Crazy, crazy family

I have to share how crazy my family is. I got this email from them on my birthday:

Happy Birthday Jenny! Sorry you couldn't make it to the party with us. As you can see, you had a nice cake and a nice meal.

Happy Birthday Jenny from Mom, Dad, Mike and Jess. It was a wonderful party.



Yes, they actually framed my picture, gathered party props, and took me to brunch at a diner in Fargo. Hahahahahaha. They said it was super crowded (it was on Sunday morning) and everyone around them seemed to think they were honoring me in mourning... as if I were dead and that's why I couldn't be present. If they had had an urn, it would have been complete... :)

Summer night wedding

So, I am really sick. I have a pretty bad cold. Yucky.

I just wanted to comment that I recently realized the only thing I would love as much as a fall wedding might be a summer evening wedding... the kind of party you see in movies where they have lots of little lights and a live band under the stars. Oooooh that would be so nice.

100 other lovers, more, 100 other altars

I built another temple to a stranger
I gave away my heart to the rushing wind
I set my course to run right into danger
Sought the company of fools instead of friends

You know I've been unfaithful, with lovers in lines
While You're turning over tables with the rage of a jealous kind
I chose the gallows to the aisle, thought that love would never find...
But hanging ropes will never keep You
and Your love of a jealous kind
Love of a jealous kind...

Try to jump away from Rock that keeps on spreading
For solace in the shift of the sinking sand
I'd rather feel the pain all too familiar
Than be broken by a Lover I don't understand...
Cause I don't understand...

You know I've been unfaithful, with lovers in lines
While You're turning over tables with the rage of a jealous kind
I chose the gallows to the aisle, thought that love would never find...
But hanging ropes will never keep You
and Your love of a jealous kind
Love of a jealous kind...
Love of a jealous kind
Love of a jealous kind

....... mmmmm One hundred other lovers
More, one hundred other altars
If I should slow my pace, finally subject me to grace
and Love that shames the wise
betrays the heart's deceit and lies
breaks the back of foolish pride
ohhhhhhhhh you know I've been unfaithful
with lovers in lines
while You're turning over tables with the rage of a jealous kind...
I chose the gallows to the aisle
Thought that love would never find
But hanging ropes will never keep You
and Your love of a jealous kind...
Your love of a jealous kind, oh, your love of a jealous kind

(This is not a Jesus-is-my-girlfriend song. It's really about Him :)

Human Rights First

Note: You've got to respect that this is not a politically charged piece, but rather a non-partisan plea for recognizing human rights. I can't believe people really even need to fight for these things in America. It shocks me.

Dear Jenny,

The previously unseen photographs from Abu Ghraib, the UN report recommending closure of Guantanamo, and the government whistleblower hearings - all in the news last week - put a new spotlight on torture and abuse in U.S. facilities.

But the media is showing you only a small part of the picture. Human Rights First has independently and tirelessly researched U.S. mistreatment of detainees - a problem that goes far beyond Abu Ghraib. Just today we released an eye-opening report, titled Command's Responsibility.

We came to a disturbing conclusion: Dozens of detainees were killed in U.S. custody, 8 of whom were tortured to death. In most cases, not one person was held responsible. Even more distressing, no higher-level officials have faced a criminal charge, even as they are the root of the problem.

This can be fixed. America's reputation can be restored. Please click here to ask President Bush to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy for commanders who allow torture and abuse to occur on their watch.

This zero-tolerance approach requires:

• Immediate and full implementation of Sen. John McCain's ban on torture and cruel treatment. You helped this become law; now we must ensure it becomes practice.
  
• Written orders from the President, as Commander in Chief, to military commanders and civilian leaders of the intelligence agencies, in which the President specifies that abuses like waterboarding, stress positions, sexual humiliation, beatings, and other cruel and inhuman treatment are illegal and will not be tolerated.
  
• All those who authorize or engage in wrongdoing must be held accountable.

Not only did commanders fail to give troops clear guidance, they inadequately investigated the cases – and they mustbe held accountable for unlawful acts about which they knew or should have known. As long as commanders can get away with this unlawful behavior, the problem of torture and abuse will persist. Click here to read our report.

The Pentagon claims these abuses are being adequately addressed – yet investigators failed to interview key witnesses, and failed to collect or maintain useable evidence. Out of the 34 detainee deaths the government classifies as homicides, only 12 have resulted in punishment of any kind.

Click here to urge President Bush to make sure we close this dangerous accountability gap and fix the problem. This is a critical step, not only in the interest of justice but also as a matter of national security. If not addressed, this problem will continue to expose our troops to needless risk - and will increase the likelihood that torture and abuse will continue. Thank you for sharing our conviction that torture should not be tolerated.

