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2010-03-08T21:35:00.001-08:00

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1/19/07-

2007-01-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

RIGHT-CLICK TO SAVE GLBTIQ RIGHTS 1/19/07

I made this one too. Right-click to Save to your "My Pictures" if you wish to use it.

spike q

CATS, DOGS, FROGS 1/19/07

CATS:

don't have to be walked or obedience-trained in classes.
can be left up to 3 days alone comfortably.
won't eat all of the cat food left out in 1/2 hour.
will amuse themselves easily.
can settle their own territorial disputes with other catmates.

DOGS:

are genuinely happy to see ya.
can be taught to be good canine citizens and to do tricks.
know that petting them makes their humans feel better.
can be included in walking excursions and car travel easier than cats.
will listen to the dominant cat of the household.

FROGS:

settle territorial disputes by eating the offensive tankmate.
don't usually talk back to their humans.
are easily contained in a tank environment.
some will sleep for several months at a time, thereby saving on the cost of food.
don't get into power struggles with the resident cat or the resident dog.

spike q

11/20/06-12/19/06

2006-12-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

HAPPY SOLSTICE 12/19/06: Tomorrow morning the doggie and I will be celebrating Sostice out in the woods. Tomorrow night I plan to attend a druid grove Yule.

The season of the long dark is upon us and after the darkest night follows the return of the sun. I wish for you the warmth of the sun, the comfort of the dark, the richness of the stars, the wisdom of the trees, and the love of Mother Ocean.

Blessed be!

spike q.

Happy Solstice tag created by me. You may snag it by right-clicking and saving to your pictures, alter it, resize it, reuse it, repost it as long as you leave the "sapphoq.com," which is printed on the bottom right.
BLOG ON 12/15/06: I've skated around and commented on various blogs today and will do more of that this weekend.
Here is a brief list of what I have been up to:

Creating computer art and posting it to CreationStation, a google group.
Blogging over at blogspot.com. Blogs there can be found by typing
sapphoq into their blog search engine.
Running my friendsofsapphoq e-group over at yahoo groups.

Have given up sugar in my coffee.
Got the kitten fixed. All of my dogs and cats get fixed. There are far too many unwanted puppies and kittens for the gas chambers.
Hanging out at the gym and with my doggie.
Got a new frog-- a European toad.
Two frogs died. One white African Clawed ate her tankmate and then died herself.

Will be visiting and commenting in more blogs this weekend.

Solstice is upon us.

spike q.
traumatic brain injury healing 12/4/06: first, remember--
or write it down if you cannot remember--
your brain has been altered.

you are no longer the who
of who you used to be.
instead, you are altered
along with your brain.

second, remember--
or write it down if you cannot remember--
magic is healing
but not the way you want it to be.

after a time, you may remember
more about what is really important
and less about the labels
and the things
that cause bleeding
and pain.

after a time, your magic will fly
again and you will laugh,
but only after a time.

third, remember--
or write it down if you cannot remember--
that you are courage

and yes, it takes lots of courage
to dream new dreams.

Author's Notes: To those who know of the healing I speak,
who dare to dream new dreams,
who are willing to learn how to thrive in spite of,
who live in the silence ever more.

Spirit flies when we fly.
sapphoq
ON A LIGHTER NOTE 11/22/06: An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day,but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."

"Pop, what are you talking about," the son screams.

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,"the old man says. "We're sick and tired of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."

And he hangs up.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
"Like Heck they're getting a divorce, she shouts.

"I'll take care of this."

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting divorced! Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" And she hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone, smiles and turns to his wife. "They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way."

Thanks to Ida for sending me this here joke.

Happy Turkey Day

to everyone but the turkeys.

To the vegans and vegetarians--

Happy Un-Turkey Day!

*a bit more about immigration soon.*

spike q.
YAHOO VOODOO 11/20/06: So the vp of e-mail and instant messenging at Yahoo has written a "peanutbutter manifesto" complaining about the corporation's lack of vision, focus, and prosperity. His solution is to dump 20% of the folks who work there. Doing more with less has been the motto of human servitude agencies for quite a few years now. I suppose it was only inevitable that technology would follow suit. I suppose that computers could take over the jobs of some of the near-future missing workers though.

I've been referring to the mysterious folks in charge of censoring the Yahoo 360 bloggers as Y-bots. I wonder how many Y-bots will find their ways into the unemployment lines. And what the average Y-bot curriculum vitae looks like. "Yep, I was part of the crew that threw out such notables as Jeremy Crow and Weezie," should not be anybody's claim to fame.
Will a shake-up occur at Yahoo's famed purple and yellow corporate offices? Will Brad Garlinghouse beat up ol' Tony Semmel and toss him out before his retirement date? Will Yahoo's stock continue its' brief climb upward since the leak? Will Yahoo dump some of its' acquisitions? Will Yahoo be able to magically rejuvenate itself? Will I get my long-awaited chance to tell Yahoo to "Wave this?"

I remember some years ago when an off-hand remark by a school superintendent resulted in readers of the Amsterdam Recorder flooding his office with gifts of pencils. Maybe we should send the author of the leaked internal memo some peanut butter sandwiches. No jelly. Just gloppy peanut butter spread thickly on two slabs of Wonder-ful bread. Now that just might be something that would stick to the roof of Garlinghouse's mouth enough to get him to quit the yapping.

spike q.

Reprinted with permission of myself from http://radical.sapphoq.com

11/15//06-11/17/06

2006-12-28T23:04:00.000-08:00

USING A SEVEN YEAR OLD 11/17/06

Parts of the world are all a-rage with the story of Saul Arellano, a 7 year old American second-grader and his illegal Mexican immigrant mother, Elvira. She crossed the border illegally in 1997, was sent back to Michoacan, crossed again, got pregnant at some point or another, and gave birth to Saul in Oregon. Sometime after his birth, she and her son moved to Chicago. She was scheduled to be deported back in August but instead of surrendering to authorities, she and her son began living in a storefront church, the Adalberto United Methodist Church.

The trouble had begun with her job as a cleaning woman at the O'Hare Airport. That is how she was found out. She was arrested in December of 2001. After an appeal or two-- who paid for her lawyer?-- she was ordered to report in August of 2006. That is five years almost, well, four and three/quarters, that she remained illegally in Chicago where she still is. The immigration department has not gone to the church to pick her up. They could. But no one has. Why not? Saul is "in therapy" because he supposedly has nightmares about his mother being sent back to Mexico. Who is paying for that?

Elvira says that her son wants to fight for her to stay in Chicago. Saul says he does not want to live in Mexico because he does not want to leave his school and playmates behind. A small contigent of American let-the-illegals-stay activists were with Saul when he went to the Mexican Congress. Are they the ones who helped him make the journey without his mother? Well, no. There is a man who did. His name is Emma Lozano. Lozano is the executive director of Centro Sin Fronteras, an immigrants-rights group in Chi-town. There is also a "sanctuary movement" to content with over here as well. They help illegals stay. How? By relocating them rather than allowing them to get caught and be deported? Did they buy the new tan suit that Saul was wearing when he was speaking to the 500 deputies in the Mexican Congress on Tuesday? Saul and Elvira were depending upon friends to supply food to them while at the storefront church. Elvira still is at the church as far as we know.

Little Saul spoke to the Mexican Congress [Chamber of Deputies] and the result was that the folks there are now asking President Bush 41 to forget about deporting her. They are also asking, in the interest of fairness of course, that any other illegals who are parents of children born here also be allowed to stay and not be deported. In practical terms, that means the illegal parentals of somewhere between 3 million and 4.9 billion kids [depending upon whose estimate one believes] who are also in Saul Arellano's situation would be allowed to stay.

Mom says that deporting her would deprive her son Saul of his rights as an American citizen. Hmmm. What rights would those be? The right to sponge off of our tax money? Oh, I forgot, she had been working. With a fake social security number but no matter. She was working. I should not pick on her for that. Nor for wanting the best for her son. After all, if she is intent upon little Saul receiving an American education and an American upbringing, she could leave him with one of those oh so helpful friends.

Oh, and before I forget, Elvira is not an illegal immigrant-- she is an uncounted immigrant and also an immigrant activist. Maybe I should relocate to Mexico without being counted and have a kid there while I'm at it.

radical sapphoq
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11/14/news/nation/08_22_7411_13_06.txt http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4332027.html http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/11/16/2003336580 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/
la-fg-boy15nov15,0,4430315.story?coll=la-home-headlines http://www.kpvi.com/index.cfm?page=nbcheadlines.cfm&ID=37661

"I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses." -La Cage aux Folles.

Links

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BLESSED BE.

WHERE ARE THE IRANIAN STUDENT-LEADERS-TERRORISTS NOW 27 YEARS AFTER 11/16/06

My friend Jeremy Crow over at:
http://blog.jeremycrow4life.com/2006/11/lets-talk-about-history-baby-volume-5...
blogged about the 27th anniversary of the American Embassy in downtown Tehran and the notable lack of American media coverage covering it this year. On November 4, 1979, Iranian students-turned-terrorists busted through the locked gates of the American Embassy, seizing hostages and holding them until January 20, 1981. The Israeli press mentioned that Iranian students, war veterans, and children celebrated on November 4th this year, as they have every year, by burning the American flag in front of the old embassy building [this year, they also burned the Israeli flag], protesting and marching in the streets, and chanting such enlightened slogans as, "Death to America!"

This year's "celebration" arrives on the heels of 10 days of war games and Iran nuclear missile testing in defiance of a United Nations order not to. The United Nations is currently talking about the disobedient Iranians. In light of possible sanctions and/or military actions against Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to President Bush via the Swiss Embassy offering an alternative solution to the conflict regarding Iran's nuclear energy program. The sending of the letter is remarkable considering that the United States has broken off all diplomatic ties with Iran since the take-over of the American Embassy in downtown Tehran by a gang of militant Iranian students who were members of the OSU. The OSU [Office of Strengthening Unity] was in favor of a strict Islamic regime as embodied by the spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini and was responsible for the purging of dissident students and profs [read: arrested and/or put to death].

Star Reporter Mark Bowden visited Tehran several times throughout 2004 in order to track down the six, seven, or eight student leaders who were involved in the planning of the storming of the American Embassy on November 4, 1979. He found that all of them were involved in politics and/or journalism, although several of them had switched allegiances to less radical Iranian political parties.

One of them-- Abbas Abdi-- had in fact spent time at the infamous Evin prison where some of the hostages had been held by their student-terrorists for the crimes of criticising the Iranian regime and daring to publish results of a poll that purported to show that 76% of folks in the poll wanted to renew talks with the United States. Abdi had also gone to France in hopes of talking with one of the captives about the events of November 4, 1979 through January 20, 1980. That plan fell apart when he refused to apologize for the hostile takeover of the US Embassy.

Muhammad Hashemi had just retired from the Iranian counterpart to the CIA-- the Ministry of Intelligence and Security. He had hopes of promoting a tourist vacation retreat on the Caspian Sea, even speculating that the hostages would want to return to vacation there a quarter of a century later. That business venture fell through and December of 2004 found him and his spouse [an Iranian student who had lived in Philadelphia, brought in as translator, and referred to as 'screaming Mary' by several of the hostages] living with her mother.

Hussein Sheikh al-Islam was appointed to be Iran's Syrian diplomat and was living in Damascus.

Ibrahim Asghar Zada [or Asgharzadai] is a leader in the Islamic Solidarity Reform Party and the owner of Hambastegi, a conservative Iranian newspaper. His newspaper is thriving today and offers translations in French and English on the web. He was banned from seeking political office in Iran.

Said Hajarian was employed by the Office of Security and Intelligence and may have had an attempt made upon his life.

Hoseyn Shariatmadari was running an Iranian offficial newspaper called the Kayhand.

Ma'ssouma Ibtikar was a parliamentary deputy during the Khatami regime [the president preceeding Ahmadinejad and recognized as being more moderate than Ahmadinejad]. He served as vice-president under Khatami. In 2003, he was quoted as saying that the student protests that occur regularly in Iran are proof that Iran is a democracy.

Seyyed Mohammad Reza Khatami is one of former President Khatami's younger brothers. He had managed a newspaper called Mosharekat until it was banned. He has a wife and two children.

Mohsen Mirdamadi led a protest by some of the Iranian Parliament when all reformed candidates were disallowed from running in the 2005 election. Mirdamadi was among those with thwarted political ambitions. He was attacked in 2004 the night before he was supposed to meet with journalist Mark Bowden, receiving head and chest wounds.

Habibullah Bitaraf became Iran's Minsiter of Energy.

Some of the former hostages specifically remember current Iranian President Ahmadinejad as having a role in their captivity. He was thought to be student-leader-terrorist head of security and chief interrogator. Others of the hostages do not remember him. The OSU students-- and some hastily-trained volunteers-- were also each assigned responsibility of a particular group of captives. The hostages were split into groups and were moved around Iran in a series of private homes as well as stays at Evin and at the Embassy itself. It is highly probable that those with no memory of a younger Ahmadinejad didn't encounter him.

Three of the former student-leader-terrorists also have denied President Ahmadinejad direct involvement with the takeover of the American Embassy. This is also not surprizing considering that during interviews with Mark Bowden, anyone expressing regret at his role in the crisis did so quietly and with hesitation at expression of any criticism of the Iranian's current regime's anti-USA position. An Associated Press picture showing a possible younger version of Ahmadinejad holding a captive by the arm in 1978 was distributed in June of 2005 shortly after he came to power. His own website shows pictures of himself during that period looking quite different. I saw the pictures and read his cirriculum vitae and I believe it is the same man.

President Ahmadinejad had joined the OSU in 1979 as a student. He later was employed as an interrogator at Evin, had a hand in planning the assassination of many people via the elite Guard which he headed up, and considers the United States to be the Oppressor of Islamic nations. He denies the historical accounts of the Holocaust. He wants the nation of Israel to be nuked away or at the very least "re-located" to somewheres in Europe.

President Jimmy Carter failed the hostages and the American people by his inability or unwillingness to take action to end the crisis. The one military attempt to free the hostages resulted in the deaths of eight servicemen when two planes collided over the Iranian desert during a hasty retreat. Fragments of the jets are shown today to Iranian schoolkids who visit the former American Embassy now a museum.

If you have read this far, you really ought to head over to the Carter Memorial Library on-line at: http://jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/r_ode/ where at the bottom of the Robert Ode page, you will see three links to his journal that he was allowed to keep during his ordeal as one of the American hostages.

radical sapphoq

Other sources I used were:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050701-rferl01.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/iran-050701-irna01.htm
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200512/december-1979
http://www.groveatlantic.com/grove/bin/wc.dll?groveproc~genauth~1479~4110~DESC
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200411u/int2004-11-09
http://www.thememoryhole.org/espionage_den/
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBP/is_4_45/ai_75332515
http://www.netnative.com/news/02/sep/1079.html
http://www.hambastegi.org/english/index.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-11-05-iran-us_x.htm?csp=34
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200510/iran-president-ahmadinejad
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/667/re11.htm
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/717/re81.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6116358.stm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1439070/posts

posted by sapphoq at 5:28 PM

2 Comments:

Jeremy Crow said...: Holy Shit Spike ... This is excellent ... I learned quite a bit about all of this that I had no clue about, and I am again very proud of your data skills ... I never thought to look up what these twits are doing today and find it rather "Fascist" how they now control Government and the Media ... The "More Moderate" leader before Ahmadinejad showed his wonderful Moderate Leadership by cutting the public stoning of women who demanded equal rights to about 70% of what his predecessor did ... Ahmadinejad actually cut it in half so far so perhaps he is really the Moderate ;-) JC; 6:34 PM
sapphoq said...: thanks jer. it all just makes me real glad to be living here.

spike q.; 11:53 PM

007counters.com

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SAD NEWS 11/16/06

Thank-you 1588c for letting us know about this:

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

If this made you smile for even a brief second, please rise to the occasion and take time to pass it on and share that smile with someone else who may be having a crumby day and kneads it .

INTRODUCING LIZARD LADY 11/15/06

My friend Lizard Lady is over at:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-HV.mW6Amcqjwqv9vPhPztt.V?p=139&n=28500
Please go check her stuff out. She writes about life in a very real earthy way.
spike q.

BUG ME NOT AND SPAMBOB 11/15/06

*i made the tag above. if for some reason, you feel compelled to save it, then right-click. if you wish to strip any of the words off of the background to use as you wish, i don't care.*

Hi 360 buddies and others,

I'm back.

Most of us don't like spam. In fact, we detest it on a basic level-- unless we are the spammers in which case we hope that it makes us some money. Privacy is increasingly becoming something that we have to fight for on many levels. Good, bad, or somewhere in-between, that is the way of things these days. There are several ways to go about privacy on the web: proxies, patches, and tunneling are the ones that I tend to think about first. Last night, I found two low-tech ways of maintaining some control over personal information when surfing websites that require registration. And they are both free.

The first one is called BugMeNot and it can be found at: http://www.bugmenot.com/ . Basically, BugMeNot lists user-names and passwords for various sites which any of us can use. The interface at the BugMeNot site is simplistic and charming-- I like it! One can type in an addy like www.whateversiteyouwishtovisit.com and come away with several user-names and passwords to try out. One can also report back on the ones that work or don't work; as well as submitting sites with user-names and passwords.

Those sites that protest being included have the option of requesting their sites to be blocked and they are. An example of one such site is http://www.rapidshare.de .
Typing www.rapidshare.de into the BugMeNot search engine will yield the information that the rapidshare site is blocked because rapidshare offers a free [albeit slower] option and a paid option.

If you are looking for outstanding medical info, one can type in www.medscape.com and the results will yield a collection of user names and passwords which can be used at http://www.medscape.com. [Medscape is one of my personal favorites].

If the website you desire to surf without filling in a registration form is not in the BugMeNot database, you can then go to one of several temporary e-mail addy sites and then register with your new temporary e-mail box addy. I have used a few of these though the one I like with three options is over at http://www.spambob.com.

SpamBob allows for three variations of the temporary e-mail box. You can put any name on a box you wish. The suffixes determine whether the e-mail is simply deleted automatically [for when you need only an e-mail box], deleted after a few hours to several days [for when you need a password to be sent to you], or one that is active for a longer period of time.

What I did is that I assigned myself an e-mail box name with SpamBob and a dot net, dot com, or dot org extention depending on how long I wanted the e-mail box to collect e-mail [read: spam], went back to the unincluded site, registered using my SpamBob e-mail addy, and I was in like flin. Meanwhile, I saved my e-mail box from being filled up with more garbage. And I saved my personal information from falling into the wrong electronic hands.

Those who have scruples about such things do not have to use them. I don't have those pangs of guilt and I will tell you why. Most spam companies nowadays are run by organized crime circles. [To my sixth grade teacher who tried hard to convince me that the Mafia does not exist: you were wrong. It does].

BugMeNot and SpamBob are both legal at this time. The fact that BugMeNot allows for an individual or a company to opt-out of being listed is an arguement for their service.

If you are confused by all of this but curious, then head yourself over to BugMeNot and take a look.

If for some insane reason, I get banned or censored by the Y-bots for printing this information, if you type "sapphoq" into your Google engine, you will find some of my other blogs maintained on other sites.

I will be making the rounds to the sites of other 360 buddies tonight and tomorrow. Till then, hang loose and as always-- take care of YOU !

spike q. the darling of sapphoq.com and more

10/20/06-11/4/06

2006-12-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

SAPPHOQ ON SQUIDOO 11/2/06

Hi friends,

Last night I found squidoo.
Check out what I did on squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/sapphoq/
Do you squidoo too?

I have been having fun discovering new sites via StumbleUpon and then adding them to my del.icio.us bookmarking site.

Happy Sam Hain to all of those who celebrated Sam Hain. I hid from the trick-or-treaters successfully on Tuesday evening. Yesterday, I took Blondie down a dirt path by the river where I called out the names of my physical and spiritual ancestors.

Today is our wedding anniversary. And Sunday marks the third year anniversary of my traumatic brain injury.

I was appalled at the most recent debaucle involving John Kerry and his "botched joke." It was offensive no matter what the intention was behind it. I don't think I will live long enough to see the day when politicians stop smearing each other. Blaming the aftermath of his own foot-in-mouth disease on the Republicans further illustrates a lesson in how to avoid personal responsibility. In my opinion, there are far better ways for a speaker to advise an audience of their view of the events in the Middle East.

