ... Continue Reading →
Lux Animation and Cromosoma's 'Triplets' Movie Is a Go
Barcelona's Lux Animation will co-produce Cromosoma's 2014 animated feature The Triplets and the Machine that Runs the World, says Variety. The film will be co-directed by Catalan ... Continue Reading →
NewTek Releases LightWave 11
San Antonio-based 3D animation and video product creator NewTek released LightWave 11, the new version of its Emmy-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering software. According to ... Continue Reading →
CTN Expo Offers More Details About Next Week's Event
We had the chance to catch up with the talented and very busy Tina Price, who is getting ready for the third edition of her CTN Expo (held Nov. 18-20) at the Burbank Marriot. She was ... Continue Reading →
Fox to Air New 'Ice Age' Christmas Special on Nov. 24
Fox TV will premiere the new Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special on Nov. 24 at 8 p.m.. The Blue Sky-produced half-hour adventure finds Sid and Manny on their way to the North Pole ... Continue Reading →
June Foray Attends Special 'Puddy Tat' Premiere
Legendary voice actress June Foray attended a special screening of the new Looney Tunes 3D theatrical short I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat in Beverly Hills last night (Nov. 9). Directed by ... Continue Reading →
Disney Greenlights 4th Season of 'Phineas and Ferb'
Disney Channel's hit animated series Phineas and Ferb has been greenlit for a fourth season. Billed as the no. one animated series for kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, the series will have ... Continue Reading →


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Suzi's Blog
Really Simple Guacamole
What makes a great guacamole? Brian and I don't have a single favorite, but we do like a spicy version that uses hot pickles and the pickle juice instead of jalapenos. The pickles are southwestern and as incendiary as any jalapeno, just sweeter.
In time for Super Bowl parties, Brian and I are happy to present you with a different guacamole, one designed to let you enjoy the full avocado flavor. This guacamole is really simple to prepare, ideal for a party day. More importantly, it has a very, very pure flavor. By not using an overwhelming amount of pepper or cilantro, this guacamole lets the very pure flavor of the avocado dominate. The result is a guacamole that is smooth, subtle, and delightful to just munch away on.
For chips, for nachos, for any Mexican food you concoct, this guacamole is refreshingly different.
This recipe calls for roasting your peppers. Here's the quick way to accomplish that, assuming you have a gas burner or grill. Wash the peppers, place them on the grill and put the heat on high. Turn the peppers every minute or so, and keep roasting until they are blackened on the outside. Place the peppers in a bowl and seal the bowl for about 10 minutes to steam.
Remove the peppers from the bowl, and wipe away the blackened outer skin — whether you should or can rinse under water to help this process is the subject of conversation or outright argument. We don't rinse. The peppers are ready to be diced. The more inner seeds you retain at this point, the hotter your guacamole will be.
Really Simple Guacamole
Yield: 3 cups
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 Poblano peppers, roasted, and then diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, roasted, and then diced
- 3 avocados, skins and pits removed, then diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
- ¾ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Place the onion and garlic in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir to coat.
Add the peppers, then the avocadoes. Using a pastry cutter, mash the mixture until he avocados are the size you want.
Add the tomatoes and cilantro.
Add salt to taste, at least 1 teaspoon and very likely up to 1 tablespoon.
The Roma tomatoes are a terrific idea, primarily for color. Unlike regular tomatoes, the Romas are very meaty and will not "weep" over time.
You can add chili powder or pepper if you wish for more heat, but remember the goal of this recipe is to let you enjoy the pure avocado flavor.
Source: Suzen O'Rourke
Crab Guacamole
"But we have to have guacamole," Brian complained.
"We agreed we'd have different, better things for Super Bowl Weekend," I replied.
"It's un-American not to have guacamole," he pleaded.
"Guacamole is Mexican," I commented.
"Are you sure?"
Brian and I have been married for twenty-four years. I have never done a background check on him. I'm reconsidering.
We compromised. We are testing ideas for these football weekends and found a great resource: Nathan Myers has written Guac Off, a slim book with a bevy of guacamole recipes, some classic and some very modern:
- Flaming Lips Habanero Guac, intended only for the brave or suicidal
- Asian guacamole with ginger and rice
- High desert guacamole with juniper berries and tequila
- French guacamole with blue cheese
The author himself terms some of these recipes extreme. But this one, Crab Guacamole, caught our eyes. No one can deny the marriage of crab and avocado is delightful. You've probably had it in salad form but here it's melded into the guacamole format. It's good, it's certainly different, and it's a definite party pleaser.
This recipe calls for serving the guacamole elegantly in martini glasses. And in the preparation, you want to exercise care not to break up the crabmeat. You do want those crabby chunks visible and appealing.
Crab Guacamole
Yield: 4 cups
- 2 large avocados, diced (about 2 cups)
- Juice of 2 limes
- ⅓ cup minced cilantro
- 1 tablespoon mince jalapeno pepper
- ½ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup finely chopped Roma tomato
- 2 cloves garlic, mince
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ pound lump crabmeat, shells and cartilage sorted out
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, combine the avocados, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, onion, tomato, garlic, and cum with a large spoon.
In a separate bowl, combine the lump crabmeat with the olive oil, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Lightly fold the crab mixture into the avocado mixture, taking care not to break apart the crabmeat. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediate in chilled martini glasses with tortilla chips.
In the interest of full disclosure, we made this recipe without the tomato or ground cumin. You may have found that the tomatoes tend to weep liquid into the guacamole over time. If you eat the guacamole all at once, that is not a problem. We typically avoid the problem up front by leaving out the tomato. The resulting guacamole has more avocado flavor.
For heat, we love the pure intensity of the freshly minced jalapeno, so we rarely add cumin or chili powder to our guacamole. It's a matter of personal preference.
Source: Guac Off by Nathan Myers


