Sharon Stone: Karmic Media Whore

How about that Sharon Stone comment? Here is the complete comment as she spoke it:

“Well you know it was very interesting because at first I’m, you know, not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so, I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don’t like that and I’ve been just, you know, concerned about, oh, how should we deal with the Olympics because, they’re not being nice to the Dalai Lama who’s a good friend of mine. And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened and I thought is that Karma? When you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you, and then I got a letter from the Tibetan Foundation that they wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry. And they asked me if I would write a quote about that, and I said, I would, that it was a big lesson to me. That sometimes you have to learn to put your head down and be of service, even to people who aren’t nice to you. And that that’s a big lesson for me.”

OK Sharon. First, you get the Stupid Blonde Rich Bitch of the World award from me. How insensitive, undiplomatic, inconsiderate, tactless, and ignorant can one person be? Obviously, you don't understand Karma at all.

Karma would be that the Chinese government would be overthrown for their civil rights violations and repression by the civilian population and the Chinese army. Karma is NOT that millions of innocent Chinese are homeless, or have lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods. These people have done nothing to deserve this.

You know what? Shit happens. And you're living, walking, breathing and (unfortunately for the rest of us) talking proof of that, Ms. Stone. Interpreting the earthquake as Karmic retribution on the Chinese people in general just because you don't like how the government is treating a certain group of people, is very, very "unkind".

To say that the misery of those millions of Chinese is a direct outcome of the Chinese government's crackdown on Tibetans is so unbelievably unkind and thoughtless - I can't even describe my thoughts of how incensed I am by your statement. I hope no one has to tell you how horribly hurtful your statement is towards the Chinese people - those who have done nothing to deserve this "karmic retribution" you speak of, because they are as much a victim of their government as the Tibetans. And if you really knew anything about the Chinese, you'd know that whenever the Chinese people have demonstrations against the government, their government is just as quick and brutal in shutting them down as they have been with Tibet. But that doesn't seem to matter to you... only Tibetans matter, because the Dalai Lama is a friend of yours, and he's been treated unkindly.

OH, and are we to really believe that the Dalai Lama is a friend of yours? Have him over for dinner lately? Exchange gifts at Christmas? Do a little girly-talk on the cell phone? Define friend for me. I don't see the Dalai Lama hanging out with you or coming over to your dinner parties because he is a friend. I have a suspicion (probably highly justified) that you use the term "friend" rather loosely, as do most Hollywood types. I do believe that the Dalai Lama is an adult and quite capable of handling injustices done to him just fine - and I believe that your name-dropping, quite inappropriate in your statement, is to show how "well-connected" you seem to think you are. He doesn't need you to stand up for him. He's a big boy and has handled his own affairs quite well without you shooting off your mouth to tell China to quit picking on him. And I highly doubt he's got you in his cell phone's "circle of friends" so he can call you for free and get the latest on your opinion of how China is not being "nice" to him. He has greater concerns than that. Trust me, you are not his "friend".

What a media whore you are. You have done more harm to yourself on a global nature than you could ever anticipate. Oh, but, you didn't anticipate it because you didn't even think through your answer before you started talking.

Next time you are concerned about "how to think" about something, you need to put a lock on those thin, cruel lips of yours and not say anything. That would be the kindest thing you could do for anyone.

I have become a Canon convert

I used to love Nikon cameras. Not sure why... the first digital camera I bought was a Nikon Coolpix 5000. It was a nice little point-and-shoot I bought in 2001, and I took it to China with us when we adopted Kenzie. For one of the first 5 mp cameras that Nikon made, it was a really nice camera, and I had taken thousands of pictures with it... most of them were really very nice.

So, when buying new cameras, I was always a bit sceptical and afraid to change from a Nikon to anything else. So I bought a Nikon Coolpix 3700 (not bad for a 3 mp camera), a Nikon Coolpix P1 (small 8 mp camera - not high on my list of good cameras), and a Nikon Coolpix 8700 (another 8 mp camera - and another big disappointment from Nikon).

After being mostly disappointed with the performance of 3 of the four Nikons I had bought, I decided I wanted something better.

So what do I do? I went and bought a Canon Rebel XTi. I outfitted it with 3 sets of lenses, filters, a battery grip, and my husband even bought a 580 EX flash attachment. I love this camera - it's a bit beyond my capabilities, but I'm still learning, and I look at it as a labor of love to get to know how to use this camera.

However, this camera is heavy and bulky, and I certainly don't want to carry heavy camera equipment with me if I'm going back to China to adopt again. So, I wanted to find another small point and shoot - but not one that would disappoint me again. I decided to start researching more closely what I wanted. I wasn't going to make the mistake of just adhereing to a brand name just because it was all I had known...

I finally found what I wanted. It is small, functional, has from 80 ISO to 1600 ISO, and is 12 mp. And I found it in a Canon Powershot G9. The pictures it has taken are nothing short of gorgeous. I have been taking pics of flowers here lately, and I have been extremely impressed with the detail and quality of the pictures. OK, I'm not a professional here, but as just a regular Joe Shmoe, I like what I see. Here are some examples. To see the full size of the pics, click on the picture. I think you'll like it, too.

Close up #1:

Full Size pic
Even closer close up: Cropped close up:
Cropped close up and image has been manipulated with an editing program.

Purple iris I liked:

Tragedy in the Steven Curtis Chapman Family

Words cannot express my sorrow for their loss. Their youngest daughter, adopted from China, was killed yesterday in a horrible accident.

The article that discusses the event is found here.

His music video "Cinderella" and the following vlog as to how he came about writing the song can be found here. I highly recommend your listening to it - it brings a whole new perspective on family and how we treat our children, considering the family's loss and the grief they must be experiencing.

My heart goes out to the family - and especially their son. I hope he can forgive himself and move beyond the guilt I presume he must be feeling right now. God give them peace.

Dance Recital and Rehearsal May 2008

Well, as promised, here is her rehearsal and the recital.

As usual, there's always something that's going to happen to mess things up. Kenzie found a piece of red string that had been fringe from one of the other dance groups' costumes. And she just had to keep it... even all through her recital. You will see her changing it from hand to hand and finally dangling from her hand as she dances. But, by gawd, she was NOT going to lose it!

I just love her to pieces....