COMMENT OF THE DAY
"From the comment section of 'The Obama-Chavez Grip and Grin' by reader Hank:
What a meeting.
One is an America-loathing anti-free market president who got into office riding on his personality and then proceeded to use his failed ideology to increase government control and make a bad situation worse.
And the other is the leader of Venezuela.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Police determine 2004 death at Wayland Hotel Bar and Grill was accidental fall
Police determine 2004 death at Wayland Hotel Bar and Grill was accidental fall
"The 2004 death of Brandon Raterink inside the Wayland Hotel Bar and Grill has been ruled an accident, and his fatal injuries are indicative of a fall that caused massive head trauma, authorities said Tuesday."
This took 5 years?
I sure hope these same folks aren't involved with our Obama-health care.
But I know they will be...... bummer....
"The 2004 death of Brandon Raterink inside the Wayland Hotel Bar and Grill has been ruled an accident, and his fatal injuries are indicative of a fall that caused massive head trauma, authorities said Tuesday."
This took 5 years?
I sure hope these same folks aren't involved with our Obama-health care.
But I know they will be...... bummer....
Gen. Barry McCaffrey (ret.) Alleges US Military and CIA 'Murdered Dozens' of Detainees
Gen. Barry McCaffrey (ret.) Alleges US Military and CIA 'Murdered Dozens' of Detainees
This is BIG or ......another lib, Bidenesque fabrication.
I hope we get the truth.
This is BIG or ......another lib, Bidenesque fabrication.
I hope we get the truth.
10-story downtown Muskegon waterfront hotel under new owner
10-story downtown Muskegon waterfront hotel under new owner
"The Shoreline Inn & Suites has a new owner, and downtown Muskegon has a major new player."
Great news for Muskegon!
"The Shoreline Inn & Suites has a new owner, and downtown Muskegon has a major new player."
Great news for Muskegon!
We can only hope for MORE!
City of Muskegon reaches pact with public works union
City of Muskegon reaches pact with public works union
"The public works employees' contract provides a 2.5 percent pay hike for 2009, which is the amount the city's nonunion employees received in the 2009 budget, Mazade said. Pay hikes for 2010 and 2011 will be the same as the nonunion city employees, according to the contract."
Wow!
Great reporting!
Why NO mention of the automatic annual step-up in pay/retirement benefits to every union employee?
Meebee they don't want ya to know?
"The public works employees' contract provides a 2.5 percent pay hike for 2009, which is the amount the city's nonunion employees received in the 2009 budget, Mazade said. Pay hikes for 2010 and 2011 will be the same as the nonunion city employees, according to the contract."
Wow!
Great reporting!
Why NO mention of the automatic annual step-up in pay/retirement benefits to every union employee?
Meebee they don't want ya to know?
Michigan Tea Party links
I'll update and repost as new info becomes available.
Here is a link from my blog with the names and info on the real Muskegon heroes.
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2009/04/we-are-tead-muskegons-tax-day-tea-party.html
"Chris Kaijala and Joyce Horness are the lead coordinators for Muskegon’s Tea Party and Joyce can be reached at (231) 744-3138 while Chris’s number is (231) 343-9432."
There do not seem to any web links yet.
Also, here are links to Bob Carr's excellent Muskegon/Center right blogs which are loaded with TeaParty links:
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/
http://takemuskegonback.blogspot.com/
and to Rose Lear's great blog that was involved with the GH group. And many other conservative issues.
http://hellomichigan.blogspot.com/
And the best midwest super-blog of them all:
http://www.rightmichigan.com/
And the Super-anti-Spend Blog of Michigan
http://michigantaxes.com/wordpress/
Here is a link from my blog with the names and info on the real Muskegon heroes.
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2009/04/we-are-tead-muskegons-tax-day-tea-party.html
"Chris Kaijala and Joyce Horness are the lead coordinators for Muskegon’s Tea Party and Joyce can be reached at (231) 744-3138 while Chris’s number is (231) 343-9432."
