New Revolution

Microsoft Word Free Funeral Program Template

2009-11-18T01:35:00.000-08:00

A new website just started offering free funeral program templates formatted in Microsoft Word. FuneralProgram-Templates.com's free template is offered in their "resources" section.

The word template is pretty bare bones, but it does offer a nice start in formatting. I recommend downloading it, then going to flickr.com and checking out their creative commons photos for a nice template background. Try to find something that would be appropriate for an aspect of your loved ones life.

Making a funeral program from scratch like this is time consuming work. If you do not have the time to invest into making a template from nothing, FuneralProgram-Templates offers some very nicely designed templates that can save you a lot of time and effort.

They are also having a special, where if you buy one of their funeral programs and write a review, they give you 75% cash back. They also have a 7-day money back guarantee if the template does not work out.

New Funeral Program Templates Site

2009-11-15T08:39:00.001-08:00

There is a brand new website that is selling beautiful and fully customizable funeral program templates in Microsoft Word. The website is FuneralProgram-Templates.com.

As they just started, you can save 75% off of their standard funeral program templates for a limited time. All you have to do is write and email them a 50 word product review, and they will give you $14.50 cash back.

FuneralProgram-Templates.com is a professional store with great customer service. They have phone support, and were very quick to respond to emails for help.

Free Funeral Program Template

2008-05-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Looking for a free funeral program template? Well, I have compiled a short list where you will be sure to find a good free funeral program template.

The best site that I was able to find with a free funeral program template is called Funeral Program Templates. You can find the free funeral program template toward the top of the page. All you need to open the program template is Microsoft Word. This website is fairly professional, and although their free funeral program template is nice, it might be worth it to pay the $19 and buy one of their premium templates.

A second website worth checking out for a free funeral program template can be found here. It has some good pointers on what you should include in your template, and is worth checking out. I hope finding a free funeral program template was a relatively painless process.

Free Obituary Templates

2008-05-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Good free obituary templates are difficult to come by. However, I have done some research and found some of the best free obituary templates out there. These free obituary templates are very helpful in a time of grief, when you don't need any extra stress in your life.

The best free obituary templates can be found at FuneralProgram-Templates.com, this website offers several free obituary templates as well as a style guide and other helpful advice.

The second best site I have found for free obituary templates is obitnow.com. This site specializes in free obituary templates for yourself. It is so that others will not have to write an obituary for you. However, it also has a free template that you can use for anyone. It is a good second choice.

Funny Comic Strips Reviewed

2008-05-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of Comic strips out there, but only a handful of them happen to be funny comic strips. My friend Bryce over at The Daily Comics Review reads through tons of comic strips every day. He hand picks the funny comic strips as well as the weird or unintentionally stupid comic strips (Mark Trail for example). If you want to see a great selection of funny comic strips go to the Daily Comics Review right now!

Optical Allusions

2008-03-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some great Optical Allusions, I have a surprise for you! They are really hard to find! Optical Allusions are mystical creatures created out of bad pronunciation or spelling.

To understand what Optical Allusions are, we must consult the dictionary:

Optical:
1. of, pertaining to, or applying optics or the principles of optics.
2. constructed to assist sight or to correct defects in vision.
3. of or pertaining to sight or vision; visual.
4. of or pertaining to the eye.

Allusion:
1. a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare.

So Optical Allusions are passing references pertaining to the eye.

If you are not interested in these types of optical allusions, I suggest that you google "optical illusion."

The 2014 Asteroid

2008-03-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

I just found out that the 2014 Asteroid is coming to get me. On March 21st 2014, my future 30th Birthday, there is going to be an asteroid that will quite possibly impact the earth. The asteroid is not really called the 2014 Asteroid, it is actually called "2003 QQ47."

This 2014 asteroid is a big 4.5 billion year old chunk of rock that is coming to get me. It was created during the formation of our solar system, and has been sitting and waiting. 2014 Asteroid! You knew it was going to be my 30th Birthday!

Alas, Jupiter! Why do you want to crush me? Using your gravitational field to influence objects to hurl toward earth. This is an interstellar conspiracy!

Well 2014 asteroid, you just wait, I have six more years to come up with a plan.

samsung mobile game fifa 2008 free download

2008-03-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

After much searching I have found the samsung mobile game fifa 2008 free download. For your convenience, I have uploaded it myself so that you can download the Samsung Mobile Game Fifa 2008 for Free! You can download it Here:

Samsung Mobile Game Fifa 2008 Free Download

Fifa 2008 For Samsung Mobile is pretty good for a free game. It is a lot better than some of the games that I have played, and the graphics for FIFA 2008 are pretty good considering that it is a Free Game for Samsung Mobile.

Overall, I would give Fifa 2008 Three out of Five Thumbs UP!

If the "Samsung Mobile Game Fifa 2008 Free Download" link above does not work for you, please leave me a comment and I will fix it!

eBay Alternative: Finding Auction Sites like eBay

2008-02-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Looking for an eBay alternative. Well, there are a lot of Auction sites like eBay, and since the recent shake up in the eBay selling community more and more people are looking for alternatives to eBay. Now that eBay is implementing changes, unhappy sellers are trying to find a auction sites like eBay, that are not actually run by eBay or any eBay affiliates..

Unfortunately for its competitors, eBay has a very large stake in the online marketplace. However, there are some auction sites like eBay where you can sell your goods.

The two main eBay alternatives to eBay I use are Amazon.com, and Craigslist.

Amazon.com is a great place if you are selling books, music, DVDs, video games, or other electronics. It is very easy to use compared to eBay. All you have to do is find the item you want to sell, write a couple sentence description about its condition, and set your price. One of the best things about Amazon is that it is very straight forward, and you have to spend almost no time answering emails from buyers. This is my number 1 alternative to ebay!
If you want to sell a small number of items on a personal level without having to deal with eBay fees, or PayPal holding your money, then I recommend Craigslist. It is very easy to use, you get paid in cash, and you don't have to ship anything. I like to use craigslist for all of my larger items.

There are several auction sites like eBay that are increasing in popularity as eBay sellers flee:

Bidville is an auction site like eBay. It the second largest online auction site after eBay, and is a true eBay alternative. They do not charge you a listing fee, so you can list as many items as you like. They do charge a Final Value Fee, but it is low at 5% for items that sell for less than $25. If you love the auction format, but hate eBay, Bidville may be right for you.
eCrater is the third largest online store front. They are very easy to deal with, everything is completely free, and they help you set up an online storefront in minutes that will connect to froogle.com
Blujay is the fourth largest, but fastest growing online marketplace. The items posted there also show up on froogle, and it is free. This is a great eBay alternative because Sellers on Blujay can post unlimited ads, 4 photos per ad, with up to 180 day listing periods all for free. And like eCrater, every blujay member gets an online webstore to showcase their items.

Just remember, when looking for an eBay alternative, make sure to do your research and find somewhere you can really be happy with. The best thing about eBay is the free traffic. With most of the other auction sites like eBay you are going to have to work harder to get eyeballs on your listings.

If you have any experience with these eBay alternatives, or use other auction sites like eBay, please let us know about your experience.

Free eBay Coupon Codes 2008 - Cash back at eBay

2008-02-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for free eBay coupon codes for 2008, let me tell you, they are few and far between. eBay will rarely give out a free coupon code, but there is a way to still save money without having to use any eBay coupon codes!

That is right, you can still get Cash Back on all of your eBay purchases without having to wait for eBay to issue you a free coupon code.

If you want to get cash back on all eBay purchases I recommend that you sign up for bigcrumbs.com It is a free service that pays you the highest overall cash back available at eBay, and you can also get cash back at 233 other online marketplaces. It also has a referral program where you can make money whenever your referrals buy something.

This is a service that I actually use, otherwise I would not be promoting it. I just want to let you in on the eBay savings when there are no Free 08 eBay coupon codes to be found. So next time you are shopping on eBay be sure to consider bigcrumbs.com It is easy, and you get your cash deposited to your Paypal account every month.

Banjo Tooie - Walkthrough, Rom, Cheats, FAQ

2008-02-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Banjo Tooie is easily the best sequel that has ever come out on the Nintendo 64. I have created a shrine of Banjo Tooie information. YOu will find links to Walkthroughs, Roms, Cheats, and FAQ.

Banjo Tooie is the sequel to Banjo Kazooie. It is a platform / puzzle / action adventure game that is hours of non-stop fun. However, there are some tricky puzzle solving spots (see the list of resources below for the best Banjo Tooie FAQ / Walkthrough ever made)!

Banjo Tooie is similar to Banjo Kazooie, in that you are trying to collect Jiggies (the jigsaw pieces) and to stop Grunhilda's sisters from restoring Grunihlda to her original form.

Banjo Tooie is groundbreaking because the levels are not stand alone areas that you only visit once. In many cases you have to travel back through levels once you learn a new skill in order to progress. This is one of the first games to require re-visitation of levels on any gaming system.

Banjo Tooie Cheats

Enter the witch's head on Spiral Mountain to find Cheato. One cheat will be revealed for every five Cheato pages that you find. Other cheats are revealed by finding Mystery Eggs hidden throughout the game. The cheats are entered in the Mayahem Temple near Wumba's Wigwam. You will need grenade eggs to enter the Mayahem Temple.

The following is a list of some of the codes, to activate each cheat, spell out the code inside the Temple:

Code effect:

FEATHERS or CHEATO SREHTAEF - Double feather carrying capacity
EGGS or CHEATO SGGE - Double egg carrying capacity
FALLPROOF or CHEATO FOORPLLAF - No damage when falling
HOMING - Eggs home in on nearest target
HONEYBACK or CHEATO HONEYBACK - Infinite health and air
CHEATO NESTKING - Infinite eggs and feathers

Banjo Tooie Resources:
Banjo Tooie FAQ / Walkthrough
Banjo Tooie Rom

eBay Selling Guide

2008-02-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

For free tips and advice on how to become a PowerSeller on eBay, please visit my new blog the eBay Selling Guide. I am currently offering free eBay consultations, as well as fee eBay Logos for your eBay store.

I have been selling on eBay Since 2000, and I am now helping others learn some of my eBay tricks. If yo are interested in a comprehensive guide on what it takes to become a PowerSeller, please check out the eBay Selling Guide.

If you are interested in just selling on ebay for fun, and want to know how to get the most money out of your personal items, I have tips on how to have a good selling experience on eBay at the eBay Selling Guide.

Oregon’s potential off-reservation casino

2005-04-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

“Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a contract Wednesday allowing the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to build what would be Oregon's first off-reservation casino in Cascade Locks.

The contract signed by Kulongoski and Tribal Chairman Ron Suppah is the first of its kind, with the tribes agreeing to [eventually] give the state as much as 17 percent of their gross gambling profits to a nonprofit that, in turn, would donate the money for state programs… most of it for tuition aid for college students. Tribal officials estimate that after 10 years, the casino will have contributed $270 million to state programs.”
-The O

Although it would be nice that the casino would eventually give as much as 17 percent of their gambling profits to state programs, it is not a morally correct way of giving money to the government.

This is the only kind of addictive thing in our state that is actually being encouraged, and that will give our state money. Let’s take smoking and drinking for examples. We tax cigarettes not only to discourage people from smoking because it kills them, but to raise funding for our government. Also, we tax alcohol (although not very much) to defer the purchase of alcoholic beverages, because they are harmful to people, and to society. And the government also benefits from this. But gambling is different.

Gambling is an addiction too, yet we are rushing to make it available to even more people? I am not saying that nobody should gamble, but should one of the main reasons to open a casino be to get state funding? That is what it looks like to me, and I do not agree with it. If it is really about state funding, then there are more effective ways to get it. Sadly, this is only one of my main concerns about casinos in off-reservation land.

United States: Political Island

2005-04-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

We are living in a nation based upon a reality TV show. Of course I am speaking of survivor. It starts with all of the potential and current supporters of US affairs. But instead of any physical or emotional abuse that would pressure a normal person to get kicked off of the island, Bush is the factor. With every choice he makes he further separates the United States from the rest of the world. Who is going to be the last supporter? It seems like Bush is rushing to find out!

There are many examples of the ways Bush is trying to eliminate our current and potential supporters. The most recent would be going to war based on no reliable information. Now you may say that happened a long time ago, and there are more recent things… What about the failure of intelligence report they just put out?

The latest intelligence-failure report looks like it may isolate any potential allies of the United States even further. Not only did many countries flat out object the war, but now many potential allies will have to think about the fact that we went to war based on information that was “dead wrong.” The Chicago Sun-Times says :

These are all things that we (Bush) could have controlled, especially the “war” part.

But wait; there are many other things to be done to separate the weak from the strong. Like the placement of Paul Wolfowitz as President of the World Bank. Wolfowitz is a key architect of the Iraq war whose hard-line foreign policy stance as deputy defense secretary has stirred criticism. I just cannot see that as a good choice.

