Peonies, Frogs, and Wine

Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert - NYTimes.com

2009-07-03T18:45:00.003-04:00

Headline in the New York Times recently: Chinese Going Green in the Desert (para)

Just when I think things are hopelessly driven towards disaster. When capitalistic entities prodded the sleeping giant awake, a terror deep inside for the hungry giant's voracious appetite also awakened. Why did my limited perspective fail to consider trusting the ancient one's ways that have allowed it to exist virtually unchanged for thousands of years? Why would I let the feral plots of a weasel worry me when the plot is against such ancient behemoth?

Women of Tibet: Gyalyum Chemo - The Great Mother

2009-04-20T13:22:00.002-04:00

Since we have no cable TV we have been watching a lot of PBS, and that's a good thing. This is part one of a three-film series. The woman in the picture is the Dalai Lama's mother.

This film is calming and balming for the soul. The Dalai Lama and his siblings speak about their mother when they were growing up and afterwards, when they moved to the "big house" after her son was identified as the next inheritor of the holiest of holy positions in their belief system. Interspersed are commentary by others, including a very welcome to see and hear Alice Walker, talking about their mothers and the role and relationships of mothers in general. It gave me the warm fuzzies to hear how the mothers of each of the speakers helped shape how those individuals see the world and themselves. If you get a chance to see this, please do so.

Yoga Poses / Videos / - Hatha Yoga Flow 1 -Easy Ground Work - Full 43 Minute Class

2009-04-06T19:17:00.001-04:00

On the road to well-being again. I thought yoga would be a good way to get flexible. I asked a friend if she knew of any yoga schools in town. She directed me to a woman who teaches, but the price is prohibitive. My boyfriend said why not do it in the morning with the PBS instructor? I thought that sounded good, but then I thought they have YouTube videos for everything else, why not yoga!? I found this EXCELLENT site called www.yoga-poses.com, which has literally hundreds if not thousands of links to yoga videos. This is the routine I JUST finished doing. My body says thank you. My spirit soars. What the movements evoked was memories of my years doing martial arts, with the yoga being our warmup and cooldown sections.

Poems Out Loud

2009-04-05T11:28:00.002-04:00

From Ron Hogan at Beatrice.com:
"W.W. Norton has set Pinsky loose on Poems Out Loud, a website connected to the publication of his new anthology, Essential Pleasures: A New Anthology of Poems to Read Aloud. It comes with a CD...."

Bullying and School Massacres Revisited

2009-04-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

A couple of years ago I posted a wikipedia list of school massacres, which tied into a research paper I wrote. I never posted the paper, but here it is. It was written a couple of years ago. Hopefully the formatting translated when I copy and pasted it from my WORD doc. If not, I'll come back later and fix it when there is more time.

This paper about school bullying includes: a definition and description of bullying and includes an historical literature review; examines bullying from a historical perspective; includes a time line; looks at when society begins to implement policy to address school bullying; examines bullying from a macro, mezzo, and micro level of client systems; and describes the role of social work in assessment, intervention, and policy making in regards to school bullying.
I. Definition/Description of School Bullying
School bullying takes place in a school setting. The standard definition of bullying, according to Espelage and Swearer (2003), citing Olweus, is, “a repeated behavior (including both verbal and physical behaviors) that occurs over time in a relationship characterized by an imbalance of strength and power” (p. 368). Their related terminology includes Dodge’s “proactive versus reactive aggression”, where proactive aggression is for direct gain and reactive is more retaliative. Dodge sees most bullying falling under the proactive category (p. 368). Several authors are referred to in Espelage and Swearer’s (2003) article when talking about direct versus indirect aggression, where:
direct (overt) aggression includes physical fighting… and verbal threatening behavior … that is face-to-face confrontation; whereas indirect aggression (covert) includes a third-party in which verbal aggression is accomplished through rumor spreading and name-calling [as well as currently including relational aggression, which is threatening to exclude the target from the group if they don’t go along with the bully’s wishes]. (p. 368)
Historical literature on bullying is scant prior to 1980. According to Eslea (2006, slide numbers 3 & 7): the first mention of bullying in western literature is in 1857, with Tom Hughes’ Tom Brown’s School Days. Next is Burk’s, Teasing and Bullying, in 1897. In 1930, three papers are written on bullying, including, “The social psychology of monkeys”. In 1932, “Bullying amongst birds” is written; and in 1973 Dan Olweus begins a huge Scandinavian project on bullying. In 1978, Olweus’ paper is published in English, and Lowenstein publishes two short papers on bullying. Between 1980 and 1990 a total of forty-three papers on bullying are written. Between 1991 and 1995 a total of one-hundred and fourteen papers are written on bullying. Between 1996 and 2001 a total of three-hundred and ninety-eight papers are written on bullying.
II. School Bullying from a Historical Perspective
Bullying has its roots in ancient belief systems. (Minogue, 2002, 4) hypothesizes that “Western” society has more bullies in its midst because it lacks the social hierarchal/caste system that other, non-westernized nations use[d and continue to use] to mediate between the power levels of individuals.
According to Minogue (2002, 7), “our interest in other people depends less on the formal admiration they accord to our superiority than to the ideas and attitudes they express, which we think might surprise and amuse us.”
A non-research, non-theological-based hypothesis on the origins of bullying is that “boys will be boys” (Soskis, 2001; Starr, 2000.) This almost makes it sound like it is normal developmental behavior for some individuals to make others’ lives miserable while simultaneously it is normal developmental behavior to be the recipient of such efforts.
Soskis (2001, p. 26) suggests that since physical violence by youth has decreased over the years the schools are expanding their definitions of violence to include bullying. Perhaps another correlate to the decreased physical violence is that, because physical violence is less and less tolerated in schools that the violence has “gone underground” to the covert ways of bullying.
In earlier times, in the traditional institutionalized patriarchy of our society, bullying may have been regarded as an acceptable way of the more powerful (i.e. white males) to exert their influence over the less powerful (i.e. non-whites and females). The school setting is a mezzo level of the macro level of governmental institutionalized patriarchy. To those in power, using coercive means to acquire and maintain power is standard practice and unquestioned by the holders. However, with the 1950s and 1960s struggles over civil rights for all citizens, regardless of gender or race, the coercive practices began to be questioned by others – and challenged in court. School bullying today is regarded in a much different light than it was prior to the civil rights movement.
II. Time Line of School Bullying
Up until approximately 12 years ago, virtually no research on bullying behaviors had been undertaken aside from research by a Scandinavian named Olweus.
A U.S. Secret Service report conducted in 2002, according to Espalage and Swearer (2003, p. 367), indicates that “interview-based investigation of the friends, families, and neighbors of 41 school shooters (between 1974-2000) …discovered one commonality among the shooters: 71% had been targets of a bully.”
School massacres occur when the bullying target (called a school shooter above) returns with firearms or other lethal weapons and kills their tormentors. Following is a massacre timeline that begins in 1989 with the first school massacre by an individual who was the target of bullying; and ends in 2005 with the last known school massacre in a western nation.
According to Wikipedia (2006) the first significant incident of bullying taken to a deadly level was in 1989, with the Stockton, CA, Massacre. During the incident, a bullying target became a sniper and climbed up into a tower on a school campus and ended up killing six people, including himself. This massacre was followed in 1989 by the Ecole Polytechnique School Massacre in Quebec, CA, with fifteen dead, including the shooter. In 1996, eighteen were killed, including the killer, in the Dunblane, Scotland, School Massacre. In 1998, two teenagers shot five students in the Jonesboro, Arkansas, School Massacre. In April of 1999, fifteen were killed at the Columbine School Massacre, including the two shooters. In March of 2005, ten were killed, including the killer, at the Red Lake High School Massacre in MN.
In almost every instance of a school massacre the shooters either kill themselves or are killed by law enforcement immediately or shortly after the massacre. Realistically speaking, virtually every one of the shooters knows they are facing their last day on earth. It clearly demonstrates the depth of injury bullying inflicts upon its victims.
Over the past decade, the increasing frequency and severity of school massacres, with significant links between the shooters and a bully victim history, has the public demanding that the United States government and its citizens take the malignant reality of bullying in schools seriously as a social problem.
III. School Bullying from a Systems Perspective
Espelage and Swearer (2003) cite a study done in 2001 by the Journal of the American Medical Association, where:
authors surveyed 15,686 students in Grades 6 through 10 across the U.S. and found that a total of 29.9% of the sample reported frequent involvement in bullying, with 13% as a bully, 10.6% as a victim, and 6% as a bully-victim. (p. 367)
School bullying is perpetuated by myriad socio-ecological factors. Espelage and Swearer (2003) have an impressive list of social-ecological factors that play a role in bullying, including:
1) individual characteristics (race/ethnicity, age, anger, depression, anxiety, empathy); 2) normative beliefs towards bullying (social skill deficit vs. theory of mind); 3) peer-level characteristics in the bullying dynamic (homophily hypothesis, dominance theory, attraction theory); 4) familial characteristics; 5) school factors (school climate, teachers’ attitudes); and 6) community factors. (p. 372-377)
V. Role of Social Work in Assessment, Intervention, and Policy Making around School Bullying
Increasing awareness of the damaging effects of school bullying, combined with the increasing frequency and lethality of school massacres demands that parents, school staff, community members, and policymakers develop appropriate assessment tools, intervention procedures, and adequate policies to address the social problem of school bullying.
A good place to start with the assessment of school bullying behavior might be to look at longstanding myths surrounding the dynamics of bullying behavior. Starr (2000, 6-16) quotes Olweus when she says that, “much of what we have always believed about bullying is wrong – consequently many of our techniques for dealing with bullies and their victims have simply made the problem worse.” Olweus has come up with a list of ten myths of bullying:
1) Bullies suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem. They pick on others to make themselves feel more important; 2) Bullies are looking for attention. Ignore them and the bullying will stop. 3) Boys will be boys. 4) Kids can be cruel about differences. 5) Victims of bullies need to learn to stand up for themselves and deal with the situation. 6) Large schools or classes are conducive to bullying. 7) Most bullying occurs off school grounds. 8) Bullying affects only a small number of students. 9) Teachers know if bullying is a problem in their classes. 10) Victims of bullying need to follow the adage, "Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names can never hurt you."
At the micro systems level, what happens when a bullying target is subjected to innumerable incidences over long periods of time, with no supportive intervention by peers or school staff? Bullying cruelty is visited upon an already compromised individual (Most victims are chosen because they are sensitive, anxious, and unable to retaliate, per 10.) who is legitimately in their learning environment. The target is aware of how important doing well in their academics is to their immediate and long-term future. When one is being bullied, this awareness adds stress upon pained distraction as one’s energies are drained away from an educational focus at school. History has shown that pushing a target over the edge can have disastrous consequences for the bully, the bully’s target, and anyone unlucky enough in the school environment to be in the line of fire when a shooter returns to seek an ending to the torment. More research will need to be done on the retaliative nature of bullying targets becoming shooters. Could school massacre shooters be regarding their final act on earth as the ultimate reciprocal bullying act?
Due to the increasing number of fatalities due to school massacres, in 1999, school anti-bullying policy became a legal requirement across the nation. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s office and other government departments rose to the occasion and put into place several anti-bullying measures. From the State of MI website (2001, 4) the State of Michigan State Board of Education: Policies on Bullying, states that, “public schools and state education programs … should develop a plan designed to prevent bullying, and develop methods to react to bullying when it occurs.” The Michigan Department of Education (2001, pp. 2, 8, 11) drafted a Model Code of Student Conduct. This code has the capacity to be tailored to what particular parameters may suit the needs of any specific school district. Looking at the Table of Contents (p. 2) that lists Level I, Level II, and Level III Violations, bullying/harassment/intimidation is listed as a Level II Violation (p. 8). For comparison purposes, other Level II Violations include:
destruction of property, failure to serve assigned detention, false identification, fighting, forgery, fraud, gambling, gang activity, hazing, improper or reckless operation of a motor vehicle, loitering, profanity and/or obscenity toward staff, sexual harassment, theft or possession of stolen property, and threat/coercion.
The State of Michigan website (2001) includes the Michigan State Board of Education resolution to designate October 14-20, 2001 as “Michigan Safe School Week.”
Safe School Week has a motto of ‘Keeping Our Schools Safe’(1) ; with a goal, “to motivate key educators, and emergency responders, as well as students, parents, and community leaders to advocate school safety”(2); talks about the “substantive policies… with the goal of perpetuating safe school environments conducive to learning for all students” (4); “encourages… promotion, coordination, and judging safe school projects”(5); and to have the Safe School Projects Best of Show winners be displayed in Lansing during Safe School Week(6).
On March 16, 2006, Governor Granholm’s radio address on “Bullying and curriculum legislation” (Watson, 2006) named the “recipe for success” for schools as: excellent teachers; necessary resources for the schools; “every school should be a safe, positive learning environment”; and urges the passing of:
House Bill 5616 and Senate Bill 1156 , bills introduced by Senator Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) and Representative Glenn Anderson (D-Westland), will require that school districts create and adopt policies that prohibit harassment or bullying at school and that they submit their policies to the Michigan Department of Education. (pp. 1-4)
Washington Attorney General Gregoire (2001, Part III., p. 17) was part of the National Association of Attorney Generals’ four (Mississippi, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Arizona) national listening conferences in 1999. From the conference came the resulting list, compiled by students, teachers, and administrators, on what can be done to neutralize bullying behavior:
parents need guidance and support; 2) schools need policies, procedures and training to prevent bullying; 3) schools need after-school programs; 4) school peer mediation; 5) school mentoring programs; 6) teaching [fundamental core] values to students at school; 7) [more/enough] school counselors; 8) law enforcement officers on school campuses; 9) school I.D. badges; 10) uniforms and dress codes at school; 11) students [and school staff?] breaking the ‘code of silence’ through anonymous tip lines; and 12) school security cameras and metal detectors [note: 9-12 were generally accepted only when they were already in place, but not where they were as yet unknown.]
Summarization
Bullying behavior is ingrained in patriarchal societies in macro level systems and at school in the mezzo level systems. It is tolerated and minimized due to its historic maintenance of power in the hands of a few. The civil rights era began to question the foundation of patriarchy in society; yet little attention was paid to school bullying until the increasing number of school massacres by targets of bullying. In 1999, school anti-bullying policy across the nation became mandated. It can be regarded as the beginning of official recognition of school bullying as a social problem.

References

Eslea, M. (2006). Bullying PowerPoint Presentation. Retrieved June 3, 2006, from http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/psychol/bully/files/bullyingseminar.ppt
Espelage, D., & Swearer, S. (2003). Research on School Bullying and Victimization: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go from Here? School Psychology Review, 32(3), 365-383.
Gregoire, C., Washington Attorney General (2000). Bruised inside: What our children say about youth violence, what causes it, and what we need to do about it, A Report of the National Association of Attorneys General, April 2000.
Minogue, K. (2002). A short history of bullying, toadying, and snitching: Kenneth Minogue puts America’s fixation with the schoolyard bully in perspective, Women’s Quarterly, Winter. Retrieved June 3, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IUK/is_2002_Wntr/ai_82802448
Soskis, B. (2001). Bully Pulpit. New Republic, 224(20), 25.
Starr, L., (2000). Sticks and Stones and Names Can Hurt You: De-Myth-tifying the Classroom Bully! Retrieved June 3, 2006 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues102.shtml
State of Michigan Department of Education (2001). Model code of student conduct, pursuant to Public Act 263 of 2000. Retrieved on June 4, 2006 from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/ModelCode_(Last_Final__July_2001)_122885 _7.pdf
State of Michigan website (2001). State of Michigan state board of education: Policies on Bullying. Retrieved on June 3, 2006 from http://www.mi.gov
Watson, H. (2006). Governor urges legislature to act on anti-bullying legislation. Retrieved on June 3, 2006 from http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442-138876--,00.html

Wikipedia (2006). Notable School Massacres. Retrieved on June 4, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings#Notable_school_massacres

Ox Herding

2008-12-20T11:47:00.001-05:00

This is a link I found on the previous screen captured site. The name caught my eye, and giving it a look-see, ox herding is in the same 'hood as peonies, frogs, and wine....

Buddha Torrents: Daoism in History: Essays in Honor of Liu Ts'un-yan

2008-12-20T11:42:00.001-05:00

you can download the book in the screen shot from the blog. check it out!

trust

2008-11-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

What is trust? Is trust an all or nothing sort of thing? In a workbook I'm going through right now I'm reading that when you are developing a relationship with someone, if the "incremental escalation" in the trust levels gets blocks, you don't drop back down to the bottom. Instead you go back to the last place of trust, be clear and calm, and keep building.

This is radically different than anything I have ever attempted with a relationship of any kind, at least consciously. Maybe I am only ready to see and absorb the ideas now? What I can say with certainty is that I am very happy to have been brought this gift now, where I am ready to appreciate it and implement it.

Anybody reading and have ideas about it? Give a holla.

letter to Obama, from Alice Walker 110508

2008-11-08T14:14:00.002-05:00

Nov.
5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the wearywarriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.