I will continue to visit blogs this week!
But not tonight. We are going out to dinner!

spike q.

What is your opinion on the recent Kerry episode?

John Kerry really did botch a joke and everyone should get over it.: 4
The Republicans are over-reacting.: 3
It is a republican conspiracy.: 0
I don't know.: 0
Other. [Add comment or link to your blogpost below].: 0

RESTRICTIONS, RESTRICTIONS, RESTRICTIONS 10/30/06

My buddy String over at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-TemqM3wib7TaYZfb7DhGTCz5og--?cq=1 has written some excellent
blog posts regarding Big Corporations who wish to dictate how we consumers
are able to use how we use our purchased media, the media restrictive laws,
and stuff like that. Very much worth a look-see for anyone who like me was
brought up being able to download music off the radio with tape recorders
or trading music with friends.

Meanwhile, M$ is imposing a set of restrictions on their new os VISTA. I thought
one could only repair it 10 times but I was mistaken-- the actual restriction limits
the consumer to ONE reinstall before being forced to re-purchase. See:
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35057 for more accurate
information than I was initially aware of.
Googling "VISTA restrictions" will bring up more hits-- both pro and con.

The sad thing about all this Digital Restriction Media Rights stuff going on
for me is that the musicians who actually made the music are not the ones
benefitting from fines [and prison sentences? in some cases? unconfirmed]
being imposed upon those who are sharing their cds via filesharing services.
If the musicians themselves were being given a cut of the fine money, then
perhaps I could understand it a tiny bit more but to my knowledge they are
not.

The cost to musicians of people making copies of cds or sharing work is
factored in to any purchases made in Canada. To me, an added surcharge
upon the purchase of cds and other media makes far more sense than making
it illegal for the american public to discuss the hows of defeating the
rootkits embedded onto cds.

Just my opinion.

As usual, everyone is welcome to post the pros and cons of this subject as
long as the posts are backed up with thoughtful opinions rather than
flaming or name-calling.

spike q

SAPPHOQ's IDEAS FOR LIVING 10/29/06

I decide that I want to have a healthy life.
If I want something different, I gotta do something different.
I empower my self to make the changes I need to make in my own life.
I identify what helps me in my healing and what hurts me in my healing.
I dump toxicity.
I stop hurting others and stop allowing others to hurt me.
I recognize my progress.
I work towards community empowerment with others.

Hi friends,

The last few days have been consumed with Micro$oft Wars. I downloaded Internet Explorer from their site and the main computer has been haywire ever since. When the telephone-techie at M$ could not help me, my case became one for the M$ supertech who allegedly is going to call me on Monday between 2 and 4 pm [having not called today nor yesterday]. I figure if the computer fails to be fixed, I'm going to wipe Windows and goto SUSE a bit earlier than I thought is all.
I have stopped by some of your sites today and I will continue to visit with comments this week.
Tuesday night is the New Year for me and a time to celebrate my ancestors-- spiritual as well as physical.
Blessed Be!
spike q.

Have you installed the new Internet Explorer 7 browser?

Yes and I am having or had problems with it and/or my computer.: 4
Yes, and with no problems.: 4
No. I'm going to wait a few months.: 2
No. I use Foxfire or some other browser on my Windows computer.: 3
No. I'm running Linux.: 0
Other.: 1

FRIENDS OF SAPPHOQ 10/20/06

I'm back!!!

The past seven days have been a bit of a hassle and so I was absent longer from 360 than I expected to be.

The tag is one I made for my e-group friendsofsapphoq over at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofsapphoq/ . [If any of you are interested in joining up, write that you know me from 360 on the application.]

I will visit some more of your blogs later today.

Take care of YOU. Always.

spike q

SPIKE Q. NEEDS 10/6/06

idea from Dianna over at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-yZlGtdA.aac9gydwI.bgkQLUaoqL?p=1128&n=28500

Pic taken by spike q of Bramble and Netta united against mother-in-law's cats while visiting Chebeague Island in Maine. Twinkle's pic will be posted mid-week after my return from Bennington Vermont with a weekend jaunt to Provincetown Massachusetts.

Here's something need I got from Dianna's blog. First you type in your name followed by the word "needs" into your search engine and list the top ten results:

spike q needs: a recipe disc, dough, answers, to make changes in the registry, housekeeping, special things, to order stock, a certain aspect or quality, to return as a different character, splicing.

Then, you can either post it in your blog like this:

spike q. needs a recipe disc.

spike q. needs dough.

spike q. needs answers.

spike q. needs to make changes in the registry.

spike q. needs housekeeping.

spike q. needs special things.

spike q. needs to order stock.

spike q. needs a certain aspect or quality.

spike q. needs to return as a different character.

spike q. needs splicing.

Or, you can do some adding, subtracting and rearranging to make a poem out of the words like this:

Special Needs

I need a recipe, to find some answers, or maybe

to make changes to the registry. I need more dough,

internal housekeeping, to order stock, or maybe

some wholesale splicing. People have told me

that I need a certain aspect or character trait that

I seem to be lacking. Or maybe to die and then

reincarnate as someone else entirely. To that,

I say, "No thank-you." Once has been enough

for me if not way too much and too long as it is.

Til Wednesday then. Don't forget to take care of YOU ! spike q

9/24/06-10/3/06

2006-12-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

OF HORSES AND CAMELS 10/3/06

The United Arab Emirates [UAE] is divided into seven emirates. The second emirate is governed by the Maktoum family. Two brothers in the family-- Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum the Crown Prince of Dubai; and Sheikl Hamdan bin Rashid Al Mantoum the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the UAE Minister of Finance-- have been named in a lawsuit filed in Miami, Florida the week of September 3rd, 2006. The brothers keep race horses on farms in Ocala, Florida which is why the lawsuit was permitted to be filed there.

The lawsuit was brought by parents of missing boys and it alleges that Sheikh Mohammad and Sheikh Hamdan have been involved in black-market purchases and kidnapping of young boys chiefly from India and Pakistan for import to the UAE so they can work as camel jockeys and stable hands. It is alleged that the boys are kept in substandard conditions in desert camps, given growth hormones to stunt their growth, and forced to work with the camels.

Camel racing is a dangerous undertaking. UAE camels have one hump. Boys have been trampled to death and otherwise injured by the camels. Undersized jockeys are preferred because less weight enables camels to go at top speeds. Boys who begin to gain weight as they get older are put to work as stable hands. Around the age of twelve, they are often arrested as illegal immigrants and given prison sentences. Those boys who are returned to India and Pakistan are often left in the streets of the "nearest slum" since records of their origins are not kept. A couple posing as parents of boys enable their crossing to the UAE when first taken. There are no "parents" availabe to help them when they are either brought back or arrested.

Sheikh Mohammad was served notice on the lawsuit on September 11, 2006 while attending Keeneland's Special Yearling Sale of racing thoroughbreds. Together with his bloodstock advisor John Ferguson, they topped the buyers' list there this year.

Read and learn.

spike q.

Thanks to Lilly over at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-by2ZNJo4aKc7ON.DLInKEozU?p=681 for providing the links and information below:

http://www.keeneland.com/livesales/press_releases/details.asp?PID=2073 http://www.bloodhorse.com/rss/article.asp?id=35307

http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/history/history.asp http://www.sheikmohammed.co.ae/english/biography/crown.asp http://www.sheikhhamdan.ae/english/horse_racing.htm http://www.ameinfo.com/82534.html

http://www.uaeone.com/traditions/camelracing.htm http://www.camelraces.com [picture of youngsters on camels provided from that site also]

PERFECTLY ME 10/2/06

~Blondie on Little Chebeague, Maine. Picture taken by me.~

Sometimes, I wish I could be more like my dog. My dog does not sit and mourn over loss opportunities in her life. She does not ponder huge questions or dream about things that she cannot have. My dog lives for the "right now." She lives in perfect acceptance. She is her own true self. She cannot be anyone other than that.

~spike q

HUGO CHAVEZ 9/26/06

I have noted with some interest the fanfare that emerged after Hugo Chavez called President Bush "the devil" at the United Nations recently. Who is Hugo Chavez? Is he an enlightened leader or something else?

Hugo Chavez is the current president of Venezuela.

He is openly Marxist and a socialist.

Hugo Chavez has been building diplomatic relationships with such notable countries as Cuba, mainland China, North Korea, and Iran. He has been accused of having ties with Al Queda, the Taliban, FARC, and ELN.

Venezuela is providing oil to Cuba at discounted prices. Hugo Chavez also imported Cubans to help him in his bid for power in Venezuela.

Venezuela and Red China are also planning to exchange ideas for the economic and development good of both countries. China is currently not capable of refining Venezuela's crude oil exports. Hugo Chavez is hoping to encourage Chinese government investments in his oil refineries.

Chavez is sympathetic to the North Korean government. He visited North Korea after missile testing.

Hugo Chavez considers the current Iranian regime to be worthy of imitation. Venezuela and Iran are partnering to build an oil refinery in Syria, among other joint projects.

Hugo Chavez has been accused of having terrorist ties with Al Queda. Although publickly he espouses many of the same 9/11 conspiracy junk-science "theories" which have been popping up all over the web, he may have contributed financially to Al Queda in order to get the job done.

Hugo Chavez wanted to send troops to aid the Taliban when the United States attacked Afghanistan.

Hugo Chavez may also have ties with two strong terrorist organizations-- FARC and ELN-- in Colombia. He has also been investing money in poorer South American countries in order to build political alliances.

Hugo Chavez is not worthy of admiration. He is not "enlightened." He is a dictator and he admires repressive governments which are very far removed from democracy. He has promised to alleviate the plight of South America's impoverished residents. Even if he can deliver on that promise, at what cost? Taliban. FARC. ELN. Al Queda. Iran. North Korea. Mainland China. Cuba.

Taliban. FARC. ELN. Al Queda. Iran. North Korea. Mainland China. Cuba. No Thanks.

~spike q

1. Hugo Chavez the dictator: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108140.html http://goinside.com/04/9/chavez.html http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/25/175844.shtml http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/geo/pastanalysis/2003/0109.htm http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2144 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_6_55/ai_98954243

2. Hugo Chavez and Cuba: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/70FAE354-7832-4AC8-A714-604F65F6C78E.htm

3. Hugo Chavez and China: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-08/23/content_672174.htm http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=8120 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw115606584296W643 http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx/t176888.htm

4. Hugo Chavez and North Korea: http://caracaschronicles.blogspot.com/2006/07/common-sense-meltdown-chronicle... http://www.neoliberalismo.com/KIM.htm http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/20... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060916/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/nonaligned_summit

5. Hugo Chavez and Iran: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fnews/1704476/posts http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C9DFE280-E615-4FEB-ADE5-6708D459E9B8.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4336169.stm http://www.irandefence.net/archive/index.php/t-338.html http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=... http://www.worldthreats.com/latin_america/Iran-Chavez%20Alliance.htm http://jewishworldreview.com/0906/scarborough092206.php3

6. Hugo Chavez and FARC and ELN: http://www.williambowles.info/venezuela/2005/chavez.html http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/177yckaw.asp http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/apr1801.htm http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/demerest.pdf#search=%22chavez%2... http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/colombi/articles/20060228.aspx

7. Hugo Chavez and the Taliban: [also evidence of Taliban resurgence] http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org.uk/ven/web/dvd/chavez&iraq.html http://www.militaresdemocraticos.com/articulos/en/20021231-01.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/848112/posts http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1757264.ece http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,2145,12215_pg_1,00.html http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/10/afghanistan.fighting/

8. Hugo Chavez and South American countries: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/25/AR20060925011... http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200508081031 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5032074.stm http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0088673F-D07C-46EB-9A7E-864A3D354744.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4576972.stm http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/654/654p12b.htm

9. The 9/11 Conspiracy Junk-Science "Theories" have been debunked. Hugo Chavez public profession of belief in them: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html http://blogs.salon.com/0001561/stories/2003/09/22/mpMichaelMeachersCrackpotCo... http://michaelgriffith1.tripod.com/refute.htm http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000DA0E2-1E15-128A-9E1583414B7F0000 http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-09-11.html http://www.loosechangeguide.com/LooseChangeGuide.html http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=86556&d=14&m=9&y=2006&pix=w...

EQUINOX VICTORY 9/24/06

The Wiccan soldier who died in Afghanistan will have the pentacle engraved on his tombstone in his state's cemetary! http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/14/D8K4DACO0.html

Although the Office of Veterans Affairs continues to not make a determination on this issue, this is still a victory.

Happy Autumn Equinox to those who celebrate it; as I do.

Also the Jewish high holy days are upon us as is the holy month of Ramadan.

spike q

Thanks to Fishy&Tiggs over at http://360.yahoo.com/profile-HWfoO4Q8eqi.2J0RVVlAVZleTpU-?cq=1 for sending me the link.

ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM MEXICO 9/24/06

My friend Jeremy Crow at http://blog.jeremycrow4life.com/2006/09/two-muslims-and-frenchman-volume-1.html recently blogged about his experiences helping some of his co-workers study for the U.S. Citizenship test. He also commented on the question of illegal aliens in his state and surrounding states. It may not be a popular liberal stance but it is one that I happen to agree with.

For those of you who need to be brought up to speed, back in May of 2006, President Bush proposed a "guest worker program" along with a form of amnesty for illegal Mexican immigrants already here in the United States as part of a plan to re-gain control of the U.S. southern borders. He proposed increasing border patrol personnel and the building of more fences but did not put any real muscle behind his proposals in the form of necessary funding.

Some traditional Republicans along with some Democrats and bloggers came out against the idea of providing English classes along with fines and background checks for those illegal Mexican immigrants already present in this country. I too am very much against a "guest worker program" of any duration and against any form of amnesty or path leading to American citizenship for the illegal immigrants already here.

Illegal immigrants commit criminal acts when they sneak across the Mexican border into the United States-- whether it be in the back of a truck or trespassing on the lands owned by American citizens which border on Mexico. The mules who take them across the border are also committing criminal acts. The folks who hire them-- at substandard wages or not-- are also committing criminal acts.

All four of my grandparents were legal immigrants to this country. They worked hard to provide better lives for their children. They did not come here expecting handouts in the form of education or healthcare. If I were to move to another country and seek citizenship of that country, I would have to go through the legal red tape and I would have to have a plan to sustain myself in my adopted homeland. I would also be learning the language, history, and some of the customs of that country long before I began to pack up to leave my country.

So why should illegal Mexican immigrants be rewarded for sneaking into the United States with language classes, medical clinics, tuition for education, a driver's license, or any other thing? Could Bush's stance on this issue have anything to do with the fact that it is election year for some of his Republican politician friends? Is this political pandering in order to win Latino votes?

spike q

http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=13441 http://www.stoptheftaa.org/artman/publish/printer_91.shtml http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2006/210706amnestydead.htm http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/May%20Dailies/Immigration%20May%2016%20(... http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040107-3.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051128-7.html http://www.stoptheftaa.org/artman/publish/article_107.shtml http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/003837.html http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26788 http://www.vdare.com/francis/amnesty_its_alive.htm http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/17/dobbs.bushspeech/index.html http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/amnesty/index.shtml http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-20-bushradioaddress_x.htm http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/000380.html

As usual, well-thought out differing opinions with or without URL citations always welcomed.

What do you think?

Yes to guest worker program, yes to keeping present illegal aliens from Mexico.: 1
Prison time for the present illegal aliens, mules, and those who hire them-- and deportation after.: 5
Fine them money and deport them.: 1
Other.: 4

9/8/06-9/18/06

2006-12-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

WHAT KIND OF FROG ARE YOU? a break from intensity 9/18/06

http://www.allaboutfrogs.org/funstuff/frogtest.php3

Found in the dry, hilly regions of south central Madagascar, these amazing frogs escape the searing heat and dry winds of the region by burrowing into the ground for the duration of the dry season. Very shy by nature, when threatened, these frogs inflate themselves and will not hesitate to charge their assailants. These frogs can be very gluttonous, devouring a wide variety of bugs, grubs and the like.

~spike q.

Hassidic Jew removed from airplane for praying

Hassidic Jew removed from airplane for praying: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/09/05/qc-hasidicprayeronplane.html

Comments from various sites: http://www.witchvox.com/wren/wn_detail.html?id=16154 http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_whitaker/2006/09/a_wing_and_a_praye... http://www.drudge.com/news/85193/praying-jew-forced-off-plane

Very well-thought out blog entry at benediction about his removal: http://www.benedictionblogson.com/?p=2656

sapphoq's entry on sapphoq.com about the same newsarticle: http://www.radical.sapphoq.com

spike q comments: I wonder what the response would have been if the man was rocking back and forth due to the neurological condition of autism? Or if he had low vision problems and was merely displaying a blindism? This incident is political correctness gone awry at best. Certainly the flight attendant's comment recognizing that the man was "not a Muslim" displayed her own prejuidices.

26 YEARS OF FREEDOM TODAY ... 9/8/06

from the bondage of addiction!

Today I am celebrating 26 years of freedom.

spike q.

A FEW LINKS: Bush, spying, and lies 9/8/06

For news reported by ABC regarding what President Bush claims is progress on and since the "war on terror:" http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2407457&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 [ The same folks who are bringing us the drama-fabrication about 9/11/01 on our teevee sets soon].

9/1/06 Various politicians and various agencies line up on various sides regarding the war in Iraq; and Iran's refusal to comply with the kingpins at the U.N. regarding cessation of uranium enrichment research and activities: http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/issues/20060901/

Paid advertisement of a hypothetical speech that a journalist from Israel wrote which he envisions is an ideal speech for the Israeli Prime Minister to give: http://www.nysun.com/speechforisrael.php In this fabrication, the journalist refers to the six million victims of the Holocaust. [He neglects to mention that not all of them were jews.] He also refers to the "the Jewish state" of Israel. A clear example of sensationalism and emotionalism being used to perpetrate a fraud.

Also at the New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/article/39114 is a report that Anthony Coppelino, a Justice Department attorney, told a federal judge on September 5, 2006 that it is President Bush's constitutional right as president to use wiretapping as an anti-terrorism tactic.

Any bloggers with more news sources regarding President Bush, his equating of Islamic with terrorists and Iraq, the lawsuit being brought by the ACLU against his extensive wire-tapping of American citizens, news sites directly from the Middle East [written in Arabic, French, or English], opinions of folks who are followers of Islam, opinions of folks who live or have families in the Middle East-- please feel free to comment below if you wish and include links to your blogs or news sites if you wish.

Salaamz,

spike q

?docu?DRAMA !!! PROPAGANDA 9/8/06

In just over 48 hours, ABC will air a partisan "docudrama" about 9/11—apparently part of a right-wing attempt to exploit the anniversary. The movie was written and produced by a right-wing activist who fabricated scenes to smear Democrats and excuse Republicans. Sign the petition to tell ABC not to air partisan propaganda on 9/11.

Sign the petition

Here's the full petition text: "ABC must not air partisan propaganda on 9/11."

Dear Friends and Readers,

I am not really sure how effective an internet petition drive is in changing the actions of any politicians or organizations.

I am posting the following letter about ABC's airing of a "docudrama" about the bombings of 9/11 for your information. The topbox and the letter below came from http://www.moveon.org . They cite more references in their letter.

President Bush is on another speaking campaign in his endeavor to cull votes for his republican buddies hoping to be elected or re-elected to office. He has referred to his "war on terror" and is once again equating whole nations of people with terrorists. Meanwhile, he has asked for authorization to increase his ILLEGAL warrant-less wire-tapping program all in the name of this so-called "war on terror." The latest Commission report indicates that his sources were "faulty." These sources allegedly gave him [untrue] information on terrorist activities and threats. More website URLs will be posted about these things shortly here at http://360.yahoo.com/sapphoq .

Once again, I wish my Muslim friends in the Middle East and here in the United States and all over the world true comfort and safety in these troubled times.