Wait Wait, there are more challenges! For this next one I take you to THE UNITED NATIONS! Bush’s nomination for Bolton as our United Nation ambassador will be another test against the intelligence of other nations, and there ability to cope with our insanity. New Zealand’s Brad Weiner says:

Bolton, a founding member of the neo-con Project for The New American Century (PNAC), is a mad-dog unilateralist who wants the world to bow to U.S. demands now that America is the only remaining superpower. Bolton has said: "If I were doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member [the United States] because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world." Treaties and international laws are irrelevant, he believes, since they are attempts to constrict the justified use of American power around the globe. Unfortunatly, there are more things. Lets do ‘em quick. We are creating a bigger wall around Mexico with the minutemen project, showing mexicans how we really feel about them. Let’s not forget about canada. In December Bush went to canada and suggested that Canadians who opposed the U.S. invasion don't think Iraq is ready for democracy. He shrugged off polls showing that Canadians increasingly feel alienated from the United States. That looks really good for the United States, Huh Bush.

My last example is a public opinion poll in Australia. The International Herald Tribune reports:

I am going to stop at Australia for now, but do not be fooled, there are many more examples of what we are doing to alienate ourselves. I wonder which country will “win” by staying our allie for the longest.

Ford - worst fuel economy ranking 5 years running.

2005-04-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

The fuel economy of the 1903 Model T ford was 25 mpg. The average American Ford for the Year 2003 guzzles 18.8mpg, down from 22.1 in 1998.

Pure Energy Systems

I know this is kind of old news, but I never realized how inefficient Ford was. Other people have been aware of this for a long time, but not enough other people. To learn more about Ford, go to Jumpstart Ford

Now we are going to war with Mexico

2005-04-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

The recent minuteman project in Arizona is doing a little bit more than just sparking controversy. The Mexican army is being stationed at the Mexico-Arizona Border. El Universal Online reports:

This is out of control. Most of these people are trying to escape their harsh living situations by coming to the United States. If there is anyone in the world that we should be close with, it should be Mexico (Canada is far too good for us). We need to help out our neighbors, not hurt them. If they do not cross in Arizona, they will cross somewhere else. It is inevitable, we can not keep the united states all white for ever you bigots.

Wow, bigots, well not everyone that does this is a bigot. Take Henry Esparza:

WHAT ABOUT CANADA? WHAT IS THE DIFRENCE? This poor man has been led to believe that he needs to stop his own people from crossing into the United States to stop terrorism. WHAT ABOUT CANADA! I do not understand why there is no North Dakota Minutemen action going on at the Canadian border. Oh wait, yes I do, there is no propaganda that talks about the threats of terrorist coming down from Canada. Well just wait my friends. The United States is not done distancing itself from the rest of the world, Canada, YOU ARE NEXT!

Tom Potter's fight for oversight

2005-04-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Tom Potter is trying to take a stand against the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). What a pinko commie. He thinks "Civilians in a free society should have oversight over the police who serve them." I think he is asking for a little much. He wants to know what the people under him are being ordered to do by the government. He is stepping way out of line. He has asked for “Portland's top civilian leaders [to] have the same security clearances as the police officers who serve on federal task forces.” He not only wants himself to know what the JTTF is doing in Portland, but also for the Chief of Police and the city’s attorney. Talk about untrusting. He doesn’t want the JTTF to do anything illegal like investigate a person or group based on religion or political affiliation, and he thinks having an “attorney” will enable him see if someone is breaking the law. Why can’t he just trust his government? Next time we get a new mayor, I want him to be a little more patriotic and believing in his country. It is not like our government ever messed up before.

To read what this out of control socialist has to say read his opinion piece in the Oregonian.

Oil on Ice: ANWAR + Drilling = Problems for future

2005-03-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was just at a little Pacific University viewing of Oil on Ice. It was good. It goes into depth about the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWAR), and the proposed drilling in this vital area.

ANWAR is a diverse area, home to many species of wildflowers, musk ox, wolverines, grizzly and polar bears, swarms of insects, and over 180 different species of birds. Not to forget to mention the cornerstone species of the area, the Caribou. There are tens of thousands of caribou that use ANWAR for calving (raising their young), they travel hundreds of miles from all over Canada and Alaska to get there, and drilling would destroy their habitat, and scare them off. This in effect, would drastically hurt the native Gwich’in Tribe of this area.

However, this is not the extent of the problem. Currently, there are 1,000 square miles of land that are being used at their full potential for oil drilling. This is in Prudhoe Bay. These people were guaranteed that there would be no problems, and in fact, they would receive a small part of the profits that the oil companies would make through drilling. This was good for a while, until it scared off the caribou, the main source for food of the Gwich’ins. The oil companies also said that the people should not be afraid of oil spills, and they were right, for a little while. Then there was the largest oil spill ever, Exxon Valdez killed destroyed another cornerstone species, the herring. Without the herring there would be no other fishes or birds that ate them, and there were many. After the spill Exxon made a clean up where they polished some rocks, and made everything look pretty good. It was not good. They created glossy pamphlets, and made it seem like they did the right thing, and most people believed them. Unfortunately for Exxon a group studying the spill came back 12 years later and found that many of the beaches were still contaminated with oil, under the rocks, in the soil, everywhere.

These are risks that we can not take. Oil on Ice also points out that when the oil is tapped, it does not belong to the United States, it belongs to the drillers. And the drillers have a say where it goes, no matter how desperate the U.S. situation may seem. It is more economically sound to send drilled oil from Alaska to Asia, rather than to mainland United States.

There is a funny part in this movie when a man says “When we are addicted to drugs, we are told to cut off the supply. If we are addicted to oil we are told to increase the supply.” This does not make sense, and Oil on Ice offers a couple ideas on how best to fix our dependency on oil rather than drill.

Oil on Ice message to us is that we need to stop wasting gas, and use our modern technology of bio-diesel and hybrid cars to help us. They also point out that if we increase our standards for fuel efficiency we would not be reliant on foreign oil, nor ANWAR oil. John Kerry in a 2002 speech said that 88.9% of Americans want better fuel efficiency. Why is it that we aren’t getting it? Everyone should see this movie, or at least go to their website, even after ANWAR’s recent turnover.

Oil on Ice ends this entry well when they say:

“On March 16th, the U.S. Senate voted to not strip Arctic Refuge oil revenues from the Federal Budget Resolution by a vote of 51-49. Activists say the battle is far from over and have vowed to continue to block drilling in the Refuge. To have your voice heard, call the Arctic Action Hotline at 1-888-8-WILDAK (1-888-894-5325).

The best way to increase blog readership

2005-03-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

Is also the worst way to increase blog readership. I was doing an experiment on different types of commentary strategies, as far as pointing people back to my blog. It turns out, the most evil type of comment worked the best.

That is, when I just spam people’s comments I get a lot more Traffic. I was just copying and pasting this :

"Cost of war in Iraq in relation to GDPs"

I would just look for the newest blogs popping up on blogwise, and spam my comment. This worked great; in fact, it doubled my average traffic, or readership, for the last couple of days. However, it is evil.

I feel bad for doing it, and I am sorry to everyone that I spammed. Although it works great, it does not offer anything good to the blogosphere. It is especially not on par with most of the productive comments that are usually posted – especially in the blogs that I frequent.

So, although it works, I do not suggest that anyone tries it unless they want to be hated. I do not want to be hated. On the contrary, I would rather be liked. And even followed as some sort of good example, that is why I am not doing this anymore. But I do still plan on leaving quality comments even though it makes more time.

I am stopping the spam in accordance with my revolution. I want to make the world a better place, not a worse one.

Cost of war in Iraq in relation to GDPs

2005-03-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have seen various “Cost of War in Iraq” counters. This made me wonder how much money that really is. Because it looks like a lot!

I figured a good way to do it would be to compare it to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of several countries. The estimated cost of the war is about $159,214,000,000 at the time of this post.

Now let’s relate that number to The United State’s GDP which is, $12,955,370,000,000.
That makes the total cost of the war in Iraq only one per cent of our Nations GDP. This is miniscule. However, it does not look so small when compared to the GDP of other nations.

For example, the cost of the war has almost reached Argentina’s GDP ($161,899,000,000). The shocker about this is that Argentina is the 36th richest country in the world (179 different countries)!

The Argentina example may be staggering, but the most powerful example I have found about the cost of the war is its relation to the poorest countries in the world.

The cost of the War in Iraq is equal more than the combined Gross Domestic Product of 65 of the poorest countries.

Nepal, The Bahamas, Mozambique, Haiti, Mali, Burkina Faso, Brunei, Zambia, Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Namibia, Chad, Georgia, Cambodia, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, Nicaragua, Benin, Papua New Guinea, Guinea, Niger, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Netherlands Antilles, Barbados, Laos, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Swaziland, Togo, Malawi, Fiji, Tajikistan, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Mongolia, Lesotho, Mauritania, Suriname, Sierra Leone, Belize, Cape Verde, Antigua and Barbuda, Maldives, Guyana, Bhutan, Seychelles, Saint Lucia, Burundi, Eritrea, Djibouti, Grenada, The Gambia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Comoros, Samoa, East Timor, Vanuatu, Guinea-Bissau, Dominica, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati, São Tomé and Príncipe

Yes! That is 65 countries! And their combined GDP is $156,919,000,000. 3 billion less than the cost of the war!

Since I compiled all of this information, it is your job to think about what kind of use this money could have gone to, instead of helping one country, we could have helped 65. If we were just handing out presents, we could have matched 65 of the poorest countries GDP. That would undoubtedly help a huge chunk of the world.

In fact, the combined population of these countries is around 291,090,910 people. That is roughly the population of the United States, the third largest country. If we split up the $159,214,000,000 (cost of the war) to all of the people in these 65 countries, they would all receive about 547 dollars! In some countries where people receive as little as $5 dollars a day for living that would help out tremendously! I hope this help put the cost of war into global context. After all, if we do not spend it on ourselves, we might as well send it to something good!

Australians view U.S. as a threat to peace

2005-03-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

America lags behind Japan and China in popularity, poll finds

By Raymond Bonner and Donald Greenlees
The New York Times, International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, March 29, 2005

U.S. foreign policy poses as big a threat to world peace as Islamic fundamentalism, while the rise of China is the last on a list of potential threats, according to a survey released Monday of public opinion in Australia, one of Washington's closest allies in the Asia-Pacific.

…The survey …shows that America trails far behind China and Japan in public popularity. Although 84 percent of Australians had positive views of Japan and 69 percent expressed positive views of China, only 58 percent felt the same way about the United States.

…"There is quite a big disconnect between how the world views Bush and how the Americans view Bush," says Don Russell, Australia's ambassador to Washington between 1993 and 1995.

The war in Iraq appears to be one of the strongest points of disagreement Australians have with U.S. policy…

…57 percent of Australians rated U.S. policy as a threat equal to Islamic fundamentalism.

…But if Australians are feeling more ambivalent about America, their attitude to the economic powerhouses of East Asia is surprisingly warm, suggesting economic interests outrank old strategic friendship in the popularity stakes.

Australians are surprisingly sanguine about the emergence of China. Only 35 percent of Australians thought China's growing power was a threat.

Even on trade, China was ranked as a more attractive partner, A free trade agreement with America was viewed as good for Australia by only 34 percent of respondents. A similar deal with China won majority support, 51 percent.

In case of a U.S.-China war over Taiwan, there were limits on how far Australia should go in support of the alliance. Seventy-two percent were against coming to the aid of the United States.

Surprisingly, this is only news right now in Australia, India, and Europe

Not as Original as I thought.

2005-03-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

I thought that I was original when I was talking about making a campaign that would say that Jesus wants you to save the environment. Fortunately for the environment (unfortunately for my unoriginality) there is already a group like this.

I was so interested in this and I really wanted to pursue it, but then I found the Evangelical Environmental Network. This group is the creator of What Would Jesus Drive and other genius things.

These guys have already done everything that I planned on doing and more. They are super great, and I encourage anyone to go to their website, religious or not. Here is a little sampler:

Christ died to reconcile all of creation to God (Col. 1:20).

All of creation belongs to Jesus (Col. 1:16; Ps. 24:1).

It fulfills the Great Commandments to love God and love what God loves. (It's hard to love a child with asthma when you're filling her lungs with pollution.)

Pollution hurts the poor the most, and Christians are called to care for the poor and the less powerful (Mt. 25:37-40).

These guys are great. I emailed them, and asked them to make a banner for me to put on my blog. I can only hope that they follow through, they are doing such a good thing for our country/environment.

Jesus Wants You! (to save the environment)

2005-03-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to write this after reading a great essay by Richard Louv entitled Replanting the environmental garden

In it, he writes about revitalizing the environmental movement. One of the most interesting ideas in this essay is the idea of pushing environmentalism through religion.

I personally think this is a genius idea. Especially now, when religion and the government are becoming more intertwined than ever. Saving the environment could be among Terry Schiavo, The Ten Commandments, abortion, gay marriages, and many others.

