Thursday, March 31, 2005
Newsflash on Anger
This just in: acting on your anger makes you an angrier, more aggressive person. (Source: NPR right this minute) Just like "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice." Acting out on your angry feelings makes feel anger stronger and more frequently which isn't healthy for yourself or others. Venting anger does not reduce it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
quote from the sfbc bulleton
"It's high time that we stand up to planners and politicians who don't yet understand that it's
pedestrians that bring life to a community,
and it's cars who suck all the life out. While it's important to lobby public officials for
traffic calming and other public safety
improvements, it's also important to assert the fact that our streets don't exist merely for the
ease of motorists."
Jay Walljasper, Project for Public Spaces
pedestrians that bring life to a community,
and it's cars who suck all the life out. While it's important to lobby public officials for
traffic calming and other public safety
improvements, it's also important to assert the fact that our streets don't exist merely for the
ease of motorists."
Jay Walljasper, Project for Public Spaces
Monday, March 28, 2005
Page Zero 3/25: Stiglitz Warns of Violence If Wolfowitz
My friend here at RIDES, Marty, puts together a weekly news bulleton:
> From: "Martin Dooley"
>
> MARCH 19/20 ANTIWAR ACTION REPORTS FROM HUNDREDS
> OF CITIES
> http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=F_x252h_cw-72suC2Mm5YQ..
>
> ZNet Commentary
> The Normalization of Torture, Death Squads and
> Contempt for the Rule of Law March 19, 2005
> By Edward Herman
> http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-03/18herman.cfm
>
> World Bank Workers Reject Wolfowitz
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/031905D.shtml
See Ilana's response I will post in the comments. (Ilana is my sister who works at the World Bank.)
>
> ZNet Commentary
> Harassment Laws March 20, 2005
> By George Monbiot
>
> It was the greatest legal victory against
> corporate power in living memory. Last week, two
> penniless activists, Dave Morris and Helen Steel,
> persuaded the European Court of Human Rights that
> Britain's libel laws, under which they had been sued
> by McDonald's, had denied them their right of free
> speech. The law will probably have to be changed, depriving the
> rich and
> powerful of their most effective means of stifling public protest.
> So why
> aren't they hopping mad about it? The company which sued Dave and
> Helen will
> say only that "the world has moved on ... and so has
> McDonald's."(1) The
> Confederation of British Industry, so quick to denounce the legal
> rulings it
> doesn't like, hasn't uttered a word. They don't care, and they
> don't need
> to. You can see why by reading the Serious Organised Crime and
> Police Bill,
> which has now passed through the Commons for the third time. What
> civil law
> once gave them, criminal law now offers instead. The law is left
> wide open:
> there is nothing in it to prevent a company from seeking an
> injunction and
> damages against someone who has handed out leaflets to two of its
> customers.
> To demonstrate harassment, it needs to show that the protester's
> conduct has
> caused its customers "alarm or distress": but again the law grants
> it as
> much scope as it could ask for. This bill, like the 1997 Protection
> from
> Harassment Act, fails to distinguish between the manner in which
> information
> might be presented, and the information itself. If you stood
> outside a
> chemist's shop, telling people that one of the drugs they were
> using caused
> mutations in human foetuses, you would be alarming or distressing
> them even
> if you behaved with the greatest courtesy. The bill goes on
> (sections 122
> and 123) to redefine harassing someone in his home in such a way as
> to
> permit the police to ban all protest in a residential area. Under
> the bill
> you don't have to go knocking on someone's door to merit a year
> inside and a
> £2500 fine. You merely need to represent to "another individual"
> (ie
> anyone) "in the vicinity" of someone else's home, "that he should
> not do
> something that he is entitled or required to do; or that he should
> do
> something that he is not under any obligation to do". Which is, of
> course,
> the purpose of protest.
> http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-03/08monbiot.cfm
>
> NY REVIEW OF BOOKS
> The Real Afghanistan
> By Pankaj Mishra
> http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17787
>
> Protests in US, Europe as Bush Defends Iraq War
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032005B.shtml
>
> Oil Drilling In Alaska
> Richard Lott
> Civil Engineer "They're drilling in the Alaskan wilderness? That's
> too bad.
> Someone really ought to look into passing laws to put such places
> under
> federal protection so this doesn't happen again."
> Cecelia Mayo
> Systems Analyst "This can't be true. Bush described himself as an
> environmental guardian last fall, and I've seen photos of him
> standing in
> front of trees."
> Angel Macias
> Lifeguard "At least now we'll see the area destroyed in 10 short
> years
> instead of watching global warming do it over a painful, drawn-out
> 40."
> Ted Bonner
> Locksmith "What I don't get is why this counts as 'a victory for
> the energy
> lobby' instead of 'a loss for the country at large.'"
> Floyd Holden
> Author "But... but where will there be pristine and untouched
> wonders left
> for me to drive my GMC Yukon through?"
> http://www.theonion.com/index.php?pre=1
>
> The Return Of Latin America's Left
> by Alvaro Vargas Llosa, The New York Times
> There's a new pragmatic left ascending in Latin America, and
> it's a
> great opportunity for reform.
> http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/#004178
>
> Remembering Romero
> by Mark Engler, TomPaine.com
> Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered 25 years ago today as
> part of the
> original 'Salvador Option.'
> http://www.tompaine.com/articles/remembering_romero.php
>
> Strange Bedfellows Unite to Fight Patriot Act
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032305G.shtml
>
> SEC may sue Perle over Hollinger
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050324/RPERLE24/TPBusiness/Canadian
> By OTIS BILODEAU AND PETER ROBISON
> Thursday, March 24, 2005 PageB3 Bloomberg, with files from staff
> According to an investigation by a special committee of Hollinger
> International's board last year, Mr. Perle admitted that he signed
> off on
> many of the transactions without reading the documents. In a
> report, the
> committee sharply criticized Mr. Perle as a "faithless fiduciary"
> whose
> "head-in-the-sand behaviour" breached his duty to protect
> shareholders. The
> committee also found that Mr. Perle and an affiliated company
> pocketed more
> than $7-million in compensation and investments from Hollinger
> International
> and a subsidiary.. . .
> The board at Hollinger International ousted Lord Black in January,
> 2004. The
> company later sued him, saying in a report issued in August that he
> and
> other top executives looted the company of more than $400-million
> over seven
> years.
>
> March 27, 2005
> FRANK RICH
> The God Racket, From DeMille to DeLay
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/arts/27Rich.html?8hpib=&pagewanted=print&position=
> As DeMille readied his costly Paramount production for release a
> half-century ago, he seized on an ingenious publicity scheme. In
> partnership
> with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a nationwide association of
> civic-minded
> clubs founded by theater owners, he sponsored the construction of
> several
> thousand Ten Commandments monuments throughout the country to hype
> his
> product. The Pharaoh himself - that would be Yul Brynner -
> participated in
> the gala unveiling of the Milwaukee slab. Heston did the same in
> North
> Dakota. Bizarrely enough, all these years later, it is another of
> these
> DeMille-inspired granite monuments, on the grounds of the Texas
> Capitol in
> Austin, that is a focus of the Ten Commandments case that the
> United States
> Supreme Court heard this month.
> That bullying, stoked by politicians in power, has become
> omnipresent,
> leading television stations to practice self-censorship and high
> school
> teachers to avoid mentioning "the E word," evolution, in their
> classrooms,
> lest they arouse fundamentalist rancor. The president is on record
> as saying
> that the jury is still out on evolution, so perhaps it's no
> surprise that
> The Los Angeles Times has uncovered a three-year-old "religious
> rights" unit
> in the Justice Department that investigated a biology professor at
> Texas
> Tech because he refused to write letters of recommendation for
> students who
> do not accept evolution as "the central, unifying principle of
> biology."
> Cornelia Dean of The New York Times broke the story last weekend
> that some
> Imax theaters, even those in science centers, are now refusing to
> show
> documentaries like "Galápagos" or "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea"
> because their
> references to Darwin and the Big Bang theory might antagonize some
> audiences. Soon such films will disappear along with biology
> textbooks that
> don't give equal time to creationism.
> James Cameron, producer of "Volcanoes" (and, more famously, the
> director of
> "Titanic"), called this development "obviously symptomatic of our
> shift away
> from empiricism in science to faith-based science." Faith-based
> science has
> in turn begat faith-based medicine that impedes stem-cell research,
> not to
> mention faith-based abstinence-only health policy that impedes the
> prevention of unwanted pregnancies and diseases like AIDS.
> Faith-based news
> is not far behind. Ashley Smith, the 26-year-old woman who was held
> hostage
> by Brian Nichols, the accused Atlanta courthouse killer, has been
> canonized
> by virtually every American news organization as God's messenger
> because she
> inspired Mr. Nichols to surrender by talking about her faith and
> reading him
> a chapter from Rick Warren's best seller, "The Purpose-Driven
> Life." But if
> she's speaking for God, what does that make Dennis Rader, the
> church council
> president arrested in Wichita's B.T.K. serial killer case? Was God
> instructing Terry Ratzmann, the devoted member of the Living Church
> of God
> who this month murdered his pastor, an elderly man, two teenagers
> and two
> others before killing himself at a weekly church service in
> Wisconsin? The
> religious elements of these stories, including the role played by
> the
> end-of-times fatalism of Mr. Ratzmann's church, are left largely
> unexamined
> by the same news outlets that serve up Ashley Smith's tale as an
> inspirational parable for profit.
> But faced with McCarthyism in God's name, most Democratic leaders
> went into
> hiding and stayed silent. Prayers are no more likely to revive
> their spines
> than poor Terri Schiavo's brain.
>
> NEW STRAITS TIMES
> Two carry medical data in their arms
> GEORGE TOWN, Wed. - Two Malaysians have had the world's smallest
> identification chips embedded in their arms.
> http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/NST32285911.txt/Article/indexb_html
> LOWES FOODS BRINGS BIOMETRIC FINGERPRINT PAYMENTS AND CHECK CASHING
> TO
> CUSTOMERS
> http://www.lincolntribune.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=978
> US Document Indicates Bin Laden Escaped Tora Bora
> http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-23-voa53.cfm
> PATRICK BOND
> A New War? On Wolfowitz's World Bank
> http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,609
> HOW TO TURN YOUR RED STATE BLUE
> Christopher Hayes, In These Times
> In order to grow, progressives need to learn from
> evangelical movements: Systematically expand the
> universe
> of access points to their worldview and actively
> recruit
> people into the fold.
> http://www.alternet.org/story/21584/
>
> RAGING FOR THE MACHINE
> Scott Thill, AlterNet
> In Brian K. Vaughan's 'Ex Machina,' the comic
> book hero
> paradigm is turned upside down -- a gay mayor of
> New
> York dealing with rather more real -- but no less
> heroic -- situations.
> http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21587/
>
> BRAZIL'S BOLD MOVE
> Kelly Hearn, AlterNet
> Determined to get affordable drugs for its
> citizens living
> with HIV/AIDS, the Brazilian government threatens
> to break
> some of Big Pharma's patents.
> http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21586/
>
> ONE-WAY PLANET
> Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com
> Exactly how narrow have the boundaries of
> discussion about
> the American "mission" in the world grown in the
> Bush
> years?
> http://www.alternet.org/story/21589/
>
> TRAGEDY AT RED LAKE
> H. Mathew Barkhausen III, SNAG Magazine
> "I can only wonder how things might have turned
> out
> differently if Weise had had a traditional Ojibwe
> upbringing, was well-acquainted with his native
> tongue and
> traditions."
> http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/21594/
>
>
> JUST SAY ... NOTHING
> Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor
> Today's parents are more likely to have used
> drugs in
> adolescence than any other generation. Yet
> they're proving
> more reluctant to talk about it to their
> children.
> http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21438/
I was just discussing this matter, indirectly, with Elizabeth and Wendy last night. I observed that in my on-camera public speaking coaching video tape, I look like a teenager. Elizabeth observed that this is probably because our parents never grew up, and therefor we do not know how. We have role models for what it is to be, or at least look like, an adult.
> Army Misses Recruiting Goal Again; To Use 'Patriotic Appeal
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0324-08.htm
> George McGovern | Patriotism Is Nonpartisan: Challenging a Mistaken
> War Can
> Take More Courage than Fighting One
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0324-36.htm
> Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. | If It's Really A 'World' Bank,
> Then Let's
> Look South
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0324-35.htm
>
> Journalists tell of US Falluja killings
> http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6890A8DA-AF79-45AD-BB4F-42C060978A07.
> htm
> Thursday 17 March 2005, 13:41 Makka Time, 10:41
> GMT
> Journalists accuse US soldiers of targeting
> children
>
> The picture they are painting is of US soldiers
> killing whole families,
> including children, attacks on hospitals and
> doctors, the use of
> napalm-like weapons and sections of the city
> destroyed.
>
> 'My father and the neighbour went to the door to
> meet them. We were not
> fighters. We thought we had nothing to fear. I
> ran into the kitchen to put
> on my veil, since men were going to enter our
> house and it would be wrong
> for them to see me with my hair uncovered.
> "This saved my life. As my father and neighbour
> approached the door, the
> Americans opened fire on them. They died
> instantly. "Me and my 13-year-old brother hid in the kitchen
> behind the fridge. The
> soldiers came into the house and caught my older
> sister. They beat her.
