August 29^th

I was in Vancouver. There was a layer of ash over everything. There was snow in the background, in the mountains.

September 1^st

I was living next to an odd river. I was upset it was fake. It was somewhere up north. I went into the river, it had no water. They always turned off the water in the Fall. I was standing in it, when suddenly someone turned on the water again. I was stuck in the river. There was a child following me.

September 6^th

I was in a strange mall. I wanted to get a camera. It was a Canon and it folded up to be tiny and could be carried on a key ring, but still had all the available features.

September 7^th

I was stuck in a mall. I couldn’t leave. One of the stores was closing down, so I stole something. There was a priest there. My car fell off a bridge into the water. I saw the word horseman.

September 13^th

I was on a boat. There was a swamp we were going through. There were weird animals in the swamp, including a huge snake. I had to meet some strange man named Richard at a coffee shop.

September 15^th

I was at a school reunion. Things were strange, I got lost. Every store was having a huge sale. Staci, a girl from school, had become a missionary. Suddenly, I was at a water park. I had to walk over a huge hole full of water to get to the rides. There was a couple that kept insisting that Ted Kennedy was still alive.

September 16^th

I was with a strange, unknown woman. We were both looking at a map of North America. We were looking at places we thought should have waterfront property, creating floods. We were concentrating on the North. There was a judge living with her son in that area, for some reason we thought it should be flooded.

September 20^th

I was in a mall in Washington DC, with another girl. She was modeling clothes. We were trying to steal tea. Suddenly, I was with Laura Bush. She was talking about her kayak that could fit in the bathtub. We were working on a calendar, I was walking a dog. The dog was trying to eat a poisonous plant, I wouldn’t let him. I tried to eat the plant.

September 23^rd

I was at some sort of auditorium with Laura Bush, GW Bush and Obama. There was something wrong, something sad was happening. I was trying to help Laura Bush. I was showing her my cat.

September 26^th

I was standing on a hill, watching the sea. There were a lot of people on the beach, having fun. A huge wave came out of nowhere. People went into the water and drowned. There was a car in the water. It was like a toy and got swept out to sea.

September 29^th

I was in an airplane with a strange man who had wild brown hair and a wild beard. We were trying to get over the international dateline, but we were having problems.

October 3^rd

There was a man, somewhere in the Middle East, amongst Arabs. He was not Arabic. He was walking through a very poor village. He got in a small plane to pilot it, it crashed in water. He lived, but had too many secrets. He had a pill, took it, and died. He was in very shallow water.

October 9^th

I was riding a bike along the South American coast, something was wrong, the atmosphere was all weird and a hole opened up in the sky.

October 12^th

I was in Africa. There was terrible flooding. I was trying to get to places on a bus. People kept trying to get into my backpack and steal things.

October 26^th

I was looking at a floor, it was ruined by water and age. There was American money all over the place, but it was moldy and in bad shape. People were trying to grab the money, but it fell apart in their hands.

October 27^th

I was in an old house, getting ready to move. Satan was changing bodies, he was in a little boy. My parents old buffet had stuff in it. Things were empty all over the Quad Cities, all the stores were closed. One of the parks had weeds and plant growth all over it, like nobody had taken care of it. People were gone.

After months of anticipation, the red carpet was finally rolled out last night for the first state dinner of the Obama Administration, honouring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and First Lady, Gursharan Kaur. Dubbed the biggest social event of the Obama Presidency, the 338 strong guest list was a mix of Washington hierarchy, Hollywood A-listers, prominent Indian Americans, and Obama friends, family and campaign donors.

Keeping with tradition, Mrs Obama previewed the glamorous table settings and menu to a group of young women from the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program, who were then invited to stay for lunch.

Highlighting the important links with the country, the Obamas hosted the event in a marquee located on the South Lawn, with views of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. In his toast, the President said the settings conjured images of India, where events are often held in outdoor locations. Prime Minister Singh said he was overwhelmed by the Obamas hospitality, and repeated that the President’s election had been an inspiration to millions of Indians.