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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released two funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to support multidisciplinary studies of HIV and viral hepatitis co-infection. The opportunities were issued under NIH's R01 or Research Project Grant program and R21 or Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant program. NIH notes that the FOAs were informed by priority areas in the Action…
Search Results for: "National Institute on Drug Abuse"
NIDA 2014 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research
This week, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced the 2014 Avant-Garde Awards for HIV/AIDS research. According to a NIDA press release, the awards offer hope in battling HIV infection and improving long-term outcomes in HIV-infected drug users. With proposals ranging from enhancing the immune system's ability…
NIH Observes 20th Anniversary of Women's Interagency HIV Study
Cross-posted from NIAID News Releases
The largest and longest-running study to investigate the impact of HIV on women in the United States marks its 20th anniversary this month. Findings from the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) have helped define how best to treat HIV-infected women in the United States and globally. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),…
Infographics: Applying Visual Design to Information
How do you make data look good – and mean something too? Information graphics, or infographics as they're commonly referred to, attempt to do just that: visualize data in an engaging way. Infographics turn numbers into pictures, or take select data and represent them in a way that is easy to understand and visually appealing….


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According to sources close to Apple, the company will begin to provide software updates over the air waves.
What does this mean to you? No longer will you have to plug in your handset into your computer, launch iTunes, download the update and then install it. Instead, your phone will prompt you to update your iOS when it becomes available, something other smartphone manufacturers have been doing since the beginning of their time, including Android.
iOS 5 will in all likelihood arrive this September when the next iPhone arrives. However, since the current iOS lacks the ability to receives updates over-the-air, at least as far as we know, this iteration of the software will be delivered using the traditional method but contain the necessary workings for the wireless updates to occur in the future.
9to5mac says that Verizon and Apple have been in talks since the beginning of the year to provide this update, while AT&T is still unknown.
Backing up the iPhone's contents, something you should always do before installing an update just in case it crashes, might still have to be completed using a wired method. Unless of course Apple simultaneously rolls out a free or ultra cheap cloud based service, which we've been hearing about for sometime now.
Let's hope this update comes to the iPad and iPod Touch.


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BÚN BÒ HU - "Traditional spicy noodle soup with pork, beef, and lemongrass - from Huế region of Vietnam"
Already thinking about lunch… it doesn't help that this is my desktop background image. I snapped this @ Huynh Restaurant on December 9th. Gotta love the great food that comes with having the 2nd largest Vietnamese population in the country. :-)
7 Notes/ Hide
- stephensok85 likes this
- catherineak140 likes this
- musicandyourmom posted this


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Cabinet Pulls
Cabinet Pulls
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11 Item(s)


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Charice coming to steal your heart away at SGP
- Singaporef1race
- uploaded: Sep 8, 2011
- Hits: 614
Singapore Grand Prix Tickets - Buy securely your singapore F1 Tickets online for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix (23-25 September 2011) Circuit of Singapore. Book now your Singpore Formula 1 2011.For More Information Please Visit http://www.singaporegp.sg/ticket/ticket_price.php
1 comments
Evildweeb September 8, 2011 11:21:53 PM CEST
Singapore? Are you effing kidding me?Do you frackers even WATCH the news?ITS CALLED GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN BUDDY.Most of the planet can't afford to even pay their damn cable bill to watch this stupid ad, let alone buy a ticket to this crap, fly over there, book a hotel, eat, drink and be merry on the other side of the planet.Major suckage.


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Dr. Michele R. Bergmann, MD
Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kaiser Mount Talbert Medical Center
- 10100 SE Sunnyside Rd
Clackamas, OR 97015
- Within miles of
- 1 Office Location
- Email a Friend
- (503) 652-2880
Dr. Michele R. Bergmann has been practicing medicine for 20 years. Dr. Bergmann graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver in 1994. She practices medicine in Clackamas, OR and specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Bergmann is affiliated with Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center and Providence Portland Medical Center.
Gender: Female
Years in Practice: 20 Years
Languages Spoken: English
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver
Graduation Date: 1994
Hospital Affiliations: Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, Providence Portland Medical Center
Specialties: Obstetrics & Gynecology
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.


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I served this with the Christmas Chilaquiles - it made the meal taste amazing. I used a chili powder labeled as Mexican Chili Powder and used only 1/3 C - I would eat this again for sure
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
edickman Posted: 02/23/09
zillyons Posted: 01/16/11
Very easy sauce to make and worked very well for the pork enchiladas. I reduced the honey by half - it was unobtrusive and the sauce was complex but not sweet. I would make this again! Note: I think it's named "New Mexican Red Chile sauce" because it's made from *New Mexican Red Chiles*, not because it's necessarily authentic New Mexican food. Judge it on taste, not authenticity!
rstarrlemaitre Posted: 07/05/11
Nice almost smoky flavor, with just the right amount of heat. My sauce had a little bit of a chalky taste, probably because of the 1/2 cup of New Mexico chile powder called for - I'd consider blending all the ingredients in the blender after cooking, next time, to eliminate the chalkiness.
Daily Specials


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Is Facebook drawing inspiration from Asian messaging apps?
Facebook has made some significant moves recently in the mobile world — releasing a Snapchat competitor in Slingshot and hiring away David Marcus from PayPal to lead mobile messaging.
As Marcus' hiring leads many to see a time when Facebook users can someday send money through Messenger, Tango Chief Technology Officer Eric Setton notes that several Asian messaging apps have already mastered the frontier of maximizing time spent on mobile, as well as monetization. He talked with Inside Facebook recently about how Marcus' hiring signals that Facebook may start borrowing traits from apps such as Tango, WeChat and Line. Tango is a messaging app with 200 million users — 70 million of which are in the U.S., Setton says.
Inside Facebook: What do you think the hiring of David Marcus means for Facebook?
Eric Setton: The way I see it, Facebook is finally noticing and can basically not ignore the innovation happening in other services … and will have to play the game and have to open the platform on the messaging side as well. I don't think it's a coincidence that David Marcus has such a strong expertise in payments. If you have an app that people check 30 or 40 times a day, that's a great opportunity to be able to connect you to more things. I think this is a great bridge to commerce and distribution at large.


