Oh, no, he di'in

I heart John Yarmuth. He is much more in-line with my politics than Anne Northup--or any other politician ever put forth for election by any part of Kentucky, to my knowledge. HOWEVER, apparently even Ol' Yarmuth has his limits. Effing politics. Check out his pussy-footing below (and when I say "pussy-footing," I specifically mean to invoke the behaviour of my cat, Frances, who is the stupidest and jumpiest, most psychotic, illogical cat alive):

Thank you for writing to share your deep concern with the Bush Administration. I firmly believe that this President’s policies have led this country in the wrong direction, and share your commitment to holding this Administration accountable.

Like you, I am deeply troubled by the actions taken in the past six years by the Bush Administration. Considering the moral imperatives of this moment in history -- ending the involvement of U.S. forces in the Iraq War, providing the American people with secure and affordable health care, reducing the cost of college for our children, and even ratcheting back executive power that this Administration has abused – the Democratic leadership has concluded that an attempt to impeach President Bush or Vice President Cheney would make these goals even harder to achieve.

House leaders believe that given our slim majorities in the House and Senate, any effort to bring articles of impeachment against the President or Vice President will not succeed, will further divide a nation in critical need of unity, and gridlock the chambers from enacting desperately needed legislation. That being said, I believe Congress has a constitutional responsibility to do everything in its power to conduct extensive oversight of this Administration and ensure accountability.

I asked to serve on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee specifically to perform this duty. My colleagues and I have already investigated the travesties at Walter Reed Hospital, the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, government outsourcing issues, the Pat Tillman Fratricide, Surgeon General Independence, White House use of private e-mail accounts, and a host of other issues you can find at the committee's website (http://oversight.house.gov/investigations.asp).

While I look forward to the end of their time in the White House, it is clear that with the new Congress, the Executive’s power has been diminished. Please be assured I will continue to aggressively investigate this administration and continually fight against the secrecy and corruption that has defined the Bush presidency.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon

Horoscope for Friday, Sept. 5, 2008:
Why not radically change the way you behave toward others, Clare? You are in the process of orienting yourself towards establishing relationships that are more fraternal, with far fewer risks involved. This wasn't the case before. When you don't try hard to seduce and impress, your audience claps louder. Haven't you noticed?

Tru dat. Seriously. I have noticed (with surprise) my very fraternal (or sororal, mejor dicho) feelings toward everyone of late. It is such a different way of being... I've always oriented myself around sex, power, and attraction, unconsciously and then consciously as I grew up. It is weird to have those impulses and reactions so wholly subsumed and disengaged. It was not a conscious process; on the contrary, all of a sudden I noticed that I was orienting myself to the world as one human meeting others, rather than one woman meeting other women, men, children, anzianos. This new tendency to interact as one in an imagined community of brothers and sisters (rather than one woman in a sea of other beings with gender and power) has given me more peace, and more permission to be alone. I think all this makes me a more effective human being; that is, more caring, more patient, more aware. It makes me approach my passions in life--children, family, pregnancy and birth--in very different ways, too. I have a newfound confidence and calm about the role of doula and woman that I never had before.

I chalked all this up to growing a bit older (I can reach out and touch 30 now, after all :) ), to having been married for 4 years already (together for a total of 7 uninterrupted years), to having completed my college degree, to exercise, to my brain gelling, to learning anthropology... and all those are important factors, no doubt, in my mental paradigmatic shift; but there is, I'm willing to believe, a celestial element to it as well. Qué chévere.

una bagatela de la lengua

So... as you know, I subscribe to Dictionary.com's "Word of the Day," which most of the time doesn't teach me anything new, although it comes up with a few gems now and again. (I've got to find a better/more challenging word-a-day subscription.) I would recommend Dictionary.com to high school students or college freshmen, however, who are trying to be more educated and/or do well on the SATs, write better essays, sound more erudite, whatevs... But I'm kind of past that point as an educated English speaker (to toot my own horn).

Anyhoo, I decided that in addition to an English word-o-the-day, I also really needed to subscribe to a SPANISH word-of-the-day. Past the intermediate level of Spanish, all vocab learning is supposed to be independent or intuitive, and I for one really miss it, since I do so enjoy vocab lists. It's a great way to learn words. I find it very logical and pleasing to have a group of words which are semantically/thematically related presented all at once for absorption as a group. It's fun! And makes learning easy! (Buy today for only $29.95!!!!!!)

