A lot has changed since my last update. I am working for a new company; worse hours, less pay but 100% more respect. My current position is only temporary as I am holding on for the new year and a huge promotion from soldier to commander. Just waiting on the current commander to step down and to get trained. It's an honest company with a lot of potential that just needs a swift kick in the right direction. I hope to provide a leg for said kick. So for now I just need to grin and bear it.
V is looking for a position with a firm and although I can see it gets overwhelming for her sometimes I know she is strong enough to come out on top. She is smart and resilient and I'm positive she will do just fine.
As soon as V gets in somewhere we are going to start looking for a home. That is super exciting for me because I've always wanted to own a home and it will provide V and I with a place to grow a family. I've seen the struggle my parents went through to get their home and how long it took them to get it and I feel lucky to be even thinking about it at this point in my life.
Well I hope everyone out there is doing fantastic and I hope to be more active in my blog and the blogging community as this new gig gives me a lot of time to sit and stare at the walls aka blog/blackberry time.
"If I'm not evolving, I'm going to become extinct."
I've tried to always live by that since I realized I believed in evolution. I realized that evolution doesn't only happen over millions of years to an entire species but happens individually in our daily lives of who we become through our choices.
I got winded walking stairs at work that I normally have no problem with and I thought to myself maybe I'm getting sick. So the next day after not feeling any symptoms at all I patrolled the same area and got winded again. At this point I couldn't figure it out. How could I have become this out of shape in the two weeks I was off so I decided to weigh myself. I had gained a substantial amount of weight on my honeymoon and was disgusted. This little ordeal got me thinking about what I had been doing and if I was moving backwards rather than continuing to evolve.
I thought about all the changes I had made in the past year to my lifestyle both personally and to my environment. I thought about all the progress I had made and was disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen.
So I've sworn off the elevator, greasy fast food, decided to use public transport 3 of my 5 work days, made an attack plan for gym, and decided to purchase as much of my weekly groceries at the farmers market as possible. Let's see how long I can make this last. I have V's support so that will help a lot.
So as I'm sure y'all are aware I have been planning (to attend, as V did most of the work) a wedding. On September 19th I got married. It was an amazing night and everything was beautiful and perfect sans a few wedding crashers.
We just got back from the honeymoon which was also amazing. We went to Disney and stayed at the Boardwalk and had a great time. Then we went to South Beach and stayed on Ocean and 7th so we were in the heart of everything. All I have to say is Wet Willy's is the shiznit! Then we had a day trip to the Keys for dinner and a sunset.
It'll be a few weeks before we get the professional pictures but I will be uploading a bunch from family and friends and I will post them soon for anyone interested.
Catch y'all later! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
So I got drunk and picked a winner on Friday of they got back to me making it official, Nikki of Tales from my Second City is the Poken winner! Nikki is an awesome blogger and a great Chicago implant. I am glad to see she won as she is a Panda-holic and and will make good use of the Poken.
For those of you who liked the Poken and would like to get one of your own, Andi has created a discount code for my 100th blog post celebration for you to use. BEAVEXN19Y8DR will get you a discount at Andi's Poken Store! Isn't she awesome!
It has taken me a long time to get to this point. I am not exactly the most steady blogger of all time but I never really thought that I would ever continue this long and cover so much of my thoughts and life in this blog. I am proud that I hit the 100 mark and I hope to hit 200 in a much quicker time frame.
Like I had said before there was going to be a giveaway when I hit my 100th post. The great Andi at Misadventures with Andi was the first contact I had with the blogging world who I felt knew me as much as I knew them. Andi gave me a Voodoo Poken as a gift when she opened her online shop Got To Buy Me A Poken and being as awesome as she is, she gave me one to give to a friend. So as you can see, this is a perfect circle from newbie to 100 and I've had the pleasure of both involving Andi.
If you don't know what a Poken is, it's this little social media RFID thingamajig that let's you share your contact information with your friends and new aquantiances. They are fanfreakingtastic. I have my blog, my twitter and my facebook linked up to it allowing me to instantly and easily transfer my data to anyone with a Poken. You simply have your Poken Hi 4 your friends and you have all thier info and they have yours. It connects via USB and your contacts Poken Cards are in your virtual roledex at doyoupoken.com. I am actually surprised that as many people in Chicago have Pokens.. Pokei? (whatever the plural is...) as I they do. Now when I meet new people I simply ask "Do you Poken?"