One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner. " There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be
lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

bright side of the moon

2008-08-21T18:35:00.002-04:00

we went sailing yesterday.
bob had been out since 10 in the morning.
he picked me up at the dock at 6.

there was a fair breeze,
not too fierce,
nor too slight.

on the smaller lake
we headed due west, into the sun
that had begun its then slow descent.

behind us a regatta was circling a small spot on the water
like sharks circling chum but not striking
bob asked if i saw some glint of gold in their sails

the word gold triggered the memory of an old song from childhood
fitting the perfection of the moment
and i softly started singing, "mansion over the hilltop"

"i'm satisfied with
just a cottage below
a little silver, and a little gold..."

my back propped to the side of the cabin opening
i sang and perused cloud configurations behind the boat
from where we had come and to either side.

the clouds were wispy and placed here and there
with undulations and blotches.
my imagination set sail.

then yes! and yes! and yes again!
as my eyes moved from daylight constellation to daylight constellation.
i saw them, congregating across the sky

Dragons.

verse interrupted i barely whispered
"there are dragons in the sky"
bob said what?

i said "there are dragons in the sky"

he made no comment, sailing on
looking ahead.
within a few heartbeats he exclaimed, "Look at that!"

i turned around towards where we were headed
it was a wispy configuration
and set within its heart was a triangle-shaped prism
with all of the colors of the rainbow set out clearly

o y i
r r e g n v
e a l r b d i
d n l e l i o
g o e u g l
e w n e o e
t

just like the prism on pink floyd's dark side of the moon album
only instead of a black background
it was bright blue with a wisp of white.

Cinnamon and Honey Cures

2008-07-13T18:07:00.000-04:00

>> Cinnamon & Honey
>> Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on honey
>> and cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most
>> diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world.
>> Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective)
>> medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side
>> effects for any kind of diseases.
>>>>
>> Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the
>> right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly
>> World News, a magazine in Canada, on its issue dated 17 January 1995 has
>> given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and
>> cinnamon as researched by western scientists:
>>>>
>>>>  HEART DISEASES:
>>>>
>> Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of
>> jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the
>> cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also
>> those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they
>> are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above
>> process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In
>> America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients
>> successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose
>> their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the
>> arteries and veins.
>>>>
>>>>  ARTHRITIS:
>>>>
>> Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot
>> water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
>> If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured In a recent
>> research conducted at the Copenhagen
>>>>
>> University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients
>> with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder
>> before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so
>> treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and
>> within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around
>> because of arthritis started walking without pain.
>>>>
>> BLADDER INFECTIONS:
>>>>
>> Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a
>> glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the
>> bladder.
>>>>
>>>>  TOOTHACHE:
>>>>
>> Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of
>> honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a
>> day until the tooth stops aching.
>>>>
>>>>  CHOLESTEROL:
>>>>
>> Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in
>> 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient were found to
>> reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two
>> hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day,
>> any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in
>> the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of
>> cholesterol. (By the way. if you're taking cholesterol medicine STOP!
>> They all contain STATIN which weaken your muscles ... including YOUR
>> HEART and none has been shown to stop heart attacks or strokes!
>>>>
>>>>  COLDS:
>>>>
>> Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon
>> lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This
>> process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.
>>>>
>>>>  UPSET STOMACH:
>>>>
>> Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears
>> stomach ulcers from the root.
>>>>
>>>>  GAS:
>>>>
>> According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if
>> honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.
>>>>
>>>>  IMMUNE SYSTEM:
>>
>> Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and
>> protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found
>> that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use
>> of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and
>> viral diseases.
>>>>
>>>>  INDIGESTION:
>>>>
>> Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food
>> relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
>>>>
>>>>  INFLUENZA:
>>>>
>> A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural Ingredient
>> which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.
>>>>
>>>>  LONGEVITY:
>>>>
>> Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests
>> the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon
>> powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup,
>> three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests
>> old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts
>> performing the chores of a 20-year-old.
>>>>
>>>>  PIMPLES:
>>>>
>> Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder in a
>> paste:
>>>>
>> Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning
>> with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the
>> root.
>>>>
>>>>  SKIN INFECTIONS:
>>>>
>> Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts
>> cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
>>>>
>>>>  WEIGHT LOSS:
>>>>
>> Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach
>> and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in
>> one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the
>> most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow
>> the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high
>> calorie diet.
>>>>
>>>>  CANCER:
>>>>
>>>>  Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced
>>>> cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients
>>>> suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon
>>>> of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times
>>>> a day.
>>>>
>>>>  FATIGUE:
>>>>
>>>>  Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more
>>>> helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body.
>>>> Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are
>>>> more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a
>>>> half-tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with
>>>> cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at
>>>> about 3:00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease,
>>>> increases the vitality of the body within a week.
>>>>
>>>>  BAD BREATH:
>>>>
>> People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one
>> teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath
>> stays fresh throughout the day.
>>>>
>>>>  HEARING LOSS:
>>>>
>> Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts
>> restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real
>> butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

Exquisite Handmade Soap, Excellent Soap, Handmade Soap - Michigan Country Soapworks

2008-07-06T21:12:00.001-04:00

Exquisite Handmade Soap, Excellent Soap, Handmade Soap - Michigan Country Soapworks

WOWIO: Free Ebooks, Comics and Graphic Novels | Free Books + Free Minds

2008-05-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

WOWIO: Free Ebooks, Comics and Graphic Novels | Free Books + Free Minds

Taps

2008-04-26T09:41:00.005-04:00

AN INTERESTING HISTORY

If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps were played, this brings out a new meaning of it.

Here is something Every American should know. Until I read this, I didn't know, but I checked it out and it's true:

Wein the United States have all heard the haunting song, 'Taps.' It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.
But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly,it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.
When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.

The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform.
This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as 'Taps' used at military funerals was born.

The words are:
Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
Al l is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky.
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh

I too have felt the chills while listening to 'Taps' but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse . I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along.

I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.
Also Remember Those Who Have Served And Returned; and for those presently serving in the Armed Forces.

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

Even though this email says the story was "checked out and found to be true", I couldn't resist going to the net arbiter of such things, www.snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/taps.asp I found out it isn't true. If you want to know what the real origin of Taps is follow the link. It's a kind of interesting reality. I will remember it as the above account of how it happened... :)

Zen Habits | Simple Productivity

2008-04-09T22:03:00.000-04:00

Zen Habits | Simple Productivity

Chinese Dragons - Draconika

2008-02-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

Chinese Dragons - Draconika

YouTube

2008-01-13T23:50:00.000-05:00

YouTube

dennis4president.com - Blog

2008-01-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

dennis4president.com - Blog

Santa nailed to the cross

2007-12-23T23:56:00.000-05:00

Art Conrad has an issue with the commercialism of Christmas, and his protest has gone way beyond just shunning the malls or turning off his television.

The US resident nailed Santa Claus to a 4.5 crucifix in front of his house in Bremerton, in Washington state on the US Pacific coast.

"Santa has been perverted from who he started out to be," Conrad said. "Now he's the person being used by corporations to get us to buy more stuff."

A photo of the crucified Santa adorns Conrad's Christmas cards, with the message "Santa died for your MasterCard".

The display is also Conrad's way of poking fun at political correctness. He believes people do not express their feelings because they are afraid of what others might think.

His neighbours found the will to express their feelings this past week. Some were offended but many were just curious.

Jake Tally walked by and chuckled, but did not pretend to understand the message.

"I don't really know what to think. I know it's about God but Santa has nothing to do with it," he told the Kitsap Sun newspaper.

Passing on a Meme

2007-12-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

My blog Peonies, Frogs, and Wine http://PeoniesFrogsWine.blogspot.com has been tagged by my longtime net buddy, Rick Matz. We met way back when in a listserv called TAO-L. We’ve kept in touch ever since. He’s who I think of as The Leaf Raking Taoist, a man who exemplifies adaptability, and a person who loves his children with his all. He has a fast-paced lifestyle but somehow manages to fit simplicity in there as well. Rick’s blog, Cook Ding’s Kitchen, can be found at: http://cookdingskitchen.blogspot.com/

Part of the meme-passing involves posting the rules found below and then following them:

link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven random or weird things about myself:

1. I have a set of 4 metal and wooden frog musicians that stand about a foot tall that my son bought me 2 Christmases ago. One is a sax player, one’s a singer, one is a guitarist, and one plays the drums.

2. I recently bought a boat, a small sailboat with a cabin. Since I live very close to 2 lakes, it’s about time.

3. I couldn’t honor the passing of the meme from Rick to myself and beyond without mention of martial arts, I earned a black belt in the American Karate System approximately 15 years ago. It took me 12 years on and off to get it. My first class in martial arts was run by Mr. Ernest Lieb, the founder of the AKS. Mr. Lieb was killed in Germany in a train crash in September 2006.

4. I like to write, and I like to write poetry. When not miserable, I’m too A.D.D. to focus long enough to write. When miserable it comes gushing out of me like water gushing out of a national guardsman’s hose when he’s not busy overseas.

5. One of my vacations in the future will be to see the magical marvelous Salton Sea. I saw a documentary on it at a film festival a couple of years back, Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, and immediately fell in love with the place.

6. I lost my best friend, who I’ve known since we were both 10 years old, about 2 years ago. She didn’t die. Our friendship did. About 5 years ago, I reconnected with another friend, who I’ve known since we were both 13, and it’s been a joy to get to know her again.

7. I once grew a strawberry patch from one pack of strawberry seeds.

Here are the 7 folks I’m tagging:

Patrick at http://www.cleverhumans.com/blog20/home.htm

Dusty at http://www.salamitsunami.com/

Ron Hogan at http://www.beatrice.com/

Queen Bee at http://www.queenbeedetroit.com/

Dave at http://www.davechappelle.com/

Captain Busternaut at http://busternaut.livejournal.com/

Kalera at http://www.beadwife.com/

Most Interesting Holiday Gift 2007

2007-12-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

One of the women I work with told me about the plans her and her husband have for their children for Christmas gifts. Their tradition is to buy only one gift for each child. This year it is going to be ice skates. But... along with the skates, they plan on staying up all Christmas Eve night and build an ice skating rink for the kids in the back yard. The woman was asking if anyone at work had any ice skates in their closets gathering dust that they wanted to dispose of, as they want extra skates available should friends of the kids, the other kids' parents, neighbors, etc should drop in and want to skate along. For some reason this strikes me as an interesting gift, and one that I'm sure will be memorable for the family members as well.

If you have any nominees for this year's most interesting holiday gift, please post it.

O'Reilly's remark on race rates reflection

2007-11-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

From The Muskegon Chronicle
Sunday, October 21, 2007

by Joyce M. Walker-Tyson

Columnist Clayton Hardiman was absolutely on target about Bill O'Reilly and his comments that dining in a black-owned restaurant was no different from dining in a white-owned eatery.

[To hear the audio clip of what was said, go here:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200709210007?f=h_latest

The ensuing racial brouhaha stemmed from the implication that O'Reilly's dining experience was positive because it seemed like a white experience. I honestly believe that O'Reilly was attempting to express a positive view of black culture. However, it never fails to confound me that well-meaning white folks think it a compliment to erase my race.

I worked with an Ole Miss alumna in Meridian, Miss., who, whenever we spoke to a black audience, made special note of the fact that she did not "see color at all." I finally asked her how she could profess to understand and appreciate cultural differences if she refused even to acknowledge those differences exist. I suggested that she denied seeing color because she wanted to make everything conform to her own notion of the ideal -- the "rightness of whiteness."

She called me a racist.

A former Italian-American colleague here in Muskegon once told me I didn't "seem black." When I asked him to explain why, he said it was because I was "smart, funny, pretty and hard-working." As our conversation continued, he admitted that none of the black people with whom he had business or personal relationships "seemed black." In fact, he didn't know any black people who "seemed black."

Duh?

If the reality of personal experience is diametrically opposed to some artificial stereotype, why choose to discard the reality rather than the stereotype? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to assume that the stereotype is flawed than that all your personal encounters are deviant?

I often do training sessions for various clients, including the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. DTAE's most-requested workshop is "Racial Sensitivity: Things Big Mama Taught Me and Other Immutable Craziness." Discussion sub-topics included "Of course you're prejudiced -- and so am I" and "Don't sweat it -- it's just a hair thang."

The session encourages participants of all races to dig deep into their pasts to pinpoint where, when and from whom a particular racial "truth" became imbedded into his or her own reality. By the end of the 90-minute workshop, we're all laughing to the point of tears over the strange notions we have internalized from relatives, chance encounters on the playground and -- surprise! -- television.

One of my best friends, a public relations professional in Chicago, came to me in tears one day begging that I not end our friendship. Mary Frances had learned, while researching her family tree, that her ancestors in Georgia had owned slaves.

This brilliant and creative woman could not allow herself to imagine that her relatives had participated in something as abominable as slavery. I was dumbfounded at her reaction. My reality told me that all white folks in the south enthusiastically embraced slavery. Of course, we both were wrong. But those were the stereotypes that had become part of us.

She was upset, too, she said, because the discovery of her family's slave-holding history, forced her to think of me -- one of her best friends -- as black. Again, I was dumbfounded. Why would she have to forget I am black to love me?

I embrace the fact that she is Scotch-Irish. Her background brings to me a whole realm of experiences I otherwise might have missed. Without her, I would know considerably less about the Episcopal Church. Without her, I might never have known that I really like Irish folk music. She taught me how to bake scones and cook corned beef and cabbage. I taught her how to make ham hocks and collard greens. Thanks to our shared Southern roots, we both do outstanding cornbread. We both disdain "ditzy, helpless women."

My blackness was the first thing determined in my DNA. When my parents met each other, only one thing was absolutely certain: If ever the two of them produced heirs, the result would be black. No one knew if I would be tall or short, right-handed or left-handed, male or female -- but there was never any doubt I would be black.

How could anyone ever dismiss that? And why would anyone ever want to?

Joyce M. Walker-Tyson

Managing Principal

Diversity Communications

Associates, Inc.

Muskegon Heights

Graphic comes from the following website: http://www.spokanehumanrelations.com/images/cchr%20logo.jpg

horrifying halloween costume

2007-11-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

society of thirds

2007-10-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

Don't expect a lot from this (or any other!) post by me.

A few years ago, probably 8 or so, I interviewed one of our county
judges as a class assignment. (you may have heard this story) The
old judge told me that in his 30+ years on the bench that he had a
theory about folks following the law. He said that 1/3 would always
obey the law, 1/3 would never obey the law, and 1/3 needed to be
convinced to obey the law.

The first assumption you will have to make is that the laws are all
fair, which is a stretch I know, but the foundation of laws is to have
a guide towards a civilized society.

What the judge said stayed with me, and in my years working in the
justice system, it's been borne out.

I'd like to take it a little farther now. If it's true that the
nature of humans is that 1/3 will follow unquestioningly , 1/3 will
always do just the opposite, and 1/3 will need to be convinced, then
why couldn't we somehow try to design communities that suit the
particular nature of the individual? What would such set of
communities look like? And where would you find yourself?

Mooncake Festival Part 3 of 3. September 15 & 16 this year

2007-09-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

Round and round the story goes

By Marjorie Chiew (first published in The Star on 7/9/99

WHILE its origin is based on a historical event, the annual Mooncake Festival is also associated with fascinating lunar legends and myths.

...

THE Mooncake Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month which is Sept [15 & 16] this year.

Historically, it was a harvest festival for farmers but traditionally, womenfolk worshipped Chang-Er, the moon goddess.

Mooncakes are also known as ``reunion cakes'' as family members gather to partake of the sweet confectionery. Mooncakes are eaten throughout the month before the actual festival day. They make meaningful gifts for kith and kin.

In the evenings, children gleefully carry lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The bearing of lanterns and the origin of mooncakes date back to a 14th century revolt by the Chinese against the Mongols. In 1376, the Chinese overthrew the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (1280-1376) in an uprising brilliantly hatched by lantern-bearing messengers who delivered mooncakes with hidden messages. Legend has it that the time and place of the revolution were concealed in the mooncakes sent to friends and relatives. The midnight massacre of the Mongols was led by Liu Bowen.

Today, altars are set up outside the house facing the full moon on the night of the festival. The ``harvest moon'' is at its brightest and roundest this time of the year.

Offerings of mooncakes, mini yams and water caltrops are laid out for Chang-Er, also known as the Moon Lady. Round fruits are offered as the shape symbolises the fullness of the moon and family harmony. Some women peel pomelos and mini yams in the belief that they will have a flawless complexion. Others pray to the moon goddess hoping to be blessed with good husbands.

The classic tale of Chang-Er, the beautiful moon goddess, is associated with the Mooncake Festival. Pictures of her in a flowy gown floating to the moon commonly adorn mooncake boxes. Folklore has it that she was married to the divine archer Hou Yi, who shot nine out of 10 suns that were causing havoc. For his deed, the Queen Mother of the West gave him the elixir of life. Chang-Er stole her husband's potion of immortality, drank it and found herself floating to the moon. There she lives out her days in the cold lonely moon palace with a furry rabbit for companion.

A slightly different version says that Hou Yi was a tyrannical ruler. Chang-Er drank the magic potion to prevent him from becoming immortal.

Another myth tells of woodcutter Wu Gang who was banished to the moon and became Chang-Er's friend and servant. The Jade Emperor punished Wu Gang by ordering him to cut down a cassia tree. It was a task that could never be completed as the tree is immortal and would grow back each time it is felled.

