Don't let these men make your birth-control decisions for you!

Watch McCain squirm over a very basic question on women’s reproductive health rights:

McCain out of touch on birth control

Yeah, it’s kind of funny that he feels ill-equipped to comment on whether it’s right that insurance companies cover Viagra for men but not birth control for women. (Hmm, hitting too close to home there, John-Boy?)

But the reality is less amusing. In the Senate, McCain twice has voted against requiring insurance companies to cover birth control (a move that would not only improve women’s health but would benefit insurance companies as well, as it would help protect against future outlays).

And, meanwhile, he’s still riding out the storm over his old joke about women enjoying rape.

McCain Ape Rape Joke Recalled By Sources

Lovely. Yes, this is exactly who I want setting the tone for our country. Oh, and he’s for the Hundred Years’ War in Iraq, too!

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From a feminist blog I've recently discovered and like, here's some more scary news on politics and women's health:

HHS Proposal Undercuts State Birth Control Laws

The Bush administration is trying to push through a new regulation allowing any health-care agency that receives federal funds to refuse to assist women with their contraception needs. Most agencies receive some type of federal money, btw.

Think of what that would mean -- for the women you know -- and, oh yeah, men, too, 'cause from what I understand it takes one of each to make a baby. Think of what it would mean for your own already rising health-care costs -- contraception is a lot cheaper than covering the health costs of pregnancy and child-raising. Think of what it would mean when the needs and values of the majority are overruled by a handful of right-wing extremists.

Mix it up on the Fourth: A DIY list.

Seems I don't actually make mix tapes anymore, but I do still like to think them up. Here's my suggestions for marking this holiday, which I call ...

Independence ... For Whom?

Songs of Freedom / Bob Marley
Red White and Blue Dream / Kimya Dawson
Freedom Rock / Frank Black
Rocket from a Bottle / XTC
Reject All American / Bikini Kill
Bomb the World / Michael Franti
Fireworks / Animal Collective
Bad Politics / Yo La Tengo
The Government Totally Sucks / Tenacious D
Red Eyed and Blue / Wilco
Revolution / Bob Marley
Peace In Our Time / Ray Davies
I’m Free Now / Morphine

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Seems I'd forgotten one of the biggest perks of no longer being employed by the MSM (mainstream media) industrial complex: I'm free to publicly say whatever I like about whatever I don't like.

To that end, be careful out there this Fourth -- don't step in the muck being tossed around by the so-called Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative, as they make a last-ditch effort to get a ban on affirmative action on the November ballot. Nebraskans United's web site has information on how to report unruly petition circulators, as well as a link to remove your name if you unwittingly signed the petition, believing it was actually about equal rights.

Earlier this week, I went to a discussion at the Coffee House led by the publisher of one of my favorite 'zines: Bitch. She's on a driving tour across the Midwest, collecting input from readers. It was so inspiring to hear a group of mostly just-post-college-age women wax enthusiastic on the "F" word (feminism, that is) and what we could and should be doing in our communities. A couple of older women as well, including the proud grandma of one cool young dyke who is successfully introducing diversity education to the insurance giant where she works. And a nun from an apparently extremely strict sect (here in Lincoln, she's an order of one) who did her best to proselytize, and I was so proud to see the rest of the group turn not to hatred and division but to an attempt at inclusion.

Again: This is not my America.

I'm listening to today's "Democracy Now" via podcast. Please, make a special effort to listen to today's edition. Amy Goodman has extensive coverage of the Winter Soldier conference of returned U.S. troops protesting the Iraq war. The stories they are telling of what they did, and what they saw, is horrendous. We need to know this, so we can stop this. Please listen.

www.democracynow.org

The big sendoff.

"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." — Andre Gide


My doctor called today. The biopsy, as she expected, showed absolutely nothing. She faxed over the lab report -- the final missing piece of paper for my Peace Corps medical packet.

After all the rushing and cajoling and organizing and angstifying over the past couple of months, it felt a bit anticlimactic to seal the envelope and drop it in the mail this evening. Nothing to do now but wait a couple months or so.