The excitement surrounding the event signals a new beginning of a transparent Presidency, where the American public, and indeed those around the world can now experience the planning and hard work which goes in to organizing an event of this size. All the events, from the welcoming ceremony to the state dinner itself were streamed live on the White House’s website, allowing internet users to see the guests arriving and the what the First Lady had selected to wear in real-time. In an interview with Capitol File and Vogue earlier this year, Social Secretary Desiree Rogers hinted that sweepstake draws could be introduced in an effort to welcome more individuals to the nation’s house, much like similar competitions which were held throughout the campaign trail and election.

This brings new hope and transparency to the social side of the Presidency. During the Bush ‘43′ Administration, only  7 state dinners were held during his 8 years in office, compared to the Clinton’s who hosted well over 20 events. These developments all signal the Administration’s attempts to reverse the secrecy and ‘closed-circle’ environment of the past eight years, and open up the White House, and the Presidency to the American people and the world. Washington DC residents and natives have talked of a new excitement in the city, and much of this I feel is down to the election of Barack Obama and his innovative plans for the future.

…and how not to.

From the Star Telegram:

Texans: Are you really married?

Maybe not.

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.

The amendment, approved by the Texas Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by Texas voters, declares that “marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” But the trouble-making phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares:

“This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”

Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships.

But Radnofsky, who was a member of the powerhouse Vinson & Elkins law firm in Houston for 27 years until retiring in 2006, says the wording of Subsection B effectively “eliminates marriage in Texas,” including common-law marriages.

I can think of one person who’s thrilled to death over the news!

She calls it a “massive mistake” and blames the current attorney general, Republican Greg Abbott, for allowing the language to become part of the Texas Constitution. Radnofsky called on Abbott to acknowledge the wording as an error and consider an apology. She also said that another constitutional amendment may be necessary to reverse the problem.

…snip…

Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said that the attorney general stands behind the 4-year-old amendment.

…snip…

A conservative leader whose organization helped draft the amendment dismissed Radnofsky’s position, saying it was similar to scare tactics opponents used unsuccessfully against the proposal in 2005.

“It’s a silly argument,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Legal Institute in Plano.

…snip…

Shackelford said the clause was designed to be broad enough to prevent the creation of domestic partnerships, civil unions or other arrangements that would give same-sex couples many of the benefits of marriage.

Radnofsky acknowledged that the clause is not likely to result in an overnight dismantling of marriages in Texas. But she said the wording opens the door to legal claims involving spousal rights, insurance claims, inheritance and a host of other marriage-related issues.

“This breeds unneeded arguments, lawsuits and expense which could have been avoided by good lawyering,” Radnofsky said. “Yes, I believe the clear language of B bans all marriages, and this is indeed a huge mistake.”

Maybe that’ll will make Pickles Bush a little less sour.

In October, Dallas District Judge Tena Callahan ruled that the same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional because it stands in the way of gay divorce. Abbott is appealing the ruling, which came in a divorce petition involving two men who were married in Massachusetts in 2006.

Radnofsky, the Democratic nominee in the Senate race against Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006, said she voted against the amendment but didn’t realize the legal implications until she began poring over the Texas Constitution to prepare for the attorney general’s race. She said she holds Abbott and his office responsible for not catching what she calls an “error of massive proportions.”

…snip…

Abbott, a former state Supreme Court justice who was elected attorney general in 2002, has not indicated whether he will seek re-election and is known to be interested in running for lieutenant governor.

From WOAI:

Controversy is swirling over a constitutional amendment that may not only ban same-sex marriage, but all marriages.

“When we looked at this section, and we could see it would apply to heterosexual couples, it was sad,” said attorney-at-law Deanna Whitley.

Whitley is talking about Article 1; Section 32 of the Texas Constitution. The amendment was added in 2005 to ban same-sex marriage. But some say the language is too vague, never actually specifying gay marriage.

“This state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage. It outlaws marriage,” Whitley argues.

Whitley says it is an issue that will certainly arise in divorce court, possibly causing some spouses to lose financial rights. And what could this mean for children of heterosexual couples?