> Then they shot her. But they did not see me. Soon
> they left, but not before
> they had destroyed our furniture and stolen the
> money from my father's
> pocket."
>
> Journalist and writer Naomi Klein has also come
> under attack for insisting
> that US forces are eliminating those who dare to
> count casualties.
>
> No less than the US ambassador to the UK David
> Johnson wrote a letter to
> British newspaper The Guardian that published
> Klein's work, demanding
> evidence, which she then provided.
>
> Why graft thrives in postconflict zones
> A report issued Wednesday said Iraq could become
> 'the biggest corruption
> scandal in history.'
> By Mark Rice-Oxley | Correspondent of The
> Christian Science Monitor
> http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0317/p06s01-wogi.html
>
> LONDON - Five Polish peacekeepers are arrested
> for allegedly taking
> $90,000 worth of bribes in Iraq. Several Sri
> Lankan officials are suspended
> for mishandling tsunami aid. US audits show large
> financial discrepancies
> in Iraq. Reports of aid abuse taunt Indonesia.
>
> America's Agenda for Global Military Domination
> by Michel Chossudovsky
> http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO503A.html
>
> 03/17/05 "CRG" - - The Pentagon has released
> the summary of a top
> secret Pentagon document, which sketches
> America's agenda for global
> military domination. This redirection of America's military
> strategy seems to have passed
> virtually unnoticed. With the exception of The
> Wall Street Journal (see
> below in annex), not a word has been mentioned in
> the US media.
> Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Vanunu Faces New Jail Term
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0318-06.htm
> Medea Benjamin | Reigniting the Anti-War Movement
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0318-28.htm
> Jimmy Carter To Chair Election Reform Commission
> http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-03-25T012905Z_01_N24598718_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-ELECTION-USA-CARTER-DC.XML
> U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil
> Reserves - Soviet
> Intelligence Chief
> http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/03/21/shebarsh.shtml
> Created: 21.03.2005 14:05 MSK (GMT +3), Updated:
> 14:05 MSK
>
> On the pretext of fighting international
> terrorism the United States is
> trying to establish control over the world's
> richest oil reserves, Leonid
> Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign
> Intelligence Service, who heads
> the Russian National Economic Security Service
> consulting company, said in
> an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
>
>
>
> THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE TELEVISED
> Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005. A review of
> selected
> books from the "Left Behind" series. Originally
> from
> November 2004. By Gene Lyons.
>
> http://harpers.org/TheApocalypseWillBeTelevised.html
>
> UNDEMOCRATIC MEDIA OVERSEAS
> Rory O'Connor, AlterNet
> A new book argues that Japan has the least
> trustworthy media
> in the democratic world -- and guess how it
> began.
> http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21553/
>
> http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=7302
> Why we must lose this war
>
> by Jack Lessenberry
>
> 02/09/05 "Metro Times" - - Gwynne Dyer isn't
> exactly a wimp. Not many
> guys from Newfoundland are. Born during World War
> II, he has been
> fascinated by things military all his life, and
> has served in three navies
> - ours, Canada's and Great Britain's. He has
> university degrees from
> all three countries too, and a Ph.D. in military
> and Middle Eastern
> history. During the 1980s, he produced and
> narrated the best documentary
> series about the nature of war that I've ever
> seen.
>
> "The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq
> as soon as possible.
> Even more urgently, the whole world needs the
> United States to lose the war
> in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run
> the world for the next
> generation or more, and really bad things will
> happen if we get it
> wrong."
>
> Interestingly, if that happens, we may not be
> able to afford to be a rogue
> state for very long. In what's surely the most
> telling and terrifying
> part of this book, the author takes on the most
> frightening topic of all
> - the real condition of the American economy,
> which is now totally
> dependent on foreign investment.
>
> You'd scarcely know it from the "mainstream
> media," but we're now
> the biggest debtor nation in history, owing far
> more to foreign countries
> than they do to us, and running up $500 billion
> more on our "credit
> card" every year.
>
> Why does this go on? Dyer argues what other
> economists have told me in
> whispers: "The U.S. economy is a confidence trick
> based on everybody
> else's perception that the United States is
> centrally important for the
> world's security and that its economy is
> centrally important for the
> world economy."
>
> That was absolutely true in 1945, and largely
> true even in 1985. But not
> anymore. If you look at only those foreign
> investments that could be
> liquidated fairly quickly, the total, he
> estimates, would come to about $8
> trillion. If those investments started to move
> elsewhere, the value of the
> dollar could be cut in half, Dyer estimates,
> overnight.
>
> Guantanamo Abuse 'Videotaped'
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0321-06.htm
>
> Danny Schechter | Miscovering Anti-War Protests (Again)
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0321-21.htm
> Institute for Public Accuracy : Responses to "Sweeping" UN Report
> http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0321-06.htm
> Halliday, who was head of the oil-for-food program in Iraq until
> resigning
> in protest in 1998, added: "Secretary General Annan -- a Washington
> creation
> -- pussyfoots on USA corruption of the UN, the Charter and
> international law
> as highlighted by the illegal invasion of Iraq, threats of armed
> aggression
> against other member states (Iran, Syria, North Korea) and
> unwillingness to
> sign on to the minimalist Kyoto environmental accords. The
> Secretary General
> does however push the International Criminal Court, which has
> frightened
> those guilty in Washington into rejection. Bottom line -- unless
> all member
> states begin to respect and apply international law the UN will
> continue to
> fail, and fall short."
> HIJACKING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ
> Scott Ritter, AlterNet
> What occurred in Iraq on Jan. 30, 2005 was an
> American-brokered event, not an expression of
> Iraqi
> national unity. The U.S. lowering of the Shi'a
> vote is case in point.
> http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/21566/
>
> THE SECRET LIFE OF DUST
> Beverley Thorpe, AlterNet
> The first U.S. study to test chemicals in
> household dust
> found a toxic cocktail in our homes, made of
> hazardous
> chemicals emitted from commonly used products.
> http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21562/
**** of critical importance!****
>
> America leads the world in mental illness
> http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/14/15253/7082
> http://www.who.int/mental_health/en/
OMG! Look at the top 3. I've been meaning to observe for a while now, that when I was in France, I heard people say ALL THE TIME that they couldn't do thus and such because their friend/parent/sibling/partner was depressed. Of course, in this puritalican country (US), we WASPs never EVER talk about how we feel. So, where does that leave us? The most depressed and doing the most ineffective things about it (medications, suicide).
>
> The World Health Organization has released a
> study that verifies the
> United States is the undisputed champion in
> mental illness*, dominating
> various pathologies ranging from anxiety to
> depression to poor impulse
> control. We easily vanquished underachieving Old
> Europe in
> post-traumatic stress syndrome, bipolar disorder,
> and bulimia nervosa.
> Additionally, our magnificent land trounced the
> supposedly productive
> Asian countries in both senility and agoraphobia,
> while coasting past
> Africa in pediatric hyperactivity.
>
> The End for GM Crops: Final British Trial Confirms Threat to
> Wildlife
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0322-04.htm
> Huge blast rocks Texas oil plant
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4377519.stm
>
> An explosion has rocked an oil refinery in Texas,
> killing several people
> and injuring dozens.
> A year ago, the complex was evacuated after an
> explosion that cost the
> refinery $63,000 in fines for safety violations.
> Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4377519.stm
>
> Administration Kept Mum About Unapproved Modified Corn Sold
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0323-02.htm
>
> Ted Rall | Buck Up, The World Hates Us More Than Ever; Why the Left
> Was
> Right After All
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0323-30.htm
> From: "Martin Dooley"
>
> MARCH 19/20 ANTIWAR ACTION REPORTS FROM HUNDREDS
> OF CITIES
> http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=F_x252h_cw-72suC2Mm5YQ..
>
> ZNet Commentary
> The Normalization of Torture, Death Squads and
> Contempt for the Rule of Law March 19, 2005
> By Edward Herman
> http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-03/18herman.cfm
>
> World Bank Workers Reject Wolfowitz
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/031905D.shtml
See Ilana's response I will post in the comments. (Ilana is my sister who works at the World Bank.)
>
> ZNet Commentary
> Harassment Laws March 20, 2005
> By George Monbiot
>
> It was the greatest legal victory against
> corporate power in living memory. Last week, two
> penniless activists, Dave Morris and Helen Steel,
> persuaded the European Court of Human Rights that
> Britain's libel laws, under which they had been sued
> by McDonald's, had denied them their right of free
> speech. The law will probably have to be changed, depriving the
> rich and
> powerful of their most effective means of stifling public protest.
> So why
> aren't they hopping mad about it? The company which sued Dave and
> Helen will
> say only that "the world has moved on ... and so has
> McDonald's."(1) The
> Confederation of British Industry, so quick to denounce the legal
> rulings it
> doesn't like, hasn't uttered a word. They don't care, and they
> don't need
> to. You can see why by reading the Serious Organised Crime and
> Police Bill,
> which has now passed through the Commons for the third time. What
> civil law
> once gave them, criminal law now offers instead. The law is left
> wide open:
> there is nothing in it to prevent a company from seeking an
> injunction and
> damages against someone who has handed out leaflets to two of its
> customers.
> To demonstrate harassment, it needs to show that the protester's
> conduct has
> caused its customers "alarm or distress": but again the law grants
> it as
> much scope as it could ask for. This bill, like the 1997 Protection
> from
> Harassment Act, fails to distinguish between the manner in which
> information
> might be presented, and the information itself. If you stood
> outside a
> chemist's shop, telling people that one of the drugs they were
> using caused
> mutations in human foetuses, you would be alarming or distressing
> them even
> if you behaved with the greatest courtesy. The bill goes on
> (sections 122
> and 123) to redefine harassing someone in his home in such a way as
> to
> permit the police to ban all protest in a residential area. Under
> the bill
> you don't have to go knocking on someone's door to merit a year
> inside and a
> £2500 fine. You merely need to represent to "another individual"
> (ie
> anyone) "in the vicinity" of someone else's home, "that he should
> not do
> something that he is entitled or required to do; or that he should
> do
> something that he is not under any obligation to do". Which is, of
> course,
> the purpose of protest.
> http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-03/08monbiot.cfm
>
> NY REVIEW OF BOOKS
> The Real Afghanistan
> By Pankaj Mishra
> http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17787
>
> Protests in US, Europe as Bush Defends Iraq War
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032005B.shtml
>
> Oil Drilling In Alaska
> Richard Lott
> Civil Engineer "They're drilling in the Alaskan wilderness? That's
> too bad.
> Someone really ought to look into passing laws to put such places
> under
> federal protection so this doesn't happen again."
> Cecelia Mayo
> Systems Analyst "This can't be true. Bush described himself as an
> environmental guardian last fall, and I've seen photos of him
> standing in
> front of trees."
> Angel Macias
> Lifeguard "At least now we'll see the area destroyed in 10 short
> years
> instead of watching global warming do it over a painful, drawn-out
> 40."
> Ted Bonner
> Locksmith "What I don't get is why this counts as 'a victory for
> the energy
> lobby' instead of 'a loss for the country at large.'"
> Floyd Holden
> Author "But... but where will there be pristine and untouched
> wonders left
> for me to drive my GMC Yukon through?"
> http://www.theonion.com/index.php?pre=1
>
> The Return Of Latin America's Left
> by Alvaro Vargas Llosa, The New York Times
> There's a new pragmatic left ascending in Latin America, and
> it's a
> great opportunity for reform.
> http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/#004178
>
> Remembering Romero
> by Mark Engler, TomPaine.com
> Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered 25 years ago today as
> part of the
> original 'Salvador Option.'
> http://www.tompaine.com/articles/remembering_romero.php
>
> Strange Bedfellows Unite to Fight Patriot Act
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032305G.shtml
>
> SEC may sue Perle over Hollinger
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050324/RPERLE24/TPBusiness/Canadian
> By OTIS BILODEAU AND PETER ROBISON
> Thursday, March 24, 2005 PageB3 Bloomberg, with files from staff
> According to an investigation by a special committee of Hollinger
> International's board last year, Mr. Perle admitted that he signed
> off on
> many of the transactions without reading the documents. In a
> report, the
> committee sharply criticized Mr. Perle as a "faithless fiduciary"
> whose
> "head-in-the-sand behaviour" breached his duty to protect
> shareholders. The
> committee also found that Mr. Perle and an affiliated company
> pocketed more
> than $7-million in compensation and investments from Hollinger
> International
> and a subsidiary.. . .
> The board at Hollinger International ousted Lord Black in January,
> 2004. The
> company later sued him, saying in a report issued in August that he
> and
> other top executives looted the company of more than $400-million
> over seven
> years.
>
> March 27, 2005
> FRANK RICH
> The God Racket, From DeMille to DeLay
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/arts/27Rich.html?8hpib=&pagewanted=print&position=
> As DeMille readied his costly Paramount production for release a
> half-century ago, he seized on an ingenious publicity scheme. In
> partnership
> with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a nationwide association of
> civic-minded
> clubs founded by theater owners, he sponsored the construction of
> several
> thousand Ten Commandments monuments throughout the country to hype
> his
> product. The Pharaoh himself - that would be Yul Brynner -
> participated in
> the gala unveiling of the Milwaukee slab. Heston did the same in
> North
> Dakota. Bizarrely enough, all these years later, it is another of
> these
> DeMille-inspired granite monuments, on the grounds of the Texas
> Capitol in
> Austin, that is a focus of the Ten Commandments case that the
> United States
> Supreme Court heard this month.
