It's Coon Time!

Tickling = Laughter

2010-08-12T21:07:00.001-05:00

He is 8 months old now!

Strong boy!

2010-06-24T04:47:00.000-05:00

Big boy is eating food!

2010-06-24T04:45:00.001-05:00

my smiling child melts my heart

2010-04-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

Sumo Baby!

2010-03-16T20:34:00.001-05:00

speaking of space guys....

2010-02-06T16:14:00.002-06:00

Hi guys!

Well, since the arrival of our beautiful boy, my husband has finished his video game masterpiece!
It's an application for the iphone & ipod touch and it is now available on itunes for only 99 cents!!

It's a super fun game where YOU are the Space Guy & defeating aliens who get in your way. All graphics and sound effects were created by my talented husband.

Hope you enjoy! Now, fingers crossed that this will help us pay for childcare! :)

Here's the link for purchase.

Spread the word! Post on Facebook! Tell your friends!

Thanks!

our little space guy

2010-02-06T16:09:00.002-06:00

Baby on Board

2009-12-13T07:07:00.002-06:00

Taking a little break from performing to tend to our little one.
Will be back for other blog topics periodically!

For the love of Domo

2009-11-15T07:12:00.012-06:00

Don't you love Domo?

I loved Domo at first sight several years ago.
I thought Domo was a chair yelling at a TV

But Domo is really a monster. cute, cuddly, loud mouth. We found a Domo doll on our vacation in Las Vegas this year & he instantly became our mascot

love it.

Newly Launched: Bailiwick Chicago

2009-11-12T20:38:00.001-06:00

I’ve been meeting with this extraordinary team over the past several months and I am proud to be a part of the Artistic Advisory Board of Bailiwick Chicago.

Come On Illinois....

2009-09-01T21:55:00.002-05:00

Ok Illinois, let's get on with it.
There are 5 states ahead of you who have finally realized that the
current marriage laws are discriminatory towards gays and lesbians. Can
we please get with the program?

We've waited long enough (and this is coming from one of the lucky
straight people that can get married whenever I please, without having
to answer to anyone- hmmm, just because I'm straight.)

It seems so elementary that all people should be able to function with
the same rights in our society, yet this is just one of many issues that
religion has gotten in the way of, regardless of the fact that we are
supposed to be a free society that does not subscribe to any one
religion alone, but, in fact, we are allowed to practice (or not
practice) any religion we so choose. So, why is our society still
listening to the religious zealots who are interfering with our laws?

Let's go, Illinois. If we can get our act together, maybe the rest of
the country will follow & we can end this nonsensical discrimination.

The Lion Passes

2009-08-26T18:02:00.002-05:00

We lost a good man last night: Senator Ted Kennedy.
The Kennedy family has never been lacking in the area of scandal, but for the most part—the topics they fought so passionately for were commendable. Ted Kennedy was no exception. Our country benefited from his leadership.
The Kennedy family has lost so much recently, especially with the passing of Eunice.
Both will be missed greatly. Here is a great list of statements regarding the late Senator from prominent leaders.

Obama and 100 years of the NAACP

2009-07-19T14:25:00.003-05:00

Obama's speech this week. I got the transcript from here.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
July 17, 2009

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE NAACP CENTENNIAL CONVENTION

Hilton New York
New York, New York

7:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. What an extraordinary night, capping off an extraordinary week, capping off an extraordinary 100 years at the NAACP. (Applause.)

So Chairman Bond, Brother Justice, I am so grateful to all of you for being here. It's just good to be among friends. (Applause.)

It is an extraordinary honor to be here, in the city where the NAACP was formed, to mark its centennial. What we celebrate tonight is not simply the journey the NAACP has traveled, but the journey that we, as Americans, have traveled over the past 100 years. (Applause.)

It's a journey that takes us back to a time before most of us were born, long before the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act, Brown v. Board of Education; back to an America just a generation past slavery. It was a time when Jim Crow was a way of life; when lynchings were all too common; when race riots were shaking cities across a segregated land.

It was in this America where an Atlanta scholar named W.E.B. Du Bois -- (applause) -- a man of towering intellect and a fierce passion for justice, sparked what became known as the Niagara movement; where reformers united, not by color, but by cause; where an association was born that would, as its charter says, promote equality and eradicate prejudice among citizens of the United States.

From the beginning, these founders understood how change would come -- just as King and all the civil rights giants did later. They understood that unjust laws needed to be overturned; that legislation needed to be passed; and that Presidents needed to be pressured into action. They knew that the stain of slavery and the sin of segregation had to be lifted in the courtroom, and in the legislature, and in the hearts and the minds of Americans.

They also knew that here, in America, change would have to come from the people. It would come from people protesting lynchings, rallying against violence, all those women who decided to walk instead of taking the bus, even though they were tired after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry, looking after somebody else's children. (Applause.) It would come from men and women of every age and faith, and every race and region -- taking Greyhounds on Freedom Rides; sitting down at Greensboro lunch counters; registering voters in rural Mississippi, knowing they would be harassed, knowing they would be beaten, knowing that some of them might never return.

Because of what they did, we are a more perfect union. Because Jim Crow laws were overturned, black CEOs today run Fortune 500 companies. (Applause.) Because civil rights laws were passed, black mayors, black governors, and members of Congress served in places where they might once have been able [sic] not just to vote but even take a sip of water. And because ordinary people did such extraordinary things, because they made the civil rights movement their own, even though there may not be a plaque or their names might not be in the history books -- because of their efforts I made a little trip to Springfield, Illinois, a couple years ago -- (applause) -- where Lincoln once lived, and race riots once raged -- and began the journey that has led me to be here tonight as the 44th President of the United States of America. (Applause.)

Because of them I stand here tonight, on the shoulders of giants. And I'm here to say thank you to those pioneers and thank you to the NAACP. (Applause.)

And yet, even as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the past 100 years; even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folk -- we know that too many barriers still remain.

We know that even as our economic crisis batters Americans of all races, African Americans are out of work more than just about anybody else -- a gap that's widening here in New York City, as a detailed report this week by Comptroller Bill Thompson laid out. (Applause.)

We know that even as spiraling health care costs crush families of all races, African Americans are more likely to suffer from a host of diseases but less likely to own health insurance than just about anybody else.

We know that even as we imprison more people of all races than any nation in the world, an African American child is roughly five times as likely as a white child to see the inside of a prison.

We know that even as the scourge of HIV/AIDS devastates nations abroad, particularly in Africa, it is devastating the African American community here at home with disproportionate force. We know these things. (Applause.)

These are some of the barriers of our time. They're very different from the barriers faced by earlier generations. They're very different from the ones faced when fire hoses and dogs were being turned on young marchers; when Charles Hamilton Houston and a group of young Howard lawyers were dismantling segregation case by case across the land.

But what's required today -- what's required to overcome today's barriers is the same as what was needed then. The same commitment. The same sense of urgency. The same sense of sacrifice. The same sense of community. The same willingness to do our part for ourselves and one another that has always defined America at its best and the African American experience at its best. (Applause.)

And so the question is, where do we direct our efforts? What steps do we take to overcome these barriers? How do we move forward in the next 100 years?

The first thing we need to do is make real the words of the NAACP charter and eradicate prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination among citizens of the United States. (Applause.) I understand there may be a temptation among some to think that discrimination is no longer a problem in 2009. And I believe that overall, there probably has never been less discrimination in America than there is today. I think we can say that.

But make no mistake: The pain of discrimination is still felt in America. (Applause.) By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender. (Laughter.) By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country. (Applause.) By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion simply because they kneel down to pray to their God. (Applause.) By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights. (Applause.)

On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination cannot stand -- not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America. That's what the NAACP stands for. That's what the NAACP will continue to fight for as long as it takes. (Applause.)

But we also know that prejudice and discrimination -- at least the most blatant types of prejudice and discrimination -- are not even the steepest barriers to opportunity today. The most difficult barriers include structural inequalities that our nation's legacy of discrimination has left behind; inequalities still plaguing too many communities and too often the object of national neglect.

These are barriers we are beginning to tear down one by one -- by rewarding work with an expanded tax credit; by making housing more affordable; by giving ex-offenders a second chance. (Applause.) These are barriers we're targeting through our White House Office on Urban Affairs, through programs like Promise Neighborhoods that builds on Geoffrey Canada's success with the Harlem Children's Zone -- (applause) -- that foster a comprehensive approach to ending poverty by putting all children on a pathway to college, and giving them the schooling and after-school support that they need to get there. (Applause.)

I think all of us understand that our task of reducing these structural inequalities has been made more difficult by the state and structure of our broader economy; an economy that for the last decade has been fueled by a cycle of boom and bust; an economy where the rich got really, really rich, but ordinary folks didn't see their incomes or their wages go up; an economy built on credit cards, shady mortgage loans; an economy built not on a rock, but on sand.

That's why my administration is working so hard not only to create and save jobs in the short-term, not only to extend unemployment insurance and help for people who have lost their health care in this crisis, not just to stem the immediate economic wreckage, but to lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity that will put opportunity within the reach of not just African Americans, but all Americans. All Americans. (Applause.) Of every race. Of every creed. From every region of the country. (Applause.) We want everybody to participate in the American Dream. That's what the NAACP is all about. (Applause.)

Now, one pillar of this new foundation is health insurance for everybody. (Applause.) Health insurance reform that cuts costs and makes quality health coverage affordable for all, and it closes health care disparities in the process. Another pillar is energy reform that makes clean energy profitable, freeing America from the grip of foreign oil; putting young people to work upgrading low-income homes, weatherizing, and creating jobs that can't be outsourced. Another pillar is financial reform with consumer protections to crackdown on mortgage fraud and stop predatory lenders from targeting black and Latino communities all across the country. (Applause.)

All these things will make America stronger and more competitive. They will drive innovation, they will create jobs, they will provide families with more security. And yet, even if we do all that, the African American community will still fall behind in the United States and the United States will fall behind in the world unless we do a far better job than we have been doing of educating our sons and daughters. (Applause.)

I hope you don't mind -- I want to go into a little detail here about education. (Applause.) In the 21st century -- when so many jobs will require a bachelor's degree or more, when countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow -- a world-class education is a prerequisite for success.

There's no two ways about it. There's no way to avoid it. You know what I'm talking about. There's a reason the story of the civil rights movement was written in our schools. There's a reason Thurgood Marshall took up the cause of Linda Brown. There's a reason why the Little Rock Nine defied a governor and a mob. It's because there is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to opportunity than an education that can unlock a child's God-given potential. (Applause.)

And yet, more than half a century after Brown v. Board, the dream of a world-class education is still being deferred all across the country. African American students are lagging behind white classmates in reading and math -- an achievement gap that is growing in states that once led the way in the civil rights movement. Over half of all African American students are dropping out of school in some places. There are overcrowded classrooms, and crumbling schools, and corridors of shame in America filled with poor children -- not just black children, brown and white children as well.

The state of our schools is not an African American problem; it is an American problem. (Applause.) Because if black and brown children cannot compete, then America cannot compete. (Applause.) And let me say this, if Al Sharpton, Mike Bloomberg, and Newt Gingrich can agree that we need to solve the education problem, then that's something all of America can agree we can solve. (Applause.) Those guys came into my office. (Laughter.) Just sitting in the Oval Office -- I kept on doing a double-take. (Laughter and applause.) So that's a sign of progress and it is a sign of the urgency of the education problem. (Applause.) All of us can agree that we need to offer every child in this country -- every child --

AUDIENCE: Amen!

THE PRESIDENT: Got an "Amen corner" back there -- (applause) -- every child -- every child in this country the best education the world has to offer from cradle through a career.

That's our responsibility as leaders. That's the responsibility of the United States of America. And we, all of us in government, have to work to do our part by not only offering more resources, but also demanding more reform. Because when it comes to education, we got to get past this whole paradigm, this outdated notion that somehow it's just money; or somehow it's just reform, but no money -- and embrace what Dr. King called the "both-and" philosophy. We need more money and we need more reform. (Applause.)

When it comes to higher education we're making college and advanced training more affordable, and strengthening community colleges that are the gateway to so many with an initiative -- (applause) -- that will prepare students not only to earn a degree, but to find a job when they graduate; an initiative that will help us meet the goal I have set of leading the world in college degrees by 2020. We used to rank number one in college graduates. Now we are in the middle of the pack. And since we are seeing more and more African American and Latino youth in our population, if we are leaving them behind we cannot achieve our goal, and America will fall further behind -- and that is not a future that I accept and that is not a future that the NAACP is willing to accept. (Applause.)

We're creating a Race to the Top fund that will reward states and public school districts that adopt 21st century standards and assessments. We're creating incentives for states to promote excellent teachers and replace bad ones -- (applause) -- because the job of a teacher is too important for us to accept anything less than the best. (Applause.)

We also have to explore innovative approaches such as those being pursued here in New York City; innovations like Bard High School Early College and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School that are challenging students to complete high school and earn a free associate's degree or college credit in just four years. (Applause.)

And we should raise the bar when it comes to early learning programs. It's not enough just to have a babysitter. We need our young people stimulated and engaged and involved. (Applause.) We need our -- our folks involved in child development to understand the latest science. Today, some early learning programs are excellent. Some are mediocre. And some are wasting what studies show are by far a child's most formative years.

