glum perspective from a glum burg - carlalafong's Blog - Bakersfield.com

bill moyers interviews rev. wright

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:07:30 PDT

don't believe the soundbiters.

go on here to joe bertia's blog for further discussion, too: http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/JBertia/

an oldie but goodie & pete seeger, great patriot

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:44:08 PST

www.snopes.com , the urban legend buster, describes this as containing "degrees of truthfulness" and also, of course, subjectivity. Listed also are two other sites (one called "Crossbearer," which certainly suggests a subjective perspective) that it says one can go to to check the veracity of the resume's "facts." Reading it might cause a sane person to feel a certain mordant satisfaction... and then want to weep for the "state of things."

www.snopes.com/politics/bush/resume.asp

Last night a documentary on the Pete Seeger was shown on PBS. 36 years ago and more, he was singing that this country's people, specifically its poor, need shelter, food, and schools, not to be ignored and/or sent to war as cannon fodder.

When his patriotism was questioned because of his anti-war stance, Seeger replied, "Was Lincoln unpatriotic when he opposed the Mexican War?"

BRING 'EM HOME

If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring all troops back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

It will make the generals sad, I know
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
They want to tangle with the foe
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

They want to test their weaponry
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Here is their big fallacy
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Our foe is hunger and ignorance
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
You can't beat that with bombs and guns
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

I may be right, I may be wrong
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
But I got a right to sing this song
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Spoken
Isn't that the wonderful thing about America.
You got a right to be wrong.
Where else in the world can we do it like we can do it here ?
And back in 1965 when I first wrote this song it was
"If you love your Uncle Sam
Support our boys in Vietnam
Bring 'em home"
And if you all sing that chorus with me we can raise the ceiling a little higher.
Hooray for the United States of America and the right to speak your mind.

There's one thing I must confess
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
I'm not really a pacifist
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

If an army invaded this land of mine
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
You'd find me out on the firing line
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Show those generals a fallacy
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
They don't have the right weaponry
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

For defence you need common sense
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
They don't have the right armaments
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

The world needs teachers, books and schools
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
And learning a few universal rules
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

So now we don't want to fight for oil
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Underneath some foreign soil
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

So if you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring all troops back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Words & Music : Pete Seeger

public schools, public schools

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:03:25 PST

After returning from 2 months in Iceland, I decided to stay off the Internet for a while and have been happily successful. However, I felt the need to share the message below. I received it today from my friend the teacher.

My take on what she wrote is that schools will not change until parents in large numbers step up to the plate to support their child's education by regularly helping out at school. Student achievement is directly related to parent involvement.

Directly.

If you are reading this and are the parent of a public school kid, you likely already help your local school (if not, you need to!). Please encourage every one of your parent-friends to get involved with their child's school. That is the only way the "public school problem" will ever improve.

->>sometimes life stinks, so i need to remember how small i am in all of this, how small we all are

->> most who care at all would agree, i think, public schools are in deep trouble. the one i'm at now is staffed by hard, hard working idealists who put in long, long hours... yet despite the cheerful, intelligent, & committed people i know my teacher friends to be, our district, the largest k-8 in ca, suffers terribly (except for its pet school, which unfairly has the king's share of the $$). leaving late from school, i just had terrible, terrible news, heard something that broke my heart for everyone involved & saddened me deeply about the "handwriting on the wall" for public schools & their students.
-> problems will only worsen as schools get bigger & poorer & monies are funneled twd standardized testing instead of meeting children's basic needs (love, safety, nourishment). kids have gotten much wilder, since i started teaching yrs ago; i correlate it w/the onset of internet & video games, when kids' awareness of "fame" as the ultimate goal & the "necessity" of having high-$ toys caused children to acquire the venal "adult" mindset of acquisition over everything.
in public schools, "highly qualified" staff gets ever-scarcer, for who'd want to be a scapegoated teacher nowadays, overworked, underpaid, blamed for society's ills?
hardworking idealists, that's who. people who love kids & know they're the future. people who never give up & can take a hit because they know what they do is good & right.
unfortunately, increasingly, we're not bred as a society to be hardworking OR idealistic, OR to think of much else besides buying stuff.
2 in 5 teachers quit in their 1st few yrs: your kids likely are taught by someone who's just learning the ropes, &, just a few yrs from now, burnt out & heartbroken, likely will give up before they have even reached mastery.
the public school system is sick, hamstrung by evil governmental priorities (testing over children's well-being) & societal "norms" that encourage sociopathy & addiction. as the educational testing trend continues, less & less adequately-qualified adults will pursue or stay with teaching.
the ones who suffer will be children. today i am heartsick, but know on another level this means i must not give up because my job, tho i complain about it, is too important.

Who will get your vote? ... Are you sure???

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:22:37 PDT

repost

Subject: WHO ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE FOR???

Thinking about next year's election ... already made up your mind? still deciding? try this fascinating website!

Takes about 1-2 minutes.

Having trouble deciding who to vote for in 2008?

This will compare your answers with ALL candidates.

I found this to be of interest .... It did not select the candidate I had expected!

Of even more interest was which were way down the list - and why..

Click on the website below

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

I'm sure you'll want to pass this along to friends ... I suggest you do it without disclosing who your candidate was before and after the survey !

brussel sprouts and bush

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:53:00 PDT

postings below from expat g.t., hugely creative not just musically, but (i didn't know this) with political thought. don't throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one -- g.t. (i mean, joe green) gives us some good fat to chew on here. too bad he went and moved to brussels, but i know others who've decided to do so, too, in the last 7-8 years... unfortunately, they're to a one the most talented, bright, and productive people i know, which means not just bakersfield, but the u.s. suffers "brain drain" when they go...

JOE DEAN COMMENTS ON GENERAL PETRAEUS' SPEECH TO CONGRESS

Maybe it's an Ollie North-type situation, but with more rank? All good things to those who (fall on their sword and) wait? It is most interesting that at this late stage of the game -- damage-control, graceful(less?) exit, political (cow) chips, etc -- that Petraeus is standing firmly with the Bush-Admin. Wonder what size 'red dress' HE wears?