> That bullying, stoked by politicians in power, has become
> omnipresent,
> leading television stations to practice self-censorship and high
> school
> teachers to avoid mentioning "the E word," evolution, in their
> classrooms,
> lest they arouse fundamentalist rancor. The president is on record
> as saying
> that the jury is still out on evolution, so perhaps it's no
> surprise that
> The Los Angeles Times has uncovered a three-year-old "religious
> rights" unit
> in the Justice Department that investigated a biology professor at
> Texas
> Tech because he refused to write letters of recommendation for
> students who
> do not accept evolution as "the central, unifying principle of
> biology."
> Cornelia Dean of The New York Times broke the story last weekend
> that some
> Imax theaters, even those in science centers, are now refusing to
> show
> documentaries like "Galápagos" or "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea"
> because their
> references to Darwin and the Big Bang theory might antagonize some
> audiences. Soon such films will disappear along with biology
> textbooks that
> don't give equal time to creationism.
> James Cameron, producer of "Volcanoes" (and, more famously, the
> director of
> "Titanic"), called this development "obviously symptomatic of our
> shift away
> from empiricism in science to faith-based science." Faith-based
> science has
> in turn begat faith-based medicine that impedes stem-cell research,
> not to
> mention faith-based abstinence-only health policy that impedes the
> prevention of unwanted pregnancies and diseases like AIDS.
> Faith-based news
> is not far behind. Ashley Smith, the 26-year-old woman who was held
> hostage
> by Brian Nichols, the accused Atlanta courthouse killer, has been
> canonized
> by virtually every American news organization as God's messenger
> because she
> inspired Mr. Nichols to surrender by talking about her faith and
> reading him
> a chapter from Rick Warren's best seller, "The Purpose-Driven
> Life." But if
> she's speaking for God, what does that make Dennis Rader, the
> church council
> president arrested in Wichita's B.T.K. serial killer case? Was God
> instructing Terry Ratzmann, the devoted member of the Living Church
> of God
> who this month murdered his pastor, an elderly man, two teenagers
> and two
> others before killing himself at a weekly church service in
> Wisconsin? The
> religious elements of these stories, including the role played by
> the
> end-of-times fatalism of Mr. Ratzmann's church, are left largely
> unexamined
> by the same news outlets that serve up Ashley Smith's tale as an
> inspirational parable for profit.
> But faced with McCarthyism in God's name, most Democratic leaders
> went into
> hiding and stayed silent. Prayers are no more likely to revive
> their spines
> than poor Terri Schiavo's brain.
>
> NEW STRAITS TIMES
> Two carry medical data in their arms
> GEORGE TOWN, Wed. - Two Malaysians have had the world's smallest
> identification chips embedded in their arms.
> http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/NST32285911.txt/Article/indexb_html
> LOWES FOODS BRINGS BIOMETRIC FINGERPRINT PAYMENTS AND CHECK CASHING
> TO
> CUSTOMERS
> http://www.lincolntribune.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=978
> US Document Indicates Bin Laden Escaped Tora Bora
> http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-23-voa53.cfm
> PATRICK BOND
> A New War? On Wolfowitz's World Bank
> http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,609
> HOW TO TURN YOUR RED STATE BLUE
> Christopher Hayes, In These Times
> In order to grow, progressives need to learn from
> evangelical movements: Systematically expand the
> universe
> of access points to their worldview and actively
> recruit
> people into the fold.
> http://www.alternet.org/story/21584/
>
> RAGING FOR THE MACHINE
> Scott Thill, AlterNet
> In Brian K. Vaughan's 'Ex Machina,' the comic
> book hero
> paradigm is turned upside down -- a gay mayor of
> New
> York dealing with rather more real -- but no less
> heroic -- situations.
> http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21587/
>
> BRAZIL'S BOLD MOVE
> Kelly Hearn, AlterNet
> Determined to get affordable drugs for its
> citizens living
> with HIV/AIDS, the Brazilian government threatens
> to break
> some of Big Pharma's patents.
> http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21586/
>
> ONE-WAY PLANET
> Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com
> Exactly how narrow have the boundaries of
> discussion about
> the American "mission" in the world grown in the
> Bush
> years?
> http://www.alternet.org/story/21589/
>
> TRAGEDY AT RED LAKE
> H. Mathew Barkhausen III, SNAG Magazine
> "I can only wonder how things might have turned
> out
> differently if Weise had had a traditional Ojibwe
> upbringing, was well-acquainted with his native
> tongue and
> traditions."
> http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/21594/
>
>
> JUST SAY ... NOTHING
> Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor
> Today's parents are more likely to have used
> drugs in
> adolescence than any other generation. Yet
> they're proving
> more reluctant to talk about it to their
> children.
> http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21438/
I was just discussing this matter, indirectly, with Elizabeth and Wendy last night. I observed that in my on-camera public speaking coaching video tape, I look like a teenager. Elizabeth observed that this is probably because our parents never grew up, and therefor we do not know how. We have role models for what it is to be, or at least look like, an adult.
> Army Misses Recruiting Goal Again; To Use 'Patriotic Appeal
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0324-08.htm
> George McGovern | Patriotism Is Nonpartisan: Challenging a Mistaken
> War Can
> Take More Courage than Fighting One
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0324-36.htm
> Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. | If It's Really A 'World' Bank,
> Then Let's
> Look South
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0324-35.htm
>
> Journalists tell of US Falluja killings
> http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6890A8DA-AF79-45AD-BB4F-42C060978A07.
> htm
> Thursday 17 March 2005, 13:41 Makka Time, 10:41
> GMT
> Journalists accuse US soldiers of targeting
> children
>
> The picture they are painting is of US soldiers
> killing whole families,
> including children, attacks on hospitals and
> doctors, the use of
> napalm-like weapons and sections of the city
> destroyed.
>
> 'My father and the neighbour went to the door to
> meet them. We were not
> fighters. We thought we had nothing to fear. I
> ran into the kitchen to put
> on my veil, since men were going to enter our
> house and it would be wrong
> for them to see me with my hair uncovered.
> "This saved my life. As my father and neighbour
> approached the door, the
> Americans opened fire on them. They died
> instantly. "Me and my 13-year-old brother hid in the kitchen
> behind the fridge. The
> soldiers came into the house and caught my older
> sister. They beat her.
> Then they shot her. But they did not see me. Soon
> they left, but not before
> they had destroyed our furniture and stolen the
> money from my father's
> pocket."
>
> Journalist and writer Naomi Klein has also come
> under attack for insisting
> that US forces are eliminating those who dare to
> count casualties.
>
> No less than the US ambassador to the UK David
> Johnson wrote a letter to
> British newspaper The Guardian that published
> Klein's work, demanding
> evidence, which she then provided.
>
> Why graft thrives in postconflict zones
> A report issued Wednesday said Iraq could become
> 'the biggest corruption
> scandal in history.'
> By Mark Rice-Oxley | Correspondent of The
> Christian Science Monitor
> http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0317/p06s01-wogi.html
>
> LONDON - Five Polish peacekeepers are arrested
> for allegedly taking
> $90,000 worth of bribes in Iraq. Several Sri
> Lankan officials are suspended
> for mishandling tsunami aid. US audits show large
> financial discrepancies
> in Iraq. Reports of aid abuse taunt Indonesia.
>
> America's Agenda for Global Military Domination
> by Michel Chossudovsky
> http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO503A.html
>
> 03/17/05 "CRG" - - The Pentagon has released
> the summary of a top
> secret Pentagon document, which sketches
> America's agenda for global
> military domination. This redirection of America's military
> strategy seems to have passed
> virtually unnoticed. With the exception of The
> Wall Street Journal (see
> below in annex), not a word has been mentioned in
> the US media.
> Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Vanunu Faces New Jail Term
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0318-06.htm
> Medea Benjamin | Reigniting the Anti-War Movement
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0318-28.htm
> Jimmy Carter To Chair Election Reform Commission
> http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-03-25T012905Z_01_N24598718_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-ELECTION-USA-CARTER-DC.XML
> U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil
> Reserves - Soviet
> Intelligence Chief
> http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/03/21/shebarsh.shtml
> Created: 21.03.2005 14:05 MSK (GMT +3), Updated:
> 14:05 MSK
>
> On the pretext of fighting international
> terrorism the United States is
> trying to establish control over the world's
> richest oil reserves, Leonid
> Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign
> Intelligence Service, who heads
> the Russian National Economic Security Service
> consulting company, said in
> an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
>
>
>
> THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE TELEVISED
> Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005. A review of
> selected
> books from the "Left Behind" series. Originally
> from
> November 2004. By Gene Lyons.
>
> http://harpers.org/TheApocalypseWillBeTelevised.html
>
> UNDEMOCRATIC MEDIA OVERSEAS
> Rory O'Connor, AlterNet
> A new book argues that Japan has the least
> trustworthy media
> in the democratic world -- and guess how it
> began.
> http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21553/
>
> http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=7302
> Why we must lose this war
>
> by Jack Lessenberry
>
> 02/09/05 "Metro Times" - - Gwynne Dyer isn't
> exactly a wimp. Not many
> guys from Newfoundland are. Born during World War
> II, he has been
> fascinated by things military all his life, and
> has served in three navies
> - ours, Canada's and Great Britain's. He has
> university degrees from
> all three countries too, and a Ph.D. in military
> and Middle Eastern
> history. During the 1980s, he produced and
> narrated the best documentary
> series about the nature of war that I've ever
> seen.
>
> "The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq
> as soon as possible.
> Even more urgently, the whole world needs the
> United States to lose the war
> in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run
> the world for the next
> generation or more, and really bad things will
> happen if we get it
> wrong."
>
> Interestingly, if that happens, we may not be
> able to afford to be a rogue
> state for very long. In what's surely the most
> telling and terrifying
> part of this book, the author takes on the most
> frightening topic of all
> - the real condition of the American economy,
> which is now totally
> dependent on foreign investment.
>
> You'd scarcely know it from the "mainstream
> media," but we're now
> the biggest debtor nation in history, owing far
> more to foreign countries
> than they do to us, and running up $500 billion
> more on our "credit
> card" every year.
>
> Why does this go on? Dyer argues what other
> economists have told me in
> whispers: "The U.S. economy is a confidence trick
> based on everybody
> else's perception that the United States is
> centrally important for the
> world's security and that its economy is
> centrally important for the
> world economy."
>
> That was absolutely true in 1945, and largely
> true even in 1985. But not
> anymore. If you look at only those foreign
> investments that could be
> liquidated fairly quickly, the total, he
> estimates, would come to about $8
> trillion. If those investments started to move
> elsewhere, the value of the
> dollar could be cut in half, Dyer estimates,
> overnight.
>
> Guantanamo Abuse 'Videotaped'
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0321-06.htm
>
> Danny Schechter | Miscovering Anti-War Protests (Again)
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0321-21.htm
> Institute for Public Accuracy : Responses to "Sweeping" UN Report
> http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0321-06.htm
> Halliday, who was head of the oil-for-food program in Iraq until
> resigning
> in protest in 1998, added: "Secretary General Annan -- a Washington
> creation
> -- pussyfoots on USA corruption of the UN, the Charter and
> international law
> as highlighted by the illegal invasion of Iraq, threats of armed
> aggression
> against other member states (Iran, Syria, North Korea) and
> unwillingness to
> sign on to the minimalist Kyoto environmental accords. The
> Secretary General
> does however push the International Criminal Court, which has
> frightened
> those guilty in Washington into rejection. Bottom line -- unless
> all member
> states begin to respect and apply international law the UN will
> continue to
> fail, and fall short."
> HIJACKING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ
> Scott Ritter, AlterNet
> What occurred in Iraq on Jan. 30, 2005 was an
> American-brokered event, not an expression of
> Iraqi
> national unity. The U.S. lowering of the Shi'a
> vote is case in point.
> http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/21566/
>
> THE SECRET LIFE OF DUST
> Beverley Thorpe, AlterNet
> The first U.S. study to test chemicals in
> household dust
> found a toxic cocktail in our homes, made of
> hazardous
> chemicals emitted from commonly used products.
> http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21562/
**** of critical importance!****
>
> America leads the world in mental illness
> http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/14/15253/7082
> http://www.who.int/mental_health/en/
OMG! Look at the top 3. I've been meaning to observe for a while now, that when I was in France, I heard people say ALL THE TIME that they couldn't do thus and such because their friend/parent/sibling/partner was depressed. Of course, in this puritalican country (US), we WASPs never EVER talk about how we feel. So, where does that leave us? The most depressed and doing the most ineffective things about it (medications, suicide).
>
> The World Health Organization has released a
> study that verifies the
> United States is the undisputed champion in
> mental illness*, dominating
> various pathologies ranging from anxiety to
> depression to poor impulse
> control. We easily vanquished underachieving Old
> Europe in
> post-traumatic stress syndrome, bipolar disorder,
> and bulimia nervosa.
> Additionally, our magnificent land trounced the
> supposedly productive
> Asian countries in both senility and agoraphobia,
> while coasting past
> Africa in pediatric hyperactivity.
>
> The End for GM Crops: Final British Trial Confirms Threat to
> Wildlife
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0322-04.htm
> Huge blast rocks Texas oil plant
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4377519.stm
>
> An explosion has rocked an oil refinery in Texas,
> killing several people
> and injuring dozens.
