Oh yeah - classes

Here are the classes I signed up for Spring term:

SEM: SOCIAL LIBERATION - CR 507 204 (C I. Ingham)
This course will explore the notion of social liberation, and its role in Conflict Resolution. Special attention will be paid to our personal (and largely) unintentionally collusions with structural inequities and methods by which we can work to transform ourselves.

PHILOSOPHY OF CR - CR 513 002 (Dr. Robert Gould)
Introduction to the insights that philosophy offers to the field of conflict resolution. The course will also explore the impact that conflict resolution practice may have on philosophical theory. Additionally, ethical issues that arise during conflict resolution work will be carefully considered

CR SYSTEMS DESIGN - CR 525 311 (A J. Arriola)

INTERCULT CONFLICT RES - CR 526 009 (Barbara S. Tint)
This course will explore the ways in which cultural similarities or differences might influence the conflict resolution process. In this capacity, culture is defined broadly and will be considered as it plays a part in either the actuality or perceptions of our experience. During class time students will have an opportunity to explore and learn from other cultures and apply this learning in the evaluation and utilization of conflict resolution paradigms. This class will be a combination of lecture, discussion and a significant amount of interactive activities.

There were so many good classes it was hard to choose. I checked out the preliminary Winter schedule and there's some good stuff there also. Too bad I have to take core courses! It's cool - there are several courses (usu 1-2 credit seminars) that appear to explore some nontraditional approaches to CR including self exploration, personal growth, and understanding how those things can affect our role in conflict. My goal is to integrate those nontraditional perspectives into the nonviolence/peace studies concentration but I don't know if it'll work out that way. How to bring them together, find the common thread?

To me, it seems obvious how they mesh - understanding our personal motivations and finding ways to release our need for control and power are clearly steps in nonviolent resolution. But how to set that connection out academically? It probably won't be that difficult, I'm sure there's already been work done around this idea. There is a class that seems to address this already - Conflict Resolution and the Emotions and I think it could be an excellent jumping off point for me to begin developing my ideas.

drat

there was something good i was going to post about yesterday. i forgot to make a note of the idea and now it's all gone :(

{pout}

cheesy

I heard an interesting tidbit on the local npr channel a couple of days ago. Somebody commenting on the Democratic primary was talking about Kucinich not doing well in Wisconsin b/c he doesn't eat cheese. He's vegan, so no animal products at all. You know what's funny? If he'd said it was against his religion it probably would have been ok. But because it was his decision, not god's, the political commentors seem to think that's why Wisconsinites didn't vote for him.

So he's 'punished' for making his own decision, choosing his own path? If you let 'god' tell you what to do it's okay but if you decide for yourself, it's not okay. What a crock of shit. I know I'm ranting over something that's probably not too important but it's the little things that make up the big things.

tidbittles

I'd like to see copyright reform activism get more media attention.

The White House led stampede to pass the "no WMD" buck has begun. I believe I've maintained all along that the media is as big a culprit as Bushco but, how surprising, the media wants to ignore their part in that whole farce.

What the fuck? The question is becoming more HOW to enforce our preferences rather than how to get us to speak up!

Now I'm all sad..Yahoo & Google are two of my faves.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick to death of the whole "who's buying Disney?" question.

Sad to see, but America's not the only country with media interests heavily influenced by politicians. The one good thing I can say about America is that we do have *many* outlets even though lots of them are smaller and don't reach as many people. So what happens when the big guys start swallowing each other?

Wow - great article! I wonder if it will have an impact?

Stories like this kind of bother me. If the music industry nags enough national governments, will they start enacting legislation?

Okay, this makes me a bit nervous. It is becoming more and more clear to me that our country is becoming a democracy in name only.

Hmmm...it'll be interesting to see where this goes. Here's a follow up from about a week later. I've listened to Howard Stern and, although I do believe he's an intelligent guy, I don't always like the content of his show. However, if this is truly a 'free speech society' (ha ha), then you take the good with the bad. Who's determining what's decent & indecent? Why are they allowed to do this for everyone? More unanswerable questions - old, tired, worn out unanswerable questions.

How long will it be before out government tries to do this? Here's a short excerpt:

"...Online news editors were reportedly told that they could run only news already vetted in major state-controlled newspapers above the provincial level. Nor are postings by ordinary Internet users permitted without prior approval..."