~spike q

Dear MoveOn member,

In a little over 48 hours, ABC will air a five-hour "docudrama" on the 9/11 attacks. The movie was written and produced by a right-wing activist who fabricated key scenes to blame Democrats and defend Republicans.¹ It's so partisan that even Rush Limbaugh was surprised ABC decided to air it.² And an FBI agent who was brought in to consult on the docudrama quit because, he said, "they were making things up."³

Public outrage is mounting across the country, and Variety reports that ABC is now "mulling the idea of yanking the mini altogether."⁴ But we only have a little time to act. We'll start delivering this petition to ABC headquarters tomorrow at noon and continue as more signatures come in. So we're looking for 200,000 signatures TODAY.

Can you sign? Click here:
http://pol.moveon.org/abcdoc?id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=4

Then please pass on this message to folks you know who can help.

The Path to 9/11 appears to be part of a coordinated push—including speeches by President Bush and millions of dollars in advertising—to exploit the five-year anniversary of 9/11 for political gain. That's not acceptable from anyone—especially not a news organization like ABC.

It's not just that ABC's movie is slanted. Big parts of it are simply untrue. The producer himself even admitted to simply improvising a key scene which depicts the Clinton administration letting bin Laden go when they had him in their sights—a complete fabrication.⁵ Last night, the movie's star, Harvey Keitel, said "It turned out not all the facts were correct."⁶

It's really pretty simple: ABC shouldn't have any role in the political exploitation of 9/11. But this docudrama is designed to do just that—spreading a false message to millions of viewers across the country.

Sign the petition to tell ABC not to air partisan propaganda on 9/11. Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/abcdoc?id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=5

Thank you for all you do.

–Nita, Eli, Carrie, Joan, Jennifer and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Friday, September 8th, 2006

P.S. For the most current information on the scandal involving this film, and for more information on the movie itself, please visit our friends at ThinkProgress:

http://www.thinkprogress.org

Sources:
1. "Writer of ABC's 9/11 'Docudrama' Is Avowed Conservative Activist," ThinkProgress, September 1, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2047&id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=6

2. "Clintonoids Prepare To Attack 9/11 Movie," The Rush Limbaugh Show, August 30, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2049&id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=7

3. "FBI Agent Who Consulted On Path to 9/11 Quit," ThinkProgress, September 7, 2006
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/07/fbi-agent-quit/

4. "Under fire, ABC mulls yanking mini," Variety, September 7, 2006
http://www.variety.com/VR1117949675.html

5. Greg Mitchell, Editor & Publisher, MSNBC appearance, September 7, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2077&id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=8

6. "Harvey Keitel speaks out on Path to 9/11: 'It turned out not all the facts were correct'", Showbiz Tonight, September 7, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2078&id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=9

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.3 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=8706-7551103-OC9063_MNIERyglbvm0tyQ&t=10

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

8/23/06-8/29/06

2006-12-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

THIRTEEN SIGNS OF FASCISM 8/29/06

http://mvp-seattle.com/pages/pageFascism.htm

Link lifted from the blogroll of blogging buddy Susan M. http://360.yahoo.com/profile-shLjL8cydLYZSqR.u0WZLr_FLJxf2Ru0

spike q

Is the United States government becoming a fascist government?

Yes.: 15
No.: 0
Maybe.: 1
What is fascism?: 1
I dunno.: 0
So what?: 0
Too complicated an issue to be reduced to a poll.: 5
We're already there.: 5

UGANDAN UNREST 8/29/06

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-xE6lqiAgbqn_iZ3je4ay?p=26 is the 360 blog post of my friend quorora about something happening in Uganda. Please go check out his pages for articles that are informative and interesting. ~spike q

REP. KATHERINE HARRIS AND ISLAMIC LAW 8/28/06

Rep. Katherine Harris of Florida was the subject of a quite a few blogs lately.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=39458 She was quoted in the Florida Baptist State Convention's weekly journal as saying that when christians are not elected to public office, non-christian politicians wil "legislate sin." [see: http://www.haloscan.com/comments/crooks/10019828 for a heated discussion about the article]. Would Ms. Harris have made the same comment if the majority of our elected politicians were of the Muslim faith? Or any other faith group different from her own? Something to ponder...

*****

Here's something else to think about and I bet it's something you were never taught in social studies or religious education classes: R. Joseph Hoffman, a notable scholar from Westminister College of Oxford UK [ http://www.hutch.demon.co.uk/prom/porph.htm ] said the following about Islam vs. Christianity during the Reformation and now:

Most Westerners who are not simply islamaphobes are willing to acknowledge where our system of numerical notation comes from; where algebra got started; how Aristotle was saved from puritan schoolmen in the Middle Ages; indeed, where scientific thinking in a number of disciplines originated. The culture of Islam, ranging in its missionary extent from Baghdad to Malaysia, is humanistically rich and potent. And yet. The Middle Eastern culture which spurred humanistic learining and scientific thinking remains a religious culture in a way that befuddles liberal Christians and secularists, and in a way that has not existed in the West since the decline and fall of Christendom in the Reformation. At least part of our befuddlement stems from the fact that the Reformation is often seen by historians, not as a fall or a falling apart but as a rejuvenation of Christian culture. The persistence of misperceptions about what "happened" with the advent of humanistic thinking in the late Middle Ages stems from the view that the Christian reform was a "back to basics" movement-- an attempt to restore biblical teaching and practice to the church rather than (as it was at its roots) a radical challenge to systems of religious authority, a challenge that would eventually erode even the biblical pillars of authority upon which the Reformation itself was based. Islam underwent no such change and entertained no such challenge to Koranic teaching; its pillars remained strong while those of Christianity, unknown even to those who advocated the reform of the church "in head and members," were crumbling.

Some websites which tell of great achievements by Islamics:

http://www.al-bab.com/arab/science.htm

http://www.lincoln.smmusd.org/staff/Hart_Web/history/otherislamicachievements...

http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/IGC/knowledge.htm

http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/ScienceMath/Science_and_Math.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/27/nislam127.xml...

*****

Here are five questions asked by Luc Barbulesco, Philippe Cardinal, L’Islam en questions, Vingt-quatre écrivains arabes répondent, Grasset, Paris, 1986 which I have adapted for this blog. Please insert the religion or spiritual path of your choice and answer any of the questions in the comment section or in your own blog. If you post these in your own blog, please drop me a note so I can include a trackback to your blog in future blogs:

1. Does your religion or spiritual path have universal appeal?

2. Could a modern system of government be based on your religion or spiritual path?

3. Is a system of government based on your religion or spiritual path necessary to the development of the people who follow your religion or spiritual path?

4. Is the return to basics or revival of your religion or spiritual path a positive force in the political arena of your home country? the country where you are living now if you are not living in your home country?

5. What is the principal enemy of your religion or spiritual path today?

Til next time then,

spike q

BLOGGART 8/28/06

Sanj666v over at http://360.yahoo.com/profile-vqGq6Ewieqhhq6XsX1BKBA--?cq=1 wants to know if anyone is interested in becoming part of a blogart show. That is, we would agree to post our own art, photography etc on a predetermined day and then provide a link to the next blogart gallery. If interested, please send him a message. If you cannot send him a message via his page, then send me one and I will let him know of your interest.

~spike q back from Maine

AWAY TIL SUNDAY--AUGUST 27th 8/23/06

I will be away until Sunday night and without a computer where I am going. I will leave you with three things:

A news article about a teacher burning two flags in his Louisville Kentucky classroom can be read at: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/NEWS01/608... . This article was sent to me by Patti whose 360 blog can be read at: http://360.yahoo.com/profile-4A1IrYkherJiyGoCHv60IA--?cq=1 ;

A poll [below] for those of you who have read the article and want to participate;

The lyrics to Joe Hill sent to me by Opossum TreeHugger.

I first heard the song at a meeting of Students for a Democratic Society at LSU. I had been invited there by a male friend from Iran. Some time later, I had lunch with him and his roommates. They cooked a delicious soup and welcomed me. I have never forgotten that meeting of the SDS or the kindness shown to me.

Joe Hill

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead,"
"I never died," says he
"I never died," says he
"In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
"They framed you on a murder charge,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."

"The copper bosses killed you, Joe,
They shot you, Joe," says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die."

And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Joe says, "What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize."

"Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me,
"Joe Hill ain't never died.
Where working men are out on strike
Joe Hill is at their side,
Joe Hill is at their side."

"From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill,
Where workers strike and organize,"
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill,"
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill."

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead,"
"I never died," says he
"I never died," says he

----------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Earl Robinson, copyright 1938 by Bob Miller, Inc. Joe Hill, a great organizer and poet, was executed in 1915 on a murder charge which union circles have always considered a frame- up. This song, written in his memory, is one of the most moving of all the labor songs.

Little Red Songbook

What do you think about the teacher in Louisville Kentucky who burned flags in his classroom?

He did indeed illustrate the principles of freedom of speech.: 12
He should be fired.: 0
He should have cleared this with his boss first and also the parents.: 1
He should face consequences for his actions but not get fired.: 2
I don't know. It is up to the authorities to decide.: 0
I don't care.: 0
I haven't decided what I think about this incident.: 2

8/20/06-8/21/06

2006-12-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

AFTER LEBANON, IRAN? 8/21/06

Bush "There are many who believe George Bush is a liar. . . . But lying would indicate an understanding of what is desired, what is possible, and how best to get there." [Written]

Seymour Hersh said it. Quoted and published at the New York Metro on-line at: http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/people/features/11719/index1.html. A great place to read about Seymour Hersh, the investigative reporter and the strict standards that the New Yorker maintains for its' investigative reports.

Seymour Hersh wrote that in spite of denials by Israeli Embassy officials, the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers was merely the excuse which triggered plans that Israel had already laid to attack Hezbollah. The original recent New Yorker article can be read here: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060821fa_fact

In the same article in the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh said:

According to a Middle East expert with knowledge of the current thinking of both the Israeli and the U.S. governments, Israel had devised a plan for attacking Hezbollah—and shared it with Bush Administration officials—well before the July 12th kidnappings.

Matthew Kalman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote an article which can be read here: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/21/MIDEAST.TMP declaring that Israel had planned the attack on Hezbollah "at least a year" before Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers [July 21, 2006], quoting from the Seymour Hersh article in the New Yorker.

Metroland, an alternative paper distributed for free in the Capital Region Area of New York State: http://www.metroland.net/newsfront.html#2 :also referred to the Seymour Hersh New Yorker article in their What a Week column. A paragraph just under the heading Dry Run maintains that:

According to a recent report in the Aug. 21 issue of The New Yorker by Seymour Hersh, Israel asked U.S. officials for permission to launch a full-scale offensive against Hezbollah months before fighting began—before the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier that supposedly triggered the war. Hersh further reported the U.S. officials looked at the conflict as “the mirror image of what the United States has been planning for Iran.” A former senior intelligence official reportedly told Hersh that Vice President Dick Cheney said: “What if the Israelis execute their part of this first, and it’s really successful? It’d be great. We can learn what to do in Iran by watching what the Israelis do in Lebanon.”

The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0814/dailyUpdate.html :had this to say:

A special report in The New Yorker says the Bush administration was closely involved in the planning of Israel's retaliatory attacks against Hizbullah in Lebanon, and US officials hoped that by helping Israel destroy or disarm the militant Islamic group, it would make it easier for the US to launch a preemptive attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

That article went on to name other newspapers which had picked up the story.

So there we have it:

(1). Israel was planning the attack on Hezbollah for more than a year before July of 2006.

(2). The kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers was not the provocation, but merely the trigger for an attack which was going to happen regardless. Hezbollah maintains that Israel is not a real nation. Israel maintains that Israel is a real nation.

(3). Indications are that President Bush was either lying or he was wreckless with the truth when he said that he hadn't known.

(4). Even if the Bush administration did not approve of Israel's plans ahead of time [and I personally find that very difficult to believe], folks there are studying the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in order to plan a strike against Iran in order to interfere with Iran's nuclear weapons program.

BOTTOM LINE: President Bush and the government of the United States continues to meddle in the affairs of the Middle East.

May Lebanon and all other Arab countries stand strong against this meddling.

~spike q

YAHOO VINDICATED 8/21/06

Below is the letter that Yahoo sends out as clarification on the Shi Tao case.

This just illustrates what happens when only one side of an issue is reported.

The well-meaning folks who reported the incident in which Shi Tao was

imprisoned by the Chinese government laid part or all of the blame upon

Yahoo for providing information on his internet activities to them. In fact,

Yahoo did not have a choice when it received a request for the information.

Any company or corporation that does business in a country is subject to the

laws of that country.

Something to think about when some of us whine that the folks providing

electronic space for blogging will not allow the use of profanity or X-rated

pictures or other stuff. The issues involved in internet censorship go a

lot deeper than, "Drat, they removed my picture...". Being imprisoned

because one sent e-mail from an internet cafe to relatives in the

United States or because one reported accurately on current events

or because one dared to blog on the internet using restricted words

deserves far more attention.

Sincerely,

spike q

[Yahoo's response letter begins:]

Hello,

Thank you for your email expressing concern and inquiring about the

facts surrounding the Shi Tao case.

At the outset, let us make clear that the facts surrounding the Shi Tao

case are distressing to us here at Yahoo!. We pride ourselves on

helping citizens around the world communicate with each other, search

and access independent sources of news and information and participate

in e-commerce. We are proud of our role in expanding opportunities for

Chinese citizens to enjoy the significant benefits of the Internet.

Yahoo! Search gives Chinese users an ability to access various

independent, non-government sponsored sources of information of interest

to them, fostering a more outward-looking population.

On the Shi Tao issue specifically, Yahoo! China received a valid and

legal demand for information from PRC law enforcement authorities

according to applicable PRC laws and the procedures we had established

with Chinese law enforcement officials. As in most jurisdictions,

including the United States, the Government of China is not required to

inform service providers why they are seeking certain information and

typically does not do so. In other words, we did not know whether the

demand for information focused on murder, kidnapping, embezzlement or

another crime. Until we read the distressing facts about Shi Tao in the

news, we did not know the particular information about which Chinese

authorities issued a lawful demand for information from Yahoo! China.

As a business that had been operating inside China, Yahoo! China was

legally obligated to comply with Chinese law enforcement's requirements,

just as each of the other Yahoo! subsidiaries must comply with the laws

of the countries in which they do business and just as foreign companies

must do in the United States. As you may be aware, Alibaba and Yahoo!

merged businesses and Alibaba now runs the combined entity including the

Yahoo! China business.

We balance the requirement to comply with laws that are not necessarily

consistent with our own values against our strong belief that active

involvement in China contributes to the continued modernization of the

country as well as a benefit to Chinese citizens through the

advancement of communications, commerce and access to information. The

Internet is a positive force in China and a growing Chinese middle class

is benefiting greatly from more education, communication, technology,

and independent sources of information.

We want to assure you that this issue is very important to Yahoo!.

Again, thank you for your message as your feedback is truly important to

us.

Regards,

Yahoo! Inc.

[end of response letter]

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION MINI-LINKS 8/20/06

Never Mind the Piracy, Feel the Profits
Ed Felten says that the DRM debate has moved from combating piracy to supporting price discrimination...

"DRMs Enable Business Models, They Don't Stop Piracy" - Universal VP
... as Universal's Jerry Pierce confirms the change of tack.

"We Have Already Helped you Filter Out Excess Web Pages!"
Human Rights China documents how Yahoo censors its Chinese users...

"Lost" in Translation
...while Chinese TV fans bypass censorship by trading and translating US shows...

Install the Circumventor, Get Paid $10
...and free censorware-bypassing developers offer $10 to help free speech.

Hoboken Battles Giant Robot, Software Licenses
City's cars trapped in an automatic car lot during software payment dispute.

Berkman Center Announces Citizen Journalism Project
Blogging rights resources take another giant step forward...

Law Enforcement Use Facebook To Capture Public Urinators
...As police start Net data-mining on the smallest scale.

Past Behavior No Indication of Future Temptation
Google's CEO claims that it would "never" let search records escape, then backs down.

Layperson's Guide to the RIAA Lawsuits
Grant Robertson attempts to simplify how the music industry sues the world.

***************************************************************************

The above mini-links were pasted from http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/ . Recycled electrons are used in all publications of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF encourages the dissemination of information contained in the above links andfurthermore they will not sue me, toss me out, or ortherwise harangue me for helping them out.

~spike q

MOVE ON IT ! 8/20/06

from http://www.moveon.org and from friend Gary's blog at: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-II5aF2U1eryhPojSnraYVkMzZ3WD6dyn?p=1133

On Friday, Republican Senator George Allen sank to a new low. At a campaign stop the senator singled out the only non-white member of the audience—S.R. Sidarth, a young Indian-American volunteering for his opponent and called him "macaca" (a racial slur meaning 'monkey').¹ He went on to say, "welcome to America." As it happens, Mr. Sidarth was born and raised in Virginia.

Republicans have used racism to try to win over voters for decades, but this kind of pandering has absolutely no place in our politics. That's why we're standing with Color of Change to ask the Republican National Committee to withdraw support from Sen. Allen. We need to send a strong message that America won't tolerate bigotry.

Can you sign the petition and add your voice? You can sign and watch video of the incident on this page:

http://political.moveon.org/withdrawallen?id=8472-6897933-BPCWdMooXDi1u4CNjQa.GQ&t=3

A PEACEFUL PROTEST AND THE MIAMI POLICE 8/20/06

The Miami Herald reports on a peaceful protest gone bad thanks to the reactions of the police force. Included are three videos. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/15228898.htm to read the report and view the videos.

~spike q

PS: Thanks to friend johneboy for originally alerting me to this. His blog can be found at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-ops5w1A7dK6gFjhfKgWwXC_nLPU-?cq=1&p=84 .

8/13/06-8/17/06

2006-12-28T22:43:00.000-08:00

FROM AMNESTY USA 8/17/06: http://www.amnestyusa.org/emails/immunity081706.html?tr=y&auid=1887340

Dear Supporter,

The Bush Administration authorized techniques like sleep deprivation, stress positions and the use of dogs on detainees, and now it wants immunity from criminal prosecution. Tell Congress you're outraged.

The War Crimes Act makes any violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions a crime under federal law. Since the Supreme Court said the Administration wrongfully denied these Geneva Conventions protections to those detained in Guantanamo Bay and similar detention facilities, Administration officials could face prosecution under the War Crimes Act.

The America I believe in upholds and defends the law. The America I believe in wouldn't sacrifice these values in the name of a "war on terror".

Act now! Tell Congress to uphold the rule of law!

Thank you,

Jumana Musa
Advocacy Director, Human Rights and International Justice
Amnesty International USA
IRREPRESSIBLE 8/16/06: A 360 tree-hugging friend at

http://360.yahoo.com/profile-qsNfoU42aalq7u8BLDtebtBcoPg-?cq=1

has sent me some info on http://irrepressible.info/.

The Irrepressible Campaign is part of Amnesty International and will deliver snippets of censored content to your blog every time it reloads. I cannot figure out how to add it to this blog since there is no access to Yahoo 360 templates. I have added the script to the templates of my other blogs with no difficulty. There are also static buttons that one can enclose in one's email.

~spike q
CEASE-FIRE 8/16/06: Dear 360 Friends,

Right now a tragedy is unfolding in the Middle East. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed or wounded in the bombings in Lebanon, Palestine and Israel and the death toll is rising every day. If the US, Syria or Iran get involved, there is a chance of a catastrophic larger war.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of international troops to the Israel-Lebanon border, and been strongly supported by almost every world leader. This is the best proposal yet to stop the violence, but the US, the UK, and Israel have refused to accept it.

I have just signed a petition calling on US President Bush, UK Prime Minister Blair, and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert to support Kofi Annan's proposal. If millions of people join this call, and we advertise our views in newspapers in the US, UK, and Israel, we can help pressure these leaders to stop the fighting. Go to the link below and sign up now!

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org

With hope,

spike q

For those who wish to understand islam a bit better, here are some links that a moslem friend has sent: http://www.islamway.com/mohammed , http://www.beconvinced.com , and http://www.islamworld.net .
HIJACK THIS ! 8/16/06: I've been hearing lots lately about a variety of spyware, scumware, malware, and shovelware being installed on computers. Recently, I found BestTechieForums. BestTechie recommends the download of freeware called HijackThis! from http://www.tomcoyote.com/hjt . After running a scan via HijackThis, one can copy the resultant log and paste it into a post at BestTechie. In turn, a volunteer posts recommendations and straightforward directions.

