tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82819745338365568702024-02-02T12:51:17.434-05:00Observations v.2Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.comBlogger936125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-87242590958708227942014-06-12T21:38:00.002-04:002014-06-12T21:38:32.185-04:00Observations 6.12.1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A bit of an introduction to my aunt from a post I totally forgot I had written. Click <a href="http://kcnightfire.blogspot.com/2013/04/observations-414.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read the full post.<br />
<br />
(April 14, 2013)<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned my aunt before but I should have as she is probably one of the more interesting members of my family. In many ways I'm more like my aunt than I am my mom just as in many ways my aunt and mom are very different. Both loved art but my aunt made it her life as she graduated from two art schools and worked at a few museums including the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Never married she lived in Los Angeles and New York, at one time having an apartment just blocks from where I live now, as well as Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The Atlanta stop I should ask her about because I never could figure that one out.<br />
<br />
My aunt is the world traveling rebellious sister while my mom was the much more serious and at times philosophical one. In that way the two remind me a lot of my sister and I. In art my mom's interests ran more towards classical art and history while my aunt loves all things modern and abstract. When my mom lost her hair during chemo she religiously wore a Penn State cap her daughter forced on her. Last year, after being diagnosed with the same rare cancer as my mom, my aunt refused all offers from my rather large hat collection and acquired a large collection of her own, long printed scarves that flow behind her.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-24858585853341559642014-06-12T21:02:00.001-04:002014-06-12T21:02:31.183-04:00Observations 6.12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's become the worst possible form of deja vu. Some fifteen years ago I watched as my mom was consumed by cancer and as many years later I watch as the disease slowly but ever so surely takes her sister, my aunt.<br />
<br />
With my mom I found myself consumed with rage, rage against a world I felt had deserted me. In many ways I took it out on myself because I reasoned if the world had deserted me it was perfectly acceptable to desert myself. Essentially I was selfish. Now I find I'm more retrospective, thinking more about my life, what I've done and what I want to do with it. I think a lot about my family.<br />
<br />
I'm sure one explanation of the difference in reactions is simply age, that magic wand called maturity, the different way a thirty year old's mind reacts to a situation compared to a teenager's mind. How much of the difference comes from the knowledge that I carry the same gene that destroyed both my mom and my aunt I can not say. Along with maturity comes knowledge and with that knowledge comes questions, some of those questions never have an answer. Probably the main question is the simplest, why? It's ironic how the simplest question is also one that has no answer.<br />
<br />
It's so hard to put any of what I'm thinking or feeling into words but I had to try if for no other reason than my sanity. When I write, ramble as I might at times, I can see concrete thoughts, this is what I'm thinking. When I talk about my feelings on this or any subject I sometimes change my thoughts before the conversation is over. Normally I like that, I like that my mind is constantly changing, evolving to use an overused word. But in this case I find it all too emotional and feel like my brain is on the verge of burning out. Maybe this will help, maybe not.<br />
<br />
But than there are the times I just can't get Birdy's "Wings" out of my head. It is what it is.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-959801218550147282014-05-31T08:32:00.001-04:002014-05-31T08:32:16.666-04:00Observations, Pride 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Presidential <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/30/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-mon" target="_blank">proclamation</a> declaring June LGBT Pride month ....<br />
<br />
"I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people."<br />
<br />
The White House<br />
Office of the Press Secretary<br />
For Immediate Release May 30, 2014<br />
<br />
Presidential Proclamation -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014<br />
<br />
As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.<br />
<br />
Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits -- from immigration benefits to military family benefits -- to legally married same-sex couples.<br />
<br />
My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.<br />
<br />
Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.<br />
<br />
This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity -- because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.<br />
<br />
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.<br />
<br />
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.<br />
<br />
Barack Obama<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-16275457614029101742014-05-20T21:02:00.002-04:002014-05-20T21:04:21.734-04:00Observations 5.20<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So a day after a judge ruled Oregon's same sex marriage ban was unconstitutional Judge John Jones ruled the same in a case against Pennsylvania's ban. This one was fascinating for a number of reasons but it was special too because I still consider Pennsylvania my home state. I'll try to get to the fascinating later but for now I want to post a quote from Judge Jones' <a href="http://coop.pamd.uscourts.gov/13-1861.pdf" target="_blank">ruling</a>. It should be noted that Jones was appointed by President George W. Bush.<br />
<br />
"In the sixty years since <i>Brown</i> (vs the Board of Education) was decided, 'separate' has thankfully faded into history, and only 'equal' remains. Similarly, in future generations the label same-sex marriage will be abandoned to be replaced by simply marriage.<br />
<br />
We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it's time to discard them into the ash heap of history."<br />
<br />
United States District Judge John E. Jones III<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-64030853901925380742014-05-19T20:17:00.002-04:002014-05-19T20:17:59.546-04:00Observations 5.19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"With discernment we see not shadows lurking in closets or the stereotypes of what was once believed; rather, we see families committed to the common purpose of love, devotion, and service to the greater community.<br />
