all things anderson.

so i stumbled on this blog yesterday, and i couldn't resist sharing it.
i'm a big ac fan, but this tops everything.

http://www.allthingsandersoncooper.com/

fresh produce for all!

this is great. always happy to see the growing support for local, farmers' markets. but to see this pilot project developing makes me extra excited.

from npr:

The Obama administration wants Americans to buy more locally grown food. Problem is, the way we grow food today means that local is sometimes more expensive, so farmers markets can be cost-prohibitive for lower income families.

But the White House farmers market and a handful of others around the country are part of a pilot project. This market accepts food stamps — and those stamps are worth twice as much here as they would be elsewhere....

cool, yeah? no more 7-11 diets for those in inner-city areas! fresh produce should not be reserved for only the wealthy. let's rally to see more farmers markets accepting food stamps. it only makes sense.

full story linked below:

Farmers Markets: Fresh, Local, Government-Approved

by Guy Raz

a time to love.

i think we could all benefit from takin' a look
at the times which presently surround us.
the u.s. news is chalk-full of stories about
so.much.name-calling.and.bickering.
and.finger-pointing.and.blame-gaming.
just all-around negativity goin' down.
my daily podcast reel (thank you AC360)
continues to show how divided people are.
on all fronts. on all issues. on all 'isms'.

but stevie is here to remind us (& ms. india.arie backs him up)
what time it really is.
please read. and ponder. and act.
let's.act.in.love.
it's the time.

We have time for racism
We have time for criticism
Held bondage by our ism's
When will there be a time to love

We make time to debate religion
Passing bills and building prisons
For building fortunes and passing judgments
When will there be a time to love

At this point in history we have a choice to make
To either walk a path of love
Or be crippled by our hate

We have time to cause pollution
We have time to cause confusion
All wrapped up in our own illusions
When will there be a time to love

We make time to conquer nations
Time for oil exploration
Hatred, violence and terrorism
When will there be a time to love

At this moment in time
We have a choice to make
Father God is watching
While we cause mother earth so much pain
It's such a shame

Not enough money for
The young, the old and the poor
But for war there is always more
When will there be a time to love

We make time for paying taxes
Or paying bills and buying status
But we will pay the consequences
If we don't make the time to love

Now's the time to pay attention
Yes now is the time... to Love...
A time to Love... Love...
A time to Love
Please, please won't you tell me
When will there be a time to Love...

-- Stevie Wonder, "A Time To Love"

wait, do you live in germany or switzerland?

the answer would be both.

are you scratching your head over that one?
believe me, i've tried my best to understand this conundrum
in the past six months that i've called 'the büs' home sweet home.
just read the wiki description about büsingen here.
it explains it way better than any of my attempts.
although the fotos are helpful as well.

die schweiz.
dann büsingen in die mitte mit trauben (grapes).
und deutschland.
so.happy.together.
and who whadda' thunk?

for now, i am taking a six-week break from the büs.
a vaca' from europa as well.
here they call this a 'holiday'.
which is actually a much better term.
the focus then is not on what i'm vacating,
but rather on where i'm journeying to...
which would be the states.

the büs wishes all travelers a 'gute fahrt.'
go ahead, laugh it up. at least giggle.
definitely one of the funnier deutsch phrases.
it means a good drive. a good ride. a good journey even.
all.of.the.above.
and everyone's heard 'auf wiedersehen', right?
but this phrase, too, is much richer than simply 'goodbye.'
it literally means, 'until we see again.'
now isn't that nice?

[notice how the german flag is surrounded by the swiss flag... real clever design.]

dear lil' village,
thanks for letting me live in two countries.
simultaneously.
i've carved out somewhat of a life here.
which i'm very grateful for.
and although you've gotten under my skin,
i'm still ready for holiday.
but don't worry --
i'll.be.seeing.you.
soon.
auf wiedersehen.

deine (yours),
marte

india elects first woman speaker

The elections recently wrapped up in India, and the new Speaker is a woman. Meira Kumar is not only the first woman to occupy the Speaker of the House seat, but she is from a lower-caste, Dalit background.

The BBC article (linked below) says this, "Observers say her election improves the Congress party's image as pro-women and a supporter of the lower castes."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8080474.stm

Read it all for more info. This sounds like a pretty significant step for India -- for women, for Dalits, for all. I can't wait to see what comes of her new position...

signed, sealed, & delivered to stevie

What a treat, actually I'd even say what a gift, to be able to watch Stevie Wonder honored at the White House on-line just now. He received The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize a few days ago, but I didn't have a chance to watch it until tonight. PBS has the whole special on their website -- in its entirety -- no clips to have to shuffle through, and of course no commercials. I love PBS. Really, I do. Follow the link in Michelle Obama's quote (I echo her words) to watch the special for yourself. 60 minutes that is well worth your time.

Tonight it is a huge thrill for me as we honor a man whose music and lyrics I fell in love with when I was a little girl.... It is with tremendous pride and delight that I now introduce one of the world's greatest artists, and one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Stevie Wonder - in performance at the White House.

-- Michelle Obama

Two of my all-time favorite artists are included in the special as well: Ms. India.Arie and Paul Simon! So great. And the love that India and Paul both have for Stevie is so very evident. They get what Stevie is about. It's also fun to see Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Mary-Mary, and one of my more recent favs: Esperanza Spalding all honor Stevie, but in truth, no one sings Stevie as well as Stevie does. It's the truth.