BestTechie Forums -- Free Tech and Computer Support--http://www.besttechie.net/forums/index.php?&CODE=00

Information about helpful and not so helpful anti-spyware programs-- http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Highly Recommended! ~spike q
FIFTY QUESTIONS 8/13/06: I lifted the questions from ArtfulDodger over at The Secret Brain at blogspot who lifted it from a friend who lifted it from...

1. My roommate and I once: went to a local WalMart's to look for a pocketbook [ check this out: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2006/03/07/walmart_recruits_bloggers_for... ]for his cross-dressing alter ego. We sashayed through the aisles at length openly comparing possibilites. As I remember, he settled on a tasteful faded blue-jean colored zippered shoulder strap model. One middle-aged woman fled from us in terror.

2. Never in my life have I: done crack or shot heroin and I hope I never do.

3. The one person who can drive me nuts, but then can always manage to make me smile is: my husband.

4. High School was: torture.

5. When I'm nervous: coffee calms me down.

6. The last time I cried was: I don't remember but it was sometime this year I think.

7. If I were to get married right now, my bridesmaids/groomsmen would be: -- one would have to assume that my present husband suddenly died and that I out-lived him.

8. Would you rather run naked through a crowded place or have someone e-mail your deepest secret to all your friends? Running naked sounds like more fun!

9. My hair: is naturally limp.

10. When I was five: I was cute and thin and blonde.

11. Last Christmas: we opened our presents and ate sticky buns in bed.

12. When I turn my head left: why is this question in here?

13. I should be: on the beach.

14. When I look down I see: the old wood floor.

15. The craziest recent event was: watching our oldest cat teach the kitten what to do with a mouse. She snagged a dead mouse from somewhere or other and shoved it over at him. When he went to shove it back or make motions to play with her, she growled. When he sniffed the mouse or jumped at it or threw it in the air, she made signs of approval.

16. If I were a character on "Friends," I'd be: --clueless as I hardly ever watched the show.

17. By this time next year: I should be on the beach.

18. My favorite aunt is: getting older by the minute.

19. I have a hard time understanding: why I should not curse as much as I want to as often as I want to.

20. One time at a family gathering: a cousin killed Peter Rabbit, put him in Shake'N'Bake, and then barbequed him. Very yummy!

21. You know I like you if: I drink coffee with you.

22. If I won an award the first person/people I'd thank: dad, gram, and Blondie the dog.

23. Take my advice: Have the courage to dream new dreams.

24. My ideal breakfast is: a vanilla yogurt coated PowerBar and some coffee.

25. If you visit my hometown: you would never know the glorydays I remember growing up there [http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/default.asp]. The place where I live now-- you'd get bored quick.

26. Sometime soon I plan to visit: my friend Ellie in Vermont [ http://www.bennington.com/ ] and my friend Philly Dave [http://www.lbccc.org/].

27. If you spend the night at my house: some animal would insist upon sleeping with you. And you would get to meet my frogs!

28. I'd stop my wedding if: one of us had a heart attack or something.

29. The world could do without: WAR and HUNGER and DISEASE.

30. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: re-live my childhood.

31. The most recent thing I've bought myself is: one-half of an old computer [husband bought the other half] so I can revamp it and do stuff with it. And the idea of checking to see what stuff the old owner might have left on it is also appealing.

32. The most recent thing someone else bought for me is: dinner-- thanks Crow! [visit Crow's domain at: http://blog.jeremycrow4life.com/ ]

33. My favorite blond is: my dog Blondie.

34. My favorite brunette is: me.

35. My car must have a sign on it that reads: Go ahead, do something idiotic and piss me off!

36. The last time I was drunk: was on two beers and going into a blackout. Something I don't miss.

37. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds: humans. I would love to spread out my arms and zoom around the atmosphere. Now that would solve the gauging gasoline prices problem!

38. I shouldn't have been: so full of inertia during some times in my life.

39. What was your wildest haircut? I shaved my head into a butched-up version of a military brush cut for several years. Those were the days...

40. Last night I: did computer stuff. [insert shameless self-promotion: http://sapphoq.com http://radical.sapphoq.com http://life.sapphoq.com http://healingtbi.sapphoq.com http://www.sapphoqnfriends.blogspot.com http://www.sapphoqreviews.blogspot.com :end of shameless self-promotion].

41: There's this woman I know who: is dead cuz she killed herself in Boston in September of 1999. I miss her still.

42. I don't know: why I am doing this.

43. A better name for me would be: there is no better!

44. If I ever go back to school: I'll take up puters.

45. How many days til my birthday? Every day is my birthday. That means I ain't tellin' yas.

46. One dead celebrity I wish I'd met is: Audre Lourde. [http://www.millikin.edu/ACI/CROW/chronology/lordebio.html and http://www.alp.com.]

47. I've lived at my current address since: our marriage.

48. I've been told I look like: one of the women on "Cagney and Lacey."

49. If I could have any car, it would be: a working Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Or maybe a new Mercedes. One that gets super excellent gas mileage.

50. If I got a new cat tomorrow, I would name it: Sammy.

~sapphoq

8/9/06-8/12/06

2006-12-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

BOOK TAG 8/12/06: I got this from my 360 buddy redbarronaustin who got this from friends.

Reese argues that the costs of law in this context are extremely high-- in part because it is hard to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate uses of cyberspace. Web spiders, which gather data for web search engines; browsers, who are searching across the Net for stuff to see; hackers (of the good sort) who are testing the locks of space to see that they are locked); and hackers (of the bad sort) who are breaking and entering to steal. It is hard, ex ante, for the law to know which agent is using the space legitimately and which is not. Legitimacy depends upon the intention of the person gaining acess. excerpt from: Code by Lawrence Lessig. New York: Basic Books, 1999.

Here is the way to do it (also lifted from redbarronaustin's blog):

1. Find the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123.

3. Find the 5th sentence.

4. Post the text of 3 sentences on your blog---along with the title of the book and the author.

5. Please do not go digging into the closet for that "cool" or "intellectual" book. Just pick up what ever is closest.

As usual, I tag no one. spike q

THOUGHT FOR TODAY 8/12/06

"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag,carrying a cross." ~Sinclair Lewis

WAR HURTS REAL PEOPLE 8/11/06

Updated Aug 9, 2006

BEIRUT (IPS/GIN) - About 55 percent of all casualties at the Beirut Government University Hospital are 15 or younger, hospital records show.

"This is worse than during the Lebanese civil war," Bilal Masri, assistant director of the hospital, one of Beirut’s largest, told IPS.

Not only are most of the patients children, but many of the injured are in serious condition, he said. "Now we have a 30 percent fatality rate here in Beirut. That means that 30 percent of everyone hit by Israeli bombs are dying. It is a catastrophe."

The fatality rate was high, he said, "because the Israelis are using new kinds of bombs which can enter shelters. They are bombing the bomb shelters which are full of refugees."

Mothers wail, "What human would ever do this?" :: from www.uruknet.info :: news from occupied Iraq

The link above is located at
http://www.uruknet.com/
?p=m25619&hd=0&size=1&l=e and you should be able to read the whole story there. The nation doing these things is the nation that our President has chosen to side with in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict: Israel.

9/11 happened. That is a reality. I didn't want it to happen nor would I wish it to happen. But it did. The word terrorist is not defined as: everyone in the universe who is an Arab or a Moslem or from Iraq or from Lebanon or from Palestine or has connections to the Middle East or who disagrees with President Bush.

9/11 happened. When something like 9/11 happens again, who then will we blame? The government of the United States persists in holding entire groups of people accountable for the terrorist acts of a few. What part of the responsibility will our government accept when terrorists come calling for us again? Pogo said it pretty good many years ago, "We have found the enemy, and it is us."

spike q

Thank-you blu4lyf for sending me the link to the article. I appreciate it.

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT 9/10/06

US at war with 'Islamic fascists', Bush says. 11/08/2006. ABC News Online

Dear Mr. President,

My country, the United States, is a nation at war. It is not a nation at war with terrorism. It is not a nation at war fighting fascism or tyranny. You want us to believe those things perhaps. You want us to believe that this "war on terror" is real.

Mr. President, war is not a political smear campaign. Name-calling is not nice. You are fueling the flames of a fire already burning too brightly. When you insult my islamic brothers and sisters throughout the world Mr. President, you are insulting me. Your prejuidice is showing.

Are you going to erect concentration camps for all followers of Islam and for some of the rest of us who are voicing our dissent here in the United States like our country did shamefully once before during World War II? Is anyone who disagrees with your foreign policy and your christian god The Enemy? Does your god approve of what you are doing? Isn't there enough hatred in the world already?

Mr. President, I'm sorry that you are afraid of anyone who is not like you.

We don't want your war on terror. We don't want your hatred to continue to infect the universe. We don't want the United States to continue to slide into the very fascism that you say you despise.

sapphoq

US President George W Bush has tightened airline security and said a plot foiled by Britain to blow up US-bound flights was a "stark reminder" the United States is "at war with Islamic fascists".

The suspected plotters were "a couple days from a test, and a few days from doing it," according to a US intelligence official.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the plan would have involved coordinated multiple suicide bombings.

Mr Bush said the United States was safer than before the September 11 attacks but that it would be a mistake to believe there was no longer a threat.

Mr Bush launched a global war on terrorism after the 2001 hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington killed nearly 3,000 people.

Faced with public discontent over the three-year-old war in Iraq, he often tells Americans the threat remains.

Speaking briefly on a visit to Wisconsin, Bush said the foiled plane plot was "a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation".

Criticism

US Muslim groups have criticised Mr Bush, saying his choice of words could inflame anti-Muslim tensions.

"The problem with the phrase is it attaches the religion of Islam to tyranny and fascism, rather than isolating the threat to a specific group of individuals," said Edina Lekovic, spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles.

THE ISRAELI-LEBANON CONFLICT 8/9/06

I have reproduced the Human Rights' Watch Questions and Answers on the Israeli-Lebanon conflict. The Human Rights' Watch is an international watchdog organization and as such remains neutral on the whys of war. The HRW does take a position on violations of the International Rules of War-- something which Israel signed on to but Lebanon did not.

Anyone who wishes to comment on the blog post located at: http://radical.sapphoq.com/ [the Q&A is the second post down] must have a [free] Blogspot account in order to do so.

I will caution anyone eager to dis followers of Islam of the following:

I have some 360 friends who are of the Moslem religion. I do not take kindly to anyone disrespecting or name-calling anyone else because of their religious beliefs.
Quite frankly, I believe that Israel has done far more to violate the International Rules of War than Lebanon has. I am not siding with the position of my government on this one.

Thank-you,

spike q

O Lebanon, Stand Firm!

بعد ان قلناها لانفسنا ... فالنقولها الى العالم...

شعار صمود لبنان بعد تعديله اصبح الان يتحدث الى العالم لكى يقول ...
اصمدى يا لبنان .. فكلنا معك.
O Lebanon … Stand Firm!

We are all with you.

7/29/06-8/7/06

2006-12-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

GREAT NEWS! 8/8/06

A yahoo 360 buddy of mine named Scott at:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-2Irl5_IwdqdElVmhG6DDcSYDGa.R0gW23VnFoA--?cq=1

has posted a link to an article about people fighting the RIAA file-sharing lawsuits that are popping up. One Mom out in Oklahoma has won a summary dismissal AND the judge ordered the RIAA to pay the costs of her lawyer and several others are fighting the RIAA in courts in other states.

Go Moms!!!

spike q

MY BLOGGING BUDDY JOHN 8/7/06

my blogging buddy John has two items of interest on his blog for anyone who might be concerned about the United States Patriot Act and about the continued actions of the MRA sueing websites offering unlicensed copies of song lyrics and music:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-TemqM3wib7TaYZfb7DhGTCz5og--?cq=1

If you have any concern about the un-expectation of privacy or about the extension of copyright laws to benefit Big Hollywood, you might want to check it out.

thanks,

spike q still processing websites into rss feeds vs. restricted

FIVE THINGS 8/7/06

FIVE THINGS THAT SEND MY SPIRIT SOARING AND FIVE THINGS THAT GET MY GOAT:

1. Seeing a whole crop of little minkies at a small pond on a summer's day, birds nesting in my yard and raising little ones, watching my four-footed companions play together.

2. Being there at the moment that someone dies, being able to help someone transition, knowing that I've made a difference.

3. Recognizing small increments of progress in myself and those around me, being able to do something newly learned, the ability to set goals and follow through with them.

4. Knowing that we are all interconnected, striving to give peace a chance, honoring the sacredness inherent in all beings.

5. Believing in love.

- we are trampling on the earth our mother and the ocean our other mother.

- people who are stuck in the same rut and not being able to help them get out of it.

- abuse of any kind, hunger, poverty, discrimination, murder, and war.

- those who would deny others the same basic human rights that they themselves have.

- having to pay the consequences for what others have done.

Idea for this list was taken from Dianna's blog: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-yZlGtdA.aac9gydwI.bgkQLUaoqL

Dear 360 Companions,

I have been going through my list of companions and adding RSS feeds of those of you who have them to my Yahoo Home Pages. This will ultimately result in an increased ability to read your posts and respond. Those of you who do not have RSS feeds I am placing into a separate "friends category." My hope is that the process of reading your posts and responding to them will become more streamlined.

spike q

TAGGED BY INFAMOUS RIDER 7/30/06

SIX BEHAVIORS WHICH I DO NOT CARE FOR IN OTHERS:

1. Anything that reminds me of things within myself that I don't like.

2. People who repeatedly ask me to lend them money-- as if I have any to lend them.

3. Doctors who remain uninformed about traumatic brain injury.

4. Those who insist upon writing comments in my blogs which demonstrate their ability to call others names and don't demonstrate a mature ability to agree to disagree.

5. People who wish to impose their ideas of morality and their religions upon me.

6. "Helping professionals" who do not help due to their stereotyping of those of us who live with disabilities.

SIX DREAM VACATIONS

1. Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.

2. Europe by train.

3. Islands which can only be gotten to by plane or boat.

4. All of Mexico.

5. The birthplaces of my ancestors.

6. Australia.

SIX FAVORITE HOBBIES

1. Communication and Creating: writing, blogging, computer art, music, crafts, decorating, connecting with people who are different than me and challenging my own preset notions and prejuidices.

2. My animals: dog, cats, frogs, fishies.

3. Nature: hiking, backpacking, walking, parks, birding, swimming in remote places in the woods, learning about life.

4. Activism: disability advocacy, support groups, political action for meaningful change, freedom of electronic speech, working for human rights for all humans-- including but not limited to granting people in same-gender relationships the protection of legal marriage, freedom of religion and freedom from [your] religion and freedom not to have a religion, culturally competent medical care, supporting our troops but not this so-called "war on terror," seeing checks and balances restored to the government of the untied states...etc.

5. Movement: traveling, walking the dog, exercise, driving, swimming, dancing, breath.

6. Mental stimulation: rational thinking [yes, it can be taught], becoming an intelligent consumer of the "news media," sudoku, imagination, reading, figuring things out, remembering, learning new things.

SIX THINGS THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOU ABOUT ME:

1. I grew up in an extremely prejudiced family and have to fight that daily.

2. My first reaction upon seeing a mouse indoors is to stand on a chair!

3. Although my memory is in the 99th percentile, there are things that have been "wiped" due to my traumatic brain injury.

4. I can remember where in a book I read something, whether it was a left-page or a right-page, and where it appeared on the page-- when asked. I also dream in spanish.

5. I can no longer multi-task-- except for driving.

6. I have permanent double vision in my left eye, a central nervous system tremor, and severe vertigo. My balance has improved to "excellent." When I fall, it is due to perception problems and not due to equilibrium.

SIX SONGS THAT DEFINE ME:

1. "Son of a Son of a Sailor," by Jimmy Buffett

2. Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue"

3. "Air I Am" traditional witch round

4. "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls

5. "I Am What I Am" sung by Gloria Gaynor or in the musical La Cage aux Folles

6. Harry Chapin's "All My Life's a Circle"

SIX GOALS I HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR:

1. Maintain 10% acceptance rate for submitted writing to lit mags and zines.

2. Train the new kitten to quit treating the computer desk like his very own personal race track.

3. Increase the number of hours I am able to tolerate volunteering at the museum up from 3 hours 1 day a week for 2 or 3 weeks out of a month to 4 hours 1 day a week for 3 or 4 weeks out of a month.

4. Run scripts on Paintshop Pro 10.

5. Purchase a dehumidifier for the basement with the money I am saving up.

6. List the steps necessary to build a computer "from scratch."

As usual, I tag no one. Anyone who wishes may tag themselves or not. ~spike q

LETTER FROM A FRIEND 7/29/06

This letter was written by a friend. I am passing it on to you because it contains critical information. Sincerely, spike q.

pic is from the public domain.

Hello, my name is Legions and I suffer from the guilt of not
forwarding 50 billion fricking chain letters sent to me by people
who actually believe that if you send them on, a poor 6-year-old
girl in Arkansas with a breast on her forehead will be able to raise
enough money to have it removed before her redneck parents sell her
to a traveling freak show.

Do you honestly believe that Bill Gates is going to give you,
and everyone to whom you send "his" email, $1000?

How stupid are we?

"Ooooh, looky here! If I scroll down this page and make a wish,
I'll get laid by a model I just happen to run into the next day!"

What a bunch of crap!

Maybe the evil chain letter leprechauns will come into my house
and sodomize me in my sleep for not continuing a chain letter that
was started by Peter in 5 AD and brought to this country by midget
pilgrims on the Mayflower.

Screw 'em.

If you're going to forward something, at least send me something
mildly amusing. I've seen all the "send this to 10 of your closest
friends, and this poor, wretched excuse for a human being will
somehow receive a nickel from some omniscient being" forwards about
90 times.

I don't fricking care.

Show a little intelligence and think about what you're actually
contributing to by sending out these forwards. Chances are, it's our
own unpopularity.

The point being? If you get some chain letter that's threatening
to leave you shagless or luckless for the rest of your life, delete
it. If it's funny, send it on.

Don't tick people off by making them feel guilty about a leper
in Botswana with no teeth who has been tied to the ass of a dead
elephant for 27 years and whose only salvation is the 5 cents per
letter he'll receive if you forward this email.

Now forward this to everyone you know.

Otherwise, tomorrow morning your underwear will turn carnivorous
and will consume your genitals.

Have a nice day.

P.S. Send me 20 bucks ....a $20 bill will do just fine, thanx!!

What statement closest resembles your thoughts on chain e-mails?

They can spread viruses and other computer nasties and they clog up space on the internet.: 42
Nothin' wrong with them, just some of us havin' some fun.: 0
I don't much care either way.: 7

6/27/06-7/29/06

2006-12-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

ARMY DISMISSES GAY ARABIC LINGUIST 7/29/06

sapphoq says: Those people who choose to serve the Untied States in the armed forces had better make sure they only engage in heterosexual acts, heterosexual activities, and heterosexual conduct; and stay out of community theatre groups. The Don't Ask Don't Tell 'policy' discriminates against all brands of non-hetero life. It matters not about having essential skills or about being a decorated sargeant. Even if someone else tells, you still gotta go. Article below brought to you via the AP wire. Read on:

Army Dismisses Gay Arabic Linguist

By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 27, 2006; 11:53 PM

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was dismissed from the U.S. Army under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, though he says he never told his superiors he was gay and his accuser was never identified.

Bleu Copas, 30, told The Associated Press he is gay, but said he was "outed" by a stream of anonymous e-mails to his superiors in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

"I knew the policy going in," Copas said in an interview on the campus of East Tennessee State University, where he is pursuing a master's degree in counseling and working as a student adviser. "I knew it was going to be difficult."

An eight-month Army investigation culminated in Copas' honorable discharge on Jan. 30 _ less than four years after he enlisted, he said, out of a post-Sept. 11 sense of duty to his country.

Copas now carries the discharge papers, which mention his awards and citations, so he can document his military service for prospective employers. But the papers also give the reason for his dismissal.

He plans to appeal to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, established in 1993, prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members, but requires discharges of those who openly acknowledge being gay.

