tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-326226922024-03-07T04:06:53.211-05:00Blazing Indiscretions“Scandal is merely the compassionate allowance which the gay make to the humdrum. Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people.” - [H.H. (Hector Hugh) Munro] Saki (1870–1916), Scottish author. Reginald, in “Reginald at the Carlton,” Reginald (1904)JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.comBlogger2084125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-91423238863431612562015-05-20T09:06:00.000-04:002015-05-20T09:06:34.876-04:00Disingenious GreenwashingI don't know why anyone is surprised by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/19/peabody-energy-exploited-ebola-crisis-for-corporate-gain-say-health-experts">this</a> any more.</br><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Public health experts involved in the response to the Ebola crisis have condemned what they described as a ludicrous, insulting and opportunistic attempt to exploit the disease for corporate gain by the world’s largest privately-held coal company.<br />
<br />
As part of a PR offensive to rebrand coal as a “21st-century fuel” that can help solve global poverty, it has emerged that at the height of Ebola’s impact in Africa, Peabody Energy promoted its product as an answer to Africa’s devastating public health crisis.</blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-39860852748585696842015-03-23T11:10:00.001-04:002015-03-23T11:10:44.528-04:00Water in PalestineYesterday was World Water Day. Today, Juan Cole has a report posted, <i><a href="http://www.juancole.com/2015/03/control-continuing-palestinians.html">Israeli control of their water a continuing threat to Palestinian</a></i> Surely, important to read as I've always thought the control of water as a resource would reach crisis proportions in this century. It's happening now. JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-17673442375136292015-03-23T11:01:00.000-04:002015-03-23T11:01:13.444-04:00Water and FarmingWendell Berry: <a href="http://m.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/03/farmland-without-farmers/388282/">As agribusiness replaces men with machines, the American landscape loses its stewards, and the culture they built. </a><br />
<br />
Related: <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/03/20/solve-californias-water-crisis-we-must-change-nations-food-system">The California drought and the need to change the nation's food systems</a>. JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-89517673035808380002015-03-23T10:49:00.000-04:002015-03-23T10:49:46.250-04:00Word"My personal ideal of feminism is not one in which women of the
ruling class have equal power with men of the ruling class, while poor
men and women go to hell <span class="text_exposed_show">together. This
is, however, because my ideal of feminism requires a general commitment
to social justice and human dignity. A liberation which sets some women
free to humiliate and exploit others is no liberation."</span> - D. A Clarke , Unleashing FeminismJayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-61162215013453958712014-12-27T13:30:00.001-05:002014-12-27T13:34:10.807-05:00 "I'm from Missouri--you'll have to show me."Richard Seymour has recorded segments for Tariq Ali's series on Telesur. The
latest is a review of the media's performance on Ferguson, Mo. Put some of this in context while digesting the media's coverage of
Antonio Martin or Tamir Rice.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_nyC0-CPUbI" width="560"></iframe> JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-32756454149381409652014-11-27T10:29:00.000-05:002014-11-27T10:30:19.720-05:00On This Thanksgiving Day<a href="http://www.wisdomportal.com/Gratitude/DeniseLevertov-Gratitude.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Poetry on Gratitude</span></a><br />
Denise Levertov:<br />
<i>That Passeth All Understanding</i><span style="font-size: small;"> - </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Oblique Prayers</i><br />
New Directions, New York, 1984, p. 85</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">An awe so quiet<br />
I don't know when it began.<br />
<br />
A gratitude<br />
had begun<br />
to sing in me.<br />
<br />
Was there<br />
some moment<br />
dividing<br />
song from no song?<br />
<br />
When does dewfall begin?<br />
<br />
When does night<br />
fold its arms over our hearts<br />
