Thursday, August 31, 2006

Oklahoma Outlaws


Aren't we a creative and handsome looking group.
Merline Lovelace took this photo at the last writers meeting.
Now I ask you, wouldn't you buy a book from these people? Lots of books?
Above you see the friends of my heart.
Women who inspire me, encourage me, and give me faith.
Great writers, one and all.
Ladies,
I salute you.

Friday, August 25, 2006

The Darker Side of Love




http://www.msubillings.edu/art/leaves_with_hole.htm

A poem by someone I met on the internet.
We've all known people like this.
Emotional vampires who turn love into a weapon of mass destruction.


Healthy Like Kryptonite

Here she comes,
all strung out on herself again,
flies in from her tall buildings of needs,
wearing her cape of woe.
Being broken is her superpower,
thriving on it, she remains
strong, vacuous,
with an ache that would
sweetly suck the twinkle off
the brightest of stars
if it would promise to love her back.
Oh, why does she always feel so alone?
He listens, clucks and nods,
taking two steps backwards,
making a mental note to
stop answering the phone.
He has developed
a healthy fear of
hearts that
love like black holes.

Maureen Dolan ©2006


Update:

Things are hectic but going well.


  • My "closet" office looks like Grand Central Station,
  • I've been assigned a classroom with old equipment that I don't know how to use,
  • student center management rented out the room where the Kick Off Luncheon was scheduled to be held and didn't tell us (30 min before we were to begin we were scrounging around for a new location),
  • the cafeteria shorted us on pizza and we began to run out of food (quick trip to Little Ceasers),
  • and I've injured my arch and been hobbling around on a cane for a couple of weeks.

LOL. Such are the challenges of life. It wouldn't be an adventure without them.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

I'm Not Lost - Just Hibernating















Sign on building: The Beer Store

Fall semester begins next week. Between meetings and students coming in, I've been swamped. (But in a good way) By the time I get home in the evening, if I get home in the evening and don't have yet another set of Inservice meetings, I'm exhausted and brain dead. Next week (the first week of classes) will probably be worse. After that things should ease up some. I'm still trying to keep up with people's posts. Don't give up on me. I'm with you in spirit.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

SCREAMING AND SHOUTING !!!





















Everyone go read Heathers Blog! She's MOVING!!

Monday, August 07, 2006

It Gives One Pause for Thought

Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3
Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

From Liberty Forum

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Jenn's Car was Burgled Last Night



We know that her car and the neighbor's were both hit. We don't know how many other cars in the neighborhood were broken into. She'd left her purse in her car on the floor board. Credit cards, gas card, driver's license, cash, checkbook, and a sketch pad with all her recent art were all stolen. A purse and a tote bag - gone. Glove box emptied.

Jenn discovered it this morning at 6 a.m. when she was leaving for work. The police just left. It's left us all with sort of an adrenaline induced unsettled feeling.

Jeez.

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