Meanwhile, I'm immersed in books about AIDS in Africa and about the Peace Corps life in general, and so already I have a new topic to obsess over: Can I really do this? The bucket baths, the lack of electricity, the complete lack of privacy, the biting of tongue when cultures clash, the wondering whether I'm really making a difference ...

Do I really have any idea what I'm getting myself into?

I'm sure I don't ... but I'm naively looking forward to the adventure ...

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Obama in Iowa!

Things just started to get interesting ...

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Who, I wonder, is my new friend in Waukesha, Wisconsin???

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Currently reading: "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village," Sarah Erdman

Currently hearing: "Pop-Pop!," Rickie Lee Jones

It's all downhill from here.

The days will begin getting longer again.

I'm not a religious person, but I do make note of the solstices. I like to get up early and pay some conscious attention to the cycles of nature that get us through everything. It's a tradition I started on a beach in Mexico at a pivotal time in my life, and it seems to carry me through every season. To remember all that has been so good, and to remember that everything ebbs and flows.

The precise moment of solstice was 12:08 a.m. central time. So, without even realizing it, I passed solstice by talking on the phone with one of the sweetest souls I know. Good karma, I think. Looking forward to being in this time and place next weekend.

I'm awake early, and alert, but with the sweet luxury of being able to burrow back under the covers and roll back into sleep.

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Last night was my last chance to catch the Tijuana Gigolos. Managed to squeeze into the Zoo just in time to hear them finish their last set. Not a bit disappointed, though ... you know how you need to be in a certain mood to hear certain kinds of music, or to have a certain experience? I wasn't in a Zoo frame of mind anyway.

Instead, the mood I was in last night matched the people I caught up with ... some of my favorite people in the world. Discussing music and politics and scatology and Dueling Penguins and family dynamics and the future and everything else there is to discuss.

Happy birthday, Podunk! And happy holidays to my book-clubbing chicas ...

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Politically, I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton. I want an unapologetic progressive who doesn't equivocate on the need to get out of world conflicts. And is electable. Pipe dreams, and I don't even have a pipe.

But this Ellen Goodman column really pisses me off. Going off on Rush Limbaugh going off on how America can't handle a Miz Clinton presidency because she's getting older ... and no one wants to see a woman getting older.

She's a year younger than our current president. And only four years older than Limbaugh, who of course is such a treat to gaze upon.

Didn't hear him talking about Thompson's grizzled jowls or McCain's age spots.

How old was Reagan, again? And Bush I? And most of Congress?

Just some political ranting to start my day, get my own gray-haired, crow-footed juices flowing ...

Things that made me happy today.

1) Finally compiling all the materials for my Nigeria presentations this week and next. I've heard Bill Clinton gets $30k a pop for such gigs. But then, I'm not sure he's played the Schuyler Rotary Club or my mom's PEO circle. I'll be lucky to get a meat-free meal.

2) Finally making contact with someone from the Nebraska AIDS Project, in hopes of finding satisfying/worthwhile volunteer work.

3) Hearing that, despite the national efforts of an anti-choice minority, a new Planned Parenthood clinic is open and serving women and families in Aurora, Colo.

4) Teva's keeyooot new line of fall shoes made entirely of post-consumer recycled materials. (My favorite = the Riley)

5) Reading Anita Hill's bitchslap to Clarence Thomas over his revisioned version of history.

6) Coming up with the bright idea (pun intended) that just because there's no official plan to make Lights Out San Francisco a nationwide event, that doesn't mean we can't celebrate on our own! Mark your calendars: Oct. 20, 8-9 p.m. You can live without electricity for one lousy hour, can't you? Candles and quiet and all that might bring into your life? Try it! Let me know how it works!

7) Subsequently realizing I'll be in Austin for Lights Out. Pretty sure I can live without electricity for one hour, even in a strange city.


And things that made me sad. And mad.

1) Hearing Seymour Hersh on "Fresh Air" talking about the devastating consequences likely if the current regime keeps beating its worn-out ol' war drum on Iraq. Pay attention now, people. The national spin is rotating in that direction.