Moon worship has its roots in China's Sung (960-1127), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, when commoners and emperors alike observed the practice. Imperial chefs made mooncakes over a metre in diameter with designs of the moon goddess, the moon palace and cassia tree. Ordinary mooncakes were several centimetres in diameter. During the Qing dynasty, mooncakes were renamed ``moonflowers.'' In Mandarin, the word yuebing for mooncakes sounds like ``monthly sickness'' (or menstruation).

The Empress Dowager Ci Xi staged rituals for an elaborate moon festival lasting from the 13th through the 17th day of the eighth lunar month.

Some Chinese families today still stay up late to observe the occasion eating mooncakes, sipping tea and gazing at the beautiful moon. It is regarded the perfect moment if someone catches the moon's reflection in the centre of his or her teacup.

Link where found: http://allmalaysia.info/msiaknow/festivals/midautumn/

Camille's back! | Salon.com

2007-08-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

Camille's back! | Salon.com

The Path to Camille Paglia

2007-08-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

Last night I was home alone and decided to watch a Netflix movie with the "watch it now" feature. My computer is set up so that movies can be watched on the television (not my setup, but I enjoy it!). I chose to watch a documentary called, "Female Misbehavior", which interviewed 4 individuals. Camille Paglia was one. I was captivated by her perspectives on feminism and gender roles. Perhaps it was the twinkle in her eye that was most captivating.

This morning I went to imdb.com to look at the data on the film in
order to get her name, which had escaped me last night. From there I went to wikipedia. The following is taken from wikipedia:

"She was once put on probation for committing 39 pranks, a fact in
which she takes pride.* She told an interviewer in 2003 that she
follows the model of the `Hindu gurus, the aging masters and sages' because they're`actually very funny. They're funny, they're prankish. Zen masters are known to be prankish.' She said, `To me, comedy is a symptom of a balanced perspective on life, and people who are going around, like gloomy gusses, in that Sontag style of intellectual, these people are suffering from something coming from their childhood, it has nothing to do with the proper intellectual response to life...'**"

*"My Education," by Camille Paglia, "The Scotsman," (Edinburgh, Scotland), January 26, 2000, pg. 3

**"In Depth: Camille Paglia," Book TV (C-Span2, American Television), August 3, 2003

how bad it is -- Bring The Soldiers Home

2007-08-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

My younger brother, age 47, spent 6 years of active duty in the army as a young man. He saw a couple of different countries, including Egypt and Germany.

After that he did 11 years of National Guard service, giving up one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer. The woman he married back then was also in the National Guard, so his family gave with both parents of their children.

It was about 8 years or so ago that his wife left him with their kids. She abandoned him and their farm and moved back to this area. His world fell apart. He dropped the National Guard.

At that point he had 17 years of service to his country. You need to have 20 years in order to be eligible for a military pension. The job he's in now has no healthcare or pension options to it.

A year or so ago, my brother decided to try to find a way to get those last 3 years of service completed. He applied to the post office, which counts (amazingly.) He also contacted the army to see if he could get back into the guards or the reserves. They called him, and about 6 months ago he went through a series of rigorous health tests. He got the clean bill of health (even though his back is terrible and he's virtually deaf in one ear and his body is falling apart from
years of drinking). They put him in the inactive reserves. One of my uncles, a 20 year veteran who saw 3 tours of 'Nam, told him that there was no way he'd be called to action. That he could expect to serve out his remaining time quietly. No worries.

My mother told me on Wednesday that he'd left on a plane that morning, and he's being shipped out to Iraq.

Folks, wherever you're reading this from, please urge anyone you know, and most certainly your elected representatives, to put the pressure on wherever they can to put an end to the madness of U.S. occupation of Iraq. When they (we?) are sending old men in horrible physical
health over to see combat in a place where there can only be losers -- all for the sake of what?????????? -- I am unnerved to think of what could happen next.

Moon Fest 2007 Sept 15&16 part 2 of 3

2007-08-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

Remembering Chang-O’s Flight

By Lim Nee Ean (first published in The Star on 7/16/99)

THE candle casts deep shadows on the screen,
The Milky Way dims and morning stars fade.
Chang-O must regret stealing the elixir,
As she broods in loneliness night after night.

- Poem by the great Tang poet Li Shang-yin (812-858 A.D.)

THERE are several stories about the origins of mooncakes and the myths and legends behind the Mooncake Festival.

One of the more romantic myths is that Chang-O, the most beautiful woman of Chinese mythology stole the elixir of life that her husband had obtained with great difficulty from the Royal Mother.

The story goes like this:

Long ago, the earth was in a state of havoc because there were 10 suns in the sky, and these were the sons of the Jade Emperor.

Rivers dried up, the land became barren, and many people died.

Seeing the death and destruction caused by his sons, the Jade Emperor took this matter to the god Hou Yi. The Emperor asked Hou Yi to persuade his sons to rise up away from the earth to end the catastrophe.

When Hou Yi asked the suns to leave the sky, they refused. Made angry by their defiance, Hou Yi, a great archer, launched arrows at the suns, shooting them down one by one until his wife Chang-O pleaded with him to save one sun to keep the earth warm and bright.

Knowing that the Jade Emperor was furious at the slaying of his sons, Hou Yi and Chang-O were forced to stay on earth.

Chang-O was unhappy, so her husband tried to win back her favour by gathering herbs that would give them once again the power to ascend to heaven. Chang-O remained angry, however, and ate all the herbs herself. She flew up to the moon, where she remains alone, living in the Moon Palace. The Tang poet, Li Shang-yin wrote the above verse on Chang O's sad story three thousand years later, and the story of Chang-O's flight to the moon has persisted since among the people of the world. There are several versions of this story, but this is the more popular version.

On the 15th of the 8th lunar month every year (this year it falls on September 24), when the moon is at its brightest and loveliest, Chinese people around the world look at the moon and remember Chang-O and her legend. The occasions is celebrated as the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as

the Moon Festival.

Mooncakes

Mooncakes became part of the Mid-Autumn Festival because during the Yuan dynasty (1280 1368 A.D.) when China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (960-1280 A.D.) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set out to co-ordinate the rebellion

without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing

near, ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into each mooncake was a message with the outline of the attack.

On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels succesfully attacked and overthrew the government.

What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.).

Today, mooncakes are eaten to commemorate this event.

For generations, mooncakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. Sometimes, a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of the rich tasting dessert.

Lanterns

Chinese lanterns are also specialities for this festival. The most common are the paper folding type.

However, there are many varieties of lanterns made of different shapes and materials.

In Malaysia, kids like to buy the lanterns in animal or flower shapes which are sold in Chinese sundry shops, night markets or wet markets, or at the nearest shopping centre.

During the festival, parents allow children to stay up late, and take them to high vantage points to light their lanterns and watch the moon rise before eating their mooncakes.

please note that in part one a different time was mentioned as moon fest. however those days were for 1999. this year's is sept 15 & 16

moon myths. part 1 of 3

2007-08-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Moon myths

By Marjorie Chiew (first published in The Star on 7/20/99

GAZING at a bright, full moon, my mother once told me I could admire the moon in all its glory but never, ever, point at it. Her stern warning: ``Never point at the moon or your ears will be cut off!'' I never pointed at the moon after that, never quite understanding why I shouldn't, but my mum did not offer further explanation. A housewife I spoke to recently vividly recalled a similar moon story told to her by her mum except that hers had a double penalty ``Never point at the moon or your fingers will be crooked and your ears sliced off!''

Having digested many Chinese moon fables, I would proffer two possible reasons for our mothers' concern many moons ago. The woodcutter Wu Gang who supposedly lived on the moon would be the prime suspect for all those cases of ``missing'' ears he wields an axe. What about the crooked fingers? Probably Chang-Er, the moon goddess, might consider punishing disobedient children. She must have repented for her sin of stealing and drinking her husband's elixir of immortality by now. Chang-Er and Wu Gang are two immortals in Chinese mythology. Till today they have their fair share of believers even though Man walked on the moon back in 1969.

When television beamed satellite pictures of astronaut Neil Armstrong ``floating'' on the moon with no immortals in sight, did the world of myths and fables collapse?

Where did all the Chinese deities go to? Where's the palace on the moon? Cynics today would be sniggering at the oft-told moon-related Chinese myths. But, said a geomancer, if people still enjoy Alice in Wonderland and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, why can't some of them still believe in deities and immortals on the moon?

He declined to comment on whether the lunar landing by the Apollo 11 mission had debunked Chinese mythology. ``Moon worship is a very private thing,'' he said. He feels that among the Chinese, some things are done and some beliefs perpetuated with ``hope'' in mind.

Chinese brush painter Chong Buck Tee, 49, has often waxed lyrical about the moon in his paintings though he is no moon worshipper. ``Moonlit scenery denotes romanticism,'' said the artist. “Praying to the moon or rather Chang-Er is but a Chinese custom that has been handed down the generations.''

Rather than question the logic of the belief, the Chinese community has just been following what their forefathers did. Man having landed on the moon, said Chong, would not influence moon
worship at all. He feels that the historic event succeeded in ``silencing'' those who spun yarns of denizens on the moon.

Lee Yip Lim, 60, research fellow of Huazi Resource and Research Centre Bhd, said the moon is usually full and bright during the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Mooncake Festival).

In ancient times, people regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion. The common folk and emperors worshipped and enjoyed viewing the moon. The tradition of worshipping the moon was observed on a broader scale during the Soong, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was customary to set up a table laden with mooncakes, pomegranates and dates in open air. After prostrating themselves before the moon, the people would sit with their families to enjoy viewing the moon, eating and chatting. Lee said the moon landing by the Americans was a ``scientific milestone'' but as a schoolboy, he had read that ``the moon is a dark planet devoid of life.'' He added: ``It came as no surprise that the astronauts found no life on the moon. My wife and I still pray to the moon because it is a Chinese custom. “The Mooncake Festival signifies the celebration of family union and happiness. The atmosphere is one of harmony.''

As a child, Lee was told that beautiful Chang-Er, who wore colourful traditional gowns and was a great dancer, lived on the moon. Folks worship her hoping to have their wishes fulfilled.
”Woodcutter Wu Gang was Chang-Er's helper and friend. He cooked and brewed wines for her. On the night when he cuts trees, the moon would be brightly lit.''

Former nurse Khong Kim, 61, used to be a moon worshipper like her mother. But after her husband passed away in 1974, she stopped paying homage to the moon.
”I wasn't in the mood and just stopped,'' she said. “It had nothing to do with Apollo 11. It was just a Chinese tradition.''

During the Mid-Autumn Festival (which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar and which will fall on Sept 24 this year),worshippers will have their altars filled with pomeloes, peanuts, fatt koh (steamed sponge cakes), fresh flowers and the inevitable mooncakes all for Chang-Er. Khong recalled superstitions attached to moon worshipping: “If you desire to have flawless skin, you have to cut the pomelo in front of the moon. The peeling away of the thick pomelo skin (riddled with tiny dimples) signifies peeling away facial scars or pimples.
”Some Chinese also believe that when you peel off the skin of boiled mini yams (wu chai in Cantonese), you get rid of facial imperfections.'' Peanuts and sponge cakes are auspicious offerings in the hope for “good health.'' The cakes are also a favourite food of the deities and are said to be excellent offerings for upward mobility.

Khong's 30-year-old son, Eric Tan, a business development manager, said despite Man having set foot on the moon, the Chinese would not be convinced to stop celebrating the Mooncake Festival. “It is a time of fun and merry-making for adults and children.''

Those not familiar with Chinese moon tales can mull over these:
--The rabbit pounding the elixir of immortality with a pestle and mortar underneath a grove of cassia trees is a popular lunar creature. Some folkloric paintings show Chang-E clutching the furry creature as she floats to the sky. Legend has it that her husband, divine archer Hou Yi, summoned the rabbit to be his wife's companion for those lonely days at the cold moon palace. She rose to the moon after drinking a magic potion and became an immortal.

--The potion, the elixir of life, was a reward from the Queen Mother of the West to Hou Yi for shooting nine out of 10 suns in the sky. There is also a belief that Chang-E metamorphosed into a three-legged toad after reaching the moon.

--Woodcutter Wu Gang was punished by the Jade Emperor to fell a cassia tree for his wrongdoings while studying to be an immortal. But it was an impossible task as the tree never dies it would re-grow after each felling.

--Matchmaker Yuexialaoyren is “the old man in the moon.'' Many tourists, young couples especially, adore posing with his sculpture in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. He is said to preside over all earthly marriages. In some folklores, he is depicted as playing chess with the God of Longevity in a mountain cave.

--The eight immortals leave the moon palace during mid-autumn night in a dragon boat. Whoever catches sight of them can turn whatever objects they touch into gold. Thus in ancient days folks would gaze at the moon hoping for the Midas touch.

--The eclipse of the moon was a bad celestial sign in the old days. The Chinese believed that the Heavenly Dog was trying to eat up the moon. They would beat drums and gongs to scare the dog away.

Link where the above is found: http://allmalaysia.info/msiaknow/festivals/midautumn/week1.html

Feedbase

2007-08-05T13:26:00.000-04:00

Feedbase

vortex

2007-06-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

I went with a friend down to the construction company office. The friend was finalizing the contract to have a roof put on his house. We talked with the matriarch of the family business. We got on the subject of the backbreaking nature of roofing work. She mused aloud what might old roofers do once their bodies give out from the years of grueling labor. My friend said maybe they get a crew together and start up their own roofing business, letting the younger guys do the work and the old roofer managing/supervising. The matriarch said she didn't think so, as roofers didn't seem to be the sort of people who had it together enough to get a business up and running. She went on to give several illustrations of how roofers who had worked for her company over the years had been shown to be less than competent or stable.

I didn't think much about it at the time and took what she said at face value. Later though, it percolated back to the top of the think stack. Just how "flawed" are roofers? Is it a character defect that leaves a life of roofing as their only viable job option? Or is it something else that has roofers catching a bad rap that leaves them without the stain of disreputableness? Could it be that those who need to exploit others to gain more profit find value in demonizing those they exploit? Like people in jails in prisons being written off and being unworthy of serving their time in a humane environment, the laborers in our society who do the most physically demanding jobs often earn the least amount of money and are treated the worst.

How many months or years does it take of being treated like a piece of property to be used up before the worker may be conditioned to believe that the boss/master is right? That he or she isn't worth much. I mean, wouldn't they be in a better job or treated with value if they were worth it? There may be a dilemma in the person's mind, between one reality that they are literally working their bodies until they wear out and another reality that nobody cares that they are. The worker's dilemma has to be irreconcilable in their mind if they ever have a chance to escape. Once they accept the contradiction of the dilemma as being ok, they are forever lost as beasts of burden.

The masters, on the other hand, have a well-oiled machine that is designed to keep running. The ideas are firmly implanted in the minds of society's members with the stainless steel indoctrination of The American Way hand in hand with our work ethic. They may work, as long as you or your parents are smart enough to learn/teach how to pick out the right stones to step on as you cross the path over turbulent waters of society. If you choose poorly early on, or have parents who teach you the wrong stones, you are doomed, short of a miracle, to be washed down the vortex and crushed on the rocks.

a new neighbor

2007-04-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

We've got one of these little critters living under our porch! I caught a glimpse of him/her a couple of days ago, browsing out by the euonomys (sp?) bush. Today, when I brought mulch home from the home improvement store and pulled up in the front driveway, the critter was walking quickly back towards under the porch. A few minutes ago, I looked out the front window and he/she was munching on the clover in the yard. He/she must have seen me watching because they quickly moved over by the driveway and froze. I came into the computer room and sat down and kept watching the porch area. Sure enough the critter came close, rose up and put their paws on the edge of the porch and sniffed the air. Feeling comfortable that the coast was clear, they crawled under.

From the wiki entry the groundhog, aka marmot, is mostly vegetarian and eats clover and vegetables. Maybe the compost pile drew him/her in? I don't see any problems with sharing space with a groundhog. One minor concern is the way they dig extensive burrows. According to wiki, if a colony settles in and builds a huge complex of tunnels that it could weaken the foundation of the house. I'll keep my eyes open for signs of a colony.

It's pretty neat to share space with a species other than birds, squirrels, and bugs, and mice. There was a chipmunk hanging around last fall but no sign of the 'munk this spring. The raccoons haven't been nesting in the hollow since the trapper guy came and carted the one who was living in the attic away. I *did* see a raccoon running away from the yard around the same time as seeing Gretchen the Groundhog, though, so maybe they are nesting in the hollow again...

Signs of Infection

2007-04-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

By Bob Herbert The New York Times

Monday 16 April 2007

People in positions of great power are the ones who define those who are relatively lacking in power. So when Don Imus, a very powerful radio personality, dropped his disgusting verbal bomb on the members of the Rutgers women's basketball team, he sent a powerful message across the airwaves: that the young women on the team (the black ones, at least) were crude, ugly and genetically inferior, and that all of the women were whores.

That message, which Mr. Imus insisted was meant to be funny, reinforced views already widely held in our society, which is why I could get the following e-mail from a reader:

"Who woulda thunk that the Imus idiocy and the Duke Debacle would hit home on the same day. Both stories bring to mind what my father told me 60 years ago: Stay away from colored women."