That's why I've issued a challenge to America's governors: If you match the success of states like Pennsylvania and develop an effective model for early learning; if you focus reform on standards and results in early learning programs; if you demonstrate how you will prepare the lowest income children to meet the highest standards of success -- then you can compete for an Early Learning Challenge Grant that will help prepare all our children to enter kindergarten all ready to learn. (Applause.)

So these are some of the laws we're passing. These are some of the policies we are enacting. We are busy in Washington. Folks in Congress are getting a little tuckered out. (Laughter.) But I'm telling them -- I'm telling them we can't rest, we've got a lot of work to do. The American people are counting on us. (Applause.) These are some of the ways we're doing our part in government to overcome the inequities, the injustices, the barriers that still exist in our country.

But all these innovative programs and expanded opportunities will not, in and of themselves, make a difference if each of us, as parents and as community leaders, fail to do our part by encouraging excellence in our children. (Applause.) Government programs alone won't get our children to the Promised Land. We need a new mind set, a new set of attitudes -- because one of the most durable and destructive legacies of discrimination is the way we've internalized a sense of limitation; how so many in our community have come to expect so little from the world and from themselves.

We've got to say to our children, yes, if you're African American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face. But that's not a reason to get bad grades -- (applause) -- that's not a reason to cut class -- (applause) -- that's not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. (Applause.) No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands -- you cannot forget that. That's what we have to teach all of our children. No excuses. (Applause.) No excuses.

You get that education, all those hardships will just make you stronger, better able to compete. Yes we can. (Applause.)

To parents -- to parents, we can't tell our kids to do well in school and then fail to support them when they get home. (Applause.) You can't just contract out parenting. For our kids to excel, we have to accept our responsibility to help them learn. That means putting away the Xbox -- (applause) -- putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. (Applause.) It means attending those parent-teacher conferences and reading to our children and helping them with their homework. (Applause.)

And by the way, it means we need to be there for our neighbor's sons and daughters. (Applause.) We need to go back to the time, back to the day when we parents saw somebody, saw some kid fooling around and -- it wasn't your child, but they'll whup you anyway. (Laughter and applause.) Or at least they'll tell your parents -- the parents will. You know. (Laughter.) That's the meaning of community. That's how we can reclaim the strength and the determination and the hopefulness that helped us come so far; helped us make a way out of no way.

It also means pushing our children to set their sights a little bit higher. They might think they've got a pretty good jump shot or a pretty good flow, but our kids can't all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. (Applause.) I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers -- (applause) -- doctors and teachers -- (applause) -- not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. (Applause.) I want them aspiring to be the President of the United States of America. (Applause.)

I want their horizons to be limitless. I don't -- don't tell them they can't do something. Don't feed our children with a sense of -- that somehow because of their race that they cannot achieve.

Yes, government must be a force for opportunity. Yes, government must be a force for equality. But ultimately, if we are to be true to our past, then we also have to seize our own future, each and every day.

And that's what the NAACP is all about. The NAACP was not founded in search of a handout. The NAACP was not founded in search of favors. The NAACP was founded on a firm notion of justice; to cash the promissory note of America that says all of our children, all God's children, deserve a fair chance in the race of life. (Applause.)

It's a simple dream, and yet one that all too often has been denied -- and is still being denied to so many Americans. It's a painful thing, seeing that dream denied. I remember visiting a Chicago school in a rough neighborhood when I was a community organizer, and some of the children gathered 'round me. And I remember thinking how remarkable it was that all of these children seemed so full of hope, despite being born into poverty, despite being delivered, in some cases, into addiction, despite all the obstacles they were already facing -- you could see that spark in their eyes. They were the equal of children anywhere.

And I remember the principal of the school telling me that soon that sparkle would begin to dim, that things would begin to change; that soon, the laughter in their eyes would begin to fade; that soon, something would shut off inside, as it sunk in -- because kids are smarter than we give them credit for -- as it sunk in that their hopes would not come to pass -- not because they weren't smart enough, not because they weren't talented enough, not because of anything about them inherently, but because, by accident of birth, they had not received a fair chance in life.

I know what can happen to a child who doesn't have that chance. But I also know what can happen to a child that does. I was raised by a single mom. I didn't come from a lot of wealth. I got into my share of trouble as a child. My life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. When I drive through Harlem or I drive through the South Side of Chicago and I see young men on the corners, I say, there but for the grace of God go I. (Applause.) They're no less gifted than me. They're no less talented than me.

But I had some brakes. That mother of mine, she gave me love; she pushed me, she cared about my education; she took no lip; she taught me right from wrong. Because of her, I had a chance to make the most of my abilities. I had the chance to make the most of my opportunities. I had the chance to make the most of life.

The same story holds true for Michelle. The same story holds true for so many of you. And I want all the other Barack Obamas out there, and all the other Michelle Obamas out there -- (applause) -- to have the same chance -- the chance that my mother gave me; that my education gave me; that the United States of America has given me. That's how our union will be perfected and our economy rebuilt. That is how America will move forward in the next 100 years.

And we will move forward. This I know -- for I know how far we have come. Some, you saw, last week in Ghana, Michelle and I took Malia and Sasha and my mother-in-law to Cape Coast Castle, in Ghana. Some of you may have been there. This is where captives were once imprisoned before being auctioned; where, across an ocean, so much of the African American experience began.

We went down into the dungeons where the captives were held. There was a church above one of the dungeons -- which tells you something about saying one thing and doing another. (Applause.) I was -- we walked through the "Door Of No Return." I was reminded of all the pain and all the hardships, all the injustices and all the indignities on the voyage from slavery to freedom.

But I was reminded of something else. I was reminded that no matter how bitter the rod, how stony the road, we have always persevered. (Applause.) We have not faltered, nor have we grown weary. As Americans, we have demanded, and strived for, and shaped a better destiny. And that is what we are called on to do once more. NAACP, it will not be easy. It will take time. Doubts may rise and hopes may recede.

But if John Lewis could brave Billy clubs to cross a bridge -- (applause) -- then I know young people today can do their part and lift up our community. (Applause.)

If Emmet Till's uncle, Mose Wright, could summon the courage to testify against the men who killed his nephew, I know we can be better fathers and better brothers and better mothers and sisters in our own families. (Applause.)

If three civil rights workers in Mississippi -- black, white, Christian and Jew, city-born and country-bred -- could lay down their lives in freedom's cause, I know we can come together to face down the challenges of our own time. (Applause.) We can fix our schools -- (applause) -- we can heal our sick, we can rescue our youth from violence and despair. (Applause.)

And 100 years from now, on the 200th anniversary of the NAACP -- (applause) -- let it be said that this generation did its part; that we too ran the race; that full of faith that our dark past has taught us, full of the hope that the present has brought us -- (applause) -- we faced, in our lives and all across this nation, the rising sun of a new day begun. (Applause.)

Thank you, God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 7:37 P.M. EDT

"The Story Goes On" -The Live Concert

2009-05-29T05:43:00.002-05:00

A couple years ago, I sang back ups on Alexandra Billings's live concert CD, "The Story Goes On." I didn't know we were recording that night! or, at least I had forgotten by now...
Here's a clip from the show below and, if there's a problem with the link, you can go directly to the YouTube site here.

The Alone Medley from the forthcoming DVD The Story Goes On

In July, I get to share the stage with Alex again, as well as Stephen Rader, Jeremy Rill and Honey West. I'm not sure who else is involved yet, but the talent on the stage alone will make it well worth attending. It's a benefit for Bailiwick Repertory. More info to come!

I'm going on in Hedwig and the Angry Inch

2009-05-24T08:23:00.004-05:00

Well, it turns out that Hedwig @ ATC is getting extended again (the show is really fabulous) thru June 13th and it turns out, I'll be going on in the role of "Yitzhak" (Hedwig's husband) on Sat, June 6th, for the 8pm and 11pm shows.

Details here.

looking thru old photos

2009-04-20T21:33:00.003-05:00

wow, i have a lot of photos...way more than i can share here, but i thought this one was fun. it's a photo of nick garrison & I from the production of hedwig we did back in 2001 (pre 9/11)...yeah, can't believe it's been 8 years already, but i still love the show---so it's been fun to re-visit the story and then to see old photos.

...and for those who are not familiar with the show, i'm the "guy" on the left. yup.

a great show

2009-04-10T18:31:00.005-05:00

Hey guys....HAPPY SPRING!

Just wanted to give you an update on what I'm working on these days...I'm understudying the role of Yitzhak in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at American Theatre Company (in Ravenswood). I love this show.

I had the priviledge of working with the fabulous Nick Garrison (Hedwig) 8 years ago on this show at the Broadway (now "Lakeshore") Theatre. And I just met Sadieh Rifai (Yitzhak). She is as heart-breaking as Yitzhak as she is sweet in person. You are in good hands with these people, so have a blast & go see the show. I'm not planning on going onstage for this one, but I'm working on the material just in case, of course!

Details below.... Cheers!

for schedule & tickets, please visit the ATC website.

So much to clean up from the Bush Years—The “Conscience” Regulation

2009-02-27T18:28:00.007-06:00

Let me get this straight…

If I am a Catholic waiter, I don’t get to decide whether or not to serve someone the “roast beef sandwich” they ordered on a Friday during Lent, do I?
I don’t get to decide to just serve them “tuna on white” & they have to deal with it, right???
Or, if I’m a Jewish waiter, I don’t get to say to my customer “Sorry, you’ll be served a plate of lunchmeat only, no bread for YOU during Passover---it’s against MY religion.”

Sounds silly….but wow, the “conscience” regulation was the same concept.

Doctors, pharmacists, etc, should not have that choice either. If it’s a legal drug or service (oh yeah, and THEIR JOB)—they should have to DO their job, just like everybody else in the world. If they don’t like it and morally disapprove of some of the job requirements, they should find another profession, yes?

The whole “conscience” regulation went way too far. I’m hoping it will end soon.

Here’s an article that was in the news today.

Obama Administration to Reverse Bush Rule on 'Conscience' Regulation
Policy Provides Sweeping Federal Protections to Health-Care Workers Who Refuse to Provide Care That Violates Their Beliefs
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 27, 2009; 11:41 AM

The Obama administration has begun the process of rescinding sweeping new federal protections that were granted in December to health-care workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs.

The Office of Management and Budget announced this morning that it was reviewing a proposal to lift the controversial "conscience" regulation, the first step toward reversing the policy. Once the OMB has reviewed the proposal it will be published in Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period.

"We are proposing rescinding the Bush rule," said an official with the Health and Human Services Department, which drafted the rule change.

The administration took the step because the regulation was so broadly written that it could provide protections to health-care workers who object not only to abortion but also to a wide range of health-care services, said the HHS official, who asked not to be named because the process had just begun.

"We've been concerned that the way the Bush rule is written it could make it harder for women to get the care they need. It is worded so vaguely that some have argued it could limit family planning counseling and even potentially blood transfusions and end-of-life care," the official said.

After the 30-day comment period, the regulation could be lifted entirely or it could be modified to make the protections more specific, the official said.

"We support a tightly written conscience clause. We recognize and understand that some providers have objections about abortion, and we want to make sure that current law protects them," the official said. "We want to be thoughtful about this."

The new rule empowers the federal government to cut off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists or other employees who refuse to participate in care they find objectionable. The Bush administration adopted the rule at the urging of conservative groups, abortion opponents and others in order to safeguard workers from being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways.

Women's health advocates, family planning proponents, abortion rights activists and others condemned the regulation, saying it would create a major obstacle to providing many health services, including family planning, infertility treatment and end-of-life care, as well as possibly a wide range of scientific research.

The move marks the latest challenge to the Obama administration's attempt to find more of middle ground on issues related to abortion. President Obama has said repeatedly he hopes those on both sides of the issue can work to reduce the number of abortions by preventing unwanted pregnancies and by offering support to women who do get pregnant and want to continue their pregnancies.

That approach has already been tested. Obama angered abortion opponents when he lifted restrictions on federal funding for international family planning groups that promote abortion. The next closely watched decision will be whether Obama lifts federal restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

Are you familiar with Howard Zinn?

2009-02-03T18:40:00.003-06:00

A military soldier turned peace activist, Howard Zinn travels around giving brilliant speeches about world events, peace, and politics.
His website is here.

His book, A People's History of the United States, tells what REALLY happened in our American History, rather than what our schools taught us. I’ve seen some of the readings on public television and they are amazing.

To watch videos of actors reading excerpts from his book, the Peoples History of the United States, at Sundance Film Festival, visit here.

I am on his mailing list and get periodic updates. This arrived in my latest email:

OBAMA'S HISTORIC VICTORY
by Howard Zinn

Those of us on the Left who have criticized Obama, as I have, for his failure to take bold positions on the war and on the economy, must join the exultation of those Americans, black and white, who shouted and wept Tuesday night as they were informed that Barack Obama had won the presidential election. It is truly a historic moment, that a black man will lead our country. The enthusiasm of the young, black and white, the hopes of their elders, cannot simply be ignored.

There was a similar moment a century and a half ago, in the year 1860, when Abraham
Lincoln was elected president. Lincoln had been criticized harshly by the abolitionists, the anti-slavery movement, for his failure to take a clear, bold stand against slavery, for acting as a shrewd politician rather than a moral force. But when he was elected, the abolitionist leader Wendell Phillips, who had been an angry critic of Lincoln's cautiousness, recognized the possibility in his election.