Right. Because it's too easy to stop shoving that Twinkie in your mouth or letting your child eat nothing but Dorito's. I realize that the media is a big influence on people who watch it a lot so maybe people could start limiting their media intake along with their food intake?

Projects

For those of you who know me, you won't be surprised to learn that I've already picked up a couple of projects! I volunteered to help my dept at school with two projects: Update their website and work on adding functionality to the departmental db. I do have a small amt of geekish blood so these projects appeal not only to the tech writer but to the techie techie. Yay! So that's one set of projects.

The other set of projects is similar but with another organization. I'm volunteering some time with Oregon Peace Works and am doing essentially the same thing. Their database, however, is a FileMaker db - a totally unknown quantity to me! I started dorking around with it a bit before I moved but it's a totally different look/feel than either Access or SQL. I think it's a relational db but it doesn't use tables to store data, you have to store everything in different dbs and then link the dbs. Seems cumbersome and tricky to me but apparently LOTS of people like it and it has a pretty good support community.

I'm about all moved in and really only need to move the stuff I'm not using into my storage area in the basement. Problem is, I don't have a storage area yet. One of the other people here is supposedly moving out this weekend so I may actually see my apt without lots of boxes & stuff! I also found a *super* gym today - it's called the Cascade Athletic Club and it's completely fantastic! It's only a few dollars more a month than my old gym & it's got tons more stuff! There's a hot and dry sauna, a jacuzzi, a pool, and many many classes (including salsa dancing). The service is outstanding and I'm really looking forward to training there.

Run off voting

I was talking to a friend today and he mentioned run off voting as a viable option to our current election process. I realized I had no clue as to what run off voting really is so I decided to do a bit of research. Here's a summary of my findings:

Initially, I ran across an article from Commondreams. Here's a short excerpt:

"...In instant runoff voting, people vote for their favorite candidate, but also can indicate subsequent choices by ranking their preferences as 1, 2, 3. If a candidate receives a majority of first choices, that candidate wins. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and a second round of counting occurs. In this round, your ballot counts for your top-ranked candidate still in the race. Rounds of counting continue until there is a majority winner..."

I found some additional information at Fairvote.org. They have a good overview of three different types of voting systems that could all be used in a democratic system. The site also includes a fairly clear description of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)

In this quickie research jaunt I've discovered something else: All the state and local elections utilize different voting systems/methods - nothing appears to be terribly standardized and or regulated. So our country's various levels of government are elected by means that could be solid and reputable or not - there's really no way to know. I don't know why this surprised me but it did. I keep forgetting that this country was built on a collection of states that merely agreed to cooperate to facilitate trade and keeping the people in power in power. The states were pretty much independent entities for quite a long time and I suppose they still retain a great deal of that independence.

That sort of lends itself to the whole "federal vs state government" argument...

And I'm adding whatever I can find on the electoral college (EC).

Here's a site that describes exactly what it is and what goes on but doesn't explain it. So if you want a somewhat technical description with little clarification, read on.

The US Electoral College Webzine has information that defends the EC. I'm also not sure how old this info is...it doesn't look terribly current.

Okay, so the people section of the Howstuffworks website has a good article but I still have questions. I still don't understand exactly how the electors are picked and how they're influenced. The article says that the electors normally cast their votes the way the majority of the population in the state voted but that's it is legal for them to cast their vote differently.

So what confuses me is this: If the electors actually cast the deciding votes for the pres/vice pres then what's going on with the 'people' of the nation voting? If the electors can (legally) vote any way they want to, why is it that they tend to cast their votes the way the other people in the state voted? Who influences the electors? Who appoints them? From what I've read, it just seems that the EC was put into place to put another layer of protection between the people and government. Another layer of deception. We think we're electing the president but it's really the electors that do the electing. Or at least that's how it seems.

I have to do more checking...

promise...

For those one or two of you that actually read this blog, I promise I'll be posting regularly again within the next week or so. I've missed keeping up with stuff also but I'm sure you understand how important it is that I slack off completely for a while longer...

Corporate observations

I had a chance conversation about large corporations yesterday while I was visiting Portland's Japanese gardens (an absolutely gorgeous place). During the course of this brief conversation, I realized something I hadn't really thought about before: Large corporations take on a life of their own. That sounds silly & naive to say but I believe it's absolutely true. If you talk to individuals who work for corporations like Wal-Mart, they're basically good people who don't want to cause problems for others. Probably the majority of people who work for Wal-Mart are like that. However, Wal-Mart has become a profit-driven community-breaking monstrosity.