<br />
Where will this all lead? I know that many suggest we are going down a slippery slope that will have no moral boundaries. To those who truly harbor such fears, I can only say this: Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall; rather, let us look to each other ... and rise."<br />
<br />
United States District Judge Michael J. McShane at the conclusion of his <a href="http://www.oregonunitedformarriage.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/opinion.pdf" target="_blank">ruling</a> today which declared Oregon's ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-57765076995353306692014-04-22T07:10:00.001-04:002014-04-22T07:10:29.539-04:00Observations on Art 4.22<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've posted a few timelapse videos over the years, they're something I really love, a love I probably picked up from my roommate in State College who was a film major. I never did anything with that love but maybe that will change next year. At the moment <a href="http://www.gtimage.com/gtimage-index" target="_blank">Geoff Tompkinson</a> is one of the best timelapse video producers in the world and one of the few good hyperlapse producers. The now defunct website Inspiredology once called him the man who controls time. Next year he and his wife Liz will be giving one of their <a href="http://www.gtimage.com/workshop-new-york" target="_blank">workshops</a> in New York and I'm seriously considering attending.<br />
<br />
<i>The Independent</i> described hyperlapse as basically "shorthand for large distance stop motion timelapse," hyperlapse is a much easier word to use. When asked the difference between timelapse and hyperlapse Tompkinson answered; "It’s quite similar in that the footage is a series of photographs that are put into sequence and sped up to play at 24 frames per second only, with timelapse it’s normally from a single static position or incorporating a small rail-based move. With hyperlapse, I’m moving the camera long distances during the sequence to offer a very different experience as we can journey around a place or through a building, as opposed to just seeing everything unfold all from one spot." The trick is to transition from photo to photo without the video looking jerky.<br />
<br />
Below is Tompkinson's latest video, <i>Moving Through New York</i>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/91440169" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="420"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/91440169">Moving Through New York</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/gtimage">Geoff Tompkinson</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
Posted April 8, 2014<br />
<br />
Here is a link to the Tompkinson film <i><a href="https://vimeo.com/59981585" target="_blank">The Lake</a></i> which was the overall winner of the 2013 Chronos Film Festival. The festival celebrates the art of altered time perception cinematography including time-lapse, slow motion, and stop motion photography.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-61963133604964313402014-03-31T14:26:00.001-04:002014-03-31T14:29:15.554-04:00Observations on Art 3.31<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIizmwDHVappsvEycc2xk4Pu4JEyItXpMFcjFl0EEHv25IPFuEvWmkEzCe8ZE4x7GLkIibgbOUE2mC0CYv9aToTFFASgQk2OnoQeIua6hjJm5mq9GQVnBe1oEwUIp7eDc5miAJLlZ0V21d/s1600/Warhol-Brillo-Boxes-At-S-006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIizmwDHVappsvEycc2xk4Pu4JEyItXpMFcjFl0EEHv25IPFuEvWmkEzCe8ZE4x7GLkIibgbOUE2mC0CYv9aToTFFASgQk2OnoQeIua6hjJm5mq9GQVnBe1oEwUIp7eDc5miAJLlZ0V21d/s1600/Warhol-Brillo-Boxes-At-S-006.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a>"Art is anything you can get away with" is a quote widely attributed to Andy Warhol that says all you need to know about his theory of art. I say the quote is attributed to Warhol because, while I'm sure he said it and just as sure he lived it, the quote is actually by a Canadian media philosopher, Marshall McLuhan.<br />
<br />
It doesn't really matter who said it because the quote isn't the topic of this post. It just makes a perfect opening for a Warhol story I heard last week that I hadn't heard in some time.<br />
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On April 21, 1964 Eleanor Ward's Stable Gallery* held one of the first major exhibitions of Andy Warhol's work. The Stable exhibition was the first time the world saw Warhol's Brillo Boxes. Among those attending the show was James Harvey who had originally designed the box for the Brillo Manufacturing Company. Harvey and a friend had wandered into the Stable to see a show by a than still minor artist, Warhol. Upon seeing the stack of boxes Harvey supposedly said to his friend "oh my god, I designed those."<br />
<br />
Art critic Arthur Danto once asked, "What distinguishes Warhol’s Brillo Box from the Brillo boxes in which Brillo comes?" That's literally a million dollar question because on that day in 1964 Warhol's Brillo boxes were selling for hundreds of dollars and have since sold at auction for as much $5 million. For all practical purposes Harvey's Brillo boxes were worthless.<br />
<br />
James Harvey died of cancer less than a year after the Stable Gallery show. One of the only remaining examples of Harvey's Brillo box is owned by Art Historian Irving Sandler. He keeps the box, an autographed gift from Harvey, in a case in his apartment not far from what was once the site of the Stable Gallery.<br />
<br />
* trivia, the Stable Gallery was so named because it was originally housed in an unused livery stable on West 58<sup>th</sup> Street in New York.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-59587879725709663702014-03-13T07:25:00.000-04:002014-03-13T08:09:27.839-04:00Observations 3.13<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're just a fan HBO's <i><a href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones#/" rel="nofollow">Game of Thrones</a></i> it would be a dream job. Throw in being a fan of Annie Leibovitz, or just a fan of photography, or just a photographer and it becomes simply a dream. The cover story of the April issue of <i><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/game-of-thrones-show-creators-know-end-of-books" target="_blank">Vanity Fair</a>, </i>available March 13<sup>th</sup>, is a <i>GOT</i> preview called "The Gathering Storm" and the cover was shot by Leibovitz in Northern Ireland.<br />
<br />
One bit of trivia in the article is that President Obama, always known to be a <i>GOT</i> fan, receives early screenings of the show. In an e-mail to <i>Vanity Fair</i> the creators of the show replied, "One perk of being the most powerful man in the world: yes, you get to see episodes early."<br />
<br />
