California for $82 a Day

Always on the cutting edge, California offers options that the rest of the nation can only dream about.

For example, The Santa Ana Jail is pleased to host a full range of alternatives to traditional incarceration. Our offerings include weekends in jail, non-linear jail sentences, and a variety of work release options. Our philosophy is designed to allow our clients to serve their obligations to the court in a manner that respects them as human beings and permits them to continue to provide for themselves and their families.

The experience, according to Nicole Brockett, is akin to being in a five star Hilton Hotel. “It’s clean here,” she said, perched in a jail day room on the sort of couch found in a hospital emergency room. “It’s safe and everyone here is really nice. I haven’t had a problem with any of the other girls. They give me shampoo.”

Well, I am a travel professional, and this is really good to know. I wonder if they pay commission to travel agents?

A28

IMPEACH

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

My baba was at a Kiwi Specialist Conference yesterday and today and she's really sleepy because she stayed up late with her friends and she got up early to go to her breakout sessions and I'm visiting my other baba with my daddy but baba said to say she will put up some pictures of me on another day because tomorrow she has to write IMPEACH in public places.

And NEXT Friday my baba is going to be away in another place because somebody is getting married to somebody else and she has to fly there. And she has a cute little black dress.

I'm playing with my cousins this weekend and then next week I start day care with other kids. Its like pre- pre- pre school.

Love from Ellie Bean.

Tuesday Topics - 50 Ways

One Million Blogs for Peace hasn't listed a Tuesday Topic, so I decided to make my own topic. And I found THIS wonderful list:


“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it.
And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” Eleanor Roosevelt


1. Be a media guerilla. Use e-mail, fax, photocopies, and newsletters to broadcast the message of peace. Spread empowering information.

2. Attend a peace rally. Check out United For Peace & Justice or Peace.Protest.net to find out about marches for peace around the country.

3. Host a peace speaker at an event in your community or at your workplace.

4. Get to know your neighbors. It’s hard to reclaim peace without a sense of community.

5. Make friends with someone of another race, ethnicity, age, ability, or sexual orientation. Appreciating and embracing diversity helps to promote peace.

6. Take an adventure to neighborhoods of your town or country that are ethnically focused to appreciate diverse cultures. Cross-cultural understanding is key to building peace.

7. Travel to learn. Get first-hand experience in how things happen in other places and bring home questions about how you do things at home.

8. Drive with patience and tolerance. Keep the peace on our streets and highways.

9. Listen more. Really listen, without giving unsolicited advice. The validation of being heard is often more important than solving the problem.

10. Learn to say I’m sorry. Learn to mean it. Learn when to say it and use it. These two simple words can prevent violence and save relationships.

11. Be helpful. Random acts of kindness can create more peaceful communities.

12. Spend time with a youngster. This can often remind us of the meaning of a peaceful world.

13. Practice the art of patience. Be careful not to rush to judgment or action.

14. Start peace conversations. Talking peace, and listening, are critical for a vibrant democracy.

15. Involve yourself in community parent workshops and family groups that help parents protect, nurture, and support their children.

16. Peace begins at home. Monitor, nurture, support, and involve your children and family in keeping peace.

17. Explore your prejudices. Find out what’s behind them, how they started, & how they influence your thoughts and actions.

18. Write a peace song. Peace songs are great tools for organizing and inspiring people.

19. Use music, art, stories, and drama to explore themes of peace and nonviolence.

20. Broadcast a peace message using a peace flag, poster, badge, t-shirt, or bumper sticker.

21. If you own a gun, keep it unloaded and locked up. Store the bullets in a separate place and hide the key safely away from children.

22. Find your own inner peace. Set aside a few minutes or more each day of quiet, peaceful time.

23. Join a study circle. Self-education is a fast track to empowerment toward peace.

24. Attend an educational series on non-violence. Look up peace & justice organizations in your state at United For Peace & Justice and call them for information on educational series.

25. Stay tuned to what’s going on in the world through newsletters, periodicals, newspapers, radio, TV, and online.

26. Educate yourself about the violence threatening kids in your community and nationwide. Help bring safety and peace to kids at Children’s Defense Fund and End Abuse.

27. Learn another language. Being able to communicate in a foreign language helps you participate in diverse cultures.

28. Help bring peace to the environment by reducing your carbon load emissions. Learn what you can do at our global warming campaign site at Lick Global Warming (one sweet whirled).

29. Learn how to fight fairly. Fight to resolve differences, not to win.

30. Register people to vote. One reason the political game’s gone sour is that too few of us play. Find out more at Rock The Vote or Project Vote Smart.

31. Become a volunteer on a peace project. Check out Peace Brigades International, Seeds of Peace, and the Peace Corps.

32. Volunteer at your local battered women’s shelter. Learn about the importance of non-violent conflict resolution.

33. Sign-up as a member of a peace organization like Global Exchange, United For Peace & Justice, or Peace Response.

34. Call a radio talk show. The good ones are often the town meetings of the airwaves.

35. Write letters and articles in support of peace and non-violence to the editors of your local media. Published, they can change minds, and even unpublished they can impact the media.

36. Sign a peace pledge.

37. Adopt a politician. Write a monthly letter to your Representative, Senator, or President on peace-related issues.

38. Take social action to support specific legislative peace initiatives. Try the Waging Peace site to get started.

39. Vote. Voting is your hard-earned right and your official voice. For information about the democratic voting process, visit the Federal Election Commission or the Center for Voting and Democracy.

40. Support organizations and/or campaigns that fight for basic human rights for all people. Social justice promotes peace. For a start, visit Global Exchange, or Amnesty International.

41. Run for elective office. Be a voice for non-violent conflict resolution, reasoned sanity, and balance.

42. Learn about nuclear weapons from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Sign an appeal to end the nuclear threat. Visit the Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign and Waging Peace.

43. Take part in online advocacy for peace. Some good sites to get started are 20/20 Vision and The Interfaith Alliance.

44. Write to your own government; write to a foreign government. Let them know you care about what they do and hold them to the same standards for peaceful conflict resolution.

45. Call your City Council and attend the next meeting. It’s often through the strength of a group that changes are made and community is built.

46. Encourage peace projects for school classrooms. You can find some great ideas at Celebrating Peace and UNESCO.

47. Teach young people skills for non-violent conflict resolution. Learn about some great strategies from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program or Images & Education for teachers, classrooms, parents, and students.

48. Teach young people about peace. Let your behavior reflect the values you want them to espouse.

49. Support your community’s efforts to create jobs and training opportunities for kids that help them become productive, contributing adults.

50. Dig deep. Oftentimes, reaching peaceful resolution means understanding what’s at the root of a problem rather than what’s most apparent on the surface.

Cross posted at The Katrinacrat

Impeach Cheney? Not today.

The Swamp reports that Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has put his plans to Impeach VP Cheney on hold. Cheney, the man with no heart, and icewater in his veins, has a blood clot. Kucinich is defering to Cheney's health condition in an act of common decency and compassion toward a man who has neither.

The Swamp believes that Kucinich's articles of impeachment will die in committee for a variety of reasons (Nancy Pelosi, for one.) As much as I would like to see both Bush and Cheney impeached, I suspect that they really need to be brought to trial before The International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity.