Phillips wrote that for the first time in the nation's history "the slave has chosen a President of the United States." Lincoln, he said, was not an abolitionist, but he in some way "consents to represent an antislavery position." Like a pawn on the chessboard, Lincoln had the potential, if the American people acted vigorously, to be moved across the board, converted into a queen, and, as Phillips said, "sweep the board."

Obama, like Lincoln, tends to look first at his political fortunes instead of making his decisions on moral grounds. But, as the first African American in the White House, elected by an enthusiastic citizenry which expects a decisive move towards peace and social justice, he presents a possibility for important change.

Obama becomes president in a situation which cries out for such change. The nation has been engaged in two futile and immoral wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the American people have turned decisively against those wars. The economy is shaken by tremendous blows, and is in danger of collapsing, as families lose their homes and working people, including those in the middle class, lose their jobs, So the population is ready for change, indeed, desperate for change, and "change" was the word most used by Obama in his campaign.

What kind of change is needed? First, to announce the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and to renounce the Bush doctrine of preventive war as well as the Carter doctrine of military action to control Mideast oil. He needs to radically change the direction of U.S. foreign policy, declare that the U.S. is a peace loving country which will not intervene militarily in other parts of the world, and start dismantling the military bases we have in over a hundred countries. Also he must begin meeting with Medvedev, the Russian leader, to reach agreement on the dismantling of the nuclear arsenals, in keeping with the Nuclear Anti-Proliferation Treaty.

This turn-around from militarism will free hundreds of billions of dollars. A tax program which will sharply increase taxes on the richest 1% of the nation, and will tax their wealth as well as their income, will yield more hundreds of billions of dollars.

With all that saved money, the government will be able to give free health care to everyone, put millions of people to work (which the so-called free market has not been able to do). In short, emulate the New Deal program, in which millions were given jobs by the government. This is just an outline of a program which could transform the United States and make it a good neighbor to the world.

Do you know the guy behind the iconic Obama poster?

2009-01-30T18:55:00.007-06:00

Shepard Fairey is his name.

TIME Magazine published a blurb about him on JULY 9, 2001, (VOL.158 NO.1)
"obey giant lives Ads Infinitum"
George Orwell taught us to beware of the sign on the wall reading:
"Obey." It's best to get used to the idea. Way back in 1989, a Rhode
Island School of Design graduate named Shepard Fairey started putting
obscure stickers on buildings to promote a skateboard gang. They got
attention and Fairey, inspired, kept slapping them up as a kind of mass
psychology test: What does the average person make of a public sign that
is, essentially, meaningless? The posters, stickers and spray-painted
designs often bear the image of the late World Wrestling Federation star
obey giant, and the San Diego-based artist encourages like-minded urban
guerrillas to join him in spreading a message with no message. The
result: "Obey" signs in cities almost everywhere, including Tokyo and
Hong Kong. Now, this global in-joke is becoming a lot less subversive
and probably more ubiquitous: Fairey has launched an Obey clothing line
and there's plenty of obey giant merchandise out there. Buyer's Obey!

My husband & I actually saw an obey logo on a brick wall in our Chicago
neighborhood a few years back. He immediately recognized it & explained
how this artist gets around. A few weeks later, the art was covered by a
fresh coat of paint. They had no idea what they had on their wall!

Check out this letter Shepard Fairey wrote to someone who bought his art
& sold it on ebay:
http://obeygiant.com/store/help.php?section=policy

I love that he sticks to his values instead of just making a lot of
money because he can. Mr. Fairey, you have my admiration and I do love
your art!

Now, can somebody please take a stand for concert tickets and sporting
events???

U Being U by Suzan-Lori Parks

2009-01-22T19:43:00.002-06:00

Somebody passed this along to me today. It’s a write up about inaugural poetry 2009 from NPR. Here’s the link.

It’s written by Suzan-Lori Parks, who wrote Topdog/Underdog and the 365 Days/365 Plays series that had a huge festival here in Chicago (& several other cities) last year.

Pretty cool…

U Being U-by Suzan-Lori Parks

U Being U
Mr. President-Elect
Makes me wanna get MY stuff
correct
I feel like starting with something RADICAL
Like,
Love my Neighbor
Like share what I've got
Like think for myself
Like ask the hard questions
Like lean toward the good and help keep the peace
U being U
Makes me wanna do something new
Like Go Green, or at least try to.
You being you, Mr. President-Elect
Makes me want to look on others with respect
Makes me wanna
practice Radical Inclusion, you know,
Open my heart wide, especially in the presence of folks who
Are not like me, you know,
work to see my Brother
In the Other
You make me want to entertain all my far-out ideas
Make me wanna represent the race, as in the human race,
And know that, like You, I too am Prized.
And to those who say yr a Magic Negro,
I love them just the same
And my love helps us weave a United States.
Mr. President,
Heaven sent
Since heaven is just a place where possibility
becomes possible
And where hostility
holsters
its hostile,
I feel like picking up the trash in the park or on the beach
I think I'll teach, and learn, from all I meet
I think I'll apologize in person for all our faults
and try to make amends for our shortcomings
And also, I think,
I'll brag,
Just a little bit,
About how cool We The People are
Oh, I just had to sing you a little something
Because you,
Mr. President,
You are embarking with Us on an awesome and beautiful
And potentially perilous journey
And so I am giving you
All the Love
All the Love
All the Love
All the Love
Mr. President
That I've got
Because I believe
In the dream
And I am ready
To wake up
And live it.

Yo-Yo Ma , Itzhak Perlman , Anthony McGill & Gabriela Montero at the Obama Inauguration

2009-01-21T18:37:00.003-06:00

A beautiful piece by John Williams, with brilliant musicians playing it. This was very moving when I watched it on TV, but I must point out that Yo-Yo Ma is just adorable while he is playing. His glances at Itzhak Perlman are so sweet. He looks genuinely happy to be there, playing for the new president. He really warms the heart. Just watch him…

Link here

I have to say that it was really wonderful to have music so celebrated in front of the nation and the entire world yesterday. Perhaps President Obama has a true appreciation for the arts? Perhaps he might even listen to Quincy Jones’ plea.

We can all sign the petition here.

Inauguration Day, 2009

2009-01-20T05:31:00.004-06:00

It’s here!

My husband found this image featuring all of the American presidents, (produced by The Chicago Sun-Times,) and I thought it was pretty cool.

Unfortunately, I have to work during the inauguration ceremony, but I am looking forward to viewing footage at a party after work!

Cheers!

Civil Rights

2008-11-11T09:08:00.003-06:00

Alexandra Billings, a brilliant performer, teacher, writer, and thinker shares her views on Proposition 8, which recently overturned the Supreme court decision to allow gay marriage in California:

good advice...thanks Alex!

President- Elect: Barack Obama!

2008-11-05T13:38:00.005-06:00

I was at the Invitation- Only event at Grant Park in Chicago last night.

What an amazing experience. I'm still emotional from the whole thing.
Our country needed this outcome so badly.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend, see Barack speak in person, and share the experience with some dear friends.
Thank you Steve, Stephen Rader, Brian Kirst, Rus Rainear, Cory Fowkes and Ewa Kolacz. Eric McCool- you're awesome & I'm so glad you joined us! You made that kid's YEAR!

Some videos to share below. Enjoy!
It is a day to celebrate. Tomorrow we roll up our sleeves & start getting this country back in shape!

What it was like at the event early in the evening- "Signed, Sealed, Delivered":

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" from my husband's camera:

Bad music at the event?:

Your Love is Lifting Me Higher:

Barack walks out onstage

Barack's first words in Chicago:

Post election, outside of Grant Park-the streets of Chicago at midnight:

“Come on up for the rising”

2008-11-03T19:01:00.005-06:00

Thanks to Rader for pointing this out...
An amazing entertainer and American, Bruce Springsteen has joined Barack Obama on the campaign trail.
You can read about it here
and here
and here (And, I’m sure, many other spots)
Words from the Boss’ lips last night:
"I believe that he understands in his heart, the cost of that distance in blood and in suffering in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he'll work to bring that promise back to life and into the lives of so many of our fellow Americans who justifiably lost faith in its meaning. Now in my job, I travel around the world, I occasionally play to big stadiums, crowds like this, just like Senator Obama does. And I continue to find out that wherever I go, America remains a repository for people's hopes, their desires. It remains a house of dreams. And 1,000 George Bush's and 1,000 Dick Cheney's will never be able to tear that house down. That's something that only we can do and we're not going to let that happen. This administration will be leaving office. That's the good news. The bad news is they're going to be dumping in our laps the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq and our financial crisis. Our house of dreams has been abused, it's been looted and it's been left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power, for influence, for a quick buck. It needs strong arms, strong hearts, strong minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, his temperateness, his deliberativeness, his maturity, his pragmatism, his toughness and his faith. But most of all, it needs us. It needs you, it needs me. And he's going to need us. All that nation has that keeps it from coming apart is the social contract between us, between its citizens. Whatever grace God has decided to impart to us, it resides in our connection with one another, in honoring the life and the hopes and the dreams of the man or the woman up the street or across town. That's where we make our small claim upon heaven....Tonight and today, we are at the crossroads. We are at the crossroads. And it's been a long, long, long time coming. I'm honored to be here on the same stage as Senator Obama. From the beginning, there's been something in Senator Obama that's called upon our better angels and I suspect it's because he's had a life where he's had to so often call up on his better angels. And we're going to need all the angels we can get in the hard road ahead. So Senator Obama help us rebuild our house, big enough for the dreams for all our citizens, because how well we accomplish this task will tell us just what it does mean to be an American in the new century, what the stakes are and what it means to leave in a free society. I don't know about you, but I know I want my country back. I want my dream back. I want my America back. Now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves and come on up for the rising."

Thanks Bruce. You are an inspiration to me.

Goodfellas in 30 seconds- re-enacted by bunnies

2008-11-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

Enjoy!

I Love The Onion.

2008-10-13T21:53:00.004-05:00

I absolutely LOVE The Onion.

Members Of Twisted Sister Now Willing To Take It
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 | ISSUE 44•40

NEW YORK—In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy-metal band Twisted Sister announced Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it. "I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are going to take it," read a statement released by the band's lead singer, Dee Snider. "To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all." Bassist Mark "the Animal" Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

Do you have that song in your head now?

Police Raids at the RNC

2008-09-30T19:10:00.000-05:00

There is a lack of coverage of the Police Raids that happened during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month.

Several activists and members of the press were arrested even before the convention started.

This is disgraceful.

What are the republicans who are running the convention so afraid of? That voters will listen to protests???
We are supposed to be a democracy and it is our right to protest.

I did a search and there didn’t seem to be anything of this magnitude during the DNC in Denver this year.
Hmmm.

Fail blog

2008-09-29T18:15:00.004-05:00

We celebrated my friend Andy’s birthday this weekend. Happy Birthday, Andy!
At the celebratory dinner, I heard some discuss this site called Failblog.org.
It shows photos, etc, of failed situations.
Hilarious!
Check out some of my favorites:

Check it out!

Paul Newman

2008-09-27T09:51:00.004-05:00

I had no idea Paul Newman was this ill.

What an amazing actor and inspiring person, from his films to his charity work.

Here's the only article I have found on his passing at this early hour.

Thank you for everything, Mr. Newman!

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

2008-09-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Ahoy Mateys!
Do you celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

Well, it looks like it’s pretty big in Australia

I first heard about this holiday 3 years ago and it still amazes me.
Wow, huh?

You still have time to celebrate….aaaarg!

Essay by Gloria Steinem

2008-09-16T18:22:00.006-05:00

From the Los Angeles Times
Opinion

Palin: wrong woman, wrong message
Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.
By Gloria Steinem
September 4, 2008

Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes.

But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

This is not to beat up on Palin. I defend her right to be wrong, even on issues that matter most to me. I regret that people say she can't do the job because she has children in need of care, especially if they wouldn't say the same about a father. I get no pleasure from imagining her in the spotlight on national and foreign policy issues about which she has zero background, with one month to learn to compete with Sen. Joe Biden's 37 years' experience.

Palin has been honest about what she doesn't know. When asked last month about the vice presidency, she said, "I still can't answer that question until someone answers for me: What is it exactly that the VP does every day?" When asked about Iraq, she said, "I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq."

She was elected governor largely because the incumbent was unpopular, and she's won over Alaskans mostly by using unprecedented oil wealth to give a $1,200 rebate to every resident. Now she is being praised by McCain's campaign as a tax cutter, despite the fact that Alaska has no state income or sales tax. Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn't know it's about inviting more people to meet standards, not lowering them. Or perhaps McCain is following the Bush administration habit, as in the Justice Department, of putting a job candidate's views on "God, guns and gays" ahead of competence. The difference is that McCain is filling a job one 72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency.

So let's be clear: The culprit is John McCain. He may have chosen Palin out of change-envy, or a belief that women can't tell the difference between form and content, but the main motive was to please right-wing ideologues; the same ones who nixed anyone who is now or ever has been a supporter of reproductive freedom. If that were not the case, McCain could have chosen a woman who knows what a vice president does and who has thought about Iraq; someone like Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison or Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. McCain could have taken a baby step away from right-wing patriarchs who determine his actions, right down to opposing the Violence Against Women Act.

Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers' millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

I don't doubt her sincerity. As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., she doesn't just support killing animals from helicopters, she does it herself. She doesn't just talk about increasing the use of fossil fuels but puts a coal-burning power plant in her own small town. She doesn't just echo McCain's pledge to criminalize abortion by overturning Roe vs. Wade, she says that if one of her daughters were impregnated by rape or incest, she should bear the child. She not only opposes reproductive freedom as a human right but implies that it dictates abortion, without saying that it also protects the right to have a child.

So far, the major new McCain supporter that Palin has attracted is James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Of course, for Dobson, "women are merely waiting for their husbands to assume leadership," so he may be voting for Palin's husband.

Being a hope-a-holic, however, I can see two long-term bipartisan gains from this contest.

Republicans may learn they can't appeal to right-wing patriarchs and most women at the same time. A loss in November could cause the centrist majority of Republicans to take back their party, which was the first to support the Equal Rights Amendment and should be the last to want to invite government into the wombs of women.

And American women, who suffer more because of having two full-time jobs than from any other single injustice, finally have support on a national stage from male leaders who know that women can't be equal outside the home until men are equal in it. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are campaigning on their belief that men should be, can be and want to be at home for their children.

This could be huge.

Gloria Steinem is an author, feminist organizer and co-founder of the Women's Media Center. She supported Hillary Clinton and is now supporting Barack Obama.

thanks to Alex...

Register to vote!

2008-09-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

If you have moved, just coming of age, or haven’t been motivated to vote in years past….please note that your deadline to register in the city of Chicago is October 7th! This is only 3 weeks away…

Here’s the link

Great quotes during this historical week

2008-08-29T16:19:00.005-05:00

"No way, no how, no McCain"
- Senator Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention endorsing Obama

Her speech was fantastic, wasn't it? I was impressed.

People around the world are "more impressed by the power of our example rather than the example of our power”
- President Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention endorsing Obama

killer quote, Bill. I think your speeches have improved since you've been president.

"It's not because John McCain doesn't care, it's because John McCain doesn't get it."
- Barack Obama's acceptance speech as the Democratic Presidential Nominee

There's a lot of truth in this statement.
But, to be fair, I really don't get why the hell anyone would be a republican in the first place, which means I don't get it.
Hell, I'm not even a real democrat, dems are just closer to be being humane!
I am hopeful that Obama will become our next president. I don't think we can take any more!

and last, but certainly not least...
Celebrating the inspiring 45 year old "I have a Dream" speech given by Martin Luther King, jr. on August 28, 1963:

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. [Applause]
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"

great insightful video...

2008-07-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

Check it out.

The Story of Stuff

Where the hell is Matt?

2008-07-16T21:46:00.001-05:00

Really great video!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Remounting at Chicago's Theatre on the Lake!

2008-07-07T19:13:00.003-05:00

I've had a lot of folks ask me about this, so here's the info about SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD remounting at Theatre on the Lake in July- (info below).

We have gotten some really great reviews for the show! (see at bottom)

Woo Hoo!

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents...

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Produced by Thomas J. Samorian
Directed by Elizabeth Margolius
Musically Directed by Andra Velis Simon

Featuring: Mike Arthur, Jayson Brooks, Alanda Coon & Jess Godwin

Theatre on the Lake is located at: Fullerton & the Lake
Box Office: 312.742.7994
For more info & parking.

Opens: Wed, 7/16/08 @ 7:30pm
Plays: Thurs, 7/17/08 @ 7:30pm
Fri, 7/18/08 @ 7:30pm
Sat, 7/19/08 @ 7:30pm
Sun, 7/20/08 @ 6:30pm

Tickets are $17.50 (which is a really GREAT price)
The show is approximately 90 minutes long.

Some GREAT reviews:

"...sings the material quite well...very pleasing to the ear…interpretations are scaled just right"
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

"...the talented Alanda Coon...She knows how to act the hell out of a song and, more importantly, has the good sense not to oversell anything...you couldn’t ask for (a) more passionate musical performance..."
Web Behrens, Chicago Free Press

“…powerful performer…”
Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

“Alanda Coon sings the hell out of each number with plenty of character and verve.”
Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times

“She possesses a big voice that she can unleash when needed…”
John Olson, TalkinBroaday.com

“Alanda Coon champions the show…great solo voice”
Scotty Zacher, Chicagotheaterblog.com, Gay Chicago

"...a superb singer with an immense dynamic range...Alanda Coon relishes her roles..."
Dennis Polkow, New City

“…powerhouse actor/vocalist...Alanda Coon’s clarion belt is a delight... intrepid talent…”
Joe Stead, Steadstyle Chicago

“Coon anchors the show with her subtle humor and polished presentation and deft style.”
Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com

Do you like Bridges?

2008-06-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

Democratic opposition to Artic oil drilling "has helped drive gas prices to record levels"? That's what W is saying.

If you believe that, I got a nice bridge to sell you...
The bridge is located in a lovely town called Shady Politician Pulling Wool Over American People's Eyes. I've seen MANY tourist attraction billboards for this place & I'm not saying I haven't visited, but I'm NEVER living there.
I suggest all inhabitants to move. pronto. Or, if you like the weather...you can buy my niiiice bridge!

Here's the full article.

Oh yeah, in case anyone has forgotten, W is an oil man.
Still want that bridge?

Meet Christopher Hitchens

2008-04-03T12:21:00.004-05:00

The other night, I watched a documentary called The Trials of Henry Kissinger,

based on the book by Christopher Hitchens.

Ignorance is bliss, my friends. I won't lie to you. You will sleep much better believing that the leaders of your country are peace-seeking folks with the people's best interests in mind. But, it is not true. Here's the wikipedia page for immediate reference, tho it does not even BEGIN to tell of Kissinger's atrocities. Henry Kissinger is a war criminal and should NEVER have won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. If you want to be informed, rent this film. I assure you it doesn't regurgitate the same lies in your school history books.

Christopher Hitchens also wrote the New York Times #1 bestseller God is Not Great, which I have not read yet. However, I am currently reading his book, The Portable Atheist, which my loving husband gave to me on Valentine's Day. (My honey is a smart guy.) I haven't gotten very far yet, but the introduction was amazing! Here's a small excerpt (click to enlarge):

Hitchens is quite intelligent, well-researched and speaks from a very human level regarding religion and politics. I may not agree with everything he has to say, but he certainly deserves to be heard. I highly recommend this book already, even though I haven't even read it yet! Go rent the documentary!

Brilliant speech

2008-03-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

To see this speech, go here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords

or you can read below..

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: 'A More Perfect Union'

Philadelphia, PA | March 18, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naÃ¯ve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

-----

Old News that I never got to write about...

2008-03-22T08:29:00.000-05:00

Sally Kern's comments about gay people are despicable:
"Studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. So it’s the death knell of this country. I honestly think it’s the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam - which I think is a big threat, OK? Cause what's happening now is they are going after, in schools, two-year olds...And this stuff is deadly, and it’s spreading, and it will destroy our young people, it will destroy this nation."

It's disgusting to see that she is an elected official:
http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/Member.aspx?MemberID=87

I certainly hope Oklahoma wises up and does not re-elect an official with such disgraceful, bigoted, ignorant, misguided and inaccurate messages. Better yet, call for her to step down from office!

We're open!

2008-03-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

I have been so MIA lately due to rehearsals, but we have finally opened A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE and are Jeff Recommended!

Woo Hoo!

Now I can post about some other things that have been going on & haven't had a chance to post about...

We're Goin' Up!

2008-03-15T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hello!

Just wanted to send out a message about the show I'm involved in, A Man of No Importance. It's a beautiful story about love and acceptance. Set in Dublin in the 1960's, the main character, Alfie, is a lover of Oscar Wilde's poetry and directs an amateur theatre group by night after serving as a bus conductor by day. It has some beautiful music written by Stephen Flaherty (who plans to attend the opening), with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Terence McNally. I have fallen in love with this play and am proud to be a part of it.

Details are below.

HAPPY SPRING!

Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Terence McNally

Produced by Bailiwick Repertory
Directed by Scott Ferguson
Musically Directed by Robert Ollis
Stage Managed by Jay Kennedy

featuring:
Kevin Mayes, Nancy Kolton, Ryan Lanning, Laura McClain, Chuck Sisson, Tom Lally, Rus Rainear, Kevin Bishop, Sean Effinger- Dean, Peter Buckley, Jonathan Verge, Naomi Landman, Jill Schroer, Adrienne Smith, and Alanda Coon

Previews: Thurs, 3/13- 7:30pm
Fri, 3/14- 7:30pm
Sat, 3/15- 7:30pm
Sun, 3/16- 3:30pm

Opens Mon, 3/17/08 (St. Patrick's Day- perfect day to open an irish play!)

Runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 3:30pm thru April 20th.

For more info & tickets, please visit www.bailiwick.org or call (773) 883- 1090

February

2008-02-27T14:52:00.000-06:00

February, the lousiest month of the year, is almost over. Hallelujah!
Every year, the shortest month feels the longest.
And this year, it's even more heightened by all the snow & below-freezing temperatures.

March may not bring spring to Chicago, but it'll bring more sunlight & take us one step closer to spring.
Good riddance to February!

kucinich is out

2008-01-27T10:00:00.001-06:00

here it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/us/politics/25kucinich.html?ref=us

it's too bad. kucinich had the most integrity in all of the democrats running. don't get me wrong, i knew he wasn't elect-able (just look at him), but he really was the best choice & i was hoping to give my vote to him on primary day in illinois. just to vote my conscious instead of choosing the "lesser of the evils" once again.

i used to like obama, (& still do, half-heartedly) but I believe he has been bought during this presidential bid. you can tell in his speeches now, he sounds more like a traditional democrat now than he ever did before his announcement to run, submitting to negative remarks about his running mates and . before he announced his running, he sounded like the best thing to happen to american politics. it's a shame.

still, with kucinich gone, the most liberal choice is obama now. let's hope he doesn't see too many campaign & special interest dollar signs that he forgets that the war in iraq should never have started. i already doubt he will get us out of iraq if elected.

you have let us down, barack, when we need you most. please come to your senses and be that guy you used to be. dare to inspire the audacity to hope again.

Songs For A New World remounts at Theatre Building Chicago in Jan/Feb, 2008!

2008-01-02T08:06:00.000-06:00

Hello! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Just wanted to let all 2 readers of this blog know that Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's production of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD will be remounting for 4 weeks only at Theatre Building Chicago! :)
I had a wonderful time the first time around & am really looking forward to these additional performances.
Details are below. Thanks very much & hope to see you there!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2008!

We've gotten some wonderful reviews so far. Some quotes:

"...the talented Alanda Coon...She knows how to act the hell out of a song and, more importantly, has the good sense not to oversell anything...you couldn’t ask for (a) more passionate musical performance..."
Web Behrens, Chicago Free Press

“…powerful performer…”
Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

“Alanda Coon sings the hell out of each number with plenty of character and verve.”
Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times

“She possesses a big voice that she can unleash when needed…”
John Olson, TalkinBroadway.com

"...a superb singer with an immense dynamic range...Alanda Coon relishes her roles..."
Dennis Polkow, New City

“Coon anchors the show with her subtle humor and polished presentation and deft style.”
Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents...

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Produced by Thomas J. Samorian
Directed by Elizabeth Margolius
Musically Directed by Andra Velis Simon

Featuring: Mike Arthur, Jayson Brooks, Alanda Coon & Jess Godwin

opens Thursday, January 17, 2008 @ 8pm
runs through February 10, 2008
on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

BoHo Theatre @ Theatre Building Chicago
1225 W Belmont Ave (off Belmont red or brown line CTA stops)

Tickets: $24
call Theatre Building's Box Office (773) 327- 5252
or purchase tickets online, click here.

please visit www.bohotheatre.com for more info

ike has passed

2007-12-15T19:56:00.001-06:00

a great musician, who was troubled, took out his anger & power issues on his wife in an abusive manner.
relish the music. I still love listening to the old ike & tina stuff...it was killer!
hate the abuse. absolutely unacceptable.

it's a confusing loss.
it saddens me to hear of great people doing such horrible things. i'm not naive and realize that everyone is human...but, damn!

doh! and another...

2007-10-25T17:37:00.001-05:00

This one is from The Chicago Free Press from today.
(just click on the image to enlarge)

Another one

2007-10-25T10:20:00.000-05:00

This one was published in New City Chicago....today's issue.
(just click on the image to enlarge)

Some Reviews are in!

2007-10-18T10:40:00.001-05:00

Songs For A New World Review round up, and some "unofficial" ones too!

In case you'd like to check them out! :)

Time Out Chicago.

Windy City Times.

Talkin Broadway.

Chicago Critic.

Little Voice.

The Kid's Got Moxie.

Klaus Nomi.

2007-10-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, my boss introduced me to Klaus Nomi a few years ago.
If you don't know who he is, click here.

He was one of the first celebrities to die of an illness complicated by AIDS.

What a performer.

This song chills me....
The Cold Song.

Let me breathe again. wow.

Check out Total Eclipse.

and here's Nomi Song.

Oh, the choreography!

There never was... nor will there ever be... anybody else like him.

