Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
This video apparently created enough of a stir with PETA to make it onto CNN and Fox News. I thought it was a fun parody of the old Whack’a Mole arcade game and it doesn’t look as if the kittens were being hurt in any way. For the story behind the video, you can click here or cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.whack-a-kitty.com/about/
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
That wisdom has nothing to do with race, religion, ethnicity or gender.
Much is being made of Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonya Sotomayor’s 2001 comments that she “would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.â€
Much should be made of that statement because it is either a statement made with poor judgment or one made with the conviction that she is better equipped to make a decision because she is a Latina woman. Either of the rationales for the statements is troubling.
As a judge and a person in the public eye, Sotomayor should at least be more circumspect when speaking. Being a fellow lawyer, we are taught to carefully consider what we say and write. To not do so and speak thoughtlessly can lead to repercussions, witnessed here by words that are coming back to haunt her.
Being a Latina who understands the whole underdog thing — my parents came here from Cuba, I wasn’t born here and didn’t speak English when I went to kindergarten, I went to a top tier college on a scholarship and to law school — I appreciate how hard Sotomayor has worked to get where she is.
But isn’t that underdog story typical of America? Isn’t that one of the wondrous things about this country? My husband’s grandparents all came here from Italy. Barely spoke English, but learned. Worked hard to buy homes, send their kids to school. Grand kids have prospered.
It’s the American dream. Work hard and prosper. Whether you’re white, black, brown, Italian, Cuban, Irish, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, America is the land of opportunity. Equal opportunity, sometimes not as equal as we would like, but certainly doable.
I should know. I did it. My parents did it. My husband’s grandparents did it. So did millions of others.
But back to Sotomayor. She did it and we should applaud her for it, but not just because she is a Latina woman.
You might remember that “just because” discussion from months back. The risks of making decisions based on “just because.”
When the nomination was mentioned, many people in the office looked to me and asked, “What do you think?”
I wondered, did they ask their white male counterparts right off the bat, or just me – the Latina Woman.
That’s one of the problems of “just because.” Everything you do is tainted by the “You got that (job/scholarship/nomination/published) just because you were (white, black, brown, Italian, Cuban, Irish, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim).”
Just because diminishes you and everything you do. It diminishes those around you and builds resentment.
If we are to nominate Judge Sotomayor to the Nation’s most important Court, please let it be on the basis of something other than just because.
I, for one, intend to read more about her and her decisions and you should as well. You can click here for the White House press release. Read about some of her decisions (links provided, although I do not vouch for their authenticity nor the opinions which may be expressed therein).
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/judge-sotomayor%E2%80%99s-opinions-with-dissents-%E2%80%93-part-i/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/05/26/us/0526-scotus.html
http://ninthjustice.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/debate-continues-on-sotomayors.php
And do you know what? If you take even one minute to read one of these cases, you will be one up on Harry Reid, who said, “I understand that during her career, she’s written hundreds and hundreds of opinions. I haven’t read a single one of them, and if I’m fortunate before we end this, I won’t have to read one of them.†Courtesy Politico – click here for more.
Just some thoughts for you on this rainy Thursday.
I’m off on a trip for work today and tomorrow, so please excuse the lack of a post. I’ll be back on Thursday with some thoughtful commentary for you!
Okay, I confess. I’ve been living under a rock. Since I never watched Grey’s Anatomy, I had no idea who McSteamy was. Then I saw MARLEY AND ME on an airplane ride and every time Eric Dane come onto the screen I thought, OMG! Who is this remarkably attractive and manly man.
So, having done my research, I present to you this Monday’s Guilty Pleasure – Eric Dane! I think I may have to give that show a try now. Eric is so handsome and harkens back to the old days of Hollywood. I could just imagine him playing a pirate beside Tyrone Power or Erroll Flynn. How about you? Do you find him to be as McSteamy as I did?
Since we’re on the topic of vampires, here’s another of the handsome ones! If you’ve ever been to a concert with a screaming teen, you will so get the caption. I’m convinced that if the Army could find a way to bottle those screams, they would have the most effective weapon ever!
Also check out this special which runs until June 30! Get an extra 10% off (for a total of 30% off the cover price). Also for right now, get free shipping on any purchase over $10! You can’t beat that deal! Just click on those sexy abs to visit eharlequin.com and use the coupon code AFFILIATE10.
Last but not least, it’s the LAST WEEKEND in the fabulous Brenda Novak auction. Please drop by to check out the items that I’ve made available at the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction!
First there is this amazing Sabor Latino basket put together by my friend, Olga. Besides some of my novels, there are some wonderful food items as well as a lovely pair of silver earrings and matching pendant.
To bid on this item, you can click here or paste this link into your browser:
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?e=rb&id=1306195
You can also bid on the following items that I’ve donated for the auction:
A signed ARC of SINS OF THE FLESH (A November 2009 release)
A signed copy of FURY CALLS
A t-shirt for SINS OF THE FLESH
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1379107
Complete set of The Calling Vampire novels – PLUS — Calling T-shirt. Novels: DARKNESS CALLS, DANGER CALLS, TEMPTATION CALLS, DEATH CALLS, DEVOTION CALLS, BLOOD CALLS, HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE, DESIRE CALLS and FURY CALLS
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1341802
Also take a moment to check out this basket from the Liberty States Fiction Writers which contains:
Autographed copies of:
A DAUGHTER’S PROMISE by Christine Clemetson
NOBLE BLOOD by Linda Parisi
ARC of SINS OF THE FLESH by Caridad Pineiro
DREAMS AND DESIRES by Lois Winston
VENUS RISING by Annalise
As well as an audiobook of Stephen Colbert’s “I Am America and So Can You!,†a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and lunch bag (color – red, B&W image attached). In addition, you will receive copies of thirty other romance novels (these 30 are unsigned).