But let's look at the Iraq War Scoreboard for a minute (courtesy of ESPN Baghdad).

On the plus side:

(+1)Ding-dong the witch is dead! -- no more Saddam. Now, for the life of me, that's the only 'plus' that I can see.

On the minus side:

(-1)No WMD found -- our 'self-mandated' original mission.

(-1)No working-democracy, except in W's fantasy world. It's just not happening, folks.

(-1)Repairing the infrastructure. Rub a lamp for that one OR, just interview the average Iraqi.

(-1)Stabilizing the country and ending sectarian violence (see previous). They're tribal peoples with conflicts much older than our nation -- they're not gonna get along because we tell them to.

(-1)Developing a self-sufficient Iraqi military and police force. Still waiting...and waiting.

(-1)The War On Terror. Let's see...we took a secular muslim dictatorship (albeit a very distasteful one) and morphed it into Afghanistan West -- a mecca (sorry) for radical muslims. "A chance to kill Americans?...sign me up!"

(-1)The cost in human life. 3700-plus (and counting) of our military personnel (never mind the maimed, disfigured and mentally destroyed OR the numbers of other coalition nations' dead and wounded), countless civilian casualties, some of them OUR civilian employees. I didn't even do a 'body count' of enemy killed (remember, as the 'experts' say, "this is nothing like Viet Nam").

(-1)The $$$$$$. We're gonna hit the Big Trillion next year (had to check the spelling, as I've never typed 'trillion' before). That'd buy A LOT of health care, even with our prescription drug prices.

Now, we just add (subtract?) up the score...let's see...("naught, naught, carry the naught")...OK, Jethro says the score is Negatives 8, Positives 1. Looks like a rout(e) to me.

Now, I don't see what kind of success we can achieve with this conflict (other than gettin' the Hell outta Dodge) before this administration rides off into the sunset (Ronnie & the Duke would be SO proud). What kind of blueprint could this war possibly represent for our future 'leaders'? However, I sorta felt the same about Viet Nam and look where we are? Palm trees & rice paddies...apples & oranges.

Oh, and speaking of Cuba and the Phillipines. It seems to me it's much easier to conquer and then close the borders on an island, since most nations (or terrorist groups) don't have much in the way of naval power (Taliban-Al Queda Navy?), than to conquer(?) and close the borders of a country @ 98% land-locked and bordered by large numbers of folks who would like to kill us. To properly secure Iraq, we would've needed @ 500,000 troops to button it up right. I'm no military expert, but every commander allowed to be interviewed is always asking for more troops. Draft Lottery, anyone?

Respectfully yours,
Joe S. Dean (from Bowling Green)

GW POINTS TO "SUCCESS" (NOT VICTORY) IN IRAQ

Watching this Iraq business unfold from Belgium (where they're now FOUR YEARS without a seated Federal Government -- Hooray!) it all appears to be so much posturing, dancing, singing, crowing, finger-pointing, da-di-da-di-da...

Indulge me in a little fantasized (super-sized?) crystal ball-gazing, if you would.

According to the L.A. Times (and others), we're now holding (secret?) talks with Sadr's Shiite militia about playing nicey-nice. Since we've already been recently getting SOME co-operation from the Sunnis (for big $$$, I'll wager), how's this for a scenario? (SERIOUSLY too bad about Abdul Rattar Rashawi being assassinated the other day, though)

IF we can get the respective militias to tone it down and help with the policing in their respective neighborhoods and outlying provinces, our military (read: The Administration) can then concentrate on getting Baghdad spruced up and reasonably secure, begin to SLOWLY (not too fast!) reduce troop levels (carefully timed and credited to assist Campaign '08), all the while telling everyone in the world about all the progress they've made and are making. The Democrats will have, at best, a few "me, too's" and "I told you so's" but mostly it'll be the Republicans taking all the credit. Oh, I almost forgot...when they start releasing all the Iraqi oil, which Halliburton and KBR have squirreled away, watch gas prices come down, oh, say, about the first week of June '08 ("have a great summer, America, courtesy of Bush-Cheney & the Republican Party").

At certain points, they'll present all sorts of Cold War-style, carefully-staged, "look at all the happy Iraqis enjoying life in their nice, secure city" and "our returning troops are reunited with their families (THAT will be truly welcome)" feel-good propaganda, which will, hope Bush & Co, generate enough relief that the war MIGHT be coming to an end ("good job, Mr. President") to allow the Republicans to secure YET ANOTHER four years in office. This CAN come about due to our country's seemingly PERPETUAL blind faith in Truth, Justice & The American Way. Then...about the first Wednesday in November, it all starts to unravel. By January 20th, 2009, it'll be "good luck, Mr-Ms President, whoever you may be".

Nah...could never happen.

ONE MORE BIT OF POLITICAL RAMBLING

So, "W" says we're now trying for 'success' in Iraq, not 'victory'? He announced yesterday the first troop cuts, with, of course, no time-table for more. The Dems shot their wad in their recent majority Congress by trying to wrest away control of the war from The Administration with threats of budget cuts to the military (thank you, Ms Pelosi!). Politically, "taking the bullet$ away from our boy$" was never going to work. Unfortunately, at the time, they couldn't override any of his threats of veto on any other legislation pertaining to the war and everybody knew it. But they kept shaking that blunt saber, nevertheless. NOW, "W" possesses the added political card of "bringing our troops home" whenever he should need it. The Dems can't very well object to these announcements, since this is what THEY wanted, and was the ONLY issue they focused on. So, King George is in position to make it happen, at Prince Cheney's whim, of course.

CREATIONIZhhhhhmmmmmmm

"The universe was created by an all-powerful, all-knowing being who came down to us in the form of a cosmic Jewish carpenter, who was his own father, and who can make you live forever, if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so that he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a 'rib-woman' was persuaded by a talking snake to eat a piece of fruit from a magical tree." -- author unknown

THE MEANING OF LIFE

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:42:27 PDT

This just in from my friend the teacher, whom I hope now won't go off the deep end, with all her newly-found time...

