I’m now in a very painful sibling problem. For the second time in the last decade my sister has stopped speaking to me. The first time she didn’t speak to me for over a year. Her reason was that I had embarrassed her in front of her friend. The embarrassing thing I did was to have a passionate discussion with my boyfriend about what caused the holes in a rock formation. My boyfriend and I argued our theories but were not in any way angry at all. Yes, she didn’t speak to me for a year. That was so painful for me. We live far away and my mother lives with her. We took turns calling each other on the weekends. When I called she would just hand the phone to my mother. Finally, one day she started talikng to me again. I was so relieved and happy. We are now in the same place again. This time though, I did absolutely nothing to deserve this treatment. My poor mother called and told me my sister was not talking to me! This has been since September of this year. I call my mother but she always cuts the calls short if my sister is home. This time I don’t think I can just wait until my sister gets over it. I need some kind of apology, explanation, something. I no longer consider her my best friend or the person I could count on if I needed to. I have been a single mom and raised my sons under trying conditions. It was some comfort to me to think if worse came to worse I could live in my sister’s spare room. I no longer feel that way. I will go to visit my mother but seeing my sister will be a struggle. I don’t understand turning on and off the way she does. I know she is pretty unhappy with her life but her choices were hers and I have only supported her in them. I’m sad about all this but I am moving on.

If you are going to spend some of your economic stimulus money consider contributing to your local food bank. The satisfaction of thinking about people in your community sitting down to eat when they otherwise may not have. That’s satisfaction beyond any object can give you

This guy is boring! Too bad most of the comments here have to do with him. I would vote for blocking this guy from this site or at least limiting the number of comments he can make.

Absolutely it’s our business. Girls and women are routinely abused in this sect. Forced into “marriage” at age fourteen is not unusual. Boys are routinely exiled from their families and the only community they know. They get in the way of the powerful men collecting all the women. You don’t have to look to the Middle East for girls andwomen living in terrible conditions, it’s close to home.

I get up pretty early in the morning and listen to a little BBC radio as I’m trying to wake up. Then I get my coffee and go online. I read my local paper, a bit of NYT, WAPO. I listen to the Bill Press show on Air America. On my commute to work I listen to the radio, usually Air America but sometimes I turn it off. After work, I read some of Common Dreams, Truthout (which has a section on women), Buzzflash, Slate and Salon. I listen to a local community radio show in the evening with Amy Goodman “the War and Peace Report. Once a week or so I listen to Keith Olbermann. My one reason to get cable again would be to see The Daily Show! The rest of the news media don’t seem interested in real people and in my concerns.

First off, neither Obama or Clinton were my candidates. Why? b/c I think they are more alike than different. I think Obama mentioned in his speech that he wants the distractions to come to an end. Wow! I agree with that. How about a little substance, a little truth on something that matters? Both HRC and BO will continue the health care mess we have now. BO isn’t going to require everyone to sign up. That’s only partly true. He will require it for all children. How will he do that? He has also said he will give the health care industry a seat at the table. Well, right now there are millions and millions being spent on lobbying and just as much spent by health care corporations to figure out how to get around any regulations. Out of the candidates left I have no real enthusiasm. I have found the BO group particularly nasty, routinely calling HRC awful names. The woman can’t even breathe correctly as far as they are concerned. As to race, I agree with the comments that racism is ugly no matter the color of the speaker. It’s hate speech pure and simple. Those who think we “just don’t understand” are deluding themselves

I have been “let go” twice. Both times I was offered a job quite a commute from my home and part time in an effort to avoid paying unemployment. I work in the health care industry. In this industry it is expected you will first consider the economics for the corporation in your treatment decisions. Making money for the company? Go ahead and treat the patient. Not making money? Don’t treat the patient. Silly me. I’m always making the mistake of putting the needs of the patient first. Corporate types see that as someone who just won’t play ball. I have always saved enough money to live on for 6 months so I can walk away when things get bad. Some things I just can’t compromise. Fortunately my area is in demand and I can find other jobs quickly. Universal healthcare? Bring it on!

Nuala O’Faolain wrote “Are You Somebody”. This book touched me deeply. It has the sadness and the beauty of sunset that I think of as the most real emotion.