Gore Vidal interview on DemocracyNow
Amy Goodman recently interviewed Gore Vidal in his L.A. home. The topic: George W. Bush's presidency. More on Vidal here.
Hazel Haley (1916-2008) - the nation's longest-serving public school teacher
A slightly belated tribute to Hazel Haley, the nation's longest-serving public school teacher, as well as "Motivational speaker, media darling, actor, stage manager, theater-founder and world traveler." In 2006, Miss Haley received the most votes in an online poll was the topic of of the "CBS Evening News" interactive feature "Assignment America." My friend (and Miss Haley's relative) Mary Haley used to mention her quite often. (I'm sure she will continue to!) The below is from The Ledger.
From the spray of delicate roses to mourners' suits, Haley's favorite shade dotted the First United Methodist Church on Monday. Even the punch at the reception was a frothy coral, served from tables draped in pink satin with matching napkins.
The eulogies were just as uplifting - a testimony to 69 years of teaching and 91 years of experience.
Haley, thought to be the country's longest-serving teacher, died last week with a cup of tea by her side.
The death of the longtime Lakeland High teacher seemed to spur more stories than tears and the occasional chuckle Monday as about 500 people gathered to celebrate her life, most of them standing at one point in the service for a symbolic, last "Thank you, Miss Haley.''
"Some would say it's too bad she didn't have children. But look, she had over 13,000 ...,'' said the Rev. David McEntire. "She taught us more than English, words and grammar ... She was indeed a gift.''
Hazel Hunter Haley was remembered for her opinions and an ability to build trust in colleagues and students. She loved to travel, particularly to her beloved England. Before her death she was planning another trip abroad, a friend said, along with wondering "whether Hillary had a chance.''
Mary Beth Haley, a relative who referred to Haley as an aunt, described a childhood in Atlanta where Haley "arrived for Christmas as if the carnival had come to town.''
She remembered Haley for her fancy car, colorful clothes and "jewelry that was bigger than I was.''
Mary Beth Haley would grow to travel with Haley and the two women would talk once a week. Going through Haley's belongings, correspondence from Paul Newman, Richard Burton and Frank Sinatra was found.
Robert MacDonald, artist-in-residence at Florida Southern College, captured Haley's spirit with a musical medley on the piano, with tunes from Sinatra's "My Way'' to the Dreadnaught-theme "Anchors Aweigh.''
Friends like Allen Cleveland reveled in Haley's eccentricities, saying she thought a good Southern lady "should never vote for a Republican.''
Cleveland shared a few Haleyisms. Among them:
Name your car.
Make people feel important.
Don't do anything tacky.
Small in stature but not short in spunk, Haley inspired fear in one of Lakeland High's other treasures: Football coach Bill Castle.
Castle talked about his younger years coaching football, when he realized what a fan Haley was of the sport.
"Miss Haley was the first teacher I met, and I don't think it was an accident,'' Castle said.
After a loss, though, Castle was asked by a sport writer to explain what happened. "We just got our butts beat,'' Castle answered.
Castle got to school to find Haley waiting for him, launching into her trademark "My darling, may I talk with you?''
Haley told Castle his choice of words in the interview was "not acceptable'' for properly representing Lakeland High. Castle adjusted his future comments accordingly.
Castle worried about having his grammar corrected at football banquets while the Rev. Riley Short said he "had a final exam every Sunday morning.''
Haley would critique his sermon from the front row with disapproving nods.
But Monday, Haley was missing from her seat.
"The bell has rung,'' Short said. "Class dismissed. Anchors aweigh.''
"Hazel Haley has graduated magna cum laude.''
NYCers fall behind on paying energy bills
From Crain's New York Business:
[T]he number of Consolidated Edison and National Grid customers who were behind on their payments went up by 5% last month compared with April 2007. They are also falling further behind than before, as the amount city residents owe on their utility bill has gone up by 19%.
Con Ed alone says more than 187,756 people were behind on their bills last month, a 9% increase over the year-ago month. The company turned off service to over 9,321 customers last month....
Current trends in the price of oil heat do not bode well for the winter heating season, either.... [T]he price of home heating oil has gone up nearly 6% since the end of April....
Heating oil prices typically stay flat or go down as temperatures go up. But that seasonal dip won’t occur this year because of the sharp increase in crude oil prices....
