Liberté de Pensée et D'Expression

I am donning the NEW as I reflect and RENEW and become more receptive to the Spirit that lives inside of me. I explore my truth, and resist the temptation to censor myself. I must free my expression and share my TRUTH.

Ma photo
Nom :
Lieu : NYC

Resisting Self Censorship

30 septembre 2005

Are We Always Going To Have To Deal With This Shit?!?!

I'm putting this out now b/c I have to at least get some of this out of my system. There's a lot of research I want to do before I really get into this discussion. But, to say the least, I am outraged beyond belief. I shake my head in disbelief that 1) this was said (though, should I really be this shocked? but instead expect off the bat asinine shit like this?) and 2) there are so many out there who continue to be deluded that racism does not exist...that we are all treated equally now that Jim Crow, segregation, etc has been "abolished". What a joke.

Bill Bennett: "[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down"

Addressing a caller's suggestion that the "lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last 30 years" would be enough to preserve Social Security's solvency,
radio host and former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett dismissed such "far-reaching, extensive extrapolations" by declaring that if "you wanted to reduce crime ... if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." Bennett conceded that aborting all African-American babies "would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do," then added again, "but the crime rate would go down."

Bennett's remark was apparently inspired by the claim that legalized abortion has reduced crime rates, which was posited in the book
Freakonomics (William Morrow, May 2005) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. But Levitt and Dubner argued that aborted fetuses would have been more likely to grow up poor and in single-parent or teenage-parent households and therefore more likely to commit crimes; they did not put forth Bennett's race-based argument.

From the September 28 broadcast of Salem Radio Network's Bill Bennett's Morning in America:

CALLER: I noticed the national media, you know, they talk a lot about the loss of revenue, or the
inability of the government to fund Social Security, and I was curious, and I've read articles in recent months here, that the abortions that have happened since Roe v. Wade, the lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last 30-something years, could fund Social Security as we know it today. And the media just doesn't -- never touches this at all.

BENNETT: Assuming they're all productive citizens?

CALLER: Assuming that they are. Even if only a portion of them were, it would be an enormous amount of revenue.

BENNETT: Maybe, maybe, but we don't know what the costs would be, too. I think as -- abortion disproportionately occur among single women? No.

CALLER: I don't know the exact statistics, but quite a bit are, yeah.

BENNETT: All right, well, I mean, I just don't know. I would not argue for the pro-life position based on this, because you don't know. I mean, it cuts both -- you know, one of the arguments in this book Freakonomics that they make is that the declining crime rate, you know, they deal with this hypothesis, that one of the reasons crime is down is that abortion is up. Well --

CALLER: Well, I don't think that statistic is accurate.

BENNETT: Well, I don't think it is either, I don't think it is either, because first of all, there is just too much that you don't know. But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are,
I think,
tricky.

Bill Bennett's Morning in America airs on approximately 115 radio stations with an estimated weekly audience of 125 million listeners.
*****************************************************************************

Article and comments worth reading:
TPM Cafe
The live link to
the above article
A book these assholes should be reading:
BLINK

29 septembre 2005

Rebirth Is Begun

I don’t know if it’s something in the water, the smog-polluted air or in the antibiotics I’m taking, but I’m feeling pretty optimistic these days. I posted a poem last night b/c I was feeling inspired, and I’m still experiencing the afterglow. My night at home was uneventful, but in a good way. I had what I’ll call “dinner” then relaxed with a book for the rest of the night. Thanks to the handy dandy medication I have to take four times a day, I figured out that from the time I wake in the morning until I go to sleep, I have a 15-hour day. I also figured out that my bedtime will be 10:00 pm. There will be exceptions to this, of course, but now I have a guideline.

Those who know me pretty well may have already guessed or have sensed that I like structure. While I don’t always adhere to it, I like it being in place for when things are beginning to run amok. I complained to my friends about things being “off” last week. My diet (as in the food I eat, not diet-diet, lol) has consisted of things I either don’t eat very often or had stopped eating, for the most part. Not a good look. Then, I wasn’t sleeping well. Stress is also a part of the equation, but my mattress plays a role, too. Been needing to correct that for a while...lol So...I am quite excited to have something of a “schedule”...*giggle* I know it sounds so dorky, but I can’t help myself. Anything that will make my life a little more organized...