Above the Leibovitz <a href="http://video.vanityfair.com/watch/cover-photo-shoots-behind-the-scenes-of-our-cover-shoot-with-the-cast-of-game-of-thrones" target="_blank">video</a> is a link to a fourteen minute trailer for Season 4 of <i>Game of Thrones</i> which premiers April 6<sup>th</sup> on HBO.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/J5iS3tULXMQ" target="_blank"><i>Game of Thrones</i> Season 4: Ice and Fire, A Foreshadowing</a><br />
<br />
<object height="236" width="420"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/Lbm5dJML4IQ?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0;showinfo=0;controls=1"></param>
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<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/Lbm5dJML4IQ?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0;showinfo=0;controls=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="236" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
<a href="http://youtu.be/Lbm5dJML4IQ">link</a><br />
<br />
Published on Mar 10, 2014<br />
Watch Annie Leibovitz photograph the cast in Northern Ireland.<br />
Subscribe to the all-new <i>Vanity Fair</i> channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIsbLox_y9dCIMLd8tdC6qg?sub_confirmation=1" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-50315860480318829412014-02-09T20:37:00.000-05:002014-02-09T21:00:12.665-05:00Observations on Sochi 2.9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9Wi77xuQ2tSlq2Z6mH5fVShrspFruGAAlaErs6xCC0mCP2SFzBz6e57C90G9MT8EBxQ-cXsq4ce9sDsftp5M1Xfx8D0wtTdv15dgZaIceuWeYYvdFdp8w4rPAdGRKicOEZzPpmH4cFWv/s1600/sochi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9Wi77xuQ2tSlq2Z6mH5fVShrspFruGAAlaErs6xCC0mCP2SFzBz6e57C90G9MT8EBxQ-cXsq4ce9sDsftp5M1Xfx8D0wtTdv15dgZaIceuWeYYvdFdp8w4rPAdGRKicOEZzPpmH4cFWv/s1600/sochi.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Wong, Associated Press</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I haven't written in some time but I'm not going to get into that. I'll just say I've been busy with other things and leave it at that for now. It isn't surprising that a combination of two of my loves, sports and photography, snapped me out of that non-posting funk.<br />
<br />
<br />
What I want to share is quite possibly the coolest thing ever. With the start of the Olympics in Sochi <i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">The New York Times</a></i> launched what they call <a href="http://sochi2014.nytimes.com/photos/firehose" target="_blank">The Firehouse</a>. It's a real time live stream that streams still photos instead of video. The stream includes photos from the <i>Times</i> along with the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images, Agence France Presse, and the European Pressphoto Agency. The name derives from the fact that the photos can stream by quickly and they have no caption or description other than the photographer's name and agency.<br />
<br />
I have no idea if it's a one event trial or if the <i>Times</i> will use it for other things. Either way it's pretty damn awesome.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-91791287645110104312014-01-01T20:16:00.002-05:002014-01-01T20:16:55.620-05:00Observations 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the start of my fifth year writing this blog, a fact I find rather mind boggling. For various reasons I haven't been posting much lately and I'm not sure when that will change. Too many projects and too little time is one of the reasons, increasingly writing in 140 character bytes is another.<br />
<br />
A major reason for that recent lack of posts is that I haven't felt like writing about politics lately. Actually I haven't been paying as much attention to national politics as I normally do. Fair and balanced was once just a joke on Fox News but increasingly it could be used on the political reporting of the MSM in general.<br />
<br />
It's hard to find a news source, televised or otherwise, that doesn't cater to a certain segment of the population. While many Republicans are rightly criticized for talking exclusively to their base more and more everybody is talking to somebody and nobody is just reporting the news. Than there is the ratings game where reporting has taken a backseat to profit. Watch one of the network evening news shows sometime. If it can't be reported in apocalyptic tones in all likelihood it isn't going to be reported at all.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, opinion has its place and is necessary, it's just that today it's hard to find political news that isn't partially political opinion. Panel shows have become the worst because it's like the talking heads are just talking to the heads on the other side of the table. Being a talking head, no matter what the politics, has become a very profitable career choice and they need to protect it. I suppose the problem is that the heads and other reporters are as much trapped in the bubble as the politicians they accuse of being trapped in the very same bubble. I still have my favorites, I'll always love Rachel, but I don't watch them as religiously as I once did.<br />
<br />
It's just hard to find anybody to believe that isn't already telling you what you already believe and therein lies the catch 22. In the end you just have to believe yourself. Traditionally I don't believe in New Year's resolutions because I think they are doomed to fail but I may make an exception this year. I think I'll try to read a better mix of things this year and believe myself more without subconsciously looking for somebody to tell me what I want to hear. It might be a good New Year's resolution for the nation as a whole.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year people.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-46052482794154308922013-12-12T07:16:00.000-05:002013-12-12T07:17:39.232-05:00Observations from the Window 12.12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is just an update to my post on International Human Rights Day which you can read <a href="http://kcnightfire.blogspot.com/2013/12/observations-from-window-12101.html" target="_blank">here</a>. On Wednesday, the day after International Human Rights Day, the Supreme Court of India threw out a four year old ruling by a lower court, the Delhi High Court, which had decriminalized gay sex. Section 377 of India's penal code bans "sex against the order of nature" and dates to the 19<sup>th</sup> century. The Supreme Court said the lower court had no authority in the matter and that only the Indian government could change the law.<br />
<br />
The ruling stunned even the federal government. Several ministers openly criticized the court's verdict and the home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said they would propose a new law that would negate the court ruling. Also the United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said today that the ruling violates international law.<br />
<br />