Now for the contest. I am giving away the Panda Poken one of the coolest there is. Simply comment on any one of my blogs and your entered! If you commented a year ago your still entered! Also if you retweet the contest you are entered a second time! [ RT @jbeave Beave's Poken Givaway! Want to get your hands on a Poken? Retweet to enter! http://bit.ly/QaB5Q #Poken ]
Good luck everyone!!
The contest ends Thursday July 9th at 11:59pm. I will draw the winner Friday July 10th. The winner will be contacted via email or Twitter DM. If I don't hear from the winner within a few days another winner will be drawn.
Apparently I need to go through some kind of therapy or become a politician. I am getting more and more annoyed by the culture I live in. I am so proud of it sometimes and so fricking pissed off by it other times. How is it that we are so enamored by the death of a celebrity yet so lackadaisical regarding world events? I know I rambled on in my last post about the lack of news coverage regarding Iran, but seriously how is it that we care about Jackson and Fawcett more than the suffering of MILLIONS of people around the world.
I see top headlines on Google about a man that died, a woman that died and crap about a guy who cheated on his wife in South Carolina. Is that really more important that the daily deadly blasts in Iraq, the attacks in Nigeria, the terriable human rights violations in Palestine, China and Egypt and the horrific things happening to the people in Iran? Is this what we have become? A people more connected with our celebrities than the rest of the world? Ask anyone on the street who Heidi and Spencer are and I bet 95% know. Now ask them who Jalal Talabani is and I will guarantee only 5% know who he is.
I saw a tweet from @bandcandy that said it perfectly for me: "This whole 'CNN relies on Twitter for news' thing is all Iran's fault. They're quoting MC Hammer's tweets right now."
Don't get me wrong I am sad for the families of the deceased, and the family of the Gov. Sanford. I just don't believe that the troubles of a few should outweigh the cries of so many.
I would really like to know... How many of you who read this had to click the links to find out who Heidi and Spencer are and how many of you had to click the link to find out who Jalal Talabani is. Please be honest even if you need to post anonymously to tell me. I am really interested.
There is almost no coverage of what's happening to Iran right now... Other than Twitter, Aljazeera and BBC I cannot find ANYTHING! How do you not report on a country that has rioted the way they are, with citizens terrified to leave their houses, with a government that cut out all mobile and internet networks within the country, that is blocking television channels? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY?!?!?
Imagine what you felt during the 2000 elections... except this time the nation knows George Bush circa 2008 and he is running against Obama. Now imagine you believe the Bush rigged the election and they put Obama on house arrest, cut your cell phones off, cut your internet service, shutdown satalite news stations and just ran a goverment sponsered news channel on your TV. Now you go to the streets to protest, just for being outside you will be shot by rubber bullets and beaten by police. HOW THE WOULD YOU FEEL IF THE REST OF THE WORLD IGNORED IT?
I am so pissed off right now that these so-called 24 hour news companies are failing so badly. This election affects the entire world not just Iran. This affects our relations with the Middle East and it affects the entire stability of the Middle East.
That is such a sad word, but that is what I have done with this blog. Total neglect, to the point where more people than I have subscribers have asked me what happened to me (makes me feel all special and crap.) I've just been keeping myself busy with classes and work.
The spring rugby season is over even though I missed the last bit from injury and the bachelor party. I have definitely fallen in love with playing that game. As soon as my knee is 100% I am gonna go and practice with the seven's squad to get in better shape and learn so when I play next spring I will be a force to reckon with.
Work is work and I think that it has lost some of it's luster, but I still enjoy what I do and who I do it with. Just not necessary who I do it for as much as I used to due to some recent management changes.
14 days till one of my very best friends gets married and I'm the best man for that one. I am super excited for them! C & M are two of the best people I have ever known and are totally made for each other. Although I don't know how he managed to land her in the first place, she is way outta his league... hahahaha!
Also! If you managed to read through all the boring personal crap I just wrote I'm having a Fantasticular giveaway for my 100th post! I will hint you into the awesomeness of what it is by the that time but for now you have to wait and see.