THE MEANING OF LIFE!

LEARNING WITH SOUL

a guidebook or curriculum is now available online for you to look at, if you're interested in the above phrase/s:
http://www.freewebs.com/learningwithsoul/index.htm

i certainly don't have any answers!!! but i DID do A LOT of research and ended up creating this thing under punishing time constraints with hopes it might help at least one person who is a little adrift while on the journey of life (since we ALL are on that journey!)...

when you click on the link, on the left side you'll see the table of contents.

the first parts are just my thesis, which probably won't interest most people. it's to me a strange combination of discursive/analytical/descriptive/anecdotal/formal/personal writing -- i was encouraged to do this by my professors (www.newcollege.edu) . it still feels weird to read parts of it, kind of like walking around naked, but there you go. oh well.

***** the actual guidebook or curriculum starts where it says LEARNING WITH SOUL, on the left side.

so this thing is now available to anyone who wants it! please use and share it however you wish -- amend, revise, improve it! if you know someone who's struggling, kind of unhappy, bored, whatever, and you think it might help him or her, look it over and pull out what you think'll be useful... and again, nothing's set in stone, but maybe something here will be helpful to someone!!

if you see major errors or omissions, i thank you ahead of time for letting me know. :)

here again is the link:
http://www.freewebs.com/learningwithsoul/index.htm

lone star oldie-goody (pg-13 content, maybe)

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 07:34:25 PDT

featuring molly ivins, may she r.i.p.

hope you get a good laugh or two out of this one. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYXUUsDGxkU

the founding immigrants

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 23:44:06 PDT

repost courtesy of bakes-patriat lonnie lopez! i didn't know this about franklin, whom i still do admire... interesting facts here from a guy who wrote a heckuvan entertaining capsule-history book, i think.

happy independence day to all...

The Founding Immigrants
By KENNETH C. DAVIS

Kenneth C. Davis is the author of "Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned."

Dorset, Vt.

A PROMINENT American once said, about immigrants, "Few of their children in the country learn English... The signs in our streets have inscriptions in both languages ... Unless the stream of their importation could be turned they will soon so outnumber us that all the advantages we have will not be able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious."

This sentiment did not emerge from the rancorous debate over the immigration bill defeated last week in the Senate. It was not the lament of some guest of Lou Dobbs or a Republican candidate intent on wooing bedrock conservative votes. Guess again.

Voicing this grievance was Benjamin Franklin. And the language so vexing to him was the German spoken by new arrivals to Pennsylvania in the 1750s, a wave of immigrants whom Franklin viewed as the "most stupid of their nation."

About the same time, a Lutheran minister named Henry Muhlenberg, himself a recent arrival from Germany, worried that "the whole country is being flooded with ordinary, extraordinary and unprecedented wickedness and crimes. ... Oh, what a fearful thing it is to have so many thousands of unruly and brazen sinners come into this free air and unfenced country."

These German masses yearning to breathe free were not the only targets of colonial fear and loathing. Echoing the opinions of colonial editors and legislators, Ben Franklin was also troubled by the British practice of dumping its felons on America. With typical Franklin wit, he proposed sending rattlesnakes to Britain in return. (This did not, however, preclude numerous colonists from purchasing these convicts as indentured servants.)

And still earlier in Pennsylvania, the Scotch-Irish had bred discontent, as their penchant for squatting on choice real estate ran headlong against the colony's founders, the Penn family, and their genteel notions about who should own what.

Often, the disdain for the foreign was inflamed by religion. Boston's Puritans hanged several Friends after a Bay Colony ban on Quakerism. In Virginia, the Anglicans arrested Baptists.

But the greatest scorn was generally reserved for Catholics - usually meaning Irish, French, Spanish and Italians. Generations of white American Protestants resented newly arriving "Papists," and even in colonial Maryland, a supposed haven for them, Roman Catholics were nonetheless forbidden to vote and hold public office.

Once independent, the new nation began to carve its views on immigrants into law. In considering New York's Constitution, for instance, John Jay - later to become the first chief justice of the Supreme Court - suggested erecting "a wall of brass around the country for the exclusion of Catholics."

By 1790, with the United States Constitution firmly in place, the first federal citizenship law restricted naturalization to "free white persons" who had been in the country for two years. That requirement was later pushed back to five years and, in 1798, to 14 years.

Then, as now, politics was key. Federalists feared that too many immigrants were joining the opposition. Under the 1798 Alien Act - with the threat of war in the air over French attacks on American shipping - President John Adams had license to deport anyone he considered "dangerous." Although his secretary of state favored mass deportations, Adams never actually put anybody on a boat.

Back then, the French warranted the most suspicion, but there were other worrisome "aliens." A wave of "wild Irish" refugees was thought to harbor dangerous radicals. Harsh "anti-coolie" laws later singled out the Chinese. And, of course, the millions of "involuntary" immigrants from Africa and their offspring were regarded merely as persons "held to service."
Scratch the surface of the current immigration debate and beneath the posturing lies a dirty secret. Anti-immigrant sentiment is older than America itself. Born before the nation, this abiding fear of the "huddled masses" emerged in the early republic and gathered steam into the 19th and 20th centuries, when nativist political parties, exclusionary laws and the Ku Klux Klan swept the land.
As we celebrate another Fourth of July, this picture of American intolerance clashes sharply with tidy schoolbook images of the great melting pot. Why has the land of "all men are created equal" forged countless ghettoes and intricate networks of social exclusion? Why the signs reading "No Irish Need Apply"? And why has each new generation of immigrants had to face down a rich glossary of now unmentionable epithets? Disdain for what is foreign is, sad to say, as American as apple pie, slavery and lynching.