“It places heterosexual couples in the same circumstance as gay and lesbian couples find themselves in today,” explained Whitley. “That is legal limbo.”

Equality at last!! How’s it feel, fundies?

But not everyone agrees. Senator Carlos Uresti calls Whitley’s interpretation a “ridiculous argument.” Senator Jeff Wentworth says it’s “preposterous,” adding, “the amendment does not ban straight marriage. Give me a break.”

Some attorneys say the controversy is far from over. They expect the argument to pop up in courtrooms across Texas, and not to be resolved until it lands in the lap of the U.S. Supreme Court.

From About.com:

George and Laura were married on November 5, 1977, at 11 A.M. in a small wedding in the Glass Chapel of the First United Methodist Church in Midland, Texas. It was the same church where Laura had been baptized. The officiant was Reverend Jerry Wyatt.

They had 75 guests. They didn’t have any bridesmaids, or groomsmen, or flower girls, or ringerbearers. Their wedding invitations were printed by hand.

George and Laura did not have a honeymoon.

上个月我在VA的初级护理医师，在管理一次常规检查之中，发现我后背上边有了一包疑性的损害，说 “恐怕有基细胞癌。 我们叫专家检测。” 我早知道那儿有什么问题，可是我没办法看见。 连用镜子还看不见。 根据初级护理医师的转诊，昨天我访问了一位很快乐的皮肤学者。他一看病就强调：“有了！ 那就是基细胞癌。我立刻要把它切除！ ” 坐在考查桌子上的我边望了站在大夫的左边的穿着浅绿色的临庄长袍、戴着消毒面罩、 手抓着笔记板的那位护士。很显明的，大夫要开刀的话，她都不会反对。她的消毒面罩之上的两不透明的眼球没意可念。 同时，那位非常多嘴的大夫继续下去了： “你得知道，你必定要患癌症病的话，基细胞癌总是你对好的挑选。…” 贬抑患过癌症病的、捕获在考查桌子上的我只会点头。 心里想 “我抗议这种大夫，也许被变成为类似那位生性怪癖的护士吧！” 同时，大夫逐渐地曾移动位子了，乃至他正站在我和护士之间。“我有不同的意见。根据我的临庄经验，这就是基细胞癌病。要是先叫实验室作活组织检查，后等待结果，更后再看你，总是费钱、费时。 现今的约会， 我不但要取活组织检查料，并且要切除肿瘤，好吧？”

I take the name of disaster-solving and life-lenthening Medicine Master Buddha,
Xing Ping

Last evening the former first lady, Laura Bush, spoke in Philadelphia as part of a “speakers series”. The reason for selecting Ms Bush was not clear, especially since she was not hawking a new book. As her speech unfolded, it became clear her mission was “rehabilitation”.

No woman has greater love for a man than one who tries to put in favorable context the Presidency of George W Bush. In her trademarked, straight forward, sincere delivery, Laura recounted the fateful 9/11 day and how it changed the times. Her message seemed to be that George had to carry the weight of protecting the nation, so heavy none of us could conceive of its magnitude. She defended the invasion of Iraq by saying she thought it was good since it liberated 25 million Iraqis.

Quite naturally, Laura did not recount why the Bush Administration was not ready for the 9/11 attack or on what basis could anyone justify invading a sovereign country without UN sanction. She left for assumed that Iraqis are better off today and that when American troops leave, Iraq will blossom into a democracy where all citizens possess freedoms like in the US. Laura also ignored the pitiful response to Hurricane Katrina where her brave husband, many days after, toured the scene from 30,000 feet.

Laura Bush’s demeanor and choice of words was 100% a lady. She seems genuinely like someone you could respect and maybe even like as a neighbor. But there was no doubt that she had nothing to say, except a carefully crafted reconstruction of a fantasy view of the George W Bush years.

If this movie (speaking engagement) comes to your town, save yourself the time and money to hear her speak. It’s a propaganda event intended to make us forget the incompetence and dreadful results of the Bush years.