How does this happen? Who's responsible for making this change from popular, profitable company to abusive, destructive giant? On an energetic, creative level, what change in thought began the change in direction?

Dahlia

I went with my new neighbor, mdal, last night to see Dahlia at Dante's. It was stupendous. The show was absolutely incredibly and powerful. Here's a review of the band I found on AOL's City Guide:

"On the fast track to becoming one of Portland's most followed electronic acts, Dahlia defies pigeonholing, though their deep grooves and siren cries could be compared to a more organic Portishead, a less piercing Bjork. Their regular Tuesday nights at the Ohm are building a strong fan base. Vocalist Jennifer Folker enjoys a friendly rapport with the crowd between songs. Her powerful voice comes bubbling up through a vortex of reverb and echoed effects. Keith Schreiner's multi-layered synthesizer creations ebb and flow along beat loops, and his didjeridoo is a celebrated sight. No song is played the same twice -- improvisation is integral to their performances. The sound engineer behind this slow sexy train is Jay Bozich, who mixes for King Black Acid. The wall behind the stage provides a slate for psychedelic projections or, sometimes, a simulcast of Bozich's movements on the mixing board. Casually dressed dancers gently bob and weave on the dance floor, or simply sway and watch Folker's ministrations. -- Jessie Hensley"

They're playing next at Ohm on March 5th to celebrate their 5th anniversary. Portland just keeps getting better and better!

One of the things I wanted to mention about the show was how powerful they are energetically. The music is incredible but the two (or three) of them combine to form an incredibly fluid and intense energetic field. I don't remember any of the songs individually (probably cause I'd never heard them before) but I remember paying close attention to the energetic impact and vibration of each song and it was stunning. I had never really thought about how the beat vibrates at different levels but that point was driven home. Keith played some incredible beat lines and the vibrational level was pretty clear - mainly because the sound was loud and pretty much vibrated your whole body from the center of the vibration.

That doesn't sound coherent so let me clarify: Music is vibrational so you can feel it energetically, where it's vibrating and where it's moving your energy. I hadn't thought about how the beat can do that but it does. If you put on a song with a pronounced beat, feel where the beat seems to be 'hitting' your body, where you feel it. Sometimes it's your navel area (2nd chakra), sometimes it's your chest (4th chakra) and so on. Last night was an awesome experience not just because Dahlia was so incredible but because I'd never felt a beat energetically so strongly. Some of them went from front to back of my chakras and they were strong!

Keith played two songs with the didjeridoo and the first one blew my mind! It was such a sixth chakra song, intense and powerful music. Incredible. The second was good also but not as intense although the music seemed more intricate and a bit quicker. Bottom line is, I'm going to see them as much as I can - hopefully they'll be playing lots of shows around town...

Candidates, not winners

So Ralph has decided to run again, I guess that's cool. Remember, it's about exercising our rights as citizens in a democracy, not about deciding which gamble looks the best...

Firsts

Here are some firsts from this initial week in the PNW:

02/16: First time the movers met someone almost off the plane!
02/18: First shower in my new apartment
02/18: First time I've used a coin-op laundry in probably 12 years
02/19: First fight with the people hauling my car. They're gonna take the full two weeks to get here. Although I understand, they should have just said that up front & not even let me think it would be less than two weeks.
02/19: First time I've talked to someone for two hours on my cell phone
02/19: First fight with the Sprint PCS folks. They did what they could but my phone bill for the last 30 days is enormous! The rep I spoke to when I changed my plan assumed I understood a couple of vital details and I had no idea. Oh well, the 'supervisor' I ended up speaking with did lower the bill some but still...
02/19: First major meltdown over the cost of moving
02/20: First trek around the area I live in. For someone who's used to practically having to drive *everywhere*, it's really neat that I can walk to the grocery story & stuff. Also, the weather is outstanding today!
02/20: First time taking advantage of public service - I got a library card :)
02/20: First time I realized that I brought 3 boxes of linens and 5 boxes of office supplies. Oh my god...

Civil somethings

What's the difference between civil liberties and civil rights?

Civil Liberties (Definition courtesy of LawyerLocator)
The overall term for the fundamental liberties, privileges and immunities of citizens that are protected by law.

Civil Rights (Definition courtesy of the Online Ethics Center)
The rights that go with citizenship, that one acquires simply by being a citizen. Not all of these are inalienable rights, however - see rights. For example, a citizen may lose the right to vote if convicted of certain crimes.