After the ruling was announced protests erupted in various cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. Activists have threatened to continue the protests until the judgment is overrules either by further court review or through a new law in parliament.<br />
<br />
But for now my list of countries in which homosexuality is crime now includes India.<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-72317093786656711502013-12-10T20:54:00.000-05:002013-12-10T20:58:01.860-05:00Observations from the Window 12.10.2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was International Human Rights Day which marks the 1948 signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A sign of how far we have come is the little noted use of three words in President Obama's <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/10/remarks-president-obama-memorial-service-former-south-african-president-" target="_blank">remarks</a> at today's memorial for Nelson Mandela:<br />
<br />
"Around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs, and are still persecuted for what they look like, and how they worship, and <i>who they love</i>."<br />
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"It always seems impossible until it is done," Nelson Mandela.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-296412644903283392013-12-10T20:42:00.000-05:002013-12-10T20:42:27.581-05:00Observations from the Window 12.10.1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was International Human Rights Day which marks the 1948 signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A measure of how far the world has to go in one category is the fact that homosexuality is still illegal in 76 countries:<br />
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Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.<br />
<br />
In addition to that, in five countries, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen, being queer can get you executed.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-74339898515459826682013-12-05T17:39:00.000-05:002013-12-05T17:53:08.980-05:00Observations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones."<br />
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Nelson Mandela who died today in his Johannesburg home, he was 95.<br />
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R.I.P.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-86007291330543375722013-12-01T11:29:00.000-05:002013-12-01T11:34:16.348-05:00Observations from the Road 12.1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Something happened a few days ago that I found so funny I had to share the even if it says way too much about today's world and not in a good way. If you don't know I'm originally from a smallish town in Pennsylvania. I was at the final Penn State home game last weekend and due to the weather forecast decided to just go to my dad's afterwords, there was nothing I needed to do that I couldn't do from there. To understand why I found this story so funny you have to try and imagine it happening in a small town, one with a large elderly population, and in an area not exactly known as a hotbed of a liberal agenda. On top of that it happened the day before Thanksgiving.<br />
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I was driving through town when I saw three county sheriffs in riot gear standing outside a one chair barber shop. There is a small apartment above the barber and the black clad sheriffs seemed to be pointing up at it. My one uncle works in law enforcement so I texted him to see if he knew what was going on.<br />
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This is the quick version of the story I got by text over the next hour as I laughed hysterically. Apparently the sheriffs had shown up to serve a warrant to the man who lives in the apartment. He didn't answer the door and the sheriffs thought they heard a shotgun being loaded so they called for support. My uncle informed me the county rapid response team, read that SWAT team, was staging on a parking lot a block from the barber shop. This is where I couldn't stop laughing because all I could imagine is the scene in <i>Home Alone</i> where Macaulay Culkin uses the TV for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE5UoQzIRro" target="_blank">sound effects</a>. As my uncle said, waste all that money, storm the building, and all they find is an empty apartment with a TV blaring what I hoped was <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_z4IuxAqpE" target="_blank">Scarface</a> </i>(warning, clip is not approved for all audiences). On my way home I drove a back way to avoid the bedlam but at the last minute swung into town because I just had to see, only there was nothing to see but the original sheriffs. Apparently the long deceased suspect had been found before the team could fully assemble and the coroner had been called but hadn't yet arrived. However the event did make all the local news shows.<br />
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I can only imagine the conversations around the town's dinner tables the following day.<br />
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note - If you didn't understand what I meant by this little episode saying something about today's world it's this. Police departments, down to the smallest town it seems, are way too well armed and they look for any excuse to use their toys. Imagine what could have happened had the suspect simply been passed out drunk as the 'rapid response team' stormed his apartment.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-17237817144292535392013-11-22T07:47:00.001-05:002013-11-22T07:47:54.292-05:00Observations 11.21<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have to be very careful what I say here because I don't want to take anything away from what I said <a href="http://kcnightfire.blogspot.com/2013/11/observations-1120.html">a few days ago</a>. Florida Congressman Trey Radel is a hypocrite, of that there is no doubt, I stand by everything I wrote. While watching a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BODXML2TWdY" target="_blank">video</a> of Radel's press conference I found myself feeling compassion for a man who seems to have, or had, little of the same for people in his own condition. Sometimes in life events hit a little too close to home, for him and for myself. I don't need to get into my story, suffice to say I know how it feels. If you need to know that's what tags are for, you can find it, it's all in here somewhere.<br />
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My problems with Radel begin with his vote to require food stamp recipients be drug tested. To what end? Would he deny or revoke someone's food stamps if they tested positive for a substance? Maybe if they didn't seek some sort of Congressional mandated treatment because we know Radel thinks government should stay out of people lives. But wait, food stamp recipients are obviously poor, probably have no health insurance, and Radel is against the Affordable Care Act. Who is going to pay for tests or treatment? It's a stunningly crafted catch 22 for the poor.<br />