> A year ago, the complex was evacuated after an
> explosion that cost the
> refinery $63,000 in fines for safety violations.
> Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4377519.stm
>
> Administration Kept Mum About Unapproved Modified Corn Sold
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0323-02.htm
>
> Ted Rall | Buck Up, The World Hates Us More Than Ever; Why the Left
> Was
> Right After All
> http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0323-30.htm
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Taxi!
Kristin and I took a taxi to the Ballet the other weekend. We were gossiping about our friends and our (lack of) sex lives. Our driver said: "don't worry about me. I don't speak English." When we got out of the taxi, he said "Thank you for the 'Sex and the City' recap." Hilarious!
Self-assessment/body image
So, I took this public speaking class yesterday, and I found it incredibly helpful(speechskills.com)! It's on-camera coaching with an outline of what makes a good (general word used intensionally) speaker. I had a few basic issues with being taped, like I think my hips look too big straight on, so I usually try to put one foot in front of the other or take a wide stance to change that appearance. I also think I look fat, and all that.
As a slight digression, I was at this party with Gabe the other month. The music was fine, and the drinks free, and before too long I was dancing up a storm (while he was chatting up the hot little chicas). I danced for a while with this guy. We were having a great time. Near the end, he said in my ear (because otherwise I would not have been able to hear him over the music), "you are super cute.... you are exactly twice as cute as you think you are." I laughed it off because I thought he was trying to chat me up and I wasn't interested in him in that way.
I know I have a pretty face, good shoulders, a nice long back, beautiful arms, a Jennifer-Lopez butt, and that these are good things. I weigh about what I should. But I didn't realized how little confidence I had in the whole package until I watched this tape we made yesterday. I AM exactly twice as cute as I thought I was. My little party friend told the truth!
I even thought my public speaking was much worse than it actually is. Sure, I say too many "um"s (and apparently I say "actually" too much). Sure, I struggle to stand still. But I have a good loud voice, an animated style, and I am cute as hell.
Self-flattery is grossly under-rated in our society!
As a slight digression, I was at this party with Gabe the other month. The music was fine, and the drinks free, and before too long I was dancing up a storm (while he was chatting up the hot little chicas). I danced for a while with this guy. We were having a great time. Near the end, he said in my ear (because otherwise I would not have been able to hear him over the music), "you are super cute.... you are exactly twice as cute as you think you are." I laughed it off because I thought he was trying to chat me up and I wasn't interested in him in that way.
I know I have a pretty face, good shoulders, a nice long back, beautiful arms, a Jennifer-Lopez butt, and that these are good things. I weigh about what I should. But I didn't realized how little confidence I had in the whole package until I watched this tape we made yesterday. I AM exactly twice as cute as I thought I was. My little party friend told the truth!
I even thought my public speaking was much worse than it actually is. Sure, I say too many "um"s (and apparently I say "actually" too much). Sure, I struggle to stand still. But I have a good loud voice, an animated style, and I am cute as hell.
Self-flattery is grossly under-rated in our society!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Bette's speech from the memorial
Judith Scott
Joyce, John, Lilia, Ilana, Taylor—all of Judy’s family, my heart is with you,
I feel so fortunate to have known Judy and to have spent a good deal of time with her over the past many years. I would like to talk about what it was like being with her, to tell about a typical visit with her.
Running out of my house one day, I grabbed the nearest magazine to bring to her. In the car I glanced over at it and saw that it was Sports Illustrated. Not only were my kids going to be looking for it, I was sure she wasn’t even going to be interested in it—it wasn’t like the magazines she liked looking at. Oh well. As I bounded up the stairs at Windsor House and into the big room, there she was in her favorite spot. She acknowledged me; then returned to looking at her magazines. I sat next to her on the couch and scooted in real close; she continued leafing through the pictures. Soon she decided she had made me wait long enough—she turned her face into mine and with her deep laugh brought both arms around my neck in a bear hug giving me kisses, interspersed with raspberries, nose pinches, and her hand pushing on my face. This routine greeting left both of us laughing each time—and I loved it!
I looked at and admired her rings, her brightly colored band aids, her necklaces, her purse filled with all kinds of goodies, and of course her signature scarves and hat. She always looked like a bohemian artist, even when she was dressed in her pajamas and smelling fresh of soap—her scarf and necklaces would by just right!
Joyce always said to me, “Try to get a few magazines away from her, she carries too many, they are too heavy.” I knew better than to try. Those were hers and she held them close to her. I remembered that I had brought her even another, but whoa, she probably wasn’t going to be too happy with Sports Illustrated. I gave it to her. She looked at the football player on the cover, turned a few pages, went back to the cover and looked again. Then she started laughing and picked it up and kissed it—laughing she held it high and then kissed it again and again. She added it to her collection and my kids were out of luck for reading that issue.
Time would fly by for me during my visits with Judy. Sometimes I would massage her back, then lean over for her to massage mine; sometimes we would play with a deck of cards; sometimes we would wander up to her room; sometimes my visits would be brief, sometimes I couldn’t pull myself away. Whenever it was time to go, Judy would both wave and say bye-bye and go back to her magazines, or walk off to go up to her room…she too had things to do. I would leave smiling and feeling filled with Judy. Those were fun times—each of which I will always treasure and always remember.
There were also harder times, Judy liked her routines, her structure, going between Windsor House and Creative Growth; her life was predictable and she was leery of new things. Joyce wanted to help expand her life as there were so many things they could do together—and also the world was calling to Judy. So there were some “firsts” for Judy. There was the car ride that would bring her to Dutch Flat for the first time, there was the trip over the Bay Bridge for the first time where she would see her art in the huge Exploratorium on Opening Night, and firsts not yet done--the practice trip with an airplane ride that would have prepared her for a flight to France this summer.
These were actually times of great anxiety for Judy. Joyce offered such patience, such loving support; she also offered a little trickery and bribery. Judy wouldn’t get in the car that first time she was going to Dutch Flat. So, we brought her dear friend Paul, from Windsor house, into the car with us. Judy relaxed as they sat together in the back seat; we drove to get them an ice cream or a slurpy, some treat. After a bit more driving around, we took Paul back and kept right on going to Dutch Flat with Judy. She soon learned that Dutch Flat was a very special place to be and that adventures led to great times with Joyce and with family, just as she had enjoyed seeing her work in the show at the Exploratorium.
During a visit just last week there was a new development. I think Judy had indeed gotten Joyce’s travel bug. Joyce and I arrived to visit with her and we saw that Judy had packed a bag and was ready to go. It didn’t matter where, she knew if it was with Joyce it would be good. I am glad to have had a small part in helping to show Judy a broader world. I grew, too, as I saw Judy embrace each huge step in her growing world.
I admire, as we all do, this woman who survived so many years of unimaginable horror with such resilience and spirit. I am fortunate to have spent time with her, to have loved her and felt her love. I am ever thankful that her twin, Joyce, has given us all so much by bringing Judy to us to share with us and with the rest of the world.
Judy’s friend Bette
March 20, 2005
Joyce, John, Lilia, Ilana, Taylor—all of Judy’s family, my heart is with you,
I feel so fortunate to have known Judy and to have spent a good deal of time with her over the past many years. I would like to talk about what it was like being with her, to tell about a typical visit with her.
Running out of my house one day, I grabbed the nearest magazine to bring to her. In the car I glanced over at it and saw that it was Sports Illustrated. Not only were my kids going to be looking for it, I was sure she wasn’t even going to be interested in it—it wasn’t like the magazines she liked looking at. Oh well. As I bounded up the stairs at Windsor House and into the big room, there she was in her favorite spot. She acknowledged me; then returned to looking at her magazines. I sat next to her on the couch and scooted in real close; she continued leafing through the pictures. Soon she decided she had made me wait long enough—she turned her face into mine and with her deep laugh brought both arms around my neck in a bear hug giving me kisses, interspersed with raspberries, nose pinches, and her hand pushing on my face. This routine greeting left both of us laughing each time—and I loved it!
I looked at and admired her rings, her brightly colored band aids, her necklaces, her purse filled with all kinds of goodies, and of course her signature scarves and hat. She always looked like a bohemian artist, even when she was dressed in her pajamas and smelling fresh of soap—her scarf and necklaces would by just right!
Joyce always said to me, “Try to get a few magazines away from her, she carries too many, they are too heavy.” I knew better than to try. Those were hers and she held them close to her. I remembered that I had brought her even another, but whoa, she probably wasn’t going to be too happy with Sports Illustrated. I gave it to her. She looked at the football player on the cover, turned a few pages, went back to the cover and looked again. Then she started laughing and picked it up and kissed it—laughing she held it high and then kissed it again and again. She added it to her collection and my kids were out of luck for reading that issue.
Time would fly by for me during my visits with Judy. Sometimes I would massage her back, then lean over for her to massage mine; sometimes we would play with a deck of cards; sometimes we would wander up to her room; sometimes my visits would be brief, sometimes I couldn’t pull myself away. Whenever it was time to go, Judy would both wave and say bye-bye and go back to her magazines, or walk off to go up to her room…she too had things to do. I would leave smiling and feeling filled with Judy. Those were fun times—each of which I will always treasure and always remember.
There were also harder times, Judy liked her routines, her structure, going between Windsor House and Creative Growth; her life was predictable and she was leery of new things. Joyce wanted to help expand her life as there were so many things they could do together—and also the world was calling to Judy. So there were some “firsts” for Judy. There was the car ride that would bring her to Dutch Flat for the first time, there was the trip over the Bay Bridge for the first time where she would see her art in the huge Exploratorium on Opening Night, and firsts not yet done--the practice trip with an airplane ride that would have prepared her for a flight to France this summer.
These were actually times of great anxiety for Judy. Joyce offered such patience, such loving support; she also offered a little trickery and bribery. Judy wouldn’t get in the car that first time she was going to Dutch Flat. So, we brought her dear friend Paul, from Windsor house, into the car with us. Judy relaxed as they sat together in the back seat; we drove to get them an ice cream or a slurpy, some treat. After a bit more driving around, we took Paul back and kept right on going to Dutch Flat with Judy. She soon learned that Dutch Flat was a very special place to be and that adventures led to great times with Joyce and with family, just as she had enjoyed seeing her work in the show at the Exploratorium.
During a visit just last week there was a new development. I think Judy had indeed gotten Joyce’s travel bug. Joyce and I arrived to visit with her and we saw that Judy had packed a bag and was ready to go. It didn’t matter where, she knew if it was with Joyce it would be good. I am glad to have had a small part in helping to show Judy a broader world. I grew, too, as I saw Judy embrace each huge step in her growing world.
I admire, as we all do, this woman who survived so many years of unimaginable horror with such resilience and spirit. I am fortunate to have spent time with her, to have loved her and felt her love. I am ever thankful that her twin, Joyce, has given us all so much by bringing Judy to us to share with us and with the rest of the world.
Judy’s friend Bette
March 20, 2005
Lilia the tattooed Lady
> From: Sebastian
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 5:10 PM
> To: Lilia; Kara; Joey
> Subject: Lilia the tattooed Lady
>
>
> Oh Lilia, oh Lilia, say, have you met Lilia?
> Lilia The Tattooed Lady.
> She has eyes that folks adore so,
> and a torso even more so.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Queen of Tattoo.
> On her back is The Battle of Waterloo.
> Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too.
> And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue.
> You can learn a lot from Lilia!
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world,
> if you step up and tell her where.
> For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree,
> or Washington crossing The Delaware.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Oh Lilia, oh Lilia, say, have you met Lilia?
> Lilia The Tattooed Lady.
> When her muscles start relaxin',
> up the hill comes Andrew Jackson.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Queen of them all.
> For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,
> with a view of Niagara that nobody has.
> And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
> You can learn a lot from Lilia!
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso.
> Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
> Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
> Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Here is Grover Whelan unveilin' The Trilon.
> Over on the west coast we have Treasure Isle-on.
> Here's Nijinsky a-doin' the rhumba.
> Here's her social security numba.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Champ of them all.
> She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
> The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
> And now the old boy's in command of the fleet,
> for he went and married Lilia!
> I said Lilia...
> (He said Lilia...)
> They said Lilia...
> We said Lilia, la, la!
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 5:10 PM
> To: Lilia; Kara; Joey
> Subject: Lilia the tattooed Lady
>
>
> Oh Lilia, oh Lilia, say, have you met Lilia?
> Lilia The Tattooed Lady.
> She has eyes that folks adore so,
> and a torso even more so.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Queen of Tattoo.
> On her back is The Battle of Waterloo.
> Beside it, The Wreck of the Hesperus too.
> And proudly above waves the red, white, and blue.
> You can learn a lot from Lilia!
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world,
> if you step up and tell her where.
> For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree,
> or Washington crossing The Delaware.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Oh Lilia, oh Lilia, say, have you met Lilia?
> Lilia The Tattooed Lady.
> When her muscles start relaxin',
> up the hill comes Andrew Jackson.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Queen of them all.
> For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,
> with a view of Niagara that nobody has.
> And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
> You can learn a lot from Lilia!
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso.
> Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
> Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
> Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Here is Grover Whelan unveilin' The Trilon.
> Over on the west coast we have Treasure Isle-on.
> Here's Nijinsky a-doin' the rhumba.
> Here's her social security numba.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> La-la-la...la-la-la.
> Lilia, oh Lilia, that encyclo-pidia.
> Oh Lilia The Champ of them all.