...isn’t supposed to be an all or nothing battle between misery and bliss. Life isn’t supposed to be a battle at all. And when it comes to happiness, well, sometimes life is just okay, sometimes it’s comfortable, sometimes wonderful, sometimes boring, sometimes unpleasant. When your day’s not perfect, it’s not a failure or a terrible loss. It’s just another day."-Barbara Sher
Something for all of us to remember next time we are having a bad day.
URLesque came out with the top 100 Most Iconic Internet Videos. They accompany each video with a background story which is really cool if you have about 3+ hours to watch and read each one. So If you'd like to waste a whole bunch of time here is the list. Enjoy
"We want to reunite people with their memories, not profit off of people's memories"
Have you ever lost your camera and been more upset that you lost those memories than about the expensive camera they were taken in? Have you ever found someone's camera, memory stick or film and wondered how you could ever possibly get them back? Well Cavy tweeted about this great blog where someone is connecting orphan pictures with their rightful homes.
Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures is an amazing blog that posts every Thursday with a new collection of lost photos. They even broke it down to where the photos were found to make it easier for the owner to track down theirs.
So did you find a lost camera or memory card? Email at least four photos from your found camera and include any other details, time, location, school, etc. It's that easy to save someone's heartache!
So what happens when someone starts winning the race for freedom? You knock 'em down with bs and scare tactics. Sadly for them, since no real actors are giant douchebags, they had to use these bottom of the barrel actors.
LOOK AT THOSE SCARY CLOUDS! THE GAYS ARE COMING! THE GAYS ARE COMING!
That was fantastic. I got to play a full half which seemed to go by like a blink of an eye. I think for my first match and just knowing the basics of the game I did pretty well. I didn't do much but I had a big tackle that made my day. We won our first match and tied our second so not to bad. Maybe next match I'll bring some sun screen cause I got pretty burnt up.
Rugby is a great game, but it's tough as hell. But for someone that's played both American Football and Rugby, I have to say that... It's like comparing a Pit bull and a Rottweiler, they are both very tough and but be tougher in different ways. What I mean is that one isn't better or tougher than the other they are just to different and both very awesome.
So I made the decision to play rugby with a friend of mine. I have been to 2 practices and feel like I'm going to die. My body aches and I have mysterious bruises on my back. I'm terrified about my first match on Saturday because I have no freaking idea what the hell I'm doing. All that said, I love every bit of it.
This is a dirty sport. A balls out, beat 'em down, bloody sport. Nothing makes sense as to why it's done the way it is. The rucks, scrums, mauls, line-outs, drop kicks none of it. Whoever came up with some of these things must have been drunk all the time, in which case it makes perfect sense.
I'm hoping I can recover from this practice fast enough for tomorrow's match. Funny thing is I thought the Tuesday's practice was hard, yesterday's was incredibly worse. All this ass busting we do in practice will help me get fit and loose the weight that I've been trying to for a while. Also there's no way I can smoke and do all this running either, so that's another bonus.
I'll let y'all know how the match goes on Saturday. If your interested/bored and want to join us, the matches are versus UIC and Lewis at 12:15 at:
Lewis University One University Parkway Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
Turn Left into campus, and then go straight. This road will wind to the right and when you get to the soccer field, turn left into that parking lot When you reach the end of the lot turn left, and the pitch will be on your right side with a wooden fence around it.
"What you're really missing out on is the South Side Irish Parade in Chicago, which I think is one of the great events in America," bragged President Obama to the Irish prime minister.
When the real Mayor Daley moved the Southtown Parade downtown, the Wee Folks of Washtenaw and Talman began what we know now by walking around the block with banners. This year's parade brought 300,000 people to the Beverly, Morgan Park and Mt. Greenwood communities. Instead of looking at it as a strain it should be viewed as an opportunity for business and economic growth. Look at the hotels, bars, restaurants and shops in the area and tell me that for that weekend they didn't make more than most make in 6 months.
31 years of tradition are going down the drain. 31 years of childhood memories, friends, family and even wedding proposals just cut off. My children will never get to experience the greatness of the real Irish parade in Chicago and that makes me truly sad.
