What a great way for a man to tell the woman of his dreams he loved her, c. 1963! Give her an appliance!
Siamese Rescue Faces Closure at Year’s End
Tami Manning, left, and Alisa Lee, run the Texas Siamese Rescue in Corinth.
I reported back in July about the Texas Siamese Rescue in Denton County, Texas; an organization devoted to rescuing Siamese cats and providing them with good homes. Tami Manning and Alisa Lee had taken over the group last year, after its previous owner died. But, when Manning and Lee inherited the organization’s 179 cats, they also inherited its outstanding debt of $244,000. If the duo could raise $40,000 by the end of the year, that amount would be waived from the overall debt amount. Now, though, Texas Siamese Rescue is facing closure by year end, as the group hasn’t been able to recoup its losses.
They’ve been able to reduce the number of cats, however, through foster homes and have been able to pay back $10,000 so far. A donor has agreed to match up to $5,000 in donations; at this point, up to $3,500 has been matched. But, there’s still the possibility the group may have to euthanize some of the cats if homes can’t be found for them.
Donations can be made to: http://tx.siameserescue.org/TXdonate.php. They can also be sent to: 1123 N. Corinth St. Corinth, TX 76208.
Filed under News
Rifle Up the Ass
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
– Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, in a much-anticipated press conference Friday, the 21st, about the Connecticut school shootings.
With an invisible coon skin cap on his head and the ghost of Charlton Heston looming over him, LaPierre took the expected stance of the NRA: guns don’t kill, people kill. Ergo, we need more guns. With 50% of the world’s firearms therefore, the U.S. should be the safest nation on Earth. Strangely, we’re not. Like the Republican Party’s attitude towards taxation (giving the wealthiest citizens tax breaks to stimulate jobs), the NRA mantra is a perfect example of insanity: doing the same damn thing over and over, expecting different results. It would be a hard-fought battle, but I hope the nation has finally come to its senses and will ban assault weapons. Then, we reasonable-minded folks can tap-dance on Heston’s grave.
Filed under News
Last Rights
This past Friday, the 21st, a nationwide moment of silence was held for the 26 victims of the Newtown, Connecticut school shootings. I don’t have children and I’ve never been a victim of a violent crime. Thus, I can only imagine the extraordinary pain the victims’ families must be enduring right now, especially the parents of the 20 kids murdered in that rampage. Who could believe in a god after a massacre like this?
Charlotte Bacon, age 6
Daniel Barden, age 7
Rachel Davino, age 29
Olivia Engel, age 6
Josephine Gay, age 7
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, age 6
Dylan Hockley, age 6
Dawn Hochsprung, age 47
Madeleine F. Hsu, age 6
Catherine V. Hubbard, age 6
Chase Kowalski, age 7
Jesse Lewis, age 6
James Mattioli , age 6
Grace McDonnell, age 7
Anne Marie Murphy, age 52
Emilie Parker, age 6
Jack Pinto, age 6
Noah Pozner, age 6
Caroline Previdi, age 6
Jessica Rekos, age 6
Avielle Richman, age 6
Lauren Rousseau, age 30
Mary Sherlach, age 56
Victoria Soto, age 27
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6
Allison N. Wyatt, age 6
Filed under News
Tolkien Goes to School
Marquette University Archivist Bill Fliss arranges some of the 11,000 J.R.R. Tolkien papers the university owns in the library of the Milwaukee school; home to the largest Tolkien collection in the world. Photo courtesy Carrie Antlfinger, Associated Press.
We J.R.R. Tolkien fans will rejoice that Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has created a class devoted exclusively to the writer’s works. Tolkien is best known, of course, for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – both of which set the standard for literary fantasies – but he composed a number of other pieces. Marquette implemented the Tolkien course this past fall, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of The Hobbit’s publication. Thirty-two students enrolled and studied Tolkien as a whole; not just from the viewpoint of his two most popular works.
Marquette is one of the main repositories of Tolkien drawings, writings and various drafts – more than 11,000. It has the original manuscripts for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, along with lesser-known Farmer Giles of Ham and Mr. Bliss, a children’s book. Marquette was the first institution to ask Tolkien for the manuscripts in 1956 and paid him about $5,000. The university had acquired the collection after it hired William Ready to build its literary collection. Ready hired Bertram Rota, a London rare book dealer, to serve as the agent for Marquette. Rota wrote to Tolkien and asked for his original manuscripts. Tolkien was concerned about his retirement finances and agreed to the sale. He died in 1973.
Marquette isn’t the first university in the U.S. to offer a class on Tolkien. But, in this case, Marquette students can actually view Tolkien’s detailed drawings, notes and other items on site at the school’s archive.
“One of the things we wanted to impress upon the students was the fact that Tolkien was a fanatical reviser,” said Bill Fliss, Marquette’s archivist. “He never really did anything once and was finished with it.”
Tolkien was a true writer’s writer and not just for the fantasy set. He took complete control of his works, designing even the book cover for the first edition of The Hobbit. His detailed art work helps the reader envision the world of “Middle Earth” as he saw it. Few others can match is creative prowess.
A sketch of “Middle Earth” from Tolkien’s “The Art of the Hobbit.”
Filed under Art Working
Alive Again
Alas, the world didn’t end, as some thought it would. Or, maybe it did, and we lowly mortals just haven’t figured it out yet. I have to concede that one of the geneses for this blog was the lore surrounding the Mayan calendar. But, I realized long ago that every day I wake up is a good day, even if I feel like crap. It’s another chance to make a difference in my life. As a writer, I love exploring. My lifelong battles with timidity and depression prevented me from doing much of what I wanted. I’d always followed other people’s paths; hoping to get something for myself. Then, I started creating my own trails.
So yes, it is a new universe – at least for me. And, I certainly hope for everyone else. Everybody has a story and most everyone is worth something. The world didn’t implode quite like some had anticipated – perhaps expected. Then again, the ancient Mayans didn’t consider Leap Years. They devised more exacting calendars than their Judeo-Christian counterparts. Science is still learning more about them and other archaic societies. That’s what intrigues me about our world – there’s always something new to discover. No one should ever stop learning and exploring. If you do, you might as well just die.
But, damn! Now, I have 2 tons of chocolate and 50 cases of bottled water! Oh, well! Life’s too short to be conservative!
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Happy Summer Solstice!
For our friends and loved ones in the Southern Hemisphere!