Laura and George Bush.

Starting in 2004, I became increasingly critical of President George W. Bush. A lot of things happened that I just didn’t (and don’t) fully understand: the Patriot Act, the way the Iraq War was first handled, Medicare and Medicaid, poor border control, the expansion of the federal government, and the bailouts.

As comedians and pundits continued to hammer him relentlessly and as the positive world view of America declined, my opinion of President Bush soured…

But deep down, I felt (and feel) that President Bush tried his best. Call me crazy, but I sincerely believe that President Bush tried (like all of us) to be an honest and principled person.

I believe that President Bush is a good man. Flawed, yes. But good.

Why do I bring this up?

On the evening of Friday, November 6th—just one day after the tragic shooting at Fort Hood—President Bush and his wife secretly visited the base ‘and spent “considerable time” consoling those who were wounded in Thursday’s shooting spree.’

‘The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit.’ [1]

Despite the wishes of President Bush and his wife, someone had leaked this story out to the press…and I’m glad it was. Even though it was a simple, three paragraph report, with no video, pictures or eloquent and lengthy words, I couldn’t help but get a little choked up.

Here I am, a person who feels that for the past eight years the government has wronged him, the nation and the world in SO many ways that I think of little but MYSELF—my views, my struggles and how I think government should behave.

And then there’s President Bush, a man who (depending on your opinion of him) is either an ethnocentric, power-hungry cowboy who cares little about the lives of others OR he’s a man who has been wronged by the media all these years and is in desperate need of a ‘media-makeover.’

Whichever portrait you paint, it would seem that President Bush NEEDS some positive face-time with the American people AND he cares only for himself.

But his actions on November 6th prove otherwise. What he and his wife did was an act of true, quiet, selfless service for the victims of a terrible tragedy and I honor him for it.

Thank you, President Bush. Not only for visiting and comforting the wounded, but for inviting me to see you and the world a bit differently. Thank you.

President Bush presents a Thanksgiving Turkey to the troops in Iraq.

[1] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/07/george-w-bush-secretly-visits-fort-hood-victims/

Comment at end

14th November, 2009

“If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.”

It isn’t often that something on the internet touches me somewhere I’d forgotten I had.  It isn’t often, but, it happens.  This blog post, which I have posted in its entirety below, is one of the most humble and humbling posts I have seen in the last three years, since I started writing this blog in support of my hero.  The starting point of the post below is that George Bush was NOT their hero. Until now.

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

"We are sorry, President & Mrs Bush", say Chicagoan Democrats. We were wrong. You were right.

You never know, one fine day we might see something like this written online here in Britain about Tony Blair. And not just because we’re burying him after a peace-n-lovin’ anti-Iraq war half-wit has hit his target.

As I write, this blog’s post has received almost a thousand comments.  WOW, and WOW again.

Article follows:

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster.  President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it.  ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Well, we told you before how much the current president, Dr. Utopia, made us realize just how wrong we were about Bush.  We shudder to think what Dr. Utopia would have done post-9/11.  He would have not gone there with a bullhorn and struck that right tone.  More likely than not, he would have been his usual fey, apologetic self and waxed professorially about how evil America is and how justified Muslims are for attacking us, with a sidebar on how good the attacks were because they would humble us.

Honestly, we don’t think President Gore would have been much better that day.  The world needed George W. Bush, his bullhorn, and his indominable spirit that day…and we will forever be grateful to this man for that.

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

FOR HOURS.

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

You may be as surprised by this as we are ourselves, but from this day forward George W. and Laura Bush are now on the same list for us as the Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and the other political figures we keep in our hearts and never allow anyone to badmouth.

Criticize their policies academically and intelligently and discuss the Bush presidency in historical and political terms…but you mess with the Bushes personally and, from this day forward, you’ll answer to us.

We hope someday to be able to thank George W. and Laura in person for all they’ve done, and continue to do.  They didn’t have to head to Ft. Hood.  That was not their responsibility.