to cherish them?<br />
<br />
When is daybreak?</span></blockquote>
<i>Praise Wet Snow Falling Early - </i><br />
- New Directions, New York<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> (1995)</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Praise wet snow<br />
falling early.<br />
Praise the shadow<br />
my neighbor's chimney casts on the tile roof<br />
even this gray October day that should, they say,<br />
have been golden.<br />
Praise<br />
the invisible sun burning beyond<br />
the white cold sky, giving us<br />
light and the chimney's shadow.<br />
Praise<br />
god or the gods, the unknown,<br />
that which imagined us, which stays<br />
our hand,<br />
our murderous hand,<br />
and gives us<br />
still,<br />
in the shadow of death,<br />
our daily life,</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">and the dream still<br />
of goodwill, of peace on earth.<br />
Praise<br />
flow and change, night and<br />
the pulse of day.</span></span></span></blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-29107089545816288232014-11-12T09:04:00.000-05:002014-11-12T09:04:45.467-05:00Tomas Young, R. I. P.Tomas Young, one of the first Iraq veterans to publicly oppose the war, passed away on Monday, November 10, 2014. He was 34 years old. He was shot and paralyzed shortly after he started his tour of duty. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. May he never be forgotten. Bill Moyers interviewed Phil Donohue and Ellen Spiro about their documentary Body of War, which was about Tomas Young: <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/33221282" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-14832650404200116052014-10-10T10:33:00.001-04:002014-10-10T10:33:02.751-04:00Terminology: women, words, and violence<a href="http://gendertrender.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/is-transgender-the-get-out-of-rape-free-card-twitter-rapist-dana-mccallum-walks-free/">GLOSSWATCH</a>, always good:<br />
<blockquote>
Anyhow, today I am angry. I am angry because <a href="http://valleywag.gawker.com/twitter-engineer-dana-mccallum-pled-guilty-to-two-misde-1643207780?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_twitter&utm_source=gawker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow">a violent male has been sentenced to four days</a>
– just four days – in prison for a sustained sexual assault on a female
victim. We are required to refer to the perpetrator as a “she”. We are
asked to call the rape of a woman, using a penis, a “lesbian” assault.
We are expected not to call this male violence, for that would make us
“violent TERFs”. But it is male violence. It is. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
If there is a problem with terminology here – if the right to
self-define clashes with the right to call violence by its proper name –
then that problem is not caused by feminists. It’s caused by males who
rape women and all those who refuse to identify them as such. It’s
caused by a gender hierarchy which non-feminists both defend and refuse
to acknowledge. Feminists don’t owe anyone a solution to the linguistic
contradictions emerging from this mess. It’s not for us to tiptoe around
with language so that no one feels “erased” by the description of a
male penis violating female flesh. It’s not our fault. We didn’t create
this gender hierarchy. We challenge it. If you prefer to micro-manage
it, making tweaks here and there while those at the bottom of the pile
continue to suffer, go ahead. But again you are not a feminist.</blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-88701098725893831412014-09-22T10:38:00.000-04:002014-09-22T10:44:36.490-04:00310,000 can't be wrongSurely not; 310,000 marched in NYC. <b>Matt Sutkowski</b>, <a href="http://mattsweatherrapport.blogspot.com/2014/09/huge-throng-at-climate-march-but-will.html">writing</a> about yesterday's global climate march, praises the intent if
the marchers, but wonders if the momentum for policy change will be
maintained - and will the politicians listen? He's got his doubts, and
so do I. (<b>Juan Cole's</b> <i>Informed Comment</i> gives <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2014/09/climate-massive-rallies.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook">background</a> on their effectiveness, with a little history about these protests.). It's all about momentum. Sustained momentum. <br />
<br />
Because there's this, from the Guardian: <br />