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

2007-09-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, time has flown by....I can't believe it's almost October!
That means my next show is almost open!

Here are the details for SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD!
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents...

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Produced by Thomas J. Samorian
Directed by Elizabeth Margolius
Musically Directed by Andra Velis Simon

Featuring: Mike Arthur, Jayson Brooks, Alanda Coon & Jess Godwin

opens Saturday, 10/6, 8pm
runs through 11/4 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

(Just FYI: I will be out of the country on our closing weekend, starting 11/1, & the fabulously talented Danni Smith will be going on in my place)

BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio
7016 N Glenwood Ave (off Morse red line stop)
FREE PARKING in lot on Estes & Glenwood!

Tickets: $20-$22
call Box Office (773) 791- 2393
or purchase tickets online, cick here.

please visit www.bohotheatre.com for more info

ahoy me buxom beauties!

2007-09-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, wouldn'tcha know...it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day, again!

To learn the lingo, click here.

I especially enjoy the odd "talk like a pirate" clips in other languages.

Arrr...put that in your hornpipe and smoke it!

What about Violence Pollution?

2007-09-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

I am so incredibly busy right now that I haven't have much time to post, however, this was too much today...

I heard it on NPR & immediately needed to read about it.

"The results of the trial of the newly created aviation bomb have shown that its effectiveness and potential are comparable to a nuclear bomb," Rukshin said. "At the same time I particularly want to emphasize that this bomb does not cause ecological or environmental pollution, in contrast to a nuclear bomb."

There is now a bomb that is environmentally safe?
umm...Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in that statement?

So...you want to save the earth, but making sure to kill the people? whew, what a relief!
I mean, c'mon! It's a complete oxymoron to me.

Aren't there enough bombs in the world already that cause enough problems?

Here's the full story.

Lord Have Mercy...

2007-08-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

30 years ago today, the King of Rock & Roll died (despite what some have said about him being abducted by aliens).

Sock a little Polk Salad to me, Elvis.

Wow, I never saw this before!
I have questions: What did he read? um...ya think he's high?
There are LOTS of things about this that are very funny, but also really sad.

Check it out.

Hope that have great fried “peanut butter and nanner” sandwiches where you are....

Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

1 small ripe banana
2 slices white bread
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter

In a small bowl, mash to banana with the back of a spoon. Toast the bread ligh
tly. Spread the peanut butter on one slice of toast and the mashed banana on t
he other. Fry the sandwich in melted butter until each side is golden brown.
Cut diagonally and serve hot.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : Elvis loved his “peanut butter and nanner” sandwiches. At a hefty 36 g
rams of fat, they probably helped do him in.

remembering a moment in history.

2007-08-09T18:34:00.000-05:00

It was a cold winter day. I was seven years old and in 2nd grade. I think it was about mid-morning & the school was really a-buzz that day. The teachers were all excited and walking around rounding up the children. We were told that we were all going into the big music room on the bottom floor to watch TV! We had no idea what kind of TV we were going to see but it was a nice break from math so we were excited too.

Some of us found our seats & some of us sat cross-legged or "indian style" (what we called it back then) on the floor while one of the teachers turned on the TV. Another teacher announced that were were going to see the space shuttle Challenger launch into outer space and one of the passengers in the shuttle was a teacher, just like our teacher, named Christa McAuliffe. We focused on the television.

The big rocket shaped thing took off from the ground with the crowd cheering while blazing fire came out the end of the spaceship from the engine. It certainly was an awesome sight. The room broke into a sea wows and ooohs and excited gasps.

Then there was an explosion & Challenger was no more. Debris was falling onto the ground & it seemed like the shuttle did an amazing magic trick...it disappeared. The teachers in the room were dumbfounded. Some of them started crying. I don't think a lot of us seven years olds knew why they were really crying at that time. To us, TV was like watching a movie...we were always told it wasn't real. But this time it was and our teachers were very upset by what had happened.

We were escorted back to class, all walking the hallways in a very somber manner. Our break from schoolwork was over. Our teacher's dream of having a comrade in the Challenger was over.

Until now. http://www.guardian.co.uk/space/article/0,,2145242,00.html
Barbara Morgan is up in space right now, living out that astronaut dream that Christa tried to get to.
I never knew that she was the alternate for Christa McAuliffe way back when. At 55, she now gets to explore space first hand. And so far, the shuttle Endeavour is doing just fine.

Come back safe, Barbara.

A Film Not To Be Missed!

2007-07-16T12:30:00.000-05:00

I have to hand it to him....he has a good point.

If you have not seen SICKO yet, please do.
The American people need to know how they are being treated by their government.
We, as a country, need to acknowledge that our government does not care about our well being. How did we let this happen when most of the western civilization has FREE healthcare?

I know I recently had surgery that cost $40,000. That's right. $40,000!
I was at the mercy of my health insurance company to approve my claim, but they could have easily denied my claim like any one of those other patients in Moore's film. Then, just for being "ill"... I could have bankrupted myself & my husband, or become homeless or worse yet...if it was cancer, I could have died because of poor health coverage in America. We ALLOW this to happen by letting our government be bought by big insurance & drug corporations.

Please, if you care at all about your life, or the lives of your loved ones, see this movie & then do NOT vote for any politician who does not support universal healthcare. Who cares if they are part of the republicrat parties...this should be more important than politics because it affects our basic human desire to LIVE. Illness strikes all people.

This is a pretty great clip of an interview of Michael Moore with Bill Maher.

Even if you hate Michael Moore & his past films, this film IS important to you and worth seeing. It has a lot of humor in it as well, even with the grim topic.

I am proud of Michael Moore for persuing this important issue, for taking a stand and for bringing the topic to more forefronts of American minds. Let's not be blind anymore, America. Don't just take it from the capitalistic "man". Please spend some time thinking about this issue and act accordingly.

Thanks.

BoHo's 365

2007-07-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

it's that time again....

I have produced yet another week of this cool FREE national theatre festival, this time for Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. I teamed up with the awesome Brooke Sherrod for this one, featuring a talented ensemble of actors, led by director Adam Miller.

Come check it out after BoHo's production of THE LIFE this Thursday, Friday & Saturday @ 10:30pm at Theatre Building Chicago (1225 W Belmont).

and did I mention...it's FREE!

On the mend!

2007-06-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

As most of my readers know (all 2 of you)...I have recently had surgery. This is why I have been post-less for a while now. My apologies...I hope to be at least a little more consistent now.

I was diagnosed with a tumor on my thyroid back in January, 2007. I underwent several tests and the doctors couldn't figure out if it was cancer or not. So, it was recommended to me to have my entire thyroid removed (especially since there were several nodules all over the thyroid that could also eventually develop into tumors).

Since then, I had interviewed MANY surgeons & I think I found the right one for me. We removed the whole thyroid last week & I'm happy to say that they found NO CANCER!

It's been a helluva past 6 months & I am so grateful to my friends & family for being so loving & supportive throughout this whole ordeal. Everyone has truly amazed me with their generosity...I am one lucky lady!

So, I'm on the mend...slowly recovering and getting back to my normal lifestyle of hectic schedules, art projects and the rat race. I'm glad to be back!

Feature article in today's South Bend tribune

2007-05-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

May 18. 2007 6:59AM
Born to sing Bruce Springsteen

ANDREW S. HUGHES
Tribune Staff Writer

Bruce Springsteen released the album "Born to Run" in 1975.

Alanda Coon was "just a little baby" at the time, the daughter of two parents in New York City who played that and Springsteen's other albums often and loudly while she was growin' up.

"As I grew older, I never grew out of it," she says by telephone from Chicago, unconsciously understating the matter.

A professional actress in Chicago with Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, among others, Coon has now made Springsteen's music part of her professional life with her cabaret show, "Tramps Like Us ... The Music of Bruce Springsteen," which she will perform Saturday at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks.

"I like cabaret because you can tell a story," she says. "It's not like being a cover band, where you just play random songs. It's a little more personal. ... Being an actor, I can tend to act out some of the songs, and, hopefully, the audience will enjoy that."

Coon, of course, isn't the first woman to interpret Springsteen's songs (check out Maria McKee's "Acoustic Tour 2006" album for the most recent example, a heartfelt reading of "Backstreets"), and she does think it makes a difference in how people hear the songs.

"I think because it's coming from a female, people listen a little closer," she says. "Sometimes, people have told us they've heard the words for the first time. ... Obviously, all the songs were written in a man's key, so we've had to tweak the key a little bit, so they sound a little different."

Coon also uses a far smaller band than Springsteen's legendary E Street Band. She'll be joined by three musicians who, collectively, play piano, harmonica, washboard, tambourine and guitar during the show.

"We pare it down, and I think that also helps with getting a different sound," she says. "We do it all acoustically. ... I think we just make everything simpler. While we love the E Street Band and all their bigness and glory, I knew it wasn't realistic for me to grab 10 people and put a band together."

Some of the songs in the show include such Springsteen standards as "Thunder Road," "Growin' Up," "Jungleland," "Born to Run" and "Streets of Philadelphia."

"We have a medley in the show that features cars and nighttime and driving," Coon says. "He has so many songs with that in it."

The show includes no material from such lesser-known albums as "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "Lucky Town," but it does contain "My Oklahoma Home" from 2006's "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," "Reason to Believe" from 1982's acoustic "Nebraska" album and "My City of Ruins" from 2002's post-9/11 "The Rising" album.

"The audience may not know it right away, but I know that the songs I pick, it has a beginning, middle and end," Coon says, but she seems reluctant to elaborate upon the narrative she's constructed with Springsteen's songs. Pressed, she eventually says, "It's more about Bruce Springsteen the humanitarian. He's always been very conscious about what's going on in our country. I consider him a very liberal patriot and concerned about people in our country. ... I like his relentless integrity to the music and himself."

Coon points to 1984's "Born in the U.S.A." as an example of Springsteen's humanitarianism. A denunciation of how veterans of the Vietnam War were treated when they returned to the United States, it may be the most misunderstood top 10 single in pop history. Coon remembers how "people blasted that at barbecues" oblivious to the meaning of its lyrics in 1984, just as, she says, Ronald Reagan inappropriately tried to use it as a campaign song that year.

"They probably should have listened to the lyrics before they picked that song, but I think that's the big misconception about Bruce Springsteen's music," she says. "I think people see him as this frat boy who rocks out and drinks beer, but I think he has more depth than that."

Springsteen, Coon says, is a "poet" as a songwriter.

"I think he sees the world in a different way," she says. "He has a romantic side of finding your own place in the world, and a romantic view of the world, and he's not ashamed to reveal that side."

I love doing the show.

2007-05-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Which show you ask? Why, the TRAMPS LIKE US show, of course!

It’s been an amazing ride so far. This is the third time I’ve mounted this show and the audiences have been awesome. People are so supportive of it, that it’s hard to wrap my head around. And it’s fun to perform. I’ve been working with some great musicians these past few years and I’m so lucky to have each and every one.

3 more shows to go! Only 2 more in Chicago & then we take it to the Acorn Theatre in Michigan!

The view from my office window right NOW!

2007-05-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Chicago Immigrant Rally- 5/1/07

Last year on this date, it was even bigger.

awesome.

The definition of "TRAMP"

2007-04-26T10:03:00.000-05:00

What is a TRAMP, you say?

Well, there are….ahem….many definitions, but we like this one best:

TRAMP- 1 a : VAGRANT : one who has no established residence and wanders idly from place to place
1 b : a foot traveler

"TRAMPS LIKE US" is Back!!!

www.alandacoon.com

Featured Musicians in TRAMPS LIKE US

2007-04-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

Well...TRAMPS LIKE US opens on Friday! (Just click on the image below or see previous post for details)

Thought you guys might like to read a little bit about who will be featured!

Alanda Coon (creator, producer, director, vocalist)

has been performing in Chicago since 1997. She is a NY native, the former lead singer of rock cover band Spitting Image and a seasoned Chicago actor. Most recently, Alanda was seen in LifeLine Theatre’s production of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Porchlight’s A New Brain, Bailiwick Repertory’s Parade (After Dark and Jeff Award Winning Production) and TimeLine Theatre’s Fiorello. Ms. Coon has performed at several venues in Chicago including: Davenport’s Piano Bar, Katerina’s, Chopin Theatre, Crossroads Theater, Mercury Theater, Heartland Studio Theatre, Royal George Theatre, North Lakeside Cultural Center, Apollo Theater, Wing & Groove Theatre, Lakeshore Theater, Theatre Building Chicago and The Goodman Theatre. A sometimes Director and Producer, Ms. Coon is a company member of Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, an artistic associate of Bailiwick Repertory (co-founder of The Second Sex Series giving women prominence) and a member of Chicago Cabaret Professionals. She can be heard on Alexandra Billings’ live cd “The Story Goes On” produced by Lampkin Music Group.

Mike Descoteaux (music director, arranger, pianist, harmonica player)

is the head of the Music Program at The Second City where he has music directed numerous shows including Sex and the Second City, The Second City Musical Improv House Ensemble, and Theatre on the Lake. His work has been heard at The Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, American Theater Company, Theatre Building Chicago, Davenport’s and other venues. He has
“composed” and “conducted” over 500 improvised musicals with Jazz Hands Across America, Baby Wants Candy, and Musical! the Musical. Mike is a recipient of an After Dark Award for his work with Foiled Again and was recently named one of the top 12 new songwriters in the country by The Johnny Mercer Foundation and AMTP.

