after a five-year hunt for Osama, (homeland security) has finally brought charges against...

a friend sent me this article and i am passing it on. the top part is the history, the secon part is a plea from the author. i find the way people interweave a number of major events we have been through- 9/11, the iraq war and now hurricane katrina, to confuse and confound the american people. take a read... and let me know what you think...

from: http://www.gregpalast.com/palast-charged-with-journalism-in-the-first-degreePalast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree
Published by Greg Palast September 11th, 2006 in Articles
September 11, 2006
by Greg Palast

It’s true. It’s weird. It’s nuts. The Department of Homeland Security, after a five-year hunt for Osama, has finally brought charges against… Greg Palast. I kid you not. Send your cakes with files to the Air America wing at Guantanamo.
Though not just yet. Fatherland Security has informed me that television producer Matt Pascarella and I have been charged with unauthorized filming of a “critical national security structure” in Louisiana.
demcracy now part one and two

On August 22nd, for LinkTV and DemocracyNow! we videotaped the thousands of Katrina evacuees still held behind barbed wire in a trailer park encampment a hundred miles from New Orleans. It’s been a year since the hurricane and 73,000 POW’s (Prisoners of W) are still in this aluminum ghetto in the middle of nowhere. One resident Pamela Lewis said, “It is a prison set-up” — except there are no home furloughs for these inmates because they no longer have homes.
To give a sense of the full flavor and smell of the place, we wanted to show that this human parking lot, with kids and elderly, is nearly adjacent to the Exxon Oil refinery, the nation’s second largest, a chemical-belching behemoth.

So we filmed it. Without Big Brother’s authorization. Uh, oh. Apparently, the broadcast of these stinking smokestacks tipped off Osama that, if his assassins pose as poor Black folk, they can get a cramped Airstream right next to a “critical infrastructure” asset.

So now Matt and I have a “criminal complaint” lodged against us with the feds.
{snip}
After I assured Detective Pananepinto, “I can swear to you that I’m not part of Al Qaeda,” he confirmed that, “Louisiana is still part of the United States,” subject to the First Amendment and he was therefore required to divulge my accuser.
Not surprisingly, it was Exxon Corporation, one of a handful of companies not in love with my investigations. [See “A Well-Designed Disaster: the Untold Story of the Exxon Valdez.”]

So I rang America’s top petroleum pusher-men and asked their media relations honcho in Houston, Marc Boudreaux, a simple question. “Do you want us to go to jail or not? Is it Exxon’s position that reporters should go to jail?” Because, all my dumb-ass jokes aside, that is what’s at stake. And Exxon knew we were journalists because we showed our press credential to the Exxon guards at the refinery entrance.
The Exxon man was coy: “Well, we’ll see what we can find out… Obviously it’s important to national security that we have supplies from that refinery in the event of an emergency.”

Really? According to the documents our team uncovered from the offices of Exxon’s lawyer, Mr. James Baker, the oil industry is more than happy to see a limit on worldwide crude production. Indeed, the current squeeze has jacked the price of oil from $24 a barrel to $64 and refined products have jumped yet higher — resulting in a record-busting profit for Exxon of nearly $1 billion per week.

So this silly “criminal complaint” has nothing to do with stopping Al Qaeda or keeping the oil flowing. It has everything to do with obstructing news reports in a way that no one would have dared attempt before the September 11 attack.

Dectective Pananepinto, in justifying our impending bust, said, “If you remember, a lot of people were killed on 9/11.”

Yes, Detective, I remember that very well: my office was in the World Trade Center. Lucky for me, I was out of town that day. It was not a lucky day for 3,000 others.

Yes, I remember “a lot” of people were killed. So I have this suggestion, Detective — and you can pass it on to Mr. Bush: Go and find the people who killed them.

It’s been five years and the Bush regime has not done that. Instead, the War on Terror is reduced to taking off our shoes in airports, hoping we can bomb Muslims into loving America and chasing journalists around the bayou. Meanwhile, King Abdullah, the Gambino of oil, whose princelings funded the murderers, gets a free ride in the President’s golf cart at the Crawford ranch.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. After all, Matt and I look pretty good in orange.

*******

this next section includes ways you can make a difference for these reporters in the short term, but in my opinion, it really will make a difference in our freedoms in the long run...

A personal request to readers. Many have written to ask what can be done to protect Matt and me from becoming unwilling guests of the State.

First, this ain’t no foolin’ around: Matt and I are facing these nutty charges. So spread the info. We believe that getting the word out is the best defense.

Second, call Homeland Security and turn us in. They seem to have trouble finding us. If you get a reward, you may choose to donate it to the Palast Investigative Fund, a 501(c)(3) educational foundation which supports our work and pays our legal fees.

Third, ask your local library to order our book, Armed Madhouse: Who’s Afraid of Osama Wolf? Homeland Security now reserves the right to read over your shoulder at the library; therefore, the more our agents are forced to read this subversive material, the more likely we can convince them to come in out of the cold. All kidding aside, we do ask you to request your library order the book: not everyone can afford to purchase this hardbound edition.

Our thanks to Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! and the folks at LinkTV for broadcasting our report from New Orleans and the Exxon refinery. And to Gil Nobel, host of ABC Television’s Like It Is, our Courage in Journalism award for broadcasting our report on his network’s New York affiliate. Catch Gil on WABC every Sunday at noon.

In response to a deluge of requests for a copy of the New Orleans documentary, we are preparing a DVD which you may order right now at http://gregpalast.com/premiums.htm .

Spread the Word:





Song of the day:

daily intentions?

intention
sitting in a ceu, the class went to intentions ('hmmm,. dont these things keep popping up?' i think) and whispering beneath the professor (who was once my mom's professor) kirstie says to me "yeah, you sure have been struggling with that, huh? have you tried keeping a daily intention list?"

'A WHAT!' i think; "a what?" i say... it was a pretty easy concept, just write down my intentions for the day, and if i feel lost in a moment whip out my list and take a look...ofcourse, kirstie did not have an example in her back pocket (though she did last friday)

i wonder if she will grade my attempts on here for me (just kidding...kind of)

Song of the day: she-bop- cyndi lauper

different strokes: cleveland's special needs playground

a playground for children with their own needs has appeared in beachwood. my friend erin had a child on aug. 18th and after quite a scare, started up a blog so family and friends can keep up with little devins progress. today she shared that she and her family went out to preston's hope to spend quality family time together.

thank you erin, for sharing this treasure, and kudos to preston's family, the mandel jcc, and the city of beachwood for creating this fun and needed haven for all kids, and not just the "normal" ones...afterall, everyone needs the opportunity to play sometimes!