<h1 itemprop="name headline ">
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/20/us-climate-change-aid-poor-nations-un-summit"><span style="font-size: small;">US will not commit to climate change aid for poor nations at UN summit</span></a></h1>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-70755340339280542432014-09-17T10:16:00.002-04:002014-09-17T10:29:59.223-04:00Tear Downs. Progress in Houston?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJE6Kw_jTwRUtWpsOhbHTxmNPmhGtU_CBg0lgpCFQn47ghR4GjMhIarQs6a3spDnpom5OCutnfBXAhwS33lV8z4OApWSZt5ZV8DeMYQ-RvDdi1xwE70ZjnjAdCFnvCrFSCfGY/s1600/josephine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJE6Kw_jTwRUtWpsOhbHTxmNPmhGtU_CBg0lgpCFQn47ghR4GjMhIarQs6a3spDnpom5OCutnfBXAhwS33lV8z4OApWSZt5ZV8DeMYQ-RvDdi1xwE70ZjnjAdCFnvCrFSCfGY/s320/josephine1.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2014/09/builders-tear-down-josephine-apartments/#26798101=0">HOUSTON CHRONICLE REAL ESTATE BLOG</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Demolition crews began taking down the 1930s-era Josephine Apartments this morning. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In May, </span><a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Art-deco-Josephine-Apartments-face-uncertain-5471897.php?cmpid=twitter-premium&t=9b5f0aab427b6b599e" style="line-height: 1.5em;" target="_blank">the Houston Chronicle reported the 75-year-old complex was sold to Tricon Homes</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">,
a local homebuilder known for putting up new townhomes in Inner Loop
neighborhoods. At the time, the company said it did not know what plans
it had for the complex, which sits the corner of Ashby and Bolsover in a
Southampton neighborhood.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The complex was built in 1939 by architect F. Perry Johnson with
one-bedroom units arrayed in a U-shape, a floor plan common to that time
period. The exterior is notable for horizontal bands of dark brown
brick on the sides and parapets to mask the roof. The units, roughly 750
square feet each, have hardwood floors and faux fireplaces. The
original owners had it built with central air conditioning to make the
units more marketable. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The residents were previously asked to move out by July.</blockquote>
Well, there ya go. I lived in this neighborhood. These are charming 1930's Art Deco apartments in Houston gone to be replaced by cheap yuppie hovels. Another neighborhood trashed. <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Years ago, I'd take out of town visitors on the <a href="https://aiahouston.org/v/site-home/ArCH-WalkingTours/3r/">AIA Houston walking tours.</a> On one tour, the guide pointed out the <a href="http://www.houstondeco.org/1920s/medical.html">Medical Arts Building</a> and sadly commented that the next day it would be demolished. True, it had fallen on bad times, and when I saw it </span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">in the early 80s it was filthy and neglected, but the design and detail were memorable. </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo5UlqtbtvQ0AUeG6xgXN5-LeKNjuOttC0kZ6OLTdO2dAUBIGccHclM0m_6XJyWHt8uZTR5N-5h-uskEFfwwZg8fthZ_ps6IKarqOUeS1KXaM6__DaPwZO3wGICjzk5VibzpR/s1600/medical+arts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo5UlqtbtvQ0AUeG6xgXN5-LeKNjuOttC0kZ6OLTdO2dAUBIGccHclM0m_6XJyWHt8uZTR5N-5h-uskEFfwwZg8fthZ_ps6IKarqOUeS1KXaM6__DaPwZO3wGICjzk5VibzpR/s1600/medical+arts.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">If
a town has no historic features left, it shows itself to be
short-sighted and lacking in the ability to recognize what is valuable
and in the innovation necessary to repurpose and preserve old
structures. </span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">But the developer who bought the Josephine Apartments property clearly didn't want to do that. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".fi.1:3:1:$comment10154588658840072_10154590210930072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">WASHINGTON POST: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/15/an-economic-defense-of-old-buildings/">An economic defense of old buildings</a></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
Jane Jacobs, a woman akin to the patron saint of urban planners,
first argued 50 years ago that healthy neighborhoods need old buildings.