That fence along the Mexican border now being contemplated by Congress is just the latest vestige of a venerable tradition, at least as old as John Jay's "wall of brass." "Don't fence me in" might be America's unofficial anthem of unfettered freedom, but too often the subtext is, "Fence everyone else out."

rev. sharpton quotes from today's californian

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:45:31 PDT

"the only things that run when an exterminator comes are 'roaches'." (This one, I think, can really sound bad out of context... Read the story for that context. He is speaking of his critics.)

"I usually like to hang around where folks get upset because it makes me feel they've got something to hide... What they really don't want is someone to address the divisiveness [of American society]."

WHY WAS THIS ONE IN THE "SAY WHAT" BOX ON PG. 2? It kinda scares me that the following didn't make sense to some Californian editor! Maybe the paper was just trying to promote discourse... "There is a difference between peace and quiet. Most folks don't want peace, they want quiet. They just want people to shut up and suffer in silence."

"If everyone likes you, 'you haven't taken a side.'"

The Self-Taught Gardener Reflects

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:36:37 PDT

a relative of mine is writing a story about "rooms without walls" - backyards that are like retreats, getaways, etc, i would think. she interviewed a family member, who gave the following lecture. once his (rightful) indignation wore off, he gave many helpful tips for the budding gardener... she forwarded this in email to me, since she can't use much of it. hope you find some intriguing ideas here, as i did.

I get a real pain when I hear people talk of backyard retreats. No one wants to talk about
the poor - the no backyard with a dog running around - or admit there's such a problem as
poverty. We need to recognize the predominant number of people who can't have an oasis.
Here it's not too different than in Mexico, where you have a have-have not classist society.
We have community service workers - not city or county workers- doing the maintenance work
fo the wealthy, just striving to survive. They didn't choose to live that way - they are
struggling to feed their families.
It's a pathetic comment on how the wealthy use their money, to feather their own nests. On
the other hand, they are providing jobs. Maybe the point is that I wish America could be
more equal, with less difference between rich and poor, or let the rich keep what they got,
but help bring the poor along, too - child care, health care, access to Aera Park and other
remote wealthy regions. It was a big deal when Bank of America went in on Brundage
so people could actually bank in their own neighborhoods. Do people in Haggin Oaks have to
worry about easily accessible fresh food and services?
What of those who can't create a Shangri La in their backyards? Those who don't have to raise
a finger, just say, I saw something in a magazine I like, then call a friend of a friend
to do the work? - That's not how it is for most people.
I built some steps to my citrus trees. Someone said it looked "old country" - they're
lacking in the perfectness you'd see in the beautiful magazines like Sunset, that
studied effort to make a rustic look. Those stairs just happened through found materials.
You demolish a brick BBQ and suddenly have material for steps.
If a person has enough energy after work and having to pick the kids up, who've been farmed
out, help them with their homework, cook dinner, if you're a single mom who has to wash clothes,
renting a crappy apartment - then you still have the time and desire, but not the $6,000 for
a grotto by a landscaping company, you'll likely have to use found materials. Something in
the yard that's been a sore thumb and might provide raw building materials. Maybe a retaining
wall made of railroad ties - instead of throwing them away, it's good wood - you accumulate.
Throw it behind the clothes line or a hedge until you can use it.
Also be aware this is a salable commodity. Keep your mind open to things without obvious
monetary value. Hold back, squirrel it away, like broken construction, for example. Say
your neighbor tore out part of the driveway. It's been in the street for two weeks. You
wonder when he's gonna get rid of it. Might be good stepping stones. He might say, "take
em." Bricks, concrete, wood, safety glass, which breaks out like gravel, not in shards...
save it all, if you can.

They're excavating for a new shopping center at Mt Vernon and Bernard - there would be rocks
there.

Plant now for the future - the time when you will have time for a backyard retreat.
A Pawlonia grows so fast, you can hear it screaming. At the same time, plant a slower-
growing tree, like a weeping elm, which is beautiful and stately. Cut the Pawlonia down
once the mature tree gets to a certain size. Use its wood to build something else - a trellis,
maybe, or a patio cover or pathway. Don't plant a white birch if you plan to live here longer
than 15 years.
Same with redwoods - they go into decline. But a valley oak for the grandchildren? It's like
buying a bottle of wine and telling the grandchildren when they marry, they may open it.
Such a tree is a gift to the future.

Surfaces - cement is expensive and hot, though easy to clean off. Gravel has rustic charm,
but is heavy. You'd have to have lots of family with strong backs to help. Redwood chips are
reasonably inexpensive, smell good, and are fairly light, on the other hand.
Weed control - put down landscaping cloth. This allows water to pass through into the
ground. You place it on the bare dirt, but it's so fine, the weeds can't germinate through
it. It's well worth it, inexpensive. Places like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's have it.

A hammock is pretty cheap. Kids can't jump on it, but it's fine if cared for. It implies you
have trees to hang it from, but some come with frames. Place it where you have the best
wind movement and shade. The neighbor might be throwing out old furniture - hose it down,
let it dry out, cover it with old blankets or table clothes, you have your outside furniture.

Uncle Joe once told me, "Don't ever put anything in you can't move. You'll find yourself
rearranging things." He was right.
Gardening is an evolving activity. The garden gets older, has less energy, moves toward
simplicity. The gardener makes changes based on not being able to bend over as well, say
puts a faucet higher up, maybe after decades splurges on a strip of cement all around
the house so he can move the wheelbarrow more easily.
Gardeners learn through experience. You might plant an exotic macadamia plant for instance,
and have it die. That's why the process takes so long.

Looking at the side garden - this was a fence, no grass, hot, lots of sunshine. Now, trees provide a ceiling
for a "secret garden". "The English have the word 'folly' to describe 'a whimsical conversation piece', like maybe a fake Parthenon or Acropolis."

He has a bird bath (a gift) as focal
point, a "Blessed Mother" statue, an arch from a family wedding. "In Ireland, you see little leprauchan houses. These are conversation pieces. Like pink flamingos - you don't see enough of
those around here. Or the plywood grandma and grandpa bending over. I think some people are
limited by social convention that tells them, for example, 'These things are tacky and
low-class.' Those with less to lose can be more expressive and more creative."