Patrick Burke (lead guitarist)

Patrick is a multi-instrumentalist who has performed and recorded on guitar, bass, and mandolin for several Chicago-area productions. Patrick also teaches private lessons on all the aforementioned instruments to nearly 30 students. Mr. Burke has worked extensively with Mike Descoteaux in the Improv world. His versatility and diverse knowledge of music is an asset to Springsteen’s music.

Sean Sullivan (back up vocalist, guitar, percussion)

Sean is an Ohio native and performed with Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre and Great Lakes Theatre Festival. Favorite roles included Edmund in King Lear, Daniel (Closer), Babbybobby (The Cripple of Inishmaan) and Bunce (One Flea Spare). Sean is a member of Backstage Theatre Company where he has appeared as Roald Amundsen in Terra Nova, Henry Antrobus (The Skin of Our Teeth), and as McKyle in The Ruling Class. Other Chicago credits include Floyd in Fiorello!, and Dr. Joseph Cardin in The Children’s Hour, both with Timeline Theatre. Sean has also worked backstage as a designer, and/or carpenter, on productions in Chicago including shows for Pyewacket Theatre, Cobalt Theatre Ensemble and Backstage Theatre Aside from theatre, Sean might just be found with a pint at hand, playing guitar and singing with his Irish folk/bluegrass band, One Of The Girls.

For more information, please visit www.alandacoon.com

TRAMPS LIKE US is back!!!

2007-04-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

TRAMPS LIKE US
the music of bruce springsteen….as sung by alanda coon

A little bit about the show:

The rock icon, Bruce Springsteen, is celebrated in this critically acclaimed cabaret performance. Alanda Coon interprets Springsteen with a feminine perspective, giving his poetry simplicity. Through heightened language and generous musical support, the audience is welcomed to hear his lyrics as if heard for the very first time. Carla Gordon of Stu Hamstra’s Cabaret Hotline online states “Coon brings a powerhouse vocal instrument. Her voice is smooth, flawlessly pitched and rich. She moves seamlessly from growl, to croon, to belt, to whisper. Alanda is among few singers who creates vocal whisper with resonance to fill both air and lyrical meaning. Coon has a genuineness and humility that warms an audience in ways that talent alone can’t.” Ms. Coon promises to take the audience on a journey through Springsteen’s musical life while inviting the audience to reminisce about how The Boss’ music relates to their own. This solid show entertains while addressing political and more serious issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opening at Mary’s Attic @ Hamburger Mary’s:
Friday, April 27th @ 8pm
With an additional performance @ Mary’s Attic:
Friday, May 4th @ 8pm
Mary’s Attic is located upstairs at Hamburger Mary’s: 5400 N Clark St
Tickets @ Mary’s are $10 with no drink minimum

Reservations for Mary’s, please call: (773) 784-6969
http://www.hamburgermaryschicago.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also playing at Davenport’s Piano Bar:
Friday, May 11th @ 8pm
Friday, May 18th @ 8pm
Davenport’s is located at 1383 N Milwaukee
Tickets @ Davenport’s are $15 with a 2 drink minimum

Reservations for Davenport’s Piano Bar, please call: (773) 278-1830
http://davenportspianobar.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We’re taking the show on the road!
One date only at Acorn Theatre in Michigan:
Saturday, May 19th @ 8pm
Acorn Theatre is located at Generations Drive, Three Oaks, Michigan 49128
Tickets @ Acorn Theatre are $15

Reservations for Acorn Theatre, please call: (269) 756-3879
http://www.acorntheater.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more information, please visit www.alandacoon.com

Silly new holidays

2007-04-19T08:59:00.000-05:00

What is today, you ask?

Why it's National High Five Day, of course! And you thought you had all those holidays firmly memorized by now...

So go out there & seize the day with many high fives!

While it might be a fun holiday, I don't think anything compares to the frivolity & ridiculousness of International Talk Like A Pirate Day. That's coming up on September 19th.

Mark your calendars!

For the Love of HOWARD: Stop the Bloodletting!

2007-04-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Are We Politicians or Citizens?
by Howard Zinn

The Progressive
May 2007
http://www.progressive.org/node/4668

As I write this, Congress is debating timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. In response to the Bush Administration's "surge" of troops, and the Republicans' refusal to limit our occupation, the Democrats are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months. And it seems they expect the anti-war movement to support them.

That was suggested in a recent message from MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, "like many of us, don't think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war."

Ironically, and shockingly, the same bill appropriates $124 billion in more funds to carry the war. It's as if, before the Civil War, abolitionists agreed to postpone the emancipation of the slaves for a year, or two years, or five years, and coupled this with an appropriation of funds to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.

When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.

We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.

Timetables for withdrawal are not only morally reprehensible in the case of a brutal occupation (would you give a thug who invaded your house, smashed everything in sight, and terrorized your children a timetable for withdrawal?) but logically nonsensical. If our troops are preventing civil war, helping people, controlling violence, then why withdraw at all? If they are in fact doing the opposite-provoking civil war, hurting people, perpetuating violence-they should withdraw as quickly as ships and planes can carry them home.

It is four years since the United States invaded Iraq with a ferocious bombardment, with "shock and awe." That is enough time to decide if the presence of our troops is making the lives of the Iraqis better or worse. The evidence is overwhelming. Since the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, and, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about two million Iraqis have left the country, and an almost equal number are internal refugees, forced out of their homes, seeking shelter elsewhere in the country.

Yes, Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant. But his capture and death have not made the lives of Iraqis better, as the U.S. occupation has created chaos: no clean water, rising rates of hunger, 50 percent unemployment, shortages of food, electricity, and fuel, a rise in child malnutrition and infant deaths. Has the U.S. presence diminished violence? On the contrary, by January 2007 the number of insurgent attacks has increased dramatically to 180 a day.

The response of the Bush Administration to four years of failure is to send more troops. To add more troops matches the definition of fanaticism: If you find you're going in the wrong direction, redouble your speed. It reminds me of the physician in Europe in the early nineteenth century who decided that bloodletting would cure pneumonia. When that didn't work, he concluded that not enough blood had been let.

The Congressional Democrats' proposal is to give more funds to the war, and to set a timetable that will let the bloodletting go on for another year or more. It is necessary, they say, to compromise, and some anti-war people have been willing to go along. However, it is one thing to compromise when you are immediately given part of what you are demanding, if that can then be a springboard for getting more in the future. That is the situation described in the recent movie The Wind That Shakes The Barley, in which the Irish rebels against British rule are given a compromise solution-to have part of Ireland free, as the Irish Free State. In the movie, Irish brother fights against brother over whether to accept this compromise. But at least the acceptance of that compromise, however short of justice, created the Irish Free State. The withdrawal timetable proposed by the Democrats gets nothing tangible, only a promise, and leaves the fulfillment of that promise in the hands of the Bush Administration.

There have been similar dilemmas for the labor movement. Indeed, it is a common occurrence that unions, fighting for a new contract, must decide if they will accept an offer that gives them only part of what they have demanded. It's always a difficult decision, but in almost all cases, whether the compromise can be considered a victory or a defeat, the workers have been given some thing palpable, improving their condition to some degree. If they were offered only a promise of something in the future, while continuing an unbearable situation in the present, it would not be considered a compromise, but a sellout. A union leader who said, "Take this, it's the best we can get" (which is what the MoveOn people are saying about the Democrats' resolution) would be hooted off the platform.

I am reminded of the situation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, when the black delegation from Mississippi asked to be seated, to represent the 40 percent black population of that state. They were offered a "compromise"-two nonvoting seats. "This is the best we can get," some black leaders said. The Mississippians, led by Fannie Lou Hamer and Bob Moses, turned it down, and thus held on to their fighting spirit, which later brought them what they had asked for. That mantra-"the best we can get"-is a recipe for corruption.

It is not easy, in the corrupting atmosphere of Washington, D.C., to hold on firmly to the truth, to resist the temptation of capitulation that presents itself as compromise. A few manage to do so. I think of Barbara Lee, the one person in the House of Representatives who, in the hysterical atmosphere of the days following 9/11, voted against the resolution authorizing Bush to invade Afghanistan. Today, she is one of the few who refuse to fund the Iraq War, insist on a prompt end to the war, reject the dishonesty of a false compromise.

Except for the rare few, like Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, and John Lewis, our representatives are politicians, and will surrender their integrity, claiming to be "realistic."

We are not politicians, but citizens. We have no office to hold on to, only our consciences, which insist on telling the truth. That, history suggests, is the most realistic thing a citizen can do.

Howard Zinn is the author, most recently, of "A Power Governments Cannot Suppress."
http://www.citylights.com/CLpubRE.html#4758

© 2007 The Progressive
http://www.progressive.org/

M-I-C-K-E-Y

2007-04-02T20:15:00.000-05:00

Introducing the newest addition to the family...Mickey!

Mickey is a lovebird (no, not a love CHILD, you perv...) but a lovebird. Lovebirds are small parrots and we are happy to have this little guy join us. He is 7 weeks old & has been hand fed by some really nice people in Logan Square in Chicago. This little guy is virtually a baby still so he eats and sleeps A LOT! The really interesting thing about lovebirds is that they like to burrow, so most of the time, Mickey is digging his face is my armpit with his butt in the air, or jumping towards my face (his wings are clipped) to try to get to my neck area for some snuggling. He's a sweetie.

We named him Mick(ey) because on the way home, he first started warming up to us when the Rolling Stones came on the radio. Yes folks, this one likes rock & roll.

He's still young and small, but quite strong & super smart. We gotta get more toys so he doesn't get bored!

We've got our hands full but are really enjoying the bonding process. He's sleeping in Steve's hands as we speak...

Super!

2007-03-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		85%
Wonder Woman		77%
Green Lantern		70%
Iron Man		70%
Batman		60%
Supergirl		57%
Spider-Man		55%
Robin		52%
Hulk		50%
The Flash		50%
Catwoman		40%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

I know I'm not the only one...

2007-03-02T08:47:00.000-06:00

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS!

2007-02-21T11:06:00.000-06:00

Hello Piggy Friends!

LifeLine Theatre has me busy in tech this week to get ready for the opening of THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS this weekend!

It's a world premiere musical based on the book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric

Music by Paul Gilvary

Directed by Victoria DeIorio

The long suppressed account of Alexander T. Wolf is brought to light in Piggsylvania's trial of the century! Parents and children will both delight in this inside-out rockabilly version of the famous fairy tale that lets them decide who is really to blame.

February 24, 2007- April 15, 2007

Our weekday matinees are all sold out already!

Here are the performances you can come see:

Saturdays @ 11am

Saturdays @ 1pm

Sundays @ 1pm

Tickets are $10

call (773) 761-4477 or visit www.lifelinetheatre.com

LIFELINE THEATRE

6912 N Glenwood Ave

Chicago, IL 60626

Press photo is above (but don't expect to see me in that costume....I play 4 other piggies! IT'S A BLAST!) :)

LOVE'S FIRE!

2007-01-31T20:02:00.000-06:00

Hi Guys!

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble is throwing a killer benefit for Season of
Concern (great organization!) on Mon, Feb 12th @ Theatre Building
Chicago (1225 W Belmont). Doors open at 6:30pm with food and cocktails!
It's only $25 and it's for a great cause!

LOVE'S FIRE is a collection of 7 plays by famous playwrights (Tony
Kushner, Eric Bogosian, Ntozake Shange, Wendy Wasserstein, William
Finn, Marsha Norman & John Guare) based on Shakespeare's sonnets.
It features 7 talented Chicago directors and a huge ensemble of great
actors. It's going to be a hella cool night!

Hope to see you there!

7 Playwrights, 2 hours, 1 theme..
A BENEFIT for BoHo and SEASON OF CONCERN

A ONE NIGHT ONLY BENEFIT PERFORMANCE
Produced by Kate Garassino & Brooke Sherrod

Theatre Building Chicago
February 12th, 2007 7:30 pm
Cocktail & Appetizer Hour 6:30 pm
donated by Big Delicious Planet, Bespoke Cuisine & Beloit Beverage Company

TICKETS: 773-791-2393 $25
www.BoHoTheatre.com

Each of the seven one-act plays in Love's Fire offers an original and contemporary perspective on a single Shakespearean sonnet. Love and sex unite the seven short plays, which provide realistic, unusual
and even wild glimpses into the choices people make in today's society.

Love’s Fire heralds the triumphs and tragedies of the heart. Using a variety of moods, settings, and stories, seven of America’s best contemporary playwrights pay tribute in a rich and marvelously entertaining celebration of the Bard.
Love's Fire Features Guest Directors: Nic Dimond, Kathleen Maki, Stephen Rader, Peter Robel, Michael Ryczek, Kimberly Senior and Chuck Smith

Featuring: Anne Adams, Brian Amidei, Anthony Apodoca, Steve Best, Julie Burt, Alanda Coon, Michelle Courvais, Esteban Cruz, Brannen Daugherty, Brandon Dahlquist, Coco Elysse-Hevia, John Ferrick, Ricardo Gamboa, Kate Garassino, Steve Genovese, Sarah Gitenstein, Jess Godwin, Jonathan Goodman, Chris Hainsworth, Kristin Hanson, Annie Joseph, Jodi Kingsley, Kelly Leaman, Brandon Miller, Mike Nichols, Vanessa Panerosa, Dan Riley, Blair Robertson, Jeff Roscoe, Tom Samorian, Robyn Senchak, Brooke Sherrod, Danni Smith, Nico Tricoci

Season of Concern is the Chicagoland theatre community’s fundraising effort in providing compassionate care to those in our community who are experiencing the effects of catastrophic illness. This effort supports the fight against AIDS, contributing to programs that provide direct-care support (funded programs provide personal financial support, housing care, meals, medications, legal assistance and a variety of other services for people living with HIV and AIDS) to members of the theatre community and others in Chicago and the Midwest; and emergency needs expressed by theatre community members in their struggles against other life-threatening illnesses.