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(Formerly known as "Gentle Path")
**Get Help Now by Calling 1-888-574-HOPE (4673)**
When there is a preoccupation, euphoric recall and constant obsessive thinking about either finding ways to act out sexually or recovering from acting out sexually. The addiction takes all the energy, time and focus impacting work, home life, intimacy, finances and life goals. The addict can quit for varying periods of time, but will painfully return to the behavior.
Pine Groves Gratitude program is for both men and women struggling with sex addiction, sexual anorexia, relationship addiction and sexual trauma. Formerly known as Gentle Path," the Gratitude program was founded by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., C.A.S., world-renowned speaker, and author on addiction. Dr. Carnes 30-task-model serves as the basic curriculum for treatment.
We recognize that those seeking sex addiction help may also need treatment for mood disturbances, anxiety disorders or other addictions, such as chemical dependency.
At Gratitude, our experts focus on working through the root of the addiction, addressing past trauma and family problems, so that each patient can regain freedom from compulsive behaviors and develop a sense of healthy sexuality.
Gratitude is a minimum 45 day intensive program offered in a safe and secure environment where patients can work together under the supervision of professional and caring addiction professionals.
The Gratitude program consists of two components: A Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment and a Residential Treatment Program. Housing, meals, and most of our treatment services are provided in the Gratitude cottages located a few miles from the main Pine Grove campus.
Because we understand there are many different types of sexual addictions, Gratitude offers a variety of treatment options; each prescribed and suited to an individual patient's needs. Our ultimate goal is to help our patients get what they need for long-term recovery. Gratitude provides comprehensive sexual addiction and rehab treatment services based on a 12-Step Program. Our team of physicians, nurses, counselors, clinical assistants, social workers and a certified addictionologist, provide patients with a full continuum of care. The Day Treatment Program includes:
Our team is also strongly committed to the emotional health and healing of spouses, partners, and families impacted by the consequences of sexually addictive behaviors. We understand how dealing with a friend or family member with an addictive disease can be stressful, frustrating and emotionally draining. To assist our patients' loved ones in dealing with these feelings, Gratitude offers an intensive one-week Family Care Program. During this week, we encourage family members and patients to identify the problems they are facing and set goals for recovery.
The Pine Grove Family Program offers special services to spouses of patients, including marital therapy and our spouse support program.
By working together as a family, we believe that recovery can continue for a lifetime. There's no extra charge for this service. To find out more, visit our Family Care Program page.
Primary therapists are available to provide assistance with discharge planning and aftercare services. Pine Grove can offer additional services to transition patients back to everyday life or assist them in finding a specialist in their community from our wide network of aftercare providers.
Patients meet daily with their primary group and therapist. During this time patients focus on homework geared towards the completion of the 30 Tasks. For example, they may present their First Step, report their sexual timeline, do some experiential trauma work or go over their "secrets list". Patients have an extensive amount of reading and homework that is geared towards self discovery and task completion. Patients will have the opportunity work on over fifteen of the thirty tasks while in treatment.
The collective mediums of art, movement, music and drama therapies are combined to form Expressive Therapy. All Gratitude patients participate in Expressive Therapy, and family members are also encouraged to participate during Family Week. Expressive Therapy allows the patient to: Explore feelings that are often suppressed; Gain insight into ineffectual behavioral responses; Elevate self-esteem through discipline and accomplishment; Examine methods of communication to determine effectiveness.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
EMDR is a progressive and empirically validated treatment for healing trauma and reducing anxiety. In the Gratitude Program, patients can receive weekly individualized EMDR treatment by a trained EMDR therapist.
Also known as REACH was originally used for chemical dependency treatment as a result of works conducted by Outward Bound in North Carolina.
This therapy is a combination of an obstacle course and group therapy. Its application in treatment is focused on the expression and resolution of feelings, self-esteem enhancement, problem solving, building of trust, communication, leadership and team-building skills.
ROPES therapy is experiential and provides the opportunity and environment for strong and lasting change to take place in a non-conventional setting. The ROPES Course consists of more than 40 elements located among the pine trees surrounding Pine Grove. Our highly trained professionals lead each participant safely through the course.
Patients with a dual diagnosis can be treated at Gratitude. The treatment team works toward stabilization of emotional and psychiatric problems, addressing sex addiction and the corollary disorder in tandem. It offers a 12-step based program which utilizes physicians who are board certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine.
At Gratitude, our patients live in a setting in which they perform daily living tasks that can aid in recovery. Not the least of which is a physical exercise program. Gratitude maintains a relationship with a local fitness center to allow patients to participate in regular exercise programs. This state-of-the-art fitness center is near the Gratitude campus and transportation to and from the workout facilities can be coordinated through Pine Grove.
The Gratitude Program uses a psychoeducational approach to teach patients about sexual issues and recovery. Over the course of the six week program, patients receive education on 36 different topics related to sexual addiction, relationship addiction, sexual anorexia and sexual trauma. Examples include: ""What is Celibacy?", "Managing Shame Attacks", Cybersex", "Addiction Interaction", "Working the Steps", "Relapse Prevention", "The Ten Types", and "The Nature of Shame, Trauma, Abuse and Your Brain". The lecturers use an interactive format that encourages patients to ask questions and apply the material to their own lives.
All Gratitude Physicians are certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Maintaining regular contact with physicians and therapists and other referral sources is a top priority with our staff at Gratitude. This is accomplished through weekly telephone conference calls as well as written progress reports and treatment updates. Prior to discharge, the referring therapist or physician will receive a written Discharge/Aftercare Recovery Plan on each patient.
The Gratitude facility is located just minutes from the main Pine Grove campus. Hattiesburg is centrally located in South Mississippi and is easy to get to many metropolitan areas. Patients may book flights into the smaller Hattiesburg/Laurel airport or into one of the larger airports in Jackson, MS or Gulfport, MS. Transportation will be provided from any of these airports. Financial arrangements can be made through the Assessment Office by contacting our toll-free number.
All Gratitude sex addiction treatment physicians are certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Maintaining regular contact with physicians and therapists and other referral sources is a top priority with our staff at Gratitude. This is accomplished through weekly telephone conference calls as well as written progress reports and treatment updates. Prior to discharge, the referring therapist or physician will receive a written Discharge/Aftercare Recovery Plan on each patient.
For more information call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673)
Contact Us Today.