The attention surrounding Mr. Imus's very public self-immolation is an opportunity for Americans to acknowledge that we have a problem. Not only is the society still permeated by racism and sexism and the stereotypes they spawn, but we have allowed a debased and profoundly immature culture to emerge in which the coarsest, most socially destructive images and language are an integral part of the everyday discourse.

Gangsta rappers trapped in the throes of the Stockholm syndrome have spent years encouraging black people to see themselves as niggers and all women as whores. Michael Savage, one of the most prominent figures in talk radio, with an audience substantially larger than Don Imus's, has called Diane Sawyer a "lying whore" and Barbara Walters a "double-talking slut," according to Media Matters for America, a group that monitors some of the excesses of talk radio.

The culture that has given us such wonders as jazz, blues, baseball, Hollywood, the Broadway musical theater, rock 'n' roll, and on and on, is now specializing in too many instances in language and entertainment fit only for the gutter or a sewer.

Something has gone completely haywire when young American boys and girls are listening to songs like "Can You Control Yo Hoe" and "Break a Bitch Til I Die," by Snoop Dogg, formerly Snoop Doggy Dogg, formerly Cordozar Calvin Broadus.

"It's gotten pretty savage out there," said Tom Brokaw of NBC News during an on-air discussion of the Imus situation.

Mr. Brokaw, who believes that firing Mr. Imus was the right thing to do, said: "There's been an absence of civility in public discourse for some time now. The use of language across the racial spectrum, and across the political spectrum, and across the cultural spectrum, has been, in any way you want to describe it, debased to a certain degree.

"The words that you hear used commonly on the street, or on the air, or on radio, or in rap lyrics, are words that in the worst days of segregation in this country, in the worst segregated parts of this country, you would not have heard on radio. Now you hear them commonly."

The language, of course, is just a symptom. Mr. Brokaw went on to mention, in a tone that sounded a bit sad and somewhat resigned, that Americans had steadfastly refused to face the race issue honestly and head-on. "I had hoped," he said, "I guess somewhat naively 20 years ago, that we would be in a far different place than we are now."

We should also be in a better place in the way that women are viewed and portrayed in the culture. And one of the first steps in a conversation about how to honestly address these issues should be a discussion of how to get more more blacks, other ethnic minorities and women into positions of real authority in the major news and entertainment outlets.

Another part of the conversation should deal with why the bullying and degradation of other human beings is such a staple of popular entertainment in this country. One of the Rutgers players expressed astonishment Thursday night when Mr. Imus told her that making fun of people was how he'd made his living for many years.

The people who fought back against the racism and misogyny of the "Imus in the Morning" program need to keep the momentum going. Keep the pressure on the companies that sponsor this garbage. Keep the matter before the media.

Imus, Snoop Dogg, Michael Savage - it doesn't matter where the bigotry is coming from. What's important is to find the integrity and the strength to see it for what it is - a loathsome, soul-destroying disease - and then to respond accordingly.

History of a Social Problem -- Bullying

2007-04-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

Introduction

This paper, which is about school bullying, explores the possible origins of bullying. It discusses the Ten Myths of Bullying. Based upon work by researchers, it lists contributing factors when considering bullying. It attempts to define a working definition, including the different types, of bullying. It identifies who bullies and who is targeted by them and introduces the idea that there are individuals who are bully-victims. It outlines the immediate and long-term effects of bullying. It considers a link between those who may have been bullied in school to those who return to a school and commit school massacres. Included is an international timeline of school massacres, when American research papers have been published on bullying, and dates of enactment for important legislation regarding bullying. It includes recommended measures to try and neutralize bullying, based on listening to those closest to school bullying – the students themselves. The State of Michigan and Governor Granholm’s response to bullying is discussed. Finally, there is a summarization of the material covered in the paper, including personal impressions.

The image one usually has of a school bully is a burly, aggressive punk, similar to Nelson on The Simpsons television series, who, with his sidekicks, makes the lives of the rest of the collective student body at Springfield High a living hell whenever an opportunity arises. Lunch money is extorted in bathrooms and on playgrounds. Raucous laughter resounds as embarrassing moments happen, adding insult to already painful experiences for the self-conscious students. In the cafeteria, milk is “accidentally” knocked to the ground and the rest of the lunch is stolen. Cliques of Heathers (DiNovi, 1989) tee-hee and twitter down the halls, particularly as they pass geeks, fat kids, gay or lesbian students, or anyone else who doesn’t fit into an “acceptably cool” mold of that particular clique or school’s environment. Bullying is about these things – and much more.

Origins of Bullying

There are a few non-research-based hypotheses on the origins of bullies. One is that “boys will be boys (Soskis, 2001; Starr, L., 2000.)” This almost makes it sound like it is normal developmental behavior for some individuals to make others’ lives miserable while simultaneously it is normal developmental behavior to be the recipient of such efforts. Another hypothesis (Minogue, 2002) is that “Western” society has more bullies in its midst because it lacks the social hierarchal/caste system that other, non-westernized nations use to mediate between the power levels of individuals. According to Minogue (2002),

our interest in other people depends less on the formal admiration they accord to our superiority than to the ideas and attitudes they express, which we think might surprise and amuse us. There is even a theological basis for this, in the hints in St. Augustine that God created a world of creatures having free will so that their decisions and actions would entertain him.

Soskis (2001) suggests that since physical violence by youth has decreased over the years the schools are expanding their definitions of violence to include bullying. Perhaps another correlate to the decreased physical violence is that, because physical violence is less and less tolerated in schools that the violence has “gone underground” to the often less overt ways of bullying.

Ten Myths of Bullying

Starr (2000) quotes Olweus when she says that, “much of what we have always believed about bullying is wrong – consequently many of our techniques for dealing with bullies and their victims have simply made the problem worse.” List 1: The Ten Myths of Bullying follows each myth by what research has found to contradict these myths.

Social-Ecological Factors in Bullying, Based on Research

Table 1 shows a timeline covering a period between 1857 and 2005 which includes a couple of named, published research papers on bullying and many entries simply listing numbers of research papers published on bullying in a particular year. The data gathered on research titles and numbers is from a Powerpoint Presentation by Else (2006).

Espelage & Swearer (2003) have an impressive list of social-ecological factors to bullying, including:

individual characteristics (race/ethnicity, age, anger, depression, anxiety, empathy); 2) normative beliefs towards bullying (social skill deficit vs. theory of mind); 3) peer-level characteristics in the bullying dynamic (homophily hypothesis, dominance theory, attraction theory); 4) familial characteristics; 5) school factors (school climate, teachers’ attitudes); and 6) community factors.

Bullying Defined

The standard definition of bullying, according to Espelage & Swearer (2003), citing Olweus, is, “a repeated behavior (including both verbal and physical behaviors) that occurs over time in a relationship characterized by an imbalance of strength and power.” Their related terminology includes Dodge’s “proactive versus reactive aggression”, where proactive is aggression for direct gain and reactive is more retaliative. Dodge sees most bullying falling under the proactive category. Several authors are referred to in Espelage & Swearer’s (2003) article when talking about direct versus indirect aggression, where “direct (overt) aggression includes physical fighting… and verbal threatening behavior … that is face-to-face confrontation; whereas indirect aggression (covert) includes a third-party in which verbal aggression is accomplished through rumor spreading and name-calling [as well as currently including relational aggression, which is threatening to exclude the target from the group if they don’t go along with the bully’s wishes].”

Prevalence of Bullying and Its Long-Term Effects

Espelage & Swearer (2003) cite a study done in 2001 by the Journal of the American Medical Association, where

authors surveyed 15,686 students in Grades 6 through 10 across the U.S. and found that a total of 29.9% of the sample reported frequent involvement in bullying, with 13% as a bully, 10.6% as a victim, and 6% as a bully-victim.

What may be even more intriguing/disturbing is that a U.S. Secret Service report conducted in 2002, according to Espalage & Swearer (2003), indicated that “interview-based investigation of the friends, families, and neighbors of 41 school shooters (between 1974-2000) …discovered one commonality among the shooters: 71% had been targets of a bully.” Is it just a coincidence that bullied shooters return to the scene of the crime (i.e. their own bullying) and reverse who the victim(s) and the bully/ies is/are? Starr (2000) lists ten myths according to Olweus, the “Scandinavian grandfather of bullying research”, with research reality that often a target of bullies “is chosen because they are sensitive, anxious, and unable to retaliate.” What happens when the above is a starting point for a targeted victim, and what happens when that victim is subjected to innumerable incidences over long periods of time? Bullying cruelty is visited upon an already compromised individual who is legitimately in their learning environment. The target is aware of how important doing well in their academics is to their immediate and long-term future. This knowledge adds stress upon pained distraction as one’s energies are drained away from an educational focus at school when one is being bullied. History has shown that pushing a target over the edge can have disastrous consequences for the bully, the bully’s target, and anyone unlucky enough in the school environment to be in the line of fire when a shooter returns to seek vengeance. Table 1 shows a timeline covering a period between 1857 and 2005. Included on the timeline are international incidents of school massacres, with massacre data gathered at wikipedia (2006). Please note when looking at the table that in almost every instance of school massacres that the shooters either killed themselves or were killed by law enforcement immediately or shortly after the massacre. Realistically speaking, virtually every one of the shooters knew they were facing their last day on earth. It clearly demonstrates the depth of the injury bullying inflicts upon its victims.

Suggestions for Neutralizing Bullying Behavior

Washington Attorney General Gregoire (2001) was part of the National Association of Attorney Generals’ four (Mississippi, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Arizona) national listening conferences in 1999. “At each conference, the Attorney General met separately with groups of students and administrators, and at most of the conferences she also met with teachers and parents.” Not only did Attorney General Gregoire hear many painful stories from students who have been targets of bullies, she also listened to suggestions by students, teachers, and administrators on what can be done to neutralize bullying behavior. The following is what they suggested:

1) parents need guidance and support; 2) policies, procedures and training to prevent bullying; 3) after-school programs; 4) peer mediation; 5) mentor programs; 6) teaching [fundamental core] values; 7) [more/enough] school counselors; 8) officers on campus; 9) I.D. badges; 10) uniforms and dress codes; 11) breaking the ‘code of silence’ through anonymous tip lines; and 12) security cameras and metal detectors [note: 9-12 were generally accepted only when they were already in place, but not where they were as yet unknown.]

Michigan’s Response to Bullying

In 1999, school anti-bullying policy became a legal requirement across the nation. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s office and other government departments rose to the occasion and put into place several anti-bullying measures. From the State of MI website (mi.gov) Document 1 is the State of Michigan State Board of Education: Policies on Bullying, which states that, “public schools and state education programs … should develop a plan designed to prevent bullying, and develop methods to react to bullying when it occurs… (2001). In July of 2001 the Michigan Department of Education drafted a Model Code of Student Conduct. This code has the capacity to be tailored to what particular parameters may suit the needs of any specific school district. Looking at the Table of Contents that lists Level I, Level II, and Level III Violations, bullying/harassment/intimidation is listed as a Level II Violation. For comparison purposes, other Level II Violations include:

destruction of property, failure to serve assigned detention, false identification, fighting, forgery, fraud, gambling, gang activity, hazing, improper or reckless operation of a motor vehicle, loitering, profanity and/or obscenity toward staff, sexual harassment, theft or possession of stolen property, and threat/coercion.

From the State website is Document 2, which is the Michigan State Board of Education resolution to designate October 14-20, 2001 as “Michigan Safe School Week.” Safe School Week has a motto of ‘Keeping Our Schools Safe’; with a goal, “to motivate key educators, and emergency responders, as well as students, parents, and community leaders to advocate school safety”; talks about the “substantive policies… with the goal of perpetuating safe school environments conducive to learning for all students”; “encourages… promotion, coordination, and judging safe school projects”; and to have the Safe School Projects Best of Show winners be displayed in Lansing during Safe School Week. On March 16, 2006, [please see Document 3] Governor Granholm did a radio address on “Bullying and curriculum legislation.” Her “recipe for success” for schools is: excellent teachers; necessary resources for the schools; “every school should be a safe, positive learning environment”; and urges the passing of

House Bill 5616 and Senate Bill 1156 , bills introduced by Senator Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) and Representative Glenn Anderson (D-Westland), will require that school districts create and adopt policies that prohibit harassment or bullying at school and that they submit their policies to the Michigan Department of Education (Granholm, 2006.)

Summarization

Bullying has its roots in ancient belief systems and is perpetuated by myriad socio-ecological factors. Up until approximately 12 years ago, virtually no research on bullying behaviors had been undertaken aside from one Scandinavian named Olweus. Over the past decade the increasing prevalence and severity of school massacres, with significant links between the shooters and a bully victim history, the public has demanded that the United States and its citizens take the malignant reality of bullying in schools for the serious problem that it is. It is clear that addressing simply the manifestation of bullying behavior in schools is not enough. Pulling together the active involvement and commitment of every member of our society, from students to parents to teachers to school support staff to school administrators to elected officials to university professors to social work students doing research – and beyond our borders, to work collaboratively with seasoned researchers who live in other lands – is not only preferable, it is essential if we can ever hope to make a dent in bullying behavior. Those in positions of authority must model respectful, non-bullying behavior; and exemplify a consistent message throughout the land that bullying is intolerable and unacceptable behavior at school or anywhere else. It is unfortunate that our President sets such a poor example for the rest of us.

References

DiNovi, D. (Producer), & Lehmann, M. (Director). (1989). Heathers [Motion picture]. United States: New World Entertainment.

Eslea, M. (2006). Bullying Powerpoint Presentation. Retrieved June 3, 2006, from http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/psychol/bully/files/bullyingseminar.ppt

Espelage, D., & Swearer, S. (2003). Research on School Bullying and Victimization: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go from Here?. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 365-383.

Gregoire, C., Washington Attorney General (2000). Bruised inside: What our children say about youth violence, what causes it, and what we need to do about it, A Report of the National Association of Attorneys General, April 2000.

Limber, S., & Small, M. (2003). State Laws and Policies to Address Bullying in Schools. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 445-455.

Minogue, K. (2002). A short history of bullying, toadying, and snitching: Kenneth Minogue puts America’s fixation with the schoolyard bully in perspective, Women’s Quarterly, Winter. Retrieved June 3, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IUK/is_2002_Wntr/ai_82802448

Soskis, B. (2001). Bully Pulpit. New Republic, 224(20), 25.

Starr, L., (2000). Sticks and Stones and Names Can Hurt You: De-Myth-tifying the Classroom Bully! Retrieved June 3, 2006 from http://www.education world.com/a_issues/issues102.shtml

State of Michigan Department of Education (2001). Model code of student conduct, pursuant to Public Act 263 of 2000. Retrieved on June 4, 2006 from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/ModelCode_(Last_Final__July_2001)_122885 _7.pdf

State of Michigan website (2001). State of Michigan state board of education: Policies on Bullying. Retrieved on June 3, 2006 from http://www.mi.gov

Watson, H. (2006). Governor urges legislature to act on anti-bullying legislation. Retrieved on June 3, 2006 from http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442-138876--,00.html

Wikipedia (2006). Notable School Massacres. Retrieved on June 4, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings#Notable_school_massacres

List 1. TEN MYTHS ABOUT BULLYING

If teachers are to successfully prevent or eliminate bullying in their classrooms, they need to understand the characteristics of bullies and their victims. According to Olweus, who has been studying those characteristics for 30 years, much of what we have always believed about bullying is wrong -- consequently many of our techniques for dealing with bullies and their victims have simply made the problem worse. Bullies are not, the research indicates, cowardly misfits with low self-esteem. Their victims are rarely chosen because of the color of their hair or skin or the shape of their glasses. And, perhaps most importantly, bullying is not a problem that will go away without adult intervention.

Following are ten myths about bullying that Olweus has identified through his research:

1. THE MYTH: Bullies suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem. They pick on others to make themselves feel more important.
THE RESEARCH: Most bullies have average or above-average self-esteem. They "suffer" from aggressive temperaments, a lack of empathy, and poor parenting.

2. THE MYTH: Bullies are looking for attention. Ignore them and the bullying will stop.
THE RESEARCH: Bullies are looking for control, and they rarely stop if their behavior is ignored. The level of bullying usually increases if the bullying is not addressed by adults.

3. THE MYTH: Boys will be boys.
THE RESEARCH: Bullying is seldom outgrown; it's simply redirected. About 60 percent of boys identified as bullies in middle school commit at least one crime by the time they are 24.

4. THE MYTH: Kids can be cruel about differences.
THE RESEARCH: Physical differences play only a very small role in bullying situations. Most victims are chosen because they are sensitive, anxious, and unable to retaliate.

5. THE MYTH: Victims of bullies need to learn to stand up for themselves and deal with the situation.
THE RESEARCH: Victims of bullies are usually younger or physically weaker than their attackers. They also lack the social skills to develop supportive friendships. They cannot deal with the situation themselves.

6. THE MYTH: Large schools or classes are conducive to bullying.
THE RESEARCH: No correlation has been established between class or school size and bullying. In fact, there is some evidence that bullying may be less prevalent in larger schools where potential victims have increased opportunities for finding supportive friends.

