Progress on Twin Island

Twin Island is one of the San Francisco Islands located off of the golden coast of Tierra Roble. It is a temperate little landscape spotted with Live Oaks and Blue Gum Groves. Its harbors and Glens create protected ecosystems alive with plants and animals. 500 years ago it was a mountain in the middle of an old densely populated city called San Francisco. This city was part of the European capitalistic Society, The United States of America. It was abandoned when the great earthquakes of 2110 nearly washed the peninsula, on which it sat, into the ocean. However after another 200 years, the earth re-settled and what remained was the San Francisco Islands. Twin Island is the smaller of the two, resting between Tamalpais and San Bruno.

The Twin Island Sustainable Paradise Community is part of a new Community Adjustment Project, funded by the Mexican government which hopes to re-distribute some of our population out of unhealthy Urban spaces into the recently re-claimed Territory of Tierra Roble. Those Who re-settle here will maintain the Mexicom Energy Harvesting Islands nearby, in return for a sustainable lifestyle for which we will provide the infrastructure. We will incorporate ancient techniques with new technology in order to create a completely self-sustained community. This means that those who live here will grow their own food, produce their own energy, harvest their own water, and contain and process their own waste, without creating pollution or non-biodegradable waste. For the first decade the community will have support of Sustainable Paradise Developments Inc.

500 Years in the Future / Plans for a Sustainable Island Development

For this project, I'm working again w/Elsie and Eduardo. The plan is to design a sustainable island development. I'm starting by focusing on how many people can live entirely off this amount of land (6 square miles, almost 4000 square feet). This is a vegan community and we are tasked with recuiting families to live here. There is no money in this time, so we are not trying to sell the homes. The residents will not have jobs that they have to go to, but will instead have the job of maintaining the island's various components: the energy island, earth ships, gardens, green roofs, community spaces, farms, green houses, ships, etc.

Facts:

1/8 of an acre needed per person to live off the land
co2 neutral

Water:

Rainwater
Desalinization
Wells

Research:

Features of the roof is that it can absorb rain water that can be purified and reused as household water.



http://www.archicentral.com/new-heden-gothenburg-sweden-kjellgren-kaminsky-architects-7271/#more-7271

We have dedicated our research to rediscovering the scientific principles that underlie millennia-old traditional farming systems. These have guided us to the eight essential aspects that are the foundation of GROW BIOINTENSIVE:

• Double-Dug, Raised Beds
• Composting
• Intensive Planting
• Companion Planting
• Carbon Farming
• Calorie Farming
• The Use of Open-Pollinated Seeds
• A Whole-System Farming Method

Most life in nature occurs at the interface of soil, water, air and sun. GROW BIOINTENSIVE soil preparation practices create growing beds with more surface area to maximize the effect of nature’s life processes. Double-dug beds, with soil loosened to a depth of 24 inches, aerate the soil, facilitate root growth, and improve water retention. The health and vigor of the soil are maintained through the use of compost. Close plant spacing is used to protect soil microorganisms, reduce water loss, andmaximize yields. Companion planting facilitates the optimal use of nutrients, light and water, encourages beneficial insects and creates a vibrant mini-ecosystem within the garden. A focus on the production of calories for the farmer and carbon for the soil ensures that both the farmer and the soil will be adequately fed and that the farm will be sustainable. The use of open-pollinated seeds helps to preserve genetic diversity
and enables gardeners to develop their own acclimatized cultivars. All of the components of this system must be used together for optimum effect and to avoid depleting the soil.

GROW BIOINTENSIVE mini-farming techniques make it possible to grow food using:

• 67% to 88% less water
• 50% to 100% less fertilizer
• 99% less energy than commercial agriculture, while using a fraction of the
  resources.

These techniques can also:

• Produce 2 to 6 times more food
• Build the soil up to 60 times faster than in nature, if properly used
• Reduce by half or more the amount of land needed

http://www.growbiointensive.org/grow_main.html

Enviromental sustainability is also reached through an objective of low energy and CO2 neutral operation of the city's houses.

With state-of-the-art knowledge in sociology, architecture, art and engineering - the vision for a future city is created.

Social sustainability will support the creation of a strong and diverse city driven by verve, the diversity of experiences and meetings between cultures. The social sustainability is to be found in the diverse city where the cultural buildings and spaces, offices, kindergartens, shops and homes coexist. The diversity of housing posibilities is maximized and different ownership is aimed at different target groups. The green city and the healthy city are further themes in the social sustainability subject.
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/copenhagen/carlsberg_masterplan.htm

For self sufficient gardening at its best, you should grow a large variety of vegetables, including potatoes, legumes (all members of the pea and bean family), brassicas (all members of the cabbage family) and root vegetables, including carrots, beets, and parsnips, as well as salad items, such as tomatoes and onions.