But, barring the formal presentation of pretty vocab lists in a classroom setting, a word-a-day is a good way to take in a little vocabulary at a time. It's like Cher says in the movie Clueless, "We have got to work on your vocabulary, Tai... Try using it [sporadic] in a sentence today." So, a word-a-day enables you to focus on one word, practice it, and therefore retain it. It's sort of like how Catholics have a scripture reading every day (one Old Testament, one New Testament) to ruminate about; so I have a word a day. In Spanish. I found this groovy website, castellano.org, wherein one can subscribe to a "palabra-del-día" listserv. Woot woot. So, the one for today is pretty cool. For those of you who read Spanish:

bagatela

Es algo de poco valor o de poca importancia. Proviene del italiano bagattelle, lengua en la cual también tiene el significado de ‘cosa sin importancia’. La palabra se formó en italiano a partir del bajo latín baga (pequeña prenda de ropa) cuyo diminutivo era bagatta. El vocablo original ya aludía a algo pequeño y el diminutivo a algo menor aun, pero el italiano se caracteriza por tener en ciertos casos un diminutivo del diminutivo (Ver fettucine), de modo que bagatta tiene el diminutivo bagattella, algo realmente insignificante. La palabra llegó también al francés bagatelle, con el mismo significado.
El etimólogo alemán del siglo XIX Hugo Schuchardt, por su parte, sugiere que el origen no sería baga sino baca, que en latín significaba ‘pequeño objeto redondo’ pero, en todo caso, la evolución posterior de la palabra sería la misma. En la primera edición del Diccionario de la Academia, bagatela aparecía así definida:

Cosa menuda, de poca substancia, sin valor.

La palabra aparece en castellano en el siglo XVII, y la encontramos por esa época en textos de Calderón de la Barca y de Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza, entre otros.

Connecticut Yankee in River City, escondida

According to this accent quiz I took on Facebook tonight, I have a "Northern Accent." This is hilarious, since I'm from Ohio. HOWEVER, my dad's from the Bronx and my mom's from Cleveland, and I've lived in Louisville for 12 years, so I'm a bit of a mish mash, I suppose. Plus, I make deliberate pronunciation choices about some words. Like, open vowels instead of tight ones on words like "hilArious", "hOrrible", and "mArry", and I distinguish "AW" groupings from open O sounds (as in "dawn" versus "don"). These are trademarks of a Northern accent (as in New England and the like).

Woo hoo. I could be a Connecticut Yankee after all...

Found Poem

I am cleaning off my desk this morning and I found this poem I wrote last year. It's a sentiment I still feel truly and deeply, and although it's not much of a poem, it's a useful mantra for when I start letting the world in too much. And really, I post it more to have an electronic copy than for any desire for anyone to read it. Really. My poetry... isn't.

My life has been knee-jerk
automatic responses to
questions I was capable of thinking through
myself

Pavlov's dog of a decision-maker
¿Was it the chicken of self-doubt
or the egg of overwhelmedness
that came first?

I can think
I can decide
I can take time
--keep time
--live outside time, even
I don't have to pressure myself
I can do it
I can think
I can live a better way

(written February 1 2007)

The stupidest word ever

naif \nah-EEF; ny-\, adjective:

1. Naive.
2. A naive or inexperienced person.

Uh... Why not just say NAIVE? Oh, wait. Maybe there is an interesting etymology, lest I judge too quickly.

Naif comes from French, from Old French naif, "naive, natural, just born," from Latin nativus, "native, rustic," literally "born, inborn, natural," from Latin nativus, "inborn, produced by birth," from natus, past participle of nasci, "to be born."

Hmm. That's pretty retarded too. Then, the "in-context" examples that WordDictionary.com gave for this word used it as a NOUN, even though that usage doesn't match the definition given.

Argh. Is it so much to ask for an effing word a day? Alls I wanna do is learn, y'all.

Is this foreboding?

Horoscope du jour:

When we have found our path, we naturally want to start to walk down it, Clare. The reverse isn't true despite what you seem to believe. It is quite futile to learn how to walk when you don't know which path to walk upon. This may seem a little obtuse to you and yet it is true. It is desire that creates aptitude and not the reverse.