> She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
> The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
> And now the old boy's in command of the fleet,
> for he went and married Lilia!
> I said Lilia...
> (He said Lilia...)
> They said Lilia...
> We said Lilia, la, la!
Thursday, March 24, 2005
How Lilia lost her groove
I don't know what it is. It could be lots of things: losing Judy, trying to date, the weather, the season, general fatigue, or some perverse combination. But I am off track. My drawings are stinking more than usual (maybe that's my expectations of myself; I did get an A at midterm, though that has nothing to do with the quality of the work). I think I might be failing French (just like in HS; what gives?). I feel crappy.
The good news is that my project did not get cancelled at work (and it came close); my apartment is pretty clean; I am fond of my friends. So, that makes me think that it's a brain chemistry issue. That's what Alison says.
But more importantly, how do I get it back? I don't think some sexy young Jamaican man it going to do the trick (like it did for Stella). I swore off (much) younger men anyway. I'm thinking I need to do more yoga, get more exercise, finish things, surround myself with beauty and laughter. The TV, amazingly, is telling me to drink more water. I think I'll try that too.
The good news is that my project did not get cancelled at work (and it came close); my apartment is pretty clean; I am fond of my friends. So, that makes me think that it's a brain chemistry issue. That's what Alison says.
But more importantly, how do I get it back? I don't think some sexy young Jamaican man it going to do the trick (like it did for Stella). I swore off (much) younger men anyway. I'm thinking I need to do more yoga, get more exercise, finish things, surround myself with beauty and laughter. The TV, amazingly, is telling me to drink more water. I think I'll try that too.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
San Francisco Ballet -- March 12 -- and some words on Creative Growth
A week ago last Saturday I went to the Ballet with Kristin. She always takes me out on the best dates! The performance included 3 pieces:
SQUARE DANCE: This is choreography from the late 50s, and according to the program it has evolved a lot since then. It no longer strongly resembles the traditional social dance. However it is very symmetrical. The dance style was tradition ballet with tension in the legs and a kind of forced relaxation of the upper body. The leaps were beautiful.
One interesting thing about the ballet for a person (me) who is used to the symphony is that there is music and there is dance and you can't really space out like you do at the symphony, following the music like water in a creek. You have to watch the dance. Sometimes that music seems to be at least as much the point.
Another thing I'd like to talk about is body image. These dancers, both male and female, have, by definition, amazing bodies, and yet their thighs are huge, their bodies thick with muscle, not at all like the "perfect" bodies we see on TV. I have always despised the sight of skinny calves, but now I see the strong body differently. Hopefully I can hold onto that.
GROSSE FUGE: "(van Manen, the choreographer) makes dance dramas that somehow unfold without a story -- and always, they are about dance, and human interaction. Fuge is without plot. Although the work got four men and four women explores the relationships, it seems to convey, as the Larousse Encyclopedia of Dance so aptly puts it, a male-female "attraction-repulsion duality" rather than love. The dancers pair up, but it would be misleading to describe them as couples, which suggests a warmth and intimacy that Fuge's formal belies."
"His designs -- bare-chested men in ankle-length, black skirts and women nearly colorless in leotards -- are intended to make the women appear vulnerable, and again reveal the influence of Graham: 'I was always sure I wanted to have the men in skirts -- Martha Graham had men in skirts and I was intrigued. [The music] is aggressive. Beethoven was largely deaf then. Skirts double the expression of the legs, make them seem more aggressive. Since the boys were covered, I wanted to have the girls uncovered, defenseless." As the roles reverse, however, the men take off their skirts, revealing their own vulnerability and leveling the playing field.
"Van Manen, who has long been fascinated with painting, sculpture, and photography, has a strong visual sense that Tomasson admires. "[This work is] almost sculptured at times, at least to me. I find it interesting how he groups people, how he moves them. The imagery is wonderful, and I think that comes from his being a very good photographer. When I watch his work, I can see that eye behind the lens, making those images."
The light designs shadows. In the shadows, the women look like trees, their hands are straight. The men in their skirts move with great angularity and masculinity. He lies on the ground and she slaps him, audibly, as if it were part of the music. The motions are extremely sexual. After the men shed the skirts, they lay, like additional characters, in the background on the stage.
As a slight aside, I wonder about the artist vs. the intellectual. This is a tired, old discussion that I was through with back in College, but it seems to have come up again. I visited the Creative Growth center today on my "lunch break". The artists are "clients", people with disabilities. They are NOT intellectuals, and their individual artistic visions, missions, vary substantially from low-wattage to Judy's high-level of dedication. We visited her once, and she refused to stop working because... I interpret... because her work was going so well, and maybe she was on a "deadline". I really believe that being an artist is the highest form of being.
REFLECTIONS: This one is contemporary. It had its world premiere at SF Ballet just a few days before I saw it. "(Possokhov, the choreographer) understood that imagination is limitless. 'Sometimes you think everything's been done -- no, people are doing new things all the time, and it’s good to know this. You have to try new things, because there is so much you can show.'"
"'I think that different forms of art make more of a difference to me, in ideas and imagination than ballet itself,' he says. "Movies, singing, painting, the symphony, opera, and music have the biggest influence on me as a choreographer. Of course it's very important for me to know how to make steps. But the ideas don't come from ballet -- they come from another form.'"
The ballet is based on Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Berman). "'It's a very tragic movie about three sisters; it's about cancer, and one sister dies. It's done in three colors, white, black, and red -- the strongest combination I ever saw in my life.'"
"You could be a great dancer, a great teacher, but nothing compares to being a choreographer. It's the top level of the art form. Choreography is unique -- if you did it, no one can repeat it. It's a piece of art -- bad, good, it's yours." Isn't that true of everything?
The clients at creative growth were making beads. My aunt Judy stole them and put them in one of her pieces. Art doesn't belong to anyone. It belongs to its viewer. Just like anything, people, flowers, trains. They belong to the people who love them. You can love a thing in just a minute. Judy made art with these beads and lots and lots of other materials, she loved those beads, that piece, and she's gone, but someone will pay thousands of dollars to enjoy that piece on their own terms.
But back to Reflections... It included traditional dance and costumes but contemporary use of the stage and set design. At one point the stage looked like a beach. At another a couple danced between 2 mirrors. At the end, all the dancers in red, black and white, danced with mirrors and men in child's pose (a basic yoga pose) on the floor as the women moved around them. (I could be remembering this wrong.)
SQUARE DANCE: This is choreography from the late 50s, and according to the program it has evolved a lot since then. It no longer strongly resembles the traditional social dance. However it is very symmetrical. The dance style was tradition ballet with tension in the legs and a kind of forced relaxation of the upper body. The leaps were beautiful.
One interesting thing about the ballet for a person (me) who is used to the symphony is that there is music and there is dance and you can't really space out like you do at the symphony, following the music like water in a creek. You have to watch the dance. Sometimes that music seems to be at least as much the point.
Another thing I'd like to talk about is body image. These dancers, both male and female, have, by definition, amazing bodies, and yet their thighs are huge, their bodies thick with muscle, not at all like the "perfect" bodies we see on TV. I have always despised the sight of skinny calves, but now I see the strong body differently. Hopefully I can hold onto that.
GROSSE FUGE: "(van Manen, the choreographer) makes dance dramas that somehow unfold without a story -- and always, they are about dance, and human interaction. Fuge is without plot. Although the work got four men and four women explores the relationships, it seems to convey, as the Larousse Encyclopedia of Dance so aptly puts it, a male-female "attraction-repulsion duality" rather than love. The dancers pair up, but it would be misleading to describe them as couples, which suggests a warmth and intimacy that Fuge's formal belies."
"His designs -- bare-chested men in ankle-length, black skirts and women nearly colorless in leotards -- are intended to make the women appear vulnerable, and again reveal the influence of Graham: 'I was always sure I wanted to have the men in skirts -- Martha Graham had men in skirts and I was intrigued. [The music] is aggressive. Beethoven was largely deaf then. Skirts double the expression of the legs, make them seem more aggressive. Since the boys were covered, I wanted to have the girls uncovered, defenseless." As the roles reverse, however, the men take off their skirts, revealing their own vulnerability and leveling the playing field.
"Van Manen, who has long been fascinated with painting, sculpture, and photography, has a strong visual sense that Tomasson admires. "[This work is] almost sculptured at times, at least to me. I find it interesting how he groups people, how he moves them. The imagery is wonderful, and I think that comes from his being a very good photographer. When I watch his work, I can see that eye behind the lens, making those images."
The light designs shadows. In the shadows, the women look like trees, their hands are straight. The men in their skirts move with great angularity and masculinity. He lies on the ground and she slaps him, audibly, as if it were part of the music. The motions are extremely sexual. After the men shed the skirts, they lay, like additional characters, in the background on the stage.
As a slight aside, I wonder about the artist vs. the intellectual. This is a tired, old discussion that I was through with back in College, but it seems to have come up again. I visited the Creative Growth center today on my "lunch break". The artists are "clients", people with disabilities. They are NOT intellectuals, and their individual artistic visions, missions, vary substantially from low-wattage to Judy's high-level of dedication. We visited her once, and she refused to stop working because... I interpret... because her work was going so well, and maybe she was on a "deadline". I really believe that being an artist is the highest form of being.
REFLECTIONS: This one is contemporary. It had its world premiere at SF Ballet just a few days before I saw it. "(Possokhov, the choreographer) understood that imagination is limitless. 'Sometimes you think everything's been done -- no, people are doing new things all the time, and it’s good to know this. You have to try new things, because there is so much you can show.'"
"'I think that different forms of art make more of a difference to me, in ideas and imagination than ballet itself,' he says. "Movies, singing, painting, the symphony, opera, and music have the biggest influence on me as a choreographer. Of course it's very important for me to know how to make steps. But the ideas don't come from ballet -- they come from another form.'"
The ballet is based on Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Berman). "'It's a very tragic movie about three sisters; it's about cancer, and one sister dies. It's done in three colors, white, black, and red -- the strongest combination I ever saw in my life.'"
"You could be a great dancer, a great teacher, but nothing compares to being a choreographer. It's the top level of the art form. Choreography is unique -- if you did it, no one can repeat it. It's a piece of art -- bad, good, it's yours." Isn't that true of everything?
The clients at creative growth were making beads. My aunt Judy stole them and put them in one of her pieces. Art doesn't belong to anyone. It belongs to its viewer. Just like anything, people, flowers, trains. They belong to the people who love them. You can love a thing in just a minute. Judy made art with these beads and lots and lots of other materials, she loved those beads, that piece, and she's gone, but someone will pay thousands of dollars to enjoy that piece on their own terms.
But back to Reflections... It included traditional dance and costumes but contemporary use of the stage and set design. At one point the stage looked like a beach. At another a couple danced between 2 mirrors. At the end, all the dancers in red, black and white, danced with mirrors and men in child's pose (a basic yoga pose) on the floor as the women moved around them. (I could be remembering this wrong.)
Tired but trying to catch up
I'm completely exhausted again, and I have cancelled all plans for tonight in favor of staying home. But I am so tired that I don't know what to do with myself. Watching TV makes me feel anxious. I already spent all day at the computer, but here I am again (for the feeling of getting something done). I am too tired and it’s too early to sleep. I feel anxious about all of life's possibilities. So, in Alison's words, I am self-medicating with some kir.
I bought from RIDES stacking trays for my papers. The one with things for my blog is almost too full to fit. So....
Spiderman 2
"If you have something as complicated as love inside you, it will make you sick."
This movie is about the emotional conflicts of a super hero. Of being a superhero. I love the portrayal of the city. I even started to feel like I was trying to live the life of a superhero (being so many things at once, breaking traditions and yet secretly yearning for them -- others). The movie also had an anti-technology component. And I noticed that on at least once occasion Spiderman's side was cut like Jesus'. Of course, the superhero is always a god-like figure.
Another quote from the TV: "Marriage: better to get it over with early like chicken pox." (to the tune of "Don't fence me in") But I think that's from an earlier era.
On my walking tour of Octavia Blvd the other day, they brought us to this amazing little coffee shop made out of a garage. It's hard to describe, but I took pictures. Little tables on the narrow sidewalk, a garage door, open when we saw it, potentially separating the counter from the public when they're closed. It's at 315 Linden at Gough. I didn't try the coffee.
Spring break (next week) is not a minute too soon! I just wish I had time for a break.
I bought from RIDES stacking trays for my papers. The one with things for my blog is almost too full to fit. So....
Spiderman 2
"If you have something as complicated as love inside you, it will make you sick."
This movie is about the emotional conflicts of a super hero. Of being a superhero. I love the portrayal of the city. I even started to feel like I was trying to live the life of a superhero (being so many things at once, breaking traditions and yet secretly yearning for them -- others). The movie also had an anti-technology component. And I noticed that on at least once occasion Spiderman's side was cut like Jesus'. Of course, the superhero is always a god-like figure.
Another quote from the TV: "Marriage: better to get it over with early like chicken pox." (to the tune of "Don't fence me in") But I think that's from an earlier era.
On my walking tour of Octavia Blvd the other day, they brought us to this amazing little coffee shop made out of a garage. It's hard to describe, but I took pictures. Little tables on the narrow sidewalk, a garage door, open when we saw it, potentially separating the counter from the public when they're closed. It's at 315 Linden at Gough. I didn't try the coffee.
Spring break (next week) is not a minute too soon! I just wish I had time for a break.