You should rotate your crops every year to keep them from getting overrun by disease and pests. Seymour also recommends using a cold frame in the winter months, to lengthen your growing season.

In addition to vegetables, you should make room for the soft fruits, such as raspberries, blackberries and grapes. Grapes are a climbing plant that can grow in narrow areas, such as along a fence. And finally, plant a couple of apple trees, along with other fruit trees, such as pear, peach and cherry. Fruit trees are a long-term investment - you won't see instant results, but in the years ahead, you'll reap the benefit of an ever-increasing crop of fruit.
http://www.organic-gardening-and-homesteading.com/self-sufficient-gardening.html

Planting herbs:
http://www.organic-gardening-and-homesteading.com/herb-garden-plants.html

Non-digital Element / Map of neighborhood

Elsie, Eduardo and I are tracking the energyshed along Islais Creek. We have decided to hone in on a slice of Islais creek that is the Glen Park neighborhood. For the print portion of our project, we will create a two-sided, full-color 11x17 map of the neighborhood. This is roughly the area we are focusing on.


And this is the style of map we will be creating. We will be tracking social/cultural activity, capital/business activity, sound and architecture.

Social / Cultural / Spiritual Life in Glen Park

Last week I went to Glen Park to interview people on the street about the neighborhood. I had seven questions I asked and I definitely noticed some trends. I will go out again tonight, my goal is to get a sample of 20 people at least, from all walks of life. I've listed a few of the interviews here.

The seven questions are as follows:

1. What impression do you get of the ways people practice spirituality/faith in this neighborhood?
2. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, what faith?
3. What is your impression of ethnic diversity in this neighborhood? In your immediate vicinity?
4. What kind of social activities are most common in this neighborhood? In the park?
5. What kind of cultural activities are most common in this neighborhood? In the park?
6. How long have you lived here?
7. What impression do you get of community here?
   

Interview #1
Jim and Anna O'Keefe
Filipino couple, late 50s to early 60s

1. Mostly a variety of Christian faiths
2. Catholic
3. Mostly white, but more Asian in the last few years
4. Sports, block party, Halloween (trick or treating), holiday events, events at St. Johns, crabfest. Residents volunteer to clean park, dog walking.
5. Not so many cultural activities
6. Since 1964
7. Strong community feeling, Glen Park Assoc very active, meetings in immediate neighborhood for Neighborhood Watch other issues related to immediate neighborhood

Interview #2
Ian
31 years old, British

1. No idea
2. Agnostic
3. Not many African Americans, mostly white/Asian
4. He is outside social circles in this neighborhood. Visits the park occasionally to take a walk, but says it's generally quite sparse, not much activity.
5. Didn't know of anything
6. 1+ year
7. People are out and about a lot, at restaurants and cafes

Interview #3
Ralph
Caucasian, 60s, homeless

1. Middle of the road Christian (religious but not too invasive)
2. Considers himself the same ("laid back Christian")
3. Pretty diverse, but white middle class is most prominant
4. Social activities including eating and drinking out (La Corneta, Glen Park Station)
5. Live music
6. 10+ years
7. He likes the neighborhood

Interview #4
Linda
Filipina/Chinese/White, 50s

1. Catholic
2. Christian
3. Latin, Filipino, Caucasian, African American, Asian - It's a mix, but less African American
4. People gather to watch sports (baseball, soccer, basketball)
5. Filipino, Asian, Latin activities, church bingo, bus trips to other places, park
6. 30 years in this neighborhood, SF native
7. Good community, people watch out for each other

Buried Waters - Midterm Proposal

Group 4:

Alisa Highfill
Elsie Tozier
Eduardo Ribeiro

For our midterm project, our group plans to focus on the many ways that Islais Creek provides to move through space. From the very intimate ways of moving along the creek, such as the walking and biking paths, to the very distant and disconnected ways, like Alemany Road and Hwy 280, this creek has provided a pathway for all different types of transportation.

The modes of transport along Islais Creek that we will be exploring are as follows:
- Walking and biking paths
- Alemany Blvd.
- Hwy 280
- Muni bus route 44
- Bart

We will explore the varied ways that people use these different modes of transport and what effect these have on the Glen Park Canyon environment. We plan to explore these through personal use, sound and photo studies, comparisons of today's landscape with the original landscape, GPS mapping, and whatever other tools we can think of.

This project will use methods from both the studies of physical and human geography. Psychogeography may also come into play, as well as some aspect of spirituality and how people connect with their surroundings.