Song of the day: (you gotta) fight for your right (to party)- beastie boys

bloggerbeta is forgiven

only two hours after posting my anger, my pictures are working fine... synchronicity or good workmanship? any thoughts?

bloggerbeta is making me mad!!

i cant get pictures to upload, it wont allow me to comment on blogger blogs that havent upgraded to beta yet, and i cant find a way to get in touch with the administration. it is making blogging unfun and i am getting close to switching servers

why i love playhouse square and recommend spam-a-lot

i received an email today from playhouse square, telling me they liked my blog and asking me to advertize their upcoming prduction of spam-a-lot. i want to do exactly that. this is not only because i support playhouse square and believe that their productions are top rate, but becasuie of this string of communications:

Hey Molly,

We are fans of your blog and we wanted to pass along this info to you about a fun contest that we are having for Spamalot. It's coming to Playhouse Square in October and we want to get the word our about the contest.

Here's the link to the info and the funny commerical:
http://www.playhousesquare.org/spamvideocontest

If you can help us spread the word..that'd be great!
John

John Sammon
Online Marketing Coordinator
Playhouse Square Center
1501 Euclid Ave, Suite 200
Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2197
(216) 771-4444 Ext 3231
http://www.playhousesquare.org

hi john,
i have to say, i dont really like this. i dont know i believe you are a fan of my blog. more likely you did a search for blogs in cleveland and have sent this email to all. i could be wrong though. i have worked for cleveland opera's subscription drive many times,my family belonged to the broadway series when i was young and i consider myself a part of the communty of playhouse square, and this kind of turns me off. i hate to ask you to "prove it", but find a way to help me understand how you found me, or what it is you like, and i might very well consider passing you on, but otherwise, please dont "spam"
me again, even for spam-a-lot

peace, love and honest,
molly katherine

molly,

I apologize for the email. It was poorly phrased and I regretted sending it after I thought about. You are correct. I did find you through Cleveland.com. Please accept my apologies for the email.

I truely hope that this does not turn you off from the Playhouse
Square Community.

Thanks,
John

john,
i appreciate your honesty and timely response.
it will not keep me from future involvement with playhouse square.

peace, love and the link you sent didnt work anyhow,
molly katherine

thank you, john, you have truly acted with respect for yourself, your employer and me, and i am happy to encourage people to apply for your contest

Song of the day:

NAMI walks while molly works

sadness, sadness, i went to hand in my team paperwork on wednesday and mary jo, the other social worker, says to me "but youre working that saturday." and she is absolutely right...i guess im the one left watching the hen house (with nurse barb)while everyone else enjoys...but sheila said she would wear a picture of me pinned to her shirt so i will be there in spirit as well as in my head

Song of the day:

a changed relationship- spending time with robin

i drove out to my friend robin's last night, as she cant really come to me at all (she has a four year old and a three month old). we have decided to try and walk together a couple times a week if at all possible, and since she had felt mad all day, and i was highly restless after having stayed intentional all day (both at work and at home), tonight seemed to be a good night to do it.

as i waited, she finished feeding luke, and we had a very interesting conversation. the last time we were together she had mentioned how she was afraid of the phone as a kid, and i had voiced my surprise at this as she (like me) is a very talkative person, and she said to me this time "please dont put me on a pedestal". and i honestly said i wasnt.

but i also understand her concern. robin was a camp counselor of mine, one who as a child i looked up to, one i told some important, private information too, one whom i would give feet rubs to because her attention was so welcomed (plus i like to be kind to feet, a very overused and underrated body part). we have been in touch on and off since our camp wise days, but i spent years disbelieving that this counselor whom i loved would want to be friends with me so that i could never get comfortable.... its amazing the distrust and damage an on again off again father can cause...

now, i am grateful to have our herstory, but it no longer defines who i am in knowing her. i know it is possible for me to change in a relationship.

Song of the day: all my lifes a circle- harry chapin

new orleans or baghdad?

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
-President Dwight D. Eisenhower
April 16, 1953

i saw spike lee's documentary "when the levees fell: a requiem in four parts" this weekend, and it is a film that should be distributed from every library, not limited to those who can afford hbo. each section of the film addresses an aspect of the hurricane's process, starting on august 26, 2005- the day the evacuation was ordered, moving through the damage of the following week up to the discouragement set toward those of lower income who should only move back to the city "at their own risk" a full six months after the storm left. there are a few points that were made that i would like to discuss here, though for lack of enough time in one sitting, i will make a list of bullet points now, and address each point in its own post at some point.

1. the hurricane did not actually hit new orleans. the flooding was caused by a series of mistakes made by the us army core of engineers
2. the damages in new orleans: Estimates for damages for Hurricane Katrina are still extremely preliminary and properly assessing losses will take many months. However, the total losses as a result of Katrina is estimated to exceed $100 billion with over $34 billion in insured loss- what really gets me about this is that iraq spending is set to reach $318.5 billion September 30, 2006, the end of fiscal year 2006. The Cost of Iraq War calculator is occasionally reset based on new information and new allocations of funding. The numbers include military and non-military spending, such as reconstruction. Spending only includes incremental costs, additional funds that are expended due to the war. For example, soldiers' regular pay is not included, but combat pay is included. Potential future costs, such as future medical care for soldiers and veterans wounded in the war, are not included. It is also not clear whether the current funding will cover all military wear and tear. It also does not account for the Iraq War being deficit-financed and that taxpayers will need to make additional interest payments on the national debt due to those deficits.
3. industry wants to buy land in the lower ninth ward and have tried to dissuade homeowners from coming back- these lands are owned by african-american residents- this would in effect turn new orleans into an elitist, white town.
....there may be more, i just am out of time right now

upgrading to beta

change
in the process of upgrading to bloggerbeta, so you will see alot of half-changes for the next week or so...

Song of the day: dear god-xtc

changing habits

THIS IS NOT MY SINK JUST EXAMPLE

(i will do my best to have intention and not ramble-just for you robin)

i have been twisting around with the idea of intention still, and throwing in a bit of mindfulness, as i am beginning to think they go hand in hand (are you thinking 'duh!') i spent the early part of this year (into may even) rather ill, and i always loose my balance when i am sick. my house was wrecked for months, my diet and exercise plummeted (there is something miserable about numbing out in the arms and spine from just walking and i HATE swimming)and i gained 20 pounds (though i have lost eight since may)

so i did my heavy-duty fall cleaning this past week\- a first step toward healthy living(as i am working alot over the next month)and am now trying to by mindful of keeping it clean. i find myself wanting to approach everything with an outcome in mind, and attention to what is occuring in the moment and it is so hard!!!!

sticking with the cleaning example, i want to listen to music when i clean, even though i keep thinking about this marvelous poem about doing dishes, the attention to water and bubbles on the skin, the smoothness of dishware, the smell of a sponge that is ready to be tossed, even though i think about jackie staying inside and doing lunch dishes with the sound of playing guests seeping through the screen door (hmmm, whats with the dish thing?), still i end up getting lost in notes and lyrics, cadence and feeling and cleaning takes two hours instead of 25 minutes.i guess this will be one of my struggles, but it is moving me forward.