So does this mean these are the same things or is there a subtle difference I'm totally missing? Whatever, I want mine and I want the government to keep its nosy nose to itself! :P

tidbittles

Interesting, discussion about the Democratic primaries.

More worrying intrusions into our rights...

running along behind

I realize I haven't been posting too much recently and was going to berate myself for falling down on the job when I remembered - I just moved 3000 miles! It's funny how even a 'recovering' overachiever like myself so easily falls back into the 'it must be perfect' and 'it must always be 100%' trap. I mean, this is a BLOG that almost no one reads! Who do I think I have to impress? sheeesh...

thought provoking

I was speaking with someone recently and heard something quite interesting about democracy & our society. I can't remember the conversation but the point made was that Americans aren't taught how to participate in a democracy, we're taught to support a winner. Part of of the democratic process is supporting whoever you think is the best candidate, expressing your views and ideas.

That may seem obvious but let me give a personal example: One of the main reasons I didn't do much *real* campaigning for Dennis Kucinich is because I didn't truly believe he could win even the Democratric nomination. I did believe he was an excellent candidate and that he represented much of what I believe but I witheld real support because I didn't feel he had a chance. Even though he ultimately didn't receive the nomination, that's not the point. The point is, I neglected my responsibility as a citizen of a democratic society, my right to support whom I choose. The desire to win is so ingrained in my psyche that I never truly considered fully supporting him on the basis of his beliefs but only on whether or not he could win.

That mindset now seems an almost complete opposition to democracy. My understanding of a democracy is that citizens participate in their own governance and that participation should also extend to supporting candidates based on their relevance to your life, not on whether or not they may win. Witholding support from someone you believe in ultimately allows someone other than you to decide who you're going to support. True enough that you may end up voting for someone else but that's not the point. The point is that you participated, you spoke up and you voiced your opinion.

That is the true responsibility of anyone who lives in a democratic society, not picking a winner.

holy cow - I'm actually here!

Quick post - I MADE IT!!!! My stuff is here, although my car is not, and I'm unpacking! The first thing to go up was the computer, next was the sound system. Now, I must find food before I pass out .....

civil unions

Since I'm in the midst of moving, most of my *real* thought centers are turned off. Hence, I'm not doing much by way of comment, just wanted to make sure and note the current discussion around civil unions (in MA). I did hear some people protesting in favor of the ban and I have to wonder why it seems to be so important to them that marriage be defined as male/female. Personally, I couldn't care less. Marriage itself is just a made up thing that we've used to shackle ourselves together, I often wonder what true benefits it even offers?

Also, here are a couple of interesting things I heard on NPR recently:

Today's Fresh Air featured Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist David Shipler. His new book is The Working Poor: Invisible in America. Shipler is a former reporter for The New York Times. He's also written for The New Yorker, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. He's the author of the three books. His book Arab and Jews: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land won the Pulitzer Prize. NOTE: I found him interesting and informative - I'll definitely be getting his book. If you're interested, NPR lists all the books mentioned during talk shows.

The Feb 10th edition of Charlotte Talks (on WFAE featured Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This man was an excellent and fascinating speaker. I'm looking forward to reading some of his work.

interesting sites

True Majority

FaqFarm

Where IS the money going to go?

We need fair boob display warnings...

Greg Palast

down time

okay, I previously wrote a long post about what I've done with my down time the last few months. This last week is the worst. Now that all the moving details are done (stuff & car gone, apt cleaned & turned over, etc), I'm totally at loose ends. To demonstrate the absolute patheticness of my life at the moment, realize that I was excited when I made an appointment to have my eyebrows waxed...

tidbittles

I'm less and less surprised by the constant revelations about new conflicts of interest with regard to Bush & Co.

And you thought you were safe from advertising...

I'm glad to hear this. If the judge had ruled otherwise, would that set the precedent that car manufacturers, for example, would be held responsible if someone got drunk & crashed into another car?

Well thank goodness! Although I have to say, I almost feel sorry for the major networks because they're being denied what they feel is their right to exploit the death and suffering of our soldiers & the innocent civilians. I won't even compare them to buzzards b/c at least buzzards are performing a necessary service...

An interesting look at the CIA agent/blown cover leak. Was it truly ethical to write the story disclosing her identity? Here's a very short excerpt:
"...But it is also in the public interest for journalists to speak out against ethical lapses in their craft. Far from undermining the principle of confidentiality, our acknowledgment that protecting sources can be used for ill as well as for good can bolster it, reassuring a public that often wonders who is watching the watchdog. ..."