The depths of our beings are not all sunlit; to see clearly we must be able to dive into the dark, inner abyss and Acknowledge the creatures we may find there.
- Miriam Starhawk

Buried Waters - Midterm Brainstorming

I'm still not quite sure what direction I will be going in for the midterm project. I've been finding the Wiggle very interesting, which led me to think about bike paths in Glen Park. But I'm not a bicyclist, and was actually drawn to the Wiggle more because I live on it. So, it doesn't really make sense for me to take a bike focus. This led me to think that maybe I could just explore something with movement and pathways through the space. I'm very interested in the mapping and definitely want to do something in that direction. I was also interested when Paula mentioned the garbage angle.

I'm still formulating it all and have still not been able to actually get to the park. I will be doing this this week and will continue to let my ideas solidify.

After today's lecture I would like to focus more on Human Geography, so still unsure what path that will take.

Buried Waters - GPS Points Plotted from Panhandle to the Mission

GPS Points plotted by Elsie Tozier, Eduardo Ribeiro and Alisa Highfill:

Divisadero btw Page & Oak
005 N 37 46 21.2
W 122 26 14.4

We met for a drink at the Page:


Fell & Broderick
007 N 37 46 25.6
W 122 26 22.2

Then walked up to the panhandle:


Fell & Baker
008 N 37 46 24.6
W 122 26 27.8

Then walked to Elsie's house:

Baker & Hayes Elsie's House
009 N 37 46 27.7
W 122 26 25.7

Scott & Oak
010 N 37 46 23.8
W 122 26 09.4

Then to my house:

Pierce & Waller Alisa's House
011 N 37 46 14.3
W 122 26 01.4


Then the long walk to Eduardo's house:

Duboce Park
013 N 37 46 10.6
W 122 25 59.0

Market/ 14th/ Church at Safeway
014 N 37 46 03.3
W 122 25 44.5

Dolores & 15th
015 N 37 45 58.2
W 122 25 36.3


16th in front of the Roxy
016 N 37 45 53.3
W 122 25 20.6


Valencia & 16th
017 N 37 45 53.0
W 122 25 19.7

Mission and 16th
018 N 37 45 54.1
W 122 25 11.4

Capp & 17th Uptown
019 N 37 45 48.9
W 122 25 05.8

S. Van Ness & 18th Whiz Burger
020 N 37 45 43
W 122 25 03.2

Folsom & 19th Fire fighter
021 N 37 45 37.6
W 122 25 54.1


Bryant &19th on the new development
022 N 37 45 37.7
W 122 25 35.5


Hampshire & 19th Eduardo's House
023 N 37 45 37.6
W 122 25 28.8

Buried Waters - The Wiggle and the Combined Water Treatment Facility

I was so interested to learn recently that the wiggle, a bike route in San Francisco that only uses streets with minimal incline, is actually the location of an underground creek. This makes sense, as water always finds the path of least resistance to make its way through the landscape. This valley was actually flattened by the run of the stream.

Since I live on the wiggle, I'm fascinated by the culture of this famous bike path. I've seen every type of person imaginable ride by my house - young, old, naked, costumed, rich, poor, you name it. Lots of naked people! Lots of bikes that haul a little trailer for a huge sound system.


The wiggle takes the route of the paved over Sans Souci creek. This valley has been used as a transportation path since at least the mid-1800s. Joel Pomeranz states, "In the historic photos that I got from Greg Gaar, in 1856, farm fences went in a wiggle shape along a creek, separating the land that way. The easiest way to get from Mission Dolores to the Presidio (the earliest European outposts here) was right through there, the flattest way."


"A friend at the SF Bike Coalition clued me in to a secret tribute to the vanished waterway, hidden in the mural behind the supermarket. I studied it for about ten minutes before I discovered the words hidden, appropriately, in the brushstrokes of a stream."
- The Bold Italic, Watershed Moment by Matt Baume, June 7, 2010

I was also interested to learn a little more about the pros of cons of the combined water treatment facility. It definitely seems wasteful to put the storm water through the same cleansing process as our sewer water, since the storm water is not as contaminated. At the same time, however, other cities are now thinking about doing the same thing, as storm waters are becoming more and more contaminated with oil runoff and other chemicals.

There does not, at this time, seem to be any clear answer to the issue of combined vs. separate water treatment facilities. Most cities migrated away from combined treatment facilities, but San Francisco opted to not take on the expense or the inconvenience of opening every street in the city.

Oh, blog - I didn't even realize I missed you!

I've recently been inspired to get back to blogging, however sporadic it is. I was reading a friends' blog and remembered how fun it is to hash things out in writing. I've been journaling more over the last couple years, but my journal is for private thoughts. Why stop there when there are so many thoughts that can be shared?

In general, I'm feeling pretty amazing right now and have so much goodness going on!