Monday, March 21, 2005
This just in: Partying Embryo Makes Mom Sick
My friend K, mentioned in an earlier posting, sent this posting out to her single mom's listserv and shared it with me too:
Associated Press, March 14, 2005: Doctors at Long Island College
Hospital were astounded by the rapidly beating heart in a Brooklyn
woman's seven and a half week embryo this Monday. At about 160 beats
per minute, it surpassed all expectations, indicating a rather wild
party going on in there. K, the woman hosting this
industrious young embryo, commented that she was "amazed to see it
going so fast. Just last week it was only 126. No wonder I've been
so sick!" Studies suggest that embryos exhibiting such behavior at
this age have a survival rate greater than 95 percent. Although Ms.
K is finding the embryo's partying to be a bit of a hardship
in the short run, she acknowledged that the suffering would be worth
it if the embryo is just signaling its intent to become a fetus and
in so doing ease up a bit on its host. Noting that none of her
previous tenants had partied this much or caused her this much
discomfort, Ms. K said that she nonetheless did have a
preference for a stronger embryo, and would be pleased to extend
this tenant's lease for another seven and a half months. Doctors
expect that the embryo will accept her offer.
Associated Press, March 14, 2005: Doctors at Long Island College
Hospital were astounded by the rapidly beating heart in a Brooklyn
woman's seven and a half week embryo this Monday. At about 160 beats
per minute, it surpassed all expectations, indicating a rather wild
party going on in there. K, the woman hosting this
industrious young embryo, commented that she was "amazed to see it
going so fast. Just last week it was only 126. No wonder I've been
so sick!" Studies suggest that embryos exhibiting such behavior at
this age have a survival rate greater than 95 percent. Although Ms.
K is finding the embryo's partying to be a bit of a hardship
in the short run, she acknowledged that the suffering would be worth
it if the embryo is just signaling its intent to become a fetus and
in so doing ease up a bit on its host. Noting that none of her
previous tenants had partied this much or caused her this much
discomfort, Ms. K said that she nonetheless did have a
preference for a stronger embryo, and would be pleased to extend
this tenant's lease for another seven and a half months. Doctors
expect that the embryo will accept her offer.
Judith Scott Dies
My mother's twin sister died a week ago today. Here is the obituary:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/19/BAGA2BRUMR1.DTL
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/19/BAGA2BRUMR1.DTL
Friday, March 18, 2005
French Conversation Groups in the Bay Area
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE de San Francisco
Cinema chaque mardi
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE de Berkeley
Chaque mois:
un diner
une soiree de video
une soiree de Conversation (troisieme vendredi)
http://www.afberkeley.org/index.html
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE de Santa Rosa
Conversation
Join us the first Friday of the month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Sassafras Wine Bar (1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa) for casual conversation over wine and/or dinner.
http://www.afsantarosa.org/
Causerie du Jeudi, 4:30-6:00pm
Intermediate/Advanced - with Marina Velichensky
Causeries in Healdsburg
Causeries in OakmontTuesdays, 3 to 4 pm,
at the Berger Center, 6634 Oakmont Drive.
Causeries in Sebastopol
Tuesdays, 6 to 8 pm,
at Copperfield’s at Annex, 6821 Laguna St.
Le Cercle littéraire
CERCLE D'AMIS FRANCOPHONES Potluck chaque mois le premier vendredi a 20H pour des gens gai et leurs amis
First Monday of the month: THE FRENCH CONNECTION OF THE SILICON VALLEY. 1st Monday of the month, 6:30pm to 9pm. Networking plus speaker plus buffet for more info, register at : http://www.dbf.net. 1001 Marshall St., Redwood City CA.
Second Monday of the month: MARIN INTERFRENCH. Meetings chez Michel à Greenbrae. zsolution4u@yahoo.com or http://www.interfrench.com or 415.925.1241 for details.
Monday evenings: FRENCH CONVERSATION with Anne Marie MacEligot. Every Friday 6pm-7pm. Interested in speaking French with others? All levels are welcome to this informal gathering. Cafe Society, 1000 Main Street, Napa. Call for additional information 707.256.3232 x206. Email sales@cafesocietystore.com or http://www.cafesocietystore.com.
SFSU http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFSUFrenchGroup/
Third Wednesday evening of each month: NETWORKING AT INTERFRENCH WORKSHOPS, Santa Clara. Please note that the InterFrench Workshops have moved. We will be meeting now every 3rd wednesday night at the beautiful Silicon Valley Bank facility at 5200 Patrick Henry Drive in Santa Clara. Please let your friends know as you are only among these special 10% of people that actually read their email! Do NOT enter through the main lobby and look at the map on our website as it may be difficult to find the first time: http://www.siliconfrench.com/events_directions_svbank.shtml
Friday afternoons: FRENCH FOR FREE at The French Class, 500 Sutter Street, Suite 310, San Francisco. Everybody is welcome. 12:00 to 2:00pm.
Friday evenings: CONVERSATION A POWELL ST. "Venez pratiquer votre francais avec nous !" Depuis deux ans, un groupe de conversation francaise (sfofrench) se rencontre chaque vendredi soir, de 18h30 a 22h30, a Cafe Segafredo, 231 Powell Street (pres de Union Square), a San Francisco. Tous les niveaux de francais sont les bienvenus. Tout le monde est sympathique et l'atmosphere tres detendue ! Nous organisons parfois d'autres activites (cinema, restaurant, randonnee, etc.). Pour de plus amples renseignements, contactez: sfofrench@yahoogroups.
BAY AREA FRENCH GROUP.. As a member, you will receive a monthly notice with information about each "réunion," with French conversation and food, from our "sécretaire extraordinaire," Marian Hirsch. This notice, and your e-mail notice, if you provide us this address, includes the date (a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 7 PM) and directions to the member's home. Please remember to bring some light food or drink so that our gracious host has fewer preparations. You are encouraged to invite other French-speaking people, since that is how our group grows! Our annual dues is $10.00, which covers: postage for mailing monthly meeting notices; monthly e-mail notices, if you provide an e-mail address; periodic membership list updates (by Marian); opportunity to attend monthly French Group gatherings; annual birthday celebration for the French Group. CONTACT: jandot5@mac.com
Cinema chaque mardi
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE de Berkeley
Chaque mois:
un diner
une soiree de video
une soiree de Conversation (troisieme vendredi)
http://www.afberkeley.org/index.html
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE de Santa Rosa
Conversation
Join us the first Friday of the month, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Sassafras Wine Bar (1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa) for casual conversation over wine and/or dinner.
http://www.afsantarosa.org/
Causerie du Jeudi, 4:30-6:00pm
Intermediate/Advanced - with Marina Velichensky
Causeries in Healdsburg
Causeries in OakmontTuesdays, 3 to 4 pm,
at the Berger Center, 6634 Oakmont Drive.
Causeries in Sebastopol
Tuesdays, 6 to 8 pm,
at Copperfield’s at Annex, 6821 Laguna St.
Le Cercle littéraire
CERCLE D'AMIS FRANCOPHONES Potluck chaque mois le premier vendredi a 20H pour des gens gai et leurs amis
First Monday of the month: THE FRENCH CONNECTION OF THE SILICON VALLEY. 1st Monday of the month, 6:30pm to 9pm. Networking plus speaker plus buffet for more info, register at : http://www.dbf.net. 1001 Marshall St., Redwood City CA.
Second Monday of the month: MARIN INTERFRENCH. Meetings chez Michel à Greenbrae. zsolution4u@yahoo.com or http://www.interfrench.com or 415.925.1241 for details.
Monday evenings: FRENCH CONVERSATION with Anne Marie MacEligot. Every Friday 6pm-7pm. Interested in speaking French with others? All levels are welcome to this informal gathering. Cafe Society, 1000 Main Street, Napa. Call for additional information 707.256.3232 x206. Email sales@cafesocietystore.com or http://www.cafesocietystore.com.
SFSU http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFSUFrenchGroup/
Third Wednesday evening of each month: NETWORKING AT INTERFRENCH WORKSHOPS, Santa Clara. Please note that the InterFrench Workshops have moved. We will be meeting now every 3rd wednesday night at the beautiful Silicon Valley Bank facility at 5200 Patrick Henry Drive in Santa Clara. Please let your friends know as you are only among these special 10% of people that actually read their email! Do NOT enter through the main lobby and look at the map on our website as it may be difficult to find the first time: http://www.siliconfrench.com/events_directions_svbank.shtml
Friday afternoons: FRENCH FOR FREE at The French Class, 500 Sutter Street, Suite 310, San Francisco. Everybody is welcome. 12:00 to 2:00pm.
Friday evenings: CONVERSATION A POWELL ST. "Venez pratiquer votre francais avec nous !" Depuis deux ans, un groupe de conversation francaise (sfofrench) se rencontre chaque vendredi soir, de 18h30 a 22h30, a Cafe Segafredo, 231 Powell Street (pres de Union Square), a San Francisco. Tous les niveaux de francais sont les bienvenus. Tout le monde est sympathique et l'atmosphere tres detendue ! Nous organisons parfois d'autres activites (cinema, restaurant, randonnee, etc.). Pour de plus amples renseignements, contactez: sfofrench@yahoogroups.
BAY AREA FRENCH GROUP.. As a member, you will receive a monthly notice with information about each "réunion," with French conversation and food, from our "sécretaire extraordinaire," Marian Hirsch. This notice, and your e-mail notice, if you provide us this address, includes the date (a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 7 PM) and directions to the member's home. Please remember to bring some light food or drink so that our gracious host has fewer preparations. You are encouraged to invite other French-speaking people, since that is how our group grows! Our annual dues is $10.00, which covers: postage for mailing monthly meeting notices; monthly e-mail notices, if you provide an e-mail address; periodic membership list updates (by Marian); opportunity to attend monthly French Group gatherings; annual birthday celebration for the French Group. CONTACT: jandot5@mac.com
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
Kristin says:
stop the madness! listen to alternative media!
The New York Times > Washington > Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
stop the madness! listen to alternative media!
The New York Times > Washington > Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
Monday, March 14, 2005
California's marriage law unconstitutional
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/03/14/state/n121337S24.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, March 14, 2005 (AP)
Judge finds California's marriage law unconstitutional
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
(03-14) 12:39 PST San Francisco (AP) --
A judge ruled Monday that California can no longer justify limiting
marriage to a man and a woman, a legal milestone that if upheld on appeal
would pave the way for the nation's most populous state to follow
Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed.
In an opinion that had been awaited because of San Francisco's historical
role as a gay rights battleground, San Francisco County Superior Court
Judge Richard Kramer said that withholding marriage licenses from gays and
lesbians is unconstitutional.
"It appears that no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this
state to opposite-sex partners," Kramer wrote.
The judge wrote that the state's historical definition of marriage, by
itself, cannot justify the unconstitutional denial of equal protection for
gays and lesbians and their right to marry.
"The state's protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified
simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional,"
Kramer wrote.
Kramer's decision came in a pair of lawsuits seeking to overturn
California's statutory ban on gay marriage. They were brought by the city
of San Francisco and a dozen same-sex couples last March, after the
California Supreme Court halted the four-week marriage spree Mayor Gavin
Newsom had initiated when he directed city officials to issue marriage
licenses to gays and lesbians in defiance of state law.
"Today's ruling is an important step toward a more fair and just
California, that rejects discrimination and affirms family values for all
California families," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said.
Robert Tyler, an attorney with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund,
said the group would appeal Kramer's ruling.
It could be months or years before the state actually sanctions same-sex
marriage, if it sanctions the unions at all. The Alliance Defense Fund and
another legal group representing religious conservatives joined with
California's attorney general in defending the existing laws.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer has said in the past that he expected the
matter eventually would have to be settled by the California Supreme
Court.
Therese Stewart, attorney for the city and county of San Francisco said
today's decision is historic, setting the framework for future challenges
in state appeals courts and at the ballot box that eventually will
determine that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry.
"It's a foregone conclusion that it's going to go up on appeal," Stewart
said.
Meanwhile, a pair of bills pending before the California Legislature would
put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November
ballot. If California voters follow the 13 other states that approved such
amendments last year, that would put the issue out of the control of
lawmakers and the courts.
Nevertheless, the plaintiffs and their lawyers said Kramer's ruling was a
milestone for California, akin to the 1948 state Supreme Court decision
that made California the first state in the nation to legalize interracial
marriage.
The decision is the latest development in a national debate on the
legality and morality of same-sex marriage that has been raging since
2003, when the highest court in Massachusetts decided that denying gay
couples the right to wed was unconstitutional in that state.
In the wake of the Massachusetts ruling, gay rights advocates filed
lawsuits seeking to strike down traditional marriage laws in several other
states, and opponents responded by proposing state and federal
constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.
Kramer is the fourth trial court judge in recent months to decide that the
right to marry and its attendant benefits must be extended to same-sex
couples. Two Washington state judges, ruling last summer in separate
cases, held that prohibiting same-sex marriage violates that state's
constitution, and on Feb. 4, a judge in Manhattan ruled in favor of five
gay couples who had been denied marriage licenses by New York City. That
ruling applies only in the city but could extend statewide if upheld on
appeal. Similar cases are pending in trial courts in Connecticut and
Maryland.