Still, Kucinich has brass ones. He speaks more to the heart and soul and less to the intellect. We need his passion, we really do.

Good News for Air Travel

Virgin Atlantic is stepping it up a few notches. In addition to ordering 15 of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, Virgin Atlantic and Boeing are working to develop a new biofuel for commercial jets in order to reduce CO2 emissions. The 787 is the most fuel efficient plane in an industry noted for not being fuel efficient. This is a plane that has big-plane range while being mid-size - sort of like the Honda Civic of flying.

The 787 burns about 27% less fuel than the Airbus, largely due to its use of composite materials rather than metal. It's fast, it's light weight, and it's coming soon to an airline near you. While it will be at least five years before biofuels are available for commercial jet use, at least there are people and companies with money who are working on it! I have hope. Anything to make me not feel guilty for doing my job.

cross-posted at The Fat Lady Sings

Saving the World for Big Oil

NOW I get it. This explains everything.

Earth Day 2007

From the Earth Day Website come these strong words:

TAKE ACTION: Each Earth Day - Cut back or go completely without man-made energy!
On April 22 Create benefits to nature and change policy - through your actions
NOTE: 2007 is the last year Earth Day Energy Fast will call for these type of actions on April 22. A unified date for Earth Day needs to be seleced (EDEF has suggested the northern hemisphere Summer Solstice - June 21/22). It is time for much more radical policies and actions to address the coming series of disasters climate change is already manifesting. EDEF had the right approach, but tired and weak Earth Day and environmental leadership failed to use it, and it seems like mere tokenism now given the colossal scale of human behavioral changes needed.

I'm home, doing laundry in cold water. Lights are off. After laundry is done, I need to walk over to the nail salon and get my nails done. Yesterday, I walked to the grocery store for a few necessary items. And I am wondering: since today is the 37th anniversary of Earth Day, and our climate crisis has gotten worse, what will it actually take for people to make the drastic changes necessary? And what am I doing differently?

My light bulbs are energy efficient compact fluorescents; I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid; I recycle. But I'm not going to stop traveling. It's just my passion. So where is my solution?

I can purchase energy offsets. Hey, it's a start!

Sol LeWitt at Dia:Beacon

Wall Drawing #273: Lines to Points on a Grid

Sol LeWitt died earlier this month, and I somehow missed reading about it. And it saddens me as much, possibly more, than the death of Kurt Vonnegut. LeWitt was identified as a Minimalist, but that label really does an injustice to him, and his work.

I wish I could go to see this exhibit. I wish I could have participated in making the drawings. That was part of LeWitt's genius: his drawings were/are always made by other people based upon his written instructions. He teased. The instructions for Wall Drawing #273 are simple: Lines to Points on a Grid. No message as to how many lines, or how many points. No instructions as to the length of the lines, or the thickness. So if I were to make this drawing on one of the walls in my home, it would look quite different from the above image. But it would be connected to it as surely as if Mr. LeWitt were standing next to me telling me what to do.

LeWitt's wall paintings are both ephemeral and permanently linked to our past. His use of the wall harkens back to the earliest known cave paintings. Yet when the exhibit ends, the drawings will be painted over to make way for the next exhibit. They will no longer exist in the Dia:Beacon gallery. He understood humor, and resistance. To the comment "that's so easy a child could do it," he said yes, and made work available to several public schools in New York. Those drawings were made by children. He felt art was inaccessible due to high prices, so in the 70s he did a series of drawings (instructions) which he sold for about $10. Each.

Sol LeWitt died April 8, 2007. He was a mystic.

cross posted at The Fat Lady Sings

A28 - Some California actions

Northeast LA Radical Neighbors will be holding IMPEACH signs at the corner of Colorado and Eagle Rock Blvds. from 4pm to 6pm. E-mail drlao@yahoo.com for more info. We also have an ImpeachPlane ready to take the message to the skies by flying a giant "IMPEACH!" banner for three hours along the shore between Malibu and Dana Point (as we will be doing in NYC, Atlanta, and New Orleans). This is a great way to reach hundreds of thousands of people with the message but we need to raise more money to cover the costs. Want to see it happen? Chip in below! Every little bit helps! (Note: this is a second round of fundraising for this. If you contributed to the first round, don't worry: that money is going towards the plane!)



San Francisco

Brad, who organized the original Beach Impeach human mural with a thousand people, will be doing it again on April 28--and this time he plans to make it twice as big! Code Pink will then lead a march from the beach to Nancy Pelosi's house. The rally outside her house will feature several prominent speakers and a giant Gandhi puppet.

If you want to find more actions closer to you, click here.

Friday Grandbaby blogging

My baba is feeling okay, but she's all sore and grouchy. She was way too busy at work yesterday, and the bandage over the thingyplace made her skin all icky like a burn or something. She thinks she'll have results before Labor Day cause it took four months to get the biopsy scheduled but really it should be Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday. She is too lazy to put up my picture because her hard drive is a mess and this is her laptop and the pictures are still on the camera and her hard drive so she's not putting up my picture today and she probably won't post much for a couple more days but she says not to worry and thank you. I left her a phone message and I sang "Nerdernerder AAAY-GEEE" which was a song I was singing to Elmo.

Bye bye. Don't forget A28, Impeach.

Put a fork in me, I'm done

Well, not yet. But I'm off to have my liver biopsy now. I should not have googled this, not for one damn second. Because this is what I found:

Liver, Liver, it makes me shiver,

It makes my little brother want to quiver.

It's wet and it's slimy,

It's gross and it's grimy,

I hate it so much I cry rivers

One Million Blogs for Peace

Kurt Vonnegut, may his memory be for a blessing, was asked in 2003 about the anti-war movements of the Viet Nam era, and the current anti-war movement. He said the following:

"When it became obvious what a dumb and cruel and spiritually and financially and militarily ruinous mistake our war in Vietnam was, every artist worth a damn in this country, every serious writer, painter, stand-up comedian, musician, actor and actress, you name it, came out against the thing. We formed what might be described as a laser beam of protest, with everybody aimed in the same direction, focused and intense. This weapon proved to have the power of a banana-cream pie three feet in diameter when dropped from a stepladder five-feet high.

"And so it is with anti-war protests in the present day. Then as now, TV did not like anti-war protesters, nor any other sort of protesters, unless they rioted. Now, as then, on account of TV, the right of citizens to peaceably assemble, and petition their government for a redress of grievances, 'ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit,' as the saying goes."


Yesterday, on the campus of Virginia Tech, we witnessed the worst mass shooting in American history. Television was on this immediately, and that was the complete focus of news. Even Olbermann dropped his "Worst Person in the World" and "Oddball" features in light of the tragedy. Gonzo has been put on hold, in light of the tragedy. But it strikes me that the tragedy of this mass murder has developed into the kind of media circus that television loves. Vonnegut was right: television doesn't like anti-war protesters unless they are rioting. As long as there is blood, the cameras are there.

I cannot make sense of a senseless act - a man walks into a dorm, shoots two people; two hours later he walks into another building on campus and shoots as many people as he can before turning the gun on himself. I cannot make sense of this, any more than I can make sense of the hatred and fear that the Bush Administration uses to fuel their own agenda. Is it the climate of our nation that allows a young man to shoot so many people? I don't understand.