More than 75% of people in the United States are some sort of Christian. Therefore this spiritual environmental movement would have a big backing.

It does not matter if you are republican or democrat, as long as at least 75% of the population thinks that God is the creator of all things in this world, no matter if it was through the creation of all things in 7 days, or 7 billion years.

Environmentalism needs to be looked at in a different light in order to grow and continue. I want to help create this spiritual push into environmentalism. I want to create some sort of religious environmental propaganda; I want more people to care about what is happening around them.

I am thinking an Uncle Sam like Jesus. With Jesus pointing and lettering beneath: “Jesus Wants YOU! To save the Environment”

If anyone can help me with this, or would be willing to run a banner like that, like the “there is no Crisis” banners, please tell me. We need to get this revolution a goin’!

New Reasons Against Fast Food

2005-03-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week a woman in San Jose was enjoying her delicious Wendy’s chili. That is, until she discovered a human finger in her MOUTH! That is gross! Fortunately it was only about AN INCH AND A HALF OF FINGER!

Wendy’s along with the authorities are still looking for the owner of this finger ``We contacted each one of our suppliers that provide ingredients for chili, and each one of them told us they have had no employee accidents involving the fingers or hand,'' says Wendy’s Spokesman Denny Lynch.

If it was not from the “restaurant”, all I can think of is that it must be from one of the suppliers. I would not be surprised if employees working for these suppliers did not report it, or a report such as this would be lost, especially if the finger came in the ground beef container. The employees in slaughterhouses are often treated worse than the animals.

Eric Carlson

Wendy’s sales have dropped, especcialy in the San Jose area. All that I can hope is that all fast food sales start to drop until they start to change their dirty ways. I know that eating a finger is a little bit out of proportion, and I truly feel sorry for the almost cannable lady that was eating finger chili, but I just hope that the customers of the fast food industry realize that fast food does not have to be gross, and the workers do not have to be treated poorley.

Furthemore, I encourage everyone to read Fast Food Nation, and to watch Super Size Me.

For simple reading about why you should not eat fast food, I wrote a couple of articles on it.

Boycott fast food part 1

Boycott fast food part 2

Tell Gordon Smith about the "nuclear option"

2005-03-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Following is the letter/email I sent to Gordon Smith, our republican senator, telling him how I feel about The "nuclear option." I think if you care about anything that happens in this country, you should email your senator as well. Copy mine if you want, it is easy!
If you are in Oregon, please tell Gordon Smith how you feel!

What are you waiting for, tell Gordon Smith what you think!

Mexican solution to Army recruitment problems

2005-03-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Army expects to fall short of its targeted number of recruits, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey told reporters yesterday, confirming the likely continuation of a trend that began in February when the active-duty Army missed its monthly goal for the first time since 2000. Last week, Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, the Army's personnel chief, said in congressional testimony that "monthly recruiting figures from March and April will be difficult to achieve."

The Iraq war, coupled with lower unemployment, creates one of the toughest recruiting environments in years, Army leaders are struggling to come up with innovative ways to reverse the trend of insufficient enlistees.

To increase the recruitment amount the Army has raised its recruitment age from 34 to 39. They are also going out to the “heart land” and pushing patriotism by saying that joining the army is the “noble” thing to do. They are trying some strategies with raising the age, but there are other options to them NOT INCLUDING THE DRAFT!

Coinciding with this decrease in military recruitment is an increase in Illegal aliens. A recent report showed that the number of illegal immigrants is growing by roughly 485,000 people a year. Furthermore, an analysis of government data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a private research group in Washington, showed an estimated 10.3 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States last year, an increase of about 23 percent from 8.4 million in 2000

Harry Pachon of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute in Los Angeles said the growth in illegal immigrants has risen with the US economy, with American businesses such as Wal-Mart looking to contractors who rely on undocumented workers "to fill jobs no one else will fill."
Bush already has a goal to create a "guest worker" visa program. Which, surprisingly, I think is a great idea. However, I think there is a connection to be made from these two recent news stories.

Mexicans by far remain the largest group of undocumented immigrants at 5.9 million, or about 57 percent of the March 2004 estimate. Many of these people have fought hard conditions to get into the United States, and now many of them are working in less than minimum wage conditions.

I think that if an illegal alien wants a no-complications way to become a U.S. resident, they should be able to join the army. I think that if someone wants to be a U.S. resident enough, they should have the option to join the military. This would create Mexicans that are “Proud to be Americans.” With joining the military the Mexicans would be able to learn English, support their family from abroad, and become a legal member of a somewhat functioning society.
I think there should be army recruiters giving the option of citizenship with military service at the border. This OPTION would increase the amount of traceable, legal, people in our country, give the Mexicans a legal lifestyle, and increase our military.

I realize that this would require some assimilation, which I am against. But in a crazy world that is controlled by Bush, where everyone that is not with you is against you (Canada, Axis of Evil, Syria) it would decrease the likelihood of a draft, which I AM VEHEMENTLY AGAINST!

For more information on the rise of illegal immigrants go here
For more information on the decrease of military recruits go here

The Great Beach Cleanup: Dirty Seaside

2005-03-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

I just got back from seaside, and boy was it dirty. The beach I mean, there was tons of little plastic junk and garbage everywhere. It blew my mind, being only 2 days after the Great Oregon Beach Cleanup. As you may or may not know, I took part in this cleanup, but I went to a little beach, because I did not think there would be not that much help there. Turns out, I should have gone to Seaside. Seaside was so dirty, I just can not figure it out. There were tons of kids there for spring break, it seems like some of them must have helped out, or should have helped out. I CAN NOT understand, there where so many people there even during the bad weather yet there was still a problem.

The 4,100 volunteers who came out to beaches up and down the coast on Saturday, trash bags in hand, hauled away 58,000 pounds of garbage - impressive, but far below the record of 70,000 pounds.

I am one of the die hard 4,100 volunteers, and along with my special lady helped contribute to 1/2050th of the finding of a television set, a washing machine, a couch, two hot water heaters and more than 100 tires.
This fall, more people better come, or I will have to take some sort of EXTREME ACTION!

Good news for GSA in GA

2005-03-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

I have been following the actions of Kerry Pacer for about a month, well since February 26th. Kerry pacer tried to start a Gay Straight Alliance club in her bigot dense town of Cleveland Georgia. After facing much anti-gay harassment she took her club idea to the school board. They turned her down. Fortunately for Kerry, she was smart enough to get the rule book and put the bigots in their place. However, it took about a month of fighting with community members and some crazy church groups to get the club into the school.

"I can’t tell you how relieved I am that the board is finally going to do the right thing and let us create a safe space for gay students at my school," said Kerry Pacer, a 16-year-old lesbian who decided to form the club with friends in an attempt to counteract rampant anti-gay harassment at the school. She added, "I understand that not everyone supports this club, and those people have a right to their opinion. But we also have a right to exist, and nobody’s rights should be trampled on."

With the help of the ACLU, Kerry Pacer’s club, with a revision of the name, will be able to meet after school. Hopefully without a problem.

I wish that there were not so many bigots and religious zealots in the south, but it is good to know that their close mindedness can not completely stop progress. I think Kerry Pacer is a type of revolutionary, standing for what she believes in and not bowing down to the pressure that is put on her by those in her community. She fought for, and with help created a positive change in her school. She should be applauded for what she has done, and I hope that her Peers Rising in Diversity Education club (PRIDE) does not face any more problems, and continues to grow.

Latina Gang Problems in Portland? Get Laura Bush!

2005-03-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

As some of us may remember, the President and Mrs. Laura Bush on March 8, 2005, highlighted the need to volunteer to help children and teens reach their full potential. Well I think the time for Mrs. Laura Bush to volunteer to help children is now! I am sure if any troubled kids were to meet Laura they would turn back in their ways, renounce all gang activities, and become productive members of society.

That is what we need in the greater Portland area, where gangs are becoming so cool that even girls are starting to “do it.” This is a problem that needs to be looked into, thankfully The O, has done some research on this subject.

I know in my school in St.Helens, tagging was to be taught inside the classroom rather than outside. Seriously, the alternative school taught tagging as an elective! However, the Portland area schools are trying to do something more productive. They are trying to create punishments that keep kids in school, rather than out of school suspension.

These kids just need a place to belong, and I think that if anyone could help these kids belong, it would be our First Lady. Maybe she could unite these kids behind something positive, instead of tagging, they could garden or adopt a highway (I do not think the “Latin Babes” sign would get torn down). And there is nothing that joining a chess club couldn’t solve. These kids need direction. Who do you think would be the best director? Maybe a former educator, librarian, and all around America Youth helping go getter!

If you can hear our cries Mrs. Laura Bush, Please come and help our teens!

Oregon takes one step closer to clean rivers

2005-03-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

A little bit of good news for the Columbia River was announced today in the Oregonian,

This is a great start to help clean our rivers, but this is just taking care of random occurrences of the dumping of waste oil, while a variable cornucopia of toxins at toxic levels are being dumped into our rivers on a daily basis.
Fortunately, if Oregonians are really serious about stopping the pollution of their rivers, there is a more permanent solution which is currently being debated in Salem.

I’m talkin’ ‘bout senate bill 555. Environmental groups are calling this bill the most important water quality proposal in the last 30 years. It is a bill that would phase out toxic mixing zones over the next seven years.

These toxic mixing zones are areas where lead, mercury, arsenic and other dangerous toxins are being pumped into the rivers, namely the Willamette, to be diluted in areas as large as two football fields.

Oregonian

I see this as a huge problem that is dangerous to everyone that uses these areas. We should not live in an area where it is not safe to play in the water, or eat the fish, Oregon is supposed to set an example for the rest of the nation to follow. I can see no reason not to fix these toxic mixing zones, and I urge everyone to write or talk to their representative and tell them how they feel about this blatent disreagard to the publics heatlh and saftey.

Fifth Action: Spring Beach Cleanup

2005-03-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today my special lady and I went to the Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup which was set up by SOLV, keeping Oregon green, and it was GREAT! After checking in at Tillamook we took a little drive to Oceanside. The beach was already pretty clean when we got there, and there were about 10 different little groups of people, but we went and cleaned up a little bit. We almost died a couple of times when we were searching for garbage next to a big cliff wall. There were several large rocks that plummeted from the cliff; I think it is the rains fault, which nearly hit us. It was kind of scary, but we were troopers working for a cause. After about an hour of cleaning up the beach we came back to my car and had the Great Car Cleanup. Overall it went well, and I would be glad to do it again.

SHAME ON ALL OF YOU THAT DID NOT GO BECAUSE OF THE RAIN!

Obesity in Oregon

2005-03-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

Oregon is ranked as the 19th fattest state. In 2003, 21% of all adults were considered obese. It looks like these adults are influencing their children. A new report yesterday in The New England Journal of Medicine, says the prevalence and severity of obesity are so great, especially in children, that the associated diseases and complications - Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, cancer - are likely to strike people at younger and younger ages.

The report says that for the first time in two centuries parents have a longer life expectancy than their children, and the kid’s life expectancy could be reduced by as much as five years.

International Herald Tribune

This is kind of scary! Fortunately Oregon is trying to do something about children’s health, they have introduced House Bill 2023, a bill which would make it unlawful to have a vending machine in an elementary school.

The removal of vending machines in school will directly cut down on the amount of junk food these kids can get at school while simultaneously removing unneeded advertising from these children’s lives

Another bill,Senate Bill 228, is being pushed in the senate to require 2 ½ hours of PE each week for elementary kids, and 3 ¾ hours of PE each week for middle school kids.

Senate Bill 228

The Oregonian

The growing problem of obesity needs to be combated; these two bills are helping out by forming healthy eating and exercising patterns. Unfortunately, these kids do not spend all of their time at school and even if they are eating healthily and exercising, the parents can still mess it up by feeding their children fast food. YOU ARE SLOWLY KILLING YOUR KIDS!

Parents need to get involved with their children and show them how to live and eat healthily. To learn more about obesity and how to combat it go to Obesity is a Problem.

No Vending Machines in Elementary Schools: OR HB 2023

2005-03-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

Debates have ensued regarding soda and food vending machines in elementary, middle/junior and high schools. Some states have introduced and enacted legislation to replace existing food and drinks of minimal nutritional value for healthier options or to restrict student access to the machines. As of January 2004, Arkansas is the only state that has passed legislation banning vending machines in elementary schools. This is not just a state issue, however. Some cities and local schools districts have taken the lead and enacted policies to ban or replace certain foods and beverages in vending machines or restrict student access to the machines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000 survey concluded that 43% of elementary schools, 89.4% of middle/junior high and 98.2% of senior high schools had either a vending machine or a school store, canteen, or snack bar where students could purchase competitive foods or beverages.

Oregon House Bill (HB) 2023 would prohibit the school district board from contracting with vendors to sell food or beverages via vending machines that do not meet the standards of the UDSA national school lunch and breakfast programs. If a school does not have students in grade 5 or below, the board may contract with a vendor to sell items that do not meet the standards if the access to the machines is limited to after the last regularly scheduled lunch period for the school.