Just as many judges have gone the other way in recent months, however,
refusing to accept the argument that keeping gays and lesbians from
marrying violates their civil rights. A New Jersey judge dismissed a
lawsuit brought by seven gay couples fighting to have their unions legally
recognized. Most recently, the Indiana Court of Appeals in January upheld
that state's gay marriage ban. All the cases are on appeal.
The California lawsuits have been closely watched. The state has the
highest percentage of same-sex partners in the nation, and its Legislature
has gone further than any other in voluntarily providing gay couples the
perks of marriage without a court order.
Since Jan. 1, same-sex couples registering as domestic partners in
California are granted virtually all the rights and responsibilities of
marriage, including access to divorce courts, the ability to collect child
support and the responsibility for a partner's debts. So in California,
the arguments for striking down the gay marriage ban have centered as much
on the social meaning of marriage as the benefits it affords as a legal
institution.
The couples, represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the
Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union, conceded that
California's domestic partnership law may be the strongest in the nation
outside of Vermont's civil unions. But they claimed it still does not go
far enough because it creates a separate and inherently unequal
marriage-like institution for same-sex couples.
The Attorney General's Office maintained that tradition dictates that
marriage should be restricted to opposite-sex couples. Lockyer also cited
the state's domestic partners law as evidence that California does not
discriminate against gays.
Kramer rejected that argument, citing Brown vs. Board of Education, the
landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down segregated schools.
"The idea that marriage-like rights without marriage is adequate smacks of
a concept long rejected by the courts — separate but equal," the
judge wrote.
Two groups opposed to gay marriage rights, The Campaign for California
Families and the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, argued
that the state has a legitimate interest in restricting marriage to
opposite-sex couples as a way of encouraging procreation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 AP
This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/03/14/state/n121337S24.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, March 14, 2005 (AP)
Judge finds California's marriage law unconstitutional
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
(03-14) 12:39 PST San Francisco (AP) --
A judge ruled Monday that California can no longer justify limiting
marriage to a man and a woman, a legal milestone that if upheld on appeal
would pave the way for the nation's most populous state to follow
Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed.
In an opinion that had been awaited because of San Francisco's historical
role as a gay rights battleground, San Francisco County Superior Court
Judge Richard Kramer said that withholding marriage licenses from gays and
lesbians is unconstitutional.
"It appears that no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this
state to opposite-sex partners," Kramer wrote.
The judge wrote that the state's historical definition of marriage, by
itself, cannot justify the unconstitutional denial of equal protection for
gays and lesbians and their right to marry.
"The state's protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified
simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional,"
Kramer wrote.
Kramer's decision came in a pair of lawsuits seeking to overturn
California's statutory ban on gay marriage. They were brought by the city
of San Francisco and a dozen same-sex couples last March, after the
California Supreme Court halted the four-week marriage spree Mayor Gavin
Newsom had initiated when he directed city officials to issue marriage
licenses to gays and lesbians in defiance of state law.
"Today's ruling is an important step toward a more fair and just
California, that rejects discrimination and affirms family values for all
California families," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said.
Robert Tyler, an attorney with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund,
said the group would appeal Kramer's ruling.
It could be months or years before the state actually sanctions same-sex
marriage, if it sanctions the unions at all. The Alliance Defense Fund and
another legal group representing religious conservatives joined with
California's attorney general in defending the existing laws.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer has said in the past that he expected the
matter eventually would have to be settled by the California Supreme
Court.
Therese Stewart, attorney for the city and county of San Francisco said
today's decision is historic, setting the framework for future challenges
in state appeals courts and at the ballot box that eventually will
determine that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry.
"It's a foregone conclusion that it's going to go up on appeal," Stewart
said.
Meanwhile, a pair of bills pending before the California Legislature would
put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November
ballot. If California voters follow the 13 other states that approved such
amendments last year, that would put the issue out of the control of
lawmakers and the courts.
Nevertheless, the plaintiffs and their lawyers said Kramer's ruling was a
milestone for California, akin to the 1948 state Supreme Court decision
that made California the first state in the nation to legalize interracial
marriage.
The decision is the latest development in a national debate on the
legality and morality of same-sex marriage that has been raging since
2003, when the highest court in Massachusetts decided that denying gay
couples the right to wed was unconstitutional in that state.
In the wake of the Massachusetts ruling, gay rights advocates filed
lawsuits seeking to strike down traditional marriage laws in several other
states, and opponents responded by proposing state and federal
constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.
Kramer is the fourth trial court judge in recent months to decide that the
right to marry and its attendant benefits must be extended to same-sex
couples. Two Washington state judges, ruling last summer in separate
cases, held that prohibiting same-sex marriage violates that state's
constitution, and on Feb. 4, a judge in Manhattan ruled in favor of five
gay couples who had been denied marriage licenses by New York City. That
ruling applies only in the city but could extend statewide if upheld on
appeal. Similar cases are pending in trial courts in Connecticut and
Maryland.
Just as many judges have gone the other way in recent months, however,
refusing to accept the argument that keeping gays and lesbians from
marrying violates their civil rights. A New Jersey judge dismissed a
lawsuit brought by seven gay couples fighting to have their unions legally
recognized. Most recently, the Indiana Court of Appeals in January upheld
that state's gay marriage ban. All the cases are on appeal.
The California lawsuits have been closely watched. The state has the
highest percentage of same-sex partners in the nation, and its Legislature
has gone further than any other in voluntarily providing gay couples the
perks of marriage without a court order.
Since Jan. 1, same-sex couples registering as domestic partners in
California are granted virtually all the rights and responsibilities of
marriage, including access to divorce courts, the ability to collect child
support and the responsibility for a partner's debts. So in California,
the arguments for striking down the gay marriage ban have centered as much
on the social meaning of marriage as the benefits it affords as a legal
institution.
The couples, represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the
Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union, conceded that
California's domestic partnership law may be the strongest in the nation
outside of Vermont's civil unions. But they claimed it still does not go
far enough because it creates a separate and inherently unequal
marriage-like institution for same-sex couples.
The Attorney General's Office maintained that tradition dictates that
marriage should be restricted to opposite-sex couples. Lockyer also cited
the state's domestic partners law as evidence that California does not
discriminate against gays.
Kramer rejected that argument, citing Brown vs. Board of Education, the
landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down segregated schools.
"The idea that marriage-like rights without marriage is adequate smacks of
a concept long rejected by the courts — separate but equal," the
judge wrote.
Two groups opposed to gay marriage rights, The Campaign for California
Families and the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, argued
that the state has a legitimate interest in restricting marriage to
opposite-sex couples as a way of encouraging procreation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 AP
Commuting and Sprawl
I read this article
TRANSPORTATION / Alternative to driving isn't a reliable one / Altamont 'express' trains have been plagued by delays
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/14/BAG2CBOTOL1.DTL
and it got me thinking about housing prices, sprawl and the real cost of capital improvements that encourage sprawl. The article specifical mentioned one couple who moved to San Joaquin county because of the availability of the ACE train. Now that the train is unreliable, they have to drive, wasting fossil fuels, clogging the roads, and lowering everyone's quality of life. ACE has some responsibility for that!
Ok, so, the monthly pass for the ACE train is $259, at the current interest rate of about 5.5%, that translates to about $45,000 in home value. Median house prices in the area are:
Tracy: $214,200 (2000)
Fremont: $459,000 (2003)
San Jose: $456,000 (2003)
So, let's adjust for the difference in dates and say Tracy's median value is $250,000 and add the cost of the ACE train pass, bringing it up to $300,000. Well, it is still looking cheaper to live in Tracy. (I feel obligated to say something about the overall auto-dependance of one's lifestyle, and what that might cost, but I can guess that these "cities" all have a high-level of auto-dependance in their land use patterns.)
But there's one more thing I would like to discuss: time. Say your commute takes an extra 2 hours each day. (It takes 2-1.5 hour each way, depending on origin and destination) Let's pay ourselves $10/hour for that time. $10/hour *2 trips per day *5 days per week *4 weeks of work per month = $400 per month. This translates to about another $70,000 in home value, bringing our total to $370,000. Yes, this is still cheaper than $456,000, but not by much. Plus, wouldn't you prefer to spend that extra 40 hours per month with your dog or your kid or your partner or your couch or your flower box or working or just about anywhere other than in traffic or on an impersonal train? So why are we spending on tax base to encourage people to spend more time doing things they would rather not do? You tell me.
Sources:
Home values
http://homes.wsj.com/cityprofiles/fremont_ca.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Tracy-California.html
Mortgage calculations
http://www.mortgage-calc.com/cgi-bin/flap.pl?pmn=40000&pmx=100000&imn=5&imx=6&yrs=30&out=HTML+3.0+Tables
TRANSPORTATION / Alternative to driving isn't a reliable one / Altamont 'express' trains have been plagued by delays
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/14/BAG2CBOTOL1.DTL
and it got me thinking about housing prices, sprawl and the real cost of capital improvements that encourage sprawl. The article specifical mentioned one couple who moved to San Joaquin county because of the availability of the ACE train. Now that the train is unreliable, they have to drive, wasting fossil fuels, clogging the roads, and lowering everyone's quality of life. ACE has some responsibility for that!
Ok, so, the monthly pass for the ACE train is $259, at the current interest rate of about 5.5%, that translates to about $45,000 in home value. Median house prices in the area are:
Tracy: $214,200 (2000)
Fremont: $459,000 (2003)
San Jose: $456,000 (2003)
So, let's adjust for the difference in dates and say Tracy's median value is $250,000 and add the cost of the ACE train pass, bringing it up to $300,000. Well, it is still looking cheaper to live in Tracy. (I feel obligated to say something about the overall auto-dependance of one's lifestyle, and what that might cost, but I can guess that these "cities" all have a high-level of auto-dependance in their land use patterns.)
But there's one more thing I would like to discuss: time. Say your commute takes an extra 2 hours each day. (It takes 2-1.5 hour each way, depending on origin and destination) Let's pay ourselves $10/hour for that time. $10/hour *2 trips per day *5 days per week *4 weeks of work per month = $400 per month. This translates to about another $70,000 in home value, bringing our total to $370,000. Yes, this is still cheaper than $456,000, but not by much. Plus, wouldn't you prefer to spend that extra 40 hours per month with your dog or your kid or your partner or your couch or your flower box or working or just about anywhere other than in traffic or on an impersonal train? So why are we spending on tax base to encourage people to spend more time doing things they would rather not do? You tell me.
Sources:
Home values
http://homes.wsj.com/cityprofiles/fremont_ca.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Tracy-California.html
Mortgage calculations
http://www.mortgage-calc.com/cgi-bin/flap.pl?pmn=40000&pmx=100000&imn=5&imx=6&yrs=30&out=HTML+3.0+Tables
Sunday, March 13, 2005
What Democracy Means to Johnny Carson
I think he needs a dictionary. This is what the US means to him. It has nothing to do with "democracy", but maybe I am being too serious....
"What Democracy Means to Me"
by Johnny Carson
To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the
fruits of nationhood to those who built the nation. Democracy means
anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can
be vice president.
Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single
dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all
races, colors, and creeds. Democracy is having time set aside to
worship ? 18 years if you're Jim Bakker.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't
have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism,
democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it
means having two ineffective political parties.
Democracy means freedom of sexual choice between any two consenting
adults; Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting
adults. But I digress. Democracy is welcoming people from other lands,
and giving them something to hold onto ? usually a mop or a leaf
blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping,
anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money.
Democracy means a thriving heartland with rolling fields of Alfalfa,
Buckwheat, Spanky, and Wheezer. Democracy means our elected officials
bow to the will of the people, but more often they bow to the big butts
of campaign contributors.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and
fighting even harder to keep other weaker people from getting what they
deserve. Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your
door. Of course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at
your door. It's a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good
television, but free.
Democracy is being able to pick up the phone and, within a minute, be
talking to anyone in the country, and, within two minutes, be
interrupted by call waiting.
Democracy means no taxation without representation, and god knows,
we've just about had the hell represented out of us. It means the
freedom to bear arms so you can blow the "o" out of any rural stop sign
you want.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with
13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13
stars over its head. This signifies that when the white man came to
this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees,
bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle.
I thank you.
"What Democracy Means to Me"
by Johnny Carson
To me, democracy means placing trust in the little guy, giving the
fruits of nationhood to those who built the nation. Democracy means
anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can
be vice president.
Democracy is people of all races, colors, and creeds united by a single
dream: to get rich and move to the suburbs away from people of all
races, colors, and creeds. Democracy is having time set aside to
worship ? 18 years if you're Jim Bakker.
Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't
have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism,
democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it
means having two ineffective political parties.
Democracy means freedom of sexual choice between any two consenting
adults; Utopia means freedom of choice between three or more consenting
adults. But I digress. Democracy is welcoming people from other lands,
and giving them something to hold onto ? usually a mop or a leaf
blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping,
anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money.
Democracy means a thriving heartland with rolling fields of Alfalfa,
Buckwheat, Spanky, and Wheezer. Democracy means our elected officials
bow to the will of the people, but more often they bow to the big butts
of campaign contributors.
Yes, democracy means fighting every day for what you deserve, and
fighting even harder to keep other weaker people from getting what they
deserve. Democracy means never having the Secret Police show up at your
door. Of course, it also means never having the cable guy show up at
your door. It's a tradeoff. Democracy means free television. Not good
television, but free.
Democracy is being able to pick up the phone and, within a minute, be
talking to anyone in the country, and, within two minutes, be
interrupted by call waiting.