Aging, creaky, faded, "charming" buildings. Retired couples and young
families need the cheap rent they promise. Small businesses need the
cramped offices they contain. Streets need the diversity created not
just when different people coexist, but when buildings of varying
vintage do, too. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
"Cities need old buildings so badly," Jacobs wrote in her classic<i> </i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/17/reviews/jacobs.html">"The Death and Life of Great American Cities,"</a> "it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them.” </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
Ever since, this idea -- based on the intuition of a woman who was
surveying her own New York Greenwich Village neighborhood -- has been
received wisdom among planners and urban theorists. But what happens
when we look at the data? </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org/">National Trust for Historic Preservation</a>
has tried to do just this, leveraging open property-parcel data in
three cities to analyze the connection between the kinds of places
Jacobs was describing and the numbers that economists and businesses
would care about: jobs per square foot, the share of small businesses to
big chains, the number of minority- and women-owned businesses. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
The <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/sustainable-communities/green-lab/oldersmallerbetter/">novel geospatial analysis</a>,
drawn from the District of Columbia, Seattle and San Francisco,
suggests that older, smaller buildings do matter to a city's economy and
a neighborhood's commercial life beyond the allure of affordable
fixer-uppers. In Seattle, the report found one-third more jobs per
commercial square foot in parts of town with a variety of older, smaller
buildings mixed in. In Seattle <br />
<del>San Francisco</del>, it found more
than twice the rate of women and minority-owned businesses. In the
District, it found a higher share of non-chain businesses. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
The
findings don't necessarily mean we should save all old buildings from
demolition, or even that one old building is better than one new one.
But they give preservationists (and Jane Jacobs enthusiasts) new data in
fierce development debates over how rapidly changing and relatively
older cities like Washington should grow.</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credits - Josephine Apartments, <a href="http://www.preservationhouston.org/">Preservation Houston</a>. Medical Arts Building post card photo, CardCow.com.
</span>JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-27486312482094368082014-09-11T12:04:00.000-04:002014-09-11T12:16:54.243-04:00Bridging the gendered toy gap<a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/education/2014/09/bridge-gendered-toy-gap-we-need-spend-less-time-celebrating-femininity-and-more"><b>NEW STATESMAN</b>, <i><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span>Glosswitch usually nails it</i></a>: 'We are happy to allow girls to indulge in equality
make-believe every now and then (check out these pink NERF guns!), just
as long as boys are not being unmanned by insufficiently boisterous play
(indeed, it has reached a stage where some parents might even question
whether a boy who likes Disney princesses, Hello Kitty and My Little
Pony can be a boy at all). It is as though girls, preparing for a life
of flexible multi-tasking, must bend to different roles, whereas boys
must remain static and fixed. Gender liberation itself is run along
strictly gendered lines.'JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-65328145087237684402014-09-11T11:27:00.000-04:002014-09-11T11:42:21.314-04:00Is that who we are now?<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<div class="_wk mbm">
<span class="userContent"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_5411bcbc5ff350307439472">
<span class="userContent">"Oh
no … really? Is that who we are now? Blind, unquestioning, warlike? Are
we that violent, that childish, that silly, that shallow? Are we that
afraid of others? Of ourselves? Of the possibility of genuine change?
Are we that easily swaye<span class="text_exposed_show">d, that capable
of defending “American interests”, whatever “American interests” means?
Are we that racist, that terrified, that protective of an idea that we
don’t even question what the idea has come to represent?"</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">"There’s
another way I look at the Twin Towers that’s perhaps more specific to
myself. Every time I look at where they used to be, I try to think about
New Yorkers in the 1960s and 70s who were horrified when they were
built. The towers that were going up must have destroyed not just the
skyline but, in their minds, also what the downtown stood for. So, I
guess, historically speaking, I feel sad about the towers being there in
the first place, although architecturally they were pleasant enough to
look at from my late-70s forward perspective. And if nothing else, the
Twin Towers helped the direction-impaired (me) know which way was north
and south. And there were some great, wild dance parties at the rooftop
restaurant. It was a moment and that moment is gone. But I am being
nostalgic here and romantic." </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569797525072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".5l.1:3:1:$comment10154569779285072_10154569804025072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">"Someone
asked me, “Do you think children born after, say, 1994, will ever feel
the same things about 9/11 that people born before then feel?” More and
more, what we “feel” about collective history seems like something
manufactured, and kind of pumped into us, rather than a real emotion.