Advertising & politics

Is anybody still watching what Congress is doing?

Remember my rant about the obvious & stunning lack of ethics being displayed by Rep. Tauzin? Sign the petition to TRY and get the bastard to grow a conscience!

keeps on ticking...

the movers are gone, so's my stuff. my apartment's clean except i left my container of HD chocolate raspberry truffle in the freezer and i've already turned in my keys. if you've never moved by yourself a really long way away, i don't necessarily recommend it. for one person, it's just a monstrous amount of excrutiating details.

this is it for now

okay - movers are here in about an hour so the 'puter is going into the box. I'll be posting sporadically for the next couple of weeks but should be back in full swing around the 22nd. Peace out dawg :)

stressed and distressed

i just wrote a whole post and blogger logged me out & i lost it.

tidbittles (mainly political)

Sounds like the administrative ranks are starting to crumble a bit. Bushco has been backpedaling for weeks now, one can only hope America is paying attention. I've always admired Colin Powell and have felt that he was rather trapped between a rock and a hard place. Obviously, he knew what he was getting into when he accepted the position but he's just never struck me as the power-hungry, war-mongering type. I wonder how much of the fallout he's going to take from this whole 'no WMD' debacle.

Is the thuggish behavior of the upper ranks of Bushco filtering down or are the crook-like tactics of those who have been around a while filtering up? How can we expect the House members to behave appropriately if their 'leader' acts like an armed goon?

Meriam-webster offers the following definitions for the terms populist and plutocrat:
Populist:
1 : a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people; especially often capitalized : a member of a U.S. political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2 : a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people
Plutocracy:
1 : government by the wealthy
2 : a controlling class of the wealthy


If the defendant in the Cheney vs Supreme Court issue isn't willing to ask for Scalia's recusal, you gotta ask what the HELL is going on? Why even bring the case before the court if you're going to ignore what seems to be an obvious conflict of interest?

This is interesting. I wonder if Rock the Vote was as specifically targeted at its audience? Either way - more power to the youth - get out and VOTE!

I wonder if Cheney will come under scrutiny during this probe? I'm guessing probably not. Even if he had handwritten instructions, signed them in blood, & was caught delivering them on videotape, the committee would probably find a way to say it wasn't really him or that he'd been misled...

As I've said before, even though I'm almost to the 'anyone but Bush' mentality, I've got exactly ZERO illusions about the Democratic party and how they conduct their business.

sorry...

I had to take the cost of war counter off my sidebar. The number was getting too big and the page wouldn't load properly.

more proof

Looks like BushCo is yet again blatantly telling the American public that they can do (he can do) whatever the fuck they want to and we can go take a flying leap into hell. I'm seriously hoping that Moveon.org and/or Actforchange.org start a movement to have the investigatory committee approved as usual and have their findings released asap.

I don't think I've ever watched any one person display such complete disrespect and contempt for people they're supposed to be leading. I realize that there are a great many people in America who are apathetic and/or lazy when it comes to politics. Many people don't want their comfortable lifestyles disrupted and many don't want to take the time to even get informed. I understand this and I don't have a great deal of respect for them either.

However, there are quite a few of us who have stood up time and time again in the last year or so to oppose actions that have either been suggested or taken. How many times do we have to do this before that smirking bastard in the white house will pay attention? Probably until his unelected ass is booted out. I suppose it just feels like we're screaming at a blank wall. Every issue has to become a potential re-election crisis before our lawmakers will listen to what we have to say. We have to constantly hold the threat of not giving them their jobs back before we see any response at all.

It's exhausting and I'm not even a mover/shaker person. How can the Bush administration handle the 'rule by fear' approach ALL THE TIME? How do they do it? This is so NOT the way I want to live - having to constantly threaten people to get even some attempt at reasonable political behavior. I guess that's the crux of the entire problem. It's depressing and disheartening to feel like the only way you can get people to listen is to threaten them with some kind of 'bad' thing.

That's the way BushCo plays and they're forcing us to play their game. I feel manipulated and pressured into behavior that I can't tolerate in myself. I feel that opposing this administration is slowly turning me into a person I don't want to be. I don't want to live my life in fear and rage and hatred and that's what is happening. I have to work so hard to find anything good but everywhere I look I find evidence of more abuses of power. It seems never ending. Even though my readings of Zinn's 'History' have shown that this type of abuse of power is nothing new - even the blatancy with which BushCo operates is not unique to them - it's so difficult to maintain a positive outlook.