Stinky-shorts tree - a volunteer. You gotta listen to the plants. Originally, this tree
was growing on the hill. I cut it down with a hoe and put it in a pot. It died, then came back.
It died again, so i planted it in the ground. Look at it now. (it's humungous.)
Trellis - very old. Came in 4x8 sections from a garden supply store. Recycled.
You arrange things to please your own eye. For instance you can hang things in trees, like bicycles, for instance. It's weird, funny, great!
Pots and planters have been gifts. So were the Buddha statue, the welcome signs.

He has patio curtains to draw when the light moves. Lanterns. Classroom masks. Wind chimes. Gourds.

Ceiling fans are affordable for someone who knows how to wire.
Indoor-outdoor carpet feels good on the feet, so there's the tactile thing. It's also
pretty and defines the space. You can find carpets at second hand stores and yard sales.
Don't get furniture spiders can get up in, like wicker, for instance.
The little fridge is from my old classroom - not planned.
Time figures strongly in this.
Your friends need to know you're getting into gardening. Tell them more than once! People will give you things.
What not to plant - wisteria is a monster. The self-taught gardener learns hard lessons.
You plan honeysuckle, you will forever kick yourself. It progresses like mold.
Trial and error, though, is part of the fun. There is a macabre pleasure in complaining - and it's not hurting anyone.
Wherever you go or live, you're always looking for ideas. When my children were babies, there was a
hippie community up in the hills behind our house and at night you'd hear these weird
bells and gongs. It was spooky! But I always liked gongs and chimes, like the ones in Morro Bay, so I made my own gong from metal tubing and wood and twine.
Everything is evolving.

Monji and Urner and people like them are paid for expertise. They've seen the things that work and don't work.
You have a class of people who don't care - they don't want to be creative: "Don't bother
me with details, just give me something nice." There are those who want to be involved
in the processs. Then you have those who don't have those options. Ressure them that
if they're interested, they can do it, too.
Gardening is a unique expression of creativity. It can be enjoyed by all.

Be All That You Can Be

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:26:51 PDT

my family member sent this to me. it was to run in the cal, but she thinks they nixed it.

so here it is.

    Gandhi believed individuals should work toward a "single code of conduct," being the same person in all settings. If more people tried this, society would be much improved. It's helped me: I try not to swear or indulge bad habits. Being a teacher, I consider students when conducting myself, in and out of class.
    Another idea is that "a leader must know himself." Gandhi did, as do those who follow that inner voice leading them to forge change -- even and especially in the face of criticism. Dr. King wrote that change never occurs in an atmosphere of complacency. Those who come to know themselves become compelled to act: such people are society's advancers, most successfully when following a single code of conduct. They don't worry about what "society says is right" and change the world one small action at a time. "What's the use?" doesn't enter their minds.
    Richard Malicdem fuels his car with vegetable oil. Why bother? What will people think? Malicdem says, "It doesn't matter... At least I'm doing my part."
    Action toward change, originating from the single code of conduct based in knowing oneself, initially may influence few. Such action may be interpreted by "many" as innocuous, threatening, even "evil." But with perserverance, positive actions catch on. Like Malicdem, act, we must: as the sticker reads, "Think globally, act locally." I'm proud that Richard Malicdem lives here and welcome more like him.

bush named dictator of the year

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:25:22 PDT

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55824

jenna brown

Tue, 22 May 2007 17:28:29 PDT

3 cheers for jenna brown! click the link at bottom to read her letter in today's cal about the real division in america... why don't people like jenna run for office? or try to motivate the local underclass into action? the local poor and disadvantaged, the overworked and underrepresented need an advocate, a mobilizer, a messiah, a cesar chavez, rigoberto menchu, obama, etc.!!

i know another jenna who's very young. i wonder if jenna is a young and active idealist? that would bring me hope for the future. however, young or not, here is a local woman who sees the local media being in cahoots with promotion of the american status quo and its inherent inequality... regarding politics, if jenna brown is like others i know who point out societal foibles and injustices, even when such views are unpopular, she's probably busy in the trenches somehow -- too busy helping people to compromise herself by seeking an office!! i've known teachers like her -- teachers know that the best among them rarely go into administration. they're too immersed in helping students to want to leave them for the "relief" of the school office, pencil pushing, or stepping stone positions toward political careers. unfortunately, those seeking "relief" then are those who make policy! (if we're lucky, that is -- as most readers know, bcsd's and khsd's school boards are packed with religious zealots and business people with little to no educational experience) (noble exceptions of educators who've gone into administration are mcdougle and lorenza hughes and mcgowan and other eternally hard-fighting idealists of their ilk, many of whom now belong to the retired teachers' association and are fighting the esea [improperly named "no child left behind"] right now)... anyway, there i go, rambling!!

ok, enough from me - read what jenna has to say, if you haven't!

http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/letters/story/146929.html

hail, hail freedonia

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:28:40 PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=depUjlC89n4

Recent Bumper Stickers

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:37:05 PDT

Bumper Stickers Recently Seen:

What Part of "Bush Lied" Don't You Understand?

Even Nixon Resigned

George Bush is Creating the Terrorists Our Kids will Have to Fight

Let's Fix Democracy in This Country First

America: One Nation, Under Surveillance

Jail to the Chief

Guess What? Bush Doesn't Care About Poor White People, Either

We're Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them

When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46

The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century

Who Would Jesus Torture?

On Bush - God's Way of Proving Intelligent Design is full of Crap

I never thought I'd miss Nixon.

On an infant's shirt: Already smarter than Bush.

