APRIL
I did not choose
an April birth
but I am ever grateful
that the month chose me.
Not because the earth
has taken for itself
that same coincidental time
to start rebuilding,
but because
by all accounts
April is the only time
a man need not ask even God
for miracles
or transformations
they come unsolicited
and everywhere.
Tulips and the birth
of grass
morning-glories
in the morning
and lilies all day long.
April holds a man so firm
that he could swear
the screech owl's singing
was a choir of blue jays
paid to serenade
the neighborhood
like a touring medicine
or minstrel band.
April is the tuning fork
for the summer months ahead.
-from "Seasons in the Sun," 1974
After you read this, come back to the real blog...This, That and the Other!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Thursday, October 11, 2007
100, I Mean 39 Things About Being a Writer -- a work in progress
1) Nobody will believe it's your real job. They will always ask you what else you do.
2) You will be late for everything in your life. Your wedding, your dentist appointment, your date. Odds are you were even born late.
3) Your life will be filled with little scraps of paper, backs of envelopes and receipts covered with notes about story ideas, plot lines, and phone numbers for people you know you met but can't remember why you wanted to call.
4) 90% of the people you'll meet at any given party either have a manuscript they want you to read or have an idea for a book they want to tell you all about. In detail. Right down to the punctuation.
5) You will laugh at the question on the credit application that asks for all your jobs and supervisors for the past five years. Because you haven't had a real job or G-d forbid a supervisor since that summer in college when you got fired for writing instead of waiting tables.
6) The world is your office. Park bench, cafe table. train or airplane. It's all good.
7) Inspiration can come from anywhere. An overheard conversation, a commercial, a dog walking by, or the color of the sky.
8) Just be sure you have plenty of little pieces of paper to write the ideas down. (See #3 above)
9) Teachers will be extra tough on your kids' grammar and spelling at school. The fact that their mother and/or father is a writer will be pointed out to them at least once a month.
10) Books will take over your home.
11) And only guests will notice
12) Their comments will baffle you. Doesn't everyone have twenty or thirty books on their bedside table?
13) After all, there's no room left on the dresser. Or the back of the toilet.
14) There is no such thing as a casual comment. You can't help but see the meaning in every word.
15) If you are a woman, men will fear you. If you are a man, women will adore you. Not fair -- Dorothy Parker would get it.
16) Your friends will expect you to run errands, watch their kids, or walk their dog, because you "don't have to go to work."
17) Unless you're a staff writer, you will never have a retirement party, get a promotion, or receive an employee of the month award.
18) You will also never have to sit through a departmental meeting, worry about a layoff, or have to spend half your life commuting.
19) Sounds like a fair trade to me.
20) As you gain experience, deadlines lose their importance. Just because someone else wants to do something on a certain day, doesn't mean you will.
21) You will occasionally wonder what it's like to just participate in a conversation without mentally jotting down interesting names, unusual mannerisms, or a particularly colorful description.
22) Then you will have one of your characters wonder what it's like to participate in a conversation without noticing .... and you'll use the things you were trying not to notice.
23) Your computer will be the first thing you pack for any trip. Or if you are one of the few holdouts, your supply of notebooks and pens.
24) There are some days when you can write anything EXCEPT what you need to write.
25) And other days when you can write nothing more than a grocery list
26) You cannot control what your characters do or say. You can try, but once you create them, they have minds of their own!
27) And your stories will be all the better for it.
28) Everything is interesting. Seriously.
29) Lots of people will find this fascination with everything annoying.
30) And you will never be able to understand why.
32) You never really have to grow up because you can find a way to make everything into play time!
33) That too will annoy a lot of people.
34) Make sure your friends are not those people.
35) You will critique the verses on greeting cards.
36) Then go home and write your own. After all, did they REALLY think those two words were a rhyme???
37) A list like this will be really hard to complete because every line inspires you to write something else not related to the list.
38) You'll remember three hours later that you were in the middle of the list.
39) Then jot it down on a piece of paper to write later.
40) too busy writing to come up with more
2) You will be late for everything in your life. Your wedding, your dentist appointment, your date. Odds are you were even born late.
3) Your life will be filled with little scraps of paper, backs of envelopes and receipts covered with notes about story ideas, plot lines, and phone numbers for people you know you met but can't remember why you wanted to call.
4) 90% of the people you'll meet at any given party either have a manuscript they want you to read or have an idea for a book they want to tell you all about. In detail. Right down to the punctuation.
5) You will laugh at the question on the credit application that asks for all your jobs and supervisors for the past five years. Because you haven't had a real job or G-d forbid a supervisor since that summer in college when you got fired for writing instead of waiting tables.
6) The world is your office. Park bench, cafe table. train or airplane. It's all good.
7) Inspiration can come from anywhere. An overheard conversation, a commercial, a dog walking by, or the color of the sky.
8) Just be sure you have plenty of little pieces of paper to write the ideas down. (See #3 above)
9) Teachers will be extra tough on your kids' grammar and spelling at school. The fact that their mother and/or father is a writer will be pointed out to them at least once a month.
10) Books will take over your home.
11) And only guests will notice
12) Their comments will baffle you. Doesn't everyone have twenty or thirty books on their bedside table?
13) After all, there's no room left on the dresser. Or the back of the toilet.
14) There is no such thing as a casual comment. You can't help but see the meaning in every word.
15) If you are a woman, men will fear you. If you are a man, women will adore you. Not fair -- Dorothy Parker would get it.
16) Your friends will expect you to run errands, watch their kids, or walk their dog, because you "don't have to go to work."
17) Unless you're a staff writer, you will never have a retirement party, get a promotion, or receive an employee of the month award.
18) You will also never have to sit through a departmental meeting, worry about a layoff, or have to spend half your life commuting.
19) Sounds like a fair trade to me.
20) As you gain experience, deadlines lose their importance. Just because someone else wants to do something on a certain day, doesn't mean you will.
21) You will occasionally wonder what it's like to just participate in a conversation without mentally jotting down interesting names, unusual mannerisms, or a particularly colorful description.
22) Then you will have one of your characters wonder what it's like to participate in a conversation without noticing .... and you'll use the things you were trying not to notice.
23) Your computer will be the first thing you pack for any trip. Or if you are one of the few holdouts, your supply of notebooks and pens.
24) There are some days when you can write anything EXCEPT what you need to write.
25) And other days when you can write nothing more than a grocery list
26) You cannot control what your characters do or say. You can try, but once you create them, they have minds of their own!
27) And your stories will be all the better for it.
28) Everything is interesting. Seriously.
29) Lots of people will find this fascination with everything annoying.
30) And you will never be able to understand why.
32) You never really have to grow up because you can find a way to make everything into play time!
33) That too will annoy a lot of people.
34) Make sure your friends are not those people.
35) You will critique the verses on greeting cards.
36) Then go home and write your own. After all, did they REALLY think those two words were a rhyme???
37) A list like this will be really hard to complete because every line inspires you to write something else not related to the list.
38) You'll remember three hours later that you were in the middle of the list.
39) Then jot it down on a piece of paper to write later.
40) too busy writing to come up with more
Monday, July 16, 2007
The rest of --- and the hatred continues....
....continued from This, That and the Other
How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children?
The answer is simple. It is the same way you differentiate between the good and bad people of all faiths and all colors and all languages ...you get to know them. You meet your neighbors. You talk to people. You employ common sense. And you pray. We all pray. We pray