I grieve for the families of the victims in yesterday's shooting rampage. I grieve for the families of the victims of our senseless war. I grieve for our nation, as our soul struggles for survival. And in my grief, I pray for peace. I pray that good, and decency, will prevail.

If you haven't yet joined One Million Blogs For Peace, what's stopping you?

cross posted at The Fat Lady Sings

I participated, and I'm proud of it.

Blogs Unite Against Iraq War

"One Million Blogs for Peace" movement began on Iraq War's fourth anniversary with 217 blogs. They hope to have 1,000,000 strong by the fifth anniversary. If you haven't joined already, what are you waiting for?

I was going to write this morning about the Imus shit-storm, but realized that he's only part of a bigger climate of hate. The reality, the reality is that all the shock-jocks out there fuel, and are fueled, by fear: their own, ours, it doesn't matter. I don't think for a minute that this war would have happened in a climate of calm or tolerance. Not for one minute. But we live in a climate of fear, and that makes peace a rare commodity. We can be the change we want to see in the world.

How? Speak the truth. Shine light on the truth. Don't give up, even if it seems like we are at the end of the line. Because even if we ARE at the end of the line, and Bush is our Nero, we can still walk with personal dignity. And the only way I can see us walking with personal dignity is to stand together for peace.










read more | digg story

What are you doing at 1PM on May 13th?

I will be Standing for Peace at the Korean Friendship Bell overlooking Point Fermin and the Pacific Ocean in San Pedro, California.

Please stand with us for five minutes of silence at 1 p.m. your local time on May 13, 2007, in your local park, school yard, gathering place, or any place you deem appropriate. We ask you to invite the men who you care about to join you. We ask that you bring bells to ring at 1 p.m. to signify the beginning of the five minutes of silence and to ring again to signify the end of the period of silence. During the silence, please think about what you individually and we collectively can do to attain this world. If you need to sit rather than stand, please feel free to do so. Afterwards, hopefully you and your loved ones can talk together about how we can bring about this world. (Big thank you to Peace Chick Mary for alerting me to this.)
cross posted at The Kommandos Project, The Katrinacrat, and The Fat Lady Sings

Travel Instructions

Go to Google.com
Click on Maps
Click on Get Directions
Put in From New York, New York to Paris, France
Read line 23

Seriously, Line 23. And get your water wings ready.

Friday Grandbaby blogging

Baba says I will always be her grandbaby even when I am running for President or even when I am driving a car. But now I have to walk doggie. Do you like my doggie? I love my doggie. I love my Baba too. I hope you have fun today.

The Fat Lady Sings goes group

The Fat Lady Sings has become a group blog and below is TFLS description of the choir:

Missouri Mule has this to say about herself: "You don't have to do diddly-squat to get older---matter of fact, you can't even avoid that; but getting smarter---now, that can be a bitch if you try to go it alone. Life is in a constant state of flux, that's for sure. One day you're a cute girl shyly shopping for your first real plug-in vibrator, and before you know it, your kids are grown, your mother lives with you, and you walk through the kitchen one day and there she sits with your vibrator, working on a crick in her neck.


I don't want to be one of those pitiful old ladies who sit in the corner nibbling on small bits of paper, never joining in any activities, never receiving visitors, never sleeping with the male residents. Nosirree, not me. I plan to be exactly like I am right now---only a whole lot older and smarter. People will be fighting to get into my nursing home, wanting to come before they're even old enough to be there. I think I've learned a thing or two in my sojourn. As usual, I'm just gonna lay it all out here and let you be the judge. I'm I pushing the edge of the envelope? I hope so; but I know, by gawd, I am at least getting to the sticky part! It will eventually come down, as it usually does, to the age-old plea of "’Lordy, help us all!’"


Next let me introduce you to T.B., or Teebs as she is affectionately known. T.B. describes herself as a mid 30s refugee from corporate America whose life is currently changing faster than she can keep up. She and her husband recently relocated to southwest Florida and are expecting their first child at any moment (and she does mean any moment!). Teebs writes about everything under the sun over at her home blog, Soul Gardening. T.B. has one of those special voices – passionate, introspective - dead honest. In laying bare her own soul she speaks to ours – and in profound ways. There’s a poem by Wordsworth that always reminds me of her: “A violet by a mossy stone half hidden from the eye; Bright as a star when only one is shining in the sky.” I think you will all enjoy T.B.’s inherent luminosity.


Oldwhitelady (or O.W.L.) has what I would call a rather wry sense of humor. Intelligent, articulate - she always makes me smile – and I thoroughly enjoy her no frills take on life and politics. A natural artist – O.W.L.’s métier seems to be comedy, entertaining all and sundry writing a series of delightful shorts over at The Practical Press. As a matter of fact, she’s been nominated for several Practical Press awards this year, and I say it’s about damn time! O.W.L.’s home blog is It's Morning Somewhere.

The Culture Ghost and I have been blogging friends almost since I began writing. We share a love of gardening, theatre, film and politics. He refers to himself as anarchic, misanthropic and somewhat scattered – but I see him in more iconoclastic terms. Culture Ghost doesn’t pull any punches. He will make you sit up and take notice – that I guarantee! Expect any and everything. Culture Ghost is a formidable intellect wrapped around a sensitive soul. He always goes straight to the heart of any matter. If you are not now familiar with his work, you are in for a treat!

Sumo is rather a rare bird. She speaks in images as well as words. In fact – her selections of cartoons and photographs are famous for not only their entertainment value – but their cutting edge as well. Along with her own blog Sumo Merriment, Sumo contributes to The Blue Republic. We are lucky she agreed to add her unique voice to our mix. Combining intellects is rather like cooking, you know (an analogy Sumo will appreciate). Adding just the right amount of spice always enhances the flavor. I can assure you Sumo provides the added kick to any combination!


Rounding out our choir is Diva Jood. Jood says she walks a fine line between being reserved and being a bit of a tornado. I would say that describes her right down to a ‘T’. Power and grace all wrapped up in a delightful package of intelligence, intuition and warmth. Journey’s With Jood takes on politics in a very human way – how our elected officials choices and decisions affect all of us – for good and ill. Never strident - Jood speaks truth to power in measured tones – but her passion, heart and commitment to the truth always shine through.




And there we have it – The Fat Lady Sings choir of voices. I am honored to be a part of the choir, especially since I cannot carry a tune if it had handles. But no worries, I'm typing.

XXOO

Voter Fraud? There Ain't No Voter Fraud.

The Bush Administration's Justice Department is on the J.O.B. Led by everybody's favorite Attorney General, Alberto "Titanic" Gonzales, the Justice Department has determined that there really isn't very much voter fraud, except when the Democrats do it. Democrats, like hardened criminal Kimberly Prude (2nd from the left in the photo below):




Kimberly Prude, a Grandmother, was convicted of voter fraud and has been in prison for over a year. Many of those charged by the Justice Department appear to have mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood eligibility rules, a review of court records and interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers show. And those people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law as understood by the Decider. They've been quite lenient with Ms. Prude - they've merely kept her in prison, rather than sending her to Gitmo to be tortured for aiding and abetting terrorists because she voted for a Democrat.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department and White House have trouble with their email servers too! Maybe they need to call Geek Squad to recover emails sent on Karl Rove's private email system and used by about 50 other officials. The e-mails were considered potentially crucial evidence in congressional inquiries launched by Democrats into the role partisan politics may have played in such policy decisions as the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

Mr. Gonzales, channeling Rose Mary Wood, demonstrates how those emails must have disappeared.