It’s all so framed by the sense that reality doesn’t exist any more, or
at least not in a way that is alterable or questioning. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">-- Michael
Stipe - </span>the former REM frontman on Douglas Coupland’s 9/11-inspired artwork and the images<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/10/michael-stipe-rem-douglas-coupland-artwork-haunt-us"> that still haunt the US</a></span></div>
<span class="userContent">
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JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-40668177278231120522014-09-10T16:16:00.000-04:002014-09-10T16:16:53.228-04:00I AM NOT GENDER PROUD<div class="aboveUnitContent">
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<span class="userContent">Oh dear... here's a poster I saw this morning on City Market's notice
board:</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUVfVvItVvCjrjCHKNHUl_aAxEsP-QKb9AkI-21s4aBLi_UPEXluY9fjpeuKHcXOcNiVyas8A0fYZUY8dpaVDRPV7fydPVEKErrocorOyYbe1jNsDiKTpGODrMRgcRblO8ib1/s1600/genderproud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUVfVvItVvCjrjCHKNHUl_aAxEsP-QKb9AkI-21s4aBLi_UPEXluY9fjpeuKHcXOcNiVyas8A0fYZUY8dpaVDRPV7fydPVEKErrocorOyYbe1jNsDiKTpGODrMRgcRblO8ib1/s1600/genderproud.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">I
am not gender proud. Gender is a hierarchical structure that favors
patriarchy and oppresses women. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">I found this tweet:</span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5W6JDSpt-R53M2Pshuy71Cqjl0ETdZhVXz_5kZaYGXSZBNZCEvALynltQ2d1eNU0nW0OAtu9IluYLIdtoVnTA3zhxR5dDIGLfMUC1NbBm0O3oCJnYKjMB9OVP6OOAap4LcNI/s1600/gender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5W6JDSpt-R53M2Pshuy71Cqjl0ETdZhVXz_5kZaYGXSZBNZCEvALynltQ2d1eNU0nW0OAtu9IluYLIdtoVnTA3zhxR5dDIGLfMUC1NbBm0O3oCJnYKjMB9OVP6OOAap4LcNI/s1600/gender.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wikt4OlRPxqp5ijY4c3Gb42KihxaV97lwP_6bSy_gjbjiNCHG-zMxfezgub8yAyiRoem29s19DRlLiHKsxLWIHDEPxJP4WCVclaNYQ6aqMaBHT71qH7SgLqMW2LjcRNQjokI/s1600/gendercritical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wikt4OlRPxqp5ijY4c3Gb42KihxaV97lwP_6bSy_gjbjiNCHG-zMxfezgub8yAyiRoem29s19DRlLiHKsxLWIHDEPxJP4WCVclaNYQ6aqMaBHT71qH7SgLqMW2LjcRNQjokI/s1600/gendercritical.jpg" height="294" width="320" /></a></div>
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JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-20074771102441767582014-09-10T16:05:00.000-04:002014-09-10T16:05:37.049-04:00Thus Speaketh NPR's New BossSo, along with news, underwriter announcements are choreographed on NPR. Peter Hart on Common Dreams: "Anyone who listens to NPR has heard plenty of corporate sponsorship announcements, and some listeners have raised substantive questions about whether those financial ties compromise NPR's journalism.... According to the new boss, nothing's going to change–you're just going to hear more about 'brands that matter' because you'll be 'interested' in them."<br />
<br />
Here's a part of his interview with <strong>On the Media</strong>'s Bob Garfield (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI9izR6KvOk&list=UUh_HwmAnbMJZ9JbOOJgIA0A">9/5/14</a>):
<br />
<blockquote>
<strong>GARFIELD:</strong> You've said you can generate a lot more underwriting revenue than<strong> NPR</strong>
has been getting, that we've essentially been undervaluing our ad
inventory, considering the size and affluence of our audience. Which
makes perfect sense, but it also infuriates and terrifies some listeners
who fear for <strong>NPR</strong>'s independence, and for its very soul. What can you say to talk them down? </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<strong>MOHN:</strong>
They're not going to, as a listener, notice anything different. We're
not talking about adding more units to each hour. The only thing that I
think they might perceive differently is that we're going to be talking
about brands that matter a little bit more to them, ones they're
interested in. And we're going to ask for larger commitments from these
underwriters…. The audience is growing. It's not just affluent, it's a
smart audience and it's very engaged. What more could a brand want than