Secretly, the underlying value in this is to exert some sort of “control” over my life...muah ha ha ha haaa...*rubbing hands*

28 septembre 2005

"L" is for Loser

In The News: “Brownie” faces a congressional inquiry and has to explain what went wrong in the relief effort staged by FEMA for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Of course he proceeds to blame everyone: Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco, the police department, the state legislatures, etc---everyone but himself. One members of the committee told him he was clueless, and couldn’t believe that he would not take responsibility for what happened.

Michael Brown’s defense was that he could have done more, had he realized that Louisiana was “dysfunctional”. I’m surprised no one on the committee gave him the “L” for “Loser” b/c this guy definitely deserves it. The bottom line is that he did not utilize the resources available so that people on the gulf coast would be evacuated effectively or so aid would be ready to go as soon as the storm had passed. Anyone who lead the Arabian Horse Association for a living should not be in charge of saving people’s lives.

And who is going to point the finger at good ‘ol G Dubyah for making such an outstanding choice when appointing the director of FEMA? Can the “good old boy” network be any more blatant?!?! Clearly, Michael Brown was not qualified to head up an agency as critical as FEMA, yet, there he was.

27 septembre 2005

In Midnight

At the onset of dawn and break of day,
I watched you as you slept,
filling my eyes with the essence of you
as you inhaled and exhaled beauty
in living dreams and cast realities
colored with tranquility and ease
as I slowly drank in the sight of you,
only to tease my insatiable thirst.

When I think of you, I am arrested
with yearning and desire
to reach places the eyes and hands
can't see or touch
with unyielding determination
to connect and truly identify with
the elements of you
with limitless and infinite aptitude...

I haven't really created for a little while, and I'm getting that itch. I'm feeling the mood to write, but am looking for just the write inspiration. Usually music is my muse...and I'm a neglectful courtier because on many occasion I have left him hanging (and not in a good way, lol). I need to have him over to gaze into his eyes and recollect the intimate moments we have had; relive the memories of our connection...

The above is an excerpt of a piece I'd written several years ago. Enjoy!

Under Construction

There’s nothing I hate worse than feeling embarrassed, humiliated and exposed. It's like standing in the check out line with a bunch of items only to realize you don't have any money...and everyone's waiting impatiently behind you. It’s a feeling like being walked in on as you are getting out of the shower or of someone catching you in the act of something you didn't want everyone to see. What I felt this morning could compare in some ways, but more accurately, it’s like the feeling you get when you think of how God would feel if He actually walked in on something you were doing that in your heart you knew you shouldn’t be. You’d feel embarrassed and exposed, and even on some level..angry. Maybe you’d want to be angry with Him..for walking in on you, for exposing you, for making you feel vulnerable...but how could you be angry when you are the one responsible?

That’s the ugly; the beauty in the situation is that now it’s all out in the open, you can fix it. You can change and rearrange; modify this, tinker with that; do whatever’s necessary to make sure that if this area was opened up again, you would feel at ease. No worries because you’ve been working on it. It may not be perfect, but at least you are trying. That’s the beauty.

I read in a horoscope (mine) a while back that people don’t tend to change until they are in crisis mode...until the worst is about to happen, the other shoe’s about to drop, then they want to do something about their situation. Other times, it’s not until the most dreaded has happened that one steps to the plate to make changes. It’s really too late at that point to save what you had. If things have been bad for a while, then there’s nothing to be done to keep this person/place/thing in your life. The trick is to be proactive and head situations off at the pass. That could mean finally taking the time necessary to clean up whatever mess it is that you’ve made before someone/something comes along and forces you to. Take ownership of your weaknesses and work on making them strengths. Or risk experiencing those feelings again.

September is usually my time for reflection. Most of the time it’s been about my life overall. Am I satisfied w/my life? What areas can I improve upon? Where should I be more consistent? Stuff like that. This time, it’s a little different. I feel more of a yearning, a longing for more. More out of life, more out of career, more out of everything...and I want to have that. In the book I’m reading, CHOOSE ME by Xenia Ruiz, a statement jumped out at me, and I was feeling it, b/c it pretty much hit the nail on the head of my spirit. It read, “The power of life and death might be on the tongue, but the power of happiness and discontent [is] in the mind.”

I have to swish that around in my mind for a while...

26 septembre 2005

What Kind of LOVE Do You Have?

PROLOGUE

In the beginning, you think you know what love is.