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

We are blessed as a nation to have these two out there…just as we are blessed to have the Clintons on the job, traveling the world doing the good they do.

And we are blessed to have Dick Cheney, wherever he is, keeping tabs on all that’s going on and speaking out when the current administration does anything too reckless and dangerous.

Cheney’s someone else we villainized and maligned in the past who we were also wrong about.  There has never been a Vice President, including Gore, Biden, or Mondale, who was more supportive of gay rights than “Darth Cheney”. There has never been a Vice President more spot-on right about the dangers facing this country from Islamic terrorism.

We live in strange, strange times indeed.

We are now officially committed fans of George W. and Laura Bush.  We are fans of Dick Cheney.  Our gratitude for them makes us newly protective of them, and the continued role they play in this country.

After the primary battle of 2008, we never thought we’d go back to Texas for anything, but sometime in 2010 we want to find some event in Dallas the Bushes will be at so at least one of us can go up to them, tell them we are deeply sorry for ever thinking ill of them, and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their service to America.

We’re sure they will just stare at us and wonder why these gay Chicagoans are crying, but we don’t think we can get through a meeting with them without being emotional.

What they did at Ft. Hood for those families humbles us.  Every day, the Bushes are most likely doing something just like it behind the scenes.

We hope if any of you encounter them you will let them know this is deeply appreciated beyond partisan lines.

We will never look at the Bushes, the Bush presidencies, or their legacies the same again…and someday when his presidential library is built, we will be so proud to visit there and tell anyone will listen about November 10th, 2009, the day we finally appreciated former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura.

Thank you for your service, Mr. President.  We’re sorry we didn’t appreciate you while you were in office, but we thank Heaven we’ve wised up and can see the good you are out there doing, under the radar, today.

*******

NOTE: Because some of you wanted to re-read it again and have emailed us to ask for it, here’s what we said to President Bush on January 20th, at the beginning of The Golden Age of Hope and Change and Unicorns.

It’s actually really interesting to read the comments from way back then, to see either how mad at us people were that we dared to say anything nice about Bush or how pleased others out there were that Hillary Dems weren’t being evil to the man as he left office.

And if you’re eyes are dry enough don’t forget to read this earlier one from these guys. It was written as GW Bush left office in January. Oh, if we’d known then what we know now…

President George W Bush offers comfort. Ground Zero, 9/11.

Listen to the interview here.

Laura Bush will be in town as part of the Baltimore Speakers Series presented by Stevenson University tomorrow night. She’ll be speaking, among other things, about spending eight years in the White House as First Lady of the United States.  We talked to her on the phone last week from Texas. The groundrules were that we could not ask her about any of the following topics: Politics, Policies, the Obamas, Hillary Clinton, and Oliver Stone’s movie “W”. These are a few of the things we did talk to her about.

Some of Maryland Morning’s Facebook friends weigh in on what, given the parameters of the interview, we should talk to Laura Bush about.

19 rows back from former 1st Lady, Laura Bush at an all day conference in Orlando

The First Lady didn’t need directions since she celebrated Sesame Street’s 40th birthday this week, joining the ranks of other First Ladies  who’ve visited the famous address including Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.  The segment, taped in May, focused on gardening and healthy eating.  FLOTUS talked with Elmo and other Sesame Street children, not to mention Big Bird, who exclaimed that he and Michelle must be related, since they’re both tall and eat seeds.  At nearly 76 years and strong, Big Bird’s puppeteer Caroll Spinney must be doing something right! 

Even Fruit Cookie Monster has been jumping on the health-bandwagon:

Thursday, November 12, 2009

You Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘Till It’s Gone

Great post from the Hillary Clinton supporters at HillBuzz about Dubya and Laura Bush. Here’s an excerpt, but read the whole thing (I can’t wait for the Obama supporters to chalk this up to the whining of sore losers), Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush:

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

FOR HOURS.

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

You may be as surprised by this as we are ourselves, but from this day forward George W. and Laura Bush are now on the same list for us as the Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and the other political figures we keep in our hearts and never allow anyone to badmouth….

