World's Best Superbowl Fare

TOP THAT!

HOPE PEACE LOVE

Full transcript as prepared for delivery of President Barack Obama's inaugural remarks on Jan. 20, 2009, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Find the Kitty

Bink in the Sink

Finally New Photos

Finally, we got around to downloading the latest and greatest pics of our babies. There were more from Christmas, but we are in our jammies in them and that is not something you want to see.

DEVESTATED

HOW COULD THEY?!?!?!

Evil F-Tards that they are the Glazer Family has fired - FIRED????? - one of the greatest NFL Coaches of all time. Superbowl winning coaching fiend Jon Gruden. What in gods name were they thinking? How could they be so ungrateful -- and stupid? Gruden will go down in history as one of the coaching greats - an offensive genius - a menical playmaker. A man who encompasses the love of the game. Bastards. My only hope is that he is currently on a murderous rampage, cleansing the earth of worthless morons within the Glazer gene pool.....or planning on winning next years Superbowl with Brett Farve as the leader of the Jets! Rock on Jon!!!!!

Self Hatred

I see these perfect beings and don't feel like I should be allowed on the same planet as them. Victoria Beckham is perfection, and Katie Holmes is not far behind. I vow never to eat again.

D VINE

My top three from the Golden Globes:

#1 - as always, a goddess - ANN HATHAWAY!!!!
#2 - Brooke Burke
#3 - Eva Longoria



D VINE!

How to Obtain Perfection

Courtesy of the GODDESS Martha Stewart:

"Martha Stewart: How Martha retains her Martha-ness

SEVERAL TIMES a day I'm asked to describe the daily routine that permits me to do all I do - maintaining a very busy schedule while still feeling good. I thought I would, once and for all, attempt to write it all down and share it with you here.

1. SKIN CARE: Skin care is vital, and my routine includes a thorough cleansing every morning and night. Toners, enriching day and night creams, and serums keep my skin elastic and supple and glowing. Sunblocks, balms and skin healers are also necessary as preventive treatments.

2. GYM: My home gym is furnished with aerobic machines, weights and Cybex machines, and has a lovely view of the farm, a television so I can watch the news while running on the treadmill, and yoga equipment. The importance of aerobic exercise cannot be overemphasized. Aerobics keep weight down and stamina up.

3. MORNING JUICE: Every morning I drink about 8 ounces of what I call "green juice." I use a juicer to make a blend of spinach, celery, cucumber, carrot and some fruit - pear, apple, pomegranate, plum, peach, a bit of orange peel and a small piece of ginger. The more of these ingredients that come from my organic garden, the better. I actually feel a jolt of energy when I imbibe these drinks.

4. CALENDAR: An organized calendar with every meeting, trip and appointment carefully listed and timed enables me to accomplish a lot each day. Each appointment is listed with phone numbers of all the principals. Addresses include cross streets so no time is wasted in finding a location.

5. WALKING: My favorite outdoor activity has always been hiking or walking. Good footwear, good socks and a jacket with pockets (for water and a cell phone) are crucial items of clothing.

6. EXERCISE: Weights are all-important for bone health and body toning, and yoga is essential for calming the mind and strengthening the body's core. I love weights for arms and shoulders, and my Pilates ring for strengthening thighs, arms and chest. A yoga block, a ring and a yoga strap come with me wherever I go, so I can at least get a bit of a workout when I'm on the road.

7. WATER: I have three offices in addition to my home office. Alongside every one of my computers I keep a pitcher of mineral water infused with lemon, lime, orange, or cucumber and mint. I find that I drink more if the pitcher is there as a reminder.

8. HAIR CARE: Because I have my hair styled so often, I wash it almost every day. I use a variety of shampoos and conditioners to keep my hair from becoming dry or brittle. Sometimes I visit my colorist for a glossing, which seems to infuse my hair with a new vitality.

9. DAILY MAINTENANCE: Skin care is not the only daily routine one must adhere to. An electric toothbrush is essential for gum care and shiny white teeth, along with a good dental-care program (twice a year cleanings and checkups). Mouthwash and salt-water gargles are also helpful in keeping colds and sore throats from developing. Feet, hands, arms and legs should also be cared for.

10. RELAXATION: I do try to find some time, perhaps not every day but as often as possible, to curl up with a new book - often downloaded onto my Kindle - or to watch a movie. A great cup of tea or even a homemade cappuccino (one shot of espresso only) is an added perk and pleasure.

Last but not least, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of children, spouses, significant others and pets in our daily lives. They are the real reason we do what we do outside the home, in our work and in our play. And a few minutes of every day are spent on the phone catching up with close friends."

Beyonce Viral Hit of the Year

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/43357/beyonce-prompts-single-ladies-men-and-kids-to-remake-her-video/

I think my fave if the litle girl working the pink onesie! A born dancer!

So Worth the View

Adorable Video of the Day

Laurence H Tribe

The Next President
Morning-After Pride

Laurence H. Tribe 11.05.08, 12:30 PM ET

I am watching the sun rise over Lake Michigan in the land of Lincoln on this new day in America. This is the morning after a great divide in the biography of the United States. As a nation, we have come of age.

