Friday baby blogging

Test drives can be so tiring!

















Claire the pilot.

That French fruit fly research earmark--the back story

This story is of particular interest to me because for the last few years we haven't been able to produce our wonderful home-cured olives, because Steve's olive crop has been a total loss, thanks to the olive fruit fly invasion.

Read it here: Sarah Palin Science | Salon

This is one earmark that will directly benefit California agriculture, so we don't have to import olive oil from foreign countries.

Image from Cornell University.

What kind of stimulus actually helps the economy?

Surprise! The top three most beneficial economic stimulus provisions are food stamps, extending unemployment benefits and spending on the infrastructure--rebuilding our decrepit roads, bridges, and so forth.

Three of the four worst ones just happen to be the ones McCain is pushing.

Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.

Read the accompanying story from the Economic Policy Institute:

A meaningful stimulus for Main Street

$13 million! Purged voters

While the Republican Acorn hoax is distracting the country, millions of real people are being purged from the rolls.

From the Independent (UK):
Open House: The Vote Grab: Voter purge could swing result to McCain
From the Brennan Center for Justice: Voter Suppression Incidents 2008
From U.S. Politics Today: Making sure every vote ISN'T counted

It's hard to find good news these days, but. . . Rwanda??

Who would have imagined that the most war-torn country in Africa would be the site of the world's first women-majority parliament?

Women Run the Show In a Recovering Rwanda

KIGALI, Rwanda -- On a continent that has been dominated by the rule of men, this tiny East African nation is trying something new.

Here, women are not only driving the economy -- working on construction sites, in factories and as truck and taxi drivers -- they are also filling the ranks of government.

Women hold a third of all cabinet positions, including foreign minister, education minister, Supreme Court chief and police commissioner general. And Rwanda's parliament last month became the first in the world where women claim the majority -- 56 percent, including the speaker's chair.

One result is that Rwanda has banished archaic patriarchal laws that are still enforced in many African societies, such as those that prevent women from inheriting land. The legislature has passed bills aimed at ending domestic violence and child abuse, while a committee is now combing through the legal code to purge it of discriminatory laws.

. . . .

Though profound tensions and scars from the genocide still exist here, so does a strong sense of national purpose tinged with unapologetic political correctness.

It is taboo to speak of Hutus or Tutsis these days; everyone is Rwandan. The last Saturday of every month is community work day, when neighbors gather for six hours to help with a collective project -- clearing brush, or repairing a less-fortunate neighbor's house.

"We are doing this for ourselves -- not because it's a law," said Beatrice Namyonga, who was clearing weeds with her neighbors.

When it comes to the role of women, a similar attitude prevails.

In general, men here seem to have accepted and even embraced the policy of promoting women in government, even if their endorsement at times carries a dutiful tone.

"It was the government's aim to promote women, and the biggest proportion of Rwandans are women," said Jean Muhikira, 49, a driver who said he notices many more women in his line of work these days. "Women can contribute a lot in ideas."

In some quarters of Rwandan society -- particularly among older men and Hutu men who harbor some mistrust of Kagame's government -- the policy is viewed with faint suspicion.

"Maybe now that women have more than 50 percent in parliament, it could be a big problem," said Thomas Habumuisha, 29, who was out shopping with a friend on Saturday. "Maybe women could take advantage and oppress men."

His friend, Muhire Bitorwa, whose wife, a teacher, is helping pay his way through Kigali University, nodded politely, but disagreed.

"In my view, women are more reasonable, more merciful and less corrupt than men," he offered. "And culturally, women have not been recognized."

Read the whole thing.

Granddaughter of the year

An old friend once remarked that when you kiss a baby, your lips buzz. That is, in fact, true.

I never envisioned my curmudgeon of a son kissing a baby. I am so impressed with Ben and Christine. They have the good fortune to both be available to Claire during her first three months, and they share all the care right down the middle. Christine gets up for the before-midnight feeding shifts, and Ben gets up for the early morning ones. This is possible because Christine pumps her milk. Ah, the blessings of technology.

The cooking and cleaning are also a mutual effort.

I have talked to other men who have been able to participate in their children's infancy, and they consider themselves to be among the truly blessed.

My mother and I had a lovely and relaxed four days with Ben, Christine and Claire--my first grandchild and my mother's first great grandchild. May you all be so lucky.

Here's Claire with her great grandmother, my mother:















Okay, only family will be interested in this; here are a few more pictures of Claire, the wonder baby.