Just wish to stay alive and healthy for another year. to see our young men and women come home from fighting overseas. To see the end of the recession before it becomes a Depression. President Obama to accomplish his goals would be wonderful.

Beautiful Pictures. I am not a Gehry fan but I would have loved to see the old Gaudi . If anyone has seen an English movie called I think, “A Gaudi Afternoon.”. It is well worth seeing if only to see the architecture and the town.

I didn’t exactly meet him but we were visiting Washington,DC in 1963, the day after the famous MLK speech. As we left a White House tour the guard said,”Stick around because the president is coming back to the White house in a few minutes.” So we stayed at the gate and saw JFK and his sister drive up with a foreign dignitary. I took pictures but they didn’t turn out well. But he was murdered in November ‘63 so it was our only chance to see him.. Just by chance when Bobby Kennedy was running for President he toured Venice, CA where I live and was meeting and greeting people along the way in a small parade. He was murdered also soon after. Then I saw OJ Simpson in 1984 when he carried the Olympic Torch into Santa Monica from the PCH. Unfortunately he was the one who stayed alive. I have to say that at that time he was a local hero and I did take a picture which turned out.. Long ago in 1936 when Alf Landon was running against Franklin Roosevelt he came to a small high school in my hometown. Small town, not many people and I was nine years old. But all these people left lasting impressions except Alf Landon, but he seemed like a nice man.

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all on this site Have a great day and a wonderful night. Hope your New Year will be bright. Thank you Liz and God Bless you and yours.

Dogs are amazing. Last summer my 11 year old shepherd mix named Ghyn Ghyn was staying with my grand-daughter about 3 miles away to keep her company. G-daughter called me in a panic one afternoon. ghyn had somehow run out of her apartment and ran down one of the busiest streets in Venice, Ca. She was going out driving around to try and find her. I went out to my car in order to look for her too. Amazingly my dog came running down my street and up on my porch, huffing and puffing a bit but in good shape. She had run three miles through 3 major major busy boulevards and reached our house in about 20 minutes. How she crossed Los Angeles streets with bumper to bumper traffic we will never know. We were so glad to see her. Now she stays home with her own backyard. How she found her way so quickly and safely we will never know but we are grateful.

The best way to deal with ignorance is to ignore it. While we are ignoring we also must pay attention and try to make positive changes. We do want provocateurs to have a chance to hang themselves or be hung as in the trials at Nuremberg. We just have to pay attention along the way and while we are ignoring we need to act in a positive way. So let them speak, life will catch up with them. Hanging is not a solution, problems local or world wide should be prevented when possible. Pay attention

Why waste any time listening to Limbaugh? He is a drug addict and a fascist and a hatemonger. At least Hannity and O’Reilly attempt to be more subtle. Doesn’t work of course. They are all biased and unfair to anyone who does not agree with them. Don’t watch them either..

You are right Jane Wagner. Oprah’s weight should not be a concern to anyone but Oprah. Look at “Ruby”, the tv show about a very overweight woman. Her personality and charm shines through but her weight is a health issue as well as a personal one. Oprah is great. She can be any weight she chooses and she still is charming and beautiful and talented. But she apparently does not look at her self like that. I am glad she chooses to share with the public. But it is obvious that the problem as far as Oprah is concerned is much deeper. We can say all we want to about she is loved and should not be that concerned. Bottom line is that it is a real health issue in some people. And it is a daily anxiety problem with many people. Oprah has to make her own decisions of course and we will love her any way she chooses to be in her life. Obviously assurance from the public is nice but it is still a health issue with her. If she needs to choose her own way then so be it. She is one of the most influential women of this and last century. Bravo to her in whatever she does. The bottom line is that if she did not want the public to respond to her discussions, she would not put it out there. J.W. you are a wonderful writer and very suppportive person it is obvious to me. Just wish the best for your friend, Oprah, whatever she opts to do.

I agree with L.H. Who is Linda Tripp that she even deserves to be published in any paper. She belongs with Hannity and O’Reilly, not here.

Oprah is fighting a losing battle so far. There are probably many reasons she cannot stay at a normal weight. Family history usually shows that it is a familial problem. I think O should consider lap band surgery. It is not a cure but she has the means and the support and the desire to stay at a normal weight. I don’t advocate surgery for anyone unless its really necessary. I think Oprah would be a good candidate because the surgery gives you a good start. And she has the support financially and personally and can afford it. In her position it is impossible to avoid great food and drink. And pschologically it is very hard to say “NO”. Good luck to Oprah either way. The reason obese people usually end up with other health problems is probably due to the up and down dieting , I know its not inevitable and a lot of obese people live to long ages. The chances are though that the constant gain and loss of weight can bring on physical problems that the obese person would not have if they can lose the weight and keep it off. I am not connected to any weight loss surgery advocates or providers. I just see a long term problem and that this may be a long term solution. It is not a cure all and you always must exercise normally and eat moderately. I have not had any surgery but have gotten to a reasonable weight in my old age. I say this because I always weighed 10 to 20 pounds overweight and though to myself as really fat. Becoming old has solved my problem. I would like to see Oprah successful now when she has a long life ahead of her.

There is nothing good to say about the mess in Iraq . Both the Gulf war and the current one were full blown deadly mistakes. Powell, I believe is an honest man. He was up against one of the most devious deceptive power managers perhaps in history. and I don’t mean GW. We forget that Powell was in the vanguard of the Civil Rights issues. He deserved to a leader and rise as high as he did in the service. But in that era there was a lot of “go along to get along behavior.” It was necessary as one of the steps along the way of Civil Rights. But Powell was human and taken in by the con artists of the W. administration. We all knew that Cheney represented the oil interests and Bush is a pushover by anyone with a few brains and smooth talk. In my life I have nursed many war veterans and it is the saddest work at times. People now forget about the ww2 vets and even worse the Korean vets. Somewhere along the way we Americans lost our way and followed the leaders almost without question. We have to get back to a truly shared democracy. Starting with our own problems with poverty and brutality and ignorance. Do not blame Powell as he is just part of the public caught up in the Romantic Savior Image of the USA. We need to save ourselves before we can help others.

I can’t remember seeing anywhere that this is a woman’s site only. I believe in equal opportunity so that means sharing space. But the comment about women getting involved in carpentry and specialized trades is not too smart. Part of the problem is that education in elementary and high schools still looks at boys and girls separately. And they are treated differently. Also the unions are difficult to get into even for men. The spots tend to be filled by sons and male relatives. The law may be there but it is not respected. So Walt keep chiming in.

Looks like Women in high places are always going to struggle with gossip and innuendos about nothing. When was the last time you heard about male politicians fighting about office space or transition teams? Just seems awfully funny that men are never reported on for their infighting. But if women make the wrong remarks it is interpreted as odd behavior. Where are the feminists these days? I don’t believe what I read unless it makes sense and this report does not.

One day at a time! One hour at a time, One step at a time. It sounds so trite to say that. But it is true. You cannot solve your families problems, or your friends, or President Elect Obama. You cannot even solve the problems in India or Africa or the middle east. I don’t know anyone without anxiety or mild depression or fear of the unknown right now. Then I think back to the Cuban Missile Crisis when I had 4 very small children and the country solved the problem. I think then I learned to plan ahead but live in the moment. These are all cliches and I know it. But they work even if you are in a mild depression, just keep on moving.