This is a huge loss for the South Side. The downtown parade is a sad excuse for a parade, just like all the rest of Chicago's "parades." I nothing else comes from this tragity, I hope the downtown parade hires on the South Side Parade planners and they can turn their crap into a real parade.
I watched last weeks season premiere of Celebrity Apprentice last night before work and it was freaking halirous. I love The Apprentice, and the celebs just make it amazingly ridiculous. It's even better because I have met Don Jr. and Ivanka a few times so when they make their little faces and speak nice and proper I can see the bullshit flow through. Ivanka has the mouth of a trucker who used to be a sailor. Don Jr. is quirky and laughs a lot so watching him try to swallow his laughter is amusing. I think I may have found a TV show to follow, which is rare because I don't really watch the tube.
The best line of the show was when Andrew "Dice" Clay busted out with "I don't believe in baking." Really Dice? Really? Oh and you were worried you'd look stupid because of that hat? Don't worry, because you do that all by yourself.
I'm hearing great news around the water cooler. Not only did Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts officially drop it's plans to open a hotel in downtown Chicago but Trump has a temporary "truce" on his loans from Deutsche Bank Trust Co. Americas. This means that in a down economy that a new competitor will not emerge and that we all still have a job, for now.
The Shangri-La opening is not good in the sense that it would have provided another 400 or so jobs in Chicago, but it is good in that it keeps us with the staff we have rather than cutting more jobs.
I hope things start to turn up or it won't matter what happens, we will all be in the unemployment line.
Hyper Crush is an awesome electro hip-hop band that you may not have heard of yet but I'm sure you will. The first video is for The Arcade and the second is their latest video for Robo Tech. Enjoy =)
If you have the password, here are your instructions:
1 Copy the crazy text 2 Paste it in the pink "Cipher Text" box HERE 3 Type the password in the yellow "Key" box 4 Click the "Decyrpt" key under the pink box and the message will appear in the green "Plain Text" box
I know it sounds hard but it's only copy and paste. And this message needs all the security it can get.
"I am in shock that I am actually waking up with the alarm clock!"
How I did it: I bought a Sonic Boom alarm clock from Amazon.com. This has been my single greatest business investment to date because it actually wakes me up. It comes with a bed vibration unit thing that shakes you and super bright led light so you can wake up quicker. It all boils down to doing whatever it takes to get your butt outta bed.
Lessons & tips: Get up as soon as you can, even if it's before the alarm goes off. 20 min really doesn't make a difference.
The administration's stimulus bill is already having a positive effect on both the welfare of this nation and the welfare of our planet.
Bonneville Power Administration is going ahead with their project to add electrical transmission to Oregon. The added capacity will enable a total of 870 MW of energy, including 700 MW of wind power, to be be serviced by BPA. During construction about 700 jobs will be created. Construction is expected to begin as early as this spring.
It's not an amazing new green technology but 700 MW of wind power is great. The 700 jobs is even better.
So I took a trip to IKEA last night looking for a new office chair since I destroyed mine. By destroyed I mean I my big fat ass suffers from an increased gravitational pull causing me to sit down faster than most people, thus bending the seat back a little further than it's supposed to every time I plop said fat ass down into the chair.
I just want to say that I HATE modern furniture. Don't get me wrong I love the look of modern, art deco and cutting edge/futuristic furniture. What I HATE is the cost and that I can't own it all. How is it that this plywood chair costs $800? I've grown to understand that this is art, along with fashion and paint splatter, but when your art is mass produced for $15 a piece... YOU DON'T CHARGE 800 FREAKING BUCKS FOR IT! It's molded plywood for crying out loud!
I think I just need to make more money so I can afford to fill my place with a bunch of crap I don't need and that V would hate. That and we need a bigger place so I can buy these.
Forget Christmas, Hanukkah, your birthday and all those other mediocre holidays. This is Chicago Restaurant Week, or Chicago Chef's Week depending on who you ask. This is the 2nd annual holiday of food, and it's not one day like Steak and a BJ day, it is a full 7 days.
Some of the best restaurants in Chicago are signed up and serving 3-course prix-fixe lunches for $22 and dinners for $32. In today's economy it's still quite a bit to fork over for a meal but to have a 3-course meal at Lawry's, Morton's or Hugo's for $32, it's a great deal. I have found that most places still have quite a few openings, which is probably due to the economy but good for those wanting to make a last minute reservation.
