Thoughts of an Average Woman

2006 Koufax Award Nominations Now Open

The good folks at Wampum have announced that the floor is open to nominations for various kudos. Here are the topics in boiler-plate form (all the easier to copy/paste):

Best Blog
Best Blog -- Pro Division:
Best Blog Community:
Best Writing:
Best Post:
Best Series:
Best Single Issue Blog:
Best Group Blog:
Most Humorous Blog:
Most Humorous Post:
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition:
Best Consonant Level Blog:
Best Expert Blog:
Best New Blog:
Best Human Equality Blog:
Best Coverage of State or Local Issues:
Best Commenter:

You will note that there are two new topics that have been added this year, Best Consonant Level Blog and Best Human Equality Blog.

Nominations (hint, hint) are accepted by leaving a comment to the nominations post at Wampum, or by email:

You can also email nominations to us at koufax | at | nic-naa | dot | net.

If you are new to the Koufax Awards, the FAQ can be read here.

Good luck to one and all!

War for Oil

Who says the war in Iraq wasn't about a few companies controlling the oil under the Arab state?

Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.

The huge potential prizes for Western firms will give ammunition to critics who say the Iraq war was fought for oil. They point to statements such as one from Vice-President Dick Cheney, who said in 1999, while he was still chief executive of the oil services company Halliburton, that the world would need an additional 50 million barrels of oil a day by 2010. "So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies," he said.

Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would permit Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq's oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise. But it will operate through "production-sharing agreements" (or PSAs) which are highly unusual in the Middle East, where the oil industry in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world's two largest producers, is state controlled.

Opponents say Iraq, where oil accounts for 95 per cent of the economy, is being forced to surrender an unacceptable degree of sovereignty.


At some point during the lead up to the US demolishing and excavating Iraq, the people of this country were not going to have to finance reconstruction of the devastation we unleashed upon that country. Then the tune changed.

Now, we are to allow a few companies to make a killing off of the backs of the people and country they pushed to destroy? Why do I find this administration and it's oil buddies have lost all credibility, and in the process of following their greed, destroyed the credibility of this nation.

Allowing any of these oil companies to (il)legally extort the monies of Iraqi's is unconscionable. And the way in which this law is making it's way through (or not) the Iraq Parliament is beyond reprehensible.

"Three outside groups have had far more opportunity to scrutinise this legislation than most Iraqis," said Mr Muttitt. "The draft went to the US government and major oil companies in July, and to the International Monetary Fund in September. Last month I met a group of 20 Iraqi MPs in Jordan, and I asked them how many had seen the legislation. Only one had."

Money grubbing bastards have ruined so many lives and so many families, just to control some slimy black gold.

Validation, Again: Middle Income Tax Rates Went Up

From the time Bush showcased his tax cuts plan, detractors have been hammering that the plan only saved money for the rich and uber rich. More than one study has validated this claim, yet Bush supporters still refused to see the light. Now, the CBO is showcasing their study, which shows...are you sitting down? Tax rates for you middle-incomers are going UP. IOW, you are paying for the rich to keep their money.

Families earning more than $1 million a year saw their federal tax rates drop more sharply than any group in the country as a result of President Bush’s tax cuts, according to a new Congressional study.

The study, by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, also shows that tax rates for middle-income earners edged up in 2004, the most recent year for which data was available, while rates for people at the very top continued to decline.

I'm wondering how many more studies do we need before we believe that the Bush tax cuts were never meant for the regular Jane and Joe?

Here are a few tidbits from the article:

Families in the middle fifth of annual earnings, who had average incomes of $56,200 in 2004, saw their average effective tax rate edge down to 2.9 percent in 2004 from 5 percent in 2000. That translated to an average tax cut of $1,180 per household, but the tax rate actually increased slightly from 2003.

Tax cuts were much deeper, and affected far more money, for families in the highest income categories. Households in the top 1 percent of earnings, which had an average income of $1.25 million, saw their effective individual tax rates drop to 19.6 percent in 2004 from 24.2 percent in 2000. The rate cut was twice as deep as for middle-income families, and it translated to an average tax cut of almost $58,000.

What to do With the Lottery Money

Tennessee's legislature will be getting down to work later this month, after all the organizational stuff has been accomplished.

In anticipation, the local paper covered one of the issues on this sessions agenda, scholarships.