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1401815
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
This morning as I was thinking about what this Thoughtful Thursday’s topic might be, I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was already Thursday and that May was almost over. I thought, “Wow, time flies” and I should write about that and then thought, “Duh, you already did!”
Which of course led to today’s topic. Do you feel as if you can’t remember anything lately? That your memory is fading, draining from your brain?
Memory loss as we age is a normal occurrence and sometimes, forgetting things isn’t so much about forgetting, but about being distracted due to the many things we have to juggle. I know the first step to my not forgetting is to make a list to keep track of all those things I have to do!
When should you worry about memory loss? FamilyDoctor.org notes “A memory problem is serious when it affects your daily living. . . you may have a more serious problem if you have trouble remembering how to do things you’ve done many times before, getting to a place you’ve been to often, or doing things that use steps, like following a recipe.”
What can you do to help stay sharp? Newsweek offered up these suggestions in a January 2008 article:
I’m going to go practice some of these stay sharp items and do something else — make some lists of what I have to do!
Hope this Thoughtful Thursday was helpful!
This morning’s Wicked Wednesday is an excerpt from HONOR CALLS, my February 2009 Nocturne Bite. HONOR CALLS is a sexy story about a young vampire slayer, Michaela, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Jesus hernandez. You’ve met Jesus in past books and probably know he’s a by the book kind of guy. Will that all change when he meets Michaela?
Take a moment to find out. To purchase HONOR CALLS, click here. Also, HONOR CALLS will be part of the October 2009 AWAKENING THE BEAST Collection.
The small street on which the club was located was not wide enough for the passage of a car. As he rounded the block for the third time, he scoped out a free spot a short distance away and after parking, headed on foot toward the Goth club.
He hadn’t gone more than a few feet before the heat and humidity of an August Manhattan night had him sweating beneath the weight of his suit jacket. Since he was armed, removing the jacket wasn’t possible and he was starting to regret he hadn’t gone by his apartment to at least change into a t-shirt and jeans.
Swiping at a line of perspiration along his brow, he paused at the mouth of the street, one of the older ones in the city. More like an alley, which seemed apropos for the place he was about to visit, he thought. Definitely a back alley kind of operation from what he had seen in the various reports that had crossed his desk.
Ahead of him and about four small blocks down was a line of people at a nondescript building – the Blood Bank he assumed. The line was relatively long considering the hour and filled with a decidedly rough-looking crowd clad in lots of black, leather and metal. That at least was not very different from what he had expected.
As he proceeded along the cobblestones, bright with the light from a full moon and uneven beneath his shoes, he kept a wary eye on the smaller, even narrower side streets and tight gaps between the buildings. It was at the mouth of one of those alleys that the last body had been found.
Or at least, parts of the body.
A grunt, loud and painful-sounding, snared his attention as he passed the entrance to a space between two turn-of-the-century brick buildings. The buildings were built so closely together that the moonlight did little to illuminate the area between, but even with the lack of light, he detected the activity going on in the gap.
Another grunt came followed by the din of metal trash cans crashing against one another.
Definitely a fight and judging from the sounds of it, someone was getting their ass kicked.
He pulled out his Sig and advanced to the opening of the space between the buildings. He took a step within and his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, revealing the two people locked together in combat. One tall and much bigger than the other and as they grappled together, the light from a side door lamp illuminated their features.
The smaller one was a woman while the other. . .
Eerily bright blazing eyes shot a glance his way while long white fangs gleamed from the artificial light of the lamp. The creature growled at him, the sound like the rumble of a mountain lion, but then turned back toward the woman.
She had her arms braced against the creature’s jacket, trying to keep those wickedly long fangs away from her face, but with the vampire’s greater height and bulk, he feared she might be fighting a losing battle.
Ño, he cursed as she continued with the fight, totally ignoring his presence.
The creature spun the woman around and as the light swept over her face, he could tell she was young. Mid-twenties he guessed before she whirled out of sight again, struggling to break away from the demon’s grasp.
With a quick upward jab of her arm, the woman snapped the creature’s head back. It emitted a louder growl and another glimpse of its face showed its lethal fangs once again.
The woman’s blow did little to slow the demon. It reached behind to grab the woman by the scruff of her neck and whip her away from him and against the brick wall of one of the buildings. She hit the wall with a thick thud and fell to the ground dazed, prompting him to action.
“FBI. Stop or I’ll shoot,†he called out, training his gun on the demon as it took a step toward her.
The thing actually halted and looked at him. What he guessed passed for a smile erupted on its face, but then a second later the demon reeled back, grabbing at its chest with long taloned fingers.
Feebly grasping at the wooden stake which the woman had buried deep into its chest.
Shock filled the creature’s face mirroring his own surprise as he realized she had just killed someone . . .
No, make that something, before his eyes.
Blood leaked from around the edges of the stake, staining the off-white shirt the demon wore. It stood there, hands flailing. Long nails clacking against the stake, disbelief on its face before the look became blank and the creature dropped to the ground.
“One down, too many more to go,†the woman said, her voice deeper than what he would have expected from someone so petite. She nudged the creature’s body with the toe of her black boot and then bent to examine it, as if to make sure she had finished her job.
One down, huh? he thought, turned his gun on her and warned, “FBI. Put your hands up.â€