If I lived in Chicago during this great holiday week I would surely be heading out and figuring out something to celebrate on my way to the restaurant. Wait... I do, and I've already started trying to come up with a great made up holiday. I'll let you know when I figure it out.
The New York Post has published a political cartoon that shows President Obama as a bullet-ridden chimpanzee laying dead in the streets while two cops with gun are standing over him, one saying "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
I look at this and think that's it's a person's view of the disdain the public will show if Obama's stimulus bill doesn't help the economy, referring to a chimpanzee who mauled a woman just a day ago. I see the link clearly; a beloved animal who the mass public now sees as dangerous to the population rather than cute being compared to the current White House administration who many see as a redeemers to the US but if his bill doesn't work and hurts the economy he will be seen under the same light as the harmful chimp.
Not once did I think to scream "RACISM!" or even whisper it under my breath. I don't think it's because I'm naive, as some would have me think, I think it's because I'm not looking for it. I'm not looking for a way to make the world see there are still racists there and President Obama didn't heal the world by taking the oath of office we all know they are there.
The Al Sharptons and the Jesse Jacksons of the world are the reason people see this as racist, because they have us hunting for the bad in people rather than taking a cartoon for face value. Until they fight for people's rights and stop fighting for their publicity we will have arguments like this one.
Now, I do find the cartoon to be rather unfunny and not very thought provoking thus making it not very useful as to what political cartoons are for. All that said, I do not believe the NYP should issue a public apology or a retraction.
UPDATE: I sleep during the day so during REM I missed this:
In a statement, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said: "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."
If that's not enough for you The LA Times has published an article about a link between a form of testicular cancer and smoking marijuana. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle has found a 70% higher risk of testicular cancer in those who were using pot and an even higher risk associated with younger age at first use and frequency of use.
"It's not just that you develop testicular cancer, but you develop a worse type of testicular cancer," said Dr. Glen Justice, director of the cancer center at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley,
Guys, think of your boys the next time you want to light up.
I love looking into the history of things. How a specific thing came to be or how a celebration came to form around a certain thing. This is the only video I could find that wasn't CRAZY a unique video about the history of St. Valentine's Day. I hope y'all enjoy and learn a bit!
Here we go again! Another attempt to quit my habit of quitting smoking. I went to my doctor and got a prescription for Chantix (a medication to aid in quitting smoking).
For those of you who don't know, this is attempt #497 to quit. For those of you that do, I'm sorry you have to hear me talk about it again. I've tried just about everything and do fine for quite a while but somewhere down the line I bow out and go right back like nothing ever happened. This time (like every time) I'm hoping will be my last. Chantix is a 5 month program and all of the other things I've done it doesn't contain nicotine. I'm on week 2 of a 20 week program so wish me luck (again).
On the same note but in other news; I bought Guitar Hero World Tour, the one with the drum kit and mic, for my Wii for ridiculously cheap. The catch was that if I started smoking again I gave V permission to sell the game. This should help keep me in check because for some sick reason I love that game with a passion.
I loathe Dr. Phil, mainly because he's an inconsiderate man hating jerk but also because he is sometimes right. Even though we all wish we could choke out our partner from time to time, we have to make compromises and back down every now and then. Which by the way neither V nor I ever back down. Fighting is like an art between us, a glue that holds us together.
V and I have crazy fights. The kind where your guests get up and tell you they need to get up early and it's 4pm on a Saturday. The funny thing is they only last about 5-10 minutes and then it's over but usually not resolved. Most of them are about nothing at all so resolution is not always needed and we end up better than before after it's over.
I need to make sure that my life insurance policy stays low otherwise I fear the same fate as the guy in the picture.
At approximately 11:50pm on January 31, 2009 John Sewell passed away in his sleep due to multiple complications. The world lost a truly amazing man who will be sorely missed.
I met John about 7 years or so ago, a little while after I started dating V. It was a neat that her grandfather and I shared the same birthday, just 70 years apart. When he was a kid they used to call him J for short, almost the same as my Jay for Jason, so he would consistently call me John which would amusingly get everyone confused from time to time.