7. THE MYTH: Most bullying occurs off school grounds.
THE RESEARCH: Although some bullying occurs outside of school or on the way to and from school, most occurs on school grounds: in classrooms, in hallways, and on playgrounds.

8. THE MYTH: Bullying affects only a small number of students.
THE RESEARCH: At any given time, about 25 percent of U.S. students are the victims of bullies and about 20 percent are engaged in bullying behavior. The National Association of School Psychologists estimates that 160,000 children stay home from school every day because they are afraid of being bullied.

9. THE MYTH: Teachers know if bullying is a problem in their classes.
THE RESEARCH: Bullying behavior usually takes place out of sight of teachers. Most victims are reluctant to report the bullying for fear of embarrassment or retaliation, and most bullies deny or justify their behavior.

10. THE MYTH: Victims of bullying need to follow the adage, "Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names can never hurt you."
THE RESEARCH: Victims of bullying often suffer lifelong problems with low self-esteem. They are prone to depression, suicide, and other mental health problems throughout their lives.

Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World

From: Sticks and Stones and Names Can Hurt You: De-Myth-tifying the Classroom Bully!

http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues102.shtml retrieved on 6/3/06 at 4:15pm

TABLE 1.

TIMELINE OF SCHOOL MASSACRES

AND RESEARCH PAPERS

ON BULLYING

From 1857-2005

DATE	EVENT, RESEARCH PAPER, OR NUMBER OF RESEARCH PAPERS IN A YEAR	NUMBER OF DEAD *( DENOTES KILLER/S)**
1857	Tom Hughes’ Tom Brown’s School Days published
1900 (1897)	Burk’s “Teasing and Bullying”
5/18/1927	Bath, MI School Disaster/School Massacre	45 dead *
1930	3 papers, one entitled “The social psychology of monkeys
1932	“Bullying amongst birds”
1951	“Dennis the Menace” first appeared
9/15/59	Poe (TX) Elementary School Attack	6 dead *
6/11/64	Cologne (Germany) School Massacre	11 dead *
8/1/66	University of Texas @ Austin tower shooting	16 dead *
1973	Dan Olweus begins a huge Scandinavian project on bullying
5/15/74	Ma’a lot (Israel) School Massacre	26 Israelis, *(unknown # killers dead )
7/12/76	CA State U at Fullerton School Massacre	7 dead
1978	Olweus’ book tr. Into English, Lowenstein publishes 2 short papers
1980	1 paper
1981	1 paper, “What makes a sales winner?”
1983	1 paper
1984	0 papers
1985	7 papers
1986	4 papers
1987	11 papers
1988	6 papers
1989	6 papers
1/17/89	Stockton, CA Massacre	6 dead *
12/6/89	Ecole Polytechnique (Que, CA) School Massacre	15 dead *
1990	6 papers
1991	11 papers
1992	17 papers
1993	22 papers
1994	32 papers
1995	34 papers
1996	49 papers
3/13/96	Dunblane (Scotland) School Massacre	18 dead *
1997	55 papers
3/30/97	Sanaa (Yemen) School Massacre	9 dead *
1998	50 papers
3/24/98	Jonesboro (Arkansas) School Massacre	5 dead (the 2 shooters are now free)
1999	72 papers
4/20/99	Columbine (CO) School Massacre	15 dead *
1999	School Anti-bullying policy becomes a legal requirement
2000	76 papers
2001	96 papers
6/8/01	Osaka (Japan) School Massacre	9 dead *
4/26/02	Erfurt (Germany) School Massacre	17 dead *
9/1/04	Beslan (Russia) School Massacre	344 dead *
3/21/05	Red Lake High School (MN) School Massacre	10 dead *

School massacre information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings#Notable_school_massacres

Retrieved 6/4/06 at 11:35a.m.

Research papers information from Eslea, M (2006)

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/psychol/bully/files/bullyingseminar.ppt

retrieved 6/3/06 at 7:00 p.m.

School Massacre

2007-04-17T12:58:00.000-04:00

Yet another school massacre. Last fall for a class I did a bit of research on them. Condensed from wikipedia is a chronology of them. I will try and remember to post the paper I wrote, on bullying, which was what the paper was on that had me looking at school massacres.

Bath MI School Disaster 5/18/27 45 dead--The Bath School disaster was a series of bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, USA, on May 18, 1927, which killed 45 people and injured 58. Most of the victims were children in second to sixth grades attending the Bath Consolidated School. The bombings comprised the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history, claiming more than three times as many victims as the Columbine High School massacre.

The perpetrator was school board member Andrew Kehoe, who was upset by a property tax that had been levied to fund the construction of the school building. He blamed the additional tax for financial hardships which led to foreclosure proceedings against his farm. These events apparently provoked Kehoe to plan his attack.

On the morning of May 18, Kehoe first killed his wife and then set his farm buildings on fire. As fire fighters arrived at the farm, an explosion rocked the north wing of the school building, killing many of the people inside. Kehoe used a detonator to ignite dynamite and hundreds of pounds of pyrotol which he had secretly planted inside the school over the course of many months. As rescuers started gathering at the school, Kehoe drove up, stopped, and detonated a bomb inside his shrapnel-filled vehicle, killing himself and the school superintendent and killing and injuring several others. During the rescue efforts, searchers discovered an additional 500 pounds (230 kg) of unexploded dynamite and pyrotol planted throughout the basement of the school's south wing.

Poe Elementary School (TX) Attack 9/15/59 6 dead -- On the 15th of September around 10:00 AM, Orgeron and his son approached a teacher who was about to enter one of the classrooms. At the time he was carrying a brown suitcase with unknown contents. The teacher was given two pieces of paper by Orgeron and asked to read them. According to the teacher the papers were completely illegible, and she was unable to understand them. While she tried to read the notes Orgeron mumbled under his breath about "having power in a suitcase," and the will of God.

He asked that all the children gather into a circle around him. The teacher became suspicious after seeing a mysterious button on the bottom of the suitcase. Seeing her distress other teachers joined her and Orgeron was asked to leave school grounds. When he refused the teachers began to evacuate the children away from Orgeron, and shortly thereafter Orgeron detonated the briefcase which was estimated to contain six sticks of dynamite. The explosion claimed six lives, including both Orgeron and his son. Two other students, a custodian and a teacher also perished. [1]

Cologne (Germany) School Massacre 6/11/64 11 dead -- The Cologne School Massacre occurred in a Catholic elementary school in Cologne, Germany on the 11th June, 1964. 42 year old Walter Seifert killed 8 students and 2 teachers and then eventually himself.

On June 11, Seifert took the flame-thrower and lance and entered the schoolyard. After blocking off the main gate, he pointed his flamethrower through a classroom window, setting the classroom - and many of its inhabitants - on fire. He was then confronted by a teacher, Gertrud Bollenrath, whom he stabbed with the lance. Apparently throughout the attack he screamed "I am Adolf Hitler the Second!"

After he left the schoolyard, he swallowed a poisonous insectide in hopes of committing suicide before police could catch him. He was soon apprehended by police, but died in hospital the next day, thus committing suicide.

University of TX at Austin 8/1/66 16 dead Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 - August 1, 1966) is known for ascending The University of Texas at Austin's 27-story tower on August 1, 1966, and shooting passersby in the city and campus below. Whitman killed 15 people and wounded 31 others before he was shot dead by Austin police. Some accounts allege 16 or 17 victims, citing a later suicide stemming from the attacks, and a pregnant woman who subsequently miscarried.

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Ma'alot (Israel) massacre, by DFLP gunmen 5/15/74 26 Israelis dead, unknown #terrorists dead Palestinians based in Lebanon, and subsequently identified as members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a faction affiliated with the PLO, infiltrated into Israel dressed as Israeli soldiers, and stormed "Netiv Meir", an elementary school in Ma'alot, a community in northern Israel, where a group of 100 14-16 year olds were sleeping on the floor after a day spent hiking.

The DFLP members first attacked a van bringing Arab women home from work, killing two women and wounding one. They then entered the town of Ma'alot, killed a family in their apartment and then took over a local school, immediately killing a security guard, a student, and one other person. Some students managed to escape by jumping out of a window, but 90 or so students and some teachers were held as hostages.

The hostage-takers presented their demands the next morning: release 23 Arab and three other political prisoners, including Kozo Okamoto - a Japanese national involved in the 1972 Lod Airport Massacre, from Israeli prisons, or they would kill the students. The deadline was set at 6:00 p.m. the same day.

The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, met in an emergency session, and by 3:00 p.m. a decision was reached to negotiate, but the DFLP members refused a request for more time.

At 5:45 p.m., a unit of the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces group stormed the building. They managed to kill all the hostage takers, but not before they had used guns and explosives to kill some of their hostages. A total of 26 Israelis were killed and more than 60 people were wounded in what became known as the Maalot Massacre[1].

California State University, Fullerton Library Massacre; July 12, 1976 7 dead -- Edward Allaway who, in 1976, walked into the Cal State Fullerton Library basement and shot nine people, killing seven.
Allaway, a CSUF custodian at the time of the killings, was found guilty by reason of insanity in 1977 and has spent the past 27 years in mental institutions.

École Polytechnique Massacre - Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 1989 15 dead On December 6, 1989, Marc Lépine entered the École Polytechnique, affiliated with the Université de Montréal, in Montreal. He went into an engineering class, separated the men from the women, forced out the men at gunpoint, began to scream about how he hated feminists, and then opened fire on the women. Lépine continued his rampage in other parts of the building, opening fire on other women he encountered. He killed 14 women (13 students and one employee of the university) and injured thirteen others before committing suicide.

Marc Lépine had a very troubled childhood including an abusive father and had left a note explaining that he blamed feminism for the failures in his life, including not being accepted into engineering school. However, his failure to gain admission to the Ecole Polytechnique was because he had not completed the necessary prerequisite courses.

During his parents' divorce, his mother told the court at their divorce hearing that her husband, an Algerian immigrant, "had a total disdain for women and believed they were intended only to serve men." After the divorce, he changed his name from Gamil Gharbi to Marc Lépine.

Stockton Massacre - Stockton, California, United States, 1989 6 dead --The Stockton Massacre refers to the killing of five schoolchildren in Stockton, California on January 17, 1989. On that date, Patrick Edward Purdy, a disturbed drifter and former Stockton resident, opened fire on the Cleveland Elementary School playground with a Chinese-made semi-automatic rifle, similar to the AK-47, killing five children and wounding twenty-nine others and a teacher. The victims, Raphanar Or (9), Ran Chun (8), Sokhim An (6), Oeun Lim (8) and Thuy Tran (6), were all Cambodian immigrants, except for Tran who was born in Vietnam. ^[1]

Purdy, who had carved the words "freedom", "victory", and "Hezbollah" on his weapon and written "PLO", "Libya", and "death to the Great Satin" (sic) on his flak jacket, then took his own life.^[2]

Dunblane massacre - Dunblane, Scotland, United Kingdom; 1996 18 dead On Wednesday, March 13, 1996, unemployed former shopkeeper Thomas Hamilton walked in to the school armed with two 9mm Browning HP pistols and two Smith and Wesson .357 revolvers. He was carrying 743 cartridges.

After gaining entry to the school, Hamilton made his way to the gym hall and opened fire on a class of 5-6 year olds, killing or wounding every person present bar one pupil. Fifteen children and a teacher (Mrs Gwen Mayor) died at the scene. Hamilton then fired one shot with one of his two revolvers pointing upwards into his mouth, killing himself instantly. A further fifteen children and three adults were rushed to the hospital as soon as the emergency services arrived; however, one of these children was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Sanaa massacre - Sanaa, Yemen; 1997 9 dead The Sanaa massacre was a school massacre that occurred in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 30, 1997. Mohammad Ahman al-Naziri, 48, attacked hundreds of pupils at two schools, killing six children and two adults with an assault rifle. Naziri, whose five children attended the Tala'i school, alleged that one of his daughters had been raped by the school administrator. No evidence was found of this. This incident however is strikingly different to the school shootings in North America and the U.K. Naziri was sentenced to death the next day and executed on April 5.

Jonesboro massacre - Craighead County (near Jonesboro), Arkansas, United States; March, 1998 5 dead (the 2 shooters are now free) The Jonesboro school massacre occurred on Tuesday, March 24, 1998, in Craighead County, Arkansas, near northwestern Jonesboro. Four female students and a teacher were killed, and nine other students and a teacher were wounded, by two armed middle school boys: Mitchell Johnson, age 13, and Andrew Golden, age 11.

On the morning of the massacre the boys, both dressed in army-style camoflagued clothes, stole a van from Johnson's home, and after loading it with camping supplies, food, and 7 weapons (including two semi-automatic rifles, one bolt-action rifle and four handguns) which had been stolen from their Grandfather's house;

Columbine High School massacre - Jefferson County (near Denver and Littleton), Colorado, United States; April 20, 1999 15 dead The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, near Denver and Littleton. Two teenage students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a shooting rampage, killing 12 fellow students and a teacher, as well as wounding 24 others, before committing suicide. It is considered to be the deadliest school shooting, and the second deadliest attack on a school in United States history after the Bath School disaster.

The massacre provoked debate regarding gun control laws and the availability of firearms in the United States. Much discussion also centered on the nature of high school cliques and bullying, as well as the role of violent movies and video games in American society. Several of the victims who were believed to have been killed for their religious beliefs became a source of inspiration to others, notably Christians, and led some to lament the decline of religion in public education and society in general. The shooting also resulted in an increased emphasis on school security, and a moral panic aimed at goth culture, heavy metal music, social pariahs, the use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by teenagers, violent films and violent video games.^[1] ^[2]

Osaka school massacre - Ikeda, Osaka prefecture, Japan; 6/8/01 9 dead The Osaka School Massacre took place on June 8, 2001, at Ikeda Elementary School, an elite primary school affiliated with Osaka Kyoiku University in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. At 10:15 that morning, 37-year-old former janitor Mamoru Takuma entered the school armed with a kitchen knife and began stabbing numerous school children and teachers. He killed eight children, mostly between the ages of seven and eight, and seriously wounded thirteen other children and two teachers. Takuma was later convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was executed on September 14, 2004.

The Osaka School Massacre was the second largest mass murder in recent Japanese history, exceeded only by the fatalities caused in the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. This incident, however, was set apart by the young age of the victims, by its occurrence at a school, and by the murderer's history of mental illness. Because of these factors, the Osaka School Massacre raised questions in Japan about the country's social policies regarding the treatment of mental illness, the rights of criminals and victims, and the accessibility and security of Japanese schools.

Erfurt massacre - Erfurt, Germany; 4/26/02 17 dead The Erfurt spree killing occurred at the Gutenberg- Gymnasium in Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany, on April 26, 2002.

Robert Steinhäuser, an expelled student aged 19, started the shooting at 11:00 local time. Police learned of the shooting five minutes later. Thirteen teachers, two students (a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy) and a police officer were shot dead by Steinhäuser before he killed himself. Before his suicide, he was confronted by one of his teachers, Reiner Heise, who was said to have stopped Steinhäuser with the words, "Drück ab! Wenn du mich jetzt erschießt, dann guck mir in die Augen!" ("Pull the trigger! If you shoot me, then look me in the eyes!"), Steinhäuser is said to have answered, "Für heute reicht's, Herr Heise!" ("That's enough for today, Mr Heise!"). Heise said he then locked Steinhäuser in an empty classroom where he shot himself.

Beslan school hostage crisis - Beslan, Russia; 2004

The Beslan school hostage crisis (also referred to as the Beslan school siege) began when armed terrorists (most of whom were Chechnyans) took hundreds of school children and adults hostage on September 1, 2004, at School Number One (SNO) in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia. On September 3, 2004, the third day of the standoff, shooting broke out between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces. According to official data, 344 civilians were killed, 186 of them children[1], and hundreds more wounded.

Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev took responsibility for the hostage taking, reportedly led by his principal Ingush deputy Magomet Yevloyev.

Red Lake High School massacre - Red Lake, Minnesota, United States; 3/21/2005 10 dead

The Red Lake High School massacre was a school massacre that took place on Monday, March 21, 2005 in which Jeffrey Weise, a student at Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Beltrami County, Minnesota, killed seven people including a teacher and a security guard. He had previously killed his grandfather and his grandfather's partner at home before going to school to commit the massacre. Seven others were wounded. When police cornered Weise inside the school, he shot and killed himself. Another student believed to be involved in planning the event was arrested one week after the shootings, and there is some expectation of further arrests.

Chocolate Jesus Cancelled as Catholics Threatened Artist

2007-03-31T21:40:00.000-04:00

Chocolate Jesus Cancelled as Catholics Threatened Artist

A planned Holy Week exhibition featuring nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was cancelled after Catholics threatened to kill the artist.

A planned Holy Week exhibition featuring nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was cancelled after Catholics threatened to kill the artist.

Lab Gallery in New York announced the shutdown of the "My Sweet Lord" show after it was inundated with complaints regarding the six-foot confectionary Christ that struck many Catholics as a display of bad taste.

Artist Cosimo Cavallaro is known for his quirky work with food as art. His past efforts include repainting a Manhattan hotel room in melted mozzarella, spraying five tons of pepper jack cheese on a Wyoming home, and festooning a four-poster bed with 312 pounds of processed ham.