During its upcoming session, the Tennessee Legislature will hold another round of debates over expanding the popular lottery scholarships that are helping 59,750 students attend Tennessee colleges and vocational schools this year.

The central question lawmakers face is whether to dip into the $315 million in reserves accumulated in the scholarship program since its launch three years ago - well above the $50 million reserve mandated by state law to keep the program solvent. The next question is how to expand the scholarships.

So, there are several suggestions floating around. One, in particular, that I liked.

Gov. Phil Bredesen seemed interested in a proposal by University of Tennessee President John Petersen and Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning to lure back to campus adults who have completed part of their college work.

About 60,000 Tennesseans have completed at least half of an associate's or bachelor's degree. The plan would target those from ages 25 to 45, because they have several working years ahead of them, with incentives to finish their degrees.

Except, I don't think the cut-off date should be an arbitrary 45. People are working longer. Stop, let me rephrase, that. Lower-income people are working longer into their so-called retirement years.

The idea is to increase the number of Tennesseans with degrees and thus their earning power. Only 43 percent of all students who enter the state's public university and community college system graduate within six years. The state ranks 44th in the percentage of its adults with baccalaureate degrees. And studies indicate college graduates earn on average $14,000 more a year than high school graduates.

I would also add at least one caveat. Those folks that have had their jobs outsourced, and no new job on the horizon, should get preferential treatment.

Nuclear Strike?

via Think Progress, Israel has plans for a nuclear strike against Iran.

ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.

Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear “bunker-busters”, according to several Israeli military sources.



The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb.

Under the plans, conventional laser-guided bombs would open “tunnels” into the targets. “Mini-nukes” would then immediately be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.

“As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished,” said one of the sources.

Jeez! Blood-thirsty morons.

Is the UN Security Counsel going to be the adult and condemn Israel's plans. Although that probably wouldn't mean a damn thing, since Israel is looking to the US, and not the world, to validate their nuclear strike.

Sources close to the Pentagon said the United States was highly unlikely to give approval for tactical nuclear weapons to be used. One source said Israel would have to seek approval “after the event”, as it did when it crippled Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osirak with airstrikes in 1981.

Is Roberts Dismantling SCOTUS?

I have no idea what has gotten into Chief Justice Roberts mind lately, which is leading me to question whether or not he can actually handle the responsibility of being a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As the WaPo article points out, Roberts himself said SCOTUS should be doing more, yet, the number of cases accepted for review shows the exact opposite.

Only a handful of decisions each year define the Supreme Court for the American public, and that might be especially appropriate this year.

After decades of decline in its caseload, the court is once again on track to take its fewest number of cases in modern history. The justices went on a relative shopping spree when they returned from their holiday break, on Friday, agreeing to hear seven additional cases before this year's term ends. Before that they had accepted only 60 petitions, as opposed to 80 at this point last year.

Even a caseload in the 80s would have been considered extraordinarily skimpy 20 years ago. In William H. Rehnquist's first term as chief justice in 1986, the court disposed of 175 cases. That had dwindled to 82 cases last year after Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. took over.

Barnes reports on several theories that are being bandied about, but neglects one, which may fall more into conspiracy theory status. That is, Bush has a habit of nominating people to dismantle the agency they head. One of the most recent outrages was the installation of Eric Keorack to head the Family Planning program.

As it relates to SCOTUS, the religious right, the strongest supporters of Bush, have all dissed our highest court, and the justices that sit on the bench, to the point of Congress critters calling for their impalement. Meanwhile, other acts of terrorism (yet, not called terrorism by the media) were perpetrated against the Justices.

So, my cynicism of the Roberts and Alito picks has not been put to rest. I think there was a "method to the madness" in picking Roberts as Chief Justice. In fact, this WaPo article has fueled my cynicism, in that Roberts and Alito were picked specifically to discredit and eventually dismantle the highest court of our nation. Reducing the courts docket is an overt step to ending SCOTUS's rule.

Mystical Merlin of Shadowland

In just 5 more days, Merlin will be officially 1 year old. My how time flies! It occurred to me that it has been quite a while since I posted an update on the Mystical Merlin.

A while ago, I did register him with AKC. This is the first dog I've had that I've been able to do this, and like so many other dog owners before me (and I'm sure many other dog owners to come) I had to pick a name/title that used every darn space the application allows, while also trying to describe him and in a way myself.