And that's not the person that I am. I am not a person who hates or who is angry all the time but it's difficult to come up with a different response. How can you find something positive to say when you find out yet another investigatory committee is being set up primarily as a show - not to do any real investigating or turn up any real truths?

There is communication theory that says (basically) that you'll gravitate towards information that supports your point of view. Part of what is so difficult about this is that there's plenty of evidence, whether or not I like or want to admit it, for both sides of the Bush argument. I don't agree with the arguments the other side puts forth but they can find information to back up what they say as good as we can. So what does this come down to? For me, it comes down to these questions:

Do I want to live in a country led by a person who believes the only way he can accomplish anything is by using fear and force to do so? By a person who's so afraid he'll lose everything that he'll stoop to anything? Do I want to live in a country led by an administration completely steeped in fear-based beliefs?

great insight

Here's a quote from a lovely article jneal sent me from innerself.com:

=========================================
"...Sometimes I think of the connection to spirit as being like a phone line. The connection is always open: it's our half of the relationship to stay available for incoming calls. Sometimes I turn the ringer off. Sometimes I ignore the ringing. Sometimes I pick up the phone with suspicion. Sometimes I hang up in anger. Sometimes I get impatient at the interruption. Sometimes I have no idea how to respond. The problem is not in the sending, but in the receiving. And unlike a lot of other calls, the one from spirit is the one we are hoping to receive..."
========================================

I don't know about you, but that pretty much sums up my relationship with the universe on most days. I wonder what my cold-blooded phone killing says about my connection to the divine right now...

laughing my ASS off!

Okay - I've been an Society for Technical Communication (STC) member for quite a while now and I think it's a good, solid, professional organization. That said, this article is HYSTERICAL!!! Remember, this is a society dedicated to communication - albeit technical communication - but communication nonetheless. Wouldn't you think the people involved would have SOME idea about how to communicate? Do we need a primer on what's involved in networking? Shouldn't any person in a position of responsibility in a professional organization have *some* idea what needs to be done?

Admitted, engineers and programmers are somewhat interactionally challenged and maybe this would be helpful to them. But people who are expected to conduct interviews, usability testing, audience reviews, and a myriad of other people-related activities? The scary thing is, there are probably many people that do.... LOLOLOL Thanks jneal for bringing this to my attention!

Rant from dmclell

Here's an email I got from a good friend - rant on lady! BTW - the compliment to my blog was completely unsolicited LOL

=====================================================================================================

I just love your blog. Where do you find all this great stuff!??

May I guest blog? I just have to get this out. WTF is wrong with people? How can a two faced, unabashed PAC grub with a dismal record like John Kerry and that pie faced, smug a-hole with zero political record John Edwards be beating Howard Dean? How? I cannot believe I live in a country where people are so friggin vapid.

OK I watch a lot of tv and I read a lot of diverse publications. I'm talking A to Z here. I can READ, BFD. I have a poly sci degree. But I'm no rocket scientist or political junky. I consider myself to be a very average person politically speaking. However even I am utterly FLUMMOXED by this. Howard Dean is the first straight talking, balanced, up front politician I've seen in my lifetime and he is doing dismally. He has a very effective record as governor; I could spend all day pointing out the holes in John Kerry and Edward's political records. P.S. I'M A LIFE LONG REPUBLICAN. My family is just to the right of Genghis Khan. But OMG you have to be living under a rock these days not to poke your head and out and look around at your options.

Worst of all, I have this sneaking suspicion my own gender is somewhat to blame. I cringe so much when I see things like this that I block them out but I **swear** I saw something about 45% of Iowan women who voted for Edwards did so at least in part because of the 'cute factor'; women find John Kerry to "appear presidential". Whothe-f cares?? Jabba the Hutt can be my president if he can get rid of the deficit, get us out of Iraq and end this country's bleeding out of jobs. Girls I hope you find the Johns as "cute" when you figure out we now live in a really big Jamaica-esque economy. If you are for the Johns based on their records or their ideas or anything concrete, more power to you. But where did you get your information because I can't find it!??
=====================================================================================================

'nuff said...

tax time

I'm having H&R Block do my taxes again this year and I'm pretty happy with them. The same lady who did my returns last year is doing them again and she's pretty 'on the job'. However, I've also reaching a part in The People's History (Zinn) that talks about Thoreau not paying his taxes as a protest against the Mexican War. He had to spend one night in jail, I wonder what would happen to me if I didn't pay? If one night in jail was the only penalty, I'd be willing to do it I think. However, I'm thinking that today's penalty would be a bit harsher and I'd end up paying anyway. Not sure if I have the guts to fight that fight.