There do not seem to any web links yet.
Also, here are links to Bob Carr's excellent Muskegon/Center right blogs which are loaded with TeaParty links:
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/
http://takemuskegonback.blogspot.com/
and to Rose Lear's great blog that was involved with the GH group. And many other conservative issues.
http://hellomichigan.blogspot.com/
And the best midwest super-blog of them all:
http://www.rightmichigan.com/
And the Super-anti-Spend Blog of Michigan
http://michigantaxes.com/wordpress/
Tom George for Governor
Tom George for Governor: "I recently formed our campaign committee and with your help we will explore running for Governor. We can agree that our state's economy is broken and our campaign's top priority is about fixing Michigan.I recently formed our campaign committee and with your help we will explore running for Governor. We can agree that our state's economy is broken and our campaign's top priority is about fixing Michigan."
Another GOPer "hat in Michigan's ring"?
Another GOPer "hat in Michigan's ring"?
IS OBAMA LOSING PAUL KRUGMAN? $100 million here, $100 million there “pretty soon, even here in…
IS OBAMA LOSING PAUL KRUGMAN? $100 million here, $100 million there “pretty soon, even here in…
"Let’s say the administration
"Let’s say the administration
finds $100 million in efficiencies
every working day
for the rest of the Obama administration’s first term.
That’s still around $80 billion, or around 2% of one year’s federal spending."
every working day
for the rest of the Obama administration’s first term.
That’s still around $80 billion, or around 2% of one year’s federal spending."
Beware green jobs, the new sub-prime
Beware green jobs, the new sub-prime
"Electoral bribes apart, there is a more serious misconception behind the idea that ploughing subsidies into the “green economy” is a sure-fire way of boosting domestic employment. At best it will move people from one economic activity to another. Labour’s plans would subsidise car production workers to move from making conventional models to electric vehicles, which hardly anyone wants to buy. Osborne’s proposals would subsidise the double-glazing and home insulation industry and suck in many workers gainfully employed (without subsidy) elsewhere.
The key to a successful, wealth-generating economy is productivity. Saving energy is what businesses have done already, because it lowers their production costs. The problem with any form of subsidy is that it makes the consumer (through hidden taxes) pay to keep inherently uneconomic businesses “profitable”. Meanwhile, diversified energy companies such as Shell, with plenty of speculatively acquired wind-farm acreage, are salivating at the plans by Obama to introduce cap-and-trade carbon emissions targets for American industry."
"Electoral bribes apart, there is a more serious misconception behind the idea that ploughing subsidies into the “green economy” is a sure-fire way of boosting domestic employment. At best it will move people from one economic activity to another. Labour’s plans would subsidise car production workers to move from making conventional models to electric vehicles, which hardly anyone wants to buy. Osborne’s proposals would subsidise the double-glazing and home insulation industry and suck in many workers gainfully employed (without subsidy) elsewhere.
The key to a successful, wealth-generating economy is productivity. Saving energy is what businesses have done already, because it lowers their production costs. The problem with any form of subsidy is that it makes the consumer (through hidden taxes) pay to keep inherently uneconomic businesses “profitable”. Meanwhile, diversified energy companies such as Shell, with plenty of speculatively acquired wind-farm acreage, are salivating at the plans by Obama to introduce cap-and-trade carbon emissions targets for American industry."
Will public pensions be next bailout?
Will public pensions be next bailout?
"According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, as of Dec. 16, 2008 public pensions in the United States were underfunded by nearly $1 trillion. Worst is Illinois, where the pension system has only 54 percent of the necessary funding and an unfunded liability of $54.4 billion......
....Public pension benefits are also much more lucrative than private-sector pensions and widely prone to "double dipping" abuse...."
These pension defaults will be WAY worse than the bank problems.
And Obama has spend/borrowed already EVERY penny we've got.