Song of the day: day is done- nick drake

thinking about the state of labor on labor day

over at thewritingonthewall.net, there is a string concerning the right of americans to be able to choose where they shop, and the value of american workers. i was surprised to see that one reader wrote in that the blog leaders were against freedom, saying that they supported government policies that take away the right of businesses to conduct as they wish and the right of shoppers to shop where they want.

i remember reading "the jungle" by upton sinclair, and i know that by giving the american people a true sense of what was occuring in meat packing factories, people began to understand the need for regulation of businesses (and not just for meat, though i honestly didnt want to ever eat meat again after reading it). jeff hess and i were discussing the book, and i commented on how it had a strong effect on the labor movement and jeff said no, only on business regulation.
but within the book, you follow the main charicter and his family through the struggle of lower class immigrant americans, you see that they worked when they were sick (again, extra gross in a food setting), they worked pregnant, the old worked, they lived up to a dozen people in a crowded flat, they worked 16 and 18 hour days for pittances. the main charicter was also influenced by the socialist movement. i believe this affected labor laws as well

today is the day of the worker, and yet im sitting in my coffee shop where there are two people working the bar, and i am sure fast food and walmart/target and most other bar/grill/restaurants and even borders are all up and running. this means that the people who the day was meant for have to work right through it so that professionals (myself included-they dont have social workers on holidays) and ceos etc. can have (yet another) day to spend with their families...

Album of the day: fellow workers- ani difranco and utah phillips

NAMI walks

september 16 is the annual NAMI walk. NAMI is the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (or one of the chefs at michaels diner on the tracks). i will be joining 22 other trudel center employees for the event.

taking part in walks is one of the numerous ways available to make a difference in the world. it allows you to raise funds, increase visibility, and also provides an opportunity to be social, have fun and be healthy all at once. its not about how MUCH money is raised (though you wouldnt know that from the $100 for a tee-shirt minimum).

one of my favorite fund raising methods, though, is to stick with "the smallest bit counts" mentality, and for the MS walk, i managed to raise almost three hundred dollars in $1 and $2 sponsorships. i also sponsor in these small amounts, and know that i make a small difference in many things by sticking to small donations, and can support more people in their endeavors to be just.

Song of the day: cello song- nick drake

hess hacked

have coffee will write was hacked this morning, as an israeli blog. a self pro-proclaimed "arabic" hacker took over the site with an anti-israeli themed invasion... and the funniest part is that there are pictures of israeli children writing on bombs with the tab "what you wont see on cnn" and yet i have already seen photos just like this...

children on both sides have been emotionally traumatized, and all most likely portray what their parents believe, so if you stoop by jeffs site, remember that children, whether writing on bombs before they are used, or by strapping some dynamite that a local rebel leader gave them to their chests, are nothing but pawns in this war, and any use of photos shoowing kids doing their best to digest their reatities for a political point is child abuse

and i was mad when i thought that one guyu had stolen my post! my sympathies to jeff.

my friend andy smokes kools...

U.S. report: More nicotine in cigarettes
By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 29, 3:56 PM ET
BOSTON - The level of nicotine found in U.S. cigarettes has risen about 10 percent in the past six years, making it harder to quit and easier to get hooked, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Department of Health

The study shows a steady climb in the amount of nicotine delivered to the lungs of smokers regardless of brand, with overall nicotine yields increasing by about 10 percent.

Massachusetts is one of three U.S. states to require tobacco companies to submit information about nicotine and the only state with data going back to 1998.

Public Health Commissioner Paul Cote Jr. called the findings "significant" and said the report was the first new release on nicotine yield in more than six years nationally.

The study found the three most popular cigarette brands with young smokers — Marlboro, Newport and Camel — delivered significantly more nicotine than they did years ago. Nicotine in Kool, a popular menthol brand, rose 20 percent. More than two-thirds of black smokers use menthol brands.

Calls to Philip Morris USA, the United States' largest cigarette maker and manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., manufacturer of Kool and Camel cigarettes, were not immediately returned Tuesday.

The study tried to measure nicotine levels based on the way smokers actually use cigarettes, health officials said, in part by partially covering ventilation holes as they smoke and taking longer puffs. Traditional testing methods which do not take real-life smoking habits into account, typically report lower nicotine contents, officials said.

Of the 179 cigarette brands tested in 2004 for the report, 93 percent fell into the highest range for nicotine. In 1998, 84 percent of 116 brands tested fell into the highest range.

Smokers who choose "light" brands hoping to reduce their nicotine intake are out of luck, according to the report that found for all brands tested in 1998 and 2004, there was no significant difference in the total nicotine content between "full flavor," "medium," "light," or "ultra-light" cigarettes.

The finding means that health care providers trying to help smokers quit may have to adjust the strength of nicotine replacement therapies like nicotine patches and gums, according to Department of Public Health Associate Commissioner Sally Fogerty.

___Song of the day: bury my heart at wounded knee- buffy sainte marie

a sexist errand

yesterday morning, my mother calls me in tears with panic in her voice."molly" she says "i really hope you can help me. i went to renew my driver's license and they wouldnt let me because my birth certificate and SS card names dont match. i tried to explain to them, and its not like i am just now applying for a Jersey license-i mean its been eight years ive lived here! but these are the new homeland security regulations- there are no exceptions, and my license is up on thursday and i called the cleveland court house but it will take two to four weeks to get here so..."

she continued on "molly, i dont know why i am so upset, i mean, i know there went our civil rights and that makes me mad, but still..."

"mum" i said "because its also sexist" and this has always been an issue for me. here at 29 years old, i have had three different last names (my dad, then my stepdads, then my mom's grandmothers maiden name after her second divorce), and i have never been married so this name thing has always been an issue for me, but this...

we now have govenment policies that are meant to'catch terrorists' but really are going to cause hours of extra work for WOMEN. my friend jeff, who changed his name to his wife's when he got married then back to his birth name after divorce, pointed out that no one even thinks to ask if he has ever had a different name.

as for me, i have always needed to take multiple papers anyhow, as my birth name is hoch but my social security card, like my mother's, says danzinger...luckily i can leave the stevens phase out, but not so for my mum.

so i am off to the court house to get both her marriage certificates so i can overnight them to her so she doesnt have to drive illegally (though i told her it really isnt that big of a deal, and maybe even a little bit of a rush to drive illegally) this morning catching the rapid for 3.50 round trip bercause all women with name changes are now national security threats...

