Introducing The Cotillion Carnival

I know by now that all of you blog junkies are acquainted with, and read, the Cotillion on a daily basis! What you don't know is that we have decided to start a monthly carnival.

Why not start 2008 with the sharp wit and a brimful of smarts from the ladies of the Cotillion. This edition will bring you topics ranging from daily life in Louisiana to visiting a concentration camp in Germany.

'Tiara Media' proudly presents the New Year edition of the Cotillion Carnival.

Greta Perry of Kiss My Gumbo, and self proclaimed princess of positive, tells us of how a J for Governor bumper sticker saves the day in Mandeville, Louisiana.


Fausta's Blog sends us her article about Jeanne Assam and the case for Carry Concealed Licenses.

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is always looking out for our military. With this entry she shows how easy it is for all of us to support our troops. What Kind Of World Do You Want?

This is about a fundraiser for charities (including Fisher House and the USO) where you just watch user-created videos, and donations are made per view. Revver hosts the videos, and the (unobtrusive) ads pay for the donations--approx. $1 per view. Simple!

Seriously, it can't get any easier than watching a video people. How many YouTube videos have you watched this past year? Yeah, do the math and go watch some videos!

The Sisu Blog presents He actually believes the bald-faced tales he spins posted at sisu. "He" being Mr. Clinton, but the blog post is packed full of more interesting pontifications that you really need to go absorb for yourself. I don't know why I am surprised; I should be used to it by now. Those crazy Clinton's.

Something...And Half Of Something gives us reason number 576938172 for why she doesn't watch television. Britain's airwaves try to join the reality genre with a show called, "Make Me A Muslim" but as Linda points out, they really don't get the whole reality TV thing:

It doesn't appear that anyone suffered the true effects of Sharia law, presumably they were not flogged on public television for their lapses into the evil alcohol and their failure to cover themselves with a sheet. No one was crucified or hanged or mutilated, everyone retained their heads. So, I guess Britain isn't really ready for reality TV.

PC Free Zone found some ads that are totally absent of all this awareness of hurting someone's feelings. The Dutch Government Fireworks Safety Ads. Wild Thing says, "These are so funny and applause to the Dutch Government for not being PC about their ads."

The Median Sib is trying to stay away from the news and politics (can't say that I blame her), so she sends us a book review for 90 Minutes In Heaven. This book has been recommended to me several times but I keep passing. Now that I have read the review, I will have to pick it up. The Median Sib also shares with us a personal memory.

Here is another submission from The Median Sib, she shares her New Year's traditional menu with all of us; sounds yummy!

After taking a very short sabbatical from blogging, Villainous Company comes back into the realm with a vengeance, and I'm very grateful she is participating in this carnival. She sends in a post titled Searching For The Meaning Of Christmas.

Blue Star Chronicles writes about a recent visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp. I'm glad she sent this link in for the carnival. After reading it several times, myself, I still can't comprehend what that must have been like. It sickens me and breaks my heart at the same time to read about that time in history. Here is a snippet -

Reading about the concentration camps of the Third Reich and touring one of them are two completely different experiences. Reading about the camps, watching a documentary is an intellectual exercise. Walking through the camp, seeing the pictures of the victims, reading their stories, seeing the bullet holes in the wall in front of which executions took place, looking at the ovens in which bodies were disposed of, seeing the sites where ashes were disposed of is an emotional experience …. visiting the place gives an entirely different perspective.

This, unfortunately, ends our first carnival. Thank you to everyone who participated. I'd like to take this time to wish us all a Happy New Year and may our futures be filled with blessings, prosperity, and good will toward all.

Ironic Headline of the Year Contest

No stinkin prizes and the winner will be announced New Year's Eve. So let's see what you got!!!
I'll be the judge, so this headline doesn't count. I think it would be a serious contender! Please include source.
"Lynne Spears shelved plans to publish a book on parenting!"