Who's gonna pay for those retired teachers, cops, firemen and county, city, state worker's pensions and benefits?
Who do you think?
"According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, as of Dec. 16, 2008 public pensions in the United States were underfunded by nearly $1 trillion. Worst is Illinois, where the pension system has only 54 percent of the necessary funding and an unfunded liability of $54.4 billion......
....Public pension benefits are also much more lucrative than private-sector pensions and widely prone to "double dipping" abuse...."
These pension defaults will be WAY worse than the bank problems.
And Obama has spend/borrowed already EVERY penny we've got.
Who's gonna pay for those retired teachers, cops, firemen and county, city, state worker's pensions and benefits?
Who do you think?
A financial Hiroshima on the way?
HR20-New Mother's Mandated Mental Health Test-JUST PASSED HOUSE!
HR20-New Mother's Mandated Mental Health Test-JUST PASSED HOUSE!
Campaign for Liberty at the Daily Paul: "A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly."
Campaign for Liberty at the Daily Paul: "A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly."
Monday, April 20, 2009
Fatties cause global warming
Fatties cause global warming
"THE rising number of fat people was yesterday blamed for global warming.
Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production — a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet.
Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage."
"THE rising number of fat people was yesterday blamed for global warming.
Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production — a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet.
Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage."
Will they shut down Ted Kennedy?
The entire Kennedy/Gore compounds?
Will they shut down Muskegon?
Saving federal money the easy way
Saving federal money the easy way
"Cut a latte or two out of your annual budget and you've just done as much belt-tightening as President Barack Obama asked of his Cabinet on Monday.
The thrifty measures Obama ordered for federal agencies are the equivalent of asking a family that spends $60,000 in a year to save $6."
"Cut a latte or two out of your annual budget and you've just done as much belt-tightening as President Barack Obama asked of his Cabinet on Monday.
The thrifty measures Obama ordered for federal agencies are the equivalent of asking a family that spends $60,000 in a year to save $6."
The Harbor Theatre
http://www.theharbortheater.com/
Their choice of films, web site AND (ability to survive!) are fantastic for Muskegon County.
Yes, our entire county.
So click their web-link and take the short visit to easy parking, cheap popcorn and low price tickets.
Oh, and amazing movies .... without loud intrusion from .........
Go there and enjoy!
Their choice of films, web site AND (ability to survive!) are fantastic for Muskegon County.
Yes, our entire county.
So click their web-link and take the short visit to easy parking, cheap popcorn and low price tickets.
Oh, and amazing movies .... without loud intrusion from .........
Go there and enjoy!
UPDATED: .003 PERCENT
UPDATED: .003 PERCENT
"Do the math.
The Washington Post reports:
Just to be clear: $100 million represents .003 percent of $3.5 trillion."
"Do the math.
The Washington Post reports:
Just to be clear: $100 million represents .003 percent of $3.5 trillion."
Shortages of ammo and gun accessories cropping up nationwide
Shortages of ammo and gun accessories cropping up nationwide
"'People are panicking and buying,' said Furtardo, assistant manager. 'The crime rate is high, and they are flat scared of what is going to happen in the next few years with the economy and the country. Manufacturers weren't prepared for this.'"
A friend from Indiana told me his gun shop has a big sign of Obama behind the counter.
Below Barry's smiling face:
"Salesman of the Year".
I'm buying my 3rd gun this week.
Thanks Barry!
"'People are panicking and buying,' said Furtardo, assistant manager. 'The crime rate is high, and they are flat scared of what is going to happen in the next few years with the economy and the country. Manufacturers weren't prepared for this.'"
A friend from Indiana told me his gun shop has a big sign of Obama behind the counter.
Below Barry's smiling face:
"Salesman of the Year".
I'm buying my 3rd gun this week.
