Please Vote for Manatees!

Please Vote for Manatees!

Save the Manatee Club is a non-profit located in Central Florida.  The organization was founded 31 years ago for the purpose of saving manatees from extinction.  Please click on the link above to vote for Save the Manatee Club and help us win a grant in the Chase Giving Campaign.  The grants range from $10,000 to $250,000.  The more votes we get, the higher the grant awarded.  We need your vote.  It only takes a few minutes of your time and will make a big difference for manatees. 

Manatees are marine mammals found in Florida's waterways, in Central and South American waterways and off the coast of West Africa.  They even have a "relative", the dugong, in Australia's waters.  Manatees are vegetarians, eating seagrasses and other aquatic plants.  They have no natural predators.  Most of their injuries and deaths are human related, like strikes from speeding boats and other watercraft, entanglement in crab traps and discarded monofilament fishing lines.  Save the Manatee Club needs YOUR help to protect these wonderful animals. 

Please share this with your friends, family on Facebook, other social networks and with others you know.

Voting ends on September 19th - so time is short.

THANKS!

Make Up Your Mind!

My feminist consciousness was awakened in the late sixties, when I was in college.  Unfortunately there was not a Women’s Studies program at my alma mater.  My university was brand, spanking new; located in the boondocks of Orlando.  This was pre-Disney and Orlando was a small, Florida cracker town.  The second wave of feminism was relatively new, and Orlando was about 5 -10 years behind the rest of the country, at that time. 

I devoured Ms. magazine and any books that I could find to further inform myself.  Patriarchy, misogyny, new terms to me, but I recognized them and they made my experience, as a fat, of above average intelligence, left-handed woman, make sense for once.  Stereotypes attributed to women in our society had rarely, if ever, applied to ME. 

I’m reminiscing now because of two, seemingly, unrelated things that I’ve seen in the past few days.  Coincidence?  I think not.  It’s, IMHO, the latest Trend in our political system.  And, what these 2 separate items made me remember was that charming (SNARK!) old adage:

IT’S A WOMAN’S PREROGATIVE TO CHANGE HER MIND.

Remember that?  It always pissed me off.  Women, compared to men, just didn’t know what they wanted.  They were/are inscrutable.  Women simply are too addle-pated to make up their minds.  Women are mindless twits.   Of course, it was men who promoted this ridiculous “Truth” about the (again their description) Opposite sex.  Why did this hit me today?  Well, it starts with The Rachel Maddow Show last Friday night. 

The Great Flabbergasting!  This segment nearly had me standing in front of my television cheering.  Rachel & her staff did an excellent job of research on this post.  As Jon Stewart would say, NAILED IT! In one of the clips, President Obama, says “they keep moving the goal posts.”  That’s something I’ve been saying for months now.  But, I don’t think either of us is correct.  They (the Right Wing) are actually changing the game.  They say, “hey, let’s play basketball.”  So, you say okay and meet up with them,  bringing  your basketball.  Upon arrival, they say “where’s your mitt and baseball bat?” 

As you will have seen in the video segment, it’s about giving Them what they want and They say, that’s stupid and we don’t want that at all.  Why, oh why, can’t you give us what we want?  And then this morning I get a link to this on Facebook:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/another-twist-in-the-crystal-river-manatee-saga-shunning/1187165

Crystal River, Kings Bay on the west coast of Florida is one of the main areas in which the endangered manatee can be found year round.  It has long been an area of contention for a variety of reasons.  Most recently the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) has issued a proposal to make all of Kings Bay a slow speed zone to protect manatees.  As you will read in the article, the FWCC proposal is EXACTLY what the Waterfronts Advisory Board and the City Council told FWCC they wanted to see adopted.  However, once the proposal was presented the Tea Partiers in Citrus County went ballistic and the story went viral on the Internet.  The head of the local Tea Party was quoted as saying that this proposal was against “The Bill of Rights and the Bible.”  Mother Jones, The Huffington Post and many others picked up the story.  Dear Edna, the president of the local Tea Party, is now famous.  I’m just waiting for her to get her own show on FOX. 

So, now – in my always searching for connections brain – was reminded of that repugnant phrase used to describe/understand women, way back when. 

IT’S A WOMAN’S PREROGATIVE TO CHANGE HER MIND.

No, ladies, it’s not us who can’t make up our minds……it’s the Right Wing being pushed even farther and farther to the Right by the Tea Party.  It’s past time for the sane, logical ones among us to point this out.  As long as the leadership within the Republican Party continues to cater to the lunatic fringe, the rational and reasonable among us need to revive this phrase, but update it to reflect our times:

IT’S THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S PREROGATIVE TO CHANGE ITS MIND.

Derogatory?  Possibly.  It certainly was derogatory when applied to ALL women.  Applied to the entire Republican Party?  Not as long as they continue to walk in lock step, endlessly parroting each other, sticking to their preordained script.  Repitan por favor, as one of my high school Spanish teachers would say.  Repeat it, please.  Repetition improves learning, it doesn’t make it the Truth. 

We The People need to stop negotiating with terrorists.  We need to stop giving into their demands.  If we’ve learned nothing in the past 3 years, it should be that by giving in to their demands, they will only ask for more and More and MORE!  It seems to me that they won’t be happy until They have it all and the rest of us are left with NOTHING!   And at the risk of offending my feminist sensibilities, to really piss Them off, we should tell Them to STOP ACTING LIKE GIRLS and simply MAKE UP THEIR MINDS!

More Random Thoughts

Well, 2011 started off as 2010 ended – still recovering from the surgeries, but able to work part time and still have weekday hyperbaric treatments.  When will this be over?  It’s anybody’s guess.

