A blog about Kern County and News.
About sagefever


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Previous Posts
KIVA~ Loans that save lives~ Now in America
It's good to be able to relate to others( For Audrey)
Would You Slap Your Father? If So, You’re a Liberal
The Fall~ the cure for the summer blahs
GAO Report: Abuse of Special Needs Children in Schools
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film....
Sukiyaki Western Django
RIP Jack Kemp
We Shall Remain~ "The Trail of Tears"
Christopher~ 1970- 2004
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Elemental Disruption

"Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats." Diane Arbus

My life seems to operate sideways~ backwards almost~ and I have come to see thats right for me. A rain of snakes,disruption that cause's growth ,the world split in two.Everyone has there own path,mine has been one of thought,mostly of things folks today seem to disregard. Truth, personal integrity,politeness,...not all eschew these things.For me its been the easiest way to be~ any other way leads me to more trouble..and a sense of humor,above all about myself. Laughter keeps a person sane,and I enjoy seeing the coyote in myself~ the eternal trickster

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I have written about KIVA before, the micro-loan non-profit .organization. This group allows you to loan money, along with other individuals to entrepreneurs all over the world. The loan payback is at 90%, and as you loan in increments that are comfortable to you~ say $25.00~ your risk is little and the rewards knowing your money allows someone to grow out of poverty and grow a business, are great.

So why a rehash? Well promotion is always a good thing and exciting news! KIVA is now operating in the U.S.A. That is right~ there are now opportunities for you to loan fellow working American poor entrepreneurs’ money to further their business goals. I am pleased to say some of the loan goals,ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 dollars,have been met.But there are more to fufill.

Please go to KIVA and look over the program.



 

Posted in these Groups: Neighborhoods/Regions, Relationships
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posted by sagefever on Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:54 AM
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By LEONARD PITTS JR.

A few words about identity politics.

That's the knock on Sonia Sotomayor, who was nominated to the Supreme Court last week by President Obama. If confirmed, Sotomayor, who is Puerto Rican, will be the first Hispanic to sit on the nation's highest tribunal.

That has traumatized some titans of the right. George Will, for instance, complains that ''she embraces identity politics, including the idea of categorical representation: A person is what his or her race, ethnicity, gender or sexual preference is, and members of a particular category can be represented, understood, empathized with only by persons of the same identity.'' Some go further, alleging that Sotomayor's ethnicity carried greater weight with Obama than her qualifications.

That argument would be a lot more persuasive if the right (Will, to his credit, was the exception that proved the rule) had raised it when John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate on the basis of her chromosomal makeup. Sotomayor, at least, has the aforementioned qualifications. Palin, not so much.

Point being, so-called ''identity politics'' are practiced at both ends of the political spectrum. And I'm not at all convinced that's a bad thing -- particularly where the high court is concerned.

I intend no endorsement of Sotomayor. Let's wait and see how she does before the Senate Judiciary Committee. I'm particularly interested in hearing how she explains her quoted remark that ''a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience'' will usually have better judgment than ''a white man who hasn't lived that life.'' Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich have thundered with simulated indignation that the comment makes her a racist. It sounds more like attempted irreverence fallen flat, but she needs to address it.

Assuming she ascends to the court, Sotomayor will be the 113th person to do so. Of her 112 predecessors, 108 have been white men. Folks who profess concern about identity politics would do well to keep those numbers in mind, illustrating as they do that race and gender have never previously been absent from decisions about who sits on the court.

That a point so blazingly obvious even needs making speaks to the myopia afflicting many white people when the subject is race (and men when the subject is gender). It is a stark illustration of white and male privilege: in this case, the privilege of questioning the role someone's identity plays in their promotion only when that identity diverges from the perceived norm, i.e., yours.

Contrary to what some would argue, it is a net good when the panel whose decisions shape the nation looks something like the nation.

Contrary to what they'd have us believe, legal judgment is not simply a matter of quoting precedent and applying logic.

It is also a matter of interpretation, and interpretation is shaped by who you are and what you've known.

If precedent and logic alone were definitive, the court could not have decided, for instance, to endorse segregation in 1896 in clear violation of the 14th Amendment. But because of who they were and what they had known, that panel of white men somehow interpreted the amendment as allowing Jim Crow -- a tragic travesty that stood for 58 years.

Would the court have been well-served in 1896 had someone likely to be affected by the ruling been there to offer a counterbalancing interpretation? If the court is debating an issue of importance to women, is not the quality of its deliberation improved if someone in the room is in possession of a uterus?

Yes, emphatically, to both.

Ensuring the presence of diverse people in the deliberation chamber betrays no American principles. Rather, it affirms a core American promise: Liberty and justice.

For all.

 

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posted by sagefever on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 12:18 PM
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By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOFPublished: May 27, 2009
New York Times
  “If you want to tell whether someone is conservative or liberal, what are a couple of completely nonpolitical questions that will give a good clue?