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Trey Radel stood in front of the cameras, the slightest hint of tears in his eyes, and asked for redemption and forgiveness. As he exited his press conference a reporter either began to ask a question or simply made a statement by saying " you voted to drug test people who have food stamps." The words hung in the air as Radel walked out and never looked back.<br />
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He asked for the very things he isn't willing to give the poor and I have a problem with that.<br />
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notes - Radel began rehabilitation in Florida Thursday afternoon, he has never raised the idea of resigning, and plans to take a leave of absence from Congress until just the end of the year. He faces a maximum 160 days in jail for misdemeanor cocaine possession.<br />
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Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, also from Florida, told the <i>Washington Post</i>, "I don’t presume what is best for him. Other members have gotten in trouble. There but for the grace of God go all of us, perfect only God. I’m careful not to cast stones, because I live in a glass house as all of us do." Obviously this too doesn't include the poor.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-55088033151305297972013-11-20T15:19:00.000-05:002013-11-22T07:48:27.691-05:00Observations 11.20<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hypocrite, according to the <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hypocrite" target="_blank">Urban Dictionary</a>, a person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns others for.<br />
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This morning Republican Rep. Trey Radel of Florida pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine. Radel, a freshman congressman, had been arrested in Washington earlier this month as he purchased cocaine from an undercover agent and also had cocaine in his apartment. Radel will enter in-patient treatment in Florida and has already been seeing a drug counselor in Washington. In court today Radel’s lawyer, David Schertler, said the congressman has been in treatment at the Executive Addiction Disease Program.<br />
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As the Pope said, who am I to judge, unless ....<br />
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Last month Radel voted in favor of the House version of the farm bill which included a provision that would require food stamp recipients be drug tested.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-42874314018427087482013-11-19T08:47:00.000-05:002013-11-19T08:47:20.211-05:00Observations from the Coffee Shop 11.19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week I started a <a href="http://kcnightfire.blogspot.com/2013/11/observations-from-coffee-shop-1115.html" target="_blank">post</a> about our broken political system, which turned into a vent about Obamacare, and I wanted to get back to that. Yes the system is broken, it's not really a question open to debate, but what is startling is how much of it has nothing to do with the times or the economy but is by pure Republican design. There is a very good article in the latest issue of <i><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/" target="_blank">Rolling Stone</a> </i>that explains it all very clearly and is worth reading. Rather than get into it I'm posting some highlights of <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-republicans-rig-the-game-20131111" target="_blank">"How Republicans Rig the Game"</a> and hoping that's enough to get you to read the entire article.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWeaiwvXOhvz4AS5zLdFOiq4RslAzvLaI1SBPp4OLXG0FeNVHP8c5f7GtnNSavJvbwTbAD-piXaGKajK1pw65cJ86nYEiuBYtfEd29Xx019CMXPL01JlRo-nnHc_HkWSJTFTWKvdr8LAK/s1600/20131106-nataffairs-x600-1383767704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWeaiwvXOhvz4AS5zLdFOiq4RslAzvLaI1SBPp4OLXG0FeNVHP8c5f7GtnNSavJvbwTbAD-piXaGKajK1pw65cJ86nYEiuBYtfEd29Xx019CMXPL01JlRo-nnHc_HkWSJTFTWKvdr8LAK/s200/20131106-nataffairs-x600-1383767704.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by Victor Juhasz for <i>Rolling Stone</i></td></tr>
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Something to keep in mind, yes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering" target="_blank">gerrymandering</a> has gone on forever but not in the nationally planned, calculated, well funded, and computerized way it was after the last census.<br />
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"National Republicans have waged an unrelenting campaign to exploit every weakness and anachronism in our electoral system. Through a combination of hyperpartisan redistricting of the House, unprecedented obstructionism in the Senate and racist voter suppression in the states, today's GOP has locked in political power that it could never have secured on a level playing field.<br />
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"Explicit racial gerrymandering is illegal under the 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. So Hofeller used a proxy for race, redrawing boundaries by identifying the wards where President Obama received the highest returns in 2008. According to court documents, this approach 'allowed black voters to be carved apart from their white neighbors and friends, on a block-by-block basis.'<br />
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"Pennsylvanians cast 83,000 more votes for Democratic U.S. House candidates but elected a 13-5 Republican majority to represent them in Washington; Michiganders cast over 240,000 more votes for Democratic congressional candidates than Republicans, but still elected a 9-5 Republican delegation to Congress. In Wisconsin Republicans prevailed by a five-to-three margin in House seats despite losing the popular vote by more than 43,000. In Ohio, only 52 percent of voters cast ballots for Republicans, but thanks to maps drawn in a Columbus-area Doubletree Hotel, referred to by GOP operatives in court documents as "the bunker," John Boehner's home-state delegation swings 12-4 for the GOP.<br />
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But gerrymandering only effects the House, the problems of the Senate are Republican made with the aid of the founding fathers. When the Constitution was written the largest state, Virginia, had 10 times the population of the smallest, Delaware, while today California has 65 times the population of Wyoming.<br />
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"Half of the U.S. population now resides in just nine states. Which is to say that the other 50 percent of Americans control 82 votes in the U.S. Senate.<br />