No wonder Kurt Vonnegut gave up the ghost last night. Our Govenrment has become more bizarre than one of his novels. RIP, Mr. Vonnegut.

(a link wasn't working.)

Bush, Gonzo Gate, Iraq: we need one of these

vomitorium (vom-i-TOR-ee-uhm) noun, plural vomitoria

A passageway to the rows of seats in a theater.

[From Latin vomitorium, from vomere (to discharge).]

Vomitoria in ancient amphitheaters helped the audience to reach their
seats quickly and then, at the end of the performance, leave at an equal
speed (hence the name). Thousands of seats could be filled in minutes.
The suggestion that a vomitorium was the place for the ancient Romans
to vomit during a feast has no basis.

However, given our current state of affairs, it is quite descriptive.

cross posted at The Katrinacrat

Well, my biopsy is scheduled

On my son's birthday but what the hell. April 18th, I'm having my liver poked.

Ugh.

One Million Blogs for Peace

What does this photo say to you about the War? Will it change anyone's mind?

All I see is wasted lives, heartbreak, and lies.

Is Big Brother watching me?

Photo from Life on the Edge

I want to introduce you to Mojo, an interactive sculpture that has been put in San Pedro, California, which is the Los Angeles Harbor. Mojo, an interactive robot sculpture that beams a spotlight on people walking by. Mojo is the work of German artist Christian Moeller, whose work is internationally acclaimed.

Is this just a little bit Orwellian? Mojo gets its data from two surveillance cameras that are mounted on the roof of the new Centre Street Lofts, with one bedroom lofts starting at $300K. Now, you have to understand: San Pedro has been Los Angeles' best kept secrets. Lots of artists live here. Housing has been much more affordable than the rest of Los Angeles - it is a lovely community and suddenly it is getting gentrified. As a homeowner, this is good news and bad news to me. But Mojo is a little bit creepy.

"It's not a piece of art that's really resonated with the public or the arts community," said Life on the Edge local blog contributor Marshall Astor, an artist and the visual arts director at Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro. "There's a percentage of people who think it's ridiculous."

Ya think? In our current political environment, I don't see it as ridiculous so much as I see it as an easy tool to just follow people. I can envision Mojo on every street corner. It feels so damn invasive, I can't begin to describe it. On the other hand, I also think it's hilarious. This is what we've come to.

Blogging Against Theocracy

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.


Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What does the Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous have to do with blogging against theocracy? I'm glad you asked, because it is the greatest example of acceptance I have found anywhere.

Let's start with this line: AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution... No. Let's start with this. Alcoholics Anonymous is the most important spiritual development to come out of the 20th Century. Why do I say that? Because AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution. ANYONE who has a desire to stop drinking can join; ANYONE who says they are a member is a member; NOBODY tells you what to believe.

I stayed away from AA for a long time because I thought it was a cult for white male Christian lowbottoms who wore dirty, torn raincoats and had bad teeth. But one of the first 100 members was an atheist who eventually came to believe in a power greater than himself - he defied religion, accepted a god of his own understanding, and had the founders insert after the word God as we understand him in every reference to God in the twelve steps.

There are days when the God of my understanding is simply Good Orderly Direction. Doing the next indicated thing, like going to work or calling my daughter or son - that is God. God is in the details of my day, not in whether I go to a Church, Temple, or Mosque. God is in how I treat my co-workers; am I tolerant? Am I kind? Do I listen? Or am I a bully, demanding my way or the highway?

The God of my understanding does not involve "mandating the death penalty for homosexuals and drunkards," as proposed by Rousas John (R.J.) Rushdoony. (hat tip to Traveling Man of Movable Jewel. I think that Jesus probably doesn't have any involvement with Rushdoony, either.

Here is what the God of my understanding does: this God leads me to meetings with other recovering alcoholics, and there I can hear stories of recovery. I learned how to get divorced without drinking. I learned how to not wake up in bed with a husband belonging to someone else. I learned how to not steal. I learned how to be a good worker, and to give my employer a dime for his nickle.

The God of my understanding has given me a group of friends, many of whom do not share my liberal political view, but who are there for me when I need help just as I am there for them when they need the same. The God of my understanding has taught me to honor the soldiers who have been sent to Iraq because the are not the makers of policy. The God of my understanding has taught me that quality of life and dying with dignity is essential, and that our government denied Terry Schiavo both.

Intolerance is nothing new. Here is a story. Rabbi Hillel, who lived some 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, was approached one day by a non-Jew who challenged him to sum up the Torah - the first five books of the Jewish Bible - while standing on one leg. Accepting the dare, Hillel stated, "What is hateful to you, do not do unto your neighbor. That is the whole of the Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go and learn it."

That is the essence of human rights. Look at what various religious prophets have said about it:

Regarding war: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD." — Torah Leviticus 19:18

Regarding undocumented immigrants: "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." — Torah Leviticus 19:33-34

Regarding torture: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." — Jesus (c. 5 BCE—33 CE) in the Gospels, Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31, Luke 10:27

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." — Muhammad (c. 571 – 632 CE) in a Hadith.

"This is the sum of duty; do naught unto others what you would not have them do unto you." — Mahabharata (5:15:17) (c. 500 BCE)

"What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." — Confucius (ca. 551–479 BCE)

I go to AA meetings because nearly 19 years ago, I reached a state of pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization. I was a hopeless, helpless drug addict and alcoholic, and an observant Jew who regularly attended Synagogue - I was a drunk with RELIGION. I have been sober since July 18, 1988, and through that time I have gone from being an observant Jew who had no God at all to an unaffiliated Jew who believes in a God of my own understanding. I have come to believe in the existance of this Higher Power because I don't drink or use drugs and was unable to stop doing this on my own. I have little personal use for religion. AA is not a religion. It is not a "self help" group. We are people who normally would not mix, but who wound up in the same lifeboat and there we are. AA has given me tolerance, and some modicum of patience. We have atheists, pagans, Catholics, Liberals, Right Wingers, Christians of many denominations, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, Democrats, Republicans, Doctors, Actors, Welders, thieves, cops, airline pilots, you name it, we've got it.

And nobody demands that I change my belief or faith to be a member of AA. The ONLY thing I need to get right on a daily basis is to not pick up that first drink. All the rest is commentary.

Blogging against theocracy

On March 31st, a New York Art Gallery cancelled a proposed exhibit of a sculpture of Jesus Christ, before the exhibit opened to the public. The sculpture was a life-size statue of Jesus made entirely from chocolate, and was to be displayed for two hours each day. Chocolate melts, it goes bad. It was a truly edible body of Christ. And, with contempt prior to investigation, the The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights whipped up a shit-storm.