I flew to Chicago on Tuesday afternoon to witness history as the United States of America went to the polls on Election Day, 2008. Hours later, as President-Elect Barack Obama spoke in Grant Park to claim his victory before a great throng of supporters and an eagerly listening world--almost exactly 40 years after the chaos of 1968--I felt myself in the flow of time, a minor participant in a great saga punctuated by events that shaped my life, as it shaped the lives of so many others.
The year 1968 was, for me and most of my friends, a year of tragedy and disillusion. Through the years that followed, years punctuated by Watergate and Vietnam and by decades of political polarization and paralysis, politics was the game that disappointed. Yesterday it was the game that delivered. The work of governing lies ahead, but the sun is rising and the challenges we face--in reconstructing a broken economy, restoring a threatened constitution, ending a misguided war and waging a necessary one, starting to heal a wounded planet--look from here like opportunities to be seized, not obstacles to be feared.

How different this feels from the crazy election of 2000, brought to an abrupt and puzzling end by the Supreme Court's ill-starred decision to stop counting the ballots, when another new president was installed to preside over a nearly dysfunctional country. Having served as counsel before the court to the losing candidate during that sad chapter in our democratic trajectory, I returned to ordinary life but wondered when, if ever, I could fully believe in the process again.
As the decade progressed, the most impressive student I had ever taught was quietly pursuing his own political trajectory. In 1989, I had met Barack Obama and hired him as my research assistant while he was still just a first-year Harvard law student. His stunning combination of analytical brilliance and personal charisma, openness and maturity, vision and pragmatism, was unmistakable from my very first encounter with the future president.

I thought about that encounter as he and his wife Michelle each gave me a hug in one of the off-stage tents in Grant Park last night. I recalled it as I found myself unable to express in words my sense of gratitude and of possibility. The president-elect and the first lady-designate both thanked me for the part I had played in Barack Obama's education and his rise to power, but it was I, of course, who owed thanks to them, thanks for the journey on which they had embarked to reclaim America for all who dare to hope.

There will be countless efforts to dissect their improbable path from that cold winter morning in Springfield, Ill., nearly two years ago--when a still-new senator from Illinois announced his candidacy for the highest office in the land--to the unseasonably warm evening in Chicago when that quest reached its climax and when those who had led it confronted the daunting challenges of actually governing. This is not another attempt at such dissection. Nor is this another post-mortem on the failed efforts of president-elect Obama's more than formidable foes. It is simply a personal note to commemorate a milestone in a great nation's history.

As an immigrant to the United States, born in Shanghai to Russian Jewish parents who brought me with them when they settled in California in 1947, I have always felt great pride--both in that ancestry and in the gift of citizenship conferred on me by the nation that went on to provide me with such extraordinary opportunities--to thrive and to give something back for all that I have been given. My pride in that citizenship has never been greater than it is today. Truth to tell, I find myself unable to stop smiling, just as last night I found it difficult to stop crying.

Barack Obama's unique ability to explain and to motivate, coupled with his signature ability to listen and to learn, and linked with the calm that marked his nearly flawless campaign, will serve him--and all of us--well as we grapple with as daunting a set of problems as the nation has faced in three-quarters of a century. It is of course true that only time will tell just how successful this brave, brilliant and caring man will be in charting a new course for the country, something that will depend only partly on decisions that Obama will make as president.

But one thing is already certain: The very fact of Barack Obama's election at this defining moment--quite apart from the programs he pursues and the ways in which he pursues them--already speaks volumes to everyone on the planet. His election in and of itself displays how dramatically America has moved to transcend the divisions of its past and bids fair to give us a new lease on life in a world that had come, and not without reason, to see us in an awful light--a world that will now give this nation a fresh look and a second chance.

The sun is now high over Lake Michigan. It is a new day in America. We can do this. Yes, we can.

Laurence H. Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb university professor and professor of constitutional law at Harvard.

PEBO

PEBO - President Elect Barack Obama!! As much as I loved Clinton, I don't think I have ever been prouder of a President we helped elect. I burst into tears every other minute just thinking it is really true. There really can be change, there really can be hope for the future, YES WE CAN!!

Gorge --- Loving Them

Too Funny

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

My New Boots

Aren't they awesome?!?! I still have to see if I can make it through the day in the Jessica's but the other two pairs are totally comfy all day.

LOVE THEM!!!

BEST Sweetest Day EVER

I was so spoiled this weekend, I am almost ashamed to talk about it. Almost. I got so spolied - it was Christmas! My hubby gave me so many presents - all of which I LOVED.

Starbucks for Breakfast - always good for the caffeine addicted
iTunes Gift Card - Jammin!
Lovely by SJP perfume - I have wanted this forever
New Bracelet from Jared for all my charms - another thing I have wanted/needed for ages
THREE pairs of boots - Including my newest Jessicas!!! YEAH!
Dinner from my favorite restaurant - Isabellas - http://www.isabellacafe.com/
A new couch - Something we desperately needed since we sold all our furniture thinking we would be moving across country by now and are too old and rickety to be sitting on the floor

Isn't he amazing!?!?! I was so spoiled, I loved it! The Starbucks and dinner all gone now, the iTunes gift card half gone and I am wearing my new bracelet, perfume and one of my new boots today. The boots are a big hit, I got lots of compliments on them. If my feet can take it, tomorrow, the Jessicas!

USPS or Fed Ex

If I pay for shipping, who wants him???? Anyone????

Who's a Grumpy Old Dog

Love Kitty

No One Told Him

The lazy days of summer may be over, but no one told Truman. What is a silly kitty to do??

Who's The Prettiest Kitty

Seriously

Leave us alone, we are exhausted.

CHAMPS

2008 AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!!!