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"In today's Senate, 41 small-state Republicans can mount a filibuster on behalf of 28 percent of the country. And the departure from historical practice is shocking: LBJ faced one filibuster as Senate majority leader. Harry Reid, the current majority leader, has faced more than 430. Nearly half the filibusters of executive-branch nominations in the nation's history – 16 of 36 – have occurred under Obama."<br />
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The scariest idea of all may be the Republican one that would restructure the electoral system which decides presidential elections. Personally I think the entire system is outdated in the extreme and should just go but the Republicans have an idea of their own. Electoral votes would be divided among a state's congressional districts instead of on a state by state winner take all basis. Due to the above mentioned extreme gerrymandering under that system we would have a President Romney today.<br />
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But, frustrating as this rigged political system has become, there is always hope as the final lines of the article show.<br />
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"The GOP may have postponed its day of reckoning at the hands of a younger, browner, queerer electorate, 'They're holding back the tides,' says Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, but sooner or later, they're going to get swamped."<br />
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Read the article than vote whenever you can.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-19517876219051634562013-11-17T16:34:00.002-05:002013-11-17T16:38:21.852-05:00Sunday Observations 11.17<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Even though I've been told Halloween doesn't count the holiday season is fast approaching. You can tell by the damn store displays which only means the music can't be far behind. Actually I don't mind Christmas music, I have about a thousand songs on my iTunes but I only listen to them in the month of December, sometimes July. But this is all besides the point because I didn't bring up the holidays to talk about music, I have something in ways in rather extraordinary to report. Due to holiday commitments I needed a dress, yesterday I went dress shopping, I bought two dresses because my shopping partner and I couldn't agree and I wasn't about to go a second time. One dress is black while the other is slightly longer and black, enough on the matter. That should be enough dresses to last me the rest of my life but now I may need shoes.<br />
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It being Sunday I should stay away from politics but this in a way combines sports and politics. The Washington football team should just change their name now before they are forced to do so. Longtime owner Dan Snyder says he never will change the name but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell might soon have other ideas. The reasons given for not changing the name include tradition, as if it always having been called the 'Redskins' makes it right, and the team losing money. The latter reason is laughable because of all the new name merchandise the team could sell.<br />
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While I'm picking on Washington football I'll mention their quarterback Robert Griffin III, known to the world as RG3. Until he learns how to play football and wins something please just call him Robert. Robert is like the second coming of Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo, another whom the world anointed savior and one the greats but Romo has yet to win anything that matters. Romo has won just one playoff game in his ten year NFL career and is probably better known for dating Jessica Simpson a few years ago.<br />
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Joe D. Horse Capture, currently Associate Curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, had a novel idea. Instead of changing Washington's name change its emblem, to a red potato.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-14575442189164530192013-11-15T08:14:00.001-05:002013-11-16T08:22:50.242-05:00Observations from the Coffee Shop 11.15<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The system is broken, so totally broken that at times I have been shying away from politics. That's not completely true because I can only shy away for a short time before I'm right back in it but it says something that even I just want to run away sometimes. When you watch any main stream news everything has to be reported in apocalyptic tones while on the panel shows they endlessly debate the same thing, usually the wrong thing. Obamacare is just the current example.<br />
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The talking heads endlessly debated a broken website when in fact there was no debate, it didn't work very well. Anybody who has ever worked on the web knows that a large website never works well at first, remember Twitter's ever present fail whale? Now the debate has moved to people who have gotten cancellation notices from their insurers, also no debate here because they did. What nobody mentions is that in many cases the notices come from greedy insurance companies looking to make a fast profit and blame Obamacare because, you know, everything is Obamacare's fault. The people totally lost in the debate are the tens of millions who have no health insurance at all.<br />
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Politicians and talking heads making hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year have the best insurance policies their or their employers money can buy. They don't have to worry about not going for care because they don't have insurance. They don't have to worry about not going to a doctor because they spend so much for their insurance they don't have the money for a co-pay. They don't have to worry about anything at all.<br />
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One thing to remember when discussing healthcare is that Republicans have no plan of their own other than the good old way. They don't want to fix Obamacare, they don't want to adjust it, they don't want to use it as a starting point, they want it gone. The good old way is to have the most expensive system in the world, spend more per capita than any other nation on Earth, and as a reward for all that spending have the 39<sup>th</sup> longest life expectancy. That puts the U.S. behind every European country, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. All those countries with the hated socialized medicine. Also ahead of the U.S. are Hong Kong, Israel, Chile and Cuba.<br />
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I think whenever there is a debate or discussion about healthcare at least one person involved in the discussion should be somebody with no health insurance at all. That way maybe, just maybe, we could have an honest discussion about this mess.<br />