Thanks Barry!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Surprise Nelson Mandela appearance sends ANC supporters into raptures - Times Online
Surprise Nelson Mandela appearance sends ANC supporters into raptures - Times Online: "Nelson Mandela delighted thousands of African National Congress supporters yesterday with a surprise appearance at the party’s final election rally to endorse Jacob Zuma — a man who could hardly be more different to the anti-apartheid icon"
What recession? Councils offer 'bizarre non-jobs' including roller disco coach and toothbrush adviser for infants
What recession? Councils offer 'bizarre non-jobs' including roller disco coach and toothbrush adviser for infants
"Other 'non-job' positions include a falls prevention fitness adviser to help the elderly of Tewkesbury and a £13,000-a-year 'bouncy castle attendant' in Angus, Scotland.Falkirk's part-time 'toothbrush assistant' earns £3,032 teaching nursery children how to clean their teeth and the council also employs a 'cheerleading development officer'.
Glasgow taxpayers fund a £17,000-a-year 'street mediator' to deal with teens hanging around on street corners and a 'chewing gum removal labourer'. The council also funds a £17,800 florist.Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, employs several part-time pianists for council events and Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire employs a 'roller disco coach' every Saturday night.Moray Council in the Highlands pays £19,887 a year for"
Coming to a county near you..... soon!
"Other 'non-job' positions include a falls prevention fitness adviser to help the elderly of Tewkesbury and a £13,000-a-year 'bouncy castle attendant' in Angus, Scotland.Falkirk's part-time 'toothbrush assistant' earns £3,032 teaching nursery children how to clean their teeth and the council also employs a 'cheerleading development officer'.
Glasgow taxpayers fund a £17,000-a-year 'street mediator' to deal with teens hanging around on street corners and a 'chewing gum removal labourer'. The council also funds a £17,800 florist.Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, employs several part-time pianists for council events and Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire employs a 'roller disco coach' every Saturday night.Moray Council in the Highlands pays £19,887 a year for"
Coming to a county near you..... soon!
The Worrisome Educator
The Worrisome Educator
"In conclusion, was Matthew the war veteran graded down for loving his country? Probably. As reported at American Thinker and elsewhere, a Department of Homeland Security report has targeted 'disgruntled military veterans' as having the potential to 'boost the capabilities of extremists - including lone wolves or small terrorist cells - to carry out violence.' The report says nothing however about extremist professors in the classroom who 'boost the capabilities' of young radicals bent on undermining the pillars of American culture."
"In conclusion, was Matthew the war veteran graded down for loving his country? Probably. As reported at American Thinker and elsewhere, a Department of Homeland Security report has targeted 'disgruntled military veterans' as having the potential to 'boost the capabilities of extremists - including lone wolves or small terrorist cells - to carry out violence.' The report says nothing however about extremist professors in the classroom who 'boost the capabilities' of young radicals bent on undermining the pillars of American culture."
HEH: Janeane Garofalo on Dissent
HEH: Janeane Garofalo on Dissent, Then and Now.
"HEH: Janeane Garofalo on Dissent, Then and Now.
Yeah, the contradiction’s obvious.
But mostly, I notice how much better she looked, and sounded, back in 2003. What happened?"
GREAT videos!..... if you're not Janeane......the uglifying power of anger?
"HEH: Janeane Garofalo on Dissent, Then and Now.
Yeah, the contradiction’s obvious.
But mostly, I notice how much better she looked, and sounded, back in 2003. What happened?"
GREAT videos!..... if you're not Janeane......the uglifying power of anger?
THOSE GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS
THOSE GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS
"On the weekend when the EPA announces a massive shift in envionmental policies, comes word that the public isn't necessraily buying what Algore and Company are selling.
Just one-out-of-three voters (34%) now believe global warming is caused by human activity, the lowest finding yet in Rasmussen Reports national surveying. However, a plurality (48%) of the Political Class believes humans are to blame.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of all likely voters attribute climate change to long-term planetary trends, while seven percent (7%) blame some other reason. Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure.