2004 National Conference of State Legislatures

The Nuclear Option

2005-03-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

In the past couple of months Senate’s republicans, lead by Frist, have been pushing for the “constitutional option” or more popularly known as the “nuclear option.” This tool would largely favor the republicans in the senate by allowing Bush’s judicial nominees to be voted for by majority, 51 votes, rather than the current 60 votes. This would eliminate the democrats’ ability to filibuster and stop some of these judicial nominees, and without the option to filibuster the federal bench would tip to the extreme right.

55 republicans and 44 democrats in the senate, all a judicial nominee would need are 5 extra democrat votes. I think that if a judicial nominee can get some sort of bipartisan support they deserve to be nominated. If the nuclear option goes into play then there would be no point for the democratic senators to show up to work. They would have no say in what goes on, and I do not think that is how our government should work. I am just saying NO to the nuclear option!

The unlawful LASER Pointer: House Bill 2014

2005-03-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta says that “Recent research conducted by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration… has found that some lasers, when shined into a plane’s cockpit, could temporarily disorient or disable a pilot during critical stages of flight such as landing or take off,” Mineta said. “Even worse, in a few cases, these lasers can cause permanent eye damage for those who look directly into the beam.”

“Let me be clear,” Mineta said. “Shining these lasers at an airplane is not a harmless prank. It is stupid and dangerous…If you are shining a laser at a plane, we will find you and we will prosecute you.”

Directly relating the U.S. Department of Transportation, Oregon has put a bill into the house that would make it illegal to point a LASER pointer HB 2014 would make anyone who purposely points a LASER pointer into a cockpit of an aircraft. This act alone would be punishable by a max of 18 months of imprisonment, a $100,000 fine, or both.

Furthermore, if someone shines a LASER pointer on a rent-a-cop (private security officer) that is on duty or on a “peace officer” that is acting in course of official duty they will receive a Class A misdemeanor. That means that they could go for up to one year in the county Jail.

Do you think this is a little extreme or just right?

Oregon legislature and a billion bills

2005-03-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

Actually, it is only somewhere around a 1,267 new bills in the House and 1,060 new bills introduced in the Senate, but no body is keeping track of them. After reading a post called Oregon Legislature Fiddles While State Burns by Vocal Minority

I have been inspired. I am going to spend my spring break pouring through the vastness that are the 2005 legislature house and senate bills. I am making it my mission to bring some sort of light onto what is going on in our state.

Stay tuned for more! also, if you want to do some searching for yourself I urge you to go to Oregon Legislative Assembly, 2005 Regular Session Measures"

A semi-refreshing republican: Senator Gordon Smith

2005-03-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

Senator Gordon Smith has put himself at odds with the majority of his party, and that is the kind of thing I like to see. He's got moxy! Today smith went against the grain of his peers, and instead of fighting for big businesses helped out the little guy. I am delighted to see this, and I hope more quality work is on the way.

The New York Times

I hope that good things continue to happen like this in the face of Bush's budget, but I think that it is sad that Harry Reid called it a "true bipartisan effort," because I can not see how a 52-48 vote is bi-partisan, that is a near tie, however, I will take what I can get.

statistic brilliance

OH MY GOD! Wolfowitz?

2005-03-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

Either I am out of my mind, or Bush is trying to make the whole world hate us. And I am feeling uncomfortably sane. It seems like the sticks and the carrots everyone talks about are beginning to lose all meaning. These sticks are used for stabbing, stabbing anyone in the eye that might just like the United States.

It seems as if there was to be someone that would work on behalf of the United States they would be a person that is... Nice? Maybe not nice, but at least someone that seems like they would not vehemently oppose all things non-United States.

Well I just can not believe that we are doing that with Bush's nomination of Paul Wolfowitz as President of the World Bank. Wolfowitz is a key architect of the Iraq war whose hard-line foreign policy stance as deputy defense secretary has stirred criticism. I just cannot see that as a good choice.

Jocelyn Gecker

Sadly, this comes just weeks after bush nominates our United Nation Ambassador, that’s right, I'm talkin' 'bout Bolton.

Bernard Weiner

Now, there must be a reason for these nominations. I am just afraid that these last two big nominations are just made to distance the United States from EVERYONE. I am afraid to guess why we would want to do that. Any ideas?

SOLV's Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup

2005-03-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

I AM GOING!

I am going to the "Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup!" I urge you to do so as well! I got some information from the SOLV website to try and convince everyone to go. EVERYONE!

Hey, everyone is doing it!

The first Beach Cleanup in the nation was held here in Oregon in 1984. Since then, annual beach cleanups have spread to every state in the Union, all US territories and more than 100 countries around the world. In 2003, 450,000 volunteers picked up over 7.6 million pounds of trash from 16,250 miles of coastline nationwide.

It is like a treasure hunt for garbage!

Among the many interesting items found on Oregon's beaches last year were a 10-foot section of a creosote-covered utility pole, an ax, a refrigerator door, a hot water heater, a recliner, a container of oily liquid, and lots of rope, fishing nets, plastic, Styrofoam, and tires.

It is cool, and by cool I mean safe!

In the 20 years that the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department has worked with SOLV on the Beach Cleanup, there have been no serious injuries. Just remember that you need to bring your gloves!

What is holding you back? You don't want to be totaly awesome to the extreme?

Join us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2005, for the annual Spring Beach Cleanup. Click on Zone Map at right. Select a registration site and show up there at 10 a.m. Groups of 20 or more should contact the appropriate Zone Captain in advance.

Come on guys! Jump on the Bandwagon!

My Concerns for the Future of the First Amendment

2005-03-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

I know everyone on the left side of the blog-o-sphere has written about the Guckert/Gannon Scandal, but that is just one small part of the problem. It is a large concern to me that one man can make up a name and get into the elite White House Press Corps, and just lob easy questions, almost compliments, to the president. But that is only one of my many concerns.

This is only one thing that has come to light in the last couple of months that makes me a little bit scared. Propaganda is another one. The Bush administration is feeding us fake news stories, propaganda, to make us believe that everything he does is right. For example, the people’s tax money is going towards a political agenda. It did so when the Bush administration paid for a fake news story where Education Secretary Rod Paige promotes the No Child Left Behind act while leaving out the most important factor, the fact that it was a commercial paid for by the government rather than a news story.

But that is not all. I am now reaching back into time, to around 9/11, for an example of what the White House Propaganda Machine. That would be the false connection between Iraq and the 9/11 bombings. Interestingly enough immediately after we were attacked a public pole found that only five percent of the nation thought that Iraq was involved. After several months of propaganda another pole found that there were 70% of us that thought that Iraq had something to do with the bombings.

The thing that is most disturbing about this is its effect on people who do not know how to think for themselves. That would be our next generation of voters. I feel that the most serious of the problems is that while there is more and more propaganda being spewed into our news, the young public (High School-ers) is turning to government censorship of the media. WOW!

Don’t believe me? A study was just done on more than 100,000 high school students, nearly 8,000 teachers, and more than 500 principals and administrators, and their feelings and knowledge on the First amendment.

73 percent of students polled say they don’t know how they feel about the First Amendment or take their rights for granted.

More than 30 percent would welcome press censorship and think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees.

75 percent incorrectly believe that flag-burning is illegal.

50 percent incorrectly think the government can restrict indecent material on the Internet.

I am more than a little concerned for the future of this country.

Written By: Eric Carlson

News Update 2: Cleveland Georgia Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)

2005-03-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Most of this news is the same information repeated, but written by a different newspaper from a different state. Anyway, it is still great that this story is getting so much coverage!

High school gays get a harsh lesson
Kerry Pacer's failing struggle to encourage acceptance of homosexuals in her rural Georgia hometown is echoed across the U.S.

..."There has always been a lot of bullying at school, and there was never anyone to stand up for me," said Pacer, explaining that she and other gay students felt a Gay-Straight Alliance club would promote understanding. "I knew there would be people who disagreed with it, but I had no idea it would grow this big."

With heightened national attention on family values as championed by Christian conservatives, students such as Pacer said they have felt pressure to keep their sexual orientation hidden, particularly in Bible Belt states where many people believe homosexuality is a sin. Those attitudes were manifested last November when voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage...

Written By: Dahleen Glanton

For more about Kerry Pacer and the news surrounding her go to: White County, Georgia: Controversy in Gay PRIDE

House bills with negative impact on Oregon's Measure 37

2005-03-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

Legislators and special interests are working on nearly 100
bills which would impact the land use system in one way or
another; some positively, others *very* negatively. Because of
the uncertainty created by Measure 37, the OCN believes it is
simply irresponsible to work on anything other than correcting
the problems that Measure 37 creates.

House Bills 2458 and 2549 are examples of this problem. Though
we expected votes on these two bills this week, they have been
carried over until Monday. This is our last chance! Both bills
represent very bad policies for our land use system. But they
are also wrong because they do not provide a comprehensive
solution to Measure 37.

Please call your Representative toll free and ask for their
opposition to both HB 2458 and HB 2549. Call 1-800-332-2313.

HB 2458 would create sprawl and uncontrolled development,
potentially threatening the economies of rural communities. A
fundamental premise of Oregon's land use planning program is
that development should be contained within urban growth
boundaries to prevent sprawl. House Bill 2458 would allow
counties to authorize industrial or commercial development, as
well as hotels and motels, in an unlimited number of so-called
"development zones" outside of UGBs. This means Wal-Marts and
strip malls could be built far from population centers and
existing infrastructure, severely undercutting the purpose of
UGBs.

HB 2549 authorizes a dwelling on every parcel of land if the
owner could have constructed a dwelling at the time of purchase.
We oppose HB 2549 because it adds more damage to the damage done
by Measure 37. This bill is not offered as a replacement to
Measure 37, but instead goes further - applying itself both
inside and outside of the Urban Growth Boundaries that protect
our farmland. The result of this bill would be less farmland,
higher taxes (to provide services to these dwellings), and
children who have to travel long distances to go to school.

Call now to ask your representative to oppose these bills -
because they represent both bad policy and the wrong approach to
dealing with Oregon's land use system.

Call 1-800-332-2313.

If you don't know who your State Representative is, you can find
out by calling the number above or by visiting:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/findset.htm

For more information contact Elon Hasson, 1000 Friends of
Oregon, 503-481-8622

For more updates on bills that affect Oregon's environmental future sign up at SalemWatch

Bush for Kids?

2005-03-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

President hides attack on future generations in child-friendly rhetoric

...the Bush tax cuts of today are the tax burdens of tomorrow. That doesn't sound like a "better world for our children and our grandchildren."

The federal deficit this year is $394 billion and climbing -- before you include the costs of war. But the conductor of this White House train wants to extend the tax cuts for first class and pass the debt to the youngest passengers in coach.

As for our children being more important than partisan politics, one in six American children live in poverty but the 2005 budget already has kid-unfriendly cuts in programs such as subsidized day care, and the Republican Congress is looking at cutting off food stamps for 300,000 people in working families...

Written by: Ellen Goodman

Read the rest here

Bush's Push for Drilling in Arctic - How big is 2000 acres?

2005-03-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

President Bush has been including a call for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in his regular stump speech.

He recently mentioned how big of an area he wanted to “explore”

"You know, there's 17 million acres up there -- and all they're asking to do is explore on 2,000 of the 17 million, which, had we done this nearly a decade ago, we'd have an additional million barrels of oil -- of U.S. oil helping to fuel our economy."

"We can now reach all of ANWR's oil by drilling on just 2,000 acres... the size of the Columbus airport," declared Bush, citing technological advancements. "We can carry out the project with almost no impact on land or wildlife."

I just have one question, How much space would a 36 inch wide pipe take up, you know like a pipe that would transfer oil from point A to point B? That would travel from Alaska to somewhere in the United States? Would it be somewhere around 2,000 acres?

There are 6272640 square inches in an acre
Divide this by a 36 square inch pipeline
174,240 inches is how far one acre of pipeline will reach
Multiply that by 2,000 acres
Get 348,480,000 inches
That is 5,500 Miles

To drive from the middle of Oregon to the Heart of Alaska it only takes 2,600 miles

This would give tons of room for actual drilling sites, along with a pipeline to connect Alaska to the United States. All in 2,000 acres.

When someone asks for just a small amount of land it is important to keep in mind what you may be giving up. Please keep in mind how much space 2,000 acres is, especially when it is spread thin!

Also, someone please check my math, I do not want to mislead anyone with false numbers.

Wal-Mart Labor Battle Puts Quebec on Edge

2005-03-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Canada is Great!

This is from the International Herald Tribune

...Wal-Mart's announcement last month that it could no longer do business here because of skimpy store revenue and escalating union demands is having a much broader impact across Canada and even south of the border. The closing - the first of a Wal-Mart in Canada - is a strategic retreat for the retailer in its war with organized labor.