Sincerely,

Jill Savitt
Director of Campaigns
Human Rights First

Grace, apparently

Everything is going so well lately... I'm kind of in a state of grateful shock. I was able to make an amazing, amazing connection with a local business bureau (yes I said amazing twice). I didn't even know the sort of deal I made with them was possible to be made! And, coming back from that meeting feeling very happy (as my Dad said, "Wow! What a cash-cow that was." hahaha)... I got this call from a guy who I cold-called over 2 weeks ago. It was weird that he returned my call at all (since I am a total stranger to him), and weird that he did it after two weeks, and weirder still that he did it purely to help me out. It turns out we are in exact the same career situation (our lives would be somewhat identical if I were 15 years older! kinda). All he did was talk to me for an hour giving me idea after idea. I just mean this guy was exceptionally helpful and gave me lots of leads. How is everything working out so well?! It makes me want to say to everyone, follow your heart! This crazy constant shower of blessing seems to be happening to me ever since I have done exactly what I most wanted to do. I know it's not always going to be sunshine and smiles, but seriously, there is some crazy freedom-loving type karma blessing joyful serendipitous wild thing going on.

The Great Firewall of China

The War over China's Wikipedia

Greatly interesting situation... do we really live in a world where Wikipedia is banned in a nation the size of China? Dang. I really take my freedom for granted sometimes.

What Hurts the Most

Why did Rascal Flatts release "What Hurts the Most" on the radio, but won't have it on itunes or anywhere else until April?! That's madness.

Close Guantanamo

UN Calls for Guantanamo Closure

I agree 100%. I wish I could do something... write a letter, maybe. It feels very hopeless.

Poverty, Slavery, y mas

Yesterday, I went to a Poverty Center event at UNC. Yes, that means my boy Silky Pony was there!!! (FYI, Silky Pony is the derogatory name for John Edwards, but I absolutely love John Edwards and he could indeed be described as a silky pony - a pretty face - so I co-opted the evil nickname for good purposes!) Anyway, Silky Pony was there as well as speakers from places that care about health care in America - a local free clinic, Georgetown's Public Policy center, and a non-profit called America's Health Together.

The downside was not being able to talk about anything substantively in the 60 minutes provided (short!). The upside was how many people came out for the panel discussion, and how it reminded me personally that this is a huge issue for America. We have such an incredibly patchwork "solution" to health care access in America. The private response is very patchwork (employer-based, with many employers providing little or no healthcare coverage) and the public response is patchy as well (with Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIPS not covering everyone who needs it). I would love for good elected minds to get together and solve this. It's one priority for me when it comes to voting, anyway. One way to start caring about this is to rent the movie John Q. Another way is to talk with one of the 48 million Americans who have no coverage. :( Scary.

Okay, I am done, but for those of you who came along with me this far, I have a prize for you. I am working on campaign to sustain our anti-trafficking programs in West Africa. I made this today logo for it today... whatcha think?


Woops! Forgot about my laundry... :) See ya later.

And I love this song, too

When I hear this song, I can actually feel and smell summertime, and just the aliveness of it all... well, I have teared up while listening to this song, several times. lol I don't know why I like it so much but something about live music, and lots of people together, and a summer sky... gets me very happy.

They got 3 in the front and 4 in the back of a Civic
Camped out all night on the sidewalk just to get tickets
With their hands on the fence in the back by the buses and limousines
Just to get a glimpse of a drummer, or a singer, yeah anything

And they come from miles around
For the moment when the lights go out
And they screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!!

It's the girls in the front row singing
It's the boys with the wheels that bring them
It's the lighters in the air, and you guys up there
You're the heart and the soul and the reason we do what we do
Here's to you!

There's a silver-tongued blond trying to sweet-talk her way backstage
There's a mom and a dad in the aisle, not acting their age
There's a wet corvette, red lipstick print on a Coors Light cup
Yeah, judging by the way she's dancing, I'd say she's had enough (ha ha...)

The guitars come alive
And you make us want to stay all night
And they screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!

It's the girls in the front row singing
It's the boys with the wheels that bring them
It's the lighters in the air, and you guys up there
You're the heart and the soul
And the reason we do what we do
Here's to youuuuuu!

Oh yeah.... yeah here's to you

(Here's to You, Rascal Flatts)

This is my favorite workout cooldown song

Highway run into the midnight sun
Wheels go round and round
You're on my mind

Restless hearts sleep alone tonight
Sending all my love
Along the wire

They say that the road ain't no place to start a family
Right down the line it's been you and me
And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be
Oh girl, but you stand by me

I'm forever yours... faithfully.

Circus life under the big top world
We all need the clowns
To make us smile

Through space and time, always another show
Wondering where I am
Lost without you

And being apart ain't easy on this love affair
Two strangers learn to fall in love again
I get the joy of rediscovering you
Oh girl, you stand by me

I'm forever yours... faithfully.