The policy is becoming "a very effective weapon of vengeance in the armed forces" said Steve Ralls, a spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a Washington-based watchdog organization that counseled Copas and is working to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Copas said he was never open about his sexuality in the military and suspects his accuser was someone he mistakenly befriended and apparently slighted.

More than 11,000 service members have been dismissed under the policy, including 726 last year _ an 11 percent jump from 2004 and the first increase since 2001.

That's less than a half-percent of the more than 2 million soldiers, sailors and Marines dismissed for all reasons since 1993, according to the General Accountability Office.

But the GAO also noted that nearly 800 dismissed gay or lesbian service members had critical abilities, including 300 with important language skills. Fifty-five were proficient in Arabic, including Copas, a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in California.

Discharging and replacing them has cost the Pentagon nearly $369 million, according to the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Lt. Col. James Zellmer, Copas' commanding officer in the 313th military intelligence battalion, told the AP that "the evidence clearly indicated that Sgt. Copas had engaged in homosexual acts."

While investigators were never able to determine who the accuser was, "in the end, the nature and the volume of the evidence and Sgt. Copas's own sworn statement led me to discharge him," Zellmer said.

Military investigators wrote that Copas "engaged in at least three homosexual relationships, and is dealing with at least two jealous lovers, either of whom could be the anonymous source providing this information."

Shortly after Copas was appointed to the 82nd Airborne's highly visible All-American Chorus last May, the first e-mail came to the chorus director.

"The director brought everyone into the hallway and told us about this e-mail they had just received and blatantly asked, 'Which one of you are gay?'" Copas said.

Copas later complained to the director and his platoon sergeant, saying the questions violated "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

"They said they would watch it in the future," Copas said. "And they said, even specifically then, 'Well, you are not gay are you?' And I said, 'no.'"

The accuser, who signed his e-mails "John Smith" or "ftbraggman," pressed Copas' superiors to take action against him or "I will inform your entire battalion of the information that I gave you."

On Dec. 2, investigators formally interviewed Copas and asked if he understood the military's policy on homosexuals, if he had any close acquaintances who were gay, and if he was involved in community theater. He answered affirmatively.

But Copas declined to answer when they asked, "Have you ever engaged in homosexual activity or conduct?" He refused to answer 19 of 47 questions before he asked for a lawyer and the interrogation stopped.

Copas said he accepted the honorable discharge to end the ordeal, to avoid lying about his sexuality and risking a perjury charge, and to keep friends from being targeted.

"It is unfair. It is unjust," he said. "Even with the policy we have, it should never have happened."

___

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: http://www.sldn.org/

Fort Bragg, http://www.bragg.army.mil/

QUESTIONS FOR ENTERTAINMENT 7/19/06

Here is a list of Questions taken from http://www.eff.org . The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a watchdog group working to keep our internet freedoms from eroding more than they have already. They encourage bloggers and others to reproduce the article below:

Frequently Awkward Questions for the Entertainment Industry

Learn More About These Issues

The RIAA and MPAA trot out their spokespeople at conferences and public events all over the country, repeating their misleading talking points. Innovators are pirates, fair use is theft, the sky is falling, up is down, and so on. Their rhetoric shouldn't be given a free pass.

To that end, EFF has prepared a sample list of tough questions for times when you hear entertainment industry representatives speaking and want to challenge their positions. Asking hard questions is a way of "keeping honest people honest" and revealing when they're actually being deceptive. Feel free to republish these and add your own questions, or send additions to us at editor@eff.org.

Music

The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 music fans for file sharing, yet file sharing continues to rapidly increase both online and offline. When will you stop suing music fans?
The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing, who have on average paid a $3,750 settlement. That's over $75,000,000. Has any money collected from your lawsuits gone to pay actual artists? Where's all that money going?
The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing. Recently, an RIAA representative reportedly suggested that "students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford [P2P lawsuit] settlements." Do you stand by this advice? Is this really good advice for our children's futures?
The RIAA said that it only went after individual file sharers because you couldn't go after P2P system creators. After the Supreme Court's Grokster decision, shouldn't you stop going after music fans?
Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
DRM has clearly failed to stop songs from getting on file sharing networks, but it does prevent me from moving lawfully purchased music onto my iPod and other portable devices. Unlike the major record labels, many popular indie labels offer mp3 downloads through sites like eMusic. Why won't you let fans purchase mp3s as well?
The RIAA says that it doesn't mind if I rip CDs to my personal computer and put them on my iPod. Do I need your permission to do this or can I legally do it even if you object?
Recording off the radio is clearly permitted by copyright law and something Americans have done for over 25 years, but the RIAA supports legislation restricting devices that record from digital radio. Why are you against TiVo for radio?
Sony BMG recently implemented a DRM technology that damaged users' computers. But for independent researchers' analyses, this serious flaw may have gone undiscovered. After this scandal, will record labels allow any computer scientist or security expert to examine these products and agree not to sue them under the DMCA?

Video

The major movie studios have been enjoying some of their most profitable years in history over the past five years. Can you cite to any specific studies that prove noncommercial file sharing among fans, as opposed to commercial DVD piracy, has hurt the studios' bottom line in any significant way?
Is it legal for me to bypass CSS DVD encryption in order to skip the "unskippable" previews at the beginning of so many DVDs? Why should I have to be forced to watch these ads when I already bought the DVD?
Is it legal for me to skip the commercials when I play back time-shifted TV recordings on my TiVo or other PVR? How is this different than getting up and going to the bathroom?
Why are there region-code restrictions on DVDs? How does this prevent copyright infringement? Is it illegal for me to buy or and use a region-free DVD player, or to modify a DVD player to be region-free?
In several lawsuits, the MPAA has repeatedly said that it's illegal to make a back-up of a DVD that I purchased. Why is this illegal?
Is it ever legal for me to use software like DVD Shrink or Handbrake to rip a digital copy of a DVD I own onto a video iPod or my laptop? What if I want clips to use for a class report? Or if a teacher wants to include a clip in a PowerPoint slide?
Is there anything illegal about copying TV shows I’ve recorded off the air onto my video iPod?
If the MPAA-backed "broadcast flag" bill passes, I won't be able to move recorded TV content digitally to my current video iPod. Why should TV studios get to take away my ability to lawfully time- and space-shift?
Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
Hollywood is pushing legislation to "plug the analog hole." These restrictions won't keep copyrighted video off of file sharing networks, but they will block me from excerpting a recorded TV show for a school report or using tools like the Slingbox to send recorded TV shows to myself over the Internet. Why are you trying to restrict these legitimate uses?

Get informed and stay informed! spike q

DEAD VET CAN'T GET HIS SACRED SYMBOL ENGRAVED ON HIS TOMBSTONE 7/11/06

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Circle Times <circletimes@circlesanctuary.org>
Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:25:16 -0700
Subject: [circletimes] Veteran Pentacle Quest in DC & Media Update
To: [omitted]

Roberta Stewart and Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary spoke at a
religious freedom rally in Washington, DC on the 4th of July. More
than 300 people, including Pagans from 17 states, attended the rally,
held in Farragut Square Park, located near the White House and the
headquarters of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The rally
included a variety of speakers and musicians. Some photos of this
rally are now on-line at the newly created rally page and more photos
will be posted this week:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle/dcrally/index.htm

On Wednesday, July 5, Roberta and Selena went to Capitol Hill and met
with a legislative aide in Senator Harry Reid's office. The aide then
accompanied them to VA headquarters where they met with Under
Secretary for Memorial Affairs William Tuerk and two other VA
officials. The Under Secretary, who is head of the National Cemetery
Administration (NCA) which maintains the VA's list of authorized
emblems of belief for memorial markers for veterans, told them that
the VA is not approving any emblem of belief addition requests at this
time because the VA procedures adopted in October 2005 for adding
emblems of belief to the NCA list were not adopted correctly. The
Under Secretary still would give no timeline for the completion of
this latest "revising the rules" process. Both Selena and Roberta
urged him to add the Pentacle to the NCA list under previous protocols
while the VA sorts out its procedural mistakes.

The Pentacle Quest continues to make news.

An article appeared on the top of the second page of the Washington
Post on July 4 and is now being published by other media. Associated
Press and United Press International articles have been and are being
picked up by media sources across the USA and several other countries.

On July 5, Roberta and Selena appeared on the evening news on the ABC
television affiliate in Washington, DC.

The July 7 radio broadcast of Roberta and Selena on Barry Lynn's
Culture Shocks program is now archived on-line (show # 722) -- listen
to it at: http://www.cultureshocks.com

CNN television interviewed Roberta and Selena while they were in
Washington, DC -- the story is presently scheduled to air tomorrow
(Monday, July 10) on the American Morning Show (6 - 10 am EDT)

More media coverage is in the works for this week.

Your continued support for this Veteran Pentacle Quest is needed and
appreciated.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

(1) SPEAK OUT: Monitor media coverage of the Pentacle Quest. Write
letters to the editor and to blog sites --express your support for the
Pentacle being added to the NCA list, call the VA to uphold religious
freedom, and express appreciation for good media coverage. Write
words of support in comments sections, which accompany news reports
on-line, such as following the article in the Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/v-print/story/14275816p-15085367c.html

(2) ALLIES: The Quest needs more Allies ... religious leaders of other
religions, veterans organizations, Senators & Congresspeople,
religious freedom activists, and others. Please contact possible
allies you know -- give them information about this Quest, ask them to
write letters of support to the VA & media, and let us know about your
efforts -- email: liberty@circlesanctuary.org or fax copies of letters
sent to us: (608) 924-5961.

(3) DONATE: Send donations to Circle Sanctuary to help defray travel
costs and other expenses incurred in the Quest. You can donate
on-line:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/donate/
or send to: Veteran Pentacle Quest Fund, Lady Liberty League, Circle
Sanctuary, PO Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA.
Donations are tax deductible in the USA. Make checks payable to
Circle Sanctuary - Lady Liberty League.

(4) RITUALS: Please send blessings of strength and support to Roberta
and Selena and others working with them on this Quest. Envision
success for the Veteran Pentacle Quest. Join with others in invoking
the Goddess Liberty (Libertas) and other Divine forces for success and
support at this Full Moon time and in the time ahead. More info about
Libertas and how to work with Her is on-line:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/circle/articles/pantheon/GoddessFreedom.html

(5) NETWORK: Tell others about this Quest and encourage them to help.
Post the URL for our Veteran Pentacle website to lists and websites
(http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle). Forward
this email on to others.

Thank you!

Circle Times: Sunday, July 9, 2006

.................................................................
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to http://www.circlesanctuary.org/network
and click the appropriate button, or contact
circle@circlesanctuary.org. Please note that in subscribing, it is
necessary to visit a URL to complete the process.

************************************************************

Freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions and freedom from "your" religion. ~http://radical.sapphoq.com .

sapphoq's ABCs 7/10/06

Here are my ABCs:

Addiction is not freedom.

Banned books and banned blogs have achieved a mark of excellence.

Change begins with me and gains momentum with us.

Distorted thinking yields distorted action.

Energy is recyclable.

Fear and faith can co-exist within the same dynamic space.

Great ideas often go unrecognized.

Healers cause ripples in the time-space continium.

It takes one person and a friend to start a revolution.

Joke 'em if they can't take a 6-23-3-11.

Kindness multiplies.

Life is neither fair nor unfair. Life is sacred.

Many heresies have shaped future realities.

Nature is indifferent to our pleas.

Opportunites are often created by those who seek them.

Parallel plains of existence are non-linear.

Quiet nourishes and restores the spirit.

Restoration may require further breakage.

Salt purifies and preserves.

Things do not bring happiness.

Using unnatural resources leads to unnatural dependencies.

Virginity is highly over-rated.

We are all alone in our own skins. [Thanks Nathaniel Branden].

Xenophobia is a sin.

Zealots of any kind are potentially annoying.

So there you have it, my ABCs inspired by a few blogs of ABCs that I have seen of late.

~spike q still drowning under the flood of 360 mail

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION NEWS 6/27/06

spike q writes:

Attacks upon freedom of electronic speech and net neutrality are on the rise. Personally, I would rather have the feds concentrate on the on-line predators-- especially pedophiles on blogging sites and in chatrooms-- than on a few people who are downloading songs from a pre-release promotional cd.

The large-scale piracy operations that crack software codes and then post pirated [stolen] copies of the software for the taking are quick to claim that money reportedly lost from people gathering information and material without paying for it is exaggerated. The large corporations retort that their figures are accurate. The truth may very well be somewhere in between.

Some musicians willingly release some of their work to the web to be downloaded by fans and others hate the idea. Two fans of Ryan Adams are facing federal charges. How many of us have tape recorded songs off of the radio when we were younger? or shared music with our friends? or watched videos on YouTube?

More info about these issues can be had at http://www.eff.org and at http://chillingeffects.org .

Also read about S.1932, The ART Act at http://www.publicknowledge.org/news/analysis/1932 .

Below is a news item which appeared in the Electronic Frontier Foundation newsletter lifted verbatim from the newsletter for the purposes of education. The EFF does not plan to sue me for sharing their words with you.

The EFF writes:

* DoJ Reports on Criminal IP Enforcement

This week the Department of Justice issued a 100-page

"progress report" measuring its activities in the

intellectual property arena (copyright, trademark, patents,

trade secrets). This "progress report" is fascinating

reading, describing the DoJ's current enforcement

priorities in the intellectual property realm.

The feds have been staffing up on cybercrime generally,

with more than 230 attorneys working either as CHIP

Coordinators or directly assigned to CHIP Units. The

number of CHIP Units around the country, moreover, has

nearly doubled from 13 to 25 since 2004. (CHIP Units are

specially-trained federal cybercrime prosecutors

concentrated in a particular region.) CCIPS has also

grown, with 35 attorneys, 14 of which are exclusively

devoted to prosecuting IP crimes. (Based in Washington DC,

CCIPS is DoJ's "brain trust" on cybercrime.)

The report mentions several high-profile copyright

enforcement actions, including the colorfully named

Operations Gridlock, Copycat, and Western Pirates. All of

the featured copyright prosecutions involve commercial

piracy or large-scale "release groups." (Notably

overlooked was the federal indictment in Nashville of two

Ryan Adams fans for uploading a few tracks from pre-release

promotional CDs.)

The report details a wide variety of new international

initiatives, including pressuring countries in treaty

negotiations, developing an international "24/7 network" of

law enforcement contacts for computer crime cases, and

adding DoJ "attaches" in Asia and Eastern Europe.

The report endorses the proposed Intellectual Property

Protection Act, which would dramatically expand the scope

of criminal copyright infringement, adding attempt

liability, conspiracy liability, and asset forfeiture. As

we've discussed previously, these proposals are an outrage,

effectively allowing the feds to put people in jail without

having to prove that any actual copyright infringement ever

took place.

All of this suggests that we can expect to see a marked

increase in criminal IP cases being brought by the DoJ.

For the full DoJ "progress report":

<http://www.eff.org/IP/criminal/DoJ-IP-Crime-Report-June2006.pdf>

For more analysis:

<http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004758.php>

Comments are welcome-- both pro and con! spike q

6/17/06-6/25/06

2006-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

WHAT WORKS IN ADDICTIONS TX 6/25/06

I have been in recovery from my addictions for a real long time. I did not get to go to rehab. The "treatment" I got was almost worst than my addiction. Here is my short list of what I think works:

1. Listen to what your customers [clients etc] are saying to you.

2. Remember that what is commonplace to you or acceptable to you may not be commonplace or acceptable to the person sitting across from you.

3. If someone has a traumatic brain injury, then treatment must be individualized totally for that person. Ditto for anyone with any mental health diagnosis-- 33% of all outpatient mental health clinic outpatients have an undiagnosed tbi. 47% of all traumatic brain injury survivors also have sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. If your customer is chronically tired, there might be a medical reason for it. Do not assume that you know more than medical professionals about other medical conditions. Do not think that other medical conditions are somehow less serious than addiction-- they aren't. We deserve the best care that we can get for all of our health issues, not just addictions. And remember: Cookie cutter treatment is insulting and demeaning.

4. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people cannot be "talked out of it."

5. Some of your customers may really hold a sincere nontheistic outlook on life. Telling them that any twelve step program's view of a higher power is not religious or to talk to their kleenex boxes or that they must believe does not work.

6. Get in touch with the Center for Inquiry in Amherst New York and read their literature. Become thoroughly acquainted with some alternatives to 12 step programs like:

secular organization for sobriety--save our selves, women for sobriety, zen buddhism, overcomers anonymous--for fundamentalist christians etc...

7. Take care of YOU. go to Alanon-- NOW. And get some good hobbies. You will need them. Regular exercise helps to relieve stress inflicted on any job dealing with people. Some of your co-workers will be far sicker than the customers and you will need to be able to cope with their quirks and energy-draining ways.

spike q

photo is from the Painter 8 WOW Book enclosed cd and owned by Corvis.com.

JEAN AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES 6/24/06

The painting is named The Valpincon Bather, created in 1808 by the artist Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It is royalty-free and copyright-free.

Dearest Readers, Fans, and Detractors,

I am exhausted. I have an obscene amount of mail in my 360 box to muddle through, an equally obscene amount of comments to review, plus keeping up with my on-line activities as an "owner" of one yahoo group and a "moderator" of a google group. I also have more paint shop pro ten [by Corel] techniques to learn and an off-line life to attend to. Nevertheless, I shall give you a brief tidbit to mull over until my brief hiatus from 360-ville comes to its' natural conclusion. Ready?

Today I have learned the following about the Digital Restriction-- I mean Rights, Media: it is ILLEGAL to have even a purely intellectual discussion about how to circumvent the "copyright protection" embedded into any cd or other object by the DRMA (association). This small piece of news can be found in the current issues of several magazines devoted to personal computing as well as in several books available at the larger chainstore bookstores.

This "copyright protection" is a bit of encrypted code and we are not allowed to discuss its' undoing. So don't discuss this, lest you be hauled off to jail. Discussing the how-tos of breaking this snippit of code is a crime.

The fact that api-ing or reverse engineering or ciphering the copyright protection is illegal means that the "copyright protection" can be really insecure and none of us can legally alert the DRMA to any possible security breaches. This is rather unfortunate news for those creators whom the RIAA and DRM are designed to protect. Regardless of which arguement [for, against or don't know] one favors concerning DRM, codes just like doggles can be defeated and will be. Those who desire increased security will not be able to assist the DRMA in reaching this aim.

Indeed, as the internet heads steadily towards the realm of big-ticket-companies' control, more and more restrictions will be placed on the average citizen. Imagine if you will, a world where your service provider can dictate which sites you will and will not be able to view. Thus, cable companies [who are opposed to net neutrality] can ban any websites that are in favor of the internet remaining unchained by political and big-business ideologies.

Recent news indicates that the chinese government has used yahoo account information to arrest a third dissident for looking up information related to such banned words as "freedom." Yahoo has denied knowledge or involvement with this particular act. Three men have been arrested. [Again, references have been made to this situation in current issues of magazines dedicated to personal computers as well as on-line.]

Some of us in the untied states appear willing to sell our freedom of electronic information in the name of some sort of false idea of security. This freedom risks becoming a memory on this side of the hemisphere.

spike q

A DISTURBING PARABLE 6/20/06

*I have copied this article called "The Right to Read" by Richard Stallman from the website of the FreeSoftware Foundation and have left intact the permission to copy it verbatim. Thank-you. ~spike q*

The Right to Read - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)

Translations of this page

The Right to Read

by Richard Stallman

This article appeared in the February 1997 issue of Communications of the ACM (Volume 40, Number 2).

(from "The Road To Tycho", a collection of articles about the antecedents of the Lunarian Revolution, published in Luna City in 2096)

For Dan Halbert, the road to Tycho began in college--when Lissa Lenz asked to borrow his computer. Hers had broken down, and unless she could borrow another, she would fail her midterm project. There was no one she dared ask, except Dan.

This put Dan in a dilemma. He had to help her--but if he lent her his computer, she might read his books. Aside from the fact that you could go to prison for many years for letting someone else read your books, the very idea shocked him at first. Like everyone, he had been taught since elementary school that sharing books was nasty and wrong--something that only pirates would do.