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I've been fighting gravity for over 40 years. Unlike me it doesn't seem to be tiring, getting older or prone to injury.
I'm still trying though!
Email SteveSBlake
NE England
Best Climbing Experience
There's lots, Baffin Island in 1975 was a spicy experience for a young Blakey, reaching flat ground after a slow ascent of the Muir Wall would be another. First trip to the Verdon in 1976 was pretty special, as was Tuolumne with my wife in 1997. I was lucky enough to live on the doorstep of the Cochise Stronghold in Arizona for 18 months - that was quite something. Nowadays I dig around in the County looking for (and finding) new venues and generally enjoy the company and crack of the squad on our Saturday sessions. A recent flying visit to Riglos paid dividends, ticking Biceps, which was something I'd wanted to do for years.
Recent Postings
List all my recent posts.
Interests Outside Climbing
My wife and nipper.
About My Photography
I only take snaps...........
Click to list photo comments written by me. (205 comments)
I've voted for 112 photos, average vote 4.3.
(51% superb - 33% good - 12% average - 1% poor - 0% rubbish)
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Anything Else We Should Know
It may not seem like it, but I don't take myself too seriously. Nor should anyone else.
Been Climbing For
More than 20 years
Best Onsights
Trad - E6
Bouldering - f7B
Sport - 7b+
Indoor - 7a+
Worked Grades
Bouldering - f7C
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Kyloe Out of the Woods
Sandstone (hard)
I Climb...
Several times a week
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Sonoma, CAUSA
Hometown: Palo Alto
April 16, 2013
Hi I am Greg - AWS is awesome and I want to know more...
FYI we have bumped the next SmartUp to October 22! Mark your calendars and hope to see you there.
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Categories > Cartoons > Powerpuff Girls > The Sitcom Exchange Programme:"How I met your mother" meets "Powerpuff girls"
The Gangreen Gangbang0 Reviews
Wendy the Waitress falls in love with one of the members of the Gangreen Gang.Will their love triumph all?Um...no.
-Man,that was hard! said Lily.
I thought we were never gonna stop Mojo Jojo's giant robotic cheerleader with a shark's head!
-I know,right. Robin replied.
And when she fired missiles from her crotch?I thought I was gonna die!
-But luckily,I saved us all using that rope and dead cat.Who knew THAT would come in handy?
-Yeah,and I sent Mojo to prison...but where was Wendy the Waitress in all of this?
-Here I am,gais!
Lily and Robin looked up and saw Wendy the Waitress flying over to them.
-Wendy the Waitress,where the heck have you been? Lily asked.
-I was right behind you,watching you stick it in the behind to that cheerleader. she replied.
-No you weren't,we would have seen you if you were,but you weren't,so we didn't see you beacuse you weren't there!
-But I was!Honest!Cross my heart and hope to die!
-Now you're just lying,Wendy the Waitress.
-I know where she was. Robin interjaculated.
She was with that guy from the Gangreen Gang,weren't you, Wendy the Waitress?
-And what if I was? she replied.
-That is wrong!! Lily said.
He's evil,he's a bad guy,and he's GREEN!!!!
-So?I still love him!He's charming,he's sweet and he makes me feel special.
-BUT Wendy the Waitress, Robini said.
Remember when Buttercrap was in love like you were?He only used her to destroy the PowerPuff girls!
-He promised me his gangmembers won't do that anymore!He's changed!They've all changed!
-NO!!! Lily whispered.
Once a green bad guy,always a green bad guy!I admit,he is kinda hot,but still...
-But nothing!I love him,he loves me,we're a happy family!You just don't understand!!
-We understand. Robin said.
You like him bcuz he's a bad boy. All girls want bad boys.
-That's not true!He's sweer and caring.
-He probably has a giant dick. Lily screamed.
Why else would she date him?
-Gah,STFU!! Wendy the Waitress said cryingly.
I'm leavin!!Lol!!
And with that,she flew off.Rubin and Silly simply shrugged it off and went inside the house to watch an episode of the hit TV show Cagney And Lacey and Dalziel and Pascoe and Dharma and Greg and Drake And Josh and Jeeves and Wooster and Kath And Kim and Kenan and Kel and Hope And Faith and Laverne and Shirley and Finn and Jake and Panty and Stocking (with Garterbelt) and Lois and Clark and Melissa And Joey and Beavis and Butthead and Mike and Molly and Mork and Mindy and Scarecrow And Mrs. King and Starsky and Hutch and Will and Grace and Zeke And Luther
Meanwhile, Wendy the Waitress was flying over to the junkyard to her bad beloved boyfriend.They saw each other and instantly rushed into each other's arms and kissed passionately.Finally,Wendy the Waitress said:
-Oh,Billy,how I missed you!
-Duhhhh,Big Billy miss you 2! he replied.
-Oh,Billy,nobody can understand our love.You do love me,don't you?
-Billy love Wendy the Waitress like he loves CAKE!!
-Oh,Billy,that is so sweet.Kiss me one more time.Let your sweet lips lock with mine.
After one more make-out session,Billy said:
-Billy want boobies!!
-Okay,Billy,here you go.Just be gentle!
After she ended that sentence with a giggle,Billy fondled and groped Wendy the Waitress's boobs.
But suddenly--!
-Billy!WTF are you doing you idiot!
-Holy shih-tzu,it's Ace!! Wendy the Waitress said.
Before she could do anything,she was caught by the other memebers of the Gangreen gang.
-Well,well,what do we have here? said Ace.
-Ace,don't!She's my girlfriend and I love her!
-Shut up,stupid!We shall take your girlfreund and give her a time of her life...
-NOOOOO!!PLEASE DON'T!!!!I'M BEGGING YOU!!!I WANNA LIIIIVVVVVEE!! Wendy the Waitress whispered.
But the Gangreen Gang took her to their new luxurious mansion where they tied her up and gagged her.Ace continued:
-Now,Wendy the Waitress,we will torture you!
-Oh noes!Not torture! she said.
Ace put in a Miley Cyrus CD in the radio and let it play.The horrible mutating voice filled the room and Wendy the Waitress was in deep pain.
-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!Make it sotp!!
-I can't be tamed,I can't be saved...
-NOOOO!Someone please help!
Unfortunately,Ace put in another CD,this one by Justin Bieber.
-And I was like baby,baby,baby...
-YES I AM!! Ace said and put in another CD,this one by LMFAO.
-Party rockers in the hosue tonight...
...CD change...
-All my life I've been good,but nao...
Just then,Lily and Robin burst in and said:
-Not so fats,Gangreen gang!
And with that they beat the Gang up,saved Wendy the Waitress and flew off.
-Oh,girls I'm so sorry! said Wendy the Waitress.
I'll never fall in love with an ugly fat guy with yucky skin ever again!
Lily and Robin nodded in approval.
2 weeks later,Wendy the Waitress fell in love with Zack Galifanakis.
And so once again the gay is shaved!Tahnx to the HIMYM girls!!