I'm going to think long and hard over the next year or so about how I can significantly reduce my taxable income.

tidbittles

I am stunned. A politician ethical enough to excuse himself from a potential conflict of interest? Of course that's AFTER he helped draft the Medicare bill and was offered leadership of the group of pharmaceutical companies that pushed for the provision in which the government can't bargain down the price of drugs. I'm sure he was unaware that THAT little incident might also be considered a tad unethical.

The list of bills before Congress this week. Provided by The Washington Post

A mild rant about the Dean/Bush gubnatorial papers hoohaw.

I've blogged quite a bit about energy and my ideas about bringing the idea of energetic communication into practical, everyday use. Lynne McTaggert, author of The Field, has set up a website to open discussion around the ideas she set forth in her book. Ode Magazine featured an article - The Zero Point Field - that discusses her ideas. I mention this because I think this work is going to be an important resource for me.

A GREAT email!

I got the following email from the deeplistening list. It totally speaks for itself so no additional comments from me!

============================================================================

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 10:37:31 -0800
From: Easy
Subject: Policy Oxymorons

*Policy Oxymorons

(From our friend **anonymous.*)

A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what G.W. Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

"Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George W. Bush's driving record is none of our business.

You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have a right to adopt.

Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.
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value in society

I don't think I've blogged about this before but I have a great deal of admiration for Eminem. I realize that those of you who either know me or have read this blog might be having a heart attack, and I certainly don't want you falling over on me, so let me elaborate. I don't know him personally so I can't say I admire him as a person but, as an artist, I believe he's extremely talented and has a great deal of courage in certain areas. One of the reasons I feel people find him so disturbing is that he says things that we've all thought at one time or another. He doesn't sugar coat it or fuck around, he clearly expresses those dark and violent emotions we've all experienced at least once.

Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate the violence he condones and I realize he has *major* issues with women but here's my point: 'God' manifests in an infinite number of ways and not all of them appear highly evolved, beautiful, and loving. For someone to truly touch their pain and anger is also a victory. If you listen to the lyrics of many of his songs, that's exactly what is happening. He may not be expressing it from a high or loving place, but he's still putting it out there. That takes a certain amount of personal honesty and courage. I hear his music and although I'm often put off by the thoughts he's expressing, there are other times when I'm just amazed at his talent, the pain and the anger that he's recognizing.

I heard the song Cleaning Out My Closet not too long ago and my first thought was about how many people can relate to what he's saying but don't have the courage or the words to say it themselves. Sometimes, just hearing someone else voice your thoughts, especially in such an intense way, can be as much a catharsis as doing it yourself. It's like the flip side of the coin of the Nelson Mandela speech "Our Greatest Fear" in which he discusses how letting our light shine allows others to shine theirs. Sometimes, allowing our own anger makes it okay for others to experience their own intense emotions.

All that said, I'd like to be clear that I DO NOT advocate the behavior he exhibits or the attitudes he encourages. My admiration for him stops there. He's got his own path to follow and I pass no judgement on how he's chosen to follow it. My hope is that his continuing journey will help him work through his anger and his pain so he can begin to expand his talent in new directions.

Remember, there is value in all experience. How we respond to the different manifestations of either our own creations or the creations of others is our choice. Acknowledging what value there is even in something like violence, death, anger, and all those 'negative' things is a step toward truly appreciating the 'positive' things. Trying to deny the value in such things is a fear based reaction to something we either don't understand or something that makes us feel afraid. Acknowleding the value of an event, person, or emotion is NOT the same as agreeing with or supporting those things. The more energy we put into pushing against something, the more energy we feed it.

One last note - I have to also say that I find Kid Rock highly entertaining! There's nothing as hilarious as watching him celebrate his (self-admitted) white trailer trash heritage! Honesty rules LOL

heee-larious!

Okay - the idea that this stunt was 'unrehearsed' is just laughable!

the inevitable

The movers are coming on Saturday and I just submitted the order to have my car shipped. The final packing frenzy has begun...