The real marriage fight in CA is in November in the voting booth. Give to CaliPAC, Equality for All, or both.
You’re heard the news by now. May 15: California’s Supreme Court upheld the right of marriage for same-sex couples.
Please seriously consider giving a small contribution: http://actblue.com/page/may15
We’ve won the right to marry, now we have to defend it. The Calitics CaliPAC will be there to fight against the marriage initiative and to fight for progressive values. Equality for All is the unofficial “official” campaign against the November anti-marriage constitutional amendment.
PA marriage ban bill likely dead
Good news from PA recently:
A bill that would amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage is in a deep coma and is probably dead, at least for the rest of this session.
Faced with staunch opposition to the measure in the Democrat-controlled House, the main sponsor, Sen. Michael Brubaker, R-Lancaster, asked the Senate last evening to table the bill indefinitely, and it agreed.
That almost certainly means it won't be acted on in the 2007-08 session, which ends Nov. 30. Mr. Brubaker said he's not giving up on the bill, though he didn't say when he might push for it again.
Second half of Edwards' speech endorsing Barack Obama
Hat-tip to NCDem-Amy on DailyKos.
"Add-on" superdelegates: 33 of 76 (maybe 81) have been named
Obama recently took the lead in the super-delegate count. But it’s really close still, of course. Complicating things slightly is the fact that states also have “add-on” delegates, too; but there’s only 76 of them total (81 if Florida and Michigan end up being allowed to have theirs) and 33 of them have been named already. Most of the 33 have pledged to a candidate already.
I assume that a slim majority of the balance of unpledged and unnamed add-on delegates will be pledged to Obama.
Here’s the schedule by which states have or will be announcing their add-on delegates.
Matt Jensen exhibition
If you're in the city, check it out. 
(Click the image to enlage it.)
Citizens Committee for New York City invites you to
ROCKAWAY
Images from Queens, NYC by Matthew Jensen.
305 7th Ave - 15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Congressman Sestak (USN Ret.) calls for end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Hat-tip to Ed Brayton's Dispatches from the Culture Wars.
Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) a former 3-star admiral:
has called for the end of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.
"Once you have served in war and faced danger with a gay service member, how can you come home and say gay people should not enjoy equal rights? It is simple. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' must be repealed."
Sestak joins 16 other veterans in Congress who are co-sponsors of legislation to lift the ban on openly gay service.
Please e-mail Rep. Sestak and thank him.
(Photo: Rep. Sestak)
It takes a village
Stylus in one hand and my Dell PDA in the other, I charged into the awaiting subway car and strode three paces to the rare treat of an empty seat, passing a dark black man in a black jacket nestled knee-to-knee beside what was likely his boyfriend--very fair-skinned, blond, goateed, brown leather jacket, silken white shirt, ready with a whisper into the other’s ear. Who knows what was said. I took the seat beside them and continued my digital scribbling. A moment after the train lurched and began accelerating out of the 18th Street station, I looked up to gather my thoughts. If I hadn’t, I’d have missed it.
Facing the couple, sitting diagonally across from me, and alarmed at the prospect of his spill was a tall, big-boned, lean black man front-loaded with a fussy café con leche baby boy. He'd been trying to pour Odwalla juice into the baby’s bottle while clasping the caps of both containers and dangling two shopping bags from his fingers. A delicate act anywhere public in New York, especially the group rocking chair that is a moving subway car.
Without prompting, Boyfriend Black across from the dad stretched out a palm and silently offered to hold the caps. A nod and smile of thanks followed from the father as he happily surrendered the caps, put the bags between his feet, and finally made the bright orange liquid transfer. Next Boyfriend Blond offered a palm to accept the empty Odwalla bottle, and Boyfriend Black returned the nippled cap. Onto the bottle and bottle held in Baby's mouth in a second flat; Dad's other hand, now free, brandished a paper towel from somewhere, laid it atop the spill, and patted it as gently as possible with his enormous foot. He accepted the Odwalla cap and bottle back, looked up, and said with a smile, “You guys are my village.”
Moments later, after I'd scribbled a few more notes, after the couple had unbeknownst to me left the train, I decided as we pulled out of Times Square station that I'd snap a phone pic of the father as a visual reminder of the moment.