These numbers reflect a reversal from a year ago when 47% blamed human activity while 34% said long-term planetary trends.
Could it be that the Church of Climate Change is suffering a crisis of faith?"
"On the weekend when the EPA announces a massive shift in envionmental policies, comes word that the public isn't necessraily buying what Algore and Company are selling.
Just one-out-of-three voters (34%) now believe global warming is caused by human activity, the lowest finding yet in Rasmussen Reports national surveying. However, a plurality (48%) of the Political Class believes humans are to blame.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of all likely voters attribute climate change to long-term planetary trends, while seven percent (7%) blame some other reason. Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure.
These numbers reflect a reversal from a year ago when 47% blamed human activity while 34% said long-term planetary trends.
Could it be that the Church of Climate Change is suffering a crisis of faith?"
SOME TEA PARTY PHOTOS from Fresno. “Fresno had over 7.500 attend the most polite protest.....
SOME TEA PARTY PHOTOS from Fresno. “Fresno had over 7.500 attend the most polite protest I have eve…:
"SOME TEA PARTY PHOTOS from Fresno. “Fresno had over 7.500 attend the most polite protest I have ever witnessed.”
Plus, “Black People Against Obama,” and “Mixed People Against Obama.” Hey, that’s not part of the narrative!"
"SOME TEA PARTY PHOTOS from Fresno. “Fresno had over 7.500 attend the most polite protest I have ever witnessed.”
Plus, “Black People Against Obama,” and “Mixed People Against Obama.” Hey, that’s not part of the narrative!"
Free virus software
Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews - Download.com
click for free and freeware virus software.
click for free and freeware virus software.
Gas tax to increase in Michigan soon? (Side title - we're broke despite revenue increases)
Gas tax to increase in Michigan soon? (Side title - we're broke despite revenue increases)
"Now one the more influential columnists in Lansing is trying to stir this up again.
Peter Luke, columnist of Booth Newspapers (Ann Arbor News) is pushing for a gas tax for the roads. It once again relies on the false assumptions. The assumption among the elite in Lansing is that 'only the gas tax can pay for roads.' That's the number one assumption of ALL these pushes for the gas tax. I don't buy that. Assumption is the mother of all eff ups."
"Now one the more influential columnists in Lansing is trying to stir this up again.
Peter Luke, columnist of Booth Newspapers (Ann Arbor News) is pushing for a gas tax for the roads. It once again relies on the false assumptions. The assumption among the elite in Lansing is that 'only the gas tax can pay for roads.' That's the number one assumption of ALL these pushes for the gas tax. I don't buy that. Assumption is the mother of all eff ups."
‘We are Tea’d’; Muskegon’s Tax Day Tea Party
‘We are Tea’d’; Muskegon’s Tax Day Tea Party
"At one time in the past, the Muskegon area actually had two Tea Party groups, but they have recently merged to form one local entity. Chris Kaijala and Joyce Horness are the lead coordinators for Muskegon’s Tea Party and Joyce can be reached at (231) 744-3138 while Chris’s number is (231) 343-9432.
You can read the Stimulous Bill that was recently passed that has many protesters angry."
Nice article with contact info for the organizers.
"At one time in the past, the Muskegon area actually had two Tea Party groups, but they have recently merged to form one local entity. Chris Kaijala and Joyce Horness are the lead coordinators for Muskegon’s Tea Party and Joyce can be reached at (231) 744-3138 while Chris’s number is (231) 343-9432.
You can read the Stimulous Bill that was recently passed that has many protesters angry."
Nice article with contact info for the organizers.
Sandy sidewalks force wheelchair users to use road
Sandy sidewalks force wheelchair users to use road
"It is a priority of theirs to keep the paths clear and the order to clean up the paths for that specific location is already on their list and should be cleaned again by the end of this week."
Hep me here.....
If it is a "priority" why are the paths blocked?
If this were a private business, they'd get sued.