Here's what President Obama had to say about Stevie:

Stevie has always drawn on the incredible range of traditions in his music. From them he's created a sound that at once uniquely American, uniquely his own, and yet somehow universal. Indeed, this could be called the American tradition - artists demonstrating the courage and talent to find new harmonies in the rich and dissonant sounds of the American experience.

Tonight's prize is also personal for me. As Stevie knows, I'm a huge fan. And he has been a great supporter. When I was first discovering music, just like Michelle, it was Stevie's albums that I found and his songs became the soundtrack of my youth. Through them I found peace and inspiration, especially in difficult times.

And I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me. : ) We might not have married. The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship.

And I'm not alone. Millions of people around the world have found similar comfort and joy in Stevie's music, and his unique capacity to find hope in struggle, and humanity in our common hardships. This gift that music affords us, transporting us from the here and now, relieving us of our burdens, even if it's just for the length of a song. And this gift given to us by artists like Stevie is something we can all share.

So, it is my extraordinary privilege to present the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular song to an artist who has stirred our hearts and our souls for a generation, whose music knows no boundaries, an inspiration to us all. Please give it up for Mr. Stevie Wonder.

-- President Barack Obama

Finally, here's one of Stevie's best quotes from the night, while he was graciously accepting the award:

And to those in this country and throughout the world - if you can put down your spirits of hate, and open up your hearts to receive God's ever commitment of love, then we can be a united people of the world. If we can think that big, and feel that strong, then I believe, as is said to me by my God, impossible is unacceptable. We don't know the miracles that will be bestowed on us because of that. So I'm looking forward to you doing that, so that in my lifetime I can write some more songs about love, about unity, and real songs of passion.

-- Mr. Stevie Wonder

That's it. He says it. He speaks to the human condition. And ultimatley he speaks of love. Word, Stevie.

fair pay today

Sitting in the Chicago O'Hare airport this afternoon, enjoying some CNN time before I'm out of the country for the next six months, I was silently rejoicing over the legislation that President Obama signed today.  It's a great start; I'm very impressed.  Lilly Ledbetter is the woman -- way to go, team.  Her ten-year fight has helped pave the way for equal pay between men and women, and it should also help to eliminate future discrimination in the workplace.

Read the fully story here:

Day of vindication for grandma as pay law signed

puts it in perspective

While signing an on-line petition (Obama: End the Occupation of Iraq) today, I ran across the above statistic, and sadly, it was not at all hard to believe.  While we are in an economic crises, with global ramifications, it's impossible for me to ignore how much money has been spent on the war in Iraq.  It's actually disgusting.

Here's what the site had to say:

The first four years of the Iraq war cost American tax payers $1 trillion dollars -- the equivalent of $720 million each day or $500,000 per minute! At the same time, over half a million American and Iraqi lives were lost, and the education, health and economic infrastructure of the country was destroyed.

What Iraq needs is sustained peace-building and sustainable solutions to deal with the war's aftermath. For less than 1/5th of what the U.S. spends in one day in Iraq, we could be providing teachers and better education for over 150,000 school and college-age Iraqi refugees!

Not to mention all the other good that could be done with the money: affordable health care, green energy, helping those struggling in these harsh economic times and more.

Please sign this petition (as well as many more) by becoming a member of Care2.  It's one of my new favorite web-sites.  Take action; you never know what a petition, a peaceful means of engagement, could do.

good call campbell brown!

This is so true! Why are single women without kids so often seen as having "no life"?! This kind of attitude irks me to the core. Watch the video clip below; I'm so glad that Campbell Brown addressed what this governor said -- watch out, you're standing right next to the microphone, buddy.

hometown politik

Colorado is supposedly purple right now.  My home state is one of the 'swing states' in the election this year.  In the past, Colorado has been a red state, voting for the Republican nominee for President.  But this year, this square-shaped state might be turning a new color: blau...azul...you get the picture.  I am sure that it helped that Denver was the host city for the Democratic National Convention back in August. [Which, by the way, I am still pretty bummed that I missed out on Stevie at the warm-up concert before Obama's big speech at Invesco -- because ya'll should know, for me, Stevie is where it's at.]

Everyone is eager to see what will happen on November 4^th – which is a little over a week away now, but I am particularly interested to see how Colorado will vote this year.  Will it be blue?

My hometown, good ol' Greeley, Colorado -- let's go with G-to-the-funk -- has quite an interesting political climate.  Recently, I was surprised to see that I am not the only who finds Greeley's political vibe quite interesting to follow.  The New York Times (nytimes.com is the home page on my browser - make it yours, and you'll be more in touch with what's happening in the world every time you get online) recently featured Greeley in their "Road to November" video series, and both sides of the political spectrum are presented in these interviews.  It is fascinating to analyze some of the statements that are made in this video - leave me a comment with your thoughts.  Check out the video by following the link below: 

The Road to November: Greeley, Colorado

Oh, and as you can see in this video, I also missed out on Kal Penn (I love him in The Namesake) when he visited UNC on behalf of the Obama campaign.  Although not as tragic as missing out on Stevie Wonder at Invesco, it's still a bit of a bummer.

Well, we're in countdown mode now... this election will finally come to an end.  In the meantime, keep watching SNL where you can laugh about how crazy this whole race has shaped up.  And now you can laugh on Saturdays AND Thursdays with an extra skit and Weekend Update thrown into the mix.  SNL writers don't even have to try that hard to make any of the current political scenarios funny; all of their material is being handed right to them from the candidates themselves... and some candidates are certainly more amusing (that's putting it nicely) than others... and that's all I am going to say about that.