Founded in 1973 by Jesuit Father Virgil C. Blum SJ, the Catholic League is a lay group funded by individual donations and is outside the control of the Church. The Board of Directors, headed by William A. Donohue, have guided the League towards conservative and traditionalist cultural activism in the manner of groups like the Christian Coalition. You know them, they're the ones who are defending America's Godly Heritage. But I digress. Back to the art exhibit that never was.

Donohue called it "an all-out war on Christianity." That's a pretty strong statement for a big piece of chocolate, in my opinion. To me, all-out war is what we're doing in Iraq, against the will of the American People. But again, I digress. Donohue heads an organization that purports to be about Civil Rights, yet his primary thrust is always toward censorship. The organization vocally protested films like The Last Temptation of Christ and Dogma because they broke with conservative views. Donohue said about the statue: "They wouldn't show a depiction of Martin Luther King Jr. with genitals exposed on Martin Luther King Day, and they wouldn't show Mohammed depicted this way during Ramadan. It's always Christians, and the timing is deliberate."

"It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing, to choose Holy Week, is astounding."

Let's review: it's not just the ugliness of the portrayal...

Look at the photo of the piece. It is well-made. It looks like so many statues of Jesus nailed to the cross made from wood, or clay, or bronze, that I am really hard-pressed to get what the flap is about. Oh, I know. It's CHOCOLATE. Chocolate is ugly in a religious context.

Further, there are no sculptures of the prophet Mohammed - Islam, like Judaism, doesn't build statuary because it is too much like idol worship. So Donohue is right at least about nobody building a statue of Mohammed out of anything.

Is the fact of this being made out of Chocolate the problem? Or is it the fact that Jesus is naked? Someone explain this to me, because I don't understand. Art must be challenging, and it must make the viewer have a response, but that is only after the art has been seen. Donohue NEVER SAW IT. He didn't see the sculpture, he simply condemned it outright. Contempt prior to investigation. I gotta tell you, it is really difficult to sculpt using food stuff - I used to know a woman who was a butter sculptor (and she once had to make a butter sculpture of Jesus for a Christening party) - she said working with food of any sort is difficult - butter melts so they make a butterish substance that is not edible; chocolate is brittle AND it melts - just all kinds of techinical problems.

But Donohue protests, and the Roger Smith Hotel which hosts the Gallery caved in, and the Gallery Director, out of consideration for the Hotel cancels the exhibit and is searching for another venue.

Meanwhile, New Orleans is still not rebuilt, and we've spent well over $400,000,000,000 on an illegal war in Iraq. Where are our nation's priorities?

Be sure to visit The Blogswarm Site for links to all the other posters.

(cross posted at The Katrinacrat

Blogging Against Theocracy

We make the strangest assumptions about people. I don't exclude myself from this, I do it all the time. I assume. I have opinions - sometimes they come out of contempt prior to investigation, which I think is what most of us do anyway. In our closed little minds, we assume, we form opinions, we judge, and we offend.

Here is an example of normal assumptions about me. First, I am a Jewish woman living in a predominently Christian area of Los Angeles. I am fair skinned, with strawberry blond hair. Many people think I am Irish. But here's the thing: People assume I celebrate Easter, or Christmas. I have a client who, when he signs his emails, BLESSES me in the name of Christ. He is not a member of any clergy, either. I go to the grocery store and am overwhelmed with all the Easter material, and foods - and a small little section for Passover goods, some of which are not actually Kosher for Passover. It is marked by a condescending sign, "Happy Passover to our Jewish Friends."

Imagine the reaction that client would have if I were to wish him a Happy Passover.

Here's the deal: I am happy if you celebrate a holiday other than what I celebrate. Just don't push it in my face. I HATE Christmas as it is presented in the United States - it is a co-opted Pagan ritual, and has evolved into a consumer frenzy that is designed to make non-participants feel small and left out. I hate the way Christmas music is blared out 24/7. I hate the ASSUMPTION that everyone celebrates it.

On my drive home from work, I sometimes come around the Peninsula, and there is one house with a GIANT wooden cross facing the route. I mean this is one honking big cross. And I have jumped to the conclusion that this person is an angry, judgmental individual who condemns free choice, who believes that our current Administration is right to be fighting a war in Iraq, who hates Gays, or single women. I assume this because he has a giant wooden cross. Would I not be moving toward acceptance if I knocked on his door and said, "I want to have a dialogue with you, I want to understand your beliefs. I want to be open to hear your ideas."

If I don't want people to make assumptions about me, should I not also give up my own assumptions about others?

Please note the graphic that accompanies this post was made by Flaring of Virtual Flaring

Friday Grand daughter blogging

Isn't that funny? I'm not a baby any more so Baba has to make it Grand Daughter Blogging. But I can't talk now, I am listening to an ear of corn.

Breaking sports news

Real estate magnate Sam Zell's recent purchase of Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs, led to the Cubs announcing the franchise will be put up for sale. As a long suffering Chicago Cubs fan, seeing the Cubs on eBay like this gives me hope. There is a "buy it now" price of $650M, not as much as our Government has spent on the Iraq War, but still out of my price range. But the opening bid is $.99, and there are no bids yet. Maybe my buddy Moe Berg will pitch in and purchase the team with me - we might be able to squeeze out Bill Murray.

I'm excited, really.

Blogging against theocracy

My religion, my faith, should have no bearing on matters of state. There is a blogswarm scheduled for this weekend, with Blue Gal spearheading and organizing the bulk of it. There is a link archive at Blog Against Theocracy with instructions, but the goal is to publish at least once over the Easter Weekend about separation of Church and State.

I am not anti-religious. I am opposed to using Religion as a weapon for hate.

Please note the graphic that accompanies this post was made by Tengrain of Mock Paper Scissors

Supreme Court vs. The Decider - again

Yesterday, The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions. Justices John Paul Stevens, Anthony M. Kennedy, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer said that by providing nothing more than a “laundry list of reasons not to regulate,” the environmental agency had defied the Clean Air Act’s “clear statutory command.”

This is a strong rebuke on the Bush Administration's contention that it has a "do nothing" approach to Global Warming. The EPA must control tailpipe emissions under the Clean Air and Water Act, or face legal action if they refuse.

The four Bush Justices, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., focused on whether the broad coalition of states, cities and environmental groups that brought the lawsuit against the environmental agency four years ago should have been accepted as plaintiffs in the first place. This refers to the requirement to meet a 3-part definition that lets a plaintiff stand: that it had suffered a “concrete and particularized injury,” that the injury was “fairly traceable to the defendant” and that a favorable decision would be likely to “redress that injury.” Justice Stevens said that Massachusetts certainly met the test, because Global Warming has been raising the sea levels along the coast, putting the state at risk of "catastrophic harm."

So what does this mean? Well, the politicized Supreme Court divided along predictable lines, however, the decision fell on the side of saving our home. Our Planet. The decision, along with a second Environmental Case that was heard yesterday (and decided favorably for the Environment) sends a strong message to Congress to act on protecting the Environment. It sends a strong message to the Bush Administration. And it sends a strong message to US, to us, that the Decider is not the Decider after all. We can say "enough."

Green Travel

Hat tip to Betmo for her call to action today about the environment.