...At least three other Wal-Mart outlets in Quebec have received bomb threats since the Jonquière closing announcement, forcing evacuations of people and losses in sales. Bernard Landry, the leader of the separatist Parti Québecois and a former premier of the province, has announced that he is personally boycotting the chain. A Quebec television broadcaster compared Wal-Mart to Nazism, but later apologized.

"What we were left with was a store that was not going to be viable," Andrew Pelletier, director for corporate affairs at Wal-Mart Canada, said in an interview. "We felt the union wanted to fundamentally change the store's business model."

Written by: Clifford Krauss

[I think the "buisness model" they were talking about was getting cheap dispensable labor to be able to push around, and fire when they start to ask for to much.]

Revolution Updates

2005-03-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

In the last couple of days I have been busy with my revolution, as you may or may not know, I just started working to raise money for save the children, so I pretty much just stand around in downtown Portland and ask them if they are interested in helping the program. So far I have raised $85 dollars for save the children which will go to literacy programs, and health and nutrition education. Also I made a little part on the sidebar for a running total of the amount of money I have raised.

Also, In school today, I am giving a speech to tell the Portland Community College students that they should get involved with reading the news, and knowing what kind of bills are going through legislaton, and telling them that they should get involved, and talk to their legislators and make a diffrence.

Overall I have been really busy, with working for save the children, educating myself, and advancing my revolution, I might need a revolutionary weekend, where I just sleep.

Bigots Bonanza - Ban on Civil Unions proposed in Senate

2005-03-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

I know I have been writing, or looking for articles, about problems with the gay community. I guess this is a big problem for me. The problem being that there is so much discrimination against a people. For example, when Measure 37 was passed in Oregon it was the only thing to actually discriminate against a certain people. This is amazing that there is so much discrimination still going on! I thought we were done with that kind of stuff in the 1960's. I guess the ignorant will always prove me wrong. Anyway, I found this article in the Portland Mercury.

Bigots Bonanza

Encouraged by the victory of Measure 36, the bigots are trying to push gay and lesbian rights back even further during the current legislative session in Salem. State Senator Gary George (R-McMinnville) and Rep. Mac Sumner (R-Molalla) are pushing S.B. 799, a bill that would ban not only same-sex marriages but also civil unions.

An equally nefarious bill is working its way through the House. Sponsored by Gresham-based representative John Lim, H.B. 2401 would demand that married (heterosexual) couples be given preference over same-sex couples when an adoption is being considered.

I urge you to write your representative and tell him what you think, if you want to learn more about that, go to How to write effective letters to elected officials.

White County Gay Club Draws Kansas Protests

2005-03-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

News snippets about the protesting over White Counties gay club by a Kansas church in a format that is slightly story-like.

Gay club draws Kansas protests

A group from a Kansas church condemned White County for allowing high schoolers to organize a club for gay students and supportive classmates.

The protesters, congregates of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, are planning three days of demonstrations that will culminate outside White County High School when classes resume Monday morning.

Protesters turn up heat

"They preach the big lie that God loves everybody," said Shirley Phelps-Roper, waving a sign at passers-by minutes before services began at Cleveland United Methodist Church, just off the town square.

Protesters expected this weekend

Roper said the protesters will be composed of about 10 people, some of them children. "I always take children with me on protests," she said. She said she is the mother of 11 children.

Kansas Church Protests Gay Club

Members of a Kansas church do not approve of having a gay club at White County High School. Even though students have changed it to a "Diversity Club," the members of Westboro Baptist Church still came to Cleveland to protest outside the school Monday morning. But the protesters weren't the only ones who had something to say.

Two groups. One says Jesus loves everyone. Another says God hates homosexuals. Both groups are at White County High School, separated only by police barricades. They’re all here because some high school students wanted to start a “Gay-Straight Alliance Club.”

Other groups plan to voice opinion on GSA

PFLAG, a support group for parents, friends and families of gays and lesbians, has said it will not counter protest the group from Topeka, Kan. Instead the group is conducting a fund raiser.

People may make pledges for every minute Westboro Baptist Church protests at White County High School on Monday.

"Our hope is that this will encourage this group to make their protest short, knowing they are helping to raise money for our group," said Cynthia Green, a Gainesville PFLAG spokesperson.

...If interested in donating to the cause, make pledges to pflaggainesvillepledges@yahoo.com or call 770-540-6999 for information. Checks may also be mailed to P.O. Box 737, Cleveland, Ga. 30528

And if you are interested in getting in touch with the principal, and telling him what you think go to Email to Principal Dorsey of White County High

Genetically Engineered Foods

2005-03-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

An Experiment on Our Health and the Environment

Genetically engineered ingredients, such as corn and soy, are currently in 60-70% of the food on grocery store shelves, such as cereal, soup, tortilla chips, infant formula and soda. Amazingly, NONE of the genetically engineered foods on the market have been adequately tested for effects on human health or the environment or labeled by the FDA, EPA or USDA. As a result, we have become the subjects of a large-scale experiment on our health and our environment by genetic engineering companies such as Monsanto—the makers of Agent Orange and DDT.

Risks include health and environmental hazards such as new food allergies; decreased antibiotic effectiveness; increased pesticide use; and harm to the monarch butterfly and beneficial insects like ladybugs. Genetically engineered crops also pose risks to our family farms through genetic pollution of organic and conventional farmers' crops, the creation of “superweeds” from cross-pollination, and virulent new plant viruses.

Every year, more genetically engineered crops are developed and currently more than 100 million acres of genetically engineered crops are being grown around the world. It is time to stop this experiment on our health and the environment!

WHY KRAFT?

Kraft Foods is the largest food company in the country, and the second largest in the world. Kraft’s products are found in 99% of U.S. households, and many of them, such as Taco Bell taco shells, Boca Burgers, Lunchables, Post cereals and Stovetop Stuffing have been found to contain untested and unlabeled genetically engineered ingredients that may put our families and environment at risk. Kraft refuses to label these inadequately tested foods, taking away our right to know what we are eating, despite the fact that between 85 and 95% of Americans want labeling.

Kraft is aware of the potential health and environmental risks of genetically engineered foods. After StarLink corn—a variety not approved for human consumption—was discovered in Kraft’s products by GE Food Alert in the fall of 2000, the company recalled millions of boxes of taco shells and, to avoid further contamination, switched to non-engineered white corn in its corn-based taco products. Kraft also called for stricter regulation of engineered crops. Despite their strong statements and moves to avoid GE corn in some products, Kraft continues to use questionable genetically engineered ingredients in many of its other products. Meanwhile, hundreds of Americans have reported allergic reactions to the FDA after eating Kraft and other name brand corn products likely to contain GE corn.

Kraft has also moved to avoid genetically engineered ingredients in European markets because of consumer demand and strict laws there. They should be doing the same around the world.

Kraft must stop using genetically engineered ingredients in all its products and immediately label what’s on the shelf so we can make our own choices about what we’re eating. Kraft has a responsibility to support the health of its customers, as well as their environment and America’s family farms. As the largest food maker in the country, Kraft must make sure its food is safe.

Tell Kraft that you don’t want to be part of the experiment!

OUR DEMANDS:

We are calling on all food companies, particularly Kraft Foods, to immediately do the following:

Stop using genetically engineered ingredients in all of its products unless adequate testing, labeling, and liability are established;
Start labeling products containing tested genetically engineered ingredients, so consumers can make their own choices; and
Pledge not to use genetically engineered wheat, currently being developed for commercial introduction by the biotechnology industry.

Written by: Krafted - Genetically Krafted Foods

Fourth Action: Save the Children

2005-03-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

Today I took a huge step forward with my revolution, and will continue to do so three days a week. I am trying to help people and get the public informed on the problems of our community. The best part is, while helping, and advancing my revolution, I am going to get paid for doing so.

I just got a job in Portland, and now I work for Save The Children.

I am the guy on the street that asks you if you have a second for Save The Children, and tells you how 1 in 5 (20%) of children in rural United States are living in poverty without proper education nor adequate health care. I am the guy that helps raise funds to go towards literacy and nutritional education programs. I am the guy that asks you to make a contribution to help break the vicious cycle of poverty, by getting these kids out of their current situations, and helping them catch up to their peers.

I am feeling pretty good about this job, as far as my revolution goes, and I hope that I can help somebody ( I already raised $17 for this NPO) . Maybe I will keep some sort of running total of funds raised.

If anyone is concerned with the state of our national problem, and wants to help these poverty stricken children, I encourage you to go to Save The Children and look into sponsoring a child.

News updates:Cleveland Georgia Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)

2005-03-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Georgia continues to make the United States look bad, as many bigots and close minded people are protesting the formation of a high school Gay Straight Alliance club, now known as PRIDE (Peers Rising in Diverse Education). There have been two new news stories recently printed.

Gay club ignites controversy in North Georgia town

...“We’re not taking away the GSA. We thought people wouldn’t be so quick to judge if it was named PRIDE, but this is 100 percent a GSA,” Kerry Pacer, 16, said just hours before the school board meeting, which became a heated public forum on the club.

...“I am not for gay bashing and I prefer people be treated with respect … but people need to understand our moral issues,” Fowler said.

...“I’d rather we not have any clubs at all,” he said. “These kids are condemned to hell and I’d like to see them saved.”

Written By: Dyana Bagby

Georgia bill ignores school ‘fear factor’

...We were there to testify against Senate Bill 149, a proposal by state Sen. Nancy Schaefer (R-Turnersville) to require parental permission for students to participate in extra curricular activities. The bill was introduced in direct response to the student club organized by gay and straight students at a White County high school.

...Gay and lesbian students nationally are at least three times more likely to attempt suicide; five times more likely to miss school out of fear for their safety; five times more likely to be threatened with a weapon at school; and six times more likely to be physically assaulted.

...Although Schaffer claims her proposal is a “common sense” bill, it is far from it. The bill ignores the fear factor gay students experience while expanding the power of the state by adding an administrative hurdle to student participation in clubs.

Written By: Edward Gray

For more about these stories go to Georgia School's Gay Pride Effort Hits Hurdles or White county Georgia Controversey in Gay PRIDE.

If you want to try to make a difference Email Principal Dorsey of White County High

Dirty Rivers, and Oregons Toxic Mixing Zones: Senate Bill 555

2005-03-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned I went to environmental lobby day in Salem Oregon, on Monday the 28th, to talk to my legislators about a change in the quality of our rivers. Unknown to me at the time, the Oregonian published an article called Toxics and Rivers don't Mix.

A bill to phase out "mixing zones" in Oregon streams may be too ambitious, but the status quo isn't acceptable

…Senate Bill 555, which would phase out so-called mixing zones on the Willamette and other rivers. These are unmarked areas of rivers where industries and municipal sewage plants are allowed to spew their polluted wastewater, where it is blended with and diluted by river water.

…Oregon will never restore the Willamette to full health as long as it allows industries and communities to dump toxic pollutants at known toxic levels at sites all along the river.

…Environmental groups, which call SB 555 the most important water quality proposal in Oregon in three decades, say the mixing zones permit the dumping of 30 billion gallons of toxic pollution into Oregon rivers. Yet there's no public information about the location of the mixing zones -- no buoys, no signs, no warnings about the mixing zones or the pollution they contain.

…The state Department of Environmental Quality does some minimal testing of the outflows into mixing zones, and it tries to estimate how the pollutants are diluted with river water. But it rarely, if ever, tests water quality inside and just outside mixing zones to determine pollution levels.

I encourage everyone to read the rest of the article, and then email, phone, write, or visit your representatives and tell them it is important to you that this bill passes.

You can get a hold of Ted Kulongoski here

How to Write Effective Letters to Elected Officials

2005-03-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

I found this great information in a Conservation Activist’s Toolkit that I received at environmental lobby day in Salem Oregon.

Writing a letter to your elected official is one of the easiest ways of conveying your thoughts and concerns on an issue to elected officials. Taking ten minutes to write a letter does make a difference.

Letters to your own legislator are especially important. When an elected official receives numerous letters on a specific issue, it does influence their vote. Some tips for writing a letter to an elected official follow:

Use your own stationary. A neatly typed or legibly handwritten letter on your own stationary is best.

Write your own thoughts and words. Form letters or preprinted postcards are not as impressive as an original letter in your own words. Write about your personal experience and how the issue affects you. Be brief and not overly dramatic.

Be clear on your position. Be sure you clearly state your position on the issue. Show your knowledge of the issue, but in a concise format. Be direct and firm, but not hostile.

Identify yourself. If you have met the legislator before, personalize the letter by noting briefly when and where that occurred so they can place a face with your name.

Address elected officials properly (e.g. “The Honorable…)”

Be concise. A one page letter is more likely to be read than a longer one. Write about only one issue in your letter.

Mention legislation. If appropriate, cite specific bill number and name or its principal sponsors. If the bill is not well known, a short summary of the bill may be necessary to include in your letter.