John always had the swagger of a teenager even in his 90's. At 95 years old John was rocking a girl under his arm. He met M a few years back and she has become like part of the family. Rarely have I seen someone so full of life and happiness, especially at his age.
John was one of the most fearless, mentally brave and poetically compassionate people I have ever had the privilege of coming in contact with. He was always working up his next get rich scheme or how I could get Trump put him on the payroll. When he wasn't trying to become a millionaire, he was taking care of his family, even though it might have felt like we were taking care of him.
John Sewell was THE man. The world will never be the same without him.
The work face is a mask we all have to wear sometimes. We all know that while in the work face we can't do anything that would disrupt normal business, even if it's something we commonly do after hours. For me that would be politics, and last night my mask didn't fit so well.
I was having a normal conversation with some engineers about the daily events at the hotel when one asked if I knew anything about what President Obama said to A-Rabs. Now right away my first instinct was to say no, but I hate ignorance more than anything, and maybe some knowledge would help breed some tolerance, so I explained. I told them what he had said and that it was mainly about Middle Eastern peace and separating the relationship between the Muslim Faith from the terrorist organizations.
This is where everything went downhill. The guys know that I know quite a bit about whats going on, so they ask "What would you do?" This is the part where you tighten the strings on the work face and move on before things get worse, well I took it off completely. I started with what seems now as a rehearsed speech about economic reform rather than military tactics, assisting rather then dictating and looking from their perspective of the past and present not just ours. Somehow we got onto the Palestine-Israel conflict and I stated my feelings about the Israelis being the biggest problem in the region. Then one of them says "The Jews are God's chosen people, it's their land, just blow up the other guys." At this point I lost my lid an flew a little off the handle, to a point where I'm sure HR would have taken issue. Of course acting like that will never change his mind so I calmed down and we all went our separate ways.
So I printed out the information from Wikipedia on the conflict, and hopefully that will let him understand it more. This way he can make an more informed decision and I don't have to want to take off the work face to kick someone's ass.
After reading Brandy's post at It's like I'm... mmmagic! about "Chickspeak," I have been inspired to create a list of "Dudespeak." If you have any more translations that I may have missed, let me know.
What he said: That sounds like a great idea! What he meant: Stop talking so I can watch the game.
What he said: Your friend is a sweet girl What he meant: Her looks could stop a charging rhino.
What he said: I can't find xxx What he meant: Will you help me find xxx because it didn't fall into my lap when I called for it.
What he said: What girl? What he meant: You mean the blonde or the brunette?
What he said: You remind me of the girls in Sex and the City. What he meant: I hope you put out like Samantha.
What he said: Your parents for dinner sounds great! What he meant: Do you smell BBQ... Wait WHAT?
What he said: I like that top. What he meant: I can almost see a nipple.
What he said: It's a guy thing. What he meant: It's not logical and I have no reasoning behind it.
What he said: What did I do this time? What he meant: What did you catch me doing and how did you know!
What he said: I think it's cool you have a tongue ring, it's shows your adventurous. What he meant: Did it come with a set of kneepads?
What he said: I just want to stay friends. What he meant: Your really not that hot.
What he said: It would take to long to explain. What he meant: I have no f***ing idea what I'm talking about and didn't expect you to call me out.
What he said: I've got my reasons What he meant: Gimmie 10 minutes to figure out an excuse.
What he said: It's just a little cut. What he meant: I JUST CUT MY F***ING ARM OFF CALL A DOCTOR!
What he said: You look great! What he meant: You look like a blind person ran that into a clothes line but I'm starving so let's go.
What he said: No, I'm listening. What he meant: I didn't hear a word you said but I don't want you to yell at me
So there they are. The be all and end all of the wedding plans. The only thing that actually "matters," the rest is just for show.
There's no backing out now. Not that I want to at all, it's just a little freaky when you only have one way out, and even that lasts for the rest of your life.
I'm starting to really feel it coming together. It really feels like I'm getting married now. It's exciting, nerve racking and amazing all at the same time. It's gonna be an awesome thing.
I spent about 3 1/2 hours organizing all my personal paperwork today and realized that I have a lot of crap going on in my life. I never realized that I had all this stuff until I put it all into an organizer.
I also never realized how many failure to pay notices I have received from one parking ticket. Luckily the city has an amnesty program right now so I can avoid all the late fees. Maybe I should be a big boy and start doing this on a regular basis.