Betmo says "it's important to note that travel is blamed for more than one quarter of greenhouse gases. before you think- 'my god- she wants to ruin everything- consider this- you can plan eco-friendly vacations. think about purchasing 'carbon credits.' many companies and non profits are sponsoring programs where consumers can use money to offset investments into eco friendly technologies and what not."

She's absolutely right. My-Climate works with Sustainable Travel International to help offset the impact of travel. They offer a presentation to Travel Agents, and I am going to take this to my boss to make our agency a member of this program. It is essential to be a part of the solution.

Thank you to Betmo for making my day a lot brighter!

Happy Sunday

(clicking on the image will make it large enough to see.)

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

This is me on my second birthday, in my party dress. It is also the dress I will wear to testify before the Senate if they need me to talk about what a naughty man Alberto Gonzales is. He's a liar, and my Baba says that lying is a bad thing. Baba also gives me butterfly kisses when she visits, and I miss her.

But Alberto is so bad that even his ex-Chief of Staff is telling on him. D. Kyle Sampson told the Senate "Mr. Gonzales’s statements about the prosecutors’ dismissals were inaccurate and that the attorney general had been repeatedly advised of the planning for them." That's a long way of saying "Liar Liar, pants on fire."

Sometimes I'm naughty. Like if I want to do something I'm not supposed to do, I will walk backwards out of my room, and stare at my Mommy in the eyes, so she doesn't see me walking backwards. But I think my Mommy has super powers because she always catches me, unless she's laughing too hard. My Baba doesn't have super powers, because when I try this with her, she just laughs and grabs her camera. The Senate seems to have grabbed their cameras too, and I think that Alberto Gonzales is a lot more naughty than I ever am.

I bet he even told the President, who is a really big fat liar, and he can't even hold a book in the right direction. I can hold a book the right way. I saw a picture of him reading a book about a goat, and it was upside down. My uncle asked me to show him my favorite book so I got "Good Night Moon" and opened it to the page about the yellow balloon, and got one of my birthday balloons, and turned the book in the right direction so he could see, and gave him my book and the balloon. The President can't do that. Those bad men are going to get in lots of trouble now.

Bye bye.

Hacking McCain

Hat tip to Donnie McDaniel. Apparently, John McCain's MySpace was hacked. At any rate, I took a look, and found this cartoon that sort of sums it all up. If you click on the image, it will get large enough to view:

Changing minds

One day, about a year ago, a friend said to me "Will you teach me how to be a Democrat?" My friend, mostly a-political, was a Republican because her parents (long dead) had been Republicans. She never thought much one way or another about voting, she just went where her parents (long dead) had pointed her.

When our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, the first thing she said to me in reference to George W. Bush was "We have the right man for the job in office, don't you think?" I was horrified, in shock, and mourning the murder of a good friend who'd sat in the first class section of American flight 11, the first plane to hit the WTC. And I said to her "Absolutely NOT. Bush is the absolute WRONG man for the job."

So, when we were at dinner about a year ago, and she said "Teach me to be a Democrat," I said, "Of course, but I want to know why you have changed your thinking." Her reasons were simple, clean and clear. She said that this administration lies when the truth would be easier. She said their lies have caused the needless deaths of US soldiers, and have made us reviled internationally. We are not safer, we are in more danger because this administration has used lying as a weapon against us. And she said "I don't think that the Democrats lie quite so easily." Well, maybe they just don't lie so criminally.

Last night, watching Keith Olbermann, I noticed that his common theme was the death of integrity. Leading off with Gonzo Gate, Chief Counsel to Alberto Gonzales, Monica Goodling, refused to testify in the Senate about her involvement in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Already on an indefinate leave of absence, Ms. Goodling has now cast a definate light of criminality on the firing of 8 US Attorneys when previously people were just muttering about incompetence and cronyism.

The cover-up of Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire has his family asking for an investigation. The army has determined there was no criminal wrongdoing in this cover-up (can you say cronyism?) But lying about how Tillman died diminishes his courage and his real dedication to America. Tillman went to Afghanistan to find Osama Bin Laden. He opposed the invasion of Iraq, and he loved America. Once again, an example of how this Republican administration would rather lie when the truth would serve it better, and the truth would be easier.

Tom Delay compares Democrats to that "scoundral" Hitler.

Rudi Giuliani paves potholes in New York with rubble (including human remains) from 9/11.

Rush Limbaugh says John and Elizabeth Edwards are using her cancer to make political hay.

And so my friend, the ex-Republican, cites a lack of integrity among the Republicans causing her change of heart.

What has been your experience? Will this lead us to peace?

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

Hi Everybody. Gramma hasn't had a lot of new pictures but she is taking lots now while she visits me for my birthday. I'm two. I'm not a baby at all. I like butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses and blueberry pancakes and Doggie. I love Elmo and mommy and daddy and gramma. I miss you, but now there are lots of new pictures. It is going to rain today. We have to go for a walk now. Bye-bye.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pekka, I have to promise you that I am a pro at using the word no. Also, I can pitch a really loud tantrum, the kind where my back arches and I look like I am posessed. Also, I hear what I want to hear and ignore the rest. And sometimes, when I am doing these things, my mommy and daddy just have to bite their tongues because they know that laughing is probably not such a good idea.

Georgia Republican says Gore not allowed on House floor

Georgia Republican Lynn Westmoreland says that former Vice President Al Gore was violating recently enacted ethics rules rescinding floor privileges for former congressmen working as agents of a foreign government.

Mr. Gore is an advisor to Great Britain on Global Warming.

You may remember Mr. Westmoreland from his June 14, 2006 visit to The Colbert Report on the segment known as "Better Know a District." I think he speaks for himself.

David and Goliath?

So one of today's headlines in the LA Times is News Corp., NBC pull together to challenge YouTube. All I can do is sit back and wonder why? What's the point of this? Over the last few years, Barney the Purple Dinosaur attempted to sue Dr. Stuart Frankel, and lost. What is the point of coming down on any independent use of media?

Well, it's simple. Greed. And in this current climate, any independent thought is deemed dangerous.

I've had dinner with my brother, and with some politically inclined friends the last few nights while in Chicago, and we've come to some conclusions. Bush will not withdraw from Iraq; he will probably invade Iran; he will stay the course because each day leads us closer to the Rapture, in his twisted thinking. We've acknowledged that rather than making the US safer, Bush has created what will become a 500 year holy war against us from Islamic fanatics. We have acknowledged that films like An Inconvenient Truth don't solve the problem, they simply soothe our conscience and make us feel like we're doing something. Yet somehow we remain powerless in this twisted world, and through our lack of power we can actually do something positive.

Once we recognize we are powerless over people, places and things, we can become quite powerful in affecting what we really can change: ourselves, our thinking, our actions. And it starts with actions. Media giants are taking on YouTube, a haven for independent creative minds to post some amazing stuff. Blogs are "monitored" - some of us have gotten tired, and silent, for a brief while, but not completely silent - we just need to refresh.

Our strength will come not from anger, but from being the path to peace and freedom of speech. Our strength comes from not giving in to fear, or unfounded threats. We can make change. We can make peace.

Four Year Anniversary

Today, via Peace Chick Mary, I joined One Million Blogs for Peace.