• Back in school (two summer sessions)
• Burning Man in August
• Just went to Yosemite w/my housemates
• Had an amazing Sacramento weekend last weekend (Mom's 60th, Baca family reunion, RT peeps, friends)
• Quit smoking
• Doing lots of yoga w/Steph

= Feeling strong, confident, bright and shiny!

On that note, my friend Dalano recently shared this quote with me, so I will leave you with it:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Marianne Williamson, "A Return to Love"


Wow - that is the Truth! Feel it!

my speech - MeccaOne - OneVoice '09 Seminar/Conference

Salaam alaykum…

I am so honored to be here with all of you… to hear the amazing speakers here tonight, not the least of which two of my favorite Imams, Imam Zaid Shakir and Imam Suhaib Webb. And to be here in a room full of people who live their beliefs every day… It truly is an honor...

I came to study Islam through unusual circumstances. I grew up in a small town where there were no Muslims that I knew of. I made it until I was in my 30’s before I even had one Muslim friend. The only things I knew in my life about Islam were the little bits that I got from the media, which I never quite believed, but whether they were true or not was just never in the forefront of my mind. It didn’t concern me personally, at least not until I began to hear people in close proximity to me express the same views of Islam that I’d heard in the media. Always an advocate, I began to see the need for Islam to have another voice combating the views fed to us by the mainstream media.

In the media we are only shown the most extreme facets of the Arab/Muslim world. I knew there had to be more to this story, but had no idea how to find the truth, no idea of even where to begin my search. When I came to SF State I saw an opportunity and decided to take some classes in the MEIS department, which is Mid-East Islamic Studies. Through my studies I can see clearly now that the glimpses into the Islam that the Western world sees are not representative of the true Islam. The media shows an Islam that is dangerous and frightening, oppressive of women, prone to suicide bombings and terrorist attacks. But this side of Islam is not the topic of my talk tonight.

For now I want to continue on with what I found Islam to be and what ideas were revealed to the Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him. Everything I learned of the true Islam sparkled with beauty. It is such a humble and modest religion in so many ways, encompassing a movement full of true humanitarians. Muslims, at the root of their teachings, put others before themselves and are concerned primarily with doing right for themselves and others. This concept is beautiful to me, as it should be to any person.

I found through my studies that the Prophet was one of the first to give women true equal rights – giving them the rights of divorce and property 1300 years before women in the states were given these same rights. I also found that to dismiss Palestinians as terrorists shows not only a basic lack of understanding for the situation they’re in, but also a true lack of empathy. Any person would fight back in their situation, and fight for freedom considering the extent of the oppression they face every day.

Through my program I made many Muslim friends and was encouraged to observe Ramadan. I had no idea what Ramadan meant, but I could see the light in my Muslim friends’ eyes when they spoke of this time. I happily entered into the time of Ramadan, and though I was not perfect, I followed the rules closely. It was during this time that I discovered MeccaOne, again through friends. The piece on Ramadan – I’m sure you all remember it – The Fast of Ramadan and the Furious Shaitan – helped me so much to understand what this time was all about, and I’ve never forgotten it. Between Omair, Imam Shakir and Imam Webb, the meaning of Ramadan blossomed before me and I truly understood what it meant to observe this time.

To experience Ramadan first-hand brought feelings that I’d never felt before – such as the feeling of community I experienced during Iftar at my local mosque, and the feeling of peace and true spirituality that steps into our bodies, minds and spirits when we turn off our physical desires. I’ll never forget these feelings and, insha’Allah, I will have an even truer and purer Ramadan this year.

Since that moment, I have followed MeccaOne, listening as often as I can. Through this show I’ve experience so much of the beauty of Islam. MeccaOne highlights the best and brightest of Islam and showcases the positive works being done by Muslims all over the world and of all different ethnic backgrounds.

I think the thing I’ve been most impressed by is the devotion to learning that has defined Islam since its inception. Through the interviews with amazingly learned individuals on MeccaOne, through my Muslim friends, through all the online lectures I’ve been blessed to hear by such scholars as the Imams I’ve mentioned and Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, I have been awed by this commitment to learning. What’s more, it never ceases to amaze me that almost every question I’ve asked of Islam has been answered with a truth and clarity that can be felt all the way to the heart.

I went into my studies with an open mind, excited about the prospect of having stereotypes shattered – both ones I knew I held subconsciously and ones I had no idea that were even a part of me. I have decided to minor in MEIS and look forward to many more classes in which I will learn more about the rich and varied history and practices of Islam, insha’Allah.

This learning has been amazing for me and has truly enriched my soul. I thank everyone who has helped me on this journey and I thank all of you for honoring me with a moment of your time tonight.

