100 Posts and Counting . . .

It was a beautiful three-day weekend here in New England. The foliage is amazing with my favorite color being the pumpkin orange that pops among the vibrant yellows and reds. And HOORAY! This is my 100th post here at Just Thinking . . . and I want to thank all of you out there who have been commenting on my random thoughts. I've learned a lot and you've definitely given me some things to think about.

But enough about me, I've got a few things I want to let you know about and to stay with the fall theme, today's post will be a "cornucopia" of randomness:

• I saw an amazing segment on the CBS Evening News last night. Now, I don't usually watch the CBS Evening News, don't get me started on Katie Couric as a news anchor. While I appreciate a woman holding a historically male-only position - I think she's awful. She opened her broadcast last night with "Hi everyone." Doesn't she realize she's no longer on the Today Show? But I digress (as usual) - I was alerted by one of my favorite magazines The Nation that its publisher Katrina Vanden Heuvel was going to appear on CBS for its "Free Speech" segment. Vanden Heuvel spoke about the Iraq War and the importance of bringing U.S. troops home - NOW. It was a biting piece of editorial copy and the images used by CBS were moving. Check out the segment here at CBS News and let me know what you think.



• Also this weekend I found this wonderful website, Mothers Acting Up. The organization "is dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers* to ensure the health, education and safety of every child, not just a privileged few. We realize that we live in a world that does not prioritize or protect our children's well-being and that this will not change without each of us finding the courage and commitment to speak out on their behalf." MAU is also sponsoring a Stand Up Against Poverty campaign October 15th and 16th to focus attention on the Millennium Development Goals, a plan consisting of eight goals that will cut in half the number of people suffering in extreme poverty around the world by 2015. So far the U.S. has committed $19 billion of the $57 billion needed to help the plan reach its goal. If we ended our occupation in Iraq, think about how much more money we'd be able to commit to such a worthwhile cause. I'll be posting some other details and stories surrounding this campaign throughout the week, but until then check out the website.



• October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My grandmother is currently suffering from the disease and after having several years of being able to manage the cancer, she has been in great pain and experiencing extreme exhaustion over the last few weeks. My grandmother is one of the lucky ones in that she has experienced a very full life in her 80 plus years on this Earth. However, it upsets me to think about her having lived that long only to have her suffer in pain in her last months or years. It just doesn't seem fair. So be sure that you, your loved ones and friends are getting their yearly mammograms and breast exams. Be sure that you know your own body so that if you find something that shouldn't be there, you can have it taken care of early. You might not only save your own life, but through your experience and the information gathered in your case - you could save the lives of others. And if you're in a position to do so, consider making a donation, a one-time donation or even a recurring monthly donation, and help save lives and provide comfort to those already suffering.



• And last, but certainly not least, the U.S. midterm elections are exactly one month away. Start educating yourself on the candidates in your area because this is a big one, folks. The future direction of this country is at state. When you have a President who is abusing his executive powers and a Congress which refuses to use its checks and balances system to reign him in, we are all in great danger of having our lives changed in fundamental ways. Democrats must pick up 15 House seats and six Senate seats to take back control of Congress. Don't be fooled by attack ads and charming smiles, the freedoms we all take for granted are in jeopardy and a change in leadership is the only way to insure that democracy can be restored. So be sure that you are registered to vote in November (today is the deadline in many states) and make sure you stop at your local polling station on November 7th to demand your vote be counted both locally and nationally.

That's all for now. Have a great Tuesday!