2) Learning that Judith Asuni, one of the peace activists we met with in Nigeria, is being held by the government there on trumped-up espionage charges. Apparently, she helped some German documentary filmmakers gain access to rebels in the dangerous oil delta. She has done so much to illuminate the plight of this devastated region of a poverty-stricken country ... the charges can't be anything but a trumped-up way to get a muckraker out of the way. But I can't find any new information, and I am worried for her safety.

3) Reading this article about working conditions for Brazilians fueling the ethanol industry. Does any of this fuel trickle up north? Do I support this when I buy the ethanol blend here in Nebraska? I hope not. Bad enough that using ethanol supports yet more pesticide use and subverts the possibility of switching to far more logical/economical/efficient switchgrass.


And what of feeling happy or sad?

Here's an odd little story about a study that finds people who are used to being happy end up just having higher expectations for happiness.

"When good things happen, they don't count for much because they are what you expect. When bad things happen, you temporarily feel terrible, because you've gotten used to being happy."

Hmm. This gives me much to navel-gaze over.

As does this:


Quote of the day.

“The value of the dwelling is in the dweller.”
-- Idries Shah, Sufist author

Shine on.

Mr. V called all the way from Germany today, a nice lift in an otherwise long and stress-filled workday. He'll get back to the States about a week before I head down to Austin. Music, motorcycles, Bastards and bicycles built for two. Can I get a woohoo?

If V hadn't reminded me, would I have known to look up at the harvest moon on the drive home this evening? I like to think I couldn't possibly have missed it, all vivid orange lurking behind looming, mysterious clouds. I so wanted to capture it, but my point-and-shoot will NOT take nighttime photos.


Random Miss Cellanea

1. My corporate stock is down below $15/share. Been hovering in the $16-$17 range for a good six months now. A year ago, and for long before that, it was at least $30. A sign of the times in the industry ... just when I need the cash ...

2. Hearing Kevin Smith kick trivia ass on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" last weekend (thanks, Miz K!) led me to his blog, "My Boring-Ass Life," which is appropriately named. Would I waste my celebrity wealth on crashing on the couch in my wooby shorts watching DVDs all day and night? No, I would not. I don't even do that now. Then again, I'm not a brilliant filmmaker. I guess it counts as research/education. I've downloaded the podcast, too, but haven't listened to it. I subscribe to, like, a dozen, but I almost never listen ... the constant dialogue in my own head seems to keep me busy enough ...

3. I am cautiously optimistic about the situation in Myanmar (Burma). Six months ago, such large-scale demonstrations would have been unthinkable. But I think (hope?) international awareness has finally put it beyond the junta's control. Despite today's violence, the regime has to know that the world is watching and would (will?) step in if (when?) they try to crack down in a big way. Could real revolution possibly be brewing? Bloody as it likely would be, I hope so. I hope the people of Burma get the freedom they so deserve. I hope Aung San Suu Kyi has a few years of democracy ahead of her ...

4. I am still discovering the many ways I miss Miz K. Reason No. 567: I no longer have a regular drinking buddy! I so miss going out for cocktails and gossip. Or margaritas and mayhem. Or beer and Bastards!

5. Another thing about fall ... I actually love this time of year but hate to admit it. Open windows (could do without the constantly whining kids next door, though), crisp fresh air, nature starting to crunch underfoot, the vague smell of decomposition as nature's ashes go back to ashes. Sweaters. Suede boots. I'm ready for them, but ...

But it just means winter is coming. And I can't seem to put it out of my mind and just enjoy what is Now. Which leads me to ...


Mantra of the day:

Live in the moment ... live in the moment ... LIVE IN THE MOMENT ... must learn to live in the moment ...

Impatient? Me?

Suddenly the morning glories have taken to flowering after all. They're supposed to be solid summer bloomers, but whatever; take what you can get when you can get it, I always say. Nothing prettier than a blue flower.