Request a specific action. Be sure to state exactly what you want the elected official to do. If appropriate, ask the legislator to vote for a particular bill or amendment, requesting a hearing, or cosponsor a bill.

Ask for a reply. If you ask a question or request something, ask the legislator for a reply to your letter. Ask that your legislator state his or her position on the issue in the reply.

Include a return address. Make sure that you include a return address in your letter.

Mail the letter. Particularly for local elected officials, mail the letter directly to where the legislative session is held. If the legislature is not in session, send the letter to the legislator’s home office address.

Write a follow up letter. If you asked for a reply and did not receive one, write another letter asking for a response. If the legislator complied with your request (e.g., voted favorably for a bill), send a thank you note. It is a refreshing change to most letters they receive.

Importance of being involved in your community

2005-03-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

I think that it is important to stay in your community, once you find one worth helping. It is important so that you can become a presence in your area, so you can have an effect on your surroundings. The longer you are in one place, the more time you have to make it better and more comfortable for you. You start by making contacts in your community, those with the same beliefs as you, and as you grow older with the community, you become more connected. This connection gives you a chance to make an impact. You do not like your schools? Volunteer in them to make them better. You do not like the way the garbage is piling up on your roads? Adopt them, and clean them yourself. You do not like the way the county/state government is being run? Write a letter or visit your representative.

The best way to stay involved in a community is to stay in the community. Through maintaining a positive impact on the community we gain respect, friendship, pride, and a better home place.

It is important to find a place to belong, and then belong. Find a place that you think will work with you, and stick it out. If no one took pride in their community, and if no one liked what was happening in it and just left, we would have a nation of people wandering from sub par community to sub par community. This is what we need to stop, we need to root ourselves in a place that we are comfortable with and try to create an environment of constant growth and betterment of society. This can only happen when people stay where they are, and take responsibility.

Third Action: Speaking with Senate and House

2005-02-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today I drove for two hours to Salem Oregon, my states capital, to speak with my representatives in the house and the senate. This was a great thing to do for my revolution, because I got heard by people who can really make a difference, and at least one of them liked what I had to say.

Today was environmental lobby day, and I learned how to effectively speak with my representatives, and I learned about a variety of issues. I pushed my representatives to endorse bio-diesel, create a protective habitat for fish, and get the Department of Environmental Quality to monitor the emissions of various toxins into the Columbia, and Willamette River.

Overall this was a great experience. I learned that the people in the House of Representatives and the Senate of Oregon are very approachable. They are ordinary people, except, they have a larger say in what is happening than most voters.

This has prompted me to write allot more about visiting your capital, and how to lobby effectively. I plan on doing this in future posts, but until then, I encourage everyone to try and get involved in your communities.

Georgia School's Gay Pride Effort Hits Hurdles

2005-02-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

It looks like the country is watching(listening) to find out what will happen in White County High School, relating to their students proposed Peers Rising in Diversity Education club. It has realized a national scope, and can be listened to at NPR's All things Considered.

"February 26, 2005 · High school students in Cleveland, Ga., are trying to get permission to form a club that promotes tolerance of gays and lesbians. But they're running into tough opposition from religious and parent groups"

Another story entitled: White County, Georgia: Controversy in Gay PRIDE, can be found here.

Email to Principal Dorsey of White County High

2005-02-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Email to Principal Dorsey of White County HS

This is the email I wrote in response to White County, Georgia: Controversy in Gay PRIDE

Principal Dorsey,

I have been following the news about your school, and its formation of PRIDE, which I fully support. I think there is no better place to teach tolerance and acceptance to students than in schools, and as educators, you have an obligation to lead by example. You must realize, what was once a town squabble has now become national news. At this time the nation is watching to see which actions you take, and what you are doing will reflect on Georgia, the south, and the United States. I can only hope that you take a responsible action, and allow Kerry Pacer to form her club.

Sincerely,
Eric Carlson

I encourage all of you to get involved as well, and email Principal Dorsey at bdorsey@white.k12.ga.us and tell him what you think. (Please feel free to copy my email if you cannot think of one on your own)

White County, Georgia: Controversy in Gay PRIDE

2005-02-26T23:11:00.000-08:00

In the mountains of Georgia lies a school of a thousand students where religious beliefs and personal rights are conflicting.

In Cleveland, Georgia there has been a lot of controversy over a clubs formation; the Gay-Straight Alliance. All of this was started by a Junior named Kerry Pacer. The proposal of the clubs formation sparked a religious fervor in the community surrounding White County High School.

This clubs attempted formation was partially prompted by boos from a crowd as Kerry, an openly gay Junior, joined a procession at the Sweetheart Assembly the Friday before Valentine’s Day while holding a rose given to her by a female classmate.

After much Baptist pressure, the group decided to pull out their request for the GSA club and instead requested permission to form a PRIDE club (Peers Rising in Diversity Education). The proposed club will be “a broader-based tolerance group” rather than just a support group for gay students.

However, the controversy did not stop merely for a change in the club’s name. On February 25, the White County Board of Education allowed 30 minutes for comments from the public, eight people for and against the group’s formation, including parents and religious leaders.

Rev. Chris Anderson, Pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist says, “Our children’s education is in jeopardy,” and says that there is no reason to form a club “because there have been no reports of bullying or harassment.”

This was joined by Lee Moore, a parent who does not want to see this club formed, “I don’t think the students this age, should be subjected to [this] or have it shoved down their throat.”

The students are not alone in their ongoing battle to form a club; Kerry Pacer is joined by her parents, and a good chunk of the community.

The ultimate irony is that while Kerry is trying to start a club based on tolerance and acceptance there are community members who are trying to stop its formation with bullying and harassment.

"Everyone at school is like 'It's against God. It's against God,' "Kerry said.”They tell me God is watching me, but who is watching them?"

We are watching them Kerry, and we will do what we can to support you, and your quest in tolerance.

You can reach Principal Bryan Dorsey at bdorsey@white.k12.ga.us and tell him what you think.

Written by: Eric Carlson

::Update - March 13, 2005::

For more information on this story, I point you to:

White County Gay Club Draws Kansas Protests

News updates:Cleveland Georgia Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)

Georgia School's Gay Pride Effort Hits Hurdles

Email to Principal Dorsey of White County High

Consumer Awareness: Esso / Exxon Mobile

2005-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

While the rest of the world is trying to stop global warming and protect the planet for future generations, Esso/Exxon Mobil is busy drilling for more oil and polluting the atmosphere. What's worse, Esso/Exxon Mobil is doing its best to stop other countries' attempts to prevent the world from heating up.

Here are five reasons why Esso/Exxon Mobil is worse than other oil companies.
1.Esso/Exxon Mobil tries to convince the public that global warming isn't happening even though Esso/Exxon Mobil is one of its main causes. It spends millions of dollars on misleading propaganda every year.

2.Esso/Exxon Mobil has played a leading role in sabotaging international attempts to stop global warming. It would rather sell more petrol than protect future generations.

3.Esso/Exxon Mobil doesn't believe renewable energy has a future. "With no readily available economic alternatives on the horizon, fossil fuels will continue to supply most of the world's energy needs for the foreseeable future." --Lee Raymond, Exxon Mobil CEO, 1997

4.Esso/Exxon Mobil is the biggest oil company in the world - its profits totaled more than US$12 billion in 2000. If anyone can afford to help stop global warming it's Esso/Exxon Mobil.

5.Esso/Exxon Mobil was one of the main financial contributors to George Bush's election campaign. As soon as George Bush became president, he announced that the US would pull out of international agreements to stop global warming - exactly the position that Esso/Exxon Mobil was promoting.

The lesser of many evils, Shell, is recommended over most other oil giants. If you can make the choice, the world would be a better place if you chose alternatives to Esso/Exxon Mobile.

It may seem daunting, but when these corporations notice even a three percent drop in their sales, they start reconsidering their actions.

For more information on Esso/Exxon Mobile you can either visit their site, or Stop Esso (the site where this information originated)

For more information on other products to boycott go to Boycott Bu$h.

Treating students like cattle

2005-02-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

From:WorkingForChange

...In rural Sutter, California, a town just north of Sacramento with a population of 2,300, a controversial new program has all of the students in the one-school district being forced to wear radio-frequency identification badges that can track the students. It's the same technology used to track cattle in feedlots, or product inventory in factories.

...The motivation for this system is not entirely a mystery; it turns out that the company that makes the technology, InCom, is a local company co-founded by the parent of a former Brittan student. Some parents are suspicious of the financial arrangements between the district and the company, which hopes to market the technology nationwide.

...It should scarcely have to be said, but human beings, no matter how small, are not cattle. They are not widgets in a factory. They do not deserve to be treated as such. Teachers should be able to recognize names, not just badge numbers on an electronic readout.

There is no particular reason to have students wear this sort of paraphernalia, except to remind them... that the students are owned by the school.

...The scariest thing about this technology is that there is absolutely no reason it need be limited to elementary school students, and there is virtually no limit to the amount of information it can carry...

Written by:Geov Parish

Your rights are Under attack. Don't Wait.

2005-02-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

From: The Peaceworker.

...Dr. Lawrence Britt, a scholar who studied fascism and summed up his findings in an article entitled Fascism Anyone?

Dr. Britt has defined 14 characteristics of fascist regimes. They are:

1. Powerful and continuing nationalism an overwhelming “my country, right or wrong” attitude;
2. Disdain for recognition of human rights a willingness to turn away from human rights violations;
3. Attempting to unify the country by identifying common enemies or scapegoats;
4. Supremacy of the military;
5. Rampant sexism;
6. Controlled mass media;
7. Obsession with national security, defined in military terms;
8. Religion and government become intertwined;
9. Corporate power is protected;
10. Labor power is suppressed;
11. Disdain for intellectuals and the arts free expression is suppressed;
12. Obsession with crime and punishment;
13. Cronyism and corruption are rampant, i.e. friends of the leaders wield all the power;
14. Fraudulent elections.

...It is all-too-easy to toss around words like “fascism” as easy as it is to label people “terrorists” or “communists.” In fact, it may come under heading #3 above unless we carefully define our terms. Britt’s 14 points do that in a clear and definitive way. Measure George Bush’s policies against these 14 points and make your own determination. Does the shoe fit? I think it does.

Now measure Hitler’s regime against the 14 points. Another good fit.

...Whether you are a feminist, peace activist, environmentalist, [etc]... your right and ability to struggle for your cause is under attack. Please note the distinction: it is not just the cause itself that is under attack. That’s obvious. My point is that the Bushies want to undermine your ability to even express and work for your vision. They are giving comfort to those who would accuse you of disturbing the peace, supporting the terrorists, being a terrorist, being a criminal, being too smart for your own good and/or destroying America.

Written by: Peter Bergel

Boycott Fast Food! Part 2: The Slaughterhouse

2005-02-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

If you need other reasons to boycott fast food, besides those found in "Boycott Fast Food! Part 1 here is something else to ponder.

Fast Food is fueled by a constant need for beef. This would not be a problem if there were standards for the beef, and if the workers were being treated fairly. However, the workers of slaughterhouses are being treated on par with animals.

Everything following this paragraph comes from Sustainable Table This excerpt talks about worker safety in the slaughterhouse. I encourage you to read the whole article, found in the link above.

"Meat processing facilities are also known to pose significant threats to worker safety. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, meat processing is the most dangerous job in the nation; in fact, the rate of injury and illness among slaughterhouse workers is approximately three times higher than the injury rate in the average U.S. factory. Every year, 29 out of every 100 meat processing workers sustains a work-related injury or illness that requires treatment beyond first aid.10 Given the pressure placed on slaughterhouse supervisors to report low injury-rates and the numerous past scandals involving injury-log falsification at slaughterhouses, it is likely that many additional injuries are never recorded.11

As a result of breakneck production line speeds and the strain caused by repetitive cutting, slaughterhouse workers often suffer from lacerations, tendonitis, back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other cumulative trauma disorders.12

Although meat processing is a difficult and dangerous occupation, precautions can be taken to minimize the threats to worker safety. Among the most important safeguards is to maintain production line speeds so that workers are able to process meat without putting themselves or their coworkers at unreasonable risk of injury. However, in order to maximize profits, meat processing companies continue to maintain unreasonably fast line speeds, thereby jeopardizing the safety of workers and the food supply.

Unfortunately, workers at meat processing facilities have very little power to address the dangerous working conditions to which they are routinely subjected. Slaughterhouses typically recruit unskilled, recent immigrants many of whom are unfamiliar with U.S. labor laws, and/or unable to speak English and who are unlikely to file complaints about company policies or attempt to organize labor unions.13 The creation of effective labor unions is also impeded by high rates of worker turnover; for instance, at ConAgra's Greely slaughterhouse, the nation's biggest meatpacking complex, the labor turnover rate is approximately 80% per year.14

Given the high incidence of worker injury, the recurrence of sanitary violations at meat processing facilities, and continual outbreaks of food-borne illnesses caused by contaminated meat, it is clear that the U.S. meat processing industry is in dire need of reform. Production line speeds should be slowed to a pace at which workers can perform their duties safely and food safety standards can be guaranteed. Government oversight of food safety standards must also be improved; in order to protect public health, the USDA should conduct more rigorous inspections at meat processing facilities and should have the authority to order recalls of contaminated meat and the power to shut down processing plants that fail to meet food safety standards."