Song of the day: i am woman-helen reddy

linking

so here i sit with jeff hess, and after 20 minutes of frustrating work (as i like to be in control even when i am learning something new, so ten minutes were spent on jeff redirecting me away from the keyboard) i have finally learned how to create a links list on my side bar!!!!

slowly but surely, i become less ignorant around technology (though its only taken ten months to figure out the link thing)...

Song of the day: some crappy japanese techno music

walking in the warm rain

over come with joy,
a van morrison warm
love the feel of drops
on my nose,the rain
my tears
they are one and the same

Song of the day:return to innocence- enigma

"dont be afraid to be weak,
dont be proud to be strong....
and if you want then start to laugh
and if you must then start to cry....
just believe in destiny
dont care what people say
just follow your own way,
its the return to innocence"

morning's truth

Wisdom is
sweeter then honey,
brings more joy
than wine,
more then the sun,
is more precious
than jewels.
She causes
the ears to hear
and the heart to comprehend.

....i will follow
her footprints
and she will not cast me away
-Makeda, Queen of Sheeba


Song of the day: joyful girl- ani difranco

oh, oh, oh uganda

i did a little research on uganda and the lords resistance party back when i was looking in the sudan(july, 2006), but did not bother to type up my research. i received this email yesterday, and i think its important that we begin to talk about it. thanks for your interest...oh, and i am on the apple and will highlight the links later


Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We need your help: we have just returned from Northern Uganda and are stunned by what we saw. In all of our years of visiting IRC programs, the stark living conditions of people languishing in the dreary camps in Northern Uganda are among of some of the harshest we’ve ever seen.

Yet this little-known crisis is barely receiving the sustained attention it deserves by our policy makers. We want to change that. You can help us by signing a petition we are launching right now.

For over 20 years the rebel group, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has waged a brutal war against the Government of Uganda. The ruthless fighters in this conflict have resorted to barbaric tactics of murder, mutilation, burning of villages, sexual enslavement, and abduction of civilians – especially children – to be forced to fight. Over 90% of the rural population of Northern Uganda has been forced into 200 squalid, crowded, and unhealthy refugee camps.

http://ga3.org/campaign/uganda_petition

More than 1.5 million people are currently crammed into crowded camps
30,000 children have been abducted as sexual slaves, porters, or fighters over the past 20 years
Each week there is an estimated excess death toll of 900 civilians due to disease and 20 people die each day due to violence
Rape and sexual abuse are a daily occurrence in camps
We are asking you to join us and sign this petition demanding that the U.S. government intensify their political action to stop the violence in Uganda and support the current peace talks in Juba, south Sudan.

http://ga3.org/campaign/uganda_petition

Here is why signing this petition now will make a difference:

On October 9-10 in Washington, DC there will be a Northern Uganda Lobby Day. This is our chance to make our voices heard. We are aiming for 10,000 signatures on this petition. IRC staff will then hand-deliver copies of the petition to each of the Senate and House members that we visit on those days.

IRC has a long established presence in Northern Uganda delivering lifesaving aid and hope to tens of thousands of Ugandans. As a result IRC is a considered a credible and authoritative advocate in Washington, DC – but we want to be able to show that we are also speaking for thousands of concerned Americans as well.

We can’t thank you enough for supporting the people of Northern Uganda by signing this petition right now.

Sincerely,

- IRC Board of Directors Co-Chairs, Alan R. Batkin and Jonathan L. Wiesner

P.S. Please forward this link to your friends and colleagues and ask them to join us:

http://ga3.org/campaign/uganda_petitionSong of the day:

broken

hurricane katrina, August 29, 2005

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: Hurricane Katrina
Coping with Tragedy: After Hurricane Katrina: Helping Children Cope
Hurricane Katrina

Song of the day: ethiopia- joni mitchell

the rush of the waters, the crash of the heavens

Hurricane Katrina, 8/29/2005

Global Warming - Union of Concerned Scientists
Global Warming - Environmental Protection Agency
GlobalWarming.org
Global Warming kids site


Song of the day: eili, eili (eh-lee, eh-lee)- hanna szenesh, david zahavi

a heifer.org moment

looking much, much better devin!
welcome

one of the best things that ever stumbled into my life is heifer.org.
for birthdays (all seven of them), anniveraries (happy 22nd grandpa and anita), and for moments like now -when people you care about are going through pain and possible loss, and you feel helpless in what you can do to help- i need to celebrate my love through life

its just paying it forward

Song of the day: hammer and a nail-indigo girls

never forget

Katrina- August 29, 2005


Song of the day: mourners kaddish

honestly

honest i learned a good lesson from this blogger named jackie one night. she commented on how she logged about something from work, and someone from work read it and confronted her, and looking back, she realized that she needed to be more careful about the things she wrote and published to the world, as you never know who is reading, or what their response would be.

i take that advise to heart, and i am thankful that i am learning more and more how to be honest and stay true to myself without a destructive over-share of information (also partly due to an experience with a -different- jackie)

Song of the day: jelly roll- charles mingus

the nature of change

relational

(is it time to stop using my aliases? professor or muse, it's true that we spark in the classroom, and its true her energy inspires me- but after this weekend, i think she should just be jackie again.)

can't sleep, so i thought i'd post. today, my friend(and ex-classmate)brad and i went out to jackie's new home "to work and to play" as thats all i was told in her communication ("typical jackie email" said her husband). . well, turns out the work was to clear areas for camp sites (the land is amazing, woods and fields reaching as fasr as i could see), and actually involved chain saws and stick breaking (DONT WORRY! I DID NOT TOUCH THE POWER TOOLS, though i did manage to smack myself in the face with a stick). only i felt really awkward, having never done this type of work before, feeling unsure of my body, and so kept apologizing for myself (which i dont really do), annoying this lady working on the same branch pile ("i'll smack you with a stick myself if you dont stop apologizing" said she "im sorry!" said i, not as a joke, but laughing). i remembered that i have alot more fun playing with twigs and crickets then going to the mall (lol, duh)...

but this lesson is not why i write a post. i want to look again at the nature of a changing relationship

brad and i did not connect with any of the other people out there. it felt like a closed system with members who all had history together (though jackie said they didnt know eachother) and we both felt out of place. part of it may have been that except for brad, one other guy in his mid thirties (who i actually knew from overnight camp a decade and a half ago), and my almost (but not quite) thirty year old self, every one was pretty much 50+, but more importantly, there was a quietness, a gravity involved that was hard for both of us to tolerate. i felt full of high energy, my laughter echoed so individually and loud through the fields and woods (i have a jolly laugh with the occasional snort)that i had a hard time not blushing when i felt it escape from me, which sucked, because i laugh ALOT, especially when i am playing outside.