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Just when you thought it was over...
Computerworld reports that SCO has filed an appeal in its epic battle with Novell. SCO wants the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider all rulings, including a jury verdict in March and a final judgment that came in June.
Surely this can't go on forever ... can it? IT Business Edge blogger Lora Bentley writes:
Though some may admire SCO's determination to never give up, there comes a point where it's smarter to let go rather than run one's business into the ground.
Post a comment
Business performance information for strategic and operational decision-making
SOA uses interoperable services grouped around business processes to ease data integration
Data warehousing helps companies make sense of their operational data


text:
WASHINGTON — One year after Congress passed a landmark health care law, its detractors continue to campaign against it with deceit, dissembling and distortion. They have blamed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for a high unemployment rate, runaway deficits and spiraling health care costs.
The facts don't count for much in this debate. It doesn't seem to matter that President Obama's predecessor ate through a budget surplus with two unfunded wars and, ironically, a huge new health care entitlement — a prescription drug plan for seniors. Nor does it seem to matter that health care costs were soaring for years before the Affordable Care Act, which curbs Medicare spending.
Obama and his Democratic colleagues, including Nancy Pelosi, share the blame for the confusion and misinformation that abound: They did a poor job of building public support for the law, allowing Republicans to create a backlash.
But you've got to give the law's critics credit, too. Unrestrained by truth or reason, they have engaged in a creative campaign to discredit the law, often reversing their previously held positions. Mitt Romney's attempts to distance himself from his own Massachusetts health care law, from which "Obamacare" borrows heavily, are well known. And laughable.
Then there are detractors such as Atlanta-area businessman Herman Cain. As he considers a run for the GOP nomination for the presidency, Cain likes to tell audiences that he would not have survived Stage IV colon cancer if the Affordable Care Act had been in place. He repeated that contention when I interviewed him here in February.
"If Obamacare gets implemented, it will slow down the process of treatment from start to finish. Every socialized health care system has shown that.
. . If we had had a system similar to the one they have in Canada or Britain, I wouldn't have been able to get the quality of care or the speed of care," Cain told me.
There's a problem with those comparisons, though. The Affordable Care Act bares no resemblance to the systems in place in Great Britain (where many doctors and nurses are government employees) or Canada (which has a single-payer system, much like Medicare for all citizens). The new health care law would require every American to purchase private health insurance.
Nothing in the law would force Cain, a wealthy businessman, to give up the private health insurance policy that helped pay for the care he received at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation's leading cancer treatment facilities. Nothing in the Affordable Care Act prohibits the center's cutting edge treatments or rations them.
Since Cain would brook no disagreement, I left the interview confused about whether he genuinely believed his factually incorrect arguments. Perhaps he was merely repeating the false claims he's heard in rightwing circles.
However, I'm certain that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was intentionally disingenuous and misleading in an essay he wrote in The Wall Street Journal last week, in which he suggested that his now-grown daughter, who was born with a heart defect, would not have survived under the current law.
He was careful with his rhetoric, engaging in innuendo, half-truths and speculation. "I am convinced that ObamaCare was designed to lead to a government takeover of our entire health-care system," he wrote — an assertion that merely cozies up to the lie that the new law is a government takeover.
Like Cain, Johnson is a very wealthy man, and his daughter was covered by private health insurance. Nothing in the Affordable Care Act would take away his right to purchase that policy or circumvent his "freedom to seek out the most advanced surgical technique."
The Affordable Care Act merely seeks to give more Americans that same "freedom." It's hardly a perfect piece of legislation, but it's a pretty darn good one. If it were as bad as its critics claim, they'd be much more likely to tell the truth about it.
March 25th, 2011
3:52 pm
Even the democrats didn't understand the ramifications when it was passed. We have seen health care costs, and insurance costs spiraling. It does nothing to address tort reform or interstate competition among carriers. It smacks of governmental intervention into the private relationship between doctors and patients, and while Medicare reimbursement goes down and doctors scramble to retire or refuse to take Medicare patients, we are all going to be at the mercy of the government as provider, and I venture to guess that the costs and time it takes to become a doctor will not be appealing to those who realize they will simply become government drones dispensing patch work care on a take a number basis. Obama did try to explain it. He couldn't get support for it, yet it was passed anyway by a tone deaf Congress. Talk about mendacity and corruption–look to your liberals for that.
March 25th, 2011
3:52 pm
"The facts don't count much in this debate."
Indeed they don't. Well at least for CT and the rest of the dems…
March 25th, 2011
4:04 pm
Its because our executive branch and Democratic controlled congress Obamulated.
March 25th, 2011
4:07 pm
However, I'm certain that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) was intentionally disingenuous and misleading in an essay he wrote in The Wall Street Journal last week, in which he suggested that his now-grown daughter, who was born with a heart defect, would not have survived under the current law.
The child wouldn't have survived or Sen. Ron Johnson would have gone bankrupt if they tried to rely on a child only health policy seeking issuance after Obamacare was passed.