MeccaOne Radio Show

me with sarah, omair's wife, and another speaker who listens to MeccaOne from england! ;)

The Israel/Palestinian Peace Plan that my Mid-East Poly-Sci class came up with ;)

* Please note that this document was part of a class simulation and does not necessarily reflect the views of all class members, instructor, or institution.

2009 Israel- Palestinian Peace Conference

Approved by a majority vote of PLSI 410 Spring 2009
Final Agreement

Territory/ Borders: Two-state solution. Israel must leave all current occupied territories. The Palestinian state will look like the following: extension of Gaza as well as the West Bank, but not to exceed the armistice lines “green line” in the 1949 agreement. Palestinians living within the new state of Israel can leave or they will become Israeli citizens and must obey Israeli law. Israelis living in the new Palestinian state have the option to leave, or if they choose to stay will become Palestinian citizens and subsequently will have to obey Palestinian law.

Water Rights: redistribute 50-50 water rights between Israel- Palestine with a joint water committee overseen by international organizations for five years.

Refugees/ Right of Return: Palestinians will have their own state (with full rights to establish a military) and not have a Right to Return to Israel. Palestinians choosing to not return to the state of Palestine will receive reparations on an individual basis. The Palestinian government will receive and distribute the reparations from those Palestinians who do chose to return to Palestine.

Jerusalem: city-state, free access to all. Dual citizenship either: Jerusalemites and either Palestinian or Israeli citizenship. Has its own two-house parliament overseen by a Tri-Judgeship representing the three dominant religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. There is to be a committee to organize interfaith events to bridge dialogue between the religions and cultures; this includes an educational exchange program for Palestinians and Israelis living outside of Jerusalem.

Security: Abolish all walls between the two states as well as internal check points. Five year border control committee established which is equally made up (50-50) between Israeli and Palestinians. The committee will also regulate airspace between the two nations (there will be no crossing of airspace). A railway linking Gaza and the West Bank, and a visa passport program implemented within both Israel and Palestine.

25! that's crazy!!

1. i may be a bit delusional in this, but i feel super san francisco!

2. i love it when stereotypes that i didn't even know i had get shattered.

3. i love it when i make a true attempt to see something from all sides, not just the side i'm emotionally attached to.

4. i have a bleeding heart.

5. i believe in reincarnation.

6. i have something that comes close to true love for almost every religion i encounter.

7. i truly feel that my close friends are my family.

8. i was born with 4 great-parents and 4 grandparents and had most of them through my teenage years.

9. my first word was "light."

10. i have a serious addiction to ice cream.

11. i was clearly a chain-smoker in a past life. me and cigarettes are like fish to water.

12. thanks to suzi, i am a weaver.

13. i feel really very lucky that i grew up in galt.

14. i talk to quinlan on the phone probably between 8-12 hours per week.

15. i would love to fully potentialize my soul, though i doubt that will happen in this lifetime.

16. i'm horrible at time-management.

17. i love vodka and everything that can be done with it.

18. i'm glad to be web designing again, after taking a year and a half off.

19. i've had one energy reading in my life and the truth of it made me cry.

20. i am generally drawn to the paranormal and metaphysical.

21. i am so very lucky to live in this beautiful house with 6 amazing and inspiring roommates, and all 6 of their significant others who float in and out of the house as well.

22. i have a really hard time saying the word "boyfriend."

23. i love keith olbermann, rachel maddow and amy goodman.

24. my biggest priority in life is travel.

25. i have only felt like the minority one time in my life, and that was last night at the poleng lounge.

if you live in galt, or know anyone who still does, pls read!

If you live in Galt, or know anyone who still does, please vote for (or ask them to vote for) Doug Vanderkar for Galt School Board.

He is the Director of CBS (Community Bus Service) at Sac RT (where I used to work), and my friend. He's a really great guy and would be a benefit to any school board!!

Thank you, thank you!

REGISTER TO VOTE!!! Deadline is MONDAY!!

if you haven't done this yet guys,
seriously,
this is no joke...

get your ass registered!!

(unless you plan on voting for mccain)




thank you.

obama osama

The latest on the "Is Barack Obama a Muslim?" front is a church sign in Jonesville, South Carolina, which reads, "Obama, Osama, Humm, Are they Brothers?" It's unreal, the level of ignorance.



The Associated Press states that, "Pastor Roger Byrd said he just wanted to make people think when he put up a sign reading 'Obama, Osama — humm, are they brothers' in front of the Jonesville Church of God on Thursday." The pastor went on to say that, "His name is so close to Osama I feel he might be Islamic therefore he doesn't recognize Christ." On the news coverage I saw on MSNBC, the pastor was basically saying that since we don't know for sure if Obama is a Muslim or not, he wanted to encourage people in his town to really look into this question.