I joined today on the four year anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq by US Troops. It was advertised as a day of "Shock and Awe", and that alone made me ill: that this administration had the gall, the chutzpah to advertise this invasion, to put a media spin on it at all.

But Mary's post was about forgiveness, and letting go of anger. I've been somewhat silent of late for a number of reasons: work, health, health, work. But there has been an underlying thought which is this. Anger exhausts me. Anger drains me of all resources. How can I change my approach from anger at this administration's lies to being at peace, and FOR peace? Because I cannot change facts, I have to accept facts, this means that the only thing I can change is my attitude and methods of achieving my goals. My goals are to attain peace, to withdraw our troops and bring them home, and to restore our Constitution and personal freedoms.

Is it semantics? I think not. We get back what we put out into the world.

The topics suggested today by One Million Blogs for Peace are these:

Think back four years ago, to when you first heard that the Iraq War had started.
Were you for or against the war at the time?
If you were for it, what has changed your mind over the last four years?
If you were against it, why were you against it?

The room is open. Discuss!

Okay, it's back up, with apologies

First, I posted an endorsement too early, before it was officially announced, so I took it down same day.

Next, I got slammed with work, which is a good thing, really, because it pays my bills.

Then I got Zoloft withdrawal, which really made me insanely dizzy, and that kept me from posting.

Then I got my perscription refilled, and I was still really busy at work.

Now I am visiting my grand toddler, who turned two yesterday, and working remotely because I can, and, working remotely, can actually find the time to blog a bit.

Apologies to one and all.

But the endorsement: Kelley Wenzlaff is running for the State House in Ohio's 2nd District as a Democrat. In a district that has been virtually written off by the party, Ms. Wenzlaff is stepping forward with an eye toward being the change she wants to see in her state.

A Democrat has not been elected in this district in about 60 years. Ms. Wenzlaff is currently building a grass roots organization, which takes support. It takes a lot of support and help, even from people outside her district like myself. She and I don't agree on all issues; while she is not a conservative, she is not as liberal as I am, yet I believe that she is focused on real, positive change. So I support her. You can, too, by by making a contribution to her campaign to help wrest control from the Republicans. Visit her site, and give it some real thought.

Roll back the rock

I don't know what all the furor is about. I mean, James Cameron produces a movie about Mr. & Mrs. Christ and their son, Judah that asserts Jesus and Mary Magdalene were hitched, with a kid, and buried in a conventional tomb, and the religious right gets bent out of shape.

They would really have had a fit over what my old friend, Joe O' use to do when he was in seminary. Joe, who was a Jesuit Priest, would get drunk with his fellow seminarians and they would have a "roll back the rock" party at Easter. Wish I'd have been there to see THAT!

Breaking News

Bush: I'll Bring Troops Home on JetBlue

No Exact Timetable, President Says

Under increased pressure to announce an exit strategy from Iraq, President George W. Bush revealed plans today to bring U.S. troops home on the budget airlines JetBlue.

Mr. Bush received praise for his decision to withdraw American troops, but his choice of JetBlue to transport them raised more than a few eyebrows.

According to most official estimates, with its recent spate of scheduling problems and flight delays, JetBlue could take up to seven years to bring U.S. troops home, and possibly ten years in the event of inclement weather.

But at a press conference at the White House today, the president argued that the selection of Jet Blue was "crucial" to the success of his latest exit strategy.

"Setting an exact timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq would be playing right into the enemy's hands," Mr. Bush said. "By going with JetBlue, our enemy will have no idea when we're leaving."

To emphasizes his point, Mr. Bush added, "And neither will we."

Across Iraq, U.S. GIs were hopeful that the news about JetBlue meant that they would be home by Christmas, or at least by Easter 2012.

At JetBlue headquarters in Forest Hills, New York, CEO David Neeleman said that it was "flattering" to be chosen to play such a critical role in President Bush's new exit strategy, but wondered if his embattled airlines has what it takes to bring troops home from Iraq.

"We're still having a hard time getting people home to Fort Myers," Mr. Neeleman said.

Elsewhere, Britain and Denmark announced that they were joining "The Coalition of the Leaving."

snark news service

Update

Work invades life.

Health issues still waiting for biopsy.

Beanie pictures have to wait til I go visit her for her birthday.

Work: a high class problem, in that I have been exceptionally busy. All good. New clients, returning clients, and interesting vacation plans for all. Young honeymooners on a budget, and I am happy to be able to help them. Africa trips. Intersting Australia & New Zealand trips. Great cruises.

And then my work computer crashed. Yes. Died, but was brought back to life yesterday and turned on its side. Don't send flowers, send backup discs.

Health: Grrrrrr.

Beanie: She is so chatty - she can say all kinds of two syllable words, like bubble, doggie, cookie, Ah-m, Nemo, but she can't (or won't) say things like fish. No, she says ball, and NO, and hi, and bye. She has about 80 words, the rest is her special language, but she is quite the personality. Three weeks til I see her next. I will take hundreds of photos.

And that is why I haven't been posting much, or visiting at all. Actually, the health is getting me down. I need the biopsy before meds can be perscribed, and the biopsy is still not scheduled. I begin nagging on Monday. I have definately got PBC, which can be treated after this biopsy; and Fibromyalgia, which just gets managed by diet and exercise; and the arthritis in my back has progressed from mild to moderate.

ME ME ME ME ME.

I will be better about visiting, I swear.

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

I'm not a baby, I'm a toddler. I'm almost two. My gramma Ah-m still calls me baby but I am a big girl now. She doesn't have new pictures because my mommy forgets to email them. She will take lots of pictures when she comes to visit me. We talked on the phone this week. We sang the Ah-m song, I helped. And I told her gsehomreare doggie doggie doggie ah-m, which means "I love you Gramma, and I can't wait to see you." Then when I was done, I said "Go Away" which means I was done talking on the phone, and I climbed off the couch and went away.

Tech Support

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, how can I help you?

CUSTOMER: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install
Love. Can you guide me through the process?

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

CUSTOMER: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What
do I do first?

TECH. SUPPORT: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located
your Heart?

CUSTOMER: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is
it okay to install Love while they are running?

TECH. SUPPORT: What programs are running?

CUSTOMER: Let's see... I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and
Resentment running right now.

TECH. SUPPORT: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from
your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent
memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will
eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called
High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and
Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly
installed. Can you turn those off?

CUSTOMER: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

TECH. SUPPORT: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke
Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and
Resentment have been completely erased.

CUSTOMER: Okay... done! Love has started installing itself. Is that
normal?

TECH. SUPPORT: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the
upgrades.

CUSTOMER: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error.
Program not run on external components." What should I do?

TECH. SUPPORT: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up
to run on Internal Hearts but has not yet been run on your Heart. In
non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before
you can Love others.

CUSTOMER: So, what should I do?

TECH. SUPPORT: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following
files: Forgive Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge Your
Limitations.

CUSTOMER: Okay... done!

TECH. SUPPORT: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system
will override any conflicting files and begin patching faulty
programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all
directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely
gone and never comes back.

CUSTOMER: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile
is playing on my monitor, and Peace and Contentment are copying
themselves all over my Heart. Is this normal?

TECH. SUPPORT: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually
everything gets it at the proper time so that Love is installed and
running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure
to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in
turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

What am I willing to give up?