March 25th, 2011
4:08 pm
Oops, I ment to spell OBAMBULATED.
March 25th, 2011
4:20 pm
"…with deceit, dissembling and distortion…" funny – isn't that the way it was passed!!!
March 25th, 2011
4:21 pm
And so many of your right-wing fans, Cynthia, will just repeat the same nonsense in the blog comments without bothering to check the facts. Just wait'll they bring up the "wavers" that they don't really understand… the costs spiraling out of control, which they won't admit was happening before the law was passed… the routine rejection of coverage because of "pre-existing conditions" which they like that that's now illegal with the law, but they don't want to admit it that it comes at a cost… and so on.
March 25th, 2011
4:22 pm
Oh, and they'll complain it was passed "too fast", because it only took over a year of meetings and days and days of debate. Any life change must be "too fast" for them…
March 25th, 2011
4:24 pm
It seems like Orwellian double-speak to say that people are "mandated to buy private health insurance" so that they can enjoy the same "freedom" that those who voluntarily did so have.
March 25th, 2011
4:33 pm
When will I have the right to sit at home and have someone else pay for my food, clothes, housing, education, health care, car, phone, other "living expenses"?
March 25th, 2011
4:34 pm
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The right wing fring element has been squeakier than the Obama administration. You tell a lie often enough, and many will believe. Like Barnum said, "There's one born every day". Lately, there seems to be an entire party of them. They are all drinking the tea.
March 25th, 2011
4:42 pm
Assaults against the health care reform bill from Republicans cannot be taken seriously. Not only because of political reasons but because these people i bet have not experienced having a hard time trying to acquire health care coverage. They don't know how it is to deliberate whether to pay their premiums or pay their bills. These people do not have any problem accessing health care. Republicans are understandably concerned over the costs but they also need to pay attention to our current health care system. Improvements need to be made.
Anne C
NY Health Insurer
March 25th, 2011
4:49 pm
"The new health care law would require every American to purchase private health insurance."
And how, CT, are the generational government dependents going to purchase (pay) for their private insurance? Thought so!!!
March 25th, 2011
4:51 pm
I haven't voted for a Democrat in probably close to two decades and I don't see that changing, but I have to give credit where credit is due. The Democrats did something after my guys did nothing for 8 years. You can gripe and moan all you want, but the truth is that we pay more for health care in this country than any other nation and the results are not good. You have to hate the French, but they pay less for health care than we do, everyone is covered and they can get the best results. If we can't beat them, at least we can copy them. I honestly believe that's where Obama was headed, but couldn't even get enough support from his own party to get what he really wanted. At the least the Democrats are trying.
March 25th, 2011
5:12 pm
Which ever person comes out with a copy of the bill in a plain simple format that the normal pearson can understand will insure the obama is a one timer. He don't just mandate that you buy insurance, he even mandaited how the insurance spends thair money. He leaves in there $500,000,000 for the media to stand behind him. He leaves 2500 open jobs for union goverment workers to fill, and by 2016 will close down 15% of all hospital rooms. He takes away the offices from the doctor. They will not be able to own them. Everything you do will be on one data sheet the goverment will control. They will tell you that the job you do is not what they want, the play you do is not on their list of good things and the goverment can denie you benifits if you own a gun in 2017. If you do not belive me, prove me wrong and read the bill, every word of it, 750,000 of them so far and mor everyday.
March 25th, 2011
5:17 pm
Obama, healthcare, and the economy. It's all about Hope & Change:
A doctor in Isreal says; "In Isreal the medicine is so advanced that we cut off a man's testicles, put them on another man and in 6 weeks he looking for work". A doctor in Germany says; "That's nothing, in Germany we took part of a brain from one man, put in another and in 4 weeks he is looking for work. A doctor in Russia says," We are so advanced in medicine, we took 1/2 of a heart from one man, put it in another man and in 2 weeks he is looking for work. The doctor from the U.S. says,"you all are so far behind us. 2 years ago, we took a man with no brains, no heart and no balls put him in a President and the whole country is looking for work. Now that's hope and change!!
March 25th, 2011
5:23 pm
Yeah, after Barry hands out a thousand more "exemptions" to ObamaCare to his political cronies (like Anthony Weeeeeener of New York) and donors, the rest of us will be allotted "rationed" care by the Enlightened One…..
March 25th, 2011
5:25 pm
To make if fair for everyone, everyone gets the same coverage. I MEAN EVERYBODY< OBAMA< BIDDEN AND CYNTHIA TUCKER and me too. the exact same coverage. Rich or poor, if it so great, nobody will have it better than the next. See what happens then!
March 25th, 2011
5:26 pm
and that nancy bitch to
March 25th, 2011
5:26 pm
" . . . its detractors continue to campaign against it with deceit, dissembling and distortion." You might say that it was passed with deceit, dissembling and distortion, too!
March 25th, 2011
5:29 pm
Wiener the whiner from NY bragged how he was healthcare as he made it sound as though he wrote the nightmare without help. Now he wants his district to be given a wavier. You demowits have no sense of anything. And when did the facts ever concern you Tucker?
March 25th, 2011
5:35 pm
Hey Cynthia, weren't we supposed to just LOVE ObamaCare once it passed and THEN we could find what was in the bill??? WTF???
Obviously we found out about it, and even Weeeeeener from NY doesn't like the stench from that pile of sh*t!
March 25th, 2011
5:39 pm