Since 1988, funds have been raised through generous gifts from theatre artists, staffs, boards and audiences. Funds supported include The Actors' Fund and The Biscotto-Miller Fund.

Goodbye to a friend

2007-01-29T21:47:00.001-06:00

We had LuLu for almost 4 years. When we got her from the pet store, we thought she was a HE and named "him" Louie because the first music "he" jammed out to was Louis Prima. I found out a year later at a vet visit that Louie was actually LuLu.

She had the cutest little personality on her that was sometimes cranky and sometimes lovey-dovey.
Last night she died inexplicably and unexpectedly. A vet told me once that birds never show their weaknesses until it's too late.

That was the case with Lu.

She was a sweet little birdie and I will miss her.

RIP LuLu, Lu, Lu-ness, Lu-bear, Lu-cifer, Skip to my Lu.

This is very confusing to me...

2007-01-12T16:27:00.000-06:00

So, aside from Eva Longoria, this website thinks I look like an Asian woman. How odd! Well, there's a first time for everything!

The Second Sex Series at Bailiwick presents Paula Vogel’s THE OLDEST PROFESSION

2007-01-11T23:30:00.001-06:00

As some of you may know, I have helped to head up this new Women’s Theatre Initiative at Bailiwick Repertory. The Second Sex Series is dedicated to arts that give women prominence.
The Second Sex Series at Bailiwick Rep is proud to present THE OLDEST PROFESSION by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel.

As Ronald Reagan enters the White House, five aging practitioners of the oldest profession are faced with a diminishing clientele, increased competition for their niche market, and aching joints. With wit, compassion, and humor, they struggle to fight to stay in the Life as a new dawn begins in America.

David Zak directs this bittersweet comedy. Featuring a quintet of marvelous veteran actresses - Joan McGrath, Helene Alter-Dyche, Jeannie Affelder, Kate Kisner, and Jody Goldman.

I have had a wonderful time assistant directing this show. Please do come out to see this lovely play!

Previews:
Sat, 1/13 @ 7pm
Sun, 1/14 @ 3pm
Tues, 1/16 @ 8pm

Opening Night is Wed, 1/17 @ 8pm.
The show runs Thursday @ 8pm, Saturdays @ 7pm & Sundays @ 3pm until Sun, 2/25.

There is a special understudy performance on Wed, 2/21 @ 8pm.

Bailiwick Repertory is located at 1229 W Belmont in Chicago.
For more info and pricing:
www.bailiwick.org
(773)883-1090

Thank you for your support!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T13:09:00.000-06:00

Hey All!
Cheers to 2007!
Hope all of you spent it smashingly!
It was a quiet evening for Steve & I. After several days in NY with my family, tons of gorging on fattening holiday food and several bouts of sickness, we needed a quiet evening before our hectic lives take over again.

Wishing you peace and much joy in 2007!
xoxox

My last name is always funnier

2006-12-18T14:07:00.000-06:00

And so this is Xmas,
I hope you have Coon.

Merry Xmas (War is Over)
from the Christmas Song Generator.

My name as a holiday song

2006-12-18T13:39:00.000-06:00

Here comes Alanda! Here comes Alanda! Right down Alanda Lane!

Here Comes Santa Claus
from the Christmas Song Generator.

sick piggy

2006-12-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

Besides directing a play for week 5 for 365 at Bailiwick Repertory, Chicago, and besides assistant directing Paula Vogel's THE OLDEST PROFESSION, um...besides the holidays, besides my love, dedication and administrative work with Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, um....besides my day job and besides the fact that I'm horribly sick right now...I'm getting ready for the next show I will perform in: THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS at LifeLine Theatre.

We had our preliminary photo shoot the other day and it was SO FUN!
I wore somebody else's costume but it was still VERY FUN....who knew being a pig could have so many laughs?
shut. up.

Anyhoo, I'm excited. I'm excited about all of my wonderful and tiring projects!

But at this moment right now...I'm extremely excited to go to bed.

365 @ Bailiwick Rep closes tomorrow if you're interested in seeing it...8pm show...see details on my previous post.

I'll leave you with a photo of the director for THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS & me......
awww...

Week 5 of 365 days/ 365 Plays

2006-12-11T16:46:00.001-06:00

Hey gang!

The biggest national theatre festival EVER is here @ Bailiwick Repertory...
This week only: Monday, December 11- Sunday, December 17th.

THE FESTIVAL IS FREE!

COME CHECK IT OUT:
Mon, 12/11, 8pm
Tues, 12/12, 8pm
Wed, 12/13, 8pm
Thurs, 12/14, 8pm
Fri, 12/15, 10pm
Sat, 12/16, 8pm
Sun, 12/17, 8pm

at BAILIWICK REPERTORY (1229 W Belmont)

There are 7 short plays being presented every evening this week, totalling 45 minutes of great theatre. Here's a photo I took at a tech rehearsal last night. My play is called JAYWALKING and features 3 really fun actors! All 7 of the plays are wonderful!

It's gonna be great!

World AIDS Day

2006-12-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

So today is World AIDS Day.
It is also my brother's birthday. He's 27 now. I called him this morning with a rendition of Happy Birthday & made sure to get his e-card out to him.

For me as a kid, December 1st had always meant that I get to celebrate the birth of my youngest brother, Devan, and in the youngest years, I could anticipate the possibility that I may get to participate in the ritual birthday spanking.

I remember when World AIDS Day was introduced to me. I remember the red ribbons. I remember the people who took a stand and started talking about the problem.

Well, the problem has not gone away, friends. It's been 25 years and it's still here. The cover of the Chicago Free Press this morning states that "every 8 seconds someone else is infected with HIV." They estimate that almost 40 million people have HIV now. And if you still think AIDS is a "gay disease"...think again.

World AIDS Day has a huge affect on me every year. It's not just another day to me, not because it's also my brother's birthday but because I know so many who had first hand experience dealing with this disease.

Today I donated to a great Chicago organization, Season of Concern, who has helped people living with HIV and AIDS for many years now. I made the donation for my friends who have passed and those who still struggle with the disease. I also made the donation because I love my brother. He doesn't have AIDS and he's not gay & I don't even know if he knows anyone personally who struggles with the disease. But I donate because I am lucky to have my brother here, safe, on his birthday. I hope that someday there will be a cure for those infected and for those who will get infected in the future.

If you are inclined, you can donate to Season of Concern here.

Thank you!

I pity the foo

2006-11-29T10:02:00.001-06:00

Um....this is pretty great.

Powerful Documentary: WINTER SOLDIER

2006-11-28T16:09:00.001-06:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
There was a time during my turkey- filled weekend, that I felt a little under the weather & needed to slow my life down a bit.
I found myself watching a documentary called WINTER SOLDIER. It was something that Steve & I had hoped to watch a while ago but never got around to it, so Steve popped it in the DVD player.

This film blew me away.
Here a group of Vietnam veterans opened up and talked about their experiences in the war.

Very recently we heard President Bush state that if he learned anything about Iraq during his visit to Vietnam, he said that learned that we should stay the course…“we’ll succeed unless we quit.”
Well, that’s not what I learned about Vietnam.
It’s not what Keith Olbermann learned either.

(By the way, Keith Olbermann is awesome for telling it like it is.)

The longer we stayed there, the sicker we became in the treatment of the Vietnamese.
I wonder about the Iraqis now, especially since the Abu Ghraib atrocities have come to our attention.

For more info on the film, please check this out.

I had never before heard about how powerful this film is. I am thankful that I saw it!
Please rent this & talk about it.
It’s so important.

And thank you!

Have a Happy & Safe Holiday!

2006-11-22T15:23:00.001-06:00

A New Home For BoHo-- A Time for Thanks

2006-11-20T19:48:00.001-06:00

As some of you know, I have recently become a company member with Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, a great group of people!

They have been looking for a permanent space for quite some time now. It is hard for an itinerant company to solidify performance dates in advance because we can never know what dates will be available in someone else’s space! We also have had a hard time with storage, ticketing systems, etc…. a permanent home would be a blessing for this talented ensemble!

Well, we’ve searched high & low (or at least they have, I’ve only been around for a month so far), and we finally have a home to call our own!

Drum roll please…..

Our New Home is located at The Heartland Studio Theatre located at 7016 North Glenwood in Chicago’s Rogers Park! How funny that YERMA closed this weekend…we thought it would be the end of our time in the Heartland space and now we can nestle right in there!

It’s very exciting and we are thrilled at the opportunities that will arise just from having a theatrical home! We’ve got much work to do though…we’ll be under construction for a bit so we can spruce the place up and really create an adaptable place so we can utilize it to the best of our ability. We’ve got lots of supplies to buy!

If you are interested in helping us out, here’s where you can make a tax deductible donation via paypal to the company.

If you prefer to write a check, please make it out to Bohemian Theatre Ensemble and send it to:
2437 West Farragut Avenue #3B, Chicago, IL 60625

Please tell them I sent you! And Thank you so much!

Thanks for the Memories

2006-11-17T09:58:00.000-06:00

This is quite good.

Who is this Gates guy?

2006-11-09T22:01:00.001-06:00

Rummy is now out, put in his resignation, only hours after the Dems won on Tuesday night.
So, what I wanna know is if this Robert Gates is WORSE???

It makes me very suspect. Bush only has 2 more years in the White House. He needs to get as much accomplished as possible. And as we have seen from the last 6 years, can destroy….ahem…“accomplish” quite a lot.

Bush announces Rumsfeld stepping down
Posted by: "Jim Senyszyn" jnsenyszyn@insightbb.com jnsenyszyn
Wed Nov 8, 2006 12:08 pm (PST)

Bush announces Rumsfeld stepping down

President taps ex-CIA chief Gates to replace embattled defense secretary

BREAKING NEWS

NBC, MSNBC and news services

Updated: 26 minutes ago

http://tinyurl.com/yyt7ax

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped down as defense
secretary on Wednesday, one day after midterm elections in which opposition
to the war in Iraq contributed to heavy Republican losses.

President Bush said he would nominate Robert Gates, a former CIA director,
to replace Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.

Asked whether his announcement signaled a new direction in the war that has
claimed the lives of more than 2,800 U.S. troops, Bush said, "Well, there's
certainly going to be new leadership at the Pentagon."

Bush lavished praise on Rumsfeld, who has spent six stormy years at his
post. The president disclosed he met with Gates last Sunday, two days before
the elections in which Democrats swept control of the House and possibly the
Senate.

Military officials and politicians dissatisfied with the course of the war
had called for Rumsfeld's resignation in the months leading up to the
election. Last week, as Bush campaigned to save the Republican majority, he
declared that Rumsfeld would remain at the Pentagon through the end of his
term.

Source: Cheney stuck by Rumsfeld

But sources told NBC News' military analyst Bill Arkin that prior to the
election, Vice President Dick Cheney argued with other politicians over
whether Rumsfeld should stay. White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and
others said Rumsfeld should be removed, the source said. Both sides agreed
the decision would be made after the election, when Bush would make the
final call based on how Republicans did.

According to the source, Bush agreed Rumsfeld should be removed after seeing
election results favoring Democrats. Cheney then lost another argument,
protesting Gates' nomination as Rumsfeld's replacement.

Rumsfeld, 74, was in his second tour of duty as defense chief. He first held
the job a generation ago, when he was appointed by President Ford.

Whatever confidence Bush retained in Rumsfeld, the Cabinet officer's support
in Congress had eroded significantly. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House
speaker-in-waiting, said at her first postelection news conference that Bush
should replace the top civilian leadership at the Pentagon.

And Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who had intervened in the past to
shore up support for Rumsfeld, issued a statement saying, "Washington must
now work together in a bipartisan way - Republicans and Democrats - to
outline the path to success in Iraq."

The Pentagon offered no date for Rumsfeld's departure.

Appointee a close Bush family friend

Gates, 63, has served as the president of Texas A&M University since August
2002, and as the university's interim dean of the George Bush School of
Government and Public Service from 1999 to 2001.

The school is home to the presidential library of Bush's father. Gates is a
close friend of the Bush family, and particularly the first President Bush.

He served as deputy national security adviser from 1989 to 1991 and then as
CIA director during the first Iraq war, from 1991 until 1993.

Gates joined the CIA in 1966 and is the only agency employee to rise from an
entry level job to the 7th floor director's office. He served in the
intelligence community for more than a quarter century, under six
presidents.

Bush has considered Gates for jobs before, including in 2005 when he was
searching for a candidate to be the nation's first national intelligence
director.