David Morris has a powerful article at Alternet which talks about George Monbiot's new book, Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning, due out in July of 2007. Referring to Al Gore as our generation's Paul Revere, he says that Monbiot picks up where Al Gore leaves off - offering real, hard core solutions to change. Monbiot's solutions require real sacrifice - and at a level most Americans probably are unwilling to make.

Monbiot writes: "We wish our governments to pretend to act. We get the moral satisfaction of saying what we know to be right, without the discomfort of doing it." I read this and got an uneasy feeling - does this indeed describe me? My generation? Otherwise, wouldn't I be putting myself on the front line, running for office and trying to actually implement change?

Mr. Morris writes: "By claiming we can solve the problem of climate change painlessly, environmentalists confuse us. They offer stark and rigorous presentations terrifying us about the near-term, dire consequences of global warming. And then they offer generalized, almost blithe assurances about how we can avoid these dire consequences without great sacrifice. We are horrified and soothed at the same time. It's a dangerous strategy. Many who focus on the catastrophic present-day images of An Inconvenient Truth believe we have gone beyond the point of no return, which leads to cynicism and passivity. Those who are spurred to action believe that buying a hybrid car or taking an eco-vacation will address the problem." (emphasis mine.)

I am a Hybrid car driver; I focus on eco-vacations; I use responsible light bulbs; I recycle. I do all kinds of little things, and feel really uncomfortable about my "moral superiority." Because I fly. I take several long distance flights each year. I drive to and from work, when I know that I can work from home - this is an issue with my employer, who seems to want me in the office rather than working remotely. I shop. I use my car a lot. I am more than troubled by this, I am actually terrified about my contribution to global warming.

Morris writes again: "Monbiot launches his investigation by asking a crucial question rarely discussed by Al Gore and other U.S. environmentalists: How does the responsibility of the world's largest polluters differ from that of the rest of the world? The average American generates more than 10 times the greenhouse gas emissions as does the average Chinese, and perhaps 30 times more than the average citizen of Bangladesh. (The gluttony of the average citizen of the UK is not far below that of the average American)."

On Gore's website, I've taken the test about my footprint. I am average for America. This puts me at 10 times the emissions of the average Chinese person.

Morbiot's book is written for people who already believe that Global Warming is a crisis; it is not written for those people who have their head in the sand and think this is a bunch of hooey. I haven't yet read it, as it is not out until July, but just from Morris's article, I am aware of the sacrifices I have to make - and again, I ask: am I willing to make them?

I am not willing to not have access to my grand daughter. Does this mean I have to move back to Chicago? I am willing to drive less. What else am I willing to do? On another post, another blogger pointed out that the meat and poultry industry are major polluters - am I willing to become a vegetarian? What am I willing to do? What are you willing to do?

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

I'm almost two, and I can say "NO". Sometimes I say it when I mean yes. Sometimes I say it when I mean doggie. Sometimes I say it when I mean no. Like now. NO, I don't want to leave doggie's bed.

I also say bubble, because I like to play with my bubbles. They always pop when I touch them. Gramma Ah-m is coming to my house for my 2nd birthday.

Waiting

I'm impatient. I lack patience. I hate to wait. And, as my kids like to point out, I have a knack for being repetative. However. I am impatient.

Right now, I am waiting to get a biopsy scheduled, and you'd think it would take an act of Congress for this hospital to get off the dime and schedule it. I've been waiting for almost two weeks now. Until biopsy is done, the doctor can't perscribe anything for PBC as we don't know appropriate dosage. In the meantime, I've been responding badly to the weather, nausea and, new symptom, severe dizziness. It makes it difficult to be consistent blogging - I find it difficult to visit other blogs because my concentration sucks. I find it difficult to even keep up with my own blog. And, worse, it is difficult to concentrate at work and the result is I missed a deadline for some clients for a shore excursion that is now sold out - and there is potential hell to pay.

So I am stressed out because of this, and that makes all the above even worse. So I become even more impatient. So I feel like this:

Bears Mania - Superbowl Sunday

My friend Paul, in Chicago, sent me these photos of Bears mania which he took last night in sub-zero temperatures (and minus 25 degrees wind chill) at a
sacrifice of one nose, a pinkie, two toes and one-and-a-half cojones. He is a trooper. Sorry, but he did not get shots of: bridge-tenders' windows lighted
in alternating blue and orange along the Chicago River, the giant
dinosaur wearing a humongous Urlacher jersey, the Picasso in a Bears
hat and Bears colors ringing the Merchandise Mart.

GO BEARS!

Our man-made catastrophe

According to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, global warming is "very likely" caused by human activities and has become a runaway train that cannot be stopped.

In a report that was leaked to the press a full 8 hours before it was to be published, the IPCC said that temperatures will rise 3.2 to 7.8 degrees by 2100. It also projects that sea levels will rise between 7 and 23 inches over the century, probably more given the rate of the ice melt from Greenland, and the Larson B ice shelf in Antarctica.

This particular report is a scientific document that doesn't offer solutions. Those are to come in another document to be released later this year. But if you have seen An Inconvenient Truth, you know there are solutions.

There is a virtual march to end global warming that can connect you with others who are working at home to become carbon neutral. Reduce your impact: turn off lights at home; recycle; use renewable energy sources. There are things we can do as individuals. We can also demand our local governments to take action.

The obvious solution would be to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, by reducing the use of fossil fuels in automobiles, factories and power plants. In California, the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act" would ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs. The bill, introduced on January 31st by California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, would make California the first to ban incandescent lightbulbs as part of California's groundbreaking initiatives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol was designed to reduce such emissions, but some major countries, including the United States, China and India, have no defined targets. President Bush withdrew the U.S. from the protocol in 2001, arguing that it was an "economic straitjacket" and that it failed to set standards for developing nations. The U.S. can, and must, do better. If we cannot get our Federal Government to step up and make change, then other states must follow California's lead. And we, as individuals, must be the change we want to see in the world.

Never, never give up hope; never, never, fail to act.

The Day Before Super Bowl Sunday

Even the lions in front of The Art Institute of Chicago are Chicago Bears Fans. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is where I got my BFA. We didn't have a football team, other than The Bears, so this makes perfect sense to me.

Friday Grandbaby Blogging

My mommy took me to a place where they have lots of fun things to do for kids. This is the snowball tent where I got to play with snowballs that don't melt and aren't cold and I don't have to get all stuffed into a snow suit. It was fun.



I love my doggie so much and I love to play in her bed and pretend it is my bed instead of her bed. I like to take out her toys and put in my toys. I like to make a big mess and then I straighten it all out and make it organized and then I do it again. I like to climb on my doggie too. She's really old but she lets me do it anyway. She's almost 12. I love my doggie.

Rest in Peace, Molly Ivins

Molly Ivins died Wednesday, January 31, 2007, from Breast Cancer.

"The poor man who is currently our president has reached such a point of befuddlement that he thinks stem cell research is the same as taking human lives, but that 40,000 dead Iraqi civilians are progress toward democracy." Molly Ivins, July 2006

Dear Donnie McDaniel

Devin Hester, six kickoff returns in the regular season. I'm just saying.