And there wasn't much chance that the SPA--the Software Protection Authority--would fail to catch him. In his software class, Dan had learned that each book had a copyright monitor that reported when and where it was read, and by whom, to Central Licensing. (They used this information to catch reading pirates, but also to sell personal interest profiles to retailers.) The next time his computer was networked, Central Licensing would find out. He, as computer owner, would receive the harshest punishment--for not taking pains to prevent the crime.

Of course, Lissa did not necessarily intend to read his books. She might want the computer only to write her midterm. But Dan knew she came from a middle-class family and could hardly afford the tuition, let alone her reading fees. Reading his books might be the only way she could graduate. He understood this situation; he himself had had to borrow to pay for all the research papers he read. (10% of those fees went to the researchers who wrote the papers; since Dan aimed for an academic career, he could hope that his own research papers, if frequently referenced, would bring in enough to repay this loan.)

Later on, Dan would learn there was a time when anyone could go to the library and read journal articles, and even books, without having to pay. There were independent scholars who read thousands of pages without government library grants. But in the 1990s, both commercial and nonprofit journal publishers had begun charging fees for access. By 2047, libraries offering free public access to scholarly literature were a dim memory.

There were ways, of course, to get around the SPA and Central Licensing. They were themselves illegal. Dan had had a classmate in software, Frank Martucci, who had obtained an illicit debugging tool, and used it to skip over the copyright monitor code when reading books. But he had told too many friends about it, and one of them turned him in to the SPA for a reward (students deep in debt were easily tempted into betrayal). In 2047, Frank was in prison, not for pirate reading, but for possessing a debugger.

Dan would later learn that there was a time when anyone could have debugging tools. There were even free debugging tools available on CD or downloadable over the net. But ordinary users started using them to bypass copyright monitors, and eventually a judge ruled that this had become their principal use in actual practice. This meant they were illegal; the debuggers' developers were sent to prison.

Programmers still needed debugging tools, of course, but debugger vendors in 2047 distributed numbered copies only, and only to officially licensed and bonded programmers. The debugger Dan used in software class was kept behind a special firewall so that it could be used only for class exercises.

It was also possible to bypass the copyright monitors by installing a modified system kernel. Dan would eventually find out about the free kernels, even entire free operating systems, that had existed around the turn of the century. But not only were they illegal, like debuggers--you could not install one if you had one, without knowing your computer's root password. And neither the FBI nor Microsoft Support would tell you that.

Dan concluded that he couldn't simply lend Lissa his computer. But he couldn't refuse to help her, because he loved her. Every chance to speak with her filled him with delight. And that she chose him to ask for help, that could mean she loved him too.

Dan resolved the dilemma by doing something even more unthinkable--he lent her the computer, and told her his password. This way, if Lissa read his books, Central Licensing would think he was reading them. It was still a crime, but the SPA would not automatically find out about it. They would only find out if Lissa reported him.

Of course, if the school ever found out that he had given Lissa his own password, it would be curtains for both of them as students, regardless of what she had used it for. School policy was that any interference with their means of monitoring students' computer use was grounds for disciplinary action. It didn't matter whether you did anything harmful--the offense was making it hard for the administrators to check on you. They assumed this meant you were doing something else forbidden, and they did not need to know what it was.

Students were not usually expelled for this--not directly. Instead they were banned from the school computer systems, and would inevitably fail all their classes.

Later, Dan would learn that this kind of university policy started only in the 1980s, when university students in large numbers began using computers. Previously, universities maintained a different approach to student discipline; they punished activities that were harmful, not those that merely raised suspicion.

Lissa did not report Dan to the SPA. His decision to help her led to their marriage, and also led them to question what they had been taught about piracy as children. The couple began reading about the history of copyright, about the Soviet Union and its restrictions on copying, and even the original United States Constitution. They moved to Luna, where they found others who had likewise gravitated away from the long arm of the SPA. When the Tycho Uprising began in 2062, the universal right to read soon became one of its central aims.

Author's Note

This note was updated in 2002.

The right to read is a battle being fought today. Although it may take 50 years for our present way of life to fade into obscurity, most of the specific laws and practices described above have already been proposed; many have been enacted into law in the US and elsewhere. In the US, the 1998 Digital Millenium Copyright Act established the legal basis to restrict the reading and lending of computerized books (and other data too). The European Union imposed similar restrictions in a 2001 copyright directive.

Until recently, there was one exception: the idea that the FBI and Microsoft will keep the root passwords for personal computers, and not let you have them, was not proposed until 2002. It is called "trusted computing" or "palladium".

In 2001, Disney-funded Senator Hollings proposed a bill called the SSSCA that would require every new computer to have mandatory copy-restriction facilities that the user cannot bypass. Following the Clipper chip and similar US government key-escrow proposals, this shows a long-term trend: computer systems are increasingly set up to give absentees with clout control over the people actually using the computer system. The SSSCA has since been renamed to the CBDTPA (think of it as the "Consume But Don't Try Programming Act").

In 2001 the US began attempting to use the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty to impose the same rules on all the countries in the Western Hemisphere. The FTAA is one of the so-called "free trade" treaties, actually designed to give business increased power over democratic governments; imposing laws like the DMCA is typical of this spirit. The Electronic Frontier Foundation asks people to explain to the other governments why they should oppose this plan.

The SPA, which actually stands for Software Publisher's Association, has been replaced in this police-like role by the BSA or Business Software Alliance. It is not, today, an official police force; unofficially, it acts like one. Using methods reminiscent of the erstwhile Soviet Union, it invites people to inform on their coworkers and friends. A BSA terror campaign in Argentina in 2001 made veiled threats that people sharing software would be raped in prison.

When this story was written, the SPA was threatening small Internet service providers, demanding they permit the SPA to monitor all users. Most ISPs surrender when threatened, because they cannot afford to fight back in court. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1 Oct 96, D3.) At least one ISP, Community ConneXion in Oakland CA, refused the demand and was actually sued. The SPA later dropped the suit, but obtained the DMCA which gave them the power they sought.

The university security policies described above are not imaginary. For example, a computer at one Chicago-area university prints this message when you log in (quotation marks are in the original):

"This system is for the use of authorized users only. Individuals using this computer system without authority or in the excess of their authority are subject to having all their activities on this system monitored and recorded by system personnel. In the course of monitoring individuals improperly using this system or in the course of system maintenance, the activities of authorized user may also be monitored. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of illegal activity or violation of University regulations system personnel may provide the evidence of such monitoring to University authorities and/or law enforcement officials."

This is an interesting approach to the Fourth Amendment: pressure most everyone to agree, in advance, to waive their rights under it.

References

The administration's "White Paper": Information Infrastructure Task Force, Intellectual Property and the National Information Infrastructure: The Report of the Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights (1995).
An explanation of the White Paper: The Copyright Grab, Pamela Samuelson, Wired, Jan. 1996
Sold Out, James Boyle, New York Times, 31 March 1996
Public Data or Private Data, Washington Post, 4 Nov 1996. We used to have a link to this, but Washinton Post has decided to start charging users who wishes to read articles on the web site and therefore we have decided to remove the link.
Union for the Public Domain--an organization which aims to resist and reverse the overextension of copyright and patent powers.

This essay is published in Free Software, Free Society: The Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman.

Safety Tips for Kids on the Net

1. Keep your computer in a common area in your home, like the living room or family room. If computers aren't in the bedroom, you're more likely to "check in" on their online activities and they are less likely to get into trouble on the Internet.

2. Talk to your children about appropriate behaviors on the Internet. It's important to stress that they simply don't know who could be on the other side of a chat session so they should never agree to meet someone in person.

3. If your kids use social sites like myspace.com, encourage them to use a nickname rather than their full name. They should NEVER give out personal information like a phone number or address.

4. Nothing can take the place of parents that play an active role in their children's online activities. However, parental control software adds a layer of defense that gives parents more control and further peace of mind. There are many programs on the market that make it easy to protect your kids on the Internet...

[The newsletter goes on to suggest one of the many products available on the market for parents to use to block objectionable sites from their children.]

These tips are good for adults to remember also.

spike q

crocodile pic listed as public domain on yahoo image search and colorized by spike q

6/4/06-6/17/06

2006-12-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

FROGS UPDATE 6/17/06

*tag made for me by a friend*

The frogs are all alive and well. The tadpole that I got for free some months back is still a tadpole. He has spotted up a bit and shows evidence of being male-- his throat is yellow. Because of his size, I am sure that he will be a bullfrog when he grows up. He and the feeder fish are swimming around with the catfishies. The catfishes actually seem to be happier for the company!

~spike q

CHOSEN 6/17/06

Yahoo has chosen to feature my 360 blog for a couple of weeks on a page for interesting and active blogs. I do have some new 360 friends now from that already and a bunch of new mail. I was not able to write back to everyone because of their mail settings.

~spike q

I'LL BE MAKING THE ROUNDS LATER TODAY 6/15/06

Missing all of yas!

I went to Pennsylvania to a conference. My good friend Philly Dave and I teach a workshop there every year on how to get published. This year the conference was in State College. I also got to be in the art show-- the curators downloaded my blogs with the computer art on it. The Crow also got compliments on his tag that he made for me.

While there, I read at the open mic, crashed a "spiritual practices" support group with two other pagan friends of mine-- the folks there were mostly uber-christians, and played tourist. I went to Bellefonte, a quaint tourist trap but I liked it.

I also went on a bus tour of the animals at Penn's Caves. While there, the driver told me that folks from a certain animal rights club showed up and kept showing up. During the tours, they would all complain about how mean it was that the wolves didn't have DOG HOUSES. The wolves do have a nice den on the other side of their mountain away from the tourists, but that was not good enough. Finally, the business was getting a little wrecked so the dog houses were bought. The wolves pissed on them and then totally destroyed them.

That little glimmer of wisdom demonstrates the key difference between animal rights activists and animal welfare activists. Animal welfare activists know that although dogs are descended from wolves, wolves do not want dog houses!

Take care of YOU!

blessed be,

spike q

NPR AND PBS 6/13/06

Subject: Save NPR and PBS (again)

Hi,

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Last year, millions of us took action to save NPR and PBS, and Congress listened. We can do it again if enough of us sign the petition in time.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/

Thanks

This message brought to you on behalf of MoveOn by spike q.

GONE GONE GONE for a bit 6/4/06

It so happens that I will be devo, in absentia, missing in action, hasta la vista baby and all of that until I come back to sit in front of this thing once again and chill your bones with angst and protests against censorship and other brain-numbing stuff.

So in the words of some famous relative whose name and bloodline I cannot quite recall--

LATER.

~spike q

5/19/06-6/1/06

2006-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

AN ACT OF DEFIANCE 6/1/06: I read banned blogs. That is what today's tag reads. And I do.

I do read banned blogs. I read blogs banned from 360-land. I read a few blogs that were banned from other places. I read banned blogs because they show THOUGHT, TALENT, and TRUTHFULNESS.

Do YOU read banned blogs?

Someday I hope to write a book that is good enough to get banned from some schools, libraries, AND countries.

Happy blogging!

spike q

ps I made the tag myself.
USA VS. MOSCOW ON GLBT STRUGGLES 5/28/06: The Sunday Gazette (the locally owned voice of the capital region)-- that is to say, newspaper (http://www.dailygazette.com) -- today, 5/28/06-- ran two articles in its' section A.

The headline of the first one (page A1) read: Will state let gays marry? (Appeals court to take up four cases this week, by Sara Foss) discussed the fact that "...the state's highest court is scheduled to hear arguments on the constitutionality of barring gays and lesbians from marrying."

The headline of the second one (page A5) read: Moscow gay pride parade thwarted (by Henry Meyer, The Associated Press) opened with "Gay rights activists were pummeled by right-wing protesters and detained by police Saturday, preventing them from putting on a display of gay pride in defiance of a city ban." The attempted parade was held yesterday. "Anti-gay" protesters were there as were the police. The organizer "ringleader" was "detained" by police ..."as he attempted to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a symbol of Russia's victory against fascism in World War II, just outside the Kremlin wall." Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia 13 years ago yesterday.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance. I hope that all of us remember those who have given their lives in service to the United States of America so that way we could live in freedom. In this country, we who are not heterosexual have the opportunity to argue for our civil rights in courts of law. Saturday was Moscow's first ever gay pride parade. We over here have been having parades for a number of years (thanks in large measure to the drag queens in the bars at Stonewall). We currently still have the right to peaceably assemble. People in other places do not.

I also hope that the Bureau of Veteran Affairs will realize that at least one of the vets that we honor tomorrow was a pagan. His widow awaits word on approval for his religious sacred symbol [and mine]-- the pentacle-- to be allowed to be carved onto his tombstone.

Memorial Day is not all barbeques and an extra day off from work. People had to die in order for us to have what we have today. Our own apathy is the surest way to guarantee that the government will continue to take away from us what we have taken for granted all of these years. In our struggle to obtain the same civil rights that heterosexuals take for granted, let us not forget that people in other places are struggling to hold gay pride parades.

It is a long way that we have yet to go. It is also a long way that we have come. It takes one person and a friend to start a revolution. Change begins with me and gains momentum with us.

~spike q
BALLS TO THE WALL 5/22/06: The other day, I picked up after my husband and put something away. Then he picked up after me and put something away. I was thinking about that later on and I told him, "We are like two dogs chasing each other's balls."

~spike q
HITLER IS ALIVE AND LIVING IN IRAN 5/20/06: 6/20/06 NOTE: The following story is a total fabrication.

I would like to thank the Sword of Damocleus for

pointing this out to me.

Just goes to show that fraud can slip past any of us.

~spike q

Iran eyes badges for Jews

Law would require non-Muslim insignia

Chris Wattie

National Post

Friday, May 19, 2006

Jews were made to wear stars to identify them in Nazi Germany.

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.

Jews were made to wear stars to identify them in Nazi Germany.

"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.

"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," said Rabbi Hier. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this."

Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said he was "stunned" by the measure. "We thought this had gone the way of the dodo bird, but clearly in Iran everything old and bad is new again," he said. "It's state-sponsored religious discrimination."

Ali Behroozian, an Iranian exile living in Toronto, said the law could come into force as early as next year.

It would make religious minorities immediately identifiable and allow Muslims to avoid contact with non-Muslims.

Mr. Behroozian said it will make life even more difficult for Iran's small pockets of Jewish, Christian and other religious minorities -- the country is overwhelmingly Shi'ite Muslim. "They have all been persecuted for a while, but these new dress rules are going to make things worse for them," he said.

The new law was drafted two years ago, but was stuck in the Iranian parliament until recently when it was revived at the behest of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa refused to comment on the measures. "This is nothing to do with anything here," said a press secretary who identified himself as Mr. Gharmani. "We are not here to answer such questions."

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has written to Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, protesting the Iranian law and calling on the international community to bring pressure on Iran to drop the measure.

"The world should not ignore this," said Rabbi Hier. "The world ignored Hitler for many years -- he was dismissed as a demagogue, they said he'd never come to power -- and we were all wrong."

Mr. Farber said Canada and other nations should take action to isolate Mr. Ahmadinejad in light of the new law, which he called "chilling," and his previous string of anti-Semitic statements.

"There are some very frightening parallels here," he said. "It's time to start considering how we're going to deal with this person."

Mr. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly described the Holocaust as a myth and earlier this year announced Iran would host a conference to re-examine the history of the Nazis' "Final Solution." He has caused international outrage by publicly calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Iran does not yet have nuclear weapons, but Tehran believed by Western nations to be developing its own nuclear military capability, in defiance of international protocols and peace treaties.

The United States, France and Israel accuse Iran of using a civilian nuclear program to secretly build a weapon. Iran denies this, saying its program is confined to generating electricity.

cwattie@nationalpost.com

© National Post 2006

spike q sez: thanks and a big shout out to friend neal for sending this article on to me. why isn't this being publicised more? if this is accurate, why aren't we filling the streets in protest? have we forgotten the holocaust in our collective indifference? regardless of any personal political idealogies, i believe that all of us should be upset enough to do something instead of sitting on our buttocks being seduced by the internet and teevee into believing that all is right with the world.

6/20/06 My apologies for helping to spread a lie. spike q
THANKS BUNCHES, CONGRESS 5/19/06: DOUG THOMPSON
May 19, 2006, 09:37

© Copyright 2006 by Capitol Hill Blue

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8663.shtml

Sadly, homophobia rules in the United State Senate.

I suppose I should expect such intolerance in a legislative body ruled by the Republican Party - the home of racists, bigots and hate. Led by the biggest homophobe of all - President George W. Bush - the GOP continues to represent repression at the highest level.

The latest assault comes at the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a session so heated that Democratic member Russ Feingold stalked out as Chairman Arlen Specter chanted "Good riddance!"

The committee, in a private session, approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage - just the latest Republican assault on liberty - a measure that mandates that marriage is only legal between a man and a woman.

Bush, the homophobe-in-chief, declared the constitutional amendment a major part of his "political capital" after the 2004 election. His fellow homophobes in the Senate appear determined to back his bigoted ways.

I'm not surprised. I worked with enough Republicans while in Washington to realize the party is overrun by gay-bashers, racists and bigots. What they call "family values" is nothing more than a call to arms against anyone who doesn't buy into their limited, hate-filled view of life. What they call decent is nothing more than old-fashioned intolerance at its worst.

These right-wing fanatics tout the Bible when they think they have found an obscure verse that supports their narrow-minded views and then ignore the overall teachings of religion that promote love and tolerance. Not surprisingly, they treat the Constitution with the same, callous disregard.

Bush claims to be a Christian but calls the Constitution "just a goddamned piece of paper." In fact, "goddamn" is one of Bush's favorite obscenities. At the very least, this is odd behavior for a so-called Christian.

But I don't, for a second, believe Bush is a Christian or a religious man. He is an opportunist who uses religion as a political tool as do far too many of the so-called family-value Republicans who infect Congress like a rampaging cancer.

True Christians would not promote the hate, intolerance and bigotry that come out of Congress. True Christians would not continue to back an illegal invasion of another country, one that had led to the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and many thousands of Iraqi civilians.

True Christians would not try to amend the U.S. Constitution to declare love the sole province of heterosexuals.

True Christianity cannot exist in a Congress ruled by the Republican Party.

sapphoq comments: it is indeed a sad day when the politicians and the president of the untied states think it is their christian duty to deny an entire segment of our population the rights, responsibilities, and protections inherent in officially-recognized marriage. people who object to same-gender marriages shouldn't do it! calling us "anti-family" and denying us legal recognition of our families in the same breath keeps us glbt CITIZENS as extra-legals. thanks for less than nothing oh un-sacred governing body of this great land. ~spike q not feeling the love today

ps thanks to my sister ischade for forwarding this article

5/1/06-5/19/06

2006-12-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

BACK ON FRIDAY 5/14/06

I made the tag myself.

I will not be on the internet again til Friday folks. Then I will read blogs and tell yas more bout what I been doing.

spike q

PERSPECTIVE 5/9/06

Try on this perspective of the world around us!

If we could shrink the earth's

population to a village of precisely

100 people, with all the existing

human ratios remaining the same,

it would look something like

the following:

57 asians,

21 europeans,

14 from the west, both the northern and southern hemispheres, and

8 africans;

52 females,

48 males;

70 non-whites,

30 whites;

70 non-Christians (not the same 70),

30 Christians (not the same 30);

89 [assumed] heterosexuals,

11 [assumed] homosexuals,

[n.b. they forgot the bisexuals];

6 people possess 59% of the entire world's wealth--

all 6 are from the United States;

1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education,

70 would be unable to read,

1 would own a computer;

80 would live in substandard housing,

50 would suffer from malnutrition;

1 would be near death,

1 would be near birth.

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the

need for acceptance, [celebration of diversity], and education becomes glaringly apparent.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are

more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the

danger of battle,

the loneliness of [false] imprisonment,

the agony of torture,

or the pangs of starvation then

you are ahead of 500 million

people in the world.

If you can [choose to] attend

[or choose to not attend]

a temple,

church or other religious

meeting without

fear of harassment, arrest,

torture, or death

you are more blessed

than three billion people in the world.

If you have food in the

refrigerator, clothes on

your back, a roof overhead

and a place to sleep,

you are richer than 75% of this

world.

If you have money in the bank,

in your wallet, and spare

change in a

dish someplace...you are

among the top 8% of

the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still

alive, you are very rare,

even in the

United States and Canada.