Is this ominous? Does it portend failure in my nascent Spanish graduate student career? Argh. This little paragraph gives words to my ongoing problem with Spanish: it is not Spanish itself which gives me fulfillment. It is not the culture, or the language, which thrills me and compels me to learn. Rather, it is what doors the knowledge of Spanish opens for me which inspire my desire to learn more; it is the ability to travel, to communicate, and the love of language itself which interests me. Which is why I worry about this whole graduate program business. Everyone is already asking, "What are you going to do with your MA in Spanish?" and my answer is, "I don't know, but I know it won't be the groundwork for a higher degree in Spanish." I don't want to teach Spanish as a career, although I do enjoy the academic life.

All I know is, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work at the University, build some professional experience, and attain a graduate degree. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. I am loyal, and smart, and I learn quickly. I know I am equal to the task... yet I wonder if what I will learn will have more to do with intra-departmental politics, university machinations, and how to teach introductory classes, than anything about Spanish language or Latino culture which will inspire desire in me. I go with an open mind, but my horoscope says that's not enough. Aptitude can never create desire, eh? Well, we'll see. And even if the MA program doesn't create desire for Spanish in me, at least it will help me choose a next step for my life. And in the meantime, my aptitude will introduce the opportunity to learn, my drive to succeed will concrete the attainment of my goals... even if my aptitude for Spanish will not inspire passion for it by itself.

Toilet Water in exchange for nonviolence

Y'all, I know the theme of this blog is not Palestine, but I really feel the need to do what little I can to disseminate information about Bil'in in order to raise it's profile in the general consciousness. I figure if you keep reading, maybe you'll remember Bil'in's nonviolent methods the next time you hear someone rail about "crazy Palestinians," and you'll say, "But what about Bil'in? What about Nil'in? What about Qalqilya and Bethlehem?"

So with that in mind, please read this update from the people of Bil'in:

Toilet water – the new kind of weapon used against the people from Bil’in
Bil’in’s Protest 8/08/08
Today, 8 August 2008, after the Friday Prayers, the inhabitants of Bil’in, Israeli, and international peace activists participated in a demonstration against the wall. They raised Palestinian flags and signs with slogans that condemn the policies of the occupation. The slogans condemned the construction of the wall, the confiscation of Palestinian lands for the construction of settlements, the road closures, and the seizure of Palestinian villages, towns, and cities. The protesters also carried signs with slogans against the killing of innocent civilians, especially children. In addition, the slogans condemned the attacks on detainees, in particular, shooting at them while detained, hand cuffed and blindfolded.

The protest started from the centre of the village, and the protesters chanted similar slogans in addition to those that called for national unity. Upon arrival to the wall, the protesters while raising photos of the murdered children, Ahmed Husam Yousef Musa and Yousef Ahmed Amera, attempted to cross the wall in to their land. The action was a symbol of protest against the monstrous violations that Israeli soldiers commit against Palestinian civilians. Israeli soldiers murdered Ahmed 10 days ago, 29 July 2008, and Yousef 3 days ago, 4 August 2008 - both while participating in non-violent protests against the construction of the segregation wall in Ni’lin.

Today, the protesters succeeded to arrive at the location of the wall, and they repeated chants and slogans against the occupation soldiers and their officers that command them to shoot unarmed civilians. Soon after, confrontations started, the soldiers started firing tear gas, and sprayed us with toilet water. We would like to take a sample for analysis. Many people immediately had to be sick after being sprayed with this water. This is not the first time they use water, but this time was the first that they used water from the toilets. In addition to the water, the soldiers use many types of weapons on the Palestinians. For example they use many types of gas, many types of rubber bullets, clean water, water mixed with gas, scream, saltball, sackbeans. All of these are new weapons.

From a different point, the Israeli Supreme Court gave 45 days (52 as of today) to the Israeli army to correct the current track of the segregation wall that passes through the village. Israeli Chief Justice, Dorit Beinisch, and two of her fellow colleagues, condemned the Israeli government’s neglictance of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year, which ordered the correction of the current track of the wall.

Chief Justice Beinisch confirmed to the Israeli government representative, Avi Lisht, her ruling to correct the track of the wall and added; “we ruled that the current track cannot sustain as it does now.”

The people of Bil’in submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court in 2005, hoping to prevent the Israeli occupation army from confiscating their lands. The confiscated lands would be used to build the segregation wall and further annex the remaining of the land in favor of constructing the illegal settlement, ‘East Metateaho’.