on the ride home, brad commented on how even jackie was in this quieter nature too, not much like she was in class, and i had to agree. this fact, however, seemed to have very different meaning to the two of us. i think he fears that what made class special was not as real as he thought, as if she was not who she said she was last fall, now that he has experienced her as a person. i think our class was exactly as important to her as she said it was, just as real, and unique. but this is life now, not the classroom. in the moment, her move and her houseful of people, chores, whatever, were more important- in our two hours of class per week, we were most important.

as a professor, she has certain responsibilities from which brad and i as students got to reap. and i miss being her student, i do, we have a spark when we have purpose. i hope we can find a way to have purpose that is not my education because i also enjoy seeing her humanity. i like all our misunderstandings as two headstrong women with very different ways of being. i like the way that she puts all her energy into what is right in front of her and not straying to all the other directions tempting her. i like just being with her, breathing in everything around us (now i just need to figure out how to think and be at the same time, instead of doing all my thinking when i go to bed on those nights- but atleast the dreams are interesting)i like feeling challenged, which i do in relating with her, and while i still feel unsure on what is really occuring between us, i know that brad is not seeing what i see.

voting is not for dumbasses

i am not sure which is worse, being uninvolved in the political process, or misinformed activists. brian's experience in this lakewood coffee shop shows how speaking about that which one does not know about could possibly get the scariest political canditate ever into office,

its unlike anything i've ever seen....well, except for when all those florida jews accidentally voted for pat buchanan in 2000

from the faggoty-assed faggot

Cleveland's gay coffee shop, Truffles. A weekday evening. This weekday evening, in fact.
In the back corner, a homo regular sits at a high-top, typing on the keyboard of his laptop. His typical game.
Suddenly he laughs loudly. His usual gimmick, but none of us are new here. We ignore his attention-seeking behavior.
Seeing no reaction, he pulls out his cell phone and dials.
"Hey," he exclaims loudly. "Are you following the governor's race? I hope you aren't supporting Strickland ... Yeah, he's terrible on gay rights. But get this - he has this stupid plan to sell the turnpike for $1.8 billion!"
I raise my head, looking askance at this odd little man. A moment later he hangs up, and I shrug, deciding not to get involved.
Just then the barista passes by, and the patron flags him down.
"Are you following the governor's race?" he asks again.
"No," the employee replies. "I hate politics."
"Well you won't believe this guy Strickland," he proclaims loudly to the room. "Not only is he against gay people, but he wants to sell the turnpike to line the pockets of all the Republican lawmakers!"
By this point, I just can't take it any longer.
"Um, Strickland's the Democrat," I bark across the room. "Blackwell is the Republican. He's the one who doesn't like gays, and he wants to sell the turnpike. Not Strickland, the Democrat."
"What's that?" he asks.
"It's Blackwell, not Strickland, you should be talking about."
"Oh, OK. Well, you know, whatever."
"No, not whatever," I reply. "It's actually the most critical fact you need to remember in voting. His name. And it's Blackwell who is the asshole, not Strickland."
"Oh, Blackwell, huh? This is the governor's race?"
"Yes," I say.
"So who's Blackwell running against?"
I sigh. "Strickland."
"Oh, OK."
Democracy is doomed.

greetings from siberia

my friend tara has just posted me from where she describes as hell, and her story is so interesting that i thought i would share it. enjoy

Hello,
I'm at an internat cafe in Russia now, also known as hell. Siberia lives up to its image. I had a flight cancelled and was a day late for my train from Irkutsk, Russia to Ulanbataar, Mongolia. There were no train tickets for the next two days, so here i am. the hostels were all full so i'm doing a homestay with this lady. i'm feeling better today, but yesterday was horrible. it is bleak and relentlessly ugly here. well, it was until i found a nice garden near this internet cafe. this place is absolutely squalid. rooms are so basic with few frills. the buildings are extremely boxy with massive, stereotypically Soviet utilitarian architecture. the streets have tons of construction work and they seem to dig up even more things befpre they have a chance to repair what they have started. there is dust and dirt everywhere, it moves around in clouds when the wind blows. wild dogs run around, seemingly with no owners. traffic is barely regimented. people drive like they have lost control of the steering wheel, weaving about and threading their way through traffic. they drive on the right side of the road here but not all cars have the steering wheel on the left. In many ways, it is a lot like india with white people. i loved india, completely chaotic and filthy though it was. what i hate about here is the attitude of the people. they are so grim here and unwilling to help. i have asked people so many times where things are and they just shrug and look away. i even had the word for an atm machine written in russian for me. i stopped at a stand in a market and showed the woman the slip of paper. she did the usual shrug. i kept walking to find it not 5 feet away. At the same time, it would not be fair to say all russians are horrible. the woman i am staying with is very nice as was the russian travel agent and a few cab drivers. i was at the moscow airport and in dire need of a plane ticket. i heard a girl, about ten years old, talking to herself in english as she played and i stopped to ask some questions. she was with her father, an immigrant from russia. the two currently live in brooklyn and the girl, mary, said she was going crazy not having anyone to speak to in english. the two of them were wonderful. the father, who also spoke english, let me use his phone and helped me call different travel agencies to ask questions about tickets. i told him all the seats were full on the next flight and he stood up and said, now i'm going to get you a ticket. he walked up to the desk of the airline with me and managed to get me a seat on the next flight. then he decided he was going to see me onto the plane. he walked right past where i was supposed to check in and said 'you check in h ere', and checked me in right where my luggage was screened. he was going to walk past that security desk also to see me basically until i was on the plane but a member of security stopped him. i wonder why people are so removed and wonder how much came about out of fear living under total government control.