If you can read this message,

you are more

fortunate than over two

billion people in the

world that cannot read at all.

thanks jennifer for passing this on. ~spike q

TRADING UP 5/7/06

For all who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you open a box of chocolates:

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally.

"What in bag?" asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the white bag and said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband".

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."

joke sent by friend sandi. tag by spike q

good nite all! spike q

NULA: A VERY SPECIAL DOGGIE 4/3/06

Our niece Driftwood Ohana is in the Rainbow Family. Her beloved dog Nula died recently. She has graciously given me permission to share this tribute with you. ~spike q

Driftwood Ohana:

For 9 years, I have shared my life & experiences with my best friend, my dog Nula. The story of how she came to be in my life is a long and strange one, involving tripping hippies living in the Daniel Boone Nat’l Forest, a local hillbilly with a litter of 4 weeks old pups, a drunk redneck with a gun, and a lot of eccentric energy. I won’t get into the details, I’ll just say that for those of us who went along on the drive to get Nula, [Su-Ma, Puck and PhoxPhyre) it was memorable.

When Nula came to live with me, she was only 5 weeks old. It was a cold April, and I was living in a tent in the National Forest with my tribe of rainbow brothers and sisters that went by the name of Ohana. It was a point in my life of extreme change, introspection, growth and strange & unusual experiences.

Nula was the prettiest little puppy you’ve ever seen. She was mostly black with some white patches and spots, and soulful brown eyes that expressed love and a quirky canine impishness that would later reveal itself quite strongly. I knew almost immediately that she was an old soul in a new body from the way she related to me. She understood far more than a puppy normally does.

Nula is a Celtic name that I had learned from a movie where a Selkie woman went by the name Nula, and it seemed to fit her sweet puppy face perfectly. She had long, seal-like whiskers and big, round brown eyes. She also seemed to have a human understanding of some things. Later, Daddy Chris added on to her name, making her full name Nula Bird.

Nula. New Love. This was my baby, my child, and she would grow to be my ever-present faithful companion. For the first weeks she lived with me, I bottle fed her. She was a greedy little thing, often climbing on top of her brother in her hurry to get to the bottle. Her brother went on to live with friends of mine, Leprechaun and Pixie, but later died of Parvo, a common disease in the Kentucky area at that time. They buried her on a friend’s farm, which Nula and I would later move to and live on for a year or so.

Together Nula and I traveled across America, going to rainbow gatherings, protests, Earth First! and other social-political events; meeting all manners of people along the way. We camped in dozens of national Forests over the years, where she could run free, roaming and exploring and getting dirty in all manners of ways, which seemed to be a real point of pride for her. We lived in an old conversion van along the blue highways of America off and on. She was fierce when it came to protecting our space; I always felt safe camping alone in the van or woods with Nula at my side. As time went on, we lived in lots of different parts of the country in various interesting situations. For a while we lived up in a holler in Kentucky, then on a friend’s old tobacco farm. At another time, we lived in a house by the ocean in Massachusetts, where she got to run on the beach several times a week, chasing the waves and digging holes to bury her rock du jour. We spent some summers in Olympia, Washington, living on a friends houseboat, and then later in an apartment down town. She very quickly took to running alongside me as I road the bike paths in Olympia, Tumwater and later in Gloucester. She came with me to Beltane celebrations, work sessions at the Procession of the Species studio, and was even with me the day I sailed a Snark out onto a windless Puget Sound and got stuck far up the sound with no wind to bring me home.

We were fortunate enough to get out to my grandmothers’ summer place on a little island in Maine several times over the years, which is a wonderful place to hike, bike, beach, swim and relax. Granny always made us so welcome there, as she is an animal lover just as much as me. Nula loved it on the island. My granny’s cottage has a woodstove and a fireplace, and in the chilly mornings and evenings, Nula would find herself a cozy spot in front of one of these heat sources’ and sprawl out asleep. She was like a possum, in that one eye would occasionally open to investigate her surroundings, and especially to keep track of whether food was being prepared.

She was a tough dog. At one time in Kentucky, she was attacked by 3 neighboring dogs that were wolf mixes. She had over 20 sets of bite marks on her little 35 pound body, but what was worse was they had ripped her soft tummy open and her intestines spilled out. It was a serious assault, but thanks to the help and skill of two friends James and Little Hawk, we cleaned her up; using leather working needles, we were able to sew her belly back up. Briefly after that experience, her spirit seemed broken, but she was a resilient dog and before long, she bounced back. Several years ago, a vet discovered a large cancerous tumor on her side, which was removed with very wide margins. The healing process for that was well over a month, but once again, she bounced back. Last summer she was involved in an accident with the tractor, which left her left leg dislocated, but thanks to a good local vet, he got it back in place and had her in a cast for a while recovering. She always had a limp after that accident, but even so, that didn’t slow her down.

Nula loved to run. She loved to romp and chase sticks and roam in the woods. I took her hiking a lot in the early days; of course, she was always as far ahead of me as her leash would allow. She was tireless, which came from being a mixed breed of Border Collie and Blue Healer. For a long time she would go to work with me when I did in-home hospice care, patiently waiting for me while my 8, 16 and 24 hour shifts dragged on. There eventually came a point when she had to spend more of her time at home because she was an anxious biter, and there had been some situations with her snapping at people who approached her. After that, coming home to her was always the highlight of my day.

For the past 4 years, we lived happily with my husband Greg in our suburban home, which has a large yard and gardens, and even a tiny amount of woods out back. I always knew it wasn’t the perfect situation for Nula, who needed to be free to run, but we did the best we could with her. She got walks and playtime and on lucky occasions, expeditions to our friend Kim’s mountain, where she could run free with Kim’s 2 dogs. Across the street from our subdivision is a creek where I would take Nula every day after work during the summer where she could swim and chase sticks.

My love for this dog went beyond that which one has for a pet. She was my child, my best friend; she needed me just as much as I needed her to need me. I spoiled her, maybe too much. I overlooked her bad habits on too may occasions. But I did it out of my strong love for her. Life is a learning experience, and she taught me so much that I am thankful for. I learned lessons from her that will one day be valuable to me when Greg and I have a child. She taught me the true meaning of unconditional love and devotion.

2 weeks ago, I let Nula out at bedtime and she wandered off. This was nothing unusual, although not something I liked, but it was the way she was. She was a wandering dog from the day she came to live with me, was accustomed to being able to roam about, and every now and then, she took off from my suburban home. In the past she had always come home within a couple hours, so when she wasn’t home by morning, I was concerned. During the day while we were at work, a friend came by and tried to find her, even going so far as to visit the nearby construction site Nula loved to hang out at, but the workers there hadn’t seen her.

When I got home from work, I got on my scooter and went up and down every road in our little town, looking for her. Greg did the same when he got home, and it was then that he found her. She had wandered too far the previous night, all the way down to the highways, and had been hit. Going to collect her body was awful; she was pretty tore up, and to see an animal that you so greatly love, in that state, is a horrible thing to go through.

We brought her home at dusk and over the next few hours, chose a place to bury her out back, and Greg dug her grave. For me, it felt as though I had lost my child, as though it were a part of me we were burying there in the spring moonlight. Nula had been with me through all my travels and experiences, knew all my friends who are now scattered around the globe and out of touch. She was the link to an important part of my past, where I had done the most growing and learning. The thought that her body was in a bucket waiting to be buried about killed me. It was then I understood the power of keening, as I tried to come to grips with the idea that my best friend had been killed. I felt such immense guilt for having let her out and wander off, that I wished I could have crawled down into her grave with her.

We buried her by a tree that had been blown over by a tornado 2 springs past. It had been one of the largest trees in our yard. When the tree went over, we removed most of its limbs, but half the root system was still in the ground, so we left the trunk and some of the larger limbs, curious to see if it would continue to live. Now, every spring, it blossoms in beautiful white flowers and continues to send lots of new growth out. It’s a very impressive tree, with a strong will to adapt and survive. There’s a new perennial garden that’s been planted in the past year along the edge in front of the tree, most of which are plants that were given to me for my bridal shower. It seems to be a place of healing and shifting energy, and a perfect place to bury such a funny little fuzzy faced friend. As I learned later, there is already a cat and a dog of Greg’s resting there, Love and Ginger.

We put Nula in the ground the same night we found her, buried alongside her favorite toys and leash. I couldn’t bear to think of her being there without a part of me always there with her, so my bundle of dreadlocks that I had cut off years ago went in with her, as well. There’s just no easy way to put a beloved friend in the ground, knowing you will never again get to hold them, pet them, or look into their eyes. We gave her a spiritual sendoff, nose pointing north, the nag champa smoke curling around the air and into our senses. Together Greg and I placed our hands over her heart and sent her off with the most powerful love we have for her, we prayed for her transition into her new form, and spoke our heart songs to her. Then slowly we buried her, a handful of dirt at a time.

Although this sweet dog is gone, her presence has stayed in our home. I still greet her spirit morning and night, and when I’m planting in the garden by her grave, which is quickly turning into a memorial garden for her, I can feel her presence there with me. I know she’s there, moseying around the yard, pawing the grass and occasionally wallowing in the sunshine. Eventually we will plant a Kentucky Redbud for her, to give her shade in summer. This is the place where my spirit dog rests.

Oh My Gods! : May 1st, 2006

Oh My Gods! : May 1st, 2006 <-----pagan comics for the rest of us. go check em out. a day without a belly laugh is like a sandwitch without a pail and shovel. enjoy! blessed be! ~spike q

4/19/06-4/27/06

2006-12-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

SPIKE's OWN SURVEY 4/27/06

spike q's very own survey:

1. How long have you been here on 369? I dunno.

2. Do you have any 369 buds that were banned that you miss? Yes. Though we still keep in touch in other ways.

3. Do you have other blogs? Yes. Blogspot, msn spaces, and on a couple of my subdomains.

4. Do you have more than two e-mail addys? Yeah. So?

5. Why do you blog? Because it is there.

6. What is your take on internet censorship? Stone the pedophiles. Leave everyone else alone. Parents, do your job. Supervise your kids.

7. Are you a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation? Why or why not? Yes because I am committed to bloggers' riots.

8. Have you ever bought anything impulsively off of the internet? Yeah, it was a fix-the-pc program called pc something or other. I was sorry later that I wasted my money. The stupids drop malware into your puter and then sell you their crap to supposedly "fix it." The malware causes screens to appear which claim that a lot of stuff needs "repair" on the puter during a "free" trial. Bastards!

9. Have you ever joined a webring? Yes, once. Now I am trying to join others but am having difficulty with the code.

10. Do you have static websites? Yeah, don't shoot me.

11. Are you a hacker? No. I do recognize that hackers really know their stuff when it comes to shortcuts and security vulnerabilities. Ergo I read their books, 2600, and Blacklisted 411.

12. Are you a fan of opensource software and legal downloads? Oh yes. I am a regular visitor at http://www.sourceforge.net and at http://downloads.com .

13. What is the future of the internet? I view the internet as becoming more regulated and favoring the wishes of the big corporations. That makes me sad.

~spike q

MONTGOMERY COUNTY ny SUPERVISORS DISCRIMINATE 4/27/06

Montgomery County Supervisors turned down a Union proposal to allow domestic partners of county employees to become eligible for health insurance. Odd that most of the reasons cited in the 4/26/06 front page article of The Recorder were related to values held by the Supervisors themselves.

Apparently, couples who share interfinancial responsibility and long-term commitment ought to get married. The "traditional" family is threatened when couples don't tie the knot. Those who don't get married should "pay for their lifestyle."

Because same-gender relationships in the State of New York are extra-legal, Montgomery County continues to discriminate against an entire segment of its' employees. It is a sad day whenever some human beings are denied employment benefits that other human beings take for granted. Once again, prejudice has prevailed.

~enraged spike q

pic is from http:www.godhatesshrimp.com

MENOPAUSE OR PMS 4/21/06

Q: How many women with MENOPAUSE or PMS, does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the #&%!* light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !! .

I'm sorry. What was the question?

thanks to sandi b for sending me this.

~sapphoq

MORE QUESTIONS 4/19/06

1.ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
appendix died.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
icons.

3. WHAT DOES YOUR CELL PHONE LOOK LIKE?
i am happily unplugged.

4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO?
alot, i love techno.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
yeah.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
to write and get a book published that is good enough to be banned.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
innocence.

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?
true friendship.

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SMELL?
violets.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
no, not anymore.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED OF THE DARK?
no, i thrive in the dark.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
yuck!

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR IS APPEALING TO YOU ON A POTENTIAL DATE OR MATE?
[CENSORED BIG-TIME].

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO AT?
over dinner in a restaurant.

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS?
coffee.

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
artichoke hearts and black olives together.

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
ice cream and chocolates.

19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON WHO BECAME ANGRY AT YOU?
maybe the other driver that i flipped off.

20. DO YOU SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE?
yes, several.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT YOUR FIRST DATE GAVE YOU:
a class ring which i threw out.

22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
yes but not as much as i like my dog.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
no, i'm having enough trouble with the single ones.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
free or cheap.

25. WHAT`S YOUR DREAM CAR?
mercedes benz fully loaded.

27. WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR DREAMS?
becoming a cultural icon.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
tell 'em.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
that's stupid. 6-21-3-11.

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN?
867-5309

33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
people who don't think.

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR HOME COUNTRY?
yes.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
a touch of laziness.

36. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?
mexico.

37. FIRST JOB?
getting out of childhood alive.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
yeah. so???

39. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS SURVEY?
reading mm's blog from whence this survey cometh.

40. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
that's a big NO.

41. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
cuz.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
talent.

43. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
nothing. i don't drink anyways having left that behind years ago for people better equipped to handle it.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
to be alive and thriving.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
human kids? it didn't happen so that's that.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
no.

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
no.

48. WHICH FINGER[S] IS/ARE YOUR FAVORITE?
[CENSORED].

49. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
this morning at a wake.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
i don't hate it but i can't read my own handwriting too well either.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
ice cream.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
i'm defensive.

53. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?
i'm not embarrassed by any of them.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
sure i would.

55. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
yeah.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
in this society, yes.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
anger is my truest friend.

58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
in the water. i swim like a fish.

59. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY?
trust has to be earned or it is folly.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
bicycle.

61. WHAT ARE THE FIRST THREE NUMBERS IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
6-21-3-11; oops, that's four.

62. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL?
canines, felines, amphibians, reptiles. four again.

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
no, i employ it.

64. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
no, i'm older than that there.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A DATE OR MATE?
humor, use of brain power, productivity, ability to love.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
sapphoq. as in http://sapphoq.com

68. DO YOU UN-TIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
more often no than yes.

70. WHAT`S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
i haven't met many flavors i don't like.

71. DO YOU LIKE STRAWBERRIES?
yeah.

72. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE COLORS?
blues, greens, purples, reds. oops, four again.

73. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE? two, but wisdom "teeth" are not truly teeth.

74. WHO DO YOU MISS MOST RIGHT NOW?
gramma

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
naw, i got no expectations.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
cpu.

~spike q

why are you doing this poll?

cuz it's "there.": 5
cuz i am desperate and need to be heard.: 0
i'm not doing this poll. obviously you have mistaken me for someone who is.: 1

WHAT AGE DO YOU ACT? 4/19/06

The quiz said I am twenty years old.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

go here to take the quiz---> http://www.blogthings.com/whatagequiz/

from denise's blog, thanks denise! from spike q

what age do you act?

under 12: 0
13-19: 1
20-29: 1
30-39: 1
over 40: 0
I'm as old or as young as I feel!: 3

3/27/06-4/13/06

2006-12-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

WHY AM I DOING THIS 4/13/06

from the 360 blog of a witchy wolfe

1::Name:: spike q
2::Single or Taken:: Taken
3::Sex:: oh yes!!! [i am woman, i think what it meant to ask]

4::Siblings:: 2 half-sisters unrelated to each other
5::eye color:: steel blue

6::Shoe size:: 8 and 1/2
7::Height::5"5'
8::Innie or Outie:: innie
9::Righty or lefty:: both since tbi but i used to be righthanded

10::Can you make a dollar in change right now:: yeah

11::Who is your closest friend:: blondie, hubby, ellie, philly dave
12::Do you have a BF or GF:: no, i'm married
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Favorites

13::Kind of pants:: jeans
14::Number:: 11
15::Animal:: FROGS, doggie, kitties, snakes, catfishies, snails

16::Drink:: diet coke
17::Sport:: Swimming, not really a sport tho

18::Month:: today
19::Juice:: cranberry
20:: Breakfast:: ice cream
21::cartoon:: get fuzzy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have You Ever..

22::Given anyone a bath?:: Yes
23::Smoked?:: yes. quit.

spike q's 24:: got drunk?:: yes. no more.

25::Made yourself throw-up?:: yes. once when i was really sick and the garlic didnt work

26::Put your tongue on a frozen pole:: yes
27::Loved someone so much it made you cry?:: yes
28::Broken a bone:: yes
28::Played truth or dare:: yes
29::Been in a police car:: yes

30::Been on a plane:: yes
31::Came close to dying:: yes
32::Been in a sauna:: yes
33::Been in a hot tub:: yes
34::Swam in the ocean:: Yes
35::Fell asleep in school:: Yes

36::Ran away?:: yes
37::Broken someone's heart:: yes
38::Cried when someone died:: yes
39::Cried in school:: yes
40::Fell off your chair:: yes.

41::Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call?::no

42::Saved AIM convos:: got no clue what this question means!

43::Made out with just a friend?:: yes
44::Used someone:: yes when i was younger
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
What is...

45::Your good luck charm?:: pentacle
46::Best song you ever heard:: bob dylan, early
47::What's your room like:: messy
48::What is beside you?:: chair
49::Last thing you ate: jelly beans
50::What kind of shampoo do you use?:: pert plus

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever Had...

51::Chicken pox:: yes
52::Sore Throat:: yes
53::Stitches:: yes
54::Broken nose:: yes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You...

55::Believe in love at first sight:: sort of
56::Like picnics:: yes
57::Like school:: college yes. high school NO.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions:

59::Who was the last person you called:: janet

60::Who was the last person you slow danced with?:: hubby
61::Who makes you smile:: hubby, doggie
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who?

62::Did you last yell at:: hubby
63::Broke your heart:: kevin, chris
64::Told you they loved you?:: hubby, doggie
65::Who's your loudest friend?:: missy

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

66::Do you like filling these out:: no but i do them anyways

67::Do you wear contact lenses or glasses:: glasses

68::Do you get along with your family:: sometimes

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Questions:

69::What are you listening to right now?:: cpu making cpu noises

70::What did you do yesterday?:: i dont know
71::Gotten any awards?:: yes

72::What car do you wish to have:: a horse
73::Where do you want to get married?:: did that

74::Good driver?:: hell yeah.
75::Good singer?:: not since tbi
76::Have a lava lamp?:: no

77::How many remote controls are in your house?:: 2 or 3

spike q's 78:: Favorite room in the house? sunroom, yard

79::When did you last shower?: today
80::Scary or Funny Movies:: Funny

81::Chocolate or Vanilla:: Chocolate
82::WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A KLONDIKE BAR::pay for it

83::Skiing or Boarding:: cross country skiing and snowshoeing
84::Summer or winter?:: summer
85::Silver or Gold?:: both

86::Sprite or 7up:: 7up
87::Coffee or tea:: both
88::Phone or in person:: both

89::Are you oldest, middle, youngest out of your sibilings?:: Oldest
90::Indoor or outdoor:: both
91::Diamond or pearl:: both
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today did you:

92::Talk to someone you liked:: yes
93::Buy something:: yes
94::Get sick:: No
95::Sing:: no
96::Talked to an ex:: hell no
97::Miss someone:: yes

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last person who:

98::Saw you cry:: hubby
99::Made you cry:: dont remember

spike q's 100:: You cursed out:: james

101::You went to the mall with:: janet
102::Ever been in a fight with your pet:: no
103::Been to California:: no not yet
104::Been to Mexico:: yes and going back
105::Been to Canada:: yes and going back
106::Been to Europe:: not yet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random.....