this type of audience?</blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-29886303830599959122014-09-03T11:01:00.000-04:002014-09-03T11:01:25.857-04:00It's right out of a Kafka novel, only this is real. This is happening now in the USA.Jeffery Goldberg wrote on September 1st in <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/in-cambridge-md-a-soviet-style-punishment-for-a-novelist/379431/">The Atlantic:</a><br />
<blockquote>
From the Dept. of Insane and Dangerous Overreactions to Fictional Threats: </blockquote>
<blockquote>
A 23-year-old teacher at a Cambridge, Maryland, middle school has been placed on leave and—in the words of a local news report—"taken in for an emergency medical evaluation" for publishing, under a pseudonym, a novel about a school shooting. The novelist, Patrick McLaw, an eighth-grade language-arts teacher at the Mace's Lane Middle School, was placed on leave by the Dorchester County Board of Education, and is being investigated by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office, according to news reports from Maryland's Eastern Shore. The novel, by the way, is set 900 years in the future.</blockquote>The story gets murkier and murkier. There are updates if you scroll down the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/in-cambridge-md-a-soviet-style-punishment-for-a-novelist/379431/">link</a>.
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-48237554545395493222014-09-03T10:34:00.000-04:002014-09-03T10:34:58.027-04:00Prudence CrandallPrudence Crandall was born on this day in 1803. She started the first academy in New England for African-American women. She is one of my heroes. Crandall House was my dorm at the University of Hartford. It's there I became interested in her life and work for education and justice. There's a nice<a href="http://www.ct.gov/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2127&q=302260"> museum</a> in Canterbury, eastern Connecticut, the site of her school: <br />
<blockquote>
Crandall’s steadfast commitment to the education of these young women
was immediately tested by withering opposition from Connecticut
residents who refused to tolerate a school for young women of color.
Despite this hateful reaction, she continued to operate the school.
Finally, the state of Connecticut passed the “<a href="http://www.yale.edu/glc/citizens/stories/module4/documents/black_law.html" target="_blank">Black Law</a>,”
which barred the teaching of “any colored people...not inhabitants” of
Connecticut without a town’s permission. Crandall was arrested, spent a
night in jail, and faced three trials as her case became a <em>cause célèbre</em>
throughout the country. While awaiting trial, she continued to operate
her school despite threats of violence and denials of service on the
part of the townspeople of Canterbury and even despite the poisoning of
the school’s drinking water well. Her continued defiance drew sharp
criticism not only from local citizens but also from politicians,
religious leaders and others from across the state. State Senator Andrew
T. Judson, who spearheaded the passage of the “Black Law,” even went so
far as to state, “...we are not merely opposed to the establishment of
that school in Canterbury; we mean there shall not be such a school set
up anywhere in our state. The colored people can never rise from their
menial condition in our country.” </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Her first trial resulted in no verdict, but in the second she was
convicted. A third trial, an appeal before Connecticut’s Supreme Court,
overturned the conviction and dismissed the case altogether. Arguments
from her trials were later used in <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0347_0483_ZS.html" target="_blank"><em>Brown v. Board of Education</em></a>, the Supreme Court's landmark school desegregation decision of 1954. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Connecticut repealed the “Black Law” in 1838, but Crandall had already
left the state. Despite the dismissal of the case, townspeople in
Canterbury continued to vandalize Crandall’s school. Following a mob
assault two months after the case dismissal, she was forced to close the
school. She and her husband, the Reverend Calvin Phillio, moved to
Illinois. She did not, however, abandon her commitment to education.