There has been dishonesty from opponents of ObamaCare. But that pales in comparison to the dishonesty engaged in by its proponents. President Bush certainly spent like a drunken sailor, but that's not the reason surpluses were eaten through. The surpluses disappeared because they never really existed in the first place They were predictions based on economic assumptions which were not founded in reality. They were based on a dot.com bubble not existing. The bursting of that bubble is the real reason such surpluses were eaten through. As for the new health care entitlement Bush signed into law — let's remember that the alternative wasn't no new entitlement. Rather the alternative was the Democratic Party plan which was projected to cost massively more than what Bush signed into law. What Bush signed into law was certainly irresponsible, but not as irresponsible as the alternative Democratic Party plan would have been. Once they got going, the 2nd wave of Bush's tax cuts actually started to bring in more revenue than the projected CBO baseline had projected would be the case without the tax cuts.
March 25th, 2011
5:42 pm
Anne C, March 25th, 2011, 4:42 pm ~ I don't think Republicans have ever thought for one moment that our healthy care system could not use some revamping and offered suggestions to what they believed should have been included and a part of health care reform . . . however, the arrogant President and his cronies wanted all the glory and they saw an opportunity to include in the bill a menagerie of wish list items aside from the real health care issues and use whatever (crooked) means to gain the votes necessary for passage of the bill. Anyone who thinks this bill is the answer has been snowballed and is very delusional. If it is so wonderful . . why the waivers . . . why are Congress and government employees exempted.
March 25th, 2011
5:58 pm
The only thing this bill is going to do for us in to insure you know who is providing your healthcare. In seven years, there will be no insurance companies. The will all go broke, All they will sell is car insurance, They will not even write life insurance, it will be a sure thing, if you get sick- you die. The most you will get in enough to plant you. Even that WILL BE CONTROLLED. Insurance is a for profit business. nothing more. they take a chance they will make more than they will spend. The pre-existing is what is going to put them out. If nyou do not understand that, you are dumner than a five year old. Most of you would belive anything that comes out of his mouth. Hear me now, READ THE DAMN BILL WORD FOR WORD AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF< most of you could not understand it because it does not bash President Bush and it has no pictures in it.
March 25th, 2011
6:18 pm
One way to help us decide if it is a good bill or not is to look at it where the rubber meets the road , where actual financial people are making actual financial decisons. And what I see is a lot , I mean a lot, of people trying to get out from under the bill by opting out, being exempt, ect.
These decsions are not politically based, but financially based , so they hold a lot of weight for me.
March 25th, 2011
6:19 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot my favorite quote on this subject
" we gotta sign/pass the bill so we know what's in it" – Genius
March 25th, 2011
6:24 pm
"They did a poor job of building public support for the law, allowing Republicans to create a backlash."
Why is it that when liberal policies prove unpopular, it's always because of "messaging" or "marketing." It's as though liberals believe the American people are so stupid, that if only they could penetrate that stupidity, they'd be successful every time!
Message to libs: America knows and understands what you're all about, and they voted last November accordingly.
America hates what libs are all about. That's why we're America.
Got liberty?
March 25th, 2011
6:56 pm
Rightards would rather die themselves and sacrifice their families than try to get a scrap of justice or fairness in the world. Like the Russian peasants in the old story where one is granted a wish knowing his neighbor would get twice as much of what he wished for, then wishing half of his cattle to die. It's a sickness.
As for the lying, you have to figure the conservatives love to be led astray as long as it fits their prejudices. Gingrich/Palin 2012!!
March 25th, 2011
7:07 pm
"Like the Russian peasants in the old story where one is granted a wish knowing his neighbor would get twice as much of what he wished for, then wishing half of his cattle to die."
Please show proof.
Didn't think so.
March 25th, 2011
7:49 pm
Yeah, Obama erudite passed a law that failed to be explained to the public. The bit & pieces we know – insurance exchanges run by state government (more duties for existing employees?), the mandate that businesses report minimal economic activity with customers/suppliers (600 a year? Why? control?).
Tenants I would like discussed:
T or F: Many unions have been given a waiver?
T or F: Some liberal leaning states have been given a waiver?
If you don't have insurance, you MUST pay a fine – T or F? How is that constitutional?
If you have an excellent plan, you must pay a surcharge, T or F?
Insurance companies MUST cover adults over the age of 21 on their parents coverage? T, yes? Who pays for that excessive coverage?
Those with pre-existing (ie: expensive to cover), can NOT be charged more than a healthy person, T or F?
Those without coverage can not be denied. So, if a 22 year old moron wrecks his motorcycle, loses a leg, is in a coma for a month, can his parents obtain insurance for him with no premium penalty? And thus, all his rehab is covered by a policy he just started paying for? And, will that policy cost the same as a 22 year old in a seminary?
March 25th, 2011
7:51 pm
Cynthia – If Obozo-care is so great, why is the Wiener in NY now wanting a waiver for the state along with all of Obozo's union-thug buddies?
March 25th, 2011
8:00 pm
So, the annointed Emporer of America attacks Libya without cause, and this is the kind of story we get? Yeah, no bias. No yellow journalism. Just hard edged,fact based analysis of the most duplicitous, arrogant and half ass President we've had since at least WW 2, maybe since that stretch in the 1800's where nobody can remember the Pres' name. Excellent.
March 25th, 2011
8:00 pm
[...] will take time to implement, as states build the new health insurance exchanges and minimize …More mendacity on health care reformAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)A year after health-care reformRochester City Newspaper [...]