Sensory overload

With all the money I don't have in my bank account, I went on a bit of a music binge this week. To wit:

"Breathing Under Water," Anoushka Shankar with Karsh Kale (daughter of Ravi, half-sis of Norah Jones, haunting Indian melodies/instruments with a distinct fusion flavor)

"Kala," M.I.A. (Sri Lankan female hiphop ... I'd meant to get this when it came out a couple years ago, but listening to her new disc just made me want this one even more ... a bit rougher around the edges)

"Betty Davis," Betty Davis ('70s funk that's like Macy Gray meets jazz meets disco ... thanks to Miz K for turning me on to her, but HOW could I never have heard of her before???)

"This is Trip-Bop," Fez Dispenser (globally ethereal trip-hop, thanks again to Miz K, but PLEASE stop introducing me to new music!! I can't afford it! "Rock on, girl!")

"Another Fine Day," Golden Smog (former side project of Jeff Tweedy and one of the Jayhawks)

"Please Panic," The Vulgar Boatmen (think I found them via NPR's "All Songs Considered" ... mid-'90s postgrunge, almost Wilco-y poplike, at least to my ear ...)

"The Very Best of The Last Poets," (so you thought the Sugar Hill Gang invented rap? Then you need to hear this spoken-word-over-bass-beat from the late '60s / early '70s. Afros and all. The revolution comes!")

"Mezzanine," Massive Attack (more older, layered, ethereal trip-hop ... what can I say? It's the mood I'm in lately...)

In my defense, most of these were used discs, so I'm just saving them from the landfill, right? Still, if my ears were my stomach, they'd be all bloaty right now ... must learn to pace myself ...


I "love" this "blog"!

The Associated Press had a story today on this blog devoted to "unnecessary" quotation "marks."

Which links to other bloggers obsessed with: misuse of the word "literally"; people who leave passive-aggressive notes; and signs in all caps except for the letter "L."

Sadly, the link to a blog about my own pet peeve, misused apostrophes, doesn't work.

Who knew so many could be so obsessed about such minutiae?

Copy editors of the world, untie!


And now, the news

Too lazy/chickenshit to blog politics, so I'll just link. If you haven't heard this shit already, then you're not paying enough attention ...

Student charged with wearing fake bomb (aka a T-SHIRT) to airport

No bail for Jena Six teen

Judge denies Planned Parenthood's request to open clinic



That number again is ...

As of this moment, I have 69 friends on MySpace ... heehee ...


The tables have turned

So it's 10 p.m., I'm nearly through my third High Life and waiting for my parents to come home. How's that for a 180? They're staying with me this weekend for my dad's 40th dental school reunion. I'm resisting the urge to shriek "And just WHERE have you BEEN?" when they come home ... meanwhile, after they leave, I'm going to have to fumigate to rid the place of my dad's aftershave and that just plain old-people smell. How sad ... my folks are old!

Welcome to the Lincolndome.

I am giggly like a schoolgirl. The legendary Chuck D is speaking in Lincoln next month! Besides having a huge crush on him back in the day (those guns for arms, that booming voice), I've always liked what he says in his music. If I want to feel pissed off or worked up, I listen to PE.

It's a free symposium, Wednesday, Sept. 12 at Wesleyan. Who's in?

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I'm no big Jim Carrey fan (except for "Spotless Mind"), but I'm a HUGE fan of Aung San Su Kyi, the Burmese rights activist who has been imprisoned for some 20 years now. So I'm glad to see some mass support being organized to try and finally secure her release.

I can't get the YouTube video to post properly, but here's a link.

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Andrew Sullivan has a good blog at The Atlantic on the Larry Craig brouhaha.

What makes me so angry about Craig is that here is someone who typecasts gays as The Other, instead of supporting equality. He has built a career on promoting "family values" -- unless, of course, you're gay, because then you don't have a right to marry or share benefits or, really, come out of the closet (or the bathroom stall, as the case may be).

If he and others had used their congressional power to support equal rights for all, then perhaps repeated generations of men wouldn't feel so ashamed of who they are that they feel forced to resort to anonymous bathroom sex. Instead, he's perpetuating the exact stereotype that got him into the hot water in which he now finds himself.