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

Amen. You don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone.

From: Legal Insurrection

George W. and Laura Bush visited the Fort Hood victims and their family members. They wanted no press coverage.

h/t to “a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago” in a post thanking the Bushes (and even praising Cheney!)

Praise for President and Mrs. Bush from a most unlikely source…

“If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.” – Hillbuzz

Click here to read more

(Note: I typically do not post an entire article, but provide the link. This one deserves its entirety and the link follows so the comments can be viewed)-

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura BushPosted by hillbuzz under Uncategorized | Tags: George and Laura Bush visit Ft. Hood, Thank you George W. Bush |
[176] Comments 

to an American icon.  The first episode of Sesame Street aired today in 1969.

A man landed on the moon; a little weekend music festival mushroomed into Woodstock. And a big yellow bird and his fuzzy friends took up residence on a street where the air is always sweet and the sky is always sunny.

The year 1969 was a busy one for big events, and 40 years later, lots of anniversaries are popping up at the intersection of history and pop culture. But when it comes to stirring whirlwinds of memories and before-and-after reflections, the debut of Sesame Street is at the top of the list.

As proof of that status, take this simple test: Try to imagine a world without Muppets.

“I think it’s all but impossible to do, but even if you can, what a sadder and drearier world that would have to be,” says Michael Davis, author of the best-selling Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.

“It’s not just an iconic piece of a past magical time; it’s still standing, growing, evolving. Here’s a show on a medium where things often don’t last 40 minutes, and it’s lasted 40 years and is still going strong.”

Amazingly episode 4187 airs today.

When episode 4,187 airs Tuesday (the official anniversary date), Sesame Street will be a show broadcast in 140 countries around the world and averaging 5 million viewers a week in the U.S. It holds the record for most Emmy Awards given to a single show with 122. But numbers don’t really tell the story. Plenty of children’s shows regularly score higher ratings than Sesame Street.

“If you see the other stuff, it reminds you of how great Sesame Street is just because they’ve been going for so long and they turn out a very high-quality product,” says Michael O’Malley. The 40-year-old Rowlett native grew up watching Sesame Street and continues to watch with his children.

All that “other stuff” is just another sign of Sesame Street ’s success.

In short Sesame Street is the gold standard when it comes to children’s programming.

Sesame Street recognized the power of the relatively new medium of television as a learning tool, with teachers and education researchers helping to create strategies for its on-air content.

“It’s still the gold standard in children’s television for its use of research and work with real children,” says Dr. Cynthia Schiebe, a New York-based developmental psychologist who specializes in media literacy. Henson and company made perhaps their most important breakthrough by making Sesame Street fun and smart, allowing all the lessons to flow from that.

It’s always been good entertainment first and good-for-you entertainment second, whether it was Bert and Ernie as an odd-couple comedy team, the Count as a silly-scary sophisticate or celebrities singing about this letter or rhapsodizing about that number. That 40-year procession of celebrities forms an encyclopedic timeline of pop culture fads and phases, from Carol Channing and Itzhak Perlman to Natalie Portman and Jack Black.

Michelle Obama adds her name to the list of first ladies visiting Sesame Street that began with Barbara Bush and continued with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. The current first lady visits in Tuesday’s episode to help the Muppets with a vegetable garden. Decades after Muppet star Kermit the Frog first sang about the difficulties of “being green,” this season will focus on nature and the environment. (Source: After 40 years, ‘Sesame Street’ still stands out – Dallas Morning News)

Here’s the “original” opening:

Here’s the 40th season opening:

Related articles by Zemanta

• ‘Sesame Street’ Celebrates 40 Years (abcnews.go.com)
• Wow, Google Really Likes Muppets! (mashable.com)
• Come And Play: ‘Sesame Street’ Celebrates 40 Years (npr.org)
• Cookie Monster becomes Healthy Food Monster (blisstree.com)

George W. Bush Secretly Visits Fort Hood Victims

The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News.  Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent “considerable time” consoling those who were wounded in Thursday’s shooting spree, Fox News has learned.