There she opened a school in her home and continued to work to further
the rights of women. </blockquote><blockquote>Crandall continued her interest in the reform movement throughout the rest of her life. At the urging of Mark Twain and others, the Connecticut Legislature did penance for its earlier prosecution of Crandall by granting her a small pension in 1886. Prudence Crandall died in Elk Falls, Kan., in 1890, leaving behind a legacy of equal education and the fight for reform. The Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, Conn., celebrates this legacy and is a site on both the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail and the Connecticut Freedom Trail.</blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-19351572041451267662014-08-27T16:06:00.000-04:002014-08-27T18:03:54.108-04:00I have no words to describe this.It just gets more and more inhuman. From <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/ferguson-st-louis-police-tactics-dogs-michael-brown">RAW STORY: <span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Michael Brown's Mom Laid Flowers Where He Was Shot—and Police Crushed Them</span></span></a>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-50899315275483755352014-08-27T12:39:00.000-04:002014-08-27T12:39:09.823-04:00Zara's Star of David Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_lN5e_FKG0OMEdRfTVkRO2bBGMbfViNXUIdVPxPUpIm-ruOpw6OA2AtaGotYiupI_lXiaCl7bOuCq-IABlk17Q2vsCWjuT262zwqnu7jaFuTgJNBeRDkDhoBpIjtYgsDyA0k/s1600/Screen-Shot-2014-08-27-at-09.18.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_lN5e_FKG0OMEdRfTVkRO2bBGMbfViNXUIdVPxPUpIm-ruOpw6OA2AtaGotYiupI_lXiaCl7bOuCq-IABlk17Q2vsCWjuT262zwqnu7jaFuTgJNBeRDkDhoBpIjtYgsDyA0k/s320/Screen-Shot-2014-08-27-at-09.18.33.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="userContent">After complaints, the Spanish clothing retailer Zara have <a href="http://972mag.com/zara-presents-a-striped-pyjama-with-a-yellow-star-for-your-child/96058/">removed</a> a pajama top with the Star of David from their children's collection. </span>JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-45241332050118176782014-08-26T16:03:00.000-04:002014-08-26T16:03:17.571-04:00Battle over Austerity Collapses French GovernmentSo much for the 'Hopey Changey' President of France. Voters in France are just as stupid as American voters. This is <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">the clearest display yet that with austerity the political class is post democratic in its alliance with finance capital.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".dj.1:3:1:$comment10154507849140072_10154507857510072:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/26/battle-over-austerity-collapses-french-government">Common Dreams</a>: </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
"The upheaval marks the second time in less than five months that Hollande has orchestrated a shake-up of the French cabinet and comes amid rising opposition to the austerity policies of the president, whose approval rating has plummeted to 17 percent."</blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-77434275664994806052014-08-16T10:49:00.000-04:002014-08-16T10:49:07.647-04:00America as a Horror Show"The horror show is we are going to be slaves to profit. Some of us are going to be higher on the pyramid and we’ll count ourselves lucky and many, many more will be marginalized and destroyed” - <strong>David Simon</strong>, journalist and creator of the TV series <em>The Wire</em>, in an <a href="http://billmoyers.com/episode/david-simon-on-america-as-a-horror-show/">interview</a> with Bill Moyers JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-14029256910203192782014-08-16T09:19:00.000-04:002014-08-16T09:23:12.583-04:00A Subject Whose Time Has Finally ComeAfter the events surrounding the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/michael-brown-shooting">shooting</a> of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri this past week, read Mike Harwood in Tom Dispatch on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175881/">militarization of the police</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-IRDVL3xwrBJw8ossNIlZBk-NHQg5b0yTUXvAPxSLIOlzwyr8J3R11E-9CFlek11-hupcZtCQuy-ca-AJ1xK1zVyQEvqgcDNl2UXiXfW8Qq0zJ1gNrUOdA0Fy5e71X00hrjy/s1600/1*xzF9RdyFOsTsdpJi03HpIQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-IRDVL3xwrBJw8ossNIlZBk-NHQg5b0yTUXvAPxSLIOlzwyr8J3R11E-9CFlek11-hupcZtCQuy-ca-AJ1xK1zVyQEvqgcDNl2UXiXfW8Qq0zJ1gNrUOdA0Fy5e71X00hrjy/s1600/1*xzF9RdyFOsTsdpJi03HpIQ.jpeg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