That's OK, I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
>
> If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran
>
> Bush. Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
>
> Killing For Peace Is Like Screwing For Virginity
>
> You Can't Be Pro-War And Pro-Life
>
> If You Can Read This, You're Not the President
>
> Of Course It Hurts: You're Getting Screwed by an Elephant
>
> Impeachment: It's Not Just for Blow-jobs Anymore
>
> Over a photo of Bush: Electile Dysfunction
>
> They Call Him "W" So He Can't Misspell It
>
> No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade Iraq?
>
> We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
>
> Is It Vietnam Yet?
>

school board hatemongers and their clan

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:57:00 PST

teachers, parents, students, and their supporters flooded the education center last night in support of bcsd educators, with numbers of picketers estimated to be upward of 800 ... the superintendent and his clan contend that the union is being unreasonable & that teachers don't want what the union wants -- however, at the school board meeting that followed the large, peaceful picket, karen dewalt was seen banging a gavel to try to keep order as meeting attendees chanted "BETA! BETA! BETA!"

how ridiculous of the school board to say that a proactive, responsive, and organized union such as BETA would not reflect the best interests of its own... such propaganda just unifies and mobilizes teachers more. in fact, the school board seems to be afraid of BETA's peaceable, confident, and organized action. read below:

this just in off the wire...

I attended the Bakersfield City Schol District meeting last night. Despite being asked several times to move the meeting to the adjacent auditorium, which seats several hundred people, the School Board refused! Over 200 people were kept out of the meeting, being made to stand in the foyer and spilling out the door. We were not able to hear what transpired during the public meeting. I am a concerned taxpayer who lives in the BCSD area. I am concerned about the judgement of a School Board when they deny access to this public meeting to the very people who help pay for the schools. I am concerned about the judgement of a School Board that chooses to ignore fire and safety isseus that exist by not moving the meeting to a place where all could sit down. As a result of last night's descision, I am concerned that the School Board may not be making the best decisions for the students.

L.B., **** O**** St., Bakersfield CA 93305, 661-32*-***3

a peaceful crowd of protesters so large that the school board, befuddled, violated the law by refusing to move the meeting? who wants to bet at the next meeting, bcsd will have hired guards to "keep the order"? board members might ruin manicures if forced to bang gavels too much, after all. (yes, that was a cheap shot, and i took it.)

(this reminds me - a certain activist minister is pushing for bcsd's books to be investigated... could this be motivating the superintendent and his people to throw smoke screens up suggesting that the union is the one in the wrong? let's look into our crystal ball and foresee californian headlines one year from now... hmmm.... can we say enron or desert counseling, everyone?...)

after the recent election, the school board is now packed with even more good ol boys ... it's typical. this town, sometimes known as "bakersfailed," "backwardsfield," and the like, has an image problem. yes, we can be folksy and friendly, but we also can be reactionary, stingy, and small-minded, sometimes appallingly so (and LAZY! herrera lost the election by under 200 votes, and mcdougle was close, as well... where were the voters???)... witness a letter that ran in today's bakersfield californian, undoubtedly written by a relative or close friend of one of the school board's more conservative members, no doubt at that board member's behest.

the letter chastised BETA president carol reichert for doing her job, suggesting that instead of standing up for the teachers and their rights, she basically should quit and be a stay-at home mommy. the idea that women shouldn't work, or cannot both work and successfully lead a family... wasn't that kind of hateful thinking supposed to go away decades and decades ago as americans "progressed"?

the female letter writer claims that her daughters are teachers (i guess to lend credence to her bigoted argument)... how surprising, given her viewpoint. makes you wonder if her own girls were ever encouraged to work, or had to fight to make their own careers!

if such an incredible letter ran in the paper of a more forward-thinking community, it rightfully would be ridiculed and challenged... however, we're in "bakersfailed," and the temptation is to say, sort of like at the end of the great movie "chinatown," "forget it, jake: it's bakersfield." in other words, around here, no one really cares, and injustice and inequality prevail always.

we'll just see what happens...

"Please Help George"

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:15:27 PST

does anyone understand why george w. bush was voted worst president of the last 50 years in the californian's reader poll, yet they pictured (hugely) jimmy carter???? maybe a californian editor can explain that one... i must've missed the "standing president exclusion clause" in the promo encouraging cal readers to write in with their opinions. (now i'll probably get booted off here. oh well, if i do.)

voted worst president, even here in california's bible belt: whew... george isn't doing so swell these days, i guess.

(the below was forwarded from gene taylor, boogie-woogie piano king.... by this time you probably can guess it's humorous -- i'll just add in an "onion"-esque vein)

It's time to help GWB get returned to the oval office.

The Republican National Committee is currently polling Americans through the Internet to determine thesuitability of changing the Constitution to allow a 3^rd and possible 4^th term for George W Bush.

If you would like to show your support for George and encourage him to run again

for President of the United States in 2008 please click the link below.

http://piv.pivpiv.dk/

school picket fri; sign petition to end nclb

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:30:01 PST

bcsd school teachers, families, and their supporters will picket bcsd schools friday morning, mostly likely 15-30 mins before school starts. this would be anywhere from 7-8 am at most sites - just ask your child what time school starts. this is an informational picket to let parents know what has been going on:

teachers have been working without a contract since july, 2006 (due to unsettled contract items - especially the one described next)

the most debated contract item is TRANSFER RIGHTS. if BCSD gets to make the changes it wants, any teacher, from any school, at any grade level could potentially be moved without any reason given.

this means EVERYONE, even cozy and happy staffs at the top schools, or hard-working, united, making-gains staffs at some of the "bottom" schools. your favorite teachers would and could be moved, and they will, if these changes are made.

the teachers' union hasn't given in to changes in this area. the union realizes it's a slippery slope that will erode teachers' rights... not to mention make many parents and students unhappy!!!!

already, if you're reading this, you likely know that many many teachers are under extreme pressure from overbearing, punitive principals who themselves are near nervous breakdown from NCLB demands; parents at far too many schools who are indifferent to or unsupportive of school for various reasons; and the life having been sucked out of school curriculum and teaching as a profession due to NCLB... many teachers are near burn-out or quitting.

then who will teach the kids???