Luckily for Pastor Byrd, it's an easy question to find the answer to. Numerous news organizations have addressed this issue in depth. By simply typing "is barack obama a muslim" into the Google search, we find responses from CNN, the Washington Post, Forbes and the Times (U.K.), all debunking this idea. These articles were found on the first page of search results listed. On the same first page of results, a response to this issue posted by BarackObama.com can also be found, with a headline that states, "Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, And Is a Committed Christian." The first and second responses listed are from urban legend verification sites, UrbanLegends.com and Snopes.com – both clearly state that this is a myth. Of the 11 responses found on the first page of search results, eight of them make it clear that this is just a myth. The remaining three don't question his current faith, which they believe to be Christian, but the concern is whether Muslims consider him to be an apostate, which is a Muslim who converted to another religion. These last three posts are from news organizations much less known and trusted than the ones that discount this idea.

If Pastor Byrd, his congregation (who unanimously voted in Sunday service to keep the sign up) and the people of Jonestown, SC and the U.S. at large, really want to find an answer to this question, it couldn't be easier to find. Most people propagating this myth already know the truth and don't care, or have no real interest in finding the truth on this issue. It's much easier for them to call him a Muslim and be done with it. And worse, the sign does not only link him to Islam, but to the U.S.'s number one enemy within Islam, Osama bin Laden, thus linking Obama to worst of what Islam is in the eyes of the American public. This speaks to the larger problem here, which is that anyone who is Muslim in this country is consciously or sub-consciously linked to worst of what Islam represents – like linking all Catholics to pedophiles, Mormons to brainwashing and sexual abuse of children (in the form of polygamy), and fundamentalist Christians to domestic terrorism through the bombing of abortion clinics. All these things represent the worst of people, and can be found in all religions.

islamization

Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament who also dabbles in filmmaking, has recently made a short documentary film, titled, "Fitna." This film has caused controversy both in the Netherlands and throughout the Muslim world. I watched the film, after reading about it in an article. The point of the film is to outline the dangers of the "Islamization" of the Netherlands. The film definitely represents an extreme bias against the Muslim world. It's shocking to see a viewpoint this extreme aired in public, and even worse that the filmmaker himself is a member of parliament.

The title of the film, "Fitna," is an important word to Muslims, holding as much power and emotional charge as the word "jihad." Unlike "jihad," most non-muslims are not familiar with the word "fitna," or with it's meaning. Nahed Selim, a journalist from Trouw, a Netherlands publication, writes the following on the strength of this word in Islam: "Every Muslim knows the Arabic word fitna, says the leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV). 'It refers to situations in which the faith of the Muslims is put to the test. Everything that tests their faith is fitna: uncovered women, alcohol, non-Muslims, resistance against the authority of Islam. I use the term as a mirror image: to me the pernicious Islam is fitna.' Wilders was very pleased with his find, 'I was set on using a word from the Koran.'"

Some of the film is extremely graphic – we are given a warning of this at the beginning of the film and YouTube requires that we confirm our date of birth before giving access to the film on their site. It begins with scenes from 9/11 and moves into scenes of other terrorist attacks and anti-Jew rallies held by Muslims. It shows Muslims to be extremely anti-Semitic, carrying signs that say, "Be prepared for the real holocaust!" and "God Bless Hitler!" All the while, ominous music plays in the background. Among the graphic images is video from the Atocha bombing in Spain, which, again, has not been attributed to any Muslim organization, but to ETA, a Spanish separatist group from the Basque region. Recitation of the Qur'an in Arabic overlays some of the most gruesome scenes. Arabic is subtitled throughout the film, saying things like, "Throats must be slit and skulls must be shattered. This is the path to victory." As we've learned from experience, can these subtitles even be trusted?

The response to this film in U.S. media has been mixed, some recognizing the racism and hate being preached, while others seem to embrace Wilders' view. Roman Verzub, from the Cauldren, a University publication in Ohio, states that, "the film takes a straight look at the ideology of groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, among others." A "straight look" implies an unbiased viewpoint, but that's one thing that's definitely missing in Wilders' film. NPR, on the other hand, describes Fitna as "a short film… that portrays Islam as a violent, fascist-like ideology."

In defending the fear of Islamization, Selim states that, "The islamization of thought will mean the end of all creativity, originality and creative power, for creation is a divine quality patented by Allah. He will not tolerate competition from man. Islamization is the process by which Islamic values eventually gain the upper hand over all other value systems, in all aspects of life."