But it's "government" so talk replaces action.
And some fools in our country want "government" to manage health care?
"It is a priority of theirs to keep the paths clear and the order to clean up the paths for that specific location is already on their list and should be cleaned again by the end of this week."
Hep me here.....
If it is a "priority" why are the paths blocked?
If this were a private business, they'd get sued.
But it's "government" so talk replaces action.
And some fools in our country want "government" to manage health care?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Susan Boyle-read her backstory, please!
Yes,
this is my third post on this wonderful woman......you gotta problem with that?
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2501746.0.The_beauty_that_matters_is_always_on_the_inside.php
The beauty that matters is always on the inside
COLETTE DOUGLAS HOME
April 14 2009
Susan Boyle's story is a parable of our age.
She is a singer of enormous talent, who cared for her widowed mother until she died two years ago. Susan's is a combination of ability and virtue that deserves congratulation.
So how come she was treated as a laughing stock when she walked on stage for the opening heat of Britain's Got Talent 2009 on Saturday night?
The moment the reality show's audience and judging panel saw the small, shy, middle-aged woman, they started to smirk.
When she said she wanted a professional singing career to equal that of Elaine Paige, the camera showed audience members rolling their eyes in disbelief.
They scoffed when she told Simon Cowell, one of the judges, how she'd reached her forties without managing to develop a singing career because she hadn't had the opportunity.
Another judge, Piers Morgan, later wrote on his blog that, just before she launched into I Dreamed a Dream, the 3000-strong audience in Glasgow was laughing and the three judges were suppressing chuckles.
It was rude and cruel and arrogant.
Susan Boyle from Blackburn, West Lothian, was presumed to be a buffoon.
But why?
Britain's Got Talent isn't a beauty pageant. It isn't a youth opportunity scheme.
It is surely about discovering untapped and unrecognised raw talent from all sections of society.
And Susan Boyle has talent to burn. Such is the beauty of her voice that she had barely sung the opening bars when the applause started. She rounded off to a standing ovation and - in her naivety - began walking off the stage and had to be recalled.
Susan, now a bankable discovery, was then roundly patronised by such mega-talents as Amanda Holden and the aforementioned Morgan, who told her: "Everyone laughed at you but no-one is laughing now. I'm reeling with shock." Holden added: "It's the biggest wake-up call ever."
Again, why?
The answer is that only the pretty are expected to achieve.
Not only do you have to be physically appealing to deserve fame; it seems you now have to be good-looking to merit everyday common respect.
If, like Susan (and like millions more), you are plump, middle-aged and too poor or too unworldly to follow fashion or have a good hairdresser, you are a non-person.
I dread to think of how Susan would have left the stage if her voice had been less than exceptional.
She would have been humiliated in front of 11 million viewers.
It's the equivalent of being put in the stocks in front of the nation instead of the village.
It used to be a punishment handed out to criminals.
Now it is the fate of anyone without obvious sexual allure who dares seek opportunity.
This small, brave soul took her courage in her hands to pitch at her one hope of having her singing talent recognised, and was greeted with a communal sneer. Courage could so easily have failed her.
Yet why shouldn't she sound wonderful?
Not every great singer looks like Katherine Jenkins.
Edith Piaf would never have been chosen to strut a catwalk.
Nor would Nina Simone, nor Ella Fitzgerald.
As for Pavarotti
But then ridicule is nothing new in Susan Boyle's life.
She is a veteran of abuse.
She was starved of oxygen at birth and has learning difficulties as a result.
At school she was slow and had frizzy hair.
She was bullied, mostly verbally.
She told one newspaper that her classmates' jibes left behind the kind of scars that don't heal.
She didn't have boyfriends, is a stranger to romance and has never been kissed.
"Shame," she said.
Singing was her life-raft.
She lived with her parents in a four-bedroom council house and, when her father died a decade ago, she cared for her mother and sang in the church choir.
It was an unglamorous existence.