the current environment already is unsupportive of teachers, who are being scapegoated (along with children at the "bottom" schools)... beta is right to stand by teachers so that they can feel supported at least by someone.

if you are reading this, you likely are a person sympathetic to education and have been supportive. thank you.

of course, the ones who suffer - when teachers are barely hanging on to their jobs and peace of mind, when they have become unappreciated, disheartened, and must teach lockstep curriculum under extreme duress - is THE KIDS.

many administrators, again, themselves near-nuts from pressure, are blaming teachers for these contract problems and the resulting organizing efforts teachers are being forced to take. "don't you care about the kids?" several have accused. "why do you want to hurt the children?"

almost without exception, no person would go into the currently near-thankless job of teaching unless he/she loved children. of course there are the duds, as in any profession. overall, however, teachers are idealistic, committed, and loving individuals who want to better society.

if i were teaching, accusatory statements that i have heard said by principals and the "higher-ups" at BCSD would make me want to quit in an instant... or, because i loved teaching and children so much, to continue, to fight on, to keep going, though my heart were sick with frustration.

this latter situation is where you will find most of your teachers to be. how much longer can they endure the pressure?

please consider going out to your local BCSD school friday morning for 15 minutes, to hold a picket sign or hand out a flyer.

parents need to know why teachers are being FORCED to organize and rally their efforts. it certain is NOT because teachers don't care about kids. that is plain mean and manipulative BS.

ps - below is a link to send to friends and sign yourself, if you agree that the factory mentality of NCLB has been damaging to american children: http://www.educatorroundtable.org:80/

dr king's poor people's campaign

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:10:42 PST

recently we celebrated the birthday of dr martin luther king, jr.

last night i was reading a book that said that although doctor king's campaign to end racial inequality is well-known, less known today is his POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN to end poverty by empowering the poor to organize and demand their rights for food, shelter, safety (in accord with 1948's declaration of human rights)... dr king mobilized folks and marched on washington with this agenda, but was assassinated before he could do much with it...

the book suggested king might've been assassinated because he got too dangerous by questioning american democracy, a paradoxical system that promises equality to all but in execution produces inequality (it's an inherently hierarchical race for success, competition driven, with an unequal starting-line!)... interesting that malcolm x (el hajj malik el shabazz), after visiting mecca, returned to the u.s. with a similar desire to enlighten and uplift ALL persons, regardless of class or color, and then also was assassinated... (both also protested u.s. involvement in vietnam...)

anyway, i'm not going to get into conspiracy theories much because that's crazy-making and the question is, what can one do now? here are some links for your consideration:

Dr. King's Forgotten Speech on Peace: http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/opin/mlk03.html

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (signed by the U.S. Gov. as well as many other offenders) http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Catholic Worker Movement: http://www.catholicworker.org/ (chapters in LA and fresno, but not locally)

United Farm Workers: http://www.ufw.org/

Locals doing closest to Dr King's peace and anti-poverty work (if you know of more, please add to this list):

St. Vincent de Paul, 300 Baker St, 93305, 661-323-2941(they feed and clothe people without requiring them to attend church services; they also directly give needy people clothing and food, which organizations like Goodwill and Salvation Army may not)

Bakersfield Food Not Bombs: http://www.geocities.com/bakproactnet/foodnotbombs.html
Peace Bakersfield: http://www.geocities.com/bakproactnet/peacebakersfield.html

Bakersfield Head Start http://www.capk.org/HSLOCATIONS.htm

Migrant Ed: CCC, Job Corps: http://migrant.kern.org/stories/storyReader$281

Bakersfield AmeriCorps: http://kcsos.kern.org/schcom/stories/storyReader$164

Clinica Sierra Vista: http://www.clinicasierravista.org/employmentApplication.php

what are you doing to help all americans, especially the poor and disadvantaged? i'm enough of a braggart & so will be mum on the subject, and i'm not what's important, anyway - the message is what's important.

we who read this blog are likely lucky members of the middle class, the advantaged, those with food, shelter, and relative safety: we are the ones whose moral and human duty is to help those less fortunate, in other words. i hope that in 2007, more of us will stand together locally, with the ideas that combatting poverty and improving peace are important values that we each should support with positive and decisive action.

presidents, best to worst

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 12:52:55 PST

this is certainly interesting...

Which U.S. presidents of the past 50 years will be remembered as best and worst? Two opinions are presented below.

Ratings: 4= A; 3=B; C=2; D=1; 0=F

Abbreviations: JFK= kennedy; LBJ= johnson; RN=nixon; GF=ford; JC=carter; RR=reagan; GB=bush the elder; BC=clinton; GW=bush the younger

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTABILITY FACTORS:

1. WEALTH/CAMPAIGN COFFERS: Recent presidents have been born with silver spoons in their mouths except Reagan (2) and Clinton (1). Clinton is the only president of the past 50 years to have had lower-middle class origins and to have worked his way up to the presidency (he got “in” early in life, though, due to unusual determination and brains).

2. FAME PRIOR TO ELECTION : All have been prominently in the spotlight prior to election, though Ford gets a 3 for being in the shadow of Nixon.

3. NAME RECOGNITION PRIOR TO ELECTION: Carter and Clinton get 3s

4. SILVER SPOON STATUS: Most presidents have been born rich to filthy rich, but Carter gets a 3 for being from a farming family; Reagan a 3 for accruing his wealth via acting-to-politics; and Clinton a 2 for being born poor and having to work his way up.