Now, I have, for a long time, loved Arthurian tales. However, my interest wasn't aimed towards Arthur, but towards Merlin, Morganne (Morgan le Fay), the Lady of the Lake. Perhaps it was the mysticism of the "old ways" that has drawn me towards these characters. So, Merlin's title starts, "Mystical Merlin."

In true cocker fashion, Merlin is my shadow. He is also a wonderful cuddler. Curled up on the couch, expect to find him nuzzling into the crook of your legs, or, if you are sitting, he'll curl up with his head nestled in your lap. Now, my agreement with the average hubby is no dogs on the bed, cuddling on the couch or in a chair is okay, just not on the bed, and average hubby is pretty adamant about that. So, that Merlin can still be by my side, his bed is next to my side of the bed.
Any other part of the day, he can readily be found as close to me as possible. If I'm at the computer, he is either curled up at my feet, or a few feet away on the back of the couch.

Actually, the back of the couch has become a favorite resting place, not just for Merlin, but also for Kasumi (middle son's cat) and Ingrid, the umbrella cockatoo. As you can tell, part of the draw is the window.

Anyway, if I get up and walk into the kitchen, he is only a few steps behind. If I go to any other part of the house, he is right there at my heels. So, when he was only a few months old, and average hubby said I misnamed Merlin, that I should have named him Shadow, Shadow had to be part of his official title. What I ended up with is, Mystical Merlin of Shadowland.

As Merlin grew, I noticed he developed his own personal quirk. Like many dogs, he loves butt scratches, except in the bath when I am shampooing and conditioning his fur. That hatred gets worse after the bath when I am towel drying him, before the blow drying starts. Snippy doesn't describe his hatred towards towels rubbing his back haunches. I brought him to a professional groomer once, cautioning them of his propensity to get snippy about his back haunches being touched, and, at the same time, hoping that he wouldn't get snippy with the person bathing him. Unfortunately, he did get snippy, so this is definitely his quirk. I'm not sure how it developed, or why, but it's there.

Thus, so that he wouldn't get kicked out of the doggy salon, I have been "learning" to groom him myself. By grooming, I mean the clipping of his fur, which is done about once every 4 weeks. Brushing is daily, or at the worse, every other day, and baths take place once every other week.

I think I've gotten to be pretty good at clipping his ears and face, at least those are the two areas that I've had the least amount of trouble. I don't pluck the hairs in his ears, simply because he got a severe ear infection when that was done professionally. That I want to avoid.

After his one and only (so far) professional grooming, I decided to let his back fur grow out, and thinned it with thinning shears, showstyle. But, Merlin has a ton, and I do mean a TON, of fur. With this unusually warm weather, the extra fur is not so comfortable for him, not to mention everything sticks to his fur and gets dragged into the house. During the summer, Merlin was almost glued to the vents so the cool air would help keep him cooler. With that in mind, I gave him a different clip today.

During today's grooming session, which takes me about 3.5 hours from beginning to end to complete, I gave him the "pet" clipping.

I'm finding the hardest parts to grooming Merlin is beveling around the paws. I just have not been able to get his feet to look like the pictures. Apparently, this is the hardest part of grooming the cocker, and eventually I'll get the hang of it. Heck, it's only hair, and his grows fast.

In all my previous reports, Ingrid, seen above on the back of the couch, hasn't really paid much attention to Merlin. But, that has changed recently. Here (my home), Angel (other umbrella cockatoo) had always been the alpha bird, chasing and terrorizing the dog, until Merlin appeared. In this vein, Ingrid has now decided she is going to be the "mommy bird" over Merlin. Sometimes she'll chase him, sometimes she'll try to cuddle with him when he snuggles onto my lap. But one thing Ingrid has always disliked, is watching you get your hair cut.

A while back, a friend used to come to my house to cut my hair. That stopped when Ingrid got so upset with her for "damaging my feathers." That was the only thing I could think of, that would get her so upset. Anyway, today, while I had Merlin on my bathroom counter, clipping his fur, Ingrid escaped from her cage, toddled down the hall and found her way into the bathroom and started screeching, crest up, very agitated. Shades of when my friend cut my hair at the house. I actually had to turn off the clippers, and yell for average hubby to put her back into her cage. Meanwhile, Merlin just looked down at her from his "perch" on the counter.