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note - This wasn't meant to be an Obamacare vent, it just ended up that way. I was going to write about the broken system because I just read a good article on why the system is the way it is, because that was the Republican plan all along. I'll get to that later.<br />
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update - Just a small update and not of the good kind because my life expectancy number was off a bit. The number I used was a five year average. Yesterday afternoon I saw a tweet from <i><a href="http://www.motherjones.com/" target="_blank">Mother Jones'</a></i> David Corn that included a link to the CIA's <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html" target="_blank">World Fact Book</a>. The CIA estimates that in 2013 the U.S. will finish 51<sup>st</sup> in life expectancy, worse than the number I had used and putting among others Jordan, Greece, and the European Union (as a whole ahead) of us. I think a well done is called for.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-60642907584136013582013-11-12T08:47:00.000-05:002013-11-12T08:47:14.984-05:00Observations from the Coffee Shop 11.12<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is another update of sorts. I've read a lot of memorials, tributes, and good-bye's since Lou reed passed away but two stick out and I wanted to share them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tuXzQFPvaifrl8Ta55q1hzA4XB_QbsJ9-Uqdr_u_5dxDYLK3DR7yBz_dqZV89KOly1_hYznknAjJ-wxtXqeFThF2UCjCWoE3sJkO5iTTSNS1E4_c52ThkpFybIRTkU5fX8qxX_0JeNGG/s1600/patti-smith-lou-reed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: .5em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tuXzQFPvaifrl8Ta55q1hzA4XB_QbsJ9-Uqdr_u_5dxDYLK3DR7yBz_dqZV89KOly1_hYznknAjJ-wxtXqeFThF2UCjCWoE3sJkO5iTTSNS1E4_c52ThkpFybIRTkU5fX8qxX_0JeNGG/s200/patti-smith-lou-reed.jpg" width="200" /></a>The first is from <i>The New Yorker</i> and was written by <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/11/11/131111ta_talk_smith?" target="_blank">Patti Smith</a>. "Before I slept, I searched for the significance of the date, October 27<sup>th</sup>, and found it to be the birthday of both Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. Lou had chosen the perfect day to set sail, the day of poets, on Sunday morning, the world behind him." Smith also told <i>The Hollywood Reporter</i>, "We all owe him a debt. Most of us that owe a debt are not very happy to own up to it. Sometimes you like to imagine that you did everything on your own. But I think with Lou, everyone will stand in line to say 'thank you,' in their own way."<br />
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The second is from <i>The New York Times</i>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/fashion/The-Real-Life-Stories-Told-by-Lou-Reed-in-Walk-on-the-Wild-Side.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1384262004-XpWZaQWX8oc/IDEPPUi1pg" target="_blank">"The Real-Life Stories Told in ‘Walk on the Wild Side,"</a> and was written by <i>Times</i> culture reporter Guy Trebay. "That was the era of fun for fun’s sake, fun art," Viva said, referring to the world and city of "Walk on the Wild Side." "I have no idea what kids do for fun anymore."<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-45782365134873446542013-11-09T17:15:00.000-05:002013-11-09T17:21:17.912-05:00Observations from the Coffee Shop 11.9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I thought I would take a minute to update some of my recent posts.<br />
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On Tuesday Illinois became the 15<sup>th</sup> to legalize same sex marriage. Governor Pat Quinn has announced that he will sign the bill on November 20 at the University of Illinois with marriages beginning June 1, 2014.<br />
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As was expected when I posted Thursday morning the U.S. Senate passed ENDA, the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s815/text" target="_blank">Employment Non-Discrimination Act</a>, later that afternoon by a vote of 64-32. Ten Republican Senators voted for the bill. ENDA has now passed the Senate for the first time and is supported by President Obama along with a majority of Americans. However ENDA is not supported by House Speaker John Boehner and it's unlikely the House will ever vote on it. In calling for a House vote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he thought Republicans would have to allow a vote "if they have any hope of having a president candidate that can be a viable candidate or they think they can elect some Republicans and they want to hang onto the House."<br />
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Meanwhile the Aloha State of Hawaii is on the verge of becoming the 16<sup>th</sup> state with same sex marriage after the Hawaiian legislature passed it's bill 30-19 early Saturday morning east coast time. The Hawaiian Senate will vote and likely pass the House's amended bill on Tuesday and Governor Abercrombie will sign it. Maybe because of the time difference, or because it came after the celebration of Illinois, the vote in Hawaii just doesn't feel as good as some of the others. I try to follow these state debates as much as possible, the Hawaiian special session has been downright exhausting and at times hateful.<br />
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At other times the session became a farce as over 5,000 witnesses testified and 30 amendments were proposed by same sex marriage opponents, most simply to slow the inevitable passage as long as possible. One amendment would have created a task force to further discuss the impact of marriage equality. Further discussion twenty years after the Hawaiian Supreme Court first ruled on same sex marriage, a ruling that started the marriage equality movement, and after 57 hours of testimony this week. Other 'highlights' included an out lesbian representative voting against marriage equality, more recesses than a first grade class in summer school, and the argument that marriage equality would scare away Asian tourists. My favorite quote came from Republican Representative Bob McDermott who argued, "people of religion are now the minority, they're the ones we never take care of."<br />
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As I said the Hawaiian Senate will pass the bill next week, the Governor will sign it, and Hawaii will become one of the sweet sixteen. You just have to smile and say mahalo to the Hawaiian Legislature.<br />