His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., who is expected to chair the House Armed Services
Committee next year, said Rumsfeld's resignation "presents an important
opportunity for our country to begin a new policy direction in Iraq and in
the war on terrorism."

He encouraged the Bush administration to take advantage of the fresh start.

NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Coon Shop

2006-11-06T14:54:00.001-06:00

The Holidays are coming up so quickly!!!
Can you believe it???
Wow…it sneaks up on me every year!

Well, I know that I will be doing a little shopping from THE COON SHOP this year. Just thought I’d mention it in case you were looking for ideas this season.
I have a love for painting and photography in addition to. A lot of my pieces have a sense of humor so take a look & happy shopping!

Army Recruiters

2006-11-05T10:51:00.001-06:00

I am disgusted.
But I am not naive enough to say that I didn't already know this was going on.
Every summer in Chicago, I refuse to go to the Air & Water show, where we see military jets doing amazing stunts and recruiters infiltrate the audience & try to get people to enlist. Sorta like showing them that the military is "cool" and not addressing the fact that we send our boys off to be killed for a war that shouldn't be. Recruiters typically prey on the young.

This is just another example.

( http://tinyurl.com/y4j3h4 )

Nov. 3, 2006 - - An ABC News undercover investigation showed Army recruiters
telling students that the war in Iraq was over, in an effort to get them to
enlist.

ABC News and New York affiliate WABC equipped students with hidden video
cameras before they visited 10 Army recruitment offices in New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut.

"Nobody is going over to Iraq anymore?" one student asks a recruiter.

"No, we're bringing people back," he replies.

"We're not at war. War ended a long time ago," another recruiter says.

Last year, the Army suspended recruiting nationwide to retrain recruiters
following hundreds of allegations of improprieties.

One Colorado student taped a recruiting session posing as a drug-addicted
dropout.

"You mean I'm not going to get in trouble?" the student asked.

The recruiters told him no, and helped him cheat to sign up.

During the ABC News sessions, some recruiters told our students if they
enlisted, there would be little chance they'd to go Iraq.

But Col. Robert Manning, who is in charge of U.S. Army recruiting for the
entire Northeast, said that new recruits were likely to go to Iraq.

"I would not disagree with that," Manning said. "We are a nation and Army at
war still."

Manning looked at the ABC News video of his recruiters.

"It's hard to believe some of things they are telling prospective
applicants," Manning said. "I still believe that this is the exception more
than the norm. . I've visited many stations myself, and I know that we have
many wonderful Americans serving in uniform as recruiters."

Yet ABC News found one recruiter who even claimed if you didn't like the
Army, you could just quit.

"It's called a 'Failure to Adapt' discharge," the recruiter said. "It's an
entry-level discharge so it won't affect anything on your record. It'll just
be like it never happened."

Manning, however, disagrees with the ease the recruiter describes.

"I would believe it's not as easy as he would lead you to believe it is," he
said.

Sue Niederer, whose son, Seth, joined the Army in 2002, said she was all too
familiar with recruiters' lies.

"They need to do anything they possibly can to get recruits," Niederer said.

Seth was sent to Iraq and was killed by a roadside bomb.

Niederer said she was not surprised by what ABC News had found. She believes
it's still a widespread problem. She said that recruiters told Seth he
wouldn't be put into combat.

"Ninety percent [are] going to be putting their lives on the line for our
country," she said. "Tell them the truth. That's all. Just tell them the
truth."

Whoa!

2006-11-01T21:29:00.001-06:00

Amost 1,000 hits!

:)

Happy Halloween!!

2006-10-31T13:42:00.001-06:00

Check this out. Have fun!

How many of me are there?

2006-10-30T12:22:00.000-06:00

Interesting…

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
0
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Approaching 1,000 hits!

2006-10-27T18:10:00.001-05:00

Hey guys,

Wow, I know I’m not that committed to blogging as I could be…I go days sometimes without posting (sorry ‘bout that!)
And I know I could be more attentive to other blogs & write comments & stuff (cos ya gotta give to get, of course!)

but I know I don’t. and you don’t have to either.

Just knowing that I’ve been “clicked on” almost 1,000 times is pretty cool. (hmmm…sounds kinda dirty!)
I know lots of peeps that would have 10 times this amount if they were blogging since August like me…but hey, I’m a busy gal!

So what I really mean to say is…thanks for hanging in there with me!

:)

New Jersey and Gay Marriage

2006-10-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

Again I ask…

What is everyone so afraid of???

In 30 years we are going to look back & see how much we are discriminating against gays.

For no good reason.

Here’s the latest online.

It’s really a shame that this is called a “victory” by some in the media. It should be a RIGHT. Why was I so privileged to get married to my husband last year? Because I’m straight. That’s why and that’s why it’s called discrimination.

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Right Wing Rush

2006-10-27T07:59:00.001-05:00

Check this out.

What the hell is wrong with Rush Limbaugh?
Why do people even pay attention to him? Ever?

I have never heard anything of value come out of his mouth. His right wing self is hateful and that’s it. Right wingers are fearful of something and that fear is what provokes this hateful speak.

I guess the Viagra is not making him any happier.

It’s very disturbing to see him in a public setting spouting more ignorance.

yuk.

365 Plays- Awesome Theatre Festival

2006-10-25T19:13:00.000-05:00

So, have any of you heard of this play festival “365”?

Check it out here.

It’s taken Chicago by storm and starts in a few short weeks!

Here’s the idea:
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks wrote a play a day for an entire year with the idea that we need to keep art in our lives every single day. She pitched it at the Steppenwolf studio theatre a few months ago and I went to the meeting. 52 theatres in Chicago will each produce a week’s worth of plays from the series= 7 plays.

It’s such a cool idea, to link 52 theatres in Chicago, to work on a collective piece that is bigger than any one play, bigger than any one theatre company. And I’m doubly lucky. I am affiliated with 2 Chicago theatre companies that are participating:
Bailiwick Repertory and
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

It gets better…

This festival is BIGGER than Chicago even. So far, 14 cities across the US will be participating in this year-long festival which begins November 13, 2006 and ends November 12, 2007.

So cool! I’m so excited!

Here’s the press release:

365 DAYS/365 PLAYS
c/o Next Theatre Company
Noyes Cultural Arts Center office: 847-475-6763
927 Noyes Street fax: 847-475-6767
Evanston, IL 60201 email: info@365chicago.org
www.365chicago.org

Press Contact: Jason Loewith, 847-475-1875 x14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 15, 2006

52 Chicagoland Theaters To Collaborate On
Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays

National Festival With Over 600 Theaters Launches November 13

CHICAGO – A “Hub Council” of seven Chicagoland theaters – Congo Square Theatre, Goodman Theatre, The Hypocrites, Next Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre, Uma Productions and Writer’s Theatre – in association with Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and Producer Bonnie Metzgar announces a diverse roster of 52 local theater companies participating in the year-long world-premiere production of Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays. The companies, which submitted proposals over the summer, were selected by Parks and Metzgar with the aid of the Hub Council based on the originality of their ideas for the plays, and the diversity of the represented artists and neighborhoods.

Each of the 52 selected companies will present the world premieres of seven short plays by Suzan-Lori Parks – one week’s worth of the festival, in venues and productions of their choosing – in a single week between November 13, 2006 and November 12, 2007. All performances will be free and open to the public. For details and a week-by-week schedule, visit www.365chicago.org.

Suzan-Lori Parks says, “365 Chicago rocks! What a great theatre town and your glorious 365 Hub Council has gathered together such a brilliant and diverse group of participants!”

“This is an extremely dynamic group of companies,” adds Next Theatre’s Jason Loewith, the project’s Executive Producer in Chicago. “From the tiniest storefront to the largest companies in town; from the lake to the western suburbs, from Hyde Park to Lake Forest, nearly every kind of theater artist and theater audience will have an opportunity to participate in this nationwide festival. It’s a wonderful contribution for Chicago to the national theater scene, and an incredible, collaborative gift for the community to share.”

A “Midway Celebration” will be mounted half-way through the festival on Monday, June 18, 2007 at the Claudia Cassidy Theatre in Chicago’s Cultural Center, at which the 26 companies so far represented will each present a single play. Details will be available on the website www.365chicago.org in the spring. Similar plans for a closing celebration are in the works for November 2007.

The selected companies, listed by week of production:

*indicates Hub Council Member

Dog and Pony Theatre Company (11/13/06)
The Gift Theatre Company (11/20/06)
Urban Theatre Company (11/27/06)
Rubicon Theater Company (12/4/06)
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre (12/11/06)
Serendipity Theatre Company (12/18/06)
American Theatre Company (12/25/06)
Artistic Home Theatre Company (1/1/07)
Collaboraction Theatre Company (1/8/07)
Moving Dock Theatre Company (1/15/07)
Teatro Vista (1/22/07)
The Mill Theatre Company (1/29/07)
Raven Theatre (2/5/07)
Piven Theatre Company (2/12/07)
The Neofuturists (2/19/07)
Uma Productions* (2/26/07)
Infamous Commonwealth Theatre (3/5/07)
GroundUp Theatre Company (3/12/07)
Lifeline Theatre (3/19/07)
Soul Theatre Company (3/26/07)
Sansculottes Theatre Company (4/2/07)
The Journeymen (4/9/07)
Court Theatre (4/16/07)
New Branch Theatre Company (4/23/07)
Citadel Theatre Company (4/30/07)
The Goodman Theatre* (5/7/07)
Silk Road Theatre Company (5/14/07)
Estrogen Fest (5/21/07)
Northlight Theatre (5/28/07)
Vitalist Theatre Company (6/4/07)
Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre (6/11/07)
Congo Square Theatre* (6/18/07)
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (6/25/07)
Sandbox Theatre Project (7/2/07)
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble (7/9/07)
Chicago Dramatists (7/16/07)
500 Clown (7/23/07)
Western Springs Theatre Co. (7/30/07)
The Hypocrites* (8/6/07)
Victory Gardens (8/13/07)
HealthWorks Theatre Company (8/20/07)
Stage Left (8/27/07)
Eclipse Theatre Company (9/3/07)
DMG Productions (9/10/07)
Shattered Globe Theatre (9/17/07)
Adolescent Health Theatre (9/24/07)
MPAACT (10/1/07)
Next Theatre Company* (10/8/07)
Writers Theatre* (10/15/07)
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company (10/22/07)
The Side Project (10/29/07)
Steppenwolf Theatre* (11/5/07)

The National Festival

In November 2002, Pulitzer-winner Parks committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days. The world premiere of this play cycle will be performed as a yearlong national festival simultaneously in major cities and communities around the country. From November 13, 2006 to November 12, 2007, over 600 theaters in Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Austin, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, the Carolinas, Mississippi River towns, and university campuses will create the largest theater collaboration in U.S. History. The series of brief, brilliant theatre pieces from one of the country’s most innovative voices will be performed in a variety of spaces, fully staged or as readings, representing the dynamism and diverse spirit of theater artists throughout the United States.

Parks says: "One day Bonnie Metzgar asked me 'What's up with those 365 plays?' 'I've done them,' I said. 'Yeah, but now you've got to do them,' Bonnie said. And together we created a production model which would speak to the spirit of my plays: a simultaneous and shared world premiere involving hundreds of theatres around the country."

YERMA Highly Recommended by The Chicago Reader!

2006-10-21T08:55:00.001-05:00

Here's the link.

Yay!
And here's what is says:

YERMA Yerma bemoans her barrenness in every scene of Federico Garcia Lorca's 1934 play, the second in his "blood trilogy." But the script is so emotionally intricate, and this pared Bohemian Theatre Ensemble production so supple, that she holds you in her maniacal grip for the show's entire 85 minutes.

A new translation/adaptation by Thomas J. Samorian and director Peter Robel gives the story a light, unpretentious feel, and a subtly revised ending makes Yerma less terrifying. Yet the play's sense of inexorable tragedy remains. Ultimately Yerma's not about wanting a baby--it's about wanting justice in a world bereft of it.

Kristy Hartsgrove is fluid and passionate, delicate and fierce, as Yerma, and Alanda Coon shines as her earth-mother opposite.

--Laura Molzahn

Through 11/19: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM
Heartland Studio Theater
7016 N. Glenwood
773-791-2393
$18 advance
$20 door

sneezies!

2006-10-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

Called in sick today. My allergies have been getting the best of me this past weekend. It's hard to sleep when you can't breathe, ya know?

Hallelujah for sick days.
I slept in this morning and plan to take it easy today.
I'll be taking lots of vitamins, cleaning up the home a bit & unpacking my winter clothes...all activities that are over due. (I still can't believe it SNOWED a few days ago!)

Anyhoo, wish me well & I hope you are all safe from the nasty allergy sneezies!

AaaaaaaCHOOOO!

Wedding Anniversary Numero Uno!

2006-10-16T10:19:00.000-05:00

It was one year ago yesterday that we tied the knot.
Boy, Steve is dreamy, isn't he?

I can't believe a year has passed by already & better yet...I can't believe I met him 3 and 1/2 years ago already. He makes time fly by.

I opened YERMA yesterday & Steve came to see it. Afterward, we went to the opening party, sponsored by the lovely Bohemian Theatre Ensemble peeps. We stayed only for a short while so we could go out to dinner.

We chose The SpeakEasy Supper Club & took a photo.

I'm a very lucky woman.