For those of you who don't know what the hell i am up to, i just finished a two week long volunteer camp in a tiny village outside rostock, germany. it was disasterously organized and the volunteers were on the edge of mutiny towards the end. nevertheless, i was quite content there doing rennovation and garden work at an old building badly in need of tending. we were basically stuck there in a village of 50 people due to inadequate transportation. i wasn't able to catch up on the news until i got to london. we did manage to get away to rostock for the weekend and went to the baltic sea. rostock was a nice change from berlin, where i had spent a day prior to the volunteer camp. berlin was so planned out and deliberate after being flattened during wwii and lacked the charm of the more traditional rostock. the capital had many public memorials dedicated to the memory of the holocaust, as if asking for forgiveness for this monstrous event. all the volunteers were aged 16 to 24, most of them 16-18. i usually hate young people but i was quite pleased with the ones i met there. there was this french girl i really hated and was glad to get away from her ;)

i then went to london for two days and really took to it, in spite of the ludicrous pricing. people there were also aloof, but not overtly unfriendly. i missed friendly conversation and ended up chatting with a student from poland playing the cello under a bridge for tips. i found a little india in the northeast end. it was definitely a working class area and it was peculiar to be around so many people from this subcontinent who were not in affluent surroundings as this is how it is at home. i went to the museum of london (i wanted to see the tower of london but my in student loan debt self decided to go to this free museum), which was absolutely fasinating. i went through thoroughly from the beginning of life in the area to the end of the middle ages. i was there for probably three hours and needed a few more days to see the whole thing as throroughly as i would have liked. to the fellow americans- we really luck ed out in american history class- there's barely anything to remember. dad, your indian history class must have been a five semester series.

tomorrow evening i catch a train on the trans-siberian railway to ulanbataar, mongolia. it takes a day and a half to reach the desired destination. twenty miles outside of the city i'll be staying in a traditional nomadic dwelling, a ger, with other volunteers. i'll be at another volunteer camp working with orphans aged 12-15. we will be working on a garden. vegetables are a recent addition to the mongolian diet as people living the traditional nomadic lifestyle can't exactly lug a vegetable patch around with them. one of the other young americans staying at the apartment where i am at just came from mongolia and said they even think eating too many vegetables is bad for you. the diet is mostly meat and dairy products. she said it is mutton and beef season now. winter is horse and marmot season, the marmot being a delicacy that is still capable of spreading the bubonic plague to the person who eats it even after being thoroughly cooked. the mongolians brought the black death to europe as they rode a cross asia and europe. they were on the verge of sacking western europe when threy had to turn back. the khan had died and it was required that the possible heirs return and the community participate in a (semi) democratic election. i'll be at the workcamp two days late which totally sucks but i'll get there. i'll also be teaching some english and working on making bracelets that will be sold in japan. the proceeds go to helping stop childhood prostitution.
so far i have not been homesick at all. i think my dream job of being a cultutral anthropologist or writer for national geopgraphic would suit me.at the moment i can't imagine having to go back to school and manufacture more papers. oh well, that's not for another two weeks. the other americans staying at my apartment here are just finishing three years of teaching english in japan. the young woman said a bachelor's degree was the only requirement at her agency and getting a job in the private sector was as simple as saying 'i speak english, it's my native tongue and i want to teach". the pay is decent. there is national health coverage and they make about as much as i will my first few years with a master's degree in social work. she said teaching there was a bit like college. she said the work wasn't very hard and most of the teachers are young people either running away or running to somewhere. she also said b ecause the people are in a transitional phase of their life they don't take life very seriously and spend a lot of time partying. the whole thing sounded pretty good until she said it was like college. it's time for me to be around grown ups.

okay, it's getting dark and i don't fancy walking around alone in pitch blackness. flies really seem to fancy me, they're always on my bag or shoes, and i think i'll look up what attracts them to people before i leave. anyway, i hope everyone is well and mom, just take a nip from your hip flask, you'll be all right.

mathilde- please forward to omega and sophia, i left their addresses at the apartment
molly- please forward or show to iop team. remember, elaine never checks her email

tara

Song of the day: back in the ussr-the beatles

welcome

welcome to the world, my friend, no lung infection's gonna keep you down

my thoughts are with you and mum

update 8/19: ok, so its not a lung thing, they dont know whats going on
update 8/21: still, the doctors are unsure, but the mri shows limited brain activity... six hours later you pull out the feeding and breathing tubes and take a bottle! (i knew you were a fighter)

devin jacob 8/18/06

mornings truth

We think, falsely, that being different is being
Controversial, and that controversy
Intrudes upon learning. Oh, it can, at times
When learning's misunderstood...
and how does conforming further learning, growing?
By making all the boxes seem adjusted?
By making the system flow smoothly on,
No bumps or bruises? Where's the learning
In conformity? Where's the growing in thinking
Only thoughts already thought; repeating
The same old cliches; feeling only what others,
In their conforming spirit, will allow?

-Robert Allen from "conformity"
(http://angrygranp.blogspot.com/- sorry, im on the apple and havent figured out how to make links active from this laptop)

happy birthday

gabriel and daniel and andy and grandpa and jackie and robin and jeff h.

Song of the day: what ever you want to hear. it is after all your birthday

surprise

jack in the box
so i am bad at surprise. i am so bad at surprise that my therapist actually bought me a jack in the box so i can practice being surprised (note: this is an appropriate gift, meant to move me along in my healing, not meant to create unbreakable bonds, but i will most likely return the jack in the box one day still).in fact, sitting in her office the first time i tried the jack in the box, i actually burst into tears when he popped out (just like when i was a kid...only now the tears very quickly turn into delighted laughter).

so often in life, i can see whats coming next. i can sense the changes coming, and prepare accordingly. but every now and then, i meet someone or experience something that just throws me entirely off-kilter (and yes, i often burst into tears then laugh delightedly). i figure, my childhood was full of unpleasant surprises i had no control over (divorce and marriages and siblings and divorces and loss of siblings and moves and visitations and cancalled visitations and weight gain and on and on and , oh yeah, and ms and on and on and...) and while i know that this is the magic in life, the unpredictability, i am always a little ambivilant in the uncontrolled reality of living

peace is relative

it is hard to feel positive about the fragile peace in the world. first, you have hezbollah claiming they have "won", which just seems silly to me, no one is winning in this war. i understand that they have gained a stronger foot hold in muslim nations, and look quite victorious in that a stalemate was pretty much reached (which is definitly a large win for a 'terrorist' organization), but tensions are still high, israel still killed a hezbollah bigwig on tuesday, and lebanese civillians are now stuck with the rubble of their existence.

another reason i have trouble feeling positive is that as the world was distracted by this month long scrimmage, which seems very orchetrated by iran to keep eyes off of their arms program, iraq has sunk lower. generals are coming forward and warning of civil war (which i think has actually been going on awhile already, with close to 1000/month dying in iraq since february as war casuaties- icasualties.org-, and another thousand or two per month from lawlessness in june and july- newyorktimes.com).

then, ofcourse, for all we don't talk about it afghanistan still exists, and guantanimo is still chock full of people- and as jeff hess at havecoffeewill.com says, they are striking through hunger to have their rights met, and we, the united states of america, have taken away this basic civil right to make a stand with their lives by force feeding (as we did to our brave woman suffragettes almost a century ago)- another place where we force life on someone who feels there is a different purpose to their existance.