  How’s this: Would you be willing to slap your father in the face, with his permission, as part of a comedy skit?
  And, second: Does it disgust you to touch the faucet in a public restroom?


  Studies suggest that conservatives are more often distressed by actions that seem disrespectful of authority, such as slapping Dad. Liberals don’t worry as long as Dad has given permission.
  Likewise, conservatives are more likely than liberals to sense contamination or perceive disgust. People who would be disgusted to find that they had accidentally sipped from an acquaintance’s drink are more likely to identify as conservatives.
  The upshot is that liberals and conservatives don’t just think differently, they also feel differently. This may even be a result, in part, of divergent neural responses.”
  More of this interesting piece here.

  As the issues come and go, as we delve into each others hearts, minds, souls and belief systems some (myself included) can get into “heated" discussions. Some speak of deeply held repulsions, ponder how others can be so inane as to not see the problem as they do…
I found this opinion piece to be quite remarkable. Bold and italics mine.


  “The larger point is that liberals and conservatives often form judgments through flash intuitions that aren’t a result of a deliberative process. The crucial part of the brain for these judgments is the medial prefrontal cortex, which has more to do with moralizing than with rationality. If you damage your prefrontal cortex, your I.Q. may be unaffected, but you’ll have trouble harrumphing.

One of the main divides between left and right is the dependence on different moral values. For liberals, morality derives mostly from fairness and prevention of harm. For conservatives, morality also involves upholding authority and loyalty — and revulsion at disgust.”


  The article links to the “disgust scale” test and a interesting site that involves moderates on both sides reaching out to each other to try to forge understanding,
www.civilpolitics.org  Considering the countless posters that have graced these pages only to never return, these subjects may be timely.


  It has been noted before, what is needed is to turn that eye inward to discover ones own prejudices. Knowing yourself truly helps nurture better relationships ,both in the real and the cyber world. Then understanding how Human Beings reach their conclusions~ all through that portal of flash intuition~ perhaps we can see the wisdom in refraining with being so harsh with each other.


  I am not stupid, obtuse, starry eyed, or defective in some other way~  just wired a bit differently than you, or you or even you.


Neither are you better, smarter, more logical~ just wired a bit different from me.

We all reach our conclusions through that "intuative portal" in our brains,not through reasoning.


  ““Minds are very hard things to open, and the best way to open the mind is through the heart,” Professor Haidt says. “Our minds were not designed by evolution to discover the truth; they were designed to play social games.””

My goal is to keep that last bit in front of my mind as I go about my life. The words “the spiritual warriors battle is always with herself” never rang clearer or with more truth.


Posted in the Relationships interest group.
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posted by sagefever on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 10:49 AM
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Occasionally, due to marketing, the whims of the public an exceptional film gets lost. The Fall, 2006,(released in 2008) is one such film. If a long summer of “blockbusters” is a dim prospect to you ~ off to the rental store!  The screen lights up and suddenly you are transported to another world, another place….

As all good films should, this one starts with the words Los Angeles, once upon a time and the main characters take form before your eyes. Set in the 1920’s the tale turns around a love story, a recently paralyzed man, Roy (Lee Pace-Pushing Daises), a recuperating little girl, Alexandria (Catinaca Untaru), hope and despair.

Directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell) this is a movie that not only expects you to follow the story, it believes you are intelligent enough to do so. If you have seen The Cell you know to expect visual glory~ though this is still a dark film, it is not horrific. Shot in 24 different countries, each location is almost a character, as the fantasy epic Roy tells to entice Alexandria is interspersed with the realities of a long hospital recovery. Beautiful, stunning, artistic, fantastic…..Tarsem Singh is a visual genius.

The DVD has a director’s commentary, along with commentaries by the Lee Pace and the writers and two behind the scenes documentaries, Wanderlust and Nostalgia. It is a rare film that has captured me so that I have sat through four hours of film and commentary~ and then woke up in the middle of the night needing to watch the story again.

I cannot recommend this film enough. Not for children, rated R, it clocks in at 1 hour and 57 minutes. Interestingly at rottentomatoes the critics gave it a 61% and the fans a 91%.


Posted in the Arts & Entertainment interest group.
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posted by sagefever on Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 09:04 AM
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Thankfully my son had,for the most part ,really good teachers who loved their job and more importantly the children.

This GAO report shocked me,and every parent of a special needs child should read it. My "mothering " instinct,call it what you will, served me well. I spent most days in the classroom,helping with assorted things ,and that kept any rogue teachers and aides in line.

Speak up when things do not "feel right",I was known as a "troublesome" parent. Meaning my child felt loved and protected by me.

"Congressional auditors have uncovered widespread abuse of techniques use to restrain or discipline special-education students in U.S. schools, with some deaths linked to the practices, a top congressman says."

Read the complete article here.