On July 2007, the Israeli Supreme Court decreed the illegitimacy of constructing the wall on Bil’in’s lands, and further ordered the government to propose a different track of the wall without harming the nature of the village. A year after the ruling, and because the Israeli government did not act in accordance with the ruling, the people of Bil’in through their advocate, Mikhael Sfard, decided to return to the Supreme Court. The Israeli government further continues the same policy without acknowledging the Supreme Courts ruling.

from Friends of Freedom and Justice: Bil'in

Shiva to Vishnu

Don't be surprised if you develop a yearning to redecorate. The celestial energies have put you in the mood to dress your house up a bit. Take care not to go overboard, Clare. You have a tendency to turn little projects into big ones. For now, content yourself with buying some flowering plants and perhaps some new area rugs and throw pillows. Leave the kitchen and bath renovation for later.

Sometimes one's horoscope is just spot on, you know? In some ways, this has sort of been true of my entire summer. For several reasons, the stars aligned in such a way as to make this summer one of homesteading for me. I've had little desire to venture off my grounds, excited instead to improve upon the kingdom I have at home. I have been ripping up the carpeting in my house, room by room, over the summer, revealing beautiful hardwood floors underneath. I've been going through files, reorganizing and culling obsolete information. I've reviewed all the books, clothes and CDs in the house, rearranging, weeding through, and uploading each respective group of things. I've begun a garden. Throughout the summer I've weeded, dismantled, swept out, scrubbed, straightened, thrown away and just generally pondered all the material things in my life. And it feels good to sort through everything, judge something worthy or not to continue to be taken care of, and feel like I'm getting things in order.

In order for what, though? Who really knows, but... the next big project, one supposes. That is to say, GRADUATE SCHOOL. I'm looking forward to it quite a lot, and I'm beginning to get excited and nervous for real. But today, I content myself with cleaning in the basement a little bit and doing some laundry. The carpet project will wait for another day, Horoscope--I promise. Gotta wait for my body to feel better, for one thing! Threw my back and knee out last week. C'est la vie of a domestic goddess.

Yesterday in the West Bank

A Palestinian teenager, thought to be aged between 18 and 19 has been shot in the head by Israeli forces in the Palestinian village of Ni'lin Last week. He has now been declared dead at the Ramallah hospital. (Source: Friends of Freedom and Justice: Bil'in)

This is a good time to mention the large disparity in reporting deaths in Israel/Palestine. The media to which we are chiefly exposed in the United States covers Israeli deaths disproportionately more than Palestinian deaths. This is historically true and certainly has remained so since the beginning of the Second Intifada (September 2000, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada). As of April this year (I haven't updated my stats since then), at least 4, 537 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers; in contrast, 473 Israelis have been killed. In other words, since September 2000, Israelis have killed 10 times more Palestinians than vice versa (source: B'T Selem, an Israeli human rights organization).

This immense loss of life in the region is only made worse through the biased coverage given to it by American media. I dare to venture that most people who might read this blog are surprised at these numbers, given that Palestinians are characterized as gun toting, bomb throwing, suicidal fanatics who murder Israelis constantly and who force Israel to "retaliate" and "secure" themselves. It is a sad day when we lack so much truth.

Photo: courtesy Poetry for Palestine

Devil is in the details

Below is a short update on the Wall published today in the Jerusalem Post, a right-leaning newspaper in Israel. What's interesting to note is the characterization of the protests in Bil'in and the protestors: they identify "scuffles between demonstrators and IDF." The word "scuffle" minimizes the violence which IDF commit against nonviolent protests at the same time that it omits the nonviolent nature of the demonstrators and the disparity in arms on both sides (in other words, nonviolent demonstrators = no arms, IDF = guns, gas, noise and water machines). The Post also characterizes the demonstrators as "primarily Palestinians and left-wing activists," which is at the same time their way of being dismissive of Bil'in's efforts as "fringe" while it glosses over the well-documented, active and vocal presence of globally respected peace activists, internationals, and perhaps most importantly, Israelis. Please see for yourself below:

Israel to move part of W. Bank barrier
Jul. 28, 2008
AP and Jpost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Israel has agreed to move part of its West Bank separation barrier, according o a statement from the Defense Ministry Monday.

The statement said that in response to an appeal to the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, the barrier would be moved in order to restore access to Palestinian land in the Kalkilya area, in the northern part of the West Bank.

The decision to re-route the section of the barrier was made in September 2007. The court had ruled that the barrier, as it had been planned, would cause disproportionate harm to Bil'in residents as it occupied 260 dunams (65 acres) of Palestinian land and left about 1,700 dunams of Palestinian orchards and pastures on the 'Israeli' side.

The High Court ruling means that the army must change the route of the security fence around a neighborhood of Modi'in Illit, however the changes had not yet been put into place.