Song of the day: not by might, not by power- debbie friedman

morning's truth

"as i wander through this valley
in the shadow of my doubting
i will not be discounted
so let it ring....
and the strife will make me stronger
as my maker leads me onward
i'll be marching in that number
so let it ring"

Song of the day: let it ring- amy ray

dance, monkey, dance

DANCE, MONKEY, DANCE

i had a link to this short film, and then it died, but i have found another way to get there... oh yeah, and tonya, just cause i know you really love it, i am doing this post with you in mind

Song of the day:
everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey- the beatles

mom, this ones for you

thought you would appreciate the sentiment, mum....

-thanks jeff....by the way all, this is my 200th post, and views to my profile have almost doubled over the past month (of course, im still under 500, but i think percentage growth counts for more then total)


Song of the day:hippie's lament- wally pleasant

creating change: diversity

my friend kirsti and i met for coffee the other day, to discuss gestalt practitioners and the perception that they are unable to give a straight forward answer (i just think they didnt know what the question was) as well as other things, and she asked me if i had talked to cheryl, a woman we had met in a workshop through the drug and alcohol board.

well, i had to admit that i had not contacted cheryl- who had asked me to be in touch if i started a diversity group, that i had not really been thinking about this movement i want to start to address voting inequalities in cleveland, or to approach diversity in a different way that could bring everyone together instead of being divided into age groups, economic status or whatever (i have a friend who said that there is already a young professionals group to address stuff like that when i approached her, but i dont want to meet only people like me, i want it to be more grass roots, with people who are older, or live in the grit of cleveland or work at the grocery store as well), and i had to admit that i find it painful to be intentional (hmmm), that i am having trouble thinking about, planning what i want to do.

i am glad she asked though, because i began to think in different ways by having somebody else's imput and i said so to her. she advised i get a group of people together to brain storm (which we agreed happens too little, that there is usually a pressure to be right or to please others and so people are less likely to put ideas on the floor). so i think that is where i will start. i will put it out to coworkers and friends, and start gathering the energy around me, start creating change.

so i put this out to you too, cleveland. if you want to help create change, let me know, cause i'm getting ready to stir things up.

Song of the day: respect- aretha franklin

MS and heat

i am so greatful for the cooling down we have experienced for the past couple days. i have had to waste my entire afternoon sitting in my apartment or feeling trapped in a coffee shop for fear of melting way too many times this summer, and i realize that each summer brings me a more difficult time.

i think alot of people are unsure on why people with MS often become crabby or reclusive in the summer, so i thought i would take just a minute to walk my readers through the heat process.

MS involves a stripping of the insulation around our nerves (the process is actually called demylenation). so here i am with holes and tears in my insulation and when the weather is cool enough, its not really something i ever think about.

have you ever had a stereo where the speakers are attached to the receiver by wires that are hooked into the back of the receiver? well i did, and as time went on, the plastic around the actual wires started to peel off to the point that i could no longer cut extra naked wire of the bottom to help with the sound. now, the stereo did not become useless, but the sound did become unreliable, especially in warmer weather-

electricity does not conduct as well in warmer temperatures because the molecules become more agitated, moving faster and faster. when ever anything speeds up too much, things go awry, right. i mean, try picking up and putting down your moprning cup of coffee at a set speed over and over. now go faster and faster and you will notice the coffee starting to spill, leaving the cup, landing anywhere it is not supposed to be (meaning in your mouth). in our brains, this agitation causes the electricity to move across the synapses from neuron to neuron, allowing us to be generated forward in what we are doing. in MS, with the heat causing quicker jumping, there will often be misfiring where there is myelin damage(i wonder if it should actually be called mislanding), hence people with ms often have a hard time in the heat with all this cross-firing and landing.

ive learned that by keeping the back of neck cool, i do alot better, so if you ever see me in a sweater after ive complained the room was too warm and asking for the air to be on higher, know that its only cool enough for my naked brain connections when its too cold for m y arms...


Song of the day:

alternative news sources and stories

i often have more respect for cleveland's alternative press then main stream.

this morning i found out that reuter's news service (the european version of AP) doctored photos from lebanon to make israeli airstrikes appear more damaging then they were. add that to the realization that many of the accounts are being retrieved from hezbollah fighters, and i end up pissed (though plenty of people are wiling to believe it)

this week, however, free times decided to take a look at what the new domestic violence laws are doing to unmarried woman who are abused, and it becomes screamingly obvious that we pay no attention to what is wrong here at home right now.

make sure to pick up a copy of the free times(it is afterall, free)and read "unintended consequences hurt just as much" by greg holzheimer. whether you end up agreeing with his bend or not, it certainly is something that is being ignored by the main stream press in these times of war and other types of unintended consequences

Song of the day:

morning truth

"cause when i look around
i think 'this, this is good enough' and i ,
i try to laugh at what ever life brings
and you know that when i look down
i just miss all the good stuff
and when i look up i just trip over things"
-ani difranco
Song of the day: as is- ani

from the hot zone

so i stopped into kevin sites hot zone this morning, and finally was given an account of what is hapopeniong in israel that i can see as true. its important to pay attention to the fact that had civilians not left the city (as the government advised and helped them to do) to aviod the rockets, many would have been hurt, especially the children. its also important to remember one of hezbollahs tactics is to hide amongst civilians, which really increases the chances of casualty.

Three Strikes
At 5 p.m. the air raid sirens go off again and Engine No. 11 rolls out on a call. This time the impact of a rockets is more than just a pinprick. It has landed in a courtyard at Danciger High School, smashing a small retaining wall and creating a six-inch impact crater in the concrete.
But that's not all. The rocket fragments have bounced up, poked the walls of the school's gymnasium and left some broken windows. Red-hot metal has ignited the kitchen section of the building where snacks were prepared. Black smoke is billowing out of the upper windows.
The door to the kitchen is padlocked and one of the firefighters rips into it with an electric saw
"Water, water," yells another firefighter, running a hose line from the engine to the burning gymnasium.
Within minutes they are spraying the interior of the kitchen, where the walls are already charred.
Because it's summer break and because of the fighting with Hezbollah, the school building was empty. But, if the attack had been at a different time in the day, the outcome come have been much worse.
With the fighting in northern Israel, the school has been turned into a kind of community center for the city, where food supplies and psychological counseling are handed out to local residents. Principal Amir Goldstein says people are in and out of the campus on a daily basis.
He says in the last two weeks the school has been hit three times, including the latest attack.

yesterday in history

U.S., Iraqi forces raid Shiite militia
Half of U.S. still believes Iraq had WMD
Israeli airstrikes kill 15 in Lebanon
Scientists: Warming triggers 'dead zone'
Swayze joins celebs defending Mel Gibson
Wal-Mart expansion plans hit some bumps
Hundreds expected to come to Masturbate-a-thon
Advocate: Bad nursing home care persists

Song of the day:

today in history

jeff hess( http://www.havecoffeewillwrite.com) sent me this little excerpt from the writers almanac as he knew i would be interested and that i would never see the writers almanac. i admit i cried when i read this, and i hope that anyone who reads this takes a moment and reflects on the state of the world today, about half a century later....oh, and notice how unhappy the senator between but behind the president and reverend looks! is it just gravity, respect, or racism and displeasement with the day's momentous change?