Art imitates life in Tom Tomorrow's Strip: <a href="https://medium.com/the-nib/officer-friendly-28e8d9399bbb">Officer Friendly</a>JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-53672838082635229862014-08-16T08:39:00.000-04:002014-08-16T08:39:59.414-04:00Is the creative class ruining urban communities?<br />
<blockquote>
[In London:] "We've got lots of new bars ... but those who were born and bred here simply can't afford to live here anymore." </blockquote>
<blockquote>
"those doing the gentrifying are fond of elaborate facial hair, artisanal food and retro kitsch."</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/14/business/hipster-housing-one-square-meter/">CNN INTERNATIONAL</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
For Dalston and Shoreditch in London, read Williamsburg in New York, Kreuzberg in Berlin, Mission District in San Francisco, Preston in Melbourne and many other formerly working class neighborhoods in cities around the world (with broad regional differences).
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
According to Loretta Lees, professor of human geography at the University of Leicester, what has happened follows a well worn pattern of urban development. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Creative, young, artistic types are enticed to move into an area by low rents or through encouragement from local councils. As time passes, more people move in attracted by what they see as the aspirational, cool vibe, hoping to become a part of this fabric themselves. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
This influx brings in higher earning individuals and increases the local tax base which can lead to improved public services. But it also pushes up the cost of rent, goods and services in the area and eventually house prices too. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
While this may be no bad thing for the new arrivals who can largely afford it, many of those who have lived in the area for generations can be priced out. </blockquote>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-34254230136780126902014-08-05T09:50:00.000-04:002014-08-05T09:50:07.391-04:00New Drugs and the Inefficiency of the Patent System<a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/new-drugs-competing-with-sovaldi-is-evidence-of-the-inefficiency-of-the-patent-system">BEAT THE PRESS</a>: "Once an effective treatment for Hepatitis C has been developed, there
is little medical benefit in having a second or third effective
treatment. The resources to develop these alternatives to Sovaldi could
have been much better utilized researching treatments for diseases which
do not presently have a cure. However the incentives provided by the
massive patent rents being earned by Gilead Sciences (the patent holder
for Sovaldi) give a huge incentive to other companies to carry through
duplicative research. If anyone cared about efficiency in the health
care system this point would be widely publicized."JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-76676273129533155132014-08-05T09:45:00.000-04:002014-08-05T09:45:35.456-04:00Dean Baker - Inflation Hawks: The Job Killers at the Fed <div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<div class="_wk mbm">
<span class="userContent">"...This
is the situation we face today. Many in the financial industry couldn’t
care less about unemployment. They don’t want to risk any inflation
that could erode the value of their wealth. Their voices are being heard
at the top levels of the Fed. It is essential that the broader public
get involved in this debate as well." ~<a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/inflation-hawks-the-job-killers-at-the-fed">Dean Baker</a></span></div>
</div>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32622692.post-60555149574666920162014-08-05T09:23:00.000-04:002014-08-05T09:23:28.724-04:00In other news: "You're just numb."<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<div class="_wk mbm">
<span class="userContent">'"You're
just numb," said Roemer Saturday as she surveyed the scene of
devastation in her once perfect closet, "How can this happen? I live in a
gated community with all this protection?" she <a href="http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/woodlands/news/article/Houston-closet-heist-5667073.php">said</a>.'</span></div>
</div>
JayVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02892272648798100594noreply@blogger.com0