She wasn't the glamorous type - and being a carer isn't a glamorous life, as the hundreds of thousands who do that most valuable of jobs will testify.
Even those who start out with a beauty routine and an interest in clothes find themselves reverting to the practicality of a tracksuit and trainers.
Fitness plans get interrupted and then abandoned.
Weight creeps on.
Carers don't often get invited to sparkling dinner parties or glitzy receptions, so smart clothes rarely make it off the hanger.
Then, when a special occasion comes along, they might reach, as Susan did, for the frock they bought for a nephew's wedding.
They might, as she did, compound the felony of choosing a colour at odds with her skin tone and an unflattering shape with home-chopped hair, bushy eyebrows and a face without a hint of make-up.
But it is often evidence of a life lived selflessly; of a person so focused on the needs of another that they have lost sight of themselves.
Is that a cause for derision or a reason for congratulation?
Would her time have been better spent slimming and exercising, plucking and waxing, bleaching and botoxing? Would that have made her voice any sweeter?
Susan Boyle's mother encouraged her to sing.
She wanted her to enter Britain's Got Talent.
But the shy Susan hasn't been able to sing at all since her mother's death two years ago. She wasn't sure how her voice would emerge after so long a silence. Happily, it survived its rest.
She is a gift to Simon Cowell and reality television.
Her story is the stuff of Hans Christian Andersen: the woman plucked from obscurity, the buried talent uncovered, the transformation waiting to be wrought.
It is wonderful for her, too, that her stunning voice is now recognised.
A bright future beckons. Her dream is becoming reality.
Susan is a reminder that it's time we all looked a little deeper.
She has lived an obscure but important life.
She has been a companionable and caring daughter.
It's people like her who are the unseen glue in society; the ones who day in and day out put themselves last.
They make this country civilised and they deserve acknowledgement and respect.
Susan has been forgiven her looks and been given respect because of her talent. She should always have received it because of the calibre of her character.
this is my third post on this wonderful woman......you gotta problem with that?
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2501746.0.The_beauty_that_matters_is_always_on_the_inside.php
The beauty that matters is always on the inside
COLETTE DOUGLAS HOME
April 14 2009
Susan Boyle's story is a parable of our age.
She is a singer of enormous talent, who cared for her widowed mother until she died two years ago. Susan's is a combination of ability and virtue that deserves congratulation.
So how come she was treated as a laughing stock when she walked on stage for the opening heat of Britain's Got Talent 2009 on Saturday night?
The moment the reality show's audience and judging panel saw the small, shy, middle-aged woman, they started to smirk.
When she said she wanted a professional singing career to equal that of Elaine Paige, the camera showed audience members rolling their eyes in disbelief.
They scoffed when she told Simon Cowell, one of the judges, how she'd reached her forties without managing to develop a singing career because she hadn't had the opportunity.
Another judge, Piers Morgan, later wrote on his blog that, just before she launched into I Dreamed a Dream, the 3000-strong audience in Glasgow was laughing and the three judges were suppressing chuckles.
It was rude and cruel and arrogant.
Susan Boyle from Blackburn, West Lothian, was presumed to be a buffoon.
But why?
Britain's Got Talent isn't a beauty pageant. It isn't a youth opportunity scheme.
It is surely about discovering untapped and unrecognised raw talent from all sections of society.
And Susan Boyle has talent to burn. Such is the beauty of her voice that she had barely sung the opening bars when the applause started. She rounded off to a standing ovation and - in her naivety - began walking off the stage and had to be recalled.
Susan, now a bankable discovery, was then roundly patronised by such mega-talents as Amanda Holden and the aforementioned Morgan, who told her: "Everyone laughed at you but no-one is laughing now. I'm reeling with shock." Holden added: "It's the biggest wake-up call ever."
Again, why?
The answer is that only the pretty are expected to achieve.
Not only do you have to be physically appealing to deserve fame; it seems you now have to be good-looking to merit everyday common respect.