5. HEIGHT/STATURE: The taller guy usually wins, unless the shorter guy is younger/better looking, and then he may win. Looks and height are ever increasingly more important: JFK= 6’1”=4; LBJ=6’4”=4; RN=5’11”=3; GF=6’=3; JC=5’9”=1; RR=6’1”=4; GB=6’2”=4; BC=6’2”=4; GW=5’11”=3

6. GOOD LOOKS/SMILE/CHARM: JFK= 4; LBJ= 2; RN=1; GF=2; JC=3; RR=3; GB=2; BC=4; GW=3 (in the eyes of some, that is; many supporters think he’s the hippest, a real rogue, mister cool)

7. SMEAR TACTICS/EXPERT-AT-DOUBLESPEAK SUPPORT STAFF WITH TV & PRINT MEDIA CONNECTIONS: Speech writers, campaign team, and cabinet are increasingly important to the modern president. These support people must be able to convince “the American public” that black is white, that night is day, that a draft dodger is the real patriot when running against a decorated veteran. Without his savvy lackeys, the president is nothing (witness the current downfall of Bush the Younger):

JFK= 3; LBJ= 2; RN=4; GF=2; JC=1; RR=4; GB=3; BC=3; GW=4

8. SLICK AS SNOT/WINING & DINING/SCHMOOZING ABILITIES: Beyond being merely charming and dynamic, the modern president increasingly must be manipulative and able to wrap all people around his finger, even if he must lie to do so. Winning is everything:

JFK= 3; LBJ= 3; RN=3; GF=1; JC=1; RR=4; GB=2; BC=4; GW=4

FINAL ELECTABILITY SCORES (with presidents ranked): JFK= 30 (A); GW=30 (A); RR=28 (A-); GB=27 (A-); LBJ= 27 (B); RN=27 (B); B C=25 (B-); GF=23 (C); JC=20 (D).

Electability Analysis: When using the above U.S. electability measures of wealth, fame, movie star looks, smear campaigns, and slickness, we see that Jimmy Carter came out dead last and therefore, along with Abraham Lincoln, would never be elected president if he ran today. Bill Clinton also scores low because, although he exhibits good looks and slickness, he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Therefore, it seems, his election to two terms was some kind of fluke, since the office increasingly is awarded to the born-into-it stinking rich.

Clearly on top are John F. Kennedy, possessor of legacy, wealth and good looks, and George W. Bush, who although not nearly as good-looking, bright, or authentically charismatic, pulled ahead due to a strong support staff of smear-tactic experts as well as his own personal Texannecticut charm and ability to say and force into reality anything to accomplish what he needs.

II.

PRESIDENTIAL LEGACY (During the President’s term, these qualities may be perhaps only 10 percent important, obscured as they are by the president’s wealth, fame, and control of visual and print media. However, as the years and decades go by, the President’s legacy – how he will be remembered for his true knowledge of issues; decisive, honorable actions; personal character; and vision for all regardless of class -- becomes increasingly apparent. Sometimes, however, the legacy begins to manifest itself while the president is still in office, as is happening currently to Bush the Younger.)

1. DOMESTIC AFFAIRS KNOWLEDGE: JFK= 4; LBJ= 4; RN=4; GF=3; JC=4; RR=3; GB=4; BC=4; GW=2

2. FOREIGN POLICY KNOWLEDGE: JFK= 4; LBJ= 4; RN=4; GF=3; JC=4; RR=3; GB=4; BC=4; GW=1

3. COMPASSIONATE, CIRCUMSPECT, DECISIVE ACTION – DOMESTIC: JFK= 4; LBJ= 4; RN=1; GF=3; JC=4; RR=2; GB=2; BC=4; GW=1

4. COMPASSIONATE, CIRCUMSPECT, DECISIVE ACTION – FOREIGN: JFK= 3; LBJ= 3; RN=3; GF=3; JC=2; RR=3; GB=3; BC=3; GW=1

5. INTELLECT: JFK= 4; LBJ= 3; RN=4; GF=3; JC=4; RR=2; GB=4; BC=4; GW=1

6. HONESTY & INTEGRITY: JFK= 4; LBJ= 4; RN=1; GF=4; JC=4; RR=3; GB=3; BC=1; GW=1

7. OVERALL LEGACY: JFK= 4; LBJ= 3; RN=1; GF=3; JC=3; RR=3; GB=3; BC=3; GW=1

FINAL LEGACY SCORES (with presidents ranked): JFK= 27 (A); LBJ= 25 (A-); JC=25 (A-); GB=23 (B); BC=23 (B); GF=22 (B-); RR=19 (C-); RN=18 (D); GW=8 (F)

ANALYSIS: Using the preceding measures and ratings, JFK will be remembered as the top president of the past 50 years. Following him will be his predecessor, LBJ, as well as Jimmy Carter, who although perceived as weak during his presidency, since has proved himself to be an important peace-maker, man of productive action, and unifier.

Reagan, called “the Great Communicator” in his time, ultimately will be remembered as a genial actor and man lost to Alzheimer’s whose top-down policies resulted in a worsened classism and stratification of American society.

Ironically, Bush the Elder’s legacy has been strengthened by the damage done by his comparatively weak-minded and impulsive son. Clinton, disgraced by personal and financial scandal while in office, also will look better historically when compared to GW, Clinton never having blackened America’s world reputation with pre-emptive strike, stripping of personal liberties, torture of prisoners, and too-little-too-late indifference to domestic disasters such as Katrina. Bush the Younger, like Clinton, never served in the Armed Forces, unlike Clinton protected from inscription by the privilege of his wealthy family, yet sent and continues to send thousands to death in battle.

At bottom with George W. Bush is Nixon, brilliant thinker felled by lack of empathy and Watergate, but G.W. is dead last, being the “Resident Non-Elect,” unrepentant alcoholic and drug addict, wealthy frat-boy and draft dodger, Texan imposter, a man inauthentic in so many ways. Like the director of “The Passion of the Christ,” Bush seems to be that particularly arrogant, self-righteous, and compulsive type, the alcoholic who stops drinking and then shuns support, running on self-will, impulsivity and might makes right. However, the director is only an annoyance to read about in tabloids when he drinks again, makes ugly statements, and falls embarrassingly before our very eyes, whereas the current president not only annoys and infuriates, but turns the whole world against the United States, blithely thumbing his nose at all who disagree with him.

CONCLUSION: JFK will be remembered, head and shoulders above others, as the greatest president of the last 50 years. George W. Bush will be remembered, head and shoulder below all others, as the worst.