i-ran

so the u.s. sent 3 naval warships into the persian gulf last weekend. geez, and for some reason, the iranians counteracted by sending out 5 speedboats (yes, speedboats) to head off the naval cruisers and tell them to get out of their neighborhood.





what i don't quite understand is how we have the audacity to say that this counteraction was a "provocative act" and aggressive on behalf of the iranians.





are you to tell me that if 3 armed naval vessels from a major army that comes barreling in off the coast of los angeles or the gulf of mexico or new york bay--we wouldn't send out exploratory boats to head them off and tell them to go away? and to pair apples with apples, this major army has also invaded and occupied a neighboring country for the past 5 years. logically, would we not act in the same way?





i believe that this "us and them" philosophy is archaic. to achieve our goals of world stability and peaceful living, we need to create more international dialog and step out of the ideology that in order to attain peace we must wage war.





nyt article and reuters.

"...we'll search for tomorrow..."

nearly new years

i have always found new years eve to be an overinflated holiday. so much hype, so much build-up, it is destined for a sub-par letdown. i guess that a majority of this could be blamed on the movies and television. ahh, the famous ball drop. big deal.

and don't get me started on new years resolutions. what a bunch of hooey. if you really don't have enough control of your free will to direct yourself the other three-sixty-plus days of the year, then why delude yourself to think that change will take place just by dangling a golden carrot out in front of you on dec. 31?

all bitterness and frustration aside, new years can be a turning of the calendar to reflect upon. to recollect the passing of time, to take inventory of your life, to celebrate or mourn in your own personal way. 07 was a fine year. a wonderful year. i am confident that 08 will bring new challenges, excitement, hurdles, and opportunities.

to my dear friends and family, i wish you the best of all that you wish to take on in the new year.

inane counteraction

what is the opposite of progressive environmental legislation?


this bush-led epa bill that prevents states from accomplishing emissions standards that should be championed by the epa in the first place.

it is a sad, sad day.

louise crawford elementary school

i dreamt about elementary school last night. although i don't recall many specifics about the dream, the picture of the school in my mind is clear.

the red brick rectangle where i spent my k-6 tenure from 1979-1986 sat juxtaposition the obligatory blacktop playground and grassy lot. countless hours of socialization were impressed upon me during those years.

how to sit, how to raise your hand, how to remain orderly, one person to the bathroom at a time, no running in the halls...

and more importantly, the socialization of meeting other schoolmates. at the time, it was all that i knew and everyone seemed pretty normal. i had a great collection of friends and we seemed to laugh and play a lot. my elementary school experience was most joyful. however, looking back now at some of the odd things that some of them chose to do--it makes me raise an eyebrow and wonder what ever became of them. highlights of odd behavior i witnessed in those years include the following:

-in 2nd grade, a boy took off his shorts in the spring and walked home in his underwear

-in 3rd grade, a quiet kid slipped on the ice during recess in the winter and managed to get a laugh out of a few people. the quiet boy proceeded to jump up into the air and put is feet out straight, repeatedly doing this and landing smack on his ass on the snowy pavement for continued laughter. even at that age, i looked on in worry as to why someone would do this.

-in 5th grade, in the fall, a boy peed into an electric heater in the bathroom--when the weather got cold enough to turn on the heat, we all quickly became aware of the pee incident as a musty urine smell wafted through the halls.

now, these are not the challenges of knives and guns that some elementary schools face, but these are the strange oddities of behavior that i recall from a little 2-story school house in the middle of iowa.

u.s. representatives at bali enviro talks

"wyoming, the most sparsely populated state in the u.s. with only 510,000 people, emits more carbon dioxide than 69 developing countries that are home to 357 million."


our habits of excess asphyxiate our very nature. some of our elected officials are speaking out to the global community about state sanctions and public interest, despite the current administration's asinine view.

oh, jeebus...

baltimore, i hang my head in shame. you'll never get your act together, will you? this random beating on the no.27 mta bus through our beloved hampden scars my view of the city that i adore and have faith in. take responsibility of your actions, educate yourselves, and get your shit together, b-more.

t-day '07

made of 5 lbs of tofu and a large helping of tlc, the homemade tofu-turkey. it turned out pretty good. in the future we'll add some gluten flour and maybe some chickpea flour to create a tougher texture.