While I hurt for those who feel they have to hide their real selves, I can't dredge up much sympathy for someone who held the power to change that, for himself and for others, and failed to exercise it.

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Couldn't' sleep last night (second night in a row), so I popped "Stranger Than Fiction" into the DVD player. It didn't get good reviews when it came out, but I found it enchanting. (Maybe because I was in and out of sleep/dreams as I was watching?) Definitely a film that captures the short story form. And not your typical Will Ferrell flick, though I like those, too ...

Shake yur "Moneymaker."

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The best part of buying the new Rilo Kiley was discovering that Charlie Burton now works at the Homer's out by Gateway. I'd worried about him when the downtown store closed.

No, wait -- the best part was when Charlie Burton tossed in a free 45 of "Moneymaker." I'll have to drag out my turntable!

"Dreamworld" sounds a bit Garbage-y to me; "Moneymaker" is downright Top 40. I knew going in that it was more polished/poppy than their earlier discs ... but it also feels a bit less passionate. Even so, that Jenny Lewis voice ... it's one of those that's tied, in my mind, to a difficult period, and even though the music is new, I'm still finding her a bit difficult to hear ... when, exactly, does all this mental linkage stop?

The pic, btw, is by Al Schaben, who I believe was a few years behind me at UNL's illustrious J-School. If only I hadn't done so badly in Photojournalism 1 ... maybe I too could be photographer to the celebrity indie stars! ...

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Before Monday night's storm, the big backyard bed looked like this:


Now the morning glories are no more ... dragged down by the heavy winds, killing the copper trellis as well and smushing coleus and grasses in the process of falling over. Lucky that's the extent of my damage; Miz C lost a pretty young maple in her front yard. We'll see what the current storm does ... a sonic boom of thunder just now ... power was out for about an hour ... the rain itself is gentle and cool, though ...

In other garden news: No more tomaters: The battered plant has died back. They were purty -- and sweet! -- while they lasted ...


Free-form bouquet of zinnias and shastas from the backyard:


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I found Miz Em's story on my computer ... the one she was writing while we were hanging out at the Blue Line in Omaha a few weeks ago. I think you'll agree it's a compelling read:

One scary night a dog named carmel went to a coffee shop to see what is going on in there. So he saw his own brother doing he did not see me because I am small for his age his brother stood up and he went to the boys room. He came in and said hi,to his brother His brother was mad at him so they talked until they had to go home. So his brother telled his mom what happened at the coffee shop when Carmel went to bed. In the morning he tried to beat his brother to the paper and he did. He saw a cat so he chased it. He saw his friend Budderball, Rosebud, and there brother LUCA.Budderball was here for Carmel. Rosebud was here for Alana. LUCA was here for D.C. CARMEL and Budderball were spying on the girls and the boys. Carmel spyed on the Girls. Budderball spyed on the boys. The girls were playing with Alanas dolls. The boys were hearing Gwen Stephani. Then they went to Carmels room to play. Then they all went to the park then Carmel and everyone got into a circle so they told everyone what they did at home. When they went to school they told everyone almost in the entire school

... To be continued?

Meanwhile, she came back from our weekend all jazzed about going vegetarian -- with no prompting from me, I swear. Her folks have their hands full, raising an 8-year-old full of opinions and convictions ...

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Just passing this info along, folks ...

Solidarity March And Vigil To Be Held For Injured Lincoln Activist
Alex Svoboda

This Sunday, August 26, 2007, the Nebraska Coalition for Peace and Nebraskans for Peace will be sponsoring a march and vigil in solidarity for Alexandra Svoboda starting at 12:30 PM on the north steps of the Nebraska State Capitol.

Svoboda, formerly of Lincoln, was seriously injured on August 11, 2007 while being arrested by the North Providence, Rhode Island Police Department during a peaceful protest against labor practices of a New York food distributor used by a local restaurant.

She suffered severe injuries, which have required three vascular surgeries thus far to save her left leg. Orthopedic surgery is on hold to repair her knee ligaments.