From what I have learned of Islam, Muslims have been one of the most creative and forward-thinking groups of people in the history of the world. Wilders' film does nothing to show this side of Islam and only promotes ignorance and intolerance of Islam, states of being that have been promoted by the general tone of the media throughout the western world. Until we can find appreciation for Islam, for all that it has to offer, films like "Fitna" will continue to find an audience that is more than willing to embrace these divisive ideas with open arms.

a fight to the right

Senator Hilary Clinton has seemed as republican lately as President Bush when it comes to her ideas about foreign security policy, and even more republican than Senator John McCain. From threatening to "obliterate" Iran to her recent campaign ad, titled "Kitchen," which flashes a photo of Osama bin Laden, she's taken fear-mongering to a new level for democrats. Republicans can't even get away with language or fear tactics such as these, but she has embraced them.

Watching the democratic presidential debate this past week in Pennsylvania was painful, for many reasons, but nothing surprised me more than Senator Clinton's pledge to defend the whole of the Middle East against Iran. Both Senators Obama and Clinton have surprised me more than once during this campaign with almost republican-like ideas of foreign security policy, but this really went too far. We're trying to get away from Bush policy, not continue it for another hundred years, as McCain would have us do. With this, it sounds like Senator Clinton would have the same thing.

The Jerusalem Post states, "It is within the United States' power to destroy Iran if it attacks Israel, warned Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton in an interview on ABC television Monday night. 'In the next ten years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them,' said Clinton." Further, she didn't stop at saying that the U.S. would attack Iran if they attacked Israel; she went on to say that we would attack Iran if they attacked any country in the Middle East. Here is her quote from the debate: "I think that we should be looking to create an umbrella of deterrence that goes much further than just Israel. Of course I would make it clear to the Iranians that an attack on Israel would incur massive retaliation from the United States, but I would do the same with other countries in the region."

Senator Clinton made this statement on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: "If Iran were to become a nuclear power, it could set off an arms race. The countries in the region are not going to want Iran to be the only nuclear power." David Edwards of Raw Story, an online alternative news organization, responded to that statement: "Clinton's suggestion that Iran might trigger an arms race appeared not to take account of the fact that Iran's immediate neighbor, Pakistan already possesses nuclear weapons, as does India. Israel, which has refused to either confirm or deny whether it has a nuclear weapons program, is widely believed to have an arsenal of over a hundred warheads. Other nations in the region, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have also been reported as interested in obtaining nuclear capability." Her statement was incorrect, so was she ill-informed or intentionally trying to mislead the American people? Eight years of that has been enough.

She also stated on Countdown: "I think deterrence has not been effectively used in recent times. We used it very well during the Cold War." This speaks directly to the point made by Edward Said in his book, Covering Islam: "With the end of the Cold War [Iran], and along with it 'Islam,' has come to represent America's major foreign devil." Said also states, in his documentary titled "On Orientalism," that it is necessary for the U.S. to maintain the impression of having serious enemies, so that it can justify its sizable defense budget, which is more than twice that of any other country.

When Democrats try to keep up with the Republican Right on issues of foreign policy, it can only drive them further away from their base of support. She openly admits to doing this and so states on Countdown: "We're going to have to go toe to toe with John McCain on national security." This may have worked in Ohio and Pennsylvania where the majority of Democratic voters are not college educated (only 38% of Democratic voters in Ohio and 46% in Pennsylvania hold college degrees, according to CNN), but by and large, I don't believe that Democrats will respond well to this type of message.

democratic debate - ohio

As a democrat myself, I've found these last 13 months in the realm of politics to be extremely exciting. I've watched every debate and have generally been fascinated with each little tidbit of "breaking news," especially since the primary and caucaus elections began. I've supported Sen. Barack Obama from the beginning for a variety of reasons, and I feel like I'm watching a very close basketball game, biting my nails hoping my team wins. The most recent Democratic debate was, of course, held this past Tuesday and it was chalk-full (as is usually the case) with policy as well as drama. I've heard all the policy before and definitely enjoy when things heat up a bit between the two senators. This time however, I heard something new, which I found quite shocking – a 100% support of Israel, hand-in-hand with a complete shun of the Muslim- and Arab-American populous.

When Tim Russert first posed the question of Minister Louis Farrakhan's (former leader of the Nation of Islam – NOI) support of Sen. Obama, Obama barely let him get the question out of his mouth before he was explaining that his view of Farrakhan has been made quite clear. Russert goes on to say that, "The problem some voters may have is, as you know, Reverend Farrakhan called Judaism 'gutter religion,'" to which Obama responded that he does not approve of Farrakhan's anti-semitic remarks made in the past, and even finds them "reprehensible." Russert then adds that even Obama's own minister, who Obama is known to hold in high esteem, supports Farrakhan and has "said that Louis Farrakhan 'epitomizes greatness.'" After further research on this issue, I found that Farrakhan actually made this statement more than 20 years ago (in 1984) and has since made numerous apologies and retractions of his anti-semetic statements.