Those Pesky Kids

I recently wrote about my neighbor's house being vandalized by teenagers. Now Frosty got "iced" in Slidell, bomb threats made to local High Schools and then all them pesky kids were arrested. Dang, I thought I moved to Utopia??? You see, all these things did happen in my backyard! The back yard of a lovely Louisiana suburb (St. Tammany), not the city! Then again, last week, my friend Merri from Omaha, had to deal with something in her backyard that she thought would never happen.

You see, I don't have teens yet. I still live in the world where I encourage letters to the tooth fairy, cuddling of their Webkinz at night (9 & 7 y olds) and reading cute little fuzzy bedtime stories. My oldest is 11yo and NO - he does not have a MySpace or a cell phone or is out roaming the streets without supervision. Am I the perfect parent? Heck no! If Dr. Phil put a hidden camera in my house I am sure I would be told I should be institutionalized from time to time. Will my kids ever vandalize a yard? Will my kid call in a bomb threat? Will my kid lie to me? Who knows!!!!! Will I kick their butts and punish them until they make six figures and can support me? Hey, not a bad idea!

Wake up call to all!!!! The world is not perfect, never has been, never will be. "You" are not the most important thing in the world, kids are! These pesky kids will soon be our Army, our police, our firefighters, our (*gasp*) politicians. We can't afford to look the other way and write any kid off! I was a high school teacher and did my time in "alternative" schools and even worked in a children's lockdown facility for a short stint...all these pesky kids are ours. It takes a village to raise an idiot (oh wait, I must have that wrong...and no- I ain't no Shillary fan), it takes a parent to raise a child. But if that parent ain't emotionally or physically available, we can't look the other way.

Don't get me wrong, I can't tell you how many days I think of putting a stinkin' bubble over my house and becoming Amish (as long as I can keep my internet). I would shield my little buggers from the kid who popped the inflatable Frosty (though I would be secretly cheering on the sideline). I could home school them and protect them from all "those" kids who teach them bad words on the bus and from bomb threats to their schools. Puh-leeze! I would be institutionalized if I did that! But as I said before, it ain't about me or you, it is about them. So the Princess of Positive (moi') wants to know, whatrugonnadoaboutit? (this is where you comment folks)

*this and all future posts can be found at my personal blog and NOLA.com (who is currently contemplating if $200 a month for all this "quality" blogging is enough for the Princess of Positive - HINT HINT!). Holiday shopping ideas here and don't forget to click my ads and buy stuff!

Select A Candidate Quiz 2008

I took another quiz on the Presidential candidates who best match my views and beliefs.

Tom Tancredo came out on top - huh? We agreed on 8 of 11 of the topics in the quiz. He'll never get the nomination.

Duncan Hunter came in next with Fred Thompson coming in third. As a total surprise, John McCain came in fourth and the dude I'm leaning towards, Mike Huckabee - and yes I'll blame it on the Chuck Norris fog, came in fifth; but we disagree on more of the issues than we agree so I may have to re-think this whole thing, yet again.

However, some of the questions were worded "weird"; for example, the question on Iraq went like this:



The last two choices, to me, are the same thing - I selected that we were going to be in Iraq for a very long time as a support force but the last option says the same thing, practically. I could go with either. But all of the candidates were in disagreement with me, which I found a little off. I'm all for us getting the job done so I don't know why we came out different on this very important issue.

Another thing I found interesting was that all of the candidates were against legalized abortion but they were for the death penalty. I've said it once, I'll say it again...if I am going to be pro-life I need to be pro-life all the way. This issue is not a political thing with me; it's more of my faith/religion. So don't tell me religion doesn't play in politics. It does. Oh sure, as an individual I'd love to be FOR the death penalty, especially to the evil doers to our children, and to be honest you won't hear, or see, me protesting a death penalty sentence either.


The most distraught and disturbing thing I took away from the test was the following -

My age group has gone up into the next category. Well, not officially until the 11th of this month, but still.

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