The march in Lincoln coincides with a similar peaceful rally in North Providence the same day. Family members and local labor activists will speak briefly before the rally heads north on Centennial Mall to the south side of the federal building on “O” Street where a vigil in support of Alex will be held.

“We need to stand up in support of Alexandra and other peaceful activists who are victimized while exercising their first amendment rights,” said Nick Svoboda, brother of Alexandra.

Svoboda’s injury while peacefully protesting highlights the struggle still faced by many citizens in our nation. The Nebraska Coalition for Peace and Nebraskans for Peace urge all communities of activists to join in supporting peaceful demonstrations and actions by citizen activists.

nfpOmaha@NebraskansForPeace.org
www.NebraskansForPeace.org

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Just passing this along, as well ...

U.S. Out of Iraq march and rally
11 a.m. Sept. 15
15th and P streets
www.fmclincoln.org/Coalition_for_peace.htm

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I have a blog I want y'all to read. An old friend/former coworker is in the military and has been serving in Kandahar. (Actually, she's on her way home right now but expects either to be sent back to Kandahar or to go to Iraq soon.)

psychosomatic sunburn

As you can imagine, she needs to be fairly anonymous/circumspect in any criticism of the government/military. But she makes some astute points about how things are working (or not). And she's a phenomenal photographer and has posted several heartbreaking stories about what she's seen/documented. You'll learn from her -- trust me.

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Currently reading: Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Currently hearing: "You Are Free" by Cat Power (at Meadowlark Coffee, which just proves how very hipster they are 'round her!)

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Traveling backward.

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Here's a good look at the oil flares in Nigeria, the environmental destruction they cause and the villagers desperately seeking to eke out a dollar or two from the pipelines that bring us the energy behind our overbuilt SUV lifestyle:

A free-for-all over oil money in Nigeria

Meanwhile, it doesn't sound as if Oaxaca has recovered from the state's smackdown on teachers and tourism of a couple of years ago:

Oaxaca Journal: Amid conflict hype, the southern Mexico city's tourist trade is hit hard

Check out these photos of the local folk arts, and help out if you feel the call:

Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art

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In case you haven't been following the story of Alex Svoboda, the former Lincolnite whose leg was badly broken by police during a labor protest in Rhode Island, here's a link to the International Workers of the World posting on the protest. It's a bad break -- you can see from the pictures that her calf was bent backward at the kneecap. She doesn't have health insurance.

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Question of the day:

So do you suppose Bush is using his vacation time to get fitted for a new fist? Or is Karl Rove using his newfound free time to get his fist fitted for a new, um, puppet?

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Creepy ad of the day:

The way-too-happy circle of men strumming guitars and crooning "Viva Viagra!" to each other completely icks me out. BSOJC is back in town in a couple of weeks ... their version of "Viva Las Vegas" is one of my favorites, but I don't think I'll be clamoring for it this time ...

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Top two reasons to look forward to Tuesday:

1. The new Rilo Kiley release is out! It sounds a little poppier than their earlier CDs. Here's a review.

2. I'm on vacation the rest of the week ... finishing up my PC app; gardening if it's not too hot; accepting drink dates from friends ...

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Bored, lonely, tired.

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So Miz K is gone. It's hard to get used to having the house to myself. (Easier to get used to having the fridge and the medicine cabinet!) I still keep expecting her to come in the back door. She's on a great new adventure ... she inspires me to get my own ass in gear on the adventure front, and I'm so looking forward to seeing Tucson for myself in November.

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The Divine Miz Em and I had our long-anticipated girlz weekend. Had to downgrade the terminology from "vacation" when I realized I couldn't afford to take her any farther than O-Town. 'Twas good, though; met her criteria of "vacation" -- a hotel with a pool.

After several trips in and out of said crowded hotel pool, I happened to catch a glimpse of my backside. My swimsuit bottoms are so old, they're worn to see through ... right down the crack. What to do but laugh?