107::Do you have a crush on someone:: yes
108::Best feeling in the world:: self-esteem
109::Worst feeling in the world:: pointlessness

110::Future KIDS names::my only kids are the pets and they name themselves

111::sleep with a stuffed animal:: not now.

112::What's under your bed:: the carpet, books

113::Favorite sports to watch:: hockey, competitive swimming, ironman contests

114::Favorite Location:: the woods
116::What are you scared of:: burn out, violence, what we are doing to each other in the world.
117::Who do you really hate?:: the cold slut

118::Have you ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with?:: yes

119. Have you ever cried:: yes
120::Are you lonely right now:: no
121::Song that's stuck in your head right now:: none
122::Have you ever played strip poker:: yes

123::Have you ever been on radio/TV:: yes and in newspapers too.
124::Have you ever been in a mosh-pit:: no

125::Ever liked someone but thought they never noticed you?::
yes
126::Last person you talked to on the phone?:: janet
127::Your Favorite Food?:: pizza, pasta, italian, polish

128::Are you too shy to ask someone out?:: no
129::Hugs or Kisses?:: Both

130::Butter, Plain or Salted popcorn?:: butter and salt and hot sauce

131::Dogs or Cats?:: Both
132::Have you ever fired a gun?: yes, beebee guns
133::How many pillows do you sleep with?:: 1

134::Do you hate immature people?:: no
135::Who are you missing right now?:: gram

do it if you want to. dont if you don't.

~spike q

DEAR DOGS AND CATS 4/12/06

thanks to portly irishman for sending me the pict and thanks to shy dragon for sending me the dear dogs and cats letter below

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The

other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print

in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming

your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the

slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating

me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall

faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about

this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your

comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It

is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the

fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and

having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but

sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.

If by some

miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not

necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the

edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door

I entered.

Also, I have been using the bathroom for years --canine or feline attendance

is not mandatory.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I

cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on

our front door:

All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.

(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)

3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less

2. Don't ask for money all the time

3. Are easier to train

4. Usually come when called

5. Never drive your car

6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends

7. Don't smoke or drink

8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions

9. Don't wear your clothes

10. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children

IT'S 10 P.M. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR DOG IS???

~spike q

Got pets?

dog(s) and/or cat(s) and something else like fish: 2
frogs!!!!: 0
only the human kind: 1
dog or dogs only: 1
cat or cats only: 2
snake or snakes only: 1
do lice or crabs count?: 0

4/10/06 Americans United: 'Faith-Based' Initiatives / Taxpayer Funded Religious Discrimination

excerpt from:

Americans United: 'Faith-Based' Initiatives / Taxpayer Funded Religious Discrimination

With increasing frequency, opponents of church-state separation are working to pass laws granting tax dollars to churches and other houses of worship to perform government-sponsored social services. This proposed merger of government and religion represents a serious threat to religious liberty. Despite constitutional concerns, high-ranking political leaders, including President George W. Bush, have made these laws a major priority. In the process, the controversy has become one of the leading domestic policy debates in America. If proposals to force taxpayers to fund religious ministries are implemented, the consequences would be a sweeping assault on the First Amendment's separation of church and state. [end of excerpt]

~so what IS the problem? the problem is that our taxes are being diverted to organizations with religious agendas for the provision of social services, counseling, drug rehabs, vocational assistance and more. said organizations are allowed to discriminate in hiring even while using federal funding. said organizations [usually] include conversion to their ideologies as part of their mission statements. said organizations do not remain effectively neutral in providing services to their customers.

want more info: goto http://www.au.com .

hiya barry lynn!!!!! keep up the good work. only don't forget that some of us a.u. members are WITCHES.

~spike q witch

FOUR 4/1/06

Four Jobs I've had in my life:

throwing up

cleaning up

mopping up

getting up

Four movies I would watch over and over:

Sybil

Tina Turner concert vid

Harry Potter

50 First Dates

Four places I have lived:

Essex County NJ-- Newark, Orange, South Orange

Baton Rouge LA

Hiserville NY

Four TV shows I love to watch:

The Sopranos

The Investigators

FBI Files

Cold Cases

Four places I've been on vacation:

Lavalette NJ

Chebeague Island ME

Myrtle Beach SC

Bermuda

Four websites I visit daily:

http://sapphoq.com

http://healingtbi.sapphoq.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofsapphoq

http://www.medscape.com

Four of my favorite foods:

chocolate ice cream

pierogies with fried onions

knishes

pasta

Four places I would rather be right now:

tropical beach

mexico

bookstore

on a cruise ship

Four friends that I have tagged who I think will respond:

i don't tag anyone. anyone who will.

~spike q

"the kitty compels you" is from jenny breedly's comics site

ACTUAL NEWSPAPER ADS 3/27/06

~courtesy of night owl~

THESE ARE ACTUAL NEWSPAPER ADS!

1.) FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little dog. Bites .

2.) FREE PUPPIES: 1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

3.) FREE PUPPIES... Part German Shepherd, part stupid dog.

4.) FREE GERMAN SHEPHERD 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German.

5.) FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG. Looks like a rat been out awhile. Better be

a reward.

6.) COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED...Also 1 gay bull for sale.

7.) NORDIC TRACK: $300 hardly used, call Chubby.

8.) GEORGIA PEACHES, California grown - 89 cents lb.

9.) JOINING NUDIST COLONY! Must sell washer and dryer $300.

10.) WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE. WORN ONCE BY MISTAKE. Call Stephanie.

AND THE BEST ONE...

11.) FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica - 45

volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000 or best offer. No longer needed,

got married last month. Wife knows everything.

Night Owl

we will never forget our owlie! spike q

3/10/06-3/24/06

2006-12-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

59 QUESTIONS 3/24/06
time consuming questionnaire i lifted from zara's blog just because
1. What time did you get up this morning? way too early!

2. Diamonds or pearls? both

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? brokeback mountain

4. What is your favorite TV show? the sopranos

5. What did you have for breakfast? not yet, but im fixing to have ice cream

6. What is your middle name? spike

7. What is your favorite cuisine? italian, then polish

8. What foods do you dislike? lima beans

9. What is your favorite chip? tortillas w lime

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? techno

11. What kind of car do you drive? this thing i drive, is it a car???

12. What is your favorite sandwich? meatball parm, real veal cutlet parm-- apologies to the mistreated baby cows

13. What characteristic(s) do you despise? busybodies, loud, know-it-alls

14. Favorite clothing? jeans and tees

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? spain, italy, all of mexico cuz i'm gonna live in mexico when i retire

16. What color is your bathroom? weird pale green

17. Favorite brand of clothing? cotton

18. Where would you want to retire? cave in mexico on the beach with hot springs, cable tv, and a high speed internet connection. coconut trees and frogs. my own mexican island

19. Favorite time of day? the moment

20. Where were you born? hospital

21. Favorite sport to watch? strong man iron

22. Who do you least expect to add this to their blog? d.k.

23. Who do you most expect to add this to their blog? d.k.

24. What type of detergent do you use? "EX-tra"-- it is cheap and i'm not allergic to it!

25. Coke or Pepsi? diet Coke with lime or cherry

26. Morning person or night owl? sleepy person

27. What size shoe do you wear? 8 and a half

28. Do you have pets? yes, dog, 2 cats, upto 15 frogs at any one time, catfishes, and one snail

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? I think the tadpole is developing legs! My own domain is slowly becoming functional.

30. What did you want to be when you were little? to get out of childhood alive

31. Favorite candy bar? anything chocolate

32. What is one of your best childhood memories? the ocean and the woods

33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? tutoring, working in group homes, getting promoted beyond my ability just like my bosses, stained glass, part-time toll collector, nurses assistant

34. What color underwear are you wearing? still in pjs

35. Tattoos? no

36. Eye color? grayish blue

37. Ever been to Africa? not yet

38. Ever been toilet papered? No

39. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes

40. Disney or Warner Brothers? d.k.

41. Croutons or bacon bits? Both, but they gotta be homemade

42. Favorite day of the week? today

43. Favorite restaurant? neighborhood diners

44. Favorite flower? forgetmenots, tulips, lilacs

45. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate Chip cookie dough

47. Favorite fast food restaurant? don't like em.

48. What color is your carpet? tan

49. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Once

50. Who sent you your last email? friendsofsapphoq yahoo egroup

51. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? been there done that aint doin it agin

52. What do you do most often when you are bored? puter

53. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? d.k.

54. Last person you went out to eat with? husband

55. Ford or Chevy? Dodge

56. What are you listening to right now? curtains in the dryer

57. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? dinosaurs laid eggs

58. How many people do you think will copy this into their blogs? d.k.
59. Why are you doing this? d.k.

Have a froggie day!

~spike q froggie gurl
DESERTED ISLANDS.....3/23/06: DESERTED ISLANDS.... where the men are men and the sheep are scared!!!

A Zealander was washed up on a beach after a terrible shipwreck.

Only a sheep and a sheepdog were washed up with him.
After looking around, he realised that they were stranded on a deserted island.
After being there a while, he got into the habit of taking his two animal companions to the beach every evening to watch the sun set.
One particular evening, the sky was a fiery red with beautiful cirrus clouds, the breeze was warm and gentle - a perfect night for romance.
As they sat there, the sheep started looking better and better to the lonely Kiwi. Soon, he leaned over to the sheep and put his arm around it.
But the sheepdog, ever protective of the sheep, growled fiercely until the man took his arm from around the sheep.
After that, the three of them continued to enjoy the sunsets together, but there was no more cuddling.
A few weeks passed by and, lo and behold, there was another shipwreck.
The only survivor was a beautiful young woman, the most beautiful woman the man had ever seen. She was in a pretty bad way when he rescued her and he slowly nursed her back to health.
When the young maiden was well enough, he introduced her to their evening beach ritual.
It was another beautiful evening - red sky, cirrus clouds, a warm and gentle breeze - perfect for a night of romance. Pretty soon, the Kiwi started to get "those feelings" again.
He fought the urges as long as he could, but he finally gave in and leaned over to the young woman, cautiously, and whispered in her ear, "Would you mind taking the dog for a walk?"

The domain is slowly getting organized. Anyone wanna have a gander, it's at http://sapphoq.com.

spike q
DEAR TIDE 3/23/06: Dear Tide,
I am writing to say what an excellent product you have! I've used it all of my married life, as my mom always told me it was the best. Now that I am in my fifties I find it even better! In fact, about a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse. My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to belittle me about how clumsy I was, and generally started becoming a pain in the neck.
One thing led to another and somehow I ended up with his blood on my new white blouse!
I grabbed my bottle of Tide with bleach alternative, and to my surprise and satisfaction, all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative and then my attorney called and said that I was no longer considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband. What a relief! Going through menopause is bad enough without being a murder suspect! I thank you, once again, for having a great product.
Well, gotta go, have to write to the Hefty bag people.

Sincerely,

Hillary

**********************************************************************

Have a lovely day all,

~spike q
THINGS GOIN' DOWN THE TOILET??? 3/20/06: http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/toilets.html

pict is from the website link above---some folks making their own humanure compost toilets and recycling gray water.

happy spring!

~spike q
YAHOO SACKS 3/10/06: a wee bit of fun from http://www.jjchandler.com/tombstone

i "made it" me own self.

teeheehee.

~spike q

3/2/06-3/9/06

2006-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

THE SOPRANOS AND MY ITALIAN HERITAGE 3/9/06: click the link and then watch the return of the cast of the hbo show the sopranos--->NJ.com: News Video

pic is from bronderbundprintmaster16gold.

**************************************************************

THE SOPRANOS AND MY ITALIAN HERITAGE

i love the sopranos! i grew up in new jersey. i have italian ancestors. the show reminds me of home in a lost era to me now.

~spike q
CHRISTIAN STATE OF MISSOURI 3/5/06: http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/biltxt/intro/hcr0013i.htm

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 13

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

4572L.02I

Whereas, our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation; and

Whereas, as citizens of this great nation, we the majority also wish to exercise our constitutional right to acknowledge our Creator and give thanks for the many gifts provided by Him; and

Whereas, as elected officials we should protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs while showing respect for those who object; and

Whereas, we wish to continue the wisdom imparted in the Constitution of the United States of America by the founding fathers; and

Whereas, we as elected officials recognize that a Greater Power exists above and beyond the institutions of mankind:

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, that we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of America.

~a very sad and frightening commentary on the times that we live in and on our rapidly escalating theocratic union.

thanks ischade for sending this to me

~spike q enraged
NEW DOMAIN 3/4/06: i am having an experience or three managing my new domain. hopefully i will be visiting blogging buddies sites monday or so. forgive me please. this weekend is becoming a long strange trip.

~spike q
ANOTHER POEM FOR MARIE WHO DIED 3/2/06: another poem for marie who died.

i remember cruising with you down the boulevard
in your little blue car. we talked about quakers
and poets and traumatic brain injury and art
and reasons for things that had no reasons
and the moon and the stars and vision.

we were the hood sisters, you said. we both wore
our gray hooded sweatshirts proudly,
with the zippers down. you in your french chapeau
and me in a faded baseball cap trying to keep
the sun out of my eyes-- we both
had overcome so much, had lived through
so many nightmares. we laughed richly
knowing that the regular people
and the therapists and the docs and the mhps
did not know, would not know, and
could not know the utter joy
of it all, of dreaming, of being.

our laughter was the sound
of distant worlds colliding--
we didn't know it that summer.
the sticky sweetness of rita's ice
and of hindi tobacco and women singing
in graceful saris gave way to a bitter
bitter reality for which even the poets
had no words.

you left that early november
morning when the church bells
were numb before even god
could wake and smile.

~spike q
THE FROG by Hilaire Belloc 3/2/06: The Frog

Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As "Slimy skin," or "Polly-wog,"
Or likewise "Ugly James,"
Or "Gap-a-grin," or "Toad-gone-wrong,"
Or "Bill Bandy-knees":
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.

No animal will more repay
A treatment kind and fair;
At least so lonely people say
Who keep a frog (and, by the way,
They are extremely rare).

Hilaire Belloc

*************************

*thanks again ischade from spike q*

as most of you know, i love frogs and in particular i love MY frogs. ronskis gave me the nick froggie gurl and i have kept that. it only seemed fitting to post a poem celebrating the frog. have a froggie day! ~spike q

2/20/06-3/1/06

2006-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

ANNOUNCING A NEW BLOG 3/1/06: *blondie*

***********

goto http://sapphoqreviews.blogspot.com to check out my book reviews which i just started "the other day."

this does not mean that i don't love yas anymore. i am just branching out. a few of you might be aware that once in awhile i am given to polluting the waters of blogger with http://sapphoqnfriends.blogspot.com so sapphoqreviews is merely another miniadventure, eh?

sometime this week, i also hope to be launching my own domain. thanks jeremy crow you sweet thing for the info leading to that decision.

meanwhile, back at the hovel, doggie has completed her first formal obedience lesson and did indeed learn that it is not absolutely necessary for her to play catchup when i am walking her and there are four other doggies with their people ahead of her.

~spike q, blondie's proud mommy
RAGINGGRANNIES.COM 2/25/06: RAGINGGRANNIES.COM

http://www.raginggrannies.com are out there doing it! they are saying NO to illegal wiretapping, they are having tea with military recruiters, asking embarrassing questions about supplying body armor to our troops in iraq... go check out their link please. makes me want to live in san francisco or san mateo so i could join up. or at least maybe take a field trip out there.

many thanks ischade for the link!

~spike q
THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER AND THE CREATION OF THE MULTIVERSE 2/22/06: pict is from *http://www.venganza.org* found in yahoo search

THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER AND THE CREATION OF THE MULTIVERSE

Dear readers, there are indeed volcanoes in Alaska . They were placed there by our matriarchial deity [n.b. those who say that the FSM is a "he" got it wrong] the Flying Spaghetti Monster who rains down parmesan cheese upon the faithful.

Once upon a time in a time that was not entirely so long ago as it turned out, some townsfolk in Dover Pennsylvania wanted their publicschool children to be taught about Intelligent Design . Other townsfolk didn't. A judge ruled that Intelligent Design is NOT science. Some churchfolk had already ruled that evolution is a thought-theory. The Devil had placed signs and wonders upon the earth-- such as fossils-- in order to confound the sinners and confuse the faithful. Now that the Dover judicial system has come out of the closet on the side of Darwinism, it has been rumored that-- should Dover Pennsylvania ever experience a natural disaster, supernatural help in the form of "Intelligent Design Master please get us out of this one" will not be forthcoming. It appears that both human and divine help were rather lacking when Katrina initially descended upon the poorer sections of New Orleans. Therefore, it is doubtful that anyone in Dover Pennsylvania perceives this as much of a threat.

The mythos of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was created by humanists -- a very naughty word, dear readers-- in response to the denial by the creationist emcampment that Intelligent Design is a back-door way to sneak the book of Genesis into public schools.

As for me and my house , the idea of the Flying Spaghetti Monster sounds rather cheesy. Cheesy is a fun word that means "right up my alley." Actually the alley is on the left of my humble abode but no matter.

The problem with freedom of expression is that some folks may use freedom of expression to say things that other folks may not like to hear . The christians blog about things I may not like. I blog about things they may object to. Yahell wipes all the blogs written by creative sexy women under the terms of the TOS agreement. TOS is a word that means ThrowOutStuff- as-per-the-whims-of-the-censors. Certain government agencies regularly inspect the communications of anyone judged to be not in favor of theocracies . Meanwhile, everyone has forgotten the back button.

So if everything that everyone objected to was not allowed to be communicated in a public forum, there would not be much left. That is the risk we take when we proclaim that we are on the side of freedom of expression and we want bloggers' rights . Some of our comrades will take the opportunity to get on electronic soapboxes that just are not popular.

So if it ain't popular , does that mean we get to riddle it with holes ? Or can we respect the rights of adults to think, say, and do things in the company of other adults that we ourselves have no interest in? Aye, there's the rub. What would Voltaire do ?

~spike q
KWAN YIN 2/22/06: click here for singing to and picts of Kwan Yin----------------------------------------------------------------------------->THE LEGEND OF MIAO-SHAN KUAN YIN, GUAN YIN

pict of kwan yin came from website above.

happy healing!

~spike q
YOU TUBE 2/20/06: YOU TUBE is the name of a site that shows short clips. it is a fully searchable database.

for various short video clips, goto http://www.youtube.com

anyone who is a christian may not want to view the clip below that i am recommending.

**************************** to see a short clip of a modern jesus singing "i will survive" click here ------------------>YouTube - Jesus Will Survive <------------------------------------

pic is from an e-card that a friend sent me today thru americangreetings.com

have fun if you want to.

~sapphoq

ps you tube can be found in yahoo search

* blogging sapphoq

This blog has moved

1/19/07-

11/20/06-12/19/06

11/15//06-11/17/06

Links

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10/20/06-11/4/06

What is your opinion on the recent Kerry episode?

Have you installed the new Internet Explorer 7 browser?

9/24/06-10/3/06

What do you think?

9/8/06-9/18/06

8/23/06-8/29/06

Is the United States government becoming a fascist government?

I will be away until Sunday night and without a computer where I am going. I will leave you with three things:

The lyrics to Joe Hill sent to me by Opossum TreeHugger.

Joe Hill

What do you think about the teacher in Louisville Kentucky who burned flags in his classroom?

8/20/06-8/21/06

8/13/06-8/17/06

8/9/06-8/12/06

Criticism

O Lebanon, Stand Firm!

7/29/06-8/7/06

What statement closest resembles your thoughts on chain e-mails?

6/27/06-7/29/06

Here is a list of Questions taken from http://www.eff.org . The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a watchdog group working to keep our internet freedoms from eroding more than they have already. They encourage bloggers and others to reproduce the article below:

Frequently Awkward Questions for the Entertainment Industry

Learn More About These Issues

Music

Video

6/17/06-6/25/06

The Right to Read

Table of Contents

Author's Note

References

This essay is published in Free Software, Free Society: The Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman.

Other Texts to Read

Safety Tips for Kids on the Net

6/4/06-6/17/06

5/19/06-6/1/06

5/1/06-5/19/06

4/19/06-4/27/06

why are you doing this poll?

what age do you act?

3/27/06-4/13/06

Got pets?

3/10/06-3/24/06

3/2/06-3/9/06

2/20/06-3/1/06