The funny part is, when the grooming was all over and Merlin was released from my bathroom, Ingrid put up such a fuss that I had to let her out of her cage to inspect him. She checked him all over, I guess looking to see if I had hurt him in any way. And once Merlin passed inspection, the two of them settled down on the back of the couch together. It's amazing watching the two of them!

A couple of weeks ago at the onc's office, he was congratulating me on losing a few pounds. Not a lot mind you, but a start to taking off the poundage I put on during chemo (yes, I know that is not the norm). I reminded him that I had gotten the puppy, and that we walk 5-6 times a week, a little over a mile each day. I also told him that our walks are not leisurely. As the back yard is for potty, walks are for exercise. I try to walk fast enough (I don't run) that Merlin has to trot alongside me. Apparently the walks were a good thing. I know Merlin enjoys our walks immensely. However, our routine had been upset, and walks haven't been happening lately. I guess I really need to get us back into the swing of things. (anyone have a good motivating strategy?)

All in all, Merlin is doing quite well. He loved having the average mom and average mom-in-law around for the holidays, and why wouldn't he, with all the extra attention, treats, scratches, and laps around! I even had to yell at the average mom, when I caught her slipping Merlin food from her plate while still sitting at the table!

Now I'm off to find a recipe for a doggy birthday cake. If you have any favorite doggy birthday cake recipes, I'd love to hear about them.

Job Losses in East TN

When Whirlpool bought Maytag last year, they did announce there will be job losses. Of the 4500 total job cuts due to this buyout, 370 people in Cleveland, TN, will be directly effected.

Whirlpool Corp. will eliminate 370 jobs at a cooking products factory in Cleveland as it shifts production to another facility in Tulsa, Okla., and a yet-to-be determined location in Mexico, the company announced Friday.

The people that work at the Cleveland, TN plant will have to wait and see who will lose their jobs, as there is no specified time of these job cuts. Of course, I would assume the majority of folks there will start looking for other jobs during this wait and see period.

Closer to home (one county over), Ceramaspeed, announced yesterday that it will be cutting 180 jobs, or 60% of their workforce at the Blount County plant.

Control systems manufacturer Ceramaspeed Inc. is laying off 60 percent of its Blount County work force.

[...]The job cuts are part of an ongoing downsizing of the company's Blount County operations and transfer of production to a Ceramaspeed plant in Monterrey, Mexico.

Thanks NAFTA.

The Wage Gap and Poverty: Why the Discussion Matters

After a long, uncomfortable night of coughing and spewing up gobs of mucus (this damn cold is producing tons of mucus), I finally gave up on trying to get some sleep, got up and took a look at my inbox. Via TomPaine, there is an interesting graph, accompanied with a non-economists explanation of the distribution of income in the US.

Mr. Chandler makes the distinction that his graph represents income and not wealth. These should not be confused. It is those few at the top .5% that are "regulating" the discussion, policy, even the economy itself. And he asks you to think about these things, as it relates to you personally, and to the country as a whole.

He also includes something I didn't know, and really hadn't thought to even look for.

(Data sources: Census Bureau / Internal Revenue Service / Economic Policy Institute)
Note: these data sources are notably lacking in data within the top 1%. Census data goes up to $300,000 and IRS data goes up to $1 million. Information to plot the vertical spike had to be obtained from news articles and other sources of commentary. If information on the top 1% is not known or easily obtained, statements about the socioeconomics of income and wealth are suspect.

Perhaps you didn't know this either, or perhaps you did. It should raise the question of why these few people are dictating the economic and tax policies of this country, as well as available information to the majority of this country.

Definitely give this site the once over. It is a no-nonsense look at why the wage gap and poverty are discussions we should all be engaging in.

Miers Resigns

Interesting turn of events. Harriet Miers, a long time Bush sweeper-upper, is resigning her position as White House counsel.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president reluctantly accepted her resignation, which takes effect Jan. 31. He said a search for a successor is under way.

The question of why she is resigning is still open to debate, and Tony Snow-job only gives us a vague reason.

Asked why she was leaving, Snow said: "Basically, she has been here six years."

So what, she's been there 6 years. In actuality she's been with Bush far longer than 6 years, and has been a staunch supporter of The Deceiver.

So, what position is she being tapped for?