Em was so enthusiastic about Henry Doorly Zoo ... "This is the best day ever!" she kept saying. She got a pretty good photo of one of the big cats:


Jam "Concentration" at Village Inn on a Sunday morning:


Miz Em slamming out a short story on auntie's Macbook at Blue Line Coffee:


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CodePink is holding actions in Omaha and Lincoln on Tuesday against Sen. Ben Nelson's votes on the Iraq war:

8:30 a.m.: Vigil in front of Nelson's office, 7602 Pacific St, Omaha; 9 a.m. Peace-In inside his office

4 p.m.: Vigil in front of Nelson's office, 100 Centennial Mall North, Federal Building; Lincoln, 4:30p.m. Peace-In inside his office, Room 287

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Joke of the day (credit Longstinger):

Q: what's a Wall Street Journal reporter's favorite
wine?

A: Rupert Murdoch's buying my paper, waaaaaah!

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Quote of the day (credit Miz K, and boy does this describe where I'm at):

Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it. -- Michel de Montaigne

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Oops. I did it again.

(The Richard Thompson version)

Last night's post burst forth in a fit of righteous indignation and misplaced belligerence.

If you know me, you know I have political opinions. It's not simply my right but my duty as a citizen.

However, for personal reasons, it's currently not smart for me to share them in a forum that could be perceived as public.

So if you're looking for political commentary here, you've come to the wrong place.

For now, anyway.

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I'm still looking for all y'alls summer soundtracks, though, so feel free to share them here.

And New Jersey, I'm still curious about you! Present yourself!

Wish I were there.

Mexico City hosts largest ever Frida Kahlo exhibit

Mexico. Frida. Sigh.

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Events closer to home:

Nebraskans for Peace is celebrating the 62nd birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi at 6 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church, 50th Street and St. Paul Avenue.

From the flyer: "The program will include “State of Fear”, a video examining the Karen people along the Thai/Burmese border as well as pro-democracy members in Rangoon. It also details the conditions of Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest and the persecution of her family and supporters."

Suu Kyi is a living hero. I'd love to see the movie -- it's not on Netflicks. I thought it coincided with a Peace Corps event I really want to go to ... but now I see that the Peace Corps thing is Saturday, not Sunday. Which means it coincides with RC Dub at the Zoo. Decisions, decisions ... maybe I can swing all of it?

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Milking it for all it's worth:

A few weeks ago I committed to buying only organic milk. It's no small thing for me -- it's twice the price of "regular" milk, and I drink a LOT of milk. But it's a relatively easy way to live my politics. And I don't want the BGH and antibiotics, either.

Check out the Bovine Bill of Rights at cowsunite.org. Cheesy (no pun intended), but inspiring.

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In other dairy news:

Beware the driver of your neighborhood ice-cream truck!

"We're on two wheels, baby."*

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Well, we were on two wheels.

First, here's Miz JezeBelle, in all her (mostly) virgin glory:


Purdy, huh? Short like me (she's only 14" ... the smallest "adult" bike available); cushy like me (80mm RockShox); and so light that even uphills feel like we're flying. I can't believe the difference a lighter frame and narrower handlebars make ... and the thinner tires really help with the speed, too, yet plenty sturdy enough for the creekbeds in Wilderness.

We broke her cherry gently, with a leisurely Saturday afternoon ride on the Rock Island.

Then, on Sunday, we headed out to Pioneers Park to give the trails a real workout. Six of us: Me and JezaBelle, Miz K on Suzette, and the juggler with his Rockhopper.

Here's what happened, only about a mile and a quarter out:

That snap you see near the elbow? That's what we call a displaced olecranon.

It's Miz K's story to tell, not mine ... we all went down, but she took the brunt of it.

Surgery on Thursday, to install pins and a cable. They call it an "open reduction internal fixation," which sounds kind of dirty to me. Suzette's gonna be lonely for awhile.

Throw some love Miz K's way, eh?

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I wish I had the fortitude to live off the grid ... create my own energy (wind, solar), recycle my graywater, eschew all paper and plastic products ... but stories like The Year Without Toilet Paper just serve to remind me how much more I could do.

This family's recording a year's attempt to live without using paper, creating trash, participating in carbon emissions or purchasing anything but food -- and only organic food grown within 250 miles.