Boycott Fast Food! Part 1

2005-02-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

After writing about obesity, something really sparked inside of me. A feeling stronger than I normally get: disgust. I am disgusted with fast food. However, I am not just disgusted with the food itself, but everything. I have a problem with almost all things “fast food.” So I say “BOYCOTT!”

Do not worry, I will back all of this stuff up, I am not going to just stop with no reasons for my boycott, but stick with me.

First, we start with the food. All fast food has something in common: to much sugar, fat and salt. The worst of all of the fast food places to go is McDonald’s

For example, McDonald's spends over two billion dollars each year on advertising its junk food - high in fat, sugar and salt, and low in fibre and vitamins. A diet of this type is linked with a greater risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Their food also contains many chemical additives, some of which may cause ill-health, and hyperactivity in children. (Boycott Bush)

Not only does it contain to much sugar, fat, and salt, it is unclean. We need to boycott it because of the unfair and unhealthy standards of the meatpacking industry.

Eric Schlosser, writer of Fast Food Nation roughly states that the USDA has no real power over anything slaughterhouses, ranchers, meatpackers, renderers, or distributors do. The meat industry enjoys being the only industry in America that does not have to answer to government regulations, especially when it comes to recalling meat for whatever reason. Whether there is glass in the hamburger, E. coli or Salmonella the USDA cannot force a company to recall its meat and therefore has to wait for a company to make the decision to issue a recall.

Fast Food Nation also addressed the issues of E. coli O157:H7 and briefly mentions bovine spongiform encephalopathy (also known as BSE or Mad Cow). It states how researchers have known since the early eighties about the dangers of both E. coli and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, or the human form of BSE (also known as vCJD), and still did nothing to stop common practices that spread both of these diseases.

This seems to me to be reason enough to stop eating fast food. But there are more reasons to come in Part 2.

Obesity is a problem.

2005-02-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

After thinking about what I wrote a little while ago (My Concerns for the State of the Nation) I thought of another thing that should be fixed: obesity.

According to the American Obesity Association, "Obesity is a complex, multi-factorial chronic disease involving environmental (social and cultural), genetic, physiologic, metabolic, behavioral and psychological components. It is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S." Today, public health leaders recognize obesity as a "neglected public health problem."

The AOA also says: "The number of adults who are overweight or obese has continued to increase ... Currently, 64.5 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese. Severe obesity prevalence is now 4.7 percent, up from 2.9 percent reported in the 1988..."

Obesity prevalence has increased across all education levels, but it is higher for persons with less education. For example in 2001 27.4% of the obese did not finish high school, while only 15.4% of the obese finished college. I am not saying that people are obese because they did not finish high school, and less people are obese because they completed college, but it is an interesting hypothesis. And if it were true, our push for education should be even stronger!

All of this leads me to my revolution, and the things that I want to change to help fix the problem. First, the USDA says "51 percent of children and adolescents eat less than one serving a day of fruit, and 29 percent eat less than one serving a day of vegetables that are not fried." I say "you kids should eat more fruit!" I think if school lunches were better prepared, using natural and local produce, the kids would live healthier lives, and the communities would benefit. Another change that should take place in schools should be the removal of pop and candy machines. These kids do not need more advertising in their lives, nor the sugar that comes with it.

After school is over, it is up to the parents to take over. In my new revolution we will encourage parents to take charge in the diets of their children, offering fruits and vegetables instead of chips and donuts, and water instead of pop. It would provide a better family environment if the parents would make their childrens’ food, and sit down and eat it with them. Families are part of communities, and when one gets better it affects the other.

Lastly, Everyone should watch the movie Super Size Me.

My Concerns for the State of the Nation

2005-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

I have decided that in my revolution, I should focus on problems that I need to fix. I have been going for a good two weeks without any specific ideas. Today is the day that I start to identify the major social problems that I think should be corrected.

Although these are problems of the world, I think that like my personal revolution, it is important to help yourself grow before you can effectively help others. I am not saying that I do not condone efforts around the world; in fact I think they are fantastic, but I think that the people of the United States should take a look at its priorities. For example, when the tsunami hit southern Asia there was allot of money sent for relief. We need to consider the metaphorical tsunami that is hurting our educational system, our environment, and our people. If people volunteered or donated to help something they can not see, why can’t they donate and volunteer to help better the ills of society that they face every day?

In my revolution I want to fix these problems, and the most important thing that needs attention in our society is education. The growth in concern for education has been growing but the funding for education has been declining. I want to help improve the state of our schools. If I focus on education all of the subsequent problems will cease to exist.

Secondly, the environment is a major concern. We are only given one earth, and we have to make the most of it. We should stop pollution. Global warming is a problem, and should be stopped by the implement of the Kyoto agreement. We should be working more towards an economy that is not gas powered, and we should recycle (especially the middle part of our country). Those are my major environmental concerns for right now, but more may come to me.

Thirdly, we have to eliminate poverty and hunger, thus eliminating homelessness. If we were to increase our minimum wage, to increase buying power, and increase availability of affordable housing, by restructuring land usage codes, we could take out a huge chunk of homelessness. Another way to fight hunger and create jobs would be to create more community gardens, and start more farmers markets. Most of the homeless do not want to stay in their current situation, and they should be helped.

Lastly, we should work towards peace. If everyone helps out their neighbor, the world would be a better place. We have to lead from example. Instead of school shootings and wars, there should be volunteering and, well volunteering abroad.

Revolutionary Quotes

2005-02-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

I wish I had found these quotes when I wrote Thoughts on Making a Difference.

The greatest revolution in our generation is that of human beings, who by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.
--Marilyn Ferguson

Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit.
--Abbie Hoffman

Any revolution has to start with the transformation of the individual, otherwise individuals are corrupted by the power they get if their revolution succeeds.
--Wes Nisker

The most important of all revolutions, a revolution in sentiments, manners and moral opinions.
--Edmund Burke

I hope you have become inspired to make a change in your life that will positively affect others.

::Update - Febuary 25, 2005::
For some reason people keep looking up revolutionary quotes. The best list that I found is at Brainy Quote. Enjoy.

Volunteering

2005-02-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

The reason that I am starting this social revolution is simple. When you are looking for something, and you cannot find it, you have to make it. I could not find a better way to help fix the things that are important to me, so I am creating a way to fix these problems through my new revolution. One of the easiest ways I have found to change a problem, is to take action. It requires a little more than complaining, but the benefits are tenfold. If you want to make a change in your community or have an effect on society, one of the most productive things you can do is volunteer. Volunteering is a great form of public service, and shows that you think something should be fixed, by physically doing it. I know that I just recently started volunteering, but I will not stop. I will become focused, and hopefully down the road, I will start coordinating projects instead of just joining them. I encourage all of my 5 readers to get out and do something, from walking dogs at a humane society, to cleaning up a beach. The most important thing is that you get involved in what is important to you, if you want more ideas go to VolunteerMatch. Thank you.

Second Action: Cleanup of Transient Camp - part 2

2005-02-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

I am taking action in my community, well my future community. Today I went to the Gales Creek Cleanup in Forest Grove, Oregon. Which was sponsored by Pacific University, Americorps, and Clearwater Services. A grand total of 65 people showed up, which was more than expected. Most of them were students; however, a few of them were professors and there were a couple from Americorps. It was a great turnout, and also a beautiful day.

A group of 65 people can clean up anything. The transient camp was saturated with filth. There were literal mountains of garbage gathered, enough to easily fill two large dumpsters (not the kind outside of businesses, the kind used for construction) , unfortunately we only had one, but that will be for another day. We restored the beauty of the riparian zone with ease, and completed our project in only two hours, which was two hours faster than we thought it would take. This was a great example for me, in a way that a clean-up should be staged, or pretty much any sort of community help program.

With this clean-up I brought away some good knowledge for future community action works. First, it is important to publicize your cleanup/tree planting/what have you, in order to get allot of people to show up. Many hands really does make light work, I hardly felt like I did anything, as did many others, yet so many things were accomplished! A good idea for recruiting is to target fraternities and sororities, they will help with anything! Secondly, it is important to have a focused goal and stick to it. This is important, because when you start to veer away from your goal, your group loses focus and motivation. Thirdly, It is important to keep it short, the faster it can get done, the better. This will result in people willing to help again, and again. Lastly, it is a good idea to get some sort of snacks, and water. Even apple or orange slices, or some cookies, anything is appreciated.

Overall this was a really good experience, I feel good about myself for cleaning up a riparian zone, habitat to many plants and animals, and also I learned allot about how to set up an organized work group. It was a great experience, and I encourage anyone with an opportunity to join your community, and help make it a better place.

::Update - Febuary 22, 2005::
I just recieved an e-mail which said that our cleanup removed two and a half tons of garbage. That is amazing!

Second Action: Cleanup of Transient Camp - part 1

2005-02-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today I helped bring cleaning supplies, rakes, gloves, garbage bags, etc… to an abandoned transient camp in Forest Grove Oregon, at Gales creek. This creek is the source of drinking water for Forest Grove, and is also prime steelhead, cutthroat trout, and coho salmon habitat. Tomorrow we will be cleaning up an abandoned transient camp, which was estimated to have had up to 100 homeless people living there at one time. The transient camp was occupied off and on for the last five years. Now that they are out, there is a lot of garbage to clean up. For example, today while scouting out the site we found, a plethora of aluminum cans, holey tents, bike parts, tarps, lawn chairs, clothing, a couple of seats taken from vans, and much more.

Tomorrow I, along with upwards of 60 students from Pacific University, and Clearwater Services, will be trying to clean up the majority of the camp, restoring the riparian zone to its once uncluttered natural beauty.

Every day I am becoming more revolutionary.

My first real action

2005-02-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

I stopped talking about a revolution and I finally did something! I am currently a student of Portland Community College in Portland Oregon. However, there is a potential problem with its funding.

"As you may know, the state budget for community colleges is grim," said Pulliams. "We are the only sector of education that received a cut in funding from last biennium in the Governor's proposed budget. Unless we receive additional funds from the state, we will have to make major program reductions and cut access for thousands of students."

There is a group of students, educators, and others going to the capital on the 24th to the House and Senate galleries where they will be recognized from the floor by each chamber.

Unfortunately, I have to be in class on this day, but I did the next best thing, I wrote a letter to my congressmen. Although this is just a small thing to do, everything makes a difference, and you have to start somewhere.

Many activist websites recommend writing letters to your elected officials, because you do have the power not to vote for them, so they will usually read what you have to say. Especially if you write them a real letter instead of just email them. To find information on your elected officials go to one of the million activism websites such as: Congress.org

If there is something important to you that you think should happen. Tell someone about it!

Listening and Revolutionizing

2005-02-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

After talking to my writing professor about my revolution he told me that one of the most important things about starting a revolution is to listen to the people. After some consideration of this I believe that a major factor in my ability to start a revolution will be my listening skills. I can hear most things just fine, but I really need to take an active part to try and understand what people are saying before I attempt to fix a problem. Instead of listening with the intent to reply, I need to listen with the intent to understand.

“Listening is an attitude, a mindset that dictates whether you are either self-centered or other-centered. If you are self-centered, you are most likely cutting others off, refusing to give feedback, not engaged, and daydreaming among others. If you are other-centered, you are focused on listening, but more importantly you are hearing what is being said and are working intensely to connect the dots—the hidden messages, the ones that are not openly communicated yet are there for the taking.”
--Phil Holborton

Being “other-centered” is essential to my revolution, I do not want to start a revolution just to change myself, but I want to do something to help make our society better. Therefore, I need to focus on the many various thoughts that are being conveyed and try to understand them. As I become a better listener I will become a better revolutionary.

No need for charity if there is justice

2005-02-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have been talking with people about my revolution (my fiancée) and a genius topic was brought up, that I think everyone should think about and should definitely be included in my quest for a better (insert noun). The genius-ness is that if there was justice in the world there would be no need for charity. This is because justice involves a social change, while charity involves a social service. If there was a social problem, and it was changed, it would not have to be serviced. Justice takes care of problems in the long term while charity is a quick fix.
The downfall to this is that charity can happen quickly, you can donate clothes or food or money in a snap, but justice takes time.

I found the perfect quote on the internet:

"Charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into account ... Let no one attempt with small gifts of charity to exempt themselves from the great duties imposed by justice."
Pope Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris , #49

I have decided that in my ever changing personal quest of some sort of revolution, I will definitely try to be involved with charities, or social services, but I will not let myself think that a quick fix is good enough. I want to work towards social justice, but until then charity is the second best option.