Huh. No photo ops? It’s funny how the evil and nefarious President George W. Bush cares more for other people than he does himself.  Unlike the current excuse for a President, Bush is concerned with what he can do for others and not what they can do for his image.

Know what Obama did today?

(Read the Full Story Here - latest post at iOwntheworld.com )

     On Friday evening, a small entourage with secret Service agents in tow, arrived at Fort Hood, TX to meet with the families of those who lost loved one’s in the Fort Hood tragedy Thursday. Had Barack Obama quietly snuck out of DC amdist the healthcare arm-twisting? Now that you’ve had enough time to laugh, that answer is absolutely NOT!!

    The contingent that paid visits to the injured and the fallen was George W. Bush and Laura Bush.

     The Bushes kept their visit low key, not as a photo op.

      The present Commander-in-Chief had remarks shortly after the incident occurred, albeit it took 2:41 minutes of “shout outs” before he got to the solemn remarks about Fort Hood; Later that evening he hosted a concert at the White House. Friday he discussed Fort Hood and the unemployment numbers from the Rose Garden, and postponed his armtwisting on Capitol Hill until today.

     After leaving the Capitol, Obama returned to the White House to the waiting family, and Marine One, ducking off to Camp David before his trip to Asia on Wednesday. Obama will appear at Fort Hood, enroute to China, on Tuesday, for the planned memorial service.

     http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/11/obama_snubs_ft_hood_to_relax_a.html

twitter post:

@DanRiehl per Fox news, GWB and Laura spent a couple of hours at Ft. Hood, no photo op, no fuss, just their support to the families.about 8 hours ago from web in reply to DanRiehl

President George W. Bush has always respected our troops. He has always encouraged, thanked, and praised them. BHussein Obama has always done just the opposite. President George W. Bush would NEVER knowingly allow our troops die daily; ignoring the requests of the general on the ground to send backup troops in order for them to win. BHussein Obama? He has. He does. How long has it been since McChrystal asked for those backup troops? We’re going on 90 days here, people.

Barack Hussein Obama does not care about the massacre that happened in Fort Hood Texas. In fact, deep inside his cold, black, Muslim, American-hating heart – the massacre brings him great joy. His Jihadist brother braved all odds and managed to murder several infidels. In fact, Barack Hussein Obama feel sympathy for his terrorist brother.

So, has Barack Hussein Obama showed up to show his condolences for the families and surviving victims of the massacre carried out by one of his terrorist brothers? NEIN.

Guess who did.

George W. Bush Visits Fort Hood
Article: TheFoxNation

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, have visited wounded soldiers and their families after the mass shooting at Fort Hood.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood’s military leaders and hospital staff for the “amazing care they are providing.”

Now, this wasn’t for some publicity stunt. No, no. There weren’t even any cameras there. He’s no longer president; why worry about public image? He went because he truly, honestly cares about our soldiers. He is genuine; weather you like him or not. He loves America and he loves our troops. Anyone who says the same is true when it comes to BHussein Obama; you’re a liar. That’s right I said it.

George W. Bush Visits Fort Hood, Wounded Soldiers
Article: CBS 11

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood’s military leaders and hospital staff for the “amazing care they are providing.”

An Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is accused of killing 13 people and wounding 30 in a shooting rampage Thursday at a Soldier Readiness Processing Center on the post.

Hasan was wounded by a civilian police officer and was taken into custody.

Where is BHussein? What is HE doing to show his false condolences? OH! A VACATION! He and the MicHELLe plan to vacation it up at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
Very classy. Very noble. Chyeah right.

Fox News by Bill Sammon

Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent “considerable time” consoling those who were wounded in Thursday’s shooting spree, Fox News has learned.

The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News.

The couple was described as “deeply concerned” about military families on Fort Hood after Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on soldiers and civilians, killing 13 and wounding 38.

The Bushes, who have a 1,600-acre property known as Prairie Chapel Ranch less than 30 miles from Fort Hood in central Texas, spent between one and two hours visiting the wounded and their families.