I thought that Obama fielded these questions well, but I did find myself extremely disappointed that he did not take this opportunity to reach out to the Muslim community as a whole. Maybe he felt that drawing any connection between the NOI and the larger Muslim world would have been considered insulting to Muslims, but I don't think so. I think he was more concerned with distancing himself from Islam because of the right-wing conservative suspicions throughout his campaign that he is really a Muslim himself, just waiting to get into the White House so that he can hand the U.S. over to Muslim extremists. These suspicions are ridiculous on top of showing extreme prejudice. I am disappointed that Obama is succumbing to this pressure by distancing himself from the Arab/Muslim world. Many people, myself included, support him mainly for the idea that he will be the candidate most open to all sides of issues in the Middle-East and deal with world issues as a whole in a balanced way.

From Obama's support of the Jewish community and his hopes to bring the Jewish and Black communities back together, the debate moved naturally to Israel itself. Obama endorsed Israel 100%, leaving no room to question Israel's policies. Senator Clinton echoed this sentiment, a sentiment which sounds uncritical and uniformed. I think that anyone with a little information on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can see that both sides have validity and that Israel has been less than fair in its dealings with the Palestinians. I think this speaks to who holds more power in this country, and more than the Jewish vote itself, the power lies in the Israel lobby. One of Obama's advisors is considered anti-Israel, simply because of his support of a book that explores the power of this lobbying group. This speaks to a climate in which politicians are unable to deeply explore all sides of this issue without being labeled anti-Israel and persecuted for it.

I still support Sen. Obama but this leaves me wondering if he can help U.S. relations in the Middle-East in the way I was hoping. The fact that the Arab/Muslim world was left completely out of this discussion was a bad move and will likely result in his losing votes in these communities. But who can they turn to now, besides Ralph Nader, who is pro-Palestinian but clearly doesn't have any chance of ever being elected president.

oh my - stars!!

meteor shower!!

it's that time of year again, it always coincides with marti's birthday. ;)

does anyone remember the meteor shower parties
that we used to have in my backyard?

fun fun fun!!!
and waaaay tooooo many good brain cells lost!
hahaha!!

;)



August 12th - Perseid Meteor Shower



nasa story with images

Got a calendar? Circle this date: Sunday, August 12th. Next to the circle write "all night" and "Meteors!" Attach the above to your refrigerator in plain view so you won't miss the 2007 Perseid meteor shower.

"It's going to be a great show," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Moon is new on August 12th--which means no moonlight, dark skies and plenty of meteors." How many? Cooke estimates one or two Perseids per minute at the shower's peak.

it's been a while...

wow, it's really been a while since my last blog!! so much has happened over the last couple months. overall life is good, but things have been intense, and this will definitely be a summer to remember!

here's a quick recap:

i'm not sure if you saw the picture of the little sparrow in my "los animales" album, but this was an amazing experience. that little sparrow is actually sitting on my hand! can you believe it? somehow it must have gotten seperated from it's parents and for one magical morning, he thought that my neighbor and i were his two moms. the trust he put in us was mind-blowing.

of course we couldn't keep him, but the people at the animal rescue place said that he'd be fine.


i'm sure most of you know that quinlan is now in san diego. she moved down the 15th of july. i miss her like crazy and i know i'm not the only one. she's settling well into her new adventure though. ;)

before she left, we really made the most of our time - we had parties, went to concerts, did lots and lots of bar-hopping through midtown, got tattoos...

cancer b-day party
quinlan, me, marlena, shasara


shasara and sevgi...


4th of july with the maxey's, at their new place in san pablo
chanté, marlena, troy


marlena and joaquin, troy, quinlan and shaye


lots of bar hopping...
at the tavern - nabor, troy, sevgi, jason


hahaha!! troy doing the cabbage patch! so hella cute!


at the monkey bar for q's birthday - jason, troy, sevgi


quinlan and me


we went to live 105's bfd concert and the warp tour, along with many, many smaller shows.

quinlan and me at warp, pretty buzzed.


kids skating the vans ramp....


one of the smaller shows was "hurts so good" at the poleng lounge in s.f., featuring one of my favorite hip-hop artists, niko villamor. if you haven't added him yet, do it today!


niko and me


quinlan, sevgi and i also made sure to get tattoos before quinlan left. i didn't get pics of sevgi's (my battery died), but here's some pics of mine and q's.




here's a pic of mine, it's on the back of my arm - half sleeve here i come!


okay, i think that's enough pics for now....

my final piece of news for this blog is that i passed my statistics class, which means that i'm on my way to s.f. state. i move at the end of the year and i absolutely can't wait!!

i feel really good about life right now and am so excited to see what happens next!