If, like Susan (and like millions more), you are plump, middle-aged and too poor or too unworldly to follow fashion or have a good hairdresser, you are a non-person.
I dread to think of how Susan would have left the stage if her voice had been less than exceptional.
She would have been humiliated in front of 11 million viewers.
It's the equivalent of being put in the stocks in front of the nation instead of the village.
It used to be a punishment handed out to criminals.
Now it is the fate of anyone without obvious sexual allure who dares seek opportunity.
This small, brave soul took her courage in her hands to pitch at her one hope of having her singing talent recognised, and was greeted with a communal sneer. Courage could so easily have failed her.
Yet why shouldn't she sound wonderful?
Not every great singer looks like Katherine Jenkins.
Edith Piaf would never have been chosen to strut a catwalk.
Nor would Nina Simone, nor Ella Fitzgerald.
As for Pavarotti
But then ridicule is nothing new in Susan Boyle's life.
She is a veteran of abuse.
She was starved of oxygen at birth and has learning difficulties as a result.
At school she was slow and had frizzy hair.
She was bullied, mostly verbally.
She told one newspaper that her classmates' jibes left behind the kind of scars that don't heal.
She didn't have boyfriends, is a stranger to romance and has never been kissed.
"Shame," she said.
Singing was her life-raft.
She lived with her parents in a four-bedroom council house and, when her father died a decade ago, she cared for her mother and sang in the church choir.
It was an unglamorous existence.
She wasn't the glamorous type - and being a carer isn't a glamorous life, as the hundreds of thousands who do that most valuable of jobs will testify.
Even those who start out with a beauty routine and an interest in clothes find themselves reverting to the practicality of a tracksuit and trainers.
Fitness plans get interrupted and then abandoned.
Weight creeps on.
Carers don't often get invited to sparkling dinner parties or glitzy receptions, so smart clothes rarely make it off the hanger.
Then, when a special occasion comes along, they might reach, as Susan did, for the frock they bought for a nephew's wedding.
They might, as she did, compound the felony of choosing a colour at odds with her skin tone and an unflattering shape with home-chopped hair, bushy eyebrows and a face without a hint of make-up.
But it is often evidence of a life lived selflessly; of a person so focused on the needs of another that they have lost sight of themselves.
Is that a cause for derision or a reason for congratulation?
Would her time have been better spent slimming and exercising, plucking and waxing, bleaching and botoxing? Would that have made her voice any sweeter?
Susan Boyle's mother encouraged her to sing.
She wanted her to enter Britain's Got Talent.
But the shy Susan hasn't been able to sing at all since her mother's death two years ago. She wasn't sure how her voice would emerge after so long a silence. Happily, it survived its rest.
She is a gift to Simon Cowell and reality television.
Her story is the stuff of Hans Christian Andersen: the woman plucked from obscurity, the buried talent uncovered, the transformation waiting to be wrought.
It is wonderful for her, too, that her stunning voice is now recognised.
A bright future beckons. Her dream is becoming reality.
Susan is a reminder that it's time we all looked a little deeper.
She has lived an obscure but important life.
She has been a companionable and caring daughter.
It's people like her who are the unseen glue in society; the ones who day in and day out put themselves last.
They make this country civilised and they deserve acknowledgement and respect.
Susan has been forgiven her looks and been given respect because of her talent. She should always have received it because of the calibre of her character.
French director Laurent Cantet takes on the education system in docudrama 'The Class' - Extra Iddings
French director Laurent Cantet takes on the education system in docudrama 'The Class' - Extra Iddings
"The last time we saw Paris — for most of us, that means through someone else's eyes — it looked nothing like 'The Class.'"
Good movie.
Now at The Harbor.
See it!
"The last time we saw Paris — for most of us, that means through someone else's eyes — it looked nothing like 'The Class.'"
Good movie.
Now at The Harbor.
See it!
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