With the help of the Creator, you are conceived out of love between a man and a woman, your mother and father, who planned you---in some instances—and if not, you’d like to think so. You are born of your mother, who carries you for nine months, protects you in her womb, and then gives brith to you in pain, a pain that dissipates as soon as she sees you are intact, with ten fingers, ten toes. Love is a blessing.

As you grow, you slowly learn what love is because you are helpless and your parents are there to provide for your every need. They love you, no matter what you do, even when you don’t deserve it. Love is unconditional.

Later, you think you really know what love is because even though your parents don’t understand you, there’s someone who does. You hear and see love mentioned over and over in songs, books and films. You use gifts, flowers and cards to express love. Love is commercialism and materialism.

As you get older, and presumably wiser, love becomes a deeper emotion that you express with feelings, words, your hands, your lips, your body, your heart and your soul over and over and over again. Love is desire, passion and sex.

As the years go by, your definition of love narrows. You start to notice you are running out of time and you must find your true love. Or you start to believe that the one you are with is your soul mate and even if you do not love him---or her---it no longer matters anymore because love is about needing and wanting. Love is about not being alone.

And then one day, you realize that the things that mattered before---the physical, the material and the sexual---no longer apply and what really matters is that you have someone to talk to, someone to listen to you, someone who gives you peace. Love is companionship, friendship, trust and commitment.

Finally, in the end, you know that the true meaning of love is the biggest example of selfless love, the greatest gift of all. You know that love, REAL love, is about sacrifice.

In the end, as in the beginning, LOVE IS A BLESSING.

Choose Me by Xenia Ruiz © 2005

21 septembre 2005

He's Got It Like DAT?!?!

Plenty of ppl have been to my apt and know that it’s on the top floor, beneath a roof deck that all the residents have access to. Usually, it’s pretty quiet. But, there have been a couple times that the noise going on up there has been too much. Once, I went up to ask whoever was up there to chill out, and some little girl (well, not really that little---she was probably pre-teen) was doing cartwheels. Okay, Ima need you to not be doin’ freakin’ cartwheels over my head while I’m trying to watch TV. How ‘bout dat? I went up w/a bit of attitude, and she kindly refrained from continuing said activity.

The thing is, if you don’t live in the top floor apartments, you wouldn’t know that the deck has no sort of insulation to absorb the shock of heavy walking, stomping, cartwheel-turning, or whatever. Bottom line is, I hear it all.

Well, this morning, I’m awakened to what sounds like creaking. Whatever this is, it’s causing enough vibration to make my curtains tremble. I kid you not! I check the clock, and it’s 6:40 am. I don’t know what this ruckus is, but I give it a few seconds to see if it will stop. I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt. Whatever it is, however, it’s still going. Under different circumstances, I might have just tried going back to sleep, but this day, I’m heated. I haven’t been sleeping well for some time now, and I’m not happy to be awakened out of a dream (meaning I’m sleepin’ some kind of dmn good!).

I throw on a pair of jeans and a jacket and proceed down the hall. Every few steps I listen to see if this “creaking” has stopped. Then it starts up again. WTF!! Oh, I am determined at this point to go have a word when it dawns on me. What if someone is up there getting all kinds of grooves on?!!? Oh sht. Then a devious smile spreads across my lips. What if. I listen again, and it’s quiet for a moment, then “en-hick, en-hick, en-hick, en-hick...” Clearly, whoever this cat is, he is banging that sht some kinda sumpin’, cuz DAY-HAM!! Cause if I can hear it, then you know... *eyes rolling upward* ...homeboy’s got it like that!

Well, even w/that in mind, I figure that if I’m not getting any, then no one else is. I felt like the Grinch, b/c I was truly about to go steal somebody’s Christmas, LOL! I couldn’t help but laugh. Yeah, boy...this was gonna be some sht... Just as I was about to head out the door, I realized that I needed to have a plan. I could get up there and see all kinds of buck nekked azzez, legs, arms and elbows. What the hell was I gonna do then?? How do you handle something like that? Wow. Hadn’t thought about it like that. Then, out of nowhere, I was like, what if it’s two DUDES??!?!?! OMG. What the hell then?? Whoa, cuz I don’t want to see that sht!!