Well, now I'm off to restate my case to University of Phoenix, now that I've "come across" the correct paperwork, and I know I don't owe them a dime.
I'm disgusted with a world that allows so many to be persecuted, killed, starved and destroyed like their lives mean less than another's. The monstrosities in Gaza, Darfur, Pakistan, Sudan, the Congo and so many other parts of the world have been made to seem as if they are of no importance. We can send tens of thousands of troops to Iraq but do nothing while the Israeli Government commits genocide.
This is a great article I found on CAIR-Chicago's (Council on American-Islamic Relations, Chicago Chapter) website of how everyday people can help the US Government in the right direction. The origional article can be found here: CAIR-Chicago.
10 STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PALESTINE
January 11, 2009
CAIR has outlined 10 positive, pro-active steps concerned Americans can take to help end Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, restore the cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid and promote a more balanced U.S. policy in the Middle East.
1) Take part in local marches and protests. Help organize peace rallies that condemn the massacre of innocent civilians.
2. Visit your elected representatives during the upcoming “Day on the Hill” in Washington, D.C., sponsored by a coalition of major Islamic organizations. Contact 202-384-8857 for advice on meeting with legislators.
3. Visit the local offices of your elected representatives to talk with them about the need for a more balanced Mideast policy. Use CAIR’s “Legislative Fact Sheet” on the Gaza crisis.
You can also learn how to arrange to meet elected officials and best practices for meeting with your representatives on CAIR's website.
4. Write or call President Bush and members of Congress. Talking points:
* Israeli attacks block efforts to bring peace with justice to the Middle East, harm our nation’s image and interests worldwide and strengthen voices of extremism in the region. * The Palestinian people must be given some hope of freedom from Israeli occupation and domination. * Israel’s immoral and illegal collective punishment of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip must end. * America must support a just and comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes into account the rights and responsibilities of all parties. * American taxpayer dollars should not be used to for weapons that kill Palestinian civilians.
Ask your elected officials to adopt an even-handed Middle East policy that is in our nation’s - not Israel’s - interest.
5. Contact President-Elect Obama to ask that he speak out now in favor of a more balanced and pro-American policy in the Middle East that takes the rights of all parties to the conflict into consideration.
Contact the Obama administration transition team here.
6. Sign CAIR’s online petition urging our nation's leaders to speak "in favor of peace and justice for all parties in the current humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip." When completed, the petition will be sent to elected officials nationwide and will be given to members of the current and incoming administrations.
7. Use Friday prayers to educate members of the Muslim community about the plight of the civilian population in Gaza and the need for a balanced Mideast policy, a cease-fire and the resumption of humanitarian relief. Urge community members to take the actions outlined in this alert.
8. Monitor local media coverage of the Gaza crisis. Contact those media outlets to either praise balanced coverage or to criticize biased coverage. Call in to radio talk shows and write letters to the editor to express your views. To find local and national media contact information, click here.
Post comments on media websites and blogs that discuss the crisis. Begin your own blog and link to other sites that support a balanced American policy in the region. Start a free blog at: http://www.blogger.com.
Use social media tools such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, to make your views known and to share your views with like-minded individuals and groups.
9. Organize meetings between Muslim and interfaith community leaders and members of your local newspaper’s editorial board.
To meet with a newspaper editorial board:
* If possible, gather evidence of any media bias in the newspaper. (Also look for examples of positive, balanced coverage.) Save one-sided news articles or video clips. Record talk shows. Follow a newspaper’s editorial position. * Build a coalition of local leaders. * Plan for the meeting. * Get together for a strategizing session and assign duties. * Present your case. Be clear about goals. Stick to your points. * Conclude with specific a request for more balanced coverage and input from those who support peace with justice in the region. * Follow-up. Send a letter outlining agreements reached.
Contact CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper for more information on coordinating a meeting with an editorial board or contacting media outlets. Call 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com
10. Contact the State Department to call for action in defense of Gaza's civilian population. Call 202-647-4000 and ask for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs or click here.
CAIR has outlined 10 positive, pro-active steps concerned Americans can take to help end Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, restore the cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid and promote a more balanced U.S. policy in the Middle East.