Democracy means no taxation without representation, and god knows,
we've just about had the hell represented out of us. It means the
freedom to bear arms so you can blow the "o" out of any rural stop sign
you want.
And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with
13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13
stars over its head. This signifies that when the white man came to
this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees,
bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle.
I thank you.
Learning from other people's mistakes....
Since the demise of RIDES, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and talking about what makes a healthy organization. What works. What doesn’t work. I think a lot of organizations can learn from RIDES’ mistakes, and I certainly hope to as well.
Under Eunice, John and Chip (former EDs), RIDES had a collaborative environment. Management decisions, regional marketing promotions (like rideshare week), hiring, etc. were made by the staff as a team. Cathy, who ironically has a Master’s in industrial psychology, believed that the staff should follow her direction and get their jobs done. Of course, the value of a group is almost always greater than the sum of each individual part. So, I believe that lesson #1 is the need for collaboration in any work environment. I have noticed differences in judgment and motivation level, but I strongly believe that everyone has something critical to add to any work-related decision (1). Maybe some people have better recall, but no one really knows any better than anyone else when it comes to organizational decisions. Everyone has something to offer.
The real thing that brought RIDES down was bad financial management. Somehow the organization went from having something like $5M surplus to being in the red. No one seems to know exactly how it happened. I also heard that the long-time accountant (he must have been there like 10 years) actually got into arguments with the financial manager over basic accounting principles. So, lesson #2 is take care of the money.
Finally, RIDES shared proprietary information with some of their partners, without permission from the funder, and not with other partners. This, along with the financial matters already mentioned, effectively ruined the relationship with the funder and, to a lesser extent, the organization’s regional partners. So, lesson #3 is: don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and be fair and evenhanded with your partners.
Discussing this story with friends, many have noted that the non-profit structure, with the funders and board of directors, is designed to keep real community representation down (grass roots or other). This point actually refers back to lesson #1: collaboration, and #3: equality with partners. More time is spent in power struggle when it should be spent in community participantion.
However, I do think that the funder’s decision to give this contract to an international for-profit company is inexcusable. Any funding agency with real respect for the community it serves would have found a way to fill this need with local intellectual/work-force resources.
Footnote:
1) Personal decisions, on the other hand, should only be made by the individual person, and never in collaboration. You are the only one who knows what’s best for you. At least, I am. (Come to think of it, I know some people who make consistently really bad decisions for themselves. I wonder how they come to those conclusions?)
Under Eunice, John and Chip (former EDs), RIDES had a collaborative environment. Management decisions, regional marketing promotions (like rideshare week), hiring, etc. were made by the staff as a team. Cathy, who ironically has a Master’s in industrial psychology, believed that the staff should follow her direction and get their jobs done. Of course, the value of a group is almost always greater than the sum of each individual part. So, I believe that lesson #1 is the need for collaboration in any work environment. I have noticed differences in judgment and motivation level, but I strongly believe that everyone has something critical to add to any work-related decision (1). Maybe some people have better recall, but no one really knows any better than anyone else when it comes to organizational decisions. Everyone has something to offer.
The real thing that brought RIDES down was bad financial management. Somehow the organization went from having something like $5M surplus to being in the red. No one seems to know exactly how it happened. I also heard that the long-time accountant (he must have been there like 10 years) actually got into arguments with the financial manager over basic accounting principles. So, lesson #2 is take care of the money.
Finally, RIDES shared proprietary information with some of their partners, without permission from the funder, and not with other partners. This, along with the financial matters already mentioned, effectively ruined the relationship with the funder and, to a lesser extent, the organization’s regional partners. So, lesson #3 is: don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and be fair and evenhanded with your partners.
Discussing this story with friends, many have noted that the non-profit structure, with the funders and board of directors, is designed to keep real community representation down (grass roots or other). This point actually refers back to lesson #1: collaboration, and #3: equality with partners. More time is spent in power struggle when it should be spent in community participantion.
However, I do think that the funder’s decision to give this contract to an international for-profit company is inexcusable. Any funding agency with real respect for the community it serves would have found a way to fill this need with local intellectual/work-force resources.
Footnote:
1) Personal decisions, on the other hand, should only be made by the individual person, and never in collaboration. You are the only one who knows what’s best for you. At least, I am. (Come to think of it, I know some people who make consistently really bad decisions for themselves. I wonder how they come to those conclusions?)
Thursday, March 10, 2005
My Bike
So, when I returned from my trip, I noticed some broken spokes. I thought to myself: I better get that fixed. But I rode her around, carried copious groceries on her, and generally continued the abuse which she had been accustomed to before my trip. You remember my little accident a few weeks back when my new suit got caught in the handlebars and I went over the top in the tender loin? So, I just took my bike in to have the wheels trued (by now they are quite un-true), and the bike mechanic guy said in the most amazing deadpan tone I have ever heard "your fork's bents." He gave me a pretty hard time about not having it fixed (it works just fine! The only problem is that the wheel touches my foot when I turn -- I just have to remember to move my foot out of the way.) but he finally agreed to fix the wheels (not so that it will stay that way or anything because I have waited too long...) and leave it at that. It would be $100 to fix both, and, well, the bike's not worth that much. At what point do I just buy a new one? Only time will tell....
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
BART
BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit) has signs all over it saying it was recently awarded for being the "best public transit system in the US". Well, I have something to say about that. I ride BART 3X a week round trip, and I think it has been on-time about 1/3 of the time. If that's the best we can do, well, I picked a profession that needs a miracle.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Fox news
Las des querelles entre la France et les États-Unis, Jacques Chirac et George W. Bush décident de
régler leur différend politique en faisant une course de vélo.
A la surprise générale, c'est Jacques Chirac qui en sort vainqueur.
Le lendemain, Fox News, la plus patriotique des télés américaines, annonce ainsi les résultats:
"Les États-Unis arrachent une spectaculaire deuxième place. La France se classe avant-dernière."
régler leur différend politique en faisant une course de vélo.
A la surprise générale, c'est Jacques Chirac qui en sort vainqueur.
Le lendemain, Fox News, la plus patriotique des télés américaines, annonce ainsi les résultats:
"Les États-Unis arrachent une spectaculaire deuxième place. La France se classe avant-dernière."
taxes
For those of you who still do your own taxes, I am sure you are aware of all the online resources listed on the irs web site. Most will do your federal taxes for free. There is a fee for state taxes. I checked them all (exhibiting what a deeply sick person I continue to be), and the prices range from $19.95 to $7.95. I, of course, went with one that was $7.95, and it my third year in a row using that particular site (taxactonline.com; taxsimple.com was the other $7.95 one). Last year, I compared the result of the online service with what my own pencil and paper result, and found the online service saved me money (I don't remember exactly how much, but between $300 and $50, I'm guessing). Good luck.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Kayak trip pictures
You will find photos of our kayak trip on the day at:
http://www.citykayak.com/Before_03_01_2005/
I couldn't find a single photo of me and Forrest, but #2153 is a good shot of Alison and Jo.
http://www.citykayak.com/Before_03_01_2005/
I couldn't find a single photo of me and Forrest, but #2153 is a good shot of Alison and Jo.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
the weekend in review
I just woke up from a 2+ hour nap this afternoon, and I am still feeling a bit grogggggy. I really needed it! I can't seem to get to bed before midnight even on work nights, and I find myself disoriented and confused at work. This is partually because I only go in every other day... remember how disoriented you feel on Monday after a particularly intense weekend? Well, my whole life is pretty intense, and so is my job.
My dreams were excellent and instructive, although I have already forgotten them. I just remember having a certain consciousness periodically throughout like, "oh, that means I don't have to do any more work on that project." or "oh, that means I am on the right path" regarding thus and such. Good stuff.
After a lovely brunch at Tam's house, we attended a walking tour of the Octavia Blvd project sponsored by WalkSF and Transportation for a Livable City (TLC). The weather was fantastic, and I walked in my tank top, skin slathered in sun screen. (I think I managed to avoid a burn.) I had a tour of this area once before given my Allan Jacobs (the guy who designed the new Blvd.) when he was my teacher at Berkeley. That tour focused on the design components and decisions. This one on the political process, which was really interesting. Tom Radulavich (ED of TLC) said a couple things I wanted to put here:
* "Traffic calming" is a direct translation from the German. However, in Germany, it means slowing cars to pedestrian speed. Here is means slowing cars to 15 mph, which is still dangerous for children who play in the street.
* Middle class SF flats (Victorian and Edwardian style) take up the entire floor. Working class flats have multiple units per floor of the building. You can tell a lot about what an neighborhood was intended to be by how the units in the buildings are designed.
The Blvd is going to be great, and I look forward to it being extended backwards to behind Mission Street. BTW, I believe we use the word boulevard from the French, but they don't use it that way at all. For example, the Champs-Elysese is an Avenue!
It's still really warm in my apartment from the hot day, but I don't mind. I'd like another soy hot chocolate, but I am not sure that I should.
Last night Ria and I had a lovely Ethiopian dinner and then wandered along Valencia Street (which I heard today is going to be redesigned with wider sidwalks. I hope they can provide better separation between the bicycles and the street this time). We went to a couple galeries, and saw some interesting art. We also crashed a musical performance at one of them, which I learn later the other people had paid $25 to attend (but there were not chairs). I am really starting to appreciate the art scene here, and I am looking forward to getting myself involved in it more. There is a gallery co-op near my house, and I am considering joining it.
Yesterday, I was on fire. I got all sort of things done that I had been putting off for months. There are, however, a few more items that are critical: homework for my 2 classes and my taxes. My life is so different now than when I used to do my taxes within days of receiving the W-2. I am even sort of nearing our April 15 deadline. Yikes!
Grace and I had coffee in Dolores Park to discuss our adventures in internet dating. Not that there is much to tell, but she is going to keep track of her statistics to help me with my book I am going to write about it. baby steps. We saw a golden retriever puppy that nearly broke the heart of every person laying eyes him. You know that I mean!
If you are not already bored to tears, I have one more small weekend item to tell you about: Happy Hour with the Oakland planners. I learned some interesting things, found a venue for future events, and caught up with some of my buddies. And I still got home in time to watch all my taped TV shows for the week.
My dreams were excellent and instructive, although I have already forgotten them. I just remember having a certain consciousness periodically throughout like, "oh, that means I don't have to do any more work on that project." or "oh, that means I am on the right path" regarding thus and such. Good stuff.
After a lovely brunch at Tam's house, we attended a walking tour of the Octavia Blvd project sponsored by WalkSF and Transportation for a Livable City (TLC). The weather was fantastic, and I walked in my tank top, skin slathered in sun screen. (I think I managed to avoid a burn.) I had a tour of this area once before given my Allan Jacobs (the guy who designed the new Blvd.) when he was my teacher at Berkeley. That tour focused on the design components and decisions. This one on the political process, which was really interesting. Tom Radulavich (ED of TLC) said a couple things I wanted to put here:
* "Traffic calming" is a direct translation from the German. However, in Germany, it means slowing cars to pedestrian speed. Here is means slowing cars to 15 mph, which is still dangerous for children who play in the street.
* Middle class SF flats (Victorian and Edwardian style) take up the entire floor. Working class flats have multiple units per floor of the building. You can tell a lot about what an neighborhood was intended to be by how the units in the buildings are designed.
The Blvd is going to be great, and I look forward to it being extended backwards to behind Mission Street. BTW, I believe we use the word boulevard from the French, but they don't use it that way at all. For example, the Champs-Elysese is an Avenue!
It's still really warm in my apartment from the hot day, but I don't mind. I'd like another soy hot chocolate, but I am not sure that I should.
Last night Ria and I had a lovely Ethiopian dinner and then wandered along Valencia Street (which I heard today is going to be redesigned with wider sidwalks. I hope they can provide better separation between the bicycles and the street this time). We went to a couple galeries, and saw some interesting art. We also crashed a musical performance at one of them, which I learn later the other people had paid $25 to attend (but there were not chairs). I am really starting to appreciate the art scene here, and I am looking forward to getting myself involved in it more. There is a gallery co-op near my house, and I am considering joining it.
Yesterday, I was on fire. I got all sort of things done that I had been putting off for months. There are, however, a few more items that are critical: homework for my 2 classes and my taxes. My life is so different now than when I used to do my taxes within days of receiving the W-2. I am even sort of nearing our April 15 deadline. Yikes!
Grace and I had coffee in Dolores Park to discuss our adventures in internet dating. Not that there is much to tell, but she is going to keep track of her statistics to help me with my book I am going to write about it. baby steps. We saw a golden retriever puppy that nearly broke the heart of every person laying eyes him. You know that I mean!
If you are not already bored to tears, I have one more small weekend item to tell you about: Happy Hour with the Oakland planners. I learned some interesting things, found a venue for future events, and caught up with some of my buddies. And I still got home in time to watch all my taped TV shows for the week.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
my drawings, update
I have updated the album with photos of my drawings (last night). The new photos include recent drawings and drawing from my first day. So, in terms of chronology, the whole album goes middle, begining/end, but will probably become more progressive as the semester passes (in the sense of new photos being of new drawings). They are at:
http://www.amazon.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?showSlide=true&Uc=ksr0nbj.c2vsez3n&Uy=7t2z66&Ux=0
http://www.amazon.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?showSlide=true&Uc=ksr0nbj.c2vsez3n&Uy=7t2z66&Ux=0
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