It was on this day in 1965 that Lyndon Johnson (books by this author) signed the Voting Rights Act that ended the long era of voter discrimination in many Southern states. Johnson had been delaying legislation on voting rights, because he thought it was too soon for it to succeed. But after a group of civil rights marchers were attacked in Selma, Alabama, he gave a speech on TV, in which he said, "I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote ... it is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome."

That was the first time the president of the United States had ever used the phrase, "We shall overcome." Martin Luther King Jr. was watching the address on TV that night, and he later said that when he heard Lyndon Johnson say the words, "We shall overcome," he burst into tears. The president signed the legislation a few months later, on this day in 1965.


It was on this day in 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time that a nuclear weapon was ever used in combat, and only the second time that a nuclear weapon had ever been exploded. The attack led to the end of World War II.
...what will today bring?


Song of the day: doesnt it figure i have that song from the coke commercials in my head ?
"id like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony..." (or maybe that didnt start as a coke commercial, but thats the place i remember hearing it)

another CVS on Shaker Square?

according to the sun press (on aug.3) CVS will be starting construction on a new cvs set to open in early 2007...there is already a cvs on van aken and shaker.

i really hope that local community organizations (such as shad or the fairhill group) put up a fight, but theres gonna be a drive through, and almost noone seems able to fight the urge to stay in their cars...

Song of the day: big yellow taxi- joni mitchell

intention

the idea of intention is still pretty recent in my conciousness. i had always had such a narrow definition of the word, then i read this little tidbit, and realized intention needs to be applied everywhere, and with awareness...

A Syllabus for Journalism as a Healing Art

"The key is intention. Returning to the agriculture metaphor, the key for journalists is to learn how to cultivate a positive intention behind their communication, from which seeds of intention will grow language that does not injure, aggravate or destroy, but rather that sustains, helps and heals.

Journalism’s professional ethical code of “objectivity” contradicts itself, because it asks journalists to create positive moral outcomes while acting in a morally neutral manner.

Yet only positive moral intentions, followed by positive and skilled moral actions, can create positive moral outcomes…"

Song of the day: the queen and the soldier- suzanne vega

sunset in brahtenal

(i didnt take this, but its Erie, and pretty close to what i saw last night)

i had never been over in brahtenal before last evening. maybe its because i have never payed that much attention to architechture, or maybe i have never thought it was all that fun to stare at the rich people, i dont know, but a friend invited me over to his place last night, and brahtenal happens to be where he lives, and we watched the sunset over lake erie from his back yard.

ours is an interesting and newer relationship, he had been in that groups class that so changed my way of thinking about the world, and its woncerful to still have someone from there to connect with... and now i have an open invitation to give a ring and go watch the sun set whenever my heart is in need! (i wonder about sunrise?)

lake erie can be beautiful, reflecting the reds and golds of the dying orb (is that pollution?...dont think about it), the watcher will have to gasp for breath a time or two in the last twenty minutes as the horizon turns pink and finally a deep sighing purple. there are few times that i felt as much love for cleveland as i did last night, and thats been driving the shoreway to lakewood at the sunset, and i think that may be the only other way you can get the view i had last night.

thank you brad...if i am invited to the solstace this fall, i will take you with (just dont touch the furry things, and you'll be great...but you knew that already)

Song of the day: i'll follow the sun- the beatles

bill mahr and israel

i do really like this guy!

The World IS Mel Gibson

"As I watch so much of the world ask Israel for restraint in a way no other country would (Can you imagine what Bush would do if a terrorist organization took over Canada and was lobbing missiles into Montana, Maine and Illinois?) - and, by the way, does anyone ever ask Hezbollah for restraint. you know, like, please stop firing your rockets aimed PURPOSEFULLY at civilians? - it strikes me that the world IS Mel Gibson. Most of the time, the anti-semitism is under control, but that demon lives inside and when the moon is full, or there's been enough alcohol consumed,
or Israel is forced to kill people in its own defense, then it comes out."

truly, i am unsure on how i feel about the israeli/lebanese crisis. i know that everytime i become convinced that this type of military response is inappropriate, someone does something like the guy in seattle, or says something, like Iran's president saying the problem is easily resolved by dissolving israel, and then my fear and my history overwhelm me.

one thing i do know for sure though, is that i too use the idea of fighters coming into canada and what our response would be. i mean, look what we did to the entire country of afghanistan (which is not going all that well, by the way, but we dont really talk about that)for having the training camps (and yes, i know i have simplified, but it helps things to stay clear to focus on one aspect at a time).

song of the day: caravan- van morrison

voting equality?

from the plain dealer, friday, july 28th:

Voting Wrongs by Norman Robbins

"...research by the Greater Cleveland Voters Coalition shows that inaction, discriminatory legislation and selective enforcement of laws may comprimise tens of thousands of votes, especially those of low-income and minority citizens, and of youth.....in 2004, organizations that employed community people to register voters in low-income neighborhoods had excellent results. However, new Ohio legislation imposes internet hurdles, extra forms and misdemeanor and even felony charges for even minor infractions by paid registration workers..."


the article goes on to list a number of ways in which low-income and minority voters are disenfranchised, such as inability to get to the poles due to systemic issues (unable to get off work, or find child care) and how public assistance agencies are technically responsible for helping their clients register, but often dont.

does anyone else have issue with the fact that the people who most need the vote (since they control nothing) are least likely to be in a position to vote?

jeff hess and i got in a debate about it, his point being that people can just mail it in (absentee voting) and i say that even that can be problematic if you havent been registered, or if the return envelope is not pre-stamped (and jess says that if you dont have the forty cents for a stamp, you are mismanaging your money)

what is the point of being a democracy if you are going to still keep portions of your community powerless...i think we have officially become a classist society, and i am tired of it!....i think i need to go back to the voting rights act and see if it mentions economically disadvantge as a minority status

this morning's truth

"when i fall in love,
i take my time.
there's no need to hurry when i'm making up my mind.
you can turn off the Sun,
but i'm still gonna shine and i'll tell you why!
because the remedy is the experience"
-jason mraz