The sculpture, made from more than 200 pounds of milk chocolate, presented Christ with his arms outstretched as though nailed to an invisible cross. The Cavallaro creation, in contrast with typical religious portrayals of Christ, did not include a loincloth.

The sculpture was to debut Monday evening, the day after Palm Sunday and just four days before Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit was planned for Easter Sunday.

Milk chocolate Christ infuriated Catholics, including Cardinal Edward Egan, who described it as "a sickening display."

Roger Smith Hotel president James Knowles cited the public outcry in explaining his decision. The calls to the gallery even included death threats over the work of Cavallaro.

"Your response ... is crystal clear and has brought to our attention the unintended reaction of you and other conscientious friends of ours to the exhibition," Knowles wrote in the two-paragraph cancellation notice.

Matt Semler, creative director of the Lab Gallery, resigned in protest, describing criticism of the sculpture as "a Catholic fatwa."

daylight savings time

2007-03-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's paper they talk about bringing it on 3 weeks earlier than usual this year. I forget the reason. I remember a companion article. It says that dst is not good for those who suffer from SAD or midwinter blues because, even though it gives you more daylight at the end of the day, it is the sunlight at the beginning of the day that sets the diurnal clock/mood for us mammals. We start to feel better in the spring not as much because the days are longer as much as because it gets light quicker. By flipping the switch on/off early, the societal gods of when there shall be light have relegated us to 3 more weeks of feeling like shit.

Personal note to self: get up an hour earlier than usual.

Our Prisoner

2007-02-04T10:41:00.000-05:00

The picture with this entry is of Kieran Vogel. Kieran has the honor of being the first prisoner in a web-based reality show meets webcam meets homeless person. I'm sure he is the first of what will be many.

More than once I've wondered how far reality TV would go. I've also often been shocked by the things individuals are willing to do in front of a webcam (don't ask if you don't know). Seeing the article on Our Prisoner in our local paper this morning connected the dots.

Kieran is a 35 year old man who has never earned more than $6,000 in a year. A company who is promoting saveable/untraceable options for people who use their service for email were trying to find a way to draw attention to themselves. Kieran was employed by the company for web design services. Somewhere along the way the idea sprang forth that it would be a good idea to set a house up with video cameras and have those who were watching the cams via the internet vote on what would happen to Kieran each minute of each day for 6 months. If Kieran was able to make it through 6 months of it, he would win the house, $25,000 of the contents of the house, and be given a $60,000 a year job.

Kieran began the challenge on in June of 2006 and completed it in December. From the article in the paper, he may be continuing on beyond for another 6 months, but that isn't made clear when you go to the website (click on the title to find out more about Kieran and for links to the website.)

The reason I'm writing about it is that I'm ambivalent about how I feel about what's going on with Our Prisoner.

My gut impulse is to be shocked and disturbed. Visions of Climbing for Dollars from the old Ahnold, The Running Man, movie come to mind, where a contestant climbs a rope to grab at dollar bills while doberman pinschers are snarling and snapping at the contestant's heels. To what lengths will a desperate person go in order to be given items that each person in a wealthy country like ours should be entitled to if they are willing to work for them, but because of the elite-poor power hierarchy in our country makes it impossible?

The sad fact is that there is no such thing as a free ride, at least not in a society such as ours. In India or China you may be able to sit on the roadside with a bowl and know that someone will happen by with some rice. Existing from day to day with just the clothes on your back and a bowl flows seamlessly with the philosophy and/or religion of Buddhism and Hinduism. However, in this land of ours, where Christianity reigns, the exclusive dichotomy of good and evil says one shall be known by their good works. This isn't just about helping little old ladies across the street. Christianity says productivity is good and idleness is bad. If you cannot produce, there is something wrong with you. If you cannot produce you deserve to be punished. Our Prisoner is about punishing Kieran for his non-productive ways. It's all in the name of fun. Just like we laughed at the contestant who climbed for dollars, we laugh at the indignities Kieran must suffer.

Another, more morbid, part of me wants to see what lengths a desperate person will go to to be handed these items. There are a lot of us have quietly gone to great lengths to be where we are, and those lengths are no more disturbing than the humiliations Kieran suffers in front of the cam. Those of us who have busted our asses for what we have, and what we have been forced to do to get them, at least to some degree, are angry when we see people who never finished high school, have bounced from shitty job to shitty job, and who are drowning in debt, asking those of us who did finish school, got a higher education, and who have budgeted in order to have at least a roof, 4 squares, and reasonable comfort that this will not be taken away from them anytime soon, to have more and more taxes extracted from us to even things out between the two groups. Forcing Kieran to suffer like we have suffered for those items evens things out and that is somehow comforting.

A third perspective is that shows like Our Prisoner herald a new age for humankind, and there's no need to freak out about it. Television, the internet, software/webcam technology, and sociological adaptations stemming from the death of the nuclear family and the abandonment of the American parent from the family home have collaborated to make Our Prisoner a nonsurprising manifestation of the way things are now. So what if some dude wants to put himself at the whim of thousands of voters on a live webcam for 6 months?

Whatever the perspective, Our Prisoner is provocative. What do you think?

rgds,
lisa

check void

2007-01-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

father son chat ... will they ever learn?

2007-01-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

Confessions of an Ex-Sex Kitten

2006-12-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

I read this essay last year. Its simplicity and hsin stuck with me. Cleaning today I ran across the clipping and tried to find it out on in the cyberplasm, without success. I decided it was worth typing into word.

Confessions of an Ex-Sex Kitten

By Lisa Dierbeck

In her teens and 20s, she saw sex as a simple game of conquest – and whoever had the most boys at the end won. Today she’d rather stay home than wake up with a stranger. What changed? Lisa Dierbeck traces her evolution from vamp to veteran.

I don’t believe in casual sex. It’s not that I’m opposed to it exactly, it’s just that – in my own experience – no such thing exists. If it’s not emotional, I’m not interested. For me, sex without feeling is an empty ritual, a cold, mechanical exchange that leaves me lonely and depressed. Given the choice between that and solitude, I prefer to be alone.

Even the phrase “casual sex” has a hollow ring that bothers me. It’s a contradiction in terms. Where’s the casual part? I’ve thrown casual dinner parties, serving Chinese takeout on paper plates. I’ve worn casual clothes to plush offices on Fridays. But applied to relationships, casual is a code word for apathy. If someone says, “This is only physical,” my translation is: “I don’t care about you.” Forget casual. The more accurate word is heartless.

Sex strikes me as too intense a venture to be taken lightly. Thrilling and uncertain, it involves baring your soul, not just tearing off your clothes. Because sexuality is a powerful, anarchic force over which we have little control, it’s soothing to pretend it’s no big deal. I used to be blasé about it. I treated sex like a swimming pool. Instead of hesitating, I always plunged right in. Now, as a reformed tramp at 40, I look back at my wild ways and wonder what planet I was on. I have more respect for sex, its hazards and surprises. Watch out for that sweet dark-eyed hunk at the watercooler; he may turn out to be a mean, manipulative jerk. And if you’re hell-bent on a casual liaison, you might miss that shy, bespectacled geek at your local library who could set your heart aflame and worship you. Either way, a sexual experience is unpredictable. Offering a rare chance to feel transcendence – an ecstatic state that transports people outside themselves – the sexual embrace has a strong spiritual side. Whatever happens, having sex with someone changes you.

I didn’t always think this. For a long time, I saw sex without strings as the key to independence. I was raised in 1970s New York, a rollicking, amoral, sex-crazed place. The decade introduced freedoms undreamed of by my grandmother Lillian, who’d been taught to close her eyes chastely during intercourse and contemplate her rose garden. Claiming the right to an appetite was a critical step forward for women. But in our eagerness to take the guilt out of sex and let it be natural and healthy, we might have gotten a little carried away. During my childhood, the rules were suspended while the Sexual Revolution swept through town. Our teenage sisters lurked in hotel lobbies, stalking rock stars. Our moms and dads frolicked at key parties. Our high school teachers took their students to bed, and no one got sued or fired. My friends and I roamed the streets of Manhattan incautiously, a reckless pack of underage girls dressed to kill, in platform shoes and hot pants. My single burning ambition was to be a sex kitten. As ambitions go, it was pretty easy to accomplish.

It took me many years to figure out that I wasn’t who I was pretending to be. Outwardly, I’d become a bold, brazen adventuress who made a habit of propositioning men she hardly knew. I’d hand my phone number to a guy at a party, arrange to meet him on his doorstep, spend an hour or two in his apartment, and slip away. Every time I did this, I felt a curious combination of victory and devastation. I was afraid of something that I couldn’t pinpoint, and I wasn’t nearly as frisky and footloose as I acted. I was a confused young woman who had trouble trusting men. Easy sex was a tactic to keep men at arm’s length by treating them as conquests. If this sounds like something a guy might do, it was. Alarmed by the power imbalance between men and women, I thought sleeping around would even up the score. I wore my sexuality like a protective suit of armor. My swaggering bravado was a put-on. I led a rather sad, disconnected life – until I mustered up the courage to let my guard down. I can’t help wondering now if maybe there are some women out there, like me, putting on this same kind of act, suppressing their passion and vulnerability. I believe women today are under pressure to reinvent them, to conform to a bed-hopping, no-strings ethos that’s in vogue.

Now that the love affair has been replaced by the booty call, it’s fashionable to treat sex as something without weight or meaning. Our aggressively modern culture has chipped away at our collective faith in romance. Decades ago, The Joy of Sex made history with its illustrated, step-by-step recipes for lovemaking. It was a useful, practical source of information, except for one colossal error. Unlike cooking, sex isn’t a hobby. People aren’t playthings. They’re richly intricate creatures full of good and evil impulses, psychological conflicts and contradictions. Sometimes we insist upon a “casual relationship” to deny the uncomfortable truth: Sex is complicated.

As a society, we’ve tried to simplify things by separating physical pleasure from emotional attachment. At the same time, we’ve started to confuse sexiness with physical perfection. While we’re running off to our plastic surgeons for Boot injections and beast implants, we’ve forgotten that what’s really sexy can’t be bottled. It’s an inner spark that’s as distinctive as your personality. Being hot is a state of mind, and it’s subjective. It takes two to generate heat. Desire demands emotion.

In fact, the alchemy of attraction is so personal and inexplicable, no one fully understands it. Poets, playwrights, and novelists have spent centuries trying to grasp it. A how-to guide can teach you how to have a bigger, better orgasm. A vial of Viagra can “enhance performance” so you can sex around the clock. But there’s no secret formula for what floats your boat, or who. Ever since I stopped leaving my heart on the bedside table, I’ve thought of sex as mystical. Romantics like me may be an endangered species, but instead of trying to blend in at the swingers’ parties, let’s stand up and be counted.

---

Lisa Dierbeck is the author of One Pill Makes You Smaller (Picador). She lives in Brooklyn. This essay was published in the April 2005 issue of O The Oprah Magazine.

click on the subject title to see more information about Lisa's novel.

munising, mi, september 2006

2006-09-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

have you heard of pictured rocks in munising? if you look at the piece of land on the far right, you will see a portion of them. the body of water is a bay. at the bottom of the bay are intact shipwrecks that you can see if you take a glass bottomed boat out there and know where to look. there is also a 5,000 year old standing forest at the bottom of the bay. the water is too cold year-round to support the kinds of organisms that biodegrade wood.

this is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

p.s. picture taken with younger son's new camera -- a camera without a viewfinder...

Author Michael Ondaatje

2006-08-13T11:02:00.000-04:00

What can I say about Michael Ondaatje except that he is in my top 5 authors list. There is no one who can convey what it means to be human and struggling with what being human challenges us to struggle with.

Mr. Ondaatje does this ........and more. He creates worlds of times gone by, but from perspectives you've never been shown before. He lends depth and texture to historical events we've been spoonfed in history books written by the ruling race and gender. Don't get me wrong! He is not on a reparations or PC crusade. Forget about the author's ego or political agenda.

I first became aware of Mr. Ondaatje's existence after watching the credits of The English Patient. Later, a friend of mine -- hi Zhoubu, wherever you are! -- quoted a passage from the book that was also a scene in the movie. It was right then and there that I craved to read more. And I did. So far I've read, The English Patient, Coming Through Slaughter, The Skin of a Lion, and Anil's Ghost. What can I say except that each one of these works is achingly exquisite. If you feel like you've detached from your feelings or are in danger of becoming jaded by the weariness of modern society, take a journey through one of these novels.

The jacket cover of Anil's Ghost.

YES YES YES. NO to PIPELINE

2006-08-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

Judge says no to Lake Michigan pipeline

Saturday, August 12, 2006

By Jeff Alexander

A state court has rejected Nugent Sand Co.'s bid to build a 600-foot-long wastewater pipeline through a 4,000-year-old Lake Michigan dune.

Ingham County Circuit Judge William E. Collette this week sided with Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven Chester, who ruled last December that Nugent's proposed pipeline violated the state's Sand Dune Protection Act.

Nugent Sand owner Bob Chandonnet has until the end of August to appeal Collette's ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Chandonnet could not be reached for comment.

For now, the controversial pipeline plan is dead.

"This is fantastic news," said Darlene DeHudy, a Norton Shores resident and vice president of Muskegon Save Our Shoreline Inc.

Muskegon City Commissioner Kevin Davis, who lobbied against Nugent's pipeline, called the court ruling "a victory for Muskegon, Michigan and the planet."

DEQ spokesman Bob McCann said Chester, a Muskegon County native, was pleased with the judge's ruling.

"We're pleased that the judge has affirmed the importance of protecting Michigan's critical dunes," McCann said. "These dunes are important resources to the state's environment and ecology and we need to do everything we can to protect them."

The court ruling does not affect Nugent's operations at its longtime mining site at 2925 Lincoln in Norton Shores. The DEQ in May issued Nugent a permit that allows the firm to mine sand at that site through 2011.

Nugent Sand sought a state permit to build the pipeline so it could discharge 8 million gallons per day of treated wastewater from its sand-cleaning process into Lake Michigan. Company officials said they needed the pipeline to lower the water level in a manmade lake Nugent created at its mining site; the company wants to build a 65-home development around the lake called Dune Harbor Estates.

Nugent officials have said they were surprised when the water level in the man-made lake rose six feet after mining ceased on the south portion of its 440-acre site.

A DEQ administrative law judge sided with Nugent and recommended allowing the pipeline, but Chester overruled him last December.

Chester has said the firm created the water level problem and, therefore, should resolve it on its own land -- not by building a wastewater pipeline through a state-protected dune.

Chester said Nugent could have solved its high-water problem by building fewer houses around the man-made lake, and still earn a profit of up to $1.9 million.

Nugent officials claimed Chester's refusal to allow the pipeline to be built denied the company its right to a reasonable use of the property.

Collette disagreed.

"Dune Harbor Estates' position is essentially that landowners are entitled to whatever benefits they desire to realize from the use of their land, and that the Sand Dune Act must ultimately accommodate landowners' desired uses," Collette said in his 15-page ruling. "Not only does this largely defeat the purpose of environmental legislation in general, it is inconsistent with the language of the (sand dune) statute itself."

Collette agreed with the DEQ's claim that the pipeline and a 400-square-foot rock pile Nugent wanted to build on the Lake Michigan beach as part of the pipeline project constituted a structure and was subject to regulation under the sand dune law.

And Collette accepted Chester's argument that the pipeline and rock structure would cause erosion that could irreparably harm the dune.

Collette rejected Nugent's argument that the pipeline and rock pile wouldn't harm the dune because they would only affect a fraction of dunes that stretch for miles along the coast.

"If environmental legislation was only understood to reach those activities that are so egregious they affect the entire ecosystem instantly, the government would have almost no ability to regulate precisely those environmental harms that most demand governmental response: environmental degradation that is not so severe as to immediately and noticeably impact the environment and that would likely be left unchecked until irreversible harm had been done without active government intervention and regulation," Collette said.

Chester said Nugent could have solved its high-water problem by building fewer houses around the man-made lake, and still earn a profit of up to $1.9 million.

Nugent officials claimed Chester's refusal to allow the pipeline to be built denied the company its right to a reasonable use of the property.

Collette disagreed.

And Collette accepted Chester's argument that the pipeline and rock structure would cause erosion that could irreparably harm the dune.

Collette rejected Nugent's argument that the pipeline and rock pile wouldn't harm the dune because they would only affect a fraction of dunes that stretch for miles along the coast.

To read the actual judge’s ruling go to:

http://www.mlive.com/muchronicle/documents/20060811_nugent_sandruling.pdf

The Sun Magazine

2006-08-10T22:54:00.000-04:00

Click on the title to take you to the website for this magazine. I've gotten 2 issues so far. The writing is superb. It's downright spiritual in its immanence. When you get to the website, if you click on Men are from Earth ... and So Are Women you'll be able to read an excerpt from the interview I read tonight, with a Jungian analyst. She has a lens well worth examining. Check it out and let me know what you think.

I'm a Pepper

2006-08-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

Or should I say a pepper is growing in the back yard?

All of these years of gardening have been exclusively growing flowers and ornamental trees, shrubs, and grasses (and a feeble attempt at growing ginseng). Younger son obliquely inspired my trying something different this year.

Every year younger son grows peppers at his dad's house and ends up bringing a couple of them over here.