For a moment, I reconsidered my quest. I may walk into something that could change me forever. Was I prepared for that possibility?? But, then again, it might be worth it just to see the looks on these people’s faces. Hey, this is what happens when you do what you do up on the roof. It’s the butt-crack of dawn, but this is the chance you take. I can’t reclaim my last minutes of peaceful dreaming, but I can let you know about it. In my mind I give these folks one last chance to rectify the sitiashun, then “en-hick, en-hick, en-hick, en-hick...” Of course I had to forge ahead at this point. Plus, I was already “dressed”. I hadn’t washed my face, brushed any teeth or fluffed out the afro that was all out of shape and flat on one side in the back. T hese ppl had to see that they woke me right up out the bed. The damage has been done.

I proceed to walk up to the door leading out on to the roof deck, and I see the door is slightly ajar---another confirmation that someone’s up there. I take a DEEP breath then push the door open. It makes enough noise that I figure it should give whoever up here a chance to begin collecting themselves. Luckily for me, the door opens to the left and not the right, so even when you open it you still don’t see anything until you walk around it. This gave me a couple seconds, then “en-hick, en-hick, en-hick, en-hick...” Wow. This is it. I was nervous now, but went ahead anyway.

I walk slowly around the door, preparing myself for the absolute worst possible scenario as I went, only to find....you ready for this....

...One of my neighbors JUMPING ROPE on the roof deck!!!
Now ain’t that some sht??

I almost couldn’t believe that that’s what I’d been hearing, b/c believe me when I tell you that it sho sounded like something else. At the same time, though, I have to admit that I was relieved. I didn’t want to have to deal w/see nekked bodies thrashing around or falling this way and that trying to make it back to their apt. However exciting it may sound to some, I wasn’t ready to see anything like that.

Well, I spoke to my neighbor and asked her if she could jump rope in a different area of the deck. She was cool about it. Said she’s been doing this for two months. Huh??? TWO MONTHS?!?! This was certainly the first I’d heard what I heard, so I don’t know. Either way, she’s aware now.

I think that’s what some would call good neighborly relations...lol

20 septembre 2005

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

I've been having trouble getting my laptop to work, so I haven't been able to post like I've wanted to. I have the results of a poll I'd taken amongst some friends of mine, and I am eager to share the results. Hopefully, I can get them up some time today. The responses I received, while not surprising, were still pretty interesting....

More to come...

15 septembre 2005

It Put A Smile On MY Face

UNBELIVABLE MATH PROBLEM

1. Grab a calculator. (You wont be able to do this in your head)
2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last four numbers of your phone number
7. Add the last four numbers of your phone number again
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

14 septembre 2005

This Is What Happens When...

...you fall behind on your posts...

Here are a couple I tried to sneak in on the sly to show that I have been working on my blog, but just hadn't gotten around to publishing. I know, I'm a LoooSER! :P

My Best Friend


It's evenings like this that I like best...when the only sounds I hear are those wafting through my window from the gaiety, drums and families bbqing in the park. He lies next to me---his weight and warmth a welcome comfort---as I read a book, watch a movie or surf the net. We've been living together for a year now, actually one year September 1st, and our relationship has evolved into something really special.

His apparent lack of interest in me was quite disconcerting in the beginning. He'd seem to treat me as a persona non grata most days, and only occasionally, would tease me with a rub here and maybe a glance there before trotting off someplace clearly more deserving of his presence. Sometimes if I sat next to him or went into the room where he was, he'd either move elsewhere or leave the room. Initially I was hurt by this display of disinterest and lack of affection. Obviously my expectations were either too high or grossly misplaced. Soon after, I began to resent this treatment. After all, who else made sure he was fed and had plenty of things to keep him entertained? This was certainly not what I'd signed up for when he moved in. After a while, I'd pretty much resigned myself to accepting this as how things were going to be.

But, one day things changed, seemingly overnight. I started dating this guy who really took a liking to my guy and in the blink of an eye, they became instant friends. The unintended consequence of this friendship for me was that I also became privy to the attention and affection being offered to my love interest. Honestly, I couldn't believe my luck. This relationship brought out so many new expressions of endearment that I would never have otherwise believed existed.

Even though I stopped seeing this guy, the wellspring of love continues to flow from my kitty! Our relationship has changed profoundly and not only are we best buds, but we have found a deeper connection that binds us to each other. Now, when I'm in a room, he is always wherever I am when he's not off doing his own thing or having some "him" time.

We now coexist in a peaceful harmony that only we can enjoy.

Jungle Perspective

I went out w/a white guy...once...as in the first and only one. We weren't in love and living together like the daughter in Guess Who; whatever it was we had didn't make it past a few dates. I didn't take him to meet my family or anything like that and I never met any of his, but I have to admit that somewhere in a remote place in my mind, a part of me considered the possibility of things going there.