March 25th, 2011
8:02 pm
Dick – tell us again the success of the stimulus and how deserving Obama is of the nobel peace prize? Obama is a re-run of Bill Clinton – I guess he really was the 1st black president of the US.
March 25th, 2011
8:02 pm
[...] insurance, and offers tax credits and subsidies to ensure that coverage is affordable. …More mendacity on health care reformAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Prevention Works: Affordable Care Act Is Already Building Health [...]
March 25th, 2011
8:23 pm
Nothing new in this latest Tucker tale of liberal woe: she wants a Communist state just like her hero.
March 25th, 2011
8:48 pm
"It doesn't seem to matter that President Obama's predecessor ate through a budget surplus with two unfunded wars and, ironically, a huge new health care entitlement"
First, the lame claim about a budget surplus. For about 5 minutes, there may have been a surplus…on paper. The truth of the matter is that Mr. Clinton still added $17B to the debt in his final year in office.
Congress funded both wars and continues to fund those wars under Mr. Obama. Of course, they funded it the same way they fund most things: borrowing the money.
Under this definition. though, Mr. Obama has begun a 3rd unfunded war. Excuse me, not "war" but "kinetic military action". And this despite the clear protestations several years ago by Mr's. Obama and Biden, along with Mrs. Clinton, that taking such activity without congressional approval was simply not to be done. I'm sure Mr. Biden will be filing those impeachment proceedings any day now.
And while Mr. Bush did sign plenty of Congress's big-spending bills, Mr. Obama racked up deficits in two years that rival all of Bush's first 7 years of deficits combined (year 8 included TARP, which is now being paid back and counted as revenue, making Mr. Obama's deficits just that much smaller than they really are).
Finally, one has to wonder why Ms. Tucker feels the need to use these misleading words (unfunded, surplus) to smear Mr. Obama's predecessor (when we know it's easy enough to do so without stooping so low).
March 25th, 2011
8:49 pm
And there's not a *thing* in this column that is "intentionally disingenuous and misleading". Right…
March 25th, 2011
9:08 pm
My favorite surprise in ObamaCare was the $100 billion future-year-spending committed by the democrats in the bill. Unless the thing is repealed – won't happen with a leftist in the oval office – our mountain of debt will continue to climb, on autopilot. This is what happens when democrats are put into power.
March 25th, 2011
9:38 pm
[...] the original: More mendacity on health care reform – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) March 25th, 2011 in Health in General | tags: atlanta-journal, business, care-reform, congress, [...]
March 25th, 2011
10:16 pm
Funny thing here. Most of what I read is Cynthia's opinion that conservatives are not dealing with the facts. Seems Cynthia is pretty short on facts herself and pretty long on opinion herself.
One thing I caught is that Cynthia said the new health law "curbs" Medicare. Why doesn't she just be honest and say the new health law "cuts" medicare and in particular Medicare Advantage plans which are very popular with lower income and middle class seniors. Deception by Miss Tucker? Absolutely.
March 25th, 2011
10:30 pm
" designed to lead to a government takeover "
What part of "lead to" don't you understand?
It's too complex and costly, and probably unconstitutional. It would have been so simple to extend Medicare to everyone. It's not that good, but at least we'd all have basic coverage.
March 25th, 2011
10:30 pm
I re-read Cynthia's piece 3 times. I did not see one iota of evidence from Cynthia that the health bill will do what it claims- make health care more affordale,bring health care to more Americans, etc. Not one iota of truth or evidence presented by her that the health care law will do any of the things the Dems say it will.
March 25th, 2011
10:32 pm
Since when were Republicans against cutting Medicare? They'd really like to kill it.
March 25th, 2011
10:32 pm
Medicare is rife with fraud and abuse- one out of every 5 dollars spent on the system goes to waste, fraud, and abuse. Many think tanks or organizations such as AARP put the number at 30 percent or higher.
March 25th, 2011
10:36 pm
And who is committing that fraud and abuse? Don;t any of us hae any integrity? I'd argue that at least that much is being denied legitimate claims, so it's a wash.
March 25th, 2011
10:37 pm
Let me try that again:
And who is committing that fraud and abuse? Don't any of us have any integrity? I'd argue that at least that much is being denied in legitimate claims, so it's a wash.
March 25th, 2011
10:40 pm
The really pathetic part is that 90% of "Obamacare" consists of Republican healthcare plans from the past 40 years, but somehow it's all "evil socialism" now. What a bunch of disingenuous maroons.
March 25th, 2011
10:40 pm
If that were true the Repubs wanted to kill Medicare then they wouldn't have passed the Part D drug benefit now would they? The truth is neither party wants to tick off the Medicare community. The Dems just made cuts to Medicare Advantge plans which help poor and lower middle class people- very ironic. The reason they did it was heavy lobbying- AARP and other insurance companies can make a lot more many selling private medicare supplement policies.


text:
PB: ICMAD joined with PBA to host a seminar at ISSE Long Beach exploring business expansion into the international marketplace. We purchased a booth at the Face & Body exhibit at America's Beauty Show in Chicago and we held a reception at Cosmoprof Bologna in April. One of ICMAD's goals is to help our members in exporting their products outside the U.S. At Cosmoprof, we reversed the process and partnered with PBA to host "Roadmap to Success in the U.S.," a seminar to help international manufactuers succeed in this country.
We will be involved in Cosmoprof North America with an educational session, "It's all in the Details: A Legislative Update." Steve Sleeper of PBA and I will both be panelists. ICMAD is also supporting our member George Schaeffer at the Spirit of Life award presentation.
We are an other-centered organization with talented leadership that provides ethical support in helping our members develop the best business practices.


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