Prior to the ruling, weekly protests against the fence were held at the village of Bil'in, with scuffles between demonstrators and IDF troops frequently breaking out. The protesters were predominantly Palestinians and left-wing activists.

The Defense Ministry's Monday statement came in reply to a query from the Associated Press.

Upcoming in Louisville

A Benefit for Women in Transition: please give as generously as you can (a grassroots organization by and for poor people)

THE RETREATING WORLD
A young Iraqi pigeon collector entertains an audience at a bird convention in the wake of the First Gulf War. As he describes his love for birds and his connection to his best friend, he reveals both the cost of war and the comic art of survival. “The kind of short, stark and simple play that reminds us why we need theatre at a time like this, what the playwright can achieve that the journalist cannot.” -London Guardian

A NEW PLAY BY NAOMI WALLACE
DIRECTED BY WILL MACADAMS
PERFORMED BY GENESIS OLIVE


THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2008
***2 PERFORMANCES***
5:30PM & 7:00PM
Louisville Free Public Library
Centennial Room, 301 York Street

ACTIVIST/SCHOLAR/ARTIST FACILITATED DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW 2ND PERFORMANCE: “THE POLITICS OF PEACE: WHO WAR LEAVES BEHIND.” What are the human costs of war? A community dialogue led by a panel of activists, scholars, & artists will explore the politics of war and peace and how they relate to local issues of survival.

Questions: jardana99pk@yahoo.com,
852-6142

Supported by the KY Foundation for Women and University of Louisville’s Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research

Cindy Lamb, John Yarmuth, and Toast on Market. Yum.

Please check out this funny interview. It involves three of my favourite things: Toast on Market, Cindy Lamb, and John Yarmuth. You know already of my esteem for the congressman, and I believe I have chirped over the delicious breakfasty-ness that is Toast, but did you also know that I am a great admirer of Cindy Lamb, writer and doula par excellence?

I became a fan of Cindy when she used to give her amusing and poignant commentaries on WFPL, back before Heidi Caravan gutted the practice of local voices on local radio. Then I came to know Cindy personally as a colleague and friend through BirthCare Network, as we doula-d together. And now, I am happy to have a new place to read her writing! Her voice is missed on radio, and I'm glad to find her in print whenever she is there!

You can find her interview of Yarmuth at the blog 'Ville Voice Eats.

Films that at least informed your life

Upcoming bidness in Louisville, for those interested by such things:

Movies That Changed Your Life
Presented by IdeaFestival and the Louisville Film Society

22 July 2008 - IdeaFestival (IF) and Louisville Film Society announced today the three movies that will be screened over the next several months as part of the “Movies That Changed Your Life” Film Series. Over 170 nominations were made online over the last month. From those submissions three films were selected to be shown. A complete list of all of the submissions is available at the IdeaFestival web site http://www.ideafestivalcom.

The titles and dates for the screenings are:
Friday, August 1 - To Kill A Mocking Bird
Friday, August 29 - When We Were Kings
Friday, September 26 - (during IF) Dr. Strangelove

The series will be held at the new Brown-Forman Amphitheatre in Waterfront Park starting at 9:30 PM. In event of bad weather, any cancelled movies will be screened in early October. Admission is free.

The Amphitheatre opens at 8:00 PM for blankets, chairs and picnicking.

If you would like more information about the Film Series, or to schedule an interview, please call George Parker, Jr. at 502.299.0950 or email at george@louisvillefilm.org; or call Dann Byck at 502-500-1312 or email at dbyck@ideafestival.com

So, I don't think any of these movies changed my life, although I love When We Were Kings very dearly. If these are the movies that changed the lives of those in Louisville (the votes were tallied, after all), what does this imply about the general character of the Louisvillian? or of Louisville? I mean, the Muhammad Ali movie is a little obvious, right? But what about the other two? Kind of prosaic, right? Hrm.

Thimerosal

Yes, it's Scarborough Country. And apparently his kid has Asperger's. So does RFK, Jr.'s kiddo--hence the video promoting the book he's just written about the link between the preservative and autism rates. I was sent this link from a subscription I have online to Brasscheck.com.

Thomas and I tend to put a fair amount of stock in this theory which accounts for the 1000% increase in autism from 1991 - 1996 and which accounts for two-thirds of the Kalb children's current state of health. The number of autism diagnoses is still on the rise: 1 in every 166 kids. I don't think that Thimerosal is the only culprit, however. Our entire, Koyaanisqaatsi lifestyle is taking its toll on the next generation. Ultrasounds, transfats, air and water pollution, fast food, genetic modification, plastics, nuclear power, oil... all these things contribute to our children's endangered health, our health, and the future of our kids and our world.