I'd met him at a dinner a former roommate of mine had w/some of her friends. I found him quite attractive (and that is no easy feat for a caucasian, as my standards are ridiculously high---and in no way a diss to my brothas, cuz believe me when I say I can appreciate dmn near ALL of you---so, as you can imagine, there must've been something to his looks. His being a teacher won my admiration, and had pretty much cinched the deal. Not to mean the whole "racial consciousness/awareness-empathetic point of view" thing he had going on. Oh, and then there was the French...ahhh...the oui, oui mon cheri...parlez-vous francaise? And he was fluent.

Two, maybe three of my friends knew about him. I'd really liked him (a lot), and wanted to share this phenomena w/them. One of them was like, Go for it, girl! If the brothas can date outside of our race, then so can we...equal opportunity! Another was like, Are you sure about this? Is this really what you want? If you believe he's genuine, then all that matters is your happiness.

When she asked me if a relationship w/a white man was really what I wanted, instead of no, my answer was more like, I'd prefer to have the "ideal" black family (strong black man, strong black me and a few beautiful black children), but if this develops into something, then so be it. I'm willing to explore that. I had my reservations, of course, but I was willing to take it there.

Looking back on that experience, I've realized that while I may be equipped w/the tenacity and endurance to handle, even attack racial issues in defense of my people, I was nowhere nearly that confident if it came down to me defending my choosing a white man. 100% white, at that. Naw, I wasn't ready to do that and in my heart didn't want to have to deal w/that in addition to the burden that comes with being born Black...particularly Black in America.

This was solidified when we'd go to establishments in Harlem and brothas and sistas would stare and glare. What a novel experience for me, but so not in a good way. I felt like I was under a microscrope, under extreme examination and scrutiny. I felt that they looked at me as if I were a traitor when I knew I hadn't done anything wrong...or had I? I felt as if I had broken some kind of code of honor and that I was disgraced by having this white guy with me.

13 septembre 2005

JUSTICE IN OUR LIFETIME

MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE FILM & CULTURE SERIES Presents...

‘All Power To The People!, The Black Panther Party And Beyond’

‘All Power To The People!, The Black Panther Party And Beyond’ - Is a chilling documentary on America's "Secret War". All Power to the People! examines problems of race, poverty, dissent, and the universal conflict of 'the haves versus the have nots'... the nightmarish scenarios that ensue when fearful governments maintain 'status quo' political power at all costs; brazenly breaking their own laws to entrap political opponents, thus fomenting armed rebellion. U.S. Government documents, rare news clips, and interviews with both ex-activists and former FBI/CIA officers, provide deep insight into the bloody conflict between armed political dissent and governmental authority in the U.S. of the 60s and 70s.

Globally acclaimed as being among the most accurate depictions of the goals, aspirations and ultimate repression of the US Civil Rights Movement, All Power to the People! is a gripping, timeless, news documentary holding within it the keys to create a better world that is far more understanding and tolerant, a world..."with Liberty and Justice for All."

Produced & Directed Lee Lew-Lee
The Film Will Be Preceded By Live Performances By:
NEW ORLEANS NATIVE CARMEN BARIKA,
&
Brooklyn's Finest
'SMIF & WESSON'!!!!!!!
And Followed With A Community Discussion
With Community Activists.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Medgar Evers College
Founders Auditorium
1650 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225

ADMISSION IS FREE

Doors open at 6:15pm
Open mike hosted by Damali & Shadagga
of 'Mahogany Blues' magazine begins at 6:30
Film & Culture series program begins
at 7:00pm sharp!


Take the #2, 3, 4 or 5 train to the Franklin Ave. stop.
The auditorium is between Crown & Montgomery Sts.
To RSVP email miles@mec.cuny.edu with your name and
number of guests or call 718-270-6096
Please Bring A Picture ID
**********************************************
The Original, The Most Conscious, The Best
Going Strong Since 2001,
For The People, By The People:
http://www.mec.cuny.edu/filmandcultureseries
**********************************************
MEC Film & Culture Series
'JUSTICE IN OUR LIFETIME'
Fall Film Screening Schedule