This spring, while younger son was still gone to college, I decided to order him a packet of mixed hot pepper seeds. When he came home I gave him the packet. He said his dad wasn't going to have a garden this year. So... I didn't want the pepper seeds to languish or not be used to their potential.

I got a couple of pie tins and managed to sprout them, albeit a bit later than they should have been sprouted. It was already past frost so the sprouting took place outside. When they actually made it to the seedling level and growing their second set of leaves, I planted them in an oblong container that used to have flowers in it but only was growing weeds.

Using Osmocote, which is a coated, pelleted, time-released fertilizer (I **highly** recommend it-- or the form of it anyway --as the preferable, non-polluting and optimal maximization of fertilizer) and lots of sunshine and enough water, even through this drought we've been having, the plants have been thriving beyond my wildest imagining! This week has been the best so far, when I examined the plants and see a tiny pepper, maybe 1/4 the size of a pinky nail, growing. There are lots and lots of blossoms on the plants, and the container sits next to a patch of bee balm, so I'm hoping to see more peppers growing in the near future.

Since my camera gave up the ghost about a year ago, I will have to have older son take a pic, or break down and buy another camera. Hopefully there will be a picture or two to post.

many of these are zen -- and hilarious

2006-07-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.

Here are last year's winners.....

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its
two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and
breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer
without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come
from experience, like a guy who went blind because
he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes
with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country
speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking
at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a
pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli,
and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound
a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated
because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a
surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way
a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag
filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had
an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another
city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots
when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced
across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains,
one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m traveling at 55 mph, the other
from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences
that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds
who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the
East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only
one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this
plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating
for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either,
but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land
mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender
leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with
power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells,
as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Did Everest Climber Sharp Have to Die?

2006-07-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

Did Everest Climber Sharp Have to Die?

Questions and Recrimi-
nations Remain

By ALLEN G. BREED and BINAJ GURUBACHARYA

KATMANDU, NEPAL Jul 16, 2006 (AP)— Down from Everest's summit in the advance base camp, exhausted climbers returned to congratulations, drinks and blessed rest after the day's conquests.

But David Sharp, last spotted hours earlier near the mountain's pinnacle, was not among them that evening, May 14. Still, the experienced climbers who were his friends were not overly concerned.

Dave Watson assumed his friend had crawled into an unoccupied tent at one of the high camps to rest. Sharp had turned around just shy of the summit twice before, so Watson knew the Briton was a smart climber. But he also knew Sharp thought of this as his last trip to Everest and was determined not to leave in defeat.

He remembered a remark Sharp had made several days earlier while acclimatizing at the camp. Other climbers were snapping photos, but he told Watson he was saving the film in his disposable camera.

"I've got all the pictures I need," he'd said, "except for the summit."

Around 11:10 p.m., while many in the camp slept, on the mountain's highest reaches another group began its summit push.

Mark Woodward, a guide for Himalayan Experience, was escorting a camera crew filming fellow New Zealander Mark Inglis' bid to become the first double amputee to reach the summit. Shortly before 1 a.m., at about 27,760 feet, the group reached a rock alcove where Woodward knew they would find "Green Boots" the frozen Indian climber who'd died there 10 years earlier. Woodward turned to warn a client when he got a shock: There was a second pair of boots protruding from the cave.

In the glare of his headlamp, Woodward could see a man, still clipped onto the red-and-blue guide rope, sitting to the right of the dead Indian, his arms wrapped around his knees. He had no oxygen mask on, and ice crystals had formed on his closed eyelashes.

Cameraman Mark Whetu yelled at him to get moving, but there was no response.

"The poor guy's stuffed," Woodward thought, believing the man was in a hypothermic coma and beyond help.

No one radioed down to expedition leader Russell Brice about a rescue. After pausing just long enough to unclip from the rope, pass Sharp and clip back in, the group trudged on.

About 20 minutes later, a group of Turkish climbers from Middle East Technical University's mountaineering club reached the alcove and also saw Sharp. The group's Sherpa, Lapka, urged the climber to get up and keep moving.

Sharp did not speak, but waved them off.

Others among the three dozen or so climbers attempting the summit that day assumed Sharp was "Green Boots," or didn't notice him at all.

Maxime Chaya had been first up the mountain that day and had passed the notch before the others, but had noticed no one. The beam from his headlamp was weak, and Chaya was focused on his goal of becoming the first Lebanese citizen to summit Everest.

Climbing with a young Sherpa named Dorjee who was also making his first summit attempt, Chaya reached the top at 5:50 a.m., just in time to see the sun rise. At this altitude, you can see the curvature of the Earth, and the light hitting the lesser peaks appeared like an arc of flame.

Chaya stripped off two of his three layers of mittens and gloves for a photo of himself flashing the victory sign, just before his camera froze. The temperature was minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit as he and Dorjee headed back down.

Please click on the title to take you to the rest of the story…

Male Scientist Writes of Life as Female Scientist

2006-07-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

Biologist Who Underwent Sex Change Describes Biases Against Women

By Shankar Vedantam

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 13, 2006; Page A10

Neurobiologist Ben Barres has a unique perspective on former Harvard president Lawrence Summers's assertion that innate differences between the sexes might explain why many fewer women than men reach the highest echelons of science.

That's because Barres used to be a woman himself.

In a highly unusual critique published yesterday, the Stanford University biologist -- who used to be Barbara -- said his experience as both a man and a woman had given him an intensely personal insight into the biases that make it harder for women to succeed in science.

After he underwent a sex change nine years ago at the age of 42, Barres recalled, another scientist who was unaware of it was heard to say, "Ben Barres gave a great seminar today, but then his work is much better than his sister's."

And as a female undergraduate at MIT, Barres once solved a difficult math problem that stumped many male classmates, only to be told by a professor: "Your boyfriend must have solved it for you."

"By far," Barres wrote, "the main difference I have noticed is that people who don't know I am transgendered treat me with much more respect" than when he was a woman. "I can even complete a whole sentence without being interrupted by a man."

Barres said the switch had given him access to conversations that would have excluded him previously: "I had a conversation with a male surgeon and he told me he had never met a woman surgeon who was as good as a man."

Barres's salvo, bolstered with scientific studies, marks a dramatic twist in a controversy that began with Summers's suggestion last year that "intrinsic aptitude" may explain why there are relatively few tenured female scientists at Harvard. After a lengthy feud with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Summers resigned earlier this year.

The episode triggered a fierce fight between those who say talk of intrinsic differences reflects sexism that has held women back and those who argue that political correctness is keeping scientists from frankly discussing the issue.

While there are men and women on both sides of the argument, the debate has exposed fissures along gender lines, which is what makes Barres so unusual. Barres said he has realized from personal experience that many men are unconscious of the privileges that come with being male, which leaves them unable to countenance talk of glass ceilings and discrimination.

Barres's commentary was published yesterday in the journal Nature. The scientist has also recently taken his argument to the highest reaches of American science, crusading to make access to prestigious awards more equitable.

In an interview, Nancy Andreasen, a well-known psychiatrist at the University of Iowa, agreed with Barres. She said it took her a long time to convince her husband that he got more respect when he approached an airline ticket counter than she did. When she stopped sending out research articles under her full name and used the initials N.C. Andreasen instead, she said, the acceptance rate of her publications soared.

Andreasen, one of the comparatively few women who have won the National Medal of Science, said she is still regularly reminded she is female. "Often, I will be standing in a group of men, and another person will come up and say hello to all the men and just will not see me, because in a professional setting, men are not programmed to see women," she said. "Finally, one of the men will say, 'I guess you haven't met Nancy Andreasen,' and then the person will turn bright red and say, 'Oh Nancy, nice to see you!' "

Summers did not respond to a request for an interview. But two scientists Barres lambasted along with Summers said the Stanford neurobiologist had misrepresented their views and unfairly tarred those who disagree with crude assertions of racism and sexism. Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker and Peter Lawrence, a biologist at Britain's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, said convincing data show there are differences between men and women in a host of mental abilities.

While bias could be a factor in why there were fewer women at the pinnacles of science, both argued that this was not a primary factor.

Pinker, who said he is a feminist, said experiments have shown, on average, that women are better than men at mathematical calculation and verbal fluency, and that men are better at spatial visualization and mathematical reasoning. It is hardly surprising, he said, that in his own field of language development, the number of women outstrips men, while in mechanical engineering, there are far more men.

"Is it essential to women's progress that women be indistinguishable from men?" he asked. "It confuses the issue of fairness with sameness. Let's say the data shows sex differences. Does it become okay to discriminate against women? The moral issue of treating individuals fairly should be kept separate from the empirical issues."

Lawrence said it is a "utopian" idea that "one fine day, there will be an equal number of men and women in all jobs, including those in scientific research."

He said a range of cognitive differences could partly account for stark disparities, such as at his own institute, which has 56 male and six female scientists. But even as he played down the role of sexism, Lawrence said the "rat race" in science is skewed in favor of pushy, aggressive people -- most of whom, he said, happen to be men.

"We should try and look for the qualities we actually need," he said. "I believe if we did, that we would choose more women and more gentle men. It is gentle people of all sorts who are discriminated against in our struggle to survive."

Barres and Elizabeth Spelke, a Harvard psychologist who has publicly debated Pinker on the issue, say they have little trouble with the idea that there are differences between the sexes, although some differences, especially among children, involve biases among adults in interpreting the same behavior in boys and girls.

And both argue it is difficult to tease apart nature from nurture. "Does anyone doubt if you study harder you will do better on a test?" Barres asked. "The mere existence of an IQ difference does not say it is innate. . . . Why do Asian girls do better on math tests than American boys? No one thinks they are innately better."

In her debate with Pinker last year, Spelke said arguments about innate differences as explanations for disparities become absurd if applied to previous eras. "You won't see a Chinese face or an Indian face in 19th-century science," she said. "It would have been tempting to apply this same pattern of statistical reasoning and say, there must be something about European genes that give rise to greater mathematical talent than Asian genes."

"I think we want to step back and ask, why is it that almost all Nobel Prize winners are men today?" she concluded. "The answer to that question may be the same reason why all the great scientists in Florence were Christian."

Mars Event

2006-07-14T23:33:00.000-04:00

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

This month  and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an
encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the 
two planets in recorded history. 

The next time Mars may come this close is
in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on  
Mars and perturbs its orbit,  astronomers can only be 
certain  that Mars has not come this close to Earth 
in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as  
60,000 years before it happens  again. 

The encounter will  culminate on August 27th when
Mars  comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and
will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in  
the night sky. It will attain a  magnitude of -2.9
and will appear  25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest
75-power magnification  

Mars  will look as large as the full moon to the naked  eye.  
Mars  will be easy to spot. At the
beginning of August it will rise in the east at  10p.m.  
and  reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m. 

By the end of August when the  two planets are
closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its  
highest point in the sky at  12:30a.m. That's pretty
convenient  to see something that no human being has 
seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar  at
the beginning of August to see  Mars grow 
progressively brighter  and brighter throughout the 
month.  
Share  this with your children and  grandchildren.

ink therapy for jews?

2006-07-14T17:20:00.000-04:00

The following is a new look at old things: being Jewish and tattoos. What better way to immortalize the immortal persecution Jews across the globe have suffered than through tattoos.

At the trauma speaker presentation a couple of weeks ago, Colin Ross, a psychiatrist who is a pioneer in trauma therapy, listened when some patients told him that they would never let go of their traumatic experiences because by letting them go there would be nothing left as a tribute to the horrors they had suffered. The memories of the trauma were what made them immortal.

I can see where the victims are coming from. Parents who wouldn't listen, law enforcement personnel who did nothing, school personnel who didn't notice, neighbors who heard the screams but never picked up a phone to dial 911, relatives who knew but didn't want to make waves with the rest of the family, etc etc etc.

Jews have been trauma victims through the ages. They can never let the memories go, for many of the same, or similar, reasons to the above. Who is to say that putting the memories on the outside, on their bodies, won't work.

==================
click on the title to take you to where this came from. more info is on a blog entry in eye qi as well.
==================

Jenni Miller knows a lot about tattooed Jews and not only because she's dated so many. So when she recommended I write about the documentary Tattoo Jew, I called in a favor and made her take time from her corporate job and busy freelance schedule to write about a film that's of interest to the tattoo community, regardless of faith.

I first learned about Tattoo Jew in September 2004 when I found a copy of Skin and Ink with a teaser on the cover that read "JEWS WITH TATTOOS: CHANGING WITH THE TIMES." I snapped that sucker up and scampered home to read it as I have a rather vested interest in such things myself. The article was written by Andy Abrams, one of the film's creators, who has a degree in anthropology and is also Jewish, which gives this unique project a complex identity itself.

What was, and still is, so exciting to me about this documentary isn't just the footage of hot Jewish boys with tattoos, but that it explores why more and more Jews are getting tattooed and how that intersects with their sense of self and their relationship to Jewish culture and religion. These aren't Jews with a small butterfly discreetly hidden on one buttock (though power to y'all too). These are people who are bucking cultural traditions by getting heavily and visibly tattooed with artwork that is deeply intertwined with their identity, faith, and in some cases, politics.

One interviewee, Marina Vainshtein, has some of the most jarring tattoos I've ever seen -- massive greywork portraying images of the Holocaust, including a number on her forearm surrounded by flames. The personal is very political when your beliefs are written on your body.

Granted, the title of this article is somewhat of a misnomer, as even a tiny tattoo on a semi-visible spot like an ankle can send your Bubbe into conniptions, but Abrams and his partner Justin Dawson are making what I hope to be an excellent anthropological and personal study of a fascinating subset of gloriously adorned individuals.

You can download the film's trailer on their website as well as view photos. You can also find Tattoo Jew and a huge network of illustrated Jews and friends on MySpace.

Jenni Miller has written for a variety of technology publications and for BUST magazine, as well as other projects she prefers to keep under wraps.

http://www.needled.com/archives/2005/08/guest_blog_tatt.php

alaskan adventure

2006-07-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

I met the woman and her boyfriend last year when I played flag football with her. He would show up to practices with his ingredients for making chain mail and would work on that while we practiced. She is an outstanding athlete and played many many sports throughout high school and college. They met in a tattoo parlor he was working at, when she went in to get a tattoo.

After the final season of flag football was over for me, I had lost touch with them. One day I got an email from her, saying that the two of them are now in Alaska, working for a company that takes people on dogsled adventures. This was surprising, but not really that surprising. They are neat people and both of them have the spirit of adventure flowing through them. Here are a couple of the most recent pictures they sent.

Crystal Skulls

2006-07-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Introduction

Skulls are humanity's foremost symbol of death, and a powerful icon in the visual vocabularies of cultures all over the globe. Thirteen crystal skulls of apparently ancient origin have been found in parts of Mexico, Central America and South America, comprising one of the most fascinating subjects of 20th Century archaeology.

...

The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull

The most widely celebrated and mysterious crystal skull is the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, for at least two good reasons. First, it is very similar in form to an actual human skull, even featuring a fitted removable jawbone. Most known crystal skulls are of a more stylized structure, often with unrealistic features and teeth that are simply etched onto a single skull piece.
Second, it is impossible to say how the Mitchell-Hedges skull was constructed. From a technical standpoint, it appears to be an impossible object which today's most talented sculptors and engineers would be unable to duplicate.

The discovery of this baffling artifact is a controversial matter. It was brought into prominence by British explorer F. A. Mitchell-Hedges, who claimed that his daughter unearthed it in 1924. Mitchell-Hedges led an expedition in the ancient Mayan ruins of Lubaantun, in Belize (then British Honduras), searching for evidence of Atlantis.

The story goes that his daughter, Anna, was rummaging inside a structure believed to have once been a temple, when she found the beautifully carved cranium of the crystal skull. It was lacking its jawbone, but the matching mandible was found three months later, some 25 feet away from the first discovery. Mitchell-Hedges claimed that he refused to take the skull away, and offered it to the local priests, but the Mayans gave the skull back to him as a gift upon his departure.

It now appears that this tale of the skull's discovery was entirely fabricated. Mitchell-Hedges apparently purchased the skull at an auction at Sothebys in London, in 1943. This has been verified by documents at the British Museum, which had bid against Mitchell-Hedges for the crystal artifact.

This revelation is consistent with the known history of Mitchell-Hedges's involvement with the skull. There are no photographs of the skull among those that were taken during his Lubaatun expedition, and there is no documentation of Mitchell-Hedges displaying or even acknowledging the skull prior to 1943.

The skull remains in the possession of the octogenarian Anna Mitchell-Hedges. She resides in Canada and displays the skull on frequent tours. Anna has maintained for all these years that she discovered the skull, even though there is reason to doubt that she was present at the Lubaatun expedition at all.

The Mitchell-Hedges skull is made of clear quartz crystal, and both cranium and mandible are believed to have come from the same solid block. It weighs 11.7 pounds and is about five inches high, five inches wide, and seven inches long. Except for slight anomalies in the temples and cheekbones, it is a virtually anatomically correct replica of a human skull. Because of its small size and other characteristics, it is thought more closely to resemble a female skull -- and this has led some to refer to the Mitchell-Hedges skull as a "she."