So, while I recover, the world keeps spinning.  While going through this extended recovery period, it’s harder and harder to look on the bright side. The state of our planet continues to spiral downward and seems to concern only a small percentage of Americans.  More and more species are not only endangered but are going extinct.  Last year was the hottest year recorded and polar bears may die out in the next 20 years.  Big cats throughout the world are still being killed, either because of concerns over protecting livestock or just for the sport of it.  Over 700 manatees died last year, the worst year on record as well.  Millions of unwanted, homeless cats, dogs, puppies and kittens are killed in shelters each and every year.  Children in developing countries are dying in mines, due to pollution, war or lack of clean food and water.  Lack of regulation and strict oversight allows things like the Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico and the West Virginia mining disaster, yet Florida’s new governor wants government to get out of the way of business.  When will people realize that the one and only thing that business is interested in is PROFITS?  It isn’t about worker safety, it isn’t about creating jobs, it isn’t about providing healthcare for their employees, it isn’t about insuring that generations to come have a healthy planet to live on.  PROFITS, that is the only concern.  Government regulation is the only thing protecting the average citizen and worker.  Without regulation our air, water and food supply would be in even worse shape.  There would be no OSHA overseeing workplace safety. 

Of course, there has been good news as well, both on a personal and world level.  Chaz, who was given not much chance of surviving long back in September, is still with me and hanging in there.  His brother, Charlie, although still way too thin, continues to eat everything that isn’t nailed down.  CARE Feline TNR helped pull 40 cats from Orange County Animal Services and is finding homes for many of them.  Animal rescuers, from the one person to multi-volunteer ones, continue to place cats and dogs in loving homes.  According to the Washington Post, vegetarian and vegan diets are becoming more mainstream.  China is putting large amounts of money into renewable energy and water conservation.  And, for the time being, the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is safe from oil drilling.  Let’s hope 2011 will have more Good News stories than Tragic News stories. 

Really nothing exciting to share………………..

I really do live a very boring, drab and routine life. I live in the Land of Perpetual Litter Box Cleaning as well as a seemingly 24/7 Laundromat and Discarded Cat & Dog Hair Removal Service.

I went back to work last week after really enjoying my week off (? – that’s debatable to some of my friends – it was actually a week off from paid work, not unpaid LIFE work). Don’t let anyone convince you that the recession is over. Working for a nonprofit, it’s quite obvious that folks just don’t have the disposable income to donate like they did just over 2 years ago. It’s slow at work, with not as many phone calls coming in and the incoming mail diminishing as the year progresses. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like during our traditional slow season – the summer months. I realize that there are a lot of really good “causes” out there but it’s saddening, especially at this time. Last year was the worst year on record for the number of manatees who died in Florida’s waterways. With Florida’s extended winter season this year, the number of manatee deaths reported has already surpassed all those from 2009. I don’t even want to think what the final numbers will be by the end of this year. While more and more groups have jumped on the manatee bandwagon in recent years, it still remains a FACT that Save the Manatee Club is the only organization working day in and day out to protect this precious, endangered species. The Club has a small, hardworking staff, along with a very small annual budget (compared to well known groups with from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in their budget ). Even after nearly 17 years at the Club, it still amazes me how much the Club has accomplished in nearly 30 years of effort dedicated to manatee protection. To find out more about manatees and Save the Manatee Club, visit http://www.savethemanatee.org/.

I honestly wanted to rant about something, but I just can’t seem to get really riled up about anything. There certainly isn’t an absence of crazy people in the news lately that are worthy of ranting about (Newt Gingrich calling the President a secular socialist; Glenn Beck joining PETA; and John McCain announcing he NEVER considered himself a maverick – ‘nuff said). Am I getting mellow in my old age? Am I becoming used to the lunacy that permeates the media? Do I just not give a darn or am I going through a down cycle? Check back later to see if this worm has turned.

Any Designing Women fans out there? I adored that show and never missed it. Of course, being prone to get on my soapbox and share my opinions (normally), Julia Sugarbaker rocked my world. I was known to cheer and clap when she went off on someone or something. Dixie Carter played Julia brilliantly. Ms. Carter died yesterday at the age of only 70. She leaves behind 2 daughters and her wonderful, equally brilliant and talented husband, Hal Holbrook. I loved seeing the two of them together, whether as themselves or working together. When LOVE works, it’s a sight to behold.

To wrap up, some recommendations for my current favorite television shows. CHUCK is on Monday nights at 8PM. I’ve loved, loved, loved this show since its debut. Zach Levy, who plays Chuck, is totally adorable, funny and charming. IN PLAIN SIGHT has recently returned to the air with new episodes on Wednesdays at 10PM. It’s about the witness protection program and is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The lead character, Mary, can be caustic and difficult, but I LOVE her. I like a good dose of sarcasm and snark whenever I can get it – especially from a smart, strong woman. Also on Monday night (at 10PM) is CASTLE, starring the lovely, funny and marvelous Nathan Fillion (Captain Tightpants to the Firefly fans out there). Great show, watch it. Sunday nights from 8 – 10PM, LIFE is on the Discovery Channel. It’s from the same filmmakers who did Planet Earth. The cinematography is incredible and the science is accessible to everyone. Maybe if everyone knew more about the rest of the amazing species we SHARE this planet with, they would treat OUR HOME with more respect and place more value on the amazing assortment of lives surrounding us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone treated every day as Earth Day? And, finally, BONES which is on at 8PM Thursday night on Fox. They have just aired their 100th episode, and the show is in syndication on TNT nearly every weeknight. It’s a smart and witty show, with a great cast that includes three very intelligent and strong female characters, along with David Boreanaz (of Buffy and Angel fame).