Scheming gamine

The definition of my friend, Stephanie:

gamine \gam-EEN; GAM-een\, noun:

1. A girl who wanders about the streets; an urchin.
2. A playfully mischievous girl or young woman.

Open Ground

How cool is Kentucky? You're about to find out: Open Ground.

update on O I L from John Yarmuth

Here are some surprising (and not-so-surprising) bits of info regarding our oil troubles from this e-newsletter his office sent out. I find "use it or lose it" to be the most telling section:

- Combat Speculation:

Experts estimate that speculation accounts for as much as half of the inflated cost of oil. Currently, speculation is unregulated because of the "Enron Loophole," created by Congress eight years ago. By reigning in speculation, we have the opportunity to significantly lower gas prices now, rather than waiting a decade for the results of opening up new areas for drilling. Last month, the House passed legislation to restore regulation of the trading of oil futures, and I have called on the President to use his emergency authority to crack down on the practice immediately.

- "Use it or Lose it”:

Oil companies already have permits to drill on 68 million acres here in America (more than 45 times the size of the proposed area in ANWR), yet they remain unused. Producing in these areas could double American production of oil and lower gas prices. I sponsored legislation that would compel the oil companies to either produce oil on their leases or give it to someone who will.

- Stop filling the SPR:

In March, I began calling on the President to suspend shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which is already 97 percent full. Leading economists estimate that this measure could immediately lower the price of gas by as much as 25 cents per gallon. Both chambers of Congress recently passed the measure by overwhelming margins, and the President has agreed to stop filling the SPR this August.

- Release Oil from the SPR:

Historically, America has had success easing the burden of past energy crises by releasing some of our emergency reserves. We currently have more than 700 million barrels of oil waiting for an emergency. For millions of American families, this is an emergency, and the time to free America's oil is now.

- Long-term Solutions:

We enacted the most profound energy reform package in three decades and a groundbreaking farm bill. These measures provide unprecedented investment in renewable fuel sources, which will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs.

All this posting of warm fuzzies for Yarmuth is not to say that I think the main problem is gas prices. Au contraire; the problem is our dependence on fossil fuels. The secondary problem is that we have a corporate welfare system that artifically inflates the price of oil. If we seriously cared about the environment and/or the economy, we would demand our government (1) end the loopholes which permit futures speculation, (2) enact a federal tax on petroleum which would go to creating and maintaining public mass transit infrastructure (metro, bus and rail systems) which would be mandated to run on renewable resources (biodiesel, sun, wind, water), and (3) demand transparency in energy policy from the executive branch of government. LISTEN UP, WASHINGTON. FER REALS. Oil ain't gonna last--nor should it. We have the technology to live without it NOW, so stop trying to suck us dry with oil addiction and dependency and support renewable transportation NOW.

PS. If you love Louisville, click here to find out why John Yarmuth does.

Jon Stewart's poignant comment about AIPAC

Two international activists and a Palestinian injured in Bilin Weekly Protest

f.f.j-
Friday July 4, 2008

Three activists were injured by Israeli forces on Friday in the weekly protest against the separation wall in Bil’in; west of Ramallah: two of them are French activists: Sonia Slo and Iman and the third one is Mohamad Ali Abo Sa'di 65 years, and dozens of protesters were treated for tear gas inhalation.

Villagers from Bil’in marched together with international and Israeli solidarity activists after Friday prayers, carrying Palestinian flags and banners demanding the removal of the Israeli wall and settlements and calling on the international community to lift the siege on Gaza and help Palestinians retain Jerusalem. Participants also demanded that the Israeli army stop killing Palestinian civilians and end the use of live ammunition against non-violent protesters.

As they approached the separation wall, Israeli forces prevented the villagers from reaching the gate that is supposed to provide access to their lands, and opened fire on them with tear gas canisters, sound bombs, and rubber-coated metal bullets. Scores of protesters were treated for gas inhalation,

On the other side on Thursday afternoon, the Israeli force released Ali Hamadan Abo Rahma 17 years old, who were arrested before four day when the army invade the village last week and attacked the houses of Mohammad Ali Yassin and Hamadan Ali Abo Rahama and terrorized the resident of the two houses and arrested Ali.