Thursday , September 22, 2005
'Knucklegame'
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
'Machetero'
Thursday, October 6, 2005
'Lavender: an Adaptation'
Thursday, October 20, 2005
'Sorry Ain't Enough'
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
'No One Will Ever Know'
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
'Silence: In Search Of Black Female Sexuality In America'
Thursday, November 17, 2005
TBA
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
TBA
Thursday, December 8, 2005
'Goodnight Charlie'
********************************
EDUCATING-ORGANIZING-MOBILIZING
********************************
For more information on the programs and
performing, vending opportunities and screening
films contact, Miles at 718-270-6096 or
miles@mec.cuny.edu
*********************************
This Series is produced in alliance with:
Hollah.com -
http://www.hollah.com/ads/m1.html
Imagenation - http://www.imagenation.us
Artmattan Productions/ADFF - http://www.africanfilm.com International Black Panther Film Festival - http://www.pantherfilmfest.com Malcolm X Musuem - http://www.themalcolmxmuseum.org Harambee Radio - http://www.harambeeradio.com Music on Myrtle - http://www.musiconmyrtle.com 'Mahogany Blues Magazine' - http://www.mahoganyblues.com Hank Shocklee Experience - http://www.shocklee.com Hard Hittin Harry Meridian Entertainment - http://www.planetmeridian.com Harriet's Alter Ego Clothing - 718-783-2074 - http://www.harrietsalterego.com BigStan & Co - Contact@BigStanCo.com Underground Madness - http://www.undergroundmadness.org/
A-Marketing/Sista Factory - http://www.sistafactory.com
The Shield - shieldnews@yahoo.com
AMAG -
http://www.awarenessmagazine.net
Black Documentary Collective - http://www.BDCNY.net
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement - http://mxgm.org/
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc - http://naacpldf.org/ National Campaign For A Peace Tax Fund - http://www.peacetaxfund.org/ RCP - http://rwor.org/ XyayX Multimedia Productions - http://xyayx.com/ Joseph Webb Experience - http://www.jwebb.info Brecht Forum - http://www.brechtforum.org Da Ghetto Tymz - http://www.daghettotymz.com Hip-Hop Association - http://hiphopassociation.org

"Working Together Works" - Don King

12 septembre 2005

We Are ALL God's Creatures...

An ANIMAL HAVEN Recovery Effort Update

Donate to Animal Haven's Recovery Effort Now!

Dear Friend,

Since we sent our last enewsletter just yesterday, I have received further confirmation on our role in the Gulf Coast region, along with an outpouring of generosity from dear friends like you. Therefore, I wanted to update you on our plan and what you can do to help.

I have been working with groups in the region and I am in communication with the ASPCA and Best Friends. I leave on Monday for Austin. Once there, I will meet others in our team and three large transport vehicles. We will then head to a location just outside of New Orleans and bring back as many animals as possible. The situation changes by the hour so it is difficult to project actual outcomes. We will keep you up-to-date on our progress.

Many of you want to help and for that we are truly grateful. Your assistance enables us to make the trip. The best way to help is through direct monetary contributions, which you can make online by clicking above or below and making a "general" donation (please note that all donations accepted online over the next two weeks will be directed to this effort) or mail to the address listed at the bottom of this page. Simply direct your gift to Katrina recovery and it will go to fund what will be by all accounts a very costly trip and recovery effort -- so no gift is too small.

If you are interest in fostering or adopting, please be patient with our staff who is currently gathering all inquiries and will get back to you once the animals are safely transported back to New York.

At times like this I'm reminded that Animal Haven is a small animal welfare organization fueled by friends with huge hearts that then allow us to do great things.

I can't thank you enough.

All the best,
Marcello ForteExecutive Director

Donate to Animal Haven's Recovery Effort Now!

Animal Haven Inc.35-22 Prince StreetFlushing, NY 11354 718.886.3683http://www.animalhavenshelter.org/
*********************************************************
I volunteered w/this organization a year ago for the summer, and can tell you that the people there work extremely hard to find loving homes for the animals they take in. The beauty of this org is that it is a NO-KILL shelter. They will keep an animal for as long as it takes to place him/her. It is no surprise to me that they are in the middle of the Katrina relief effort working to rescue/care for the animals that have been left homeless, orphaned or injured as a result of this disaster. I realize that many are donating to give the people there the necessities they need, and I know that's a priority. All I ask is that something be given to this org and others like it to help the animals that are in need. Even it's not money, time or a temporary home will help too.