(Faithfully, Journey)

Flurry wha?

Drew just called me and told me to look outside. I stood in front of my patio doors looking at green grass and cloudy sky. I'm like yeah? And he's like are you looking outside? And I'm like.. yeah? lol And then he's like "It's snowing!" And I said um, no it's not over here. (He lives about 1.5 blocks away.) Then he's like are you sure? Then i repositioned my glasses and focused very intently... YES! I see about 3 snowflakes fallling! lol So funny. This is the first "snow" I've seen in North Carolina.

Nigerien mother... child famine

A Reuters picture of a mother and child at an emergency feeding center in Niger during the recent famine there won the coveted 2005 World Press Photo of the Year Award, organizers said on Friday. The picture, taken by Canadian photographer Finbarr O'Reilly in Tahoua, northwestern Niger, on August 1 2005 shows the emaciated fingers of a one-year old child pressed against the lips of his mother. (Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)

The story...

Cartoons

Was what I said about the Mohammed cartoons insensitive? Now that everyone is saying they're so reprehensible, I'm having second thoughts. I do think they crossed the line. But in principal, having Mohammed drawn... I am not opposed to that at all, even though it is against Islamic law. Caricaturing him as a terrorist, or a womanizer... obbbbviously that's mean-spirited, racist, and should not be printed. But anyway. Responding with violence is ridiculous. I'm sorry, but it is.

Constant Gardener

I just watched The Constant Gardener last night, and really enjoyed it. Not in the happy way (it's very sad), but in the compelling way.

When I think of Africa, a few feelings rush over me. One is just joy. Such contentment and family and joy and color cover the continent. It is such a beautiful and hopeful culture.

But the next is... not so much sadness, as just stress and tension and anxiety. You have the heat, the chaos, the poverty, the disease, the unemployment, the lack of access to basic things like clean water and medical care and education. There's also a high level of corruption and distrust. And it's unfamiliar to me, which makes it somewhat scary (like anything unfamiliar). When I think of Africa, my body literally tenses up, overwhelmed by great need and even greater confusion.

This movie is about the intersection of economic interest and the value of human life. More specifically it's about a woman who undercovered a gigantic pharmaceutical conspiracy that was killing Africans.

I was about to say it's a little empty because there's not much redemption in the movie... not much mention of God. But then I realize I have to ask myself, where was God in that movie? Where did I see Him/Her? (It's a Both/And not an Either/Or, by the way!)

I saw Him in the truth-seeking of the husband. He tried to understand her heart by seeking and searching along her path. Pursuing truth out of love for someone... that is God, right? Of God.

I saw Him in the innocence of the children, in the joy of simple gift-giving (in an early scene), in the longing for adventure, in the affection and committed love.

But it's a way complex world. You know, a lot of people who were involved in the act of evil in this movie, they were all directly responsible, but they all played just a little part into it. What corporate evil I am also furthering?

It was a compelling movie, I'll leave it at that. Can't believe Drew thought it was boring. Sheesh...
So, PS. I totally thought that was Kate Winslet in the movie the whole time. Ha! That girl looks so much like her, I think.

Yada yada yada

This article about sex and "yada yada yada!" is really interesting. Do you think this is really what Seinfeld was insinuating? Sheesh. If so, I really missed that.

Well, anyway, I have heard that the Hebrew "To know" implies "to love." Good old ASP! (That's the DC program I did in 2002. We learned lots of Hebrew words. Shalom, for instance. Hehe.) Anyway I appreciate the reminder that there is a kind of sex that is knowing and loving, and then there is a kind of sex that is meaningless and even sad and harmful. I'd just started forgetting that. Media.

La machina

Here is my beautiful piece of machinery. Hehe. I've only written two letters with it, though. DARN needing to do work and stuff!

Rwanda

I really, really, really want to go on this trip to Rwanda and meet my sponsored child. Ooooooooooh I want to go so bad. It is really expensive. But it would be so amazing. I guess I am going to have to make the decision by March based on how much work I can conjure up (BY THE GRACE OF GOD) by then.

Yehaw

I got a TV!! I love it. Well the TV part isn't working yet. (Apparently you have to get the antenna separately? Ghetto.) But I can watch DVDs and I feel like I have a new friend hanging out with me. Hehe! I am currently watching Elf (one of my personal favorites, as you know) while doing other stuff. I also just went to my favorite gym and my favorite grocery store (Fresh Market). It's a really happy day. I'm going to visit my neighbor at the hosptial, uhhh read my work-related book that I'm excited about, put together a coffee table I got from Ikea, make a salad, make some cookies to bring over to Amanda's, go to a mini super bowl partay there, and be very content with Sunday.

What wouldn't Jesus do?

Heehee.

Cartoon Hatin'

This international fury over cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad is very interesting.