Education is Fundamental

2005-02-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

Not only is education fundamental, it is crucial for my revolution, something that I want to become is a citizen. I know that I like many are “citizens” of the United States. But what does that mean? I believe that you should only really be considered a citizen if you know what is going on around you. Becoming a citizen is not a passive act, citizens need to vote, but a vote is worthless if you do not know what it will mean to you. I am working on becoming aware of the news, not only in my local area, but global news as well. I have started reading the International Herald Tribune, a fantastic newspaper with a detached and varied view on the United States and its affects on the world. I am also reading the Oregonian, Oregon’s main news paper. It is important to be informed of the news because all of the things happening in the world can affect you, and you have to be aware of what you can do to affect these situations. Reading the paper will help you find ways to make a difference. This in essence, is why I feel that education is important.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

2005-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

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Gandhi is an outstanding example of a revolutionary, one that many other revolutionaries have followed in their quest for a nonviolent change in society. Albert Einstein was one of many to praise Gandhi's achievement; MLK, the Dalai Lama and all the world's peace movements have followed in his footsteps.

Gandhi began by believing that the politics of passive resistance and nonviolence should be effective in any situation, at any time, even against a force as malign as Nazi Germany. His hunger strikes could stop riots and massacres, and he alone was responsible for the transformation of the demand for independence into a nationwide mass movement that mobilized every class of Indian society against the imperialist.

I, like many others, will try to follow an example in nonviolence as I start forming my personal revolution.

Thoughts on Making a Difference

2005-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

After thinking about my revolution for a while I realized that in order for this revolution to grow I have to start somewhere. I am going to start with changing myself. I think that everything I do has an affect on someone else, and I can either affect them unconsciously, or consciously, meaning, I have to be aware of all of my actions, from the things that I say to the way that I drive. Everything. I believe that I have a personal responsibility to make a difference; I can only make a positive change in society by becoming a better person first. I know that this will not be easy to start my revolution, but you do not run a marathon without first running a mile. I have to take small steps. And maybe I should start running too. Like real running, not metaphorical.

Why I want to start revolutionizing

2005-02-15T23:55:00.000-08:00

An amazing thing happened to me today, someone left me feedback. The great thing was, it asked a question that I have yet to answer. Why do I want to start a revolution? It started when I got back from Mexico right around Christmas time, after 3 months away from the United States I started school, and started to try to become aware of my surroundings. I started reading the newspaper and thinking about how things that everyone are doing every day effect my life, from the drunken drivers of the holidays influencing enhanced police patrols to the United States Government's opt out on the Kyoto agreement, which will affect the entire globe. I decided that not only am I being affected by others peoples decisions, but I make decisions that have effects on the things around me. Everything I do will have an affect. Kind of like a ripple in water or the chaos theory. The two main components of chaos theory are the ideas that systems - no matter how complex they may be - rely upon an underlying order, and that very simple or small systems and events can cause very complex behaviors or events. Even though it is a theory, and used in Jurassic Park it is still how I believe that I can have an impact on society, by merely making a change in my behaviors. I think that before I was a part of the problem; the unaware unattached member of society. However, now I am trying to make a difference by informing myself of current events and how my actions affect the world (see the Ecological Footprint). Well I am going to rest myself well so that I can be fresh for another great day of revolutionizing tomorrow. I invite anyone who can change something about themselves to join me in the fight for a better way of life.

I know what I do NOT want my revolution to reflect.

2005-02-15T16:34:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with the next blog button for a while today until I found the antithesis of my revolution is: Libhater. This site is intense, and is pretty much about how liberals are ruining the United States. It is amazing, and I think all people should see what kind of thing not to do. Be close minded. I think part of my revolution will be based on inclusion rather than exclusion, and maybe more importantly, open mindedness rather than closed.

I also learned something else valuable from this site: It is allot easier to get reviews when you right ad hominem attacks on half of the populations beliefs, opposed to writing papers that praise good things that people do.

Anyway, my quest for a new revolution is slowly becoming more focused, thanks to great examples of what I do not want to become.

Activism, another option to be revolutionary

2005-02-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, It seems like now I have three options. I can either be a revolutionary, a renegade or an activist

activist - ac·tiv·ist n.
One involved in the use of direct, often confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union an activist can be from any race, gender, educational background or part of town. An activist is simply someone who cares enough to use his or her time and energy to work on an issue.

Which is AWESOME! This gives me allot of options to change some stuff, because I definitely fit in one of the categories given by the ACLU.

Besides eating less meat, I think that I should get involved in my community as well. At the very least I think I should be informed about what is going on in my city/county/state/country/world.

Ecological Footprint (I take up allot of space)

2005-02-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

Looking to see what kind of things I could improve in myself and my community, to start my revolution to make something better. I found a website to find out how big my Ecological Footprint is. I found out that if everyone lived like I do we would need about 4.3 earths to satisfy all of the demands of everyone in the world. This made me start thinking about my revolution HARD. I know that I use allot of products, many of which I do not need, and I am aware that many people are not getting products that they do need. I think I am going to try to equal this out.

One of the first things I am going to start to do is to eat less meat. According to the web link above, the people from Earthday say that, "A plant-based diet generally requires less land, energy, and other resources. Crop-based food requires an average of 0.78 global hectares per ton of food, compared to 2.1 global hectares required to produce one ton of animal-based food. "

That means that if I eat fewer Animals there will theoretically be less demand for space and more room for plants. My revolution is becoming clear. I encourage you to go and see what your Ecological Footprint is and send it to me as feedback. I think that I can make a difference... you know, with your help.

Revolutionary Ideas are Presenting Themselves

2005-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

After allot of reading about revolutions I have realized that they do not happen overnight. This is going to take allot of work from me. As I have earlier stated, this revolution is going to be based on education. I have also decided that the best reason for a revolution is to help people change their damaging ways. I think that my revolution will be a friendly one, and I am going to keep looking back to revolutionaries, but also keep looking for ways that I can help people and things that need it (help). My quest continues, but it is slowly becoming more focused, change is a commin’.

Dr.Martin Luther King

2005-02-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

This mustached man is Martin Luther King, if you do not know of him, you should. He is my second quality example of a revolutionary, Martin Luther led a mass struggle for equality that doomed segregation and changed the United States for ever. That is something pretty big to accomplish. TIME magazine says: “For all King did to free blacks from the yoke of segregation, whites may owe him the greatest debt, for liberating them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. It is only because of King and the movement that he led that the U.S. can claim to be the leader of the "free world" without inviting smirks of disdain and disbelief.” I can probably only use him as a good example a revolutionary person. King was a minister who fought for freedom, he was courageous and radical.

I to, will fight for radical-ness, and every day I am coming closer to my personal revolution, I think it will involve helping.

Revolutionary = Renegade (Maybe)

2005-02-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

I think that I will get the option to become either a revolutionary, or a renegade, OR BOTH! It appears as if they are very similar:

Renegade - ren·e·gade n. 1. One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter. 2. An outlaw; a rebel.

Revolutionary - rev·o·lu·tion·ar·y adj.
1: markedly new or introducing radical change; "a revolutionary discovery"; "radical political views"
2: advocating or engaged in revolution; "revolutionary pamphlets"; "a revolutionary junta" n: a radical supporter of political or social revolution

It pretty much looks like these two can be related. Also we can relate them by how Rage Against the Machine's Lyrics of "Renegades" matches up with Time's list of Revolutionaries

Nothing stayed the same, but there were always renegades
Like Chief Sitting Bull, Tom Paine
Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X
They were renegades of their time and age
So many renegades
-- RATM

TIME's list matches with one: Martin Luther King. Therefore; King was a revolutionary and a renegade. Furthermore, I can become one or the other. But I do not really want to be an outlaw, or go to jail, I just want to change some stuff. And I will, as soon as I figure out what some stuff is. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Lech Walesa

2005-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

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This man is Lech Walesa, he is my first example of a revolutionary, because he was revolutionary. Lech was the first non-communist Prime minister of Poland in more than 40 years, and also elected Poland’s first non-communist president. He helped end communism and thus end the cold war, and he was feisty.

Lech’s First Main Goal: moving his fellow workers away from mere wage claims and toward a central, daringly political demand: free trade unions.

Walesa started his protest against the government when he was 37, therefore, if I want to start a revolution, I have 16 years to work on it. According to TIME magazine Lech had an “electrifying personality, quick whit and a gift for gab...[he was] unpredictable, often infuriating, but he had a natural genius for politics, a matchless ability for sensing popular moods, and great powers of swaying a crowd.”

Gab – gab n 1. light informal conversation for social occasions

I think that I might have gab as well, I am going to have to work on being electric though, I guess there might be some revolutionaries who are not, I will have to do some more research. Also, I find myself to be unpredictable and infuriating, and I am going to take a Political Science class so that might help me with this revolution of mine.

Looking to the past

2005-02-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

I decided that the best way to find out what a good revolutionary is like; I would have to look to our history. Maybe if I can figure out what I can do to be like some of the people that really changed the world I can figure out how to make my own revolution (not that I am exactly sure what that is yet). TIME has published an article on the top 20 leaders and revolutionaries of the last century. I am positive that it will help my cause. I will learn about people such as: Martin Luther King Jr., Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Mao Zedong, and more. I am not going to only stick to Time’s list though, I plan on looking back further into history, I think I will also look into all wars that have the word Revolutionary in them, and also look at some people that time magazine did not mention like Jesus, I am sure that I will come across many revolutionaries, and I will try to learn as much as I can from learning about them.

The revolving continues

2005-02-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

While trying to educate myself in the way of revolution I stumbled across this little description written by a Young Socialist Alliance Leader on May 3, 1969 in New York named Peter Camejo.

In a certain way you can make a parallel between revolution and pregnancy. In the very early stages of pregnancy, if just on empirical evidence you ask whether or not someone is pregnant, the answer will be no. However, with the use of science you can determine whether the person is pregnant very early. Later on it becomes evident for everybody to see. The same thing is true of social revolution. In the early stages most people don’t see it. You always begin on the assumption that in every society that needs a revolution, the majority of the people don’t think it’s possible… You need two things to make a revolution – a vanguard and an objective situation in which there is a crisis and a mass radicalization.

Vanguard - van·guard
1: the leading units moving at the head of an army
2: any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field

Now I do not know if I want to be a socialist, but I am not opposed to a social revolution. It seems like there are allot of different thinks to revolutionize, I am not sure where I will start. It looks as if i will need a vanguard, and an objective situation though. That will be my goal. I will change something...

Definitions

2005-02-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

I guess the only way for me to make a revolution / become revolutionary is to figure out what that means. I probably should have thought of looking for definitions first, but i thought of it like fourth, but that is just the beggining.

Revolution - rev·o·lu·tion n.
1: a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving; "the industrial revolution was also a cultural revolution"
2: the overthrow of a government by those who are governed
3: a single complete turn (axial or orbital); "the plane made three rotations before it crashed"; "the revolution of the earth about the sun takes one year"

Revolutionary - rev·o·lu·tion·ar·y adj.
1: markedly new or introducing radical change; "a revolutionary discovery"; "radical political views"
2: relating to or having the nature of a revolution; "revolutionary wars"; "the Revolutionary era"
3: advocating or engaged in revolution; "revolutionary pamphlets"; "a revolutionary junta" n: a radical supporter of political or social revolution

It looks like I have a lot of options with these definitions. I do not think I will join a revolutionary junta, but maybe I can make one. I will have to find out what that is before I can decide.

Junta - jun·ta n. 1:A group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power. 2: A council or small legislative body in a government, especially in Central or South America. 3: A junto.

My experience with Spanish tells me that a junto is just a boy junta. I am pretty sure that my revolution is going to start small, so I will probably have to decide against having a junta; at least in the beginning of my revolution.

Another thing that looks good to me is the revolution, like a complete turn, that will probably be the easiest type of revolution to accomplish. I am going to shoot in between a complete turn and a junta. Wish me luck.

The Revolution is forming itself.

2005-02-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

In search of the basis of my revolution I have been trying to educate myself about revolutions and get some good ideas.
Here is one of the things that i have found:
"To see yourself as small and powerless serves no one. Real growth is about tiny shifts in thought, perception, belief, and action. It's about realizing that you are the person who can and should do something about the injustices of the world. The "something" you can do is what BE NICE (OR ELSE!) is all about: starting a BE NICE revolution."

-- Winn Claybaugh

I will start a revolution, but i dont know if it will be a "nice" one yet. Only time can tell.

Education

2005-02-12T01:46:00.000-08:00

I am sure that something involving Education has to do with my revolution. I am not quite sure what it has to do with it yet, but it is so fundemental. Education will be an important factor on my journy in the Revolution. This is a big day.

It All Starts Now.

2005-02-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

I just decided, I am going to start a revolution, and I am starting from nothing. I am not sure where i am going with this revolution, but I am sure it will realize itself. I will just have to keep considering what needs to happen, but i know something will happen, I am sure of it.