A captured US soldier in Afghanistan, Bill Clinton in Pittsburgh & a quinceanera in Berkeley

I'm planning to attend the Netroots Nation convention in Pittsburgh next week, and I just heard that Bill Clinton will be there too. Perhaps I'll get a chance to ask him if he can go to Afghanistan and bring back captured U.S. soldier Bowe R. Bergdahl the same way that he brought home those two journalists captured in North Korea. Pfc. Bergdahl seems to have been pretty much forgotten by Fox News lately -- but not by me. I refuse to support any of the various stupid and unnecessary Middle East "wars" that Washington is still pretending that they can afford to keep going. But I can and do stand behind and support our soldiers.

And perhaps Barack Obama will speak at Netroots Nation too. And perhaps I'll get a chance to ask HIM about when he plans to bring home all those captive American workers and taxpayers currently being held prisoner by Wall Street and Goldman-Sachs. Or perhaps I can ask Obama what his plans are regarding the release of millions of sick people currently being held for ransom by corporate healthcare insurance companies. For those Americans who are forced to pay out large amounts of money each month for healthcare insurance -- and for those who have NO health insurance, it seems like a handful of major health insurance giants have just sent American taxpayers a ransom note informing us that if we don't meet their trillion-dollar-plus demands by the end of September, we may never see our ailing loved ones alive again.

That's enough political talk for today. Now let's just relax and look at some really nice photos I took at a neighborhood quinceanera on Saturday. A quinceanera is basically a rite of passage that Mexican girls go through on their way to becoming young women. And a quinceanera is not only a really good idea for honoring young women but it is also a good reason for having a party -- and a food-fight. And guess who got thrown out of the local senior citizen center where the quinceanera was held because of throwing cake at the party? Yes, it was me. How humiliating is that?

I guess that they had better not allow me near any cake in Pittsburgh.

PS: My son Joe's band is playing in San Francisco's Mission District on August 16, at the legendary Indie-Mart street fair. And I'm his mom -- so of course I have to plug his band. But it really is a very good band, honest. "Its name is 123picnic and it's a punk-rock band," I recently explained to a friend.

"No, Ma," said my son, "it's a post-punk ART rock band." And so it is. Joe is awesome! He's the one playing the bass and singing backup vocals. And, unlike his mom, Joe CAN carry a tune -- and he does Tuvan throat singing as well. Here's the link to 123picnic's FaceBook page if you want more information on the gig: http://www.facebook.com/pages/123picnic/35657773779.

PPS: And while you are over in the Mission visiting the street fair and listening to Joe, stop by Rosy's restaurant at 2341 Folsom Street either before or after the fair. I just took baby Mena there for lunch and she loved the chicken soup, hand-made tortillas and beans. The food there was okay, but what I myself really liked about Rosy's is that it was nearly empty and Mena not only had the run of the place but the owner's middle-school-aged son Heraldo kept her totally entertained while we ate. If you are looking for a family-friendly restaurant in the Mission, Rosy's is it.

PPPS: If you think that I've been pimping out my blog with too many commercials lately, you obviously haven't been reading any newspapers or watching any TV for the last fifty years. Our American media will pimp out ANYTHING -- even all those unnecessary wars on Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Afghanistan!