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Current betting is on New Mexico becoming number 17.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-79935185894001892222013-11-07T07:07:00.000-05:002013-11-07T07:07:16.067-05:00Observations from the Coffee Shop 11.7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Later today, possibly early afternoon, the full U.S. Senate will vote on the <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s815/text" target="_blank">Employment Non-Discrimination Act</a> which would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. First proposed in 1974 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_Non-Discrimination_Act" target="_blank">ENDA</a> has been submitted to every Congress since Senator Edward Kennedy introduced it to the Senate in 1994. It has failed to pass both Houses of Congress every year and this year probably won't be any different. ENDA should pass the Senate with a clear majority but I don't see it getting a vote in the House where Republican Speaker John Boehner is once again scared of his own shadow. Boehner, whose office likes to tweet with the hashtag #FairnessForAll, said Monday he wouldn't bring the bill up for a vote.<br />
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In a <a href="http://publicreligion.org/research/2013/11/lgbt-fact-sheet/" target="_blank">poll</a> taken in May 73% of those polled favored some kind of job protection while only 22% were against it. In a recent poll, which I can't seem to find, 80% of those asked actually thought it was already illegal to fire someone for being gay. It should be noted that even in Mississippi, the state with the lowest level of support, 63% support protection. Boehner's usual claim that a bill will cost jobs is mute because most large <a href="http://www.equalityforum.com/fortune500" target="_blank">corporations</a> have rules against such discrimination and 21 states ban it.<br />
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I just wanted to take a moment this morning to honor the 29 states where it is still legal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. It is legal to fire someone for simply being born.<br />
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Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, <b>Pennsylvania</b>, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.<br />
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Well done.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-26032329460483867952013-11-05T20:33:00.000-05:002013-11-05T20:33:16.628-05:00Observations 11.5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today Illinois became the fifteenth state to legalize same sex marriage and couples may begin applying for marriage licences on June 1, 2014. I'm sure I could write more but I think champagne is called for so I'll leave it to President Obama.<br />
<br />
The White House<br />
Office of the Press Secretary<br />
For Immediate Release November 05, 2013<br />
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<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/05/statement-president-marriage-equality-illinois" target="_blank">Statement by the President on Marriage Equality in Illinois</a><br />
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Tonight, I applaud the men and women of the Illinois General Assembly, a body in which I was proud to serve, for voting to legalize marriage equality in my home state.<br />
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As President, I have always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally under the law. Over time, I also came to believe that same-sex couples should be able to get married like anyone else. So tonight, Michelle and I are overjoyed for all the committed couples in Illinois whose love will now be as legal as ours – and for their friends and family who have long wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and equally under the law.<br />
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I also commend the members of the General Assembly for approaching this issue in a fair and open way, and for recognizing the importance of our commitment to religious freedom by engaging the religious community in this conversation. Throughout this debate, they've made it clear that this is about civil marriages and civil laws, and made sure that churches and other institutions of faith are still free to make their own decisions that conform to their own teachings.<br />
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As I said in my Inaugural Address last January, our journey as a nation is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And tonight, I’m so proud that the men and women elected to serve the people of the great state of Illinois have chosen to take us one step further on that journey to perfect our union.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281974533836556870.post-76925593589297906602013-11-04T10:51:00.000-05:002013-11-04T10:51:44.904-05:00Observations 11.4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Winter Olympics in Sochi begin in 94 Days.<br />
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"Russia’s law makes it unclear whether public displays of affection, coming out on television by mentioning an athlete’s loved one, or even hugging your partner after winning the gold medal could result in fines or deportation. Putin would like us to think gays and lesbians are welcome during the Olympics, but no one will feel safe and welcome while this law is in place," Andre Banks co-founder of <a href="https://allout.org/en" target="_blank">All Out</a>.<br />
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What if living your dream meant living a lie?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6AeqOFo7MRw?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
<a href="http://youtu.be/6AeqOFo7MRw" target="_blank">link</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/AllOutorg?feature=watch" target="_blank">AllOutorg</a><br />
Published on Nov 4, 2013<br />
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Russia is in the midst of a violent crackdown against lesbian, gay, bi and trans people - fueled by laws that make it a crime to be open about who you are and who you love. The Olympic games are our best chance to end to Russia's outrageous anti-gay laws -- but to do it, it's going to take lots more of us to hear about what's happening in Russia. Watch this beautiful 2-minute video, and please share it with your family and friends.<br />
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La Russie est en proie à une répression violente contre les personnes lesbiennes, gays, bi et trans -- alimentée par des lois anti-gays qui rendent illégal le simple fait de parler en public de son identité. Les Jeux olympiques sont notre meilleur espoir de mettre fin à ces lois anti-gays -- mais pour réussir, nous devons être beaucoup plus nombreux à parler de ce qui se passe en Russie. Découvrez cette magnifique vidéo de deux minutes et partagez-la avec votre famille et vos amis.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17035285149045561823noreply@blogger.com0