Here's his blog: No Impact Man

And a couple of similar practitioners:
Tree Hugger
Green as a Thistle

I need to not give up because I'm not (yet?) so hardcore. Instead, look to people like this for ideas I can practice in my own life, and keep adapting ...

Starting with: Does anyone know anyone who has a push/reel mower I could try out? I'd like to see if I have the muscle mass to push one effectively before I buy one myself.

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If you happen to be in upstate New York on Friday evening, check this out: A party to comemmorate the devil's last 666 days in office.

And here's an easy way to thank the 10 representatives who voted against throwing another $100 million at an unjust, un-"winnable" war. This ain't a quagmire anymore -- it's a full-blown sinkhole. At this point, there's absolutely nothing the U.S. can do to improve the situation; even if the violence is temporarily brought under control in Baghdad, it's just going to pop up elsewhere -- like an ugly, deadly game of Whack-A-Mole.

Our very presence is causing a good portion of the violence. We need to get out and let the U.N. get in.

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Quote of the day:
"That's almost as bad as a mosquito bite in the crack of your ass." -- Miz K

*Song of the day:
"Bicycle Bicycle You Are My Bicycle," Be Your Own Pet

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Damn. I like bananas.

Read Amy Goodman's column about Chiquita paying off FARC militants in Colombia.

Then read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" for a heartbreaking, poetic look at the corporation's age-old practice of ruining lives and ways of life and entire villages in Central America. (Bonus: Butterflies flying out of mouths and other magic realism).

Then buy your bananas from your friendly corporate-free, farmer-friendly, organic co-op.

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What I've been reading: "The Post-Birthday World," Lionel Shriver
What I've been hearing: "Gbeda Authentic," Kola Gbedu Ogunkoya

Who knows me better ...

... than the Subversive Used Bookstore maven? Said she had a funny little thing for me. "Is it a man?" I asked. "Well, kinda," she answered, in her enigmatic way. So Miz K and I stopped by last night for wine-fueled gossip. "Close your eyes," Miz Maven said, and she laid this little tidbit into my open palm.


The perfect man. I can read him like a book, and keep him in my pocket.

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It smells like spring.

Earthy and moist and sweet and ready. Oh, and the sunshine makes it feel even warmer than it is. And that it's still light, a bit, when I leave the office ... A taste of sunshine really can change my mood 180 degrees.

Play hooky today, even for just half an hour. Get out, smell it, feel it, live it today, before the next storm hits this weekend.

It's just a taste of what's to come. We've braved another winter, and yes spring is only teasing us now, hiding behind the bedroom door, prettying herself up, but she's nearly ready and when she is she'll burst that door open wide, grab us by the collar, fling us down on the bed and show us what's what.

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Won't get fooled again. (?)

-- edited for content --

This is dated, but screw it; a rant is in order. Trudy Rubin's piece last week about the similarities in U.S. policy between Iraq and Iran is right on target. I keep hearing the bushites on the radio, saying, Absolutely, we do not want to engage Iran; we are doing everything possible to settle their nuclear problems diplomatically.

Which sounds, to me, like: Get ready, America -- we're about to engage Iran.

(With what forces, though, I wonder; our military reserves are already stretched like the skin across Joan Rivers' face.)

And reminds me very much of the days, in late '02, when the administration was assuring us it was doing everything it could to avoid war in Iraq, that any "engagement" (what an ironic word, so matrimonial) would come only as a last resort. Over and over they said it ... and it was so easy to lick a thumb and forefinger, turn the page, and find the phrasing turned to past tense: "We've tried and tried, but we've exhausted all other options."

Remember?

We have to remember. We have to watch as they use the same damn playbook to try and fake us out again. We have to watch and speak out and keep speaking out. We have to make Molly Ivins proud and "raise some hell."

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More fodder for outrage

If you have HBO, tonight at 8:30 you can watch a new documentary on how the whole Abu Ghraib debacle was allowed to happen.

Since I don't have HBO, so let me know if it's any good.