01 septembre 2005

If It Isn't One Thing, It's Gonna Be Somethin' Else

Call me suspicious, maybe even a little paranoid, but with the way my morning has gone so far, I have to wonder if there is some larger conspiracy out there determined to ruin my day. A classic C-O-N-spiracy! Or maybe just a little left-over angst from last night (long but short story) spilling into my morning, dead set on trying to ruin it. Either way, there is some sort of force is at work here…

One of my roommates attempted to take a shower last night, only to discover that there was no hot water, one, and two, no water coming out of the shower…period. I, for one, am not a fan of ice cold showers, and my roommate wasn’t pleased that she had to forego one that night. She called the super and he promised (and I use that word loosely) to have the boiler fixed by 6 am (since, of course she would be up to take a shower at 6:30am, that would be perfect). Not a problem. Oh, and btw, this call took place at, oh, around 10 ish pm. But, I was still hopeful.

Well, as you may have already guessed, no hot water this morning for any of us! And my other roommate…poor thing…ended up taking an ice cold shower…BBBBBRRrrr!! Man, that girl’s a trooper! But I, on the other hand, had to get cleaned up the “old fashioned” way---the way my grandmother and her mother and probably her mother had to when they were growing up on the farm, or back then, the plantation…I had to boil me some water. I’m sure it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened next.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if my aunt’s cousin hadn’t come to stay w/me for a few days, but in this case, it really just exacerbated the unpleasantness of the situation. When she’s here, it’s harder for me to get up in the morning, I feel a lot more tired, irritable and cranky. So not only was I knocked off schedule due to having to work around the water predicament, my visitor naturally slows me down. And anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows that my az is already mad slow when it comes to getting a move on. Needless to say, I begin my day quite annoyed. And terra cotta curtains don’t help…

You can imagine that my commute into this glorious city was a pleasant and relaxing ride in…NOT! I missed the 3, which is in my opinion, the best train for a downtown morning commute. I can always find a seat, and I really needed one today. As I walked down into the station, cursing that I’d missed the train (won’t be able to make good time now) this guy I gave my number is holding the hand of the same little girl I’d seen him walking w/some mornings ago (as I had again just missed the train), and he’s trying to speak to me. Too bad for him I am not in the mood to listen to him give me a score of excuses as to why he didn’t call or how he tried to and I didn’t pick up my phone. I was so not in the mood. And who the hell is that little girl, anyway?? I could have sworn when he first met me he said he didn’t have any children. Men are such liars sometimes.

Meanwhile...here I am waiting for what feels like a small forever for this dmn train to come! UGH! There really is no making good time at this point, and all seems somewhat hopeless and lost. The one bright spot, though, I have to say, is that I was able to get a seat on the 2. Talk about small miracles!

By the time I get to 72nd Street, the train is packed, people are taking their sweet az time getting out of the way, so the barrage of folks waiting for this train begin their pilgrimage onto the train. Needless to say I had to bust my way through the crowd and hurry MY az up to get onto the waiting local train. And, of course, people there don’t want to move, either. What a day! And as expected, I am pissed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I would be, yet for some reason, I still always manage to be surprised when I feel that way. And this isn’t annoyed-pissed; it’s more like waiting-to-kick-somebody’s-az-pissed. Not a good deal.

I end up running into an IT guy who works in my building that I’ve seen in the morning from time to time on our way in to the office. He’s a cool guy, and I have to say that he was pretty adept at assessing my then current state of mind. And I’m sure the look on my face helped w/that. “That good, huh?” he says. “Yeah.” I reply. I cursed myself for being 15 min late, even though that’s not extraordinarily tardy, I just know how people are. The flip side is that fortunately for me and him and everyone else I may have encountered, our brief convo put me in much better spirits. He told me about his trip to ATL to pick up his car, and that inevitably lead to discussing how to avoid NYC traffic tickets. Gotta luv’em!

Things try to take a return for the worse when the microwave in the kitchen area decides not to work (today of ALL days!), even after I’d reset the outlet and the clock on the thing, and everything. What’s so bad about a sista wanting a warm pop-tart this time? (I don’t usually heat it, but this time, I wanted needed that warm and fuzzy feeling. I guess I will just have to settle for some tea.) After the second pop of the reset button, I was done. I grabbed my pop-tart and crept to my desk.

So here I am, hard at work, (no snickering, please...) hoping that the day will brighten up and get better for me. Maybe that tea will do the trick…