The Mitchell-Hedges family loaned the skull to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories for extensive study in 1970. Art restorer Frank Dorland oversaw the testing at the Santa Clara, California, computer equipment manufacturer, a leading facility for crystal research. The HP examinations yielded some startling results.

Researchers found that the skull had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal. Modern crystal sculptors always take into account the axis, or orientation of the crystal's molecular symmetry, because if they carve "against the grain," the piece is bound to shatter -- even with the use of lasers and other high-tech cutting methods.

To compound the strangeness, HP could find no microscopic scratches on the crystal which would indicate it had been carved with metal instruments. Dorland's best hypothesis for the skull's construction is that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds, and then the detail work was meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water. The exhausting job -- assuming it could possibly be done in this way -- would have required man-hours adding up to 300 years to complete.

Under these circumstances, experts believe that successfully crafting a shape as complex as the Mitchell-Hedges skull is impossible; as one HP researcher is said to have remarked, "The damned thing simply shouldn't be."

Click on the title to take you to more crystal skulls. Fascinating to say the least.

What Is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

2006-06-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters which provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm's yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season's harvest. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season. Becoming a member creates a responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown and those who grow it.

This mutually supportive relationship between local farmers, growers and community members helps create an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce, often at below retail prices. In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse selection of crops.

CSA reflects an innovative and resourceful strategy to connect local farmers with local consumers; develop a regional food supply and strong local economy; maintain a sense of community; encourage land stewardship; and honor the knowledge and experience of growers and producers working with small to medium farms. CSA is a unique model of local agriculture that has developed from many different influences. More than 30 years ago in Japan, a group of women concerned about the increase in food imports and the corresponding decrease in the farming population initiated a direct growing and purchasing relationship between their group and local farms. This arrangement, called "teikei" in Japanese, translates to "putting the farmers' face on food." A similar community farming approach has been successful in Europe. A variation of this concept traveled from Europe to the U.S. via the biodynamic community. This method was adapted locally and given the name "Community Supported Agriculture" at Indian Line Farm, Massachusetts, in 1985. There are now over 1000 CSA farms across the US and Canada.

http://www.umassvegetable.org/food_farming_systems/csa/index.html

CSA Farm Profiles

These CSA profiles are part of an ongoing study begun by the UMass Extension program in 1994. The ten CSA farms highlighted below represent a variety of farm sizes, locations, products, ownership models, and communities served. They have all been in operation for ten years or more.

http://www.umassvegetable.org/food_farming_systems/csa/farm_profiles.html

Mahaiwe Harvest CSA, Housatonic, MA
Intervale Community Farm, Burlington, VT
Willow Pond Farm, Sabbatus, ME
Someday Farm CSA, East Dorset, VT
Local Harvest CSA, New Hampshire
Buttermilk Falls Organic Farm, Schaghtioke, NY
Food Bank Farm, Hadley, MA
Roxbury Farm CSA, Kinderhook, NY
Caretaker Farm, Williamstown, MA
Luna Bleu Farm, VT

the new jung?

2006-06-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

John Bradshaw is the man who began the healing the inner child movement. I went to a 10-week workshop based on his book, Healing the Inner Child, back in 1993 or 1994. At that time I went back and visited myself at various ages and beamed healing messages and energy to them.

Yesterday I went to a seminar on trauma therapy for children and adolescents. The speaker, Colin Ross http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Institute_for_Psychological_Trauma
has some very VERY interesting theories on trauma in kids and how that unresolved trauma continues to rule our lives. Part of what he was saying sounded very much like what Bradshaw talks about with healing the inner child.

Ross takes it a step further and puts the inner child in context. Further, he does not focus on healing the inner child as much as he focuses on helping adults to "grieve for the parents they never had."

Mark my words: Ross' trauma theory is a key that opens doors.

Bush shows his sensitive side, telling blind journalist: 'I'm interested in the shade look'

2006-06-17T22:28:00.000-04:00

By Rupert Cornwell in Washington

Published: 16 June 2006

Bantering with the reporters who cover him, and assigning them nicknames, is part of George Bush's style. But at his White House press conference this week the joking went a shade too far.

"Are you going to ask that question with shades on?" the President playfully inquired of Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times, who had asked Mr Bush what he had learnt from the CIA leak imbroglio. The reporter offered to take them off but Mr Bush pressed on. "I'm interested in the shade look, seriously," he said, noting for good measure that "there's no sun". Deftly Mr Wallsten replied, "I guess it depends on your perspective." "Touché," Mr Bush said, in a rare lapse into French. But beneath the give-and-take lies a more serious tale. Mr Wallsten, it transpires, is partly blind as a result of macular degeneration, and has to wear sunglasses to protect his eyes from glare.

Mr Bush, it must be said, had no idea of this. On being informed later, he called the reporter to apologise. "He said he was sorry, he didn't know, he felt bad about it," Mr Wallsten said. "I told him he didn't need to apologise, I wasn't offended." Mr Bush then told him, apparently, "it's a sign of affection when I needle you guys", and Mr Wallsten assured him in return that he wanted to be treated in exactly the same way as his colleagues. Next time however, the President promised, "I'll use a different needle". But make no mistake, the needling and the nicknames will continue. Seating plans at Presidential press conferences are meticulous, and Mr Bush knows exactly who is where. Soon familiar faces are assigned names.

The Associated Press man is called "AP Person". The 6ft 6in Richard Keil of Bloomberg News is "Stretch" - though anyone who is super-tall qualifies. Mr Bush is wont to refer to a 6ft 5in television reporter as "Little Stretch", and to an even taller former member of the White House press corps as "Super Stretch". The technique works at several levels. For ordinary Americans who find themselves watching a Bush news conference, the repartee - coupled with the frequent lapses in the presidential syntax - serves to humanise him. This ability to come across as a "regular guy" is one of Mr Bush's most valuable political weapons.

Meanwhile, the reporter on the receiving end of the teasing finds it harder to ask a tough question. Brushing aside the familiarities can come across as graceless and even insulting, given a President's position as not only head of government but head of state as well. In Britain, it's easy to be cheeky to Tony Blair - far less so to the Queen.

Finally, Mr Bush's joking is a subtle, slightly condescending assertion of primacy. He may be smiling, and the reporter may at first feel flattered by this evidence of intimacy with the most powerful man on the planet.

But you cannot miss the edge. In the past this President has made little secret of his basic scorn for the media. Mr Bush's message on these occasions is unspoken but unmistakeable. He is the doer and - to use his recent coinage - the "decider". The reporters, particularly the scribes among them, are mere prattlers, bystanders at history, whose task is merely to chronicle its making.

This feeling was most recently on display at Wednesday's press conference. Asked a question by a radio reporter, Mr Bush cracked the old joke about someone having "a good face for radio". At another moment, after calling on a stand-in reporter, the President remarked, "Not a bad question from a substitute guy." Were they flattered - or insulted? The nicknames too can cut both ways. Take Karl Rove, top aide and architect of the President's election victories. Mr Bush has referred to him as "Boy Genius", but also as "Turd Blossom" - named after a Texas flower that thrives in cowpats - to cut him down to size.

Nor does a nickname guarantee lasting friendship. Take the case of Kenneth Lay, the former chairman of Enron, known by his fellow Texan President as "Kenny Boy" in happier times. "Kenny Boy", however, became "Kenny Who?" once Enron began its precipitous slide into bankruptcy in 2001.

Pardon, Mr President?

* At a presidential gala in 2002, President Bush spotted the singer Stevie Wonder sitting nearby and tried to attract the blind singer's attention by waving. Unsurprisingly, Wonder did not respond.

* White House aides were forced quickly to correct a Bush remark during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the US in April after he referred to China as the Republic of China - the official name for Taiwan. China itself is the People's Republic of China.

* During a press conference in Beijing last year, the President's attempt to make a quick but dignified getaway from reporters was thwarted when he tried to exit the room through a locked door. An aide had to show him the way out.

* Mr Bush met his match early on in his presidency in the form of a humble pretzel, on which he choked. "My mother always said when you're eating pretzels, chew before you swallow," he said later.

* In June 2002 Mr Bush decided to forgo reading the safety manual for his new Segway scooter before taking a ride on his family estate. The makers advise users to wear a helmet and "get a friend to act as your spotter", but the President ignored both pieces of advice and promptly fell off.

art with a message

2006-06-11T19:17:00.000-04:00

Miguel Guillen designed coffin-shaped beeswax molds for each coffin he made for an exhibit at the Skagit Valley College art gallery. The installation, one of four, is called “In Memoriam.” To date, 216 Latino soldiers have died in the war in Iraq.

La Conner native Miguel Guillen honors Latino soldiers who have died in Iraq at an exhibit at Skagit Valley College

Miguel Guillen didn’t want to create a traditional art exhibit celebrating Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. The concept seemed trite, maybe even a little corny to him.

Day of the Dead, which stretches from Halloween evening to Nov. 2, is a Latino holiday that honors the dead, usually family members.

Guillen, an artist who grew up in La Conner and now lives in Seattle, prefers the political to the festive — he wants his art to send a message.

But the more Guillen got to thinking about Dia de los Muertos, the more he realized that it doesn’t have to be a celebration. And neither does his exhibit.

His artwork could instead touch on something that he believes is unfair.

Guillen was becoming more incensed by the number of young Latinos dying in the Middle East. He read their biographies, which he described as too short — like their lives.

So instead of an exhibit highlighting Latino culture and heritage, Guillen has turned the Skagit Valley College gallery into an altar honoring the soldiers who have died in the war in Iraq. The exhibit runs through Dec. 2.

“This was a way of using Day of the Dead as a political statement without losing the theme of Day of the Dead,” Guillen said. “I wanted to get the word out about recruitment efforts toward Latinos.”

On the stark, white back wall of the gallery hang 214 coffins for the number of Latinos who had died in the war in Iraq at the time Guillen set up the exhibit. They’re not real, of course, but beeswax shaped in the form of 7-inch-tall coffins. The coffins are in rows to symbolize the rows of soldiers in the military.

As of Saturday morning, 216 Latinos have died in the war.

Guillen didn’t know any of them, but hearing about them on the news is enough, he said.

“I wanted to keep it gentle and show the numbers, but with respect, no anger,” Guillen said. “It’s hard because you want to have respect for those who died.”

Guillen bought 300 pounds of beeswax for this exhibit — beeswax because of the pungent smell.

“The sweet scent affects all the senses,” he said.

To make each coffin, Guillen poured the hot wax into a mold.

As his wax coffins accumulated, Guillen started to feel more impassioned about his project.

“When you’re just working, it’s fine,” he said. “But when they started piling up, it started to get really creepy and sad.”

As Guillen did research for his exhibit, which is made up of four installations, he was most struck by the young age of the soldiers who had died.

He said it upsets him that the U.S. Department of Defense targets Latinos for recruitment because there are so many who are the right age to enlist.

“They think they’re getting transferable skills,” Guillen said, “but really, they’re on the front lines.”

Latinos are more likely to handle weapons in the military than other ethnic groups, according to the Pew Center for Hispanic Studies. A smaller percentage are in the more technical occupations.

To celebrate their youth, Guillen lined the floor with white candles — a symbol of purity because “they were so young,” he said.

Guillen comes from a political, art-oriented family. His father, Jesus Guillen, was an artist and farmworker in Skagit County who submitted art for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival poster for years. His painting was chosen as the featured tulip festival poster in 1994 — the year he died.

Guillen admired that his father put farmworkers in the front of his painting. Some artists, Guillen said, blend the farmworker into the landscape.

For one of the exhibit installations, Guillen’s youngest brother, a graphic designer, helped graphically modify posters by political artist Thomas Hays. The posters line the walls, like soldiers on the front lines.

The sardonic undercurrent of this installation matches the spirit of Day of the Dead, which uses satire to honor the dead.

In the posters, a skeleton face wearing a helmet grins eerily above the words, “Reemplazos neccesitados,” Spanish for, “Replacements needed.”

Isolde Raftery can be reached at 360-416-2148 or by e-mail at iraftery@skagitvalleyherald.com.

I could be a chickenshit about it and not tell you how this post came to be. I won't. I'm going to admit that prejudice was the initial motivating factor. I was thinking about the pressing issue of millions of illegal aliens crossing the southern border of the U.S. and how to stop it. My mind went to this: ok, how about if we make it a condition of becoming a U.S. citizen that you serve active duty in the military. If you're willing to risk your life to live here, then you get an automatic citizenship. So... I google imaged "latino military". Up popped the skull. I followed the skull to the page you see above, and I read the article about the artist whose exhibit was the reason for the skull. And now I feel ashamed of myself.

--->George Fucking Shrub, you need to stop the young men dying because of your hare-brained assholity. BRING THEM HOME.<---

Is it Art?

2006-06-10T09:25:00.000-04:00

by Dusty Scott
(click on title to take you to Dusty's blog)

Is it Art?

Art is what anyone wants to call art, and that is precisely why most art sucks. The most common argument to this completely solid line of logic is, "But it's a form of expressing onesself through creativity." To which I respond, "That still doesn't mean it's art. I sing my balls off in the shower to express myself creatively, but that doesn't make it something I expect people to pay for or even respect."

Art, regardless of the popular definition, is defined as creative expression executed with some degree of skill. Skill is what is most often missing in what is commonly known as art. I'm speaking mostly of visual arts, because when it comes to things like dancing and singing, it is always obvious when someone sucks at it, and people like Simon Cowell are not afraid to say so. When you call out a stupid waste of canvas painting, however, everyone acts like you just kicked a retard.

"What the hell happened here? Did a robot barf?"
"Dusty! It's FOLK ART."
"Folk art? Is "folk" the ancient Celtic word for "Shitty"? All I'm seeing is what looks like the guts of a microwave oven glued to a tire and painted green."

If you are the kind of person who doesn't like everything you are supposed to like, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you have been to any of the eleventeen festivals around Atlanta in the past six weeks, you know from whence came the inspiration for this little bit of rantology. The mere fact that no one else has done it does not art make.

Most people want to express themselves in some way. Unfortunately, only a tiny percentage of people wait until they have the skill sufficient to express themselves effectively. For instance, Monet could very easily have been another crappy impressionist, but he worked for most of his life to perfect it, and actually changed the world in some way. No one is going to remember the guy who perfected hot gluing pringles to a turd, because that is creativity without skill and the world does not need smelly chips or salty turds.

I swear I am making a point, so shut up.

Look around you at things that are not considered art in the general sense. Have you ever seen someone who can do something -anything- so well that you can't stop watching? I work with a guy who eats a hot pocket for luch every day. I have worked there almost six years and I have never seen the guy eat anything else. He cuts the hot pocket the same way every day- twice down the center lengthwise, and four times across. I bet if you weighed the pieces they wouldn't vary by more than a couple of milligrams between them. That's how good this guy is at cutting a hot pocket. He's good at other stuff too, but he could be on the wheaties box for hot pocket cutting. In a weird way, it is art. In another weird way, I am insane for even noticing.

Same with the guy I saw at the show who paints reflective surfaces in watercolor. Watercolor is a bitch in some ways, but this cat makes it sing. I stood with my nose about four inches from one of his paintings trying to decode brush strokes and figure out how he did it. He has worked for years to find his style, and only then did it become art. Before that, it was what my own work is- practice.

I have sat in the cockpit with my dad and watched him fly a plane. The guy can aviate like nothing I have ever seen. I'll make everybody on board puke with my interpretive approach style, but pops just brings it in like the control surfaces are attached directly to his brain. He also probably has a lot more missed approaches than I have had time to rack up, but it was all practice. After 40 years of flying, it is art.

Skill is what creates an artist- never the other way around; and the artist sometimes eventually starts creating art. The intermediate stuff is necessary, but should probably be kept in the garage until the artist is famous (or dead), because only then will it demand a price. When it really becomes art, you don't have to tell anybody you are an artist, either. They'll know.

Taiwan to attack Three Gorges Dam shock

2006-06-06T13:46:00.000-04:00

AT THE beginning of the week, the former head of the Three Gorges Corporation, Lu Youmei, said in an interview with the Beijing newspaper, Xin Jing Bao, that the dam could only be destroyed by a nuclear attack, and that conventional strikes would not be able to inflict enough damage.

Reports suggest that the Pentagon has recommended the bombing of the Three Gorges as a defence strategy for Taiwan, hoping that it will 'deter' Chinese military attacks. This, of course, would only be a last resort, and would only take place once the battle has been lost, when mainland troops have already begun to sweep onto the island.

In the game of bluff and counterbluff going on across the Strait, this latest move is similar to the reports about Operation Scorpion which circulated in the Chinese media late last year, detailing the strategy of the Taiwanese defence forces and accompanied by a number of maudlin accounts of the Taiwanese families who had made their home here in Shanghai, which was described in the articles as the first target of Taiwanese air strikes.

_{The three gorges dam being constructed}

An analyst quoted in the Taiwan media suggested that the ideal solution would be a nuclear 'deterrent' on the island. The possibility that the United States might supply nuclear arms to Taiwan is nil, but would the United States threaten nuclear war were China to invade?

Destroying the Dam will, according to some military analysts, drown about 100 million residents downstream. The Pentagon does not believe that war will break out until 2010, which at least gives the beleaguered peasants along the banks of the Yangtze another six years to move to safer climes.