 

"The Centennial School at Lehigh University serves severely emotionally disturbed children that have been passed from school to school, and even from juvenile justice centers. When school director Michael George came to Centennial in 1999, the school had documented more than 1,000 cases of restraint and seclusion that year. After the school revamped its approach, no such incidents were reported.

When they get to Centennial, students can be violent and aggressive. But instead of trying to force a chance in behavior, the school teaches the children new skills to get what they need. Children who might be violent because they are desperate to escape and uncomfortable task or environment learn to communicate their discomfort in nonviolent ways.

Children who need to move frequently -- a common trait with conditions such as autism -- are permitted to do so, then re-directed to the task at hand. Staff are forbidden from saying anything negative about the children, parents or other teachers, even among themselves.

And when a child acts violently, the staff is trained to step aside, rather than immediately attempt a potentially dangerous restraint. On a recent visit to the school, all students appeared to be calm and receptive to teachers.

The school's philosophy can be summed up in a question George likes to ask teachers interviewing for jobs there: Which teacher you remember most from your own childhood?

"No one ever mentions the person who yelled at them, who screamed at them, who told them to write a phrase a hundred times, who slammed them into closets, who was abrupt, who made them feel stupid. No one ever mentions those people," said George.

"Our job is to teach. Sometimes the children we are teaching here present extraordinary challenges; it can be very, very difficult. But that's the job we chose to do."

That's what we want in teachers, aides and other support staff~ especially for the most vulnerable.

Posted in the News interest group.
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posted by sagefever on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 07:31 AM
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as "fun,watchable"....

more here

It is an outrage,I tell you!

;-)

Posted in the Arts & Entertainment interest group.
Topics: fun, satire
posted by sagefever on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 03:06 PM
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Classic western tale of blood, lust and greed, six shooters, two sets of “bad” guys, samurai swords and a lone stranger who rides into town one day seeking gold ….what’s not to like?
Definitely not for the kiddies, but director Takashi Miike takes one on a stunning action packed ride. Beautifully shot, with much to see in each scene, clearly the writer and director are having fun with the East meets West elements. True you have seen this story before, but this is one entertaining film full of camp, good old-fashioned violence and some slapstick. Just sit back and relax is my advice on this one: sometimes it is all a film requires of you.
The rest of the movie is stylistically different from the clip, but the end explains all.


Rated R, 2 hrs, in English and with English subtitles, a “behind” the scenes feature. At RottenTomatoes the critics gave it a 62% but the fans rated it at 80%.

“Ringo (Tarantino): The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” Camp at it's best.

 

Posted in the Arts & Entertainment interest group.
Topics: movie review
posted by sagefever on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 09:59 AM
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WASHINGTON – Jack Kemp, the ex-quarterback, congressman, one-time vice-presidential nominee and self-described "bleeding-heart conservative" died Saturday.

More here

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posted by sagefever on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 07:57 PM
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 Another plug for this great series~ I hope you have been able to watch the first two episodes. If not then there is always online. The site has much to explore,the personal stories keep coming in,and new features keep popping up.

 

(Monday,PBS 9:00p.m.)~ "The Trail of Tears" promises to be as eye opening as the first two. As we have a sizable population here that identifies with the Cherokee Nation this episode (sneak peak here) should be seen.

The Cherokee would call it Nu-No-Du-Na-Tlo-Hi-Lu, “The Trail Where They Cried.”This film by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals,A Thief of Time and Skinwalkers) portrays the strength of character of the Cherokee Nation as they fight to retain their lands by all possible means,assimilating,adopting European style government and legal systems,accepting Christianity and taking their case all the way to SCOTUS.They won tribal sovereignty in this landmark case.

Posted in the Arts & Entertainment interest group.
Topics: PBS, Native Issues
posted by sagefever on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 01:34 PM
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I was watching THE DEVILS BACKBONE  and a character delivered this fragment of a poem~ if anyone knows the author,I would love to know.

As most here know,my eldest died alone(seemingly at least) from a heart attack,crawling in the street looking for help. It was early,before his work day and thankfully someone saw and summoned help though they arrived to late.

When I heard these beautiful words,the spirit so captured what we would have said to each other given the chance, I knew of no better memorial.

 

Stay by my side as my light grows dim 
as my blood slows down
and my nerves shatter with stabbing pain 
as my heart grows weak
and the wheels of my being turn slowly
Stay by my side as my fragile body is racked by pain which verges on truth
and manic time continues scattering dust
and furious life bursts out in flames.
Stay by my side 
as I fade so you can point to the end of my struggle
and the twilight of eternal days 
at the low dark edge of life.

Chris~ held in our memories,always loved...till soon son. Mom~~April 2009

I intend to take a break from the blogs for a bit~ so no worries any one, but I need to recharge and retro-fit my attitude.

Play as nice ~~sage
 

Posted in the Relationships interest group.
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posted by sagefever on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 02:32 AM
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