I am sad that people can't take a joke, but it really goes to a deeper level than lacking a sense of religious humor.

From my understanding and research, Muhammed is not supposed to be depicted in images. Wikipedia says, "Islamic teachings forbid the depiction of Muhammad as a measure against idolatry (see aniconism); however, in the past there have been non-satirical depictions of Muhammad by Muslims. Although Jyllands-Posten maintains that the drawings were an exercise in free speech, many Muslims in Denmark and elsewhere view them as provocative, racist and Islamophobic." (From this article.)

Whether cartoons humorously depicting Muslim figures should be allowed is one thing. Whether they are overly racist and offensive (and therefore inappropriate) is another thing. What makes this issue difficult is that both are occurring and it is almost impossible to separate the two questions.

American culture says take the holy and sacrosanct, and mock it through satire until there's nothing left. That's what we do. It's the American way.

I guess I am pretty American in that regard. We live in a secular society. I would tolerate almost anything on the printed page as long as it doesn't incite violence against people. What is interesting is that violence has been incited in retaliation for these cartoons (so, the reverse is occurring).

Now again, with the disclaimer that my understanding is limited, it seems that the global majority of Muslims want the government of their nation-state to operate as an Islamic republic. Again quoting good old Wiki, it says, "Today, the creation of an Islamic Republic is the rallying cry for Islamists all over the world." (From this article.) That's where I disagree. You can live your life however you want, but demanding a government that enforces religious law in everyone's lives is wrong, in my perspective. It is nothing short of some degree of Taliban. So, on the question of whether a cartoon depicting Islamic figures should be allowed, I say yes, absolutely. Even if it is against Islamic law, it is not against American law, or Danish law, or French law... and for that matter, I don't think it should be against Iranian law or against Pakistani law. 99.999 percent of people can think it wrong, but the one person who communicates carefully but powerfully through that image should be allowed to. That person should not be forced out of the country. That's just my free-press-loving, idea-happy, nothing-is-too-holy-for-humor, minority-empowering perspective. So sue me. (That's American, too. Ha.)

THAT being said... there is no reason to draw a cartoon of Muhammed wearing a bomb in place of a turban. There is no reason to further the stereotype that all Muslims are violent. It is inappropriate. All things are permissable, but not all things are beneficial. It just ain't right in a multi-cultural society.

However, the violent response has been interesting. lol What a mess all of this is.

Hannity, Robertson, and [blech!!]

I'm sitting here watching Hannity and Colmes, and they just had Pat Robertson on as guest. The whole thing is so pathetic. The discussion is so uncivil and ridiculous. This goes, I'm sure, for most political commentary shows, but I guess I am just especially repulsed when it's Christ-lovers being so obnoxiously cocky, interrupting, and narrow-minded. What's most important? Is it being right? Is it being patriotic? The whole scenario reminds me of something I read in a Relevant article once...

Okay I was going to quote it but can't find it. The point was that when you're talking about an emotionally and morally charged issue with someone who disagrees, the central thing is not to be right or to convey that you have the moral perspective or even simply, A moral perspective. (No one cares if you are super moral! All kinds of people can have that going for them and trust me, it's not the best thing going... Not to say morality is overrated, it's just not faith, hope, or love which are at the top of the "most important" list.) Anyway, so, the central thing is to listen and to communicate with love. I know that sounds incredibly cliche, but in our culture, where tolerance is a virtue, you can be tolerant simply by carefully listening to other perspectives and communicating your own. Isn't that a conversation after all? By being snappy and super opinionated, you fail to convey the love that you are trying so hard to convey in words! That's not to say you can't have an opinion. You can think what you want to think, just get rid of the mean-spirited insistence.

Anyway, all Hannity does is pick weak liberals (Colmes), weak guests (unsuspecting losers), and WEAK POINTS to drive home with such arrogance and insistence that you just want to rack him. Seriously. lol I cannot believe this guy is getting paid to be an obnoxious political commentator. But I guess he's not the only one...

Worried for no reason

Okay, so, sorry for the long delay, but the cool purchase is a vintage TYPEWRITER!! From the 1950s or 60s or so. I really love it.

Anyway, I am in Washington, DC having some meetings with my former employer. It's interesting. I got so worried about these meetings. As in, worried sick. As in, waking up during the night (weird for me). As in, waking up at 6:29 when I had to get up at 6:30. I do that one minute early thing when worry has taken over my body and subconscious mind. It is so wild. But then, everything has gone wonderfully amazing. Well, I should clarify... things have gone so well because we really barely worked at all and we haven't focused on any of the things that need urgent attention. But, I got our organizational e-newsletter launched (huge yay!) and I am working on some strategic planning (yes, that sounds almost as pretentious as the word consultant!). So we haven't addressed the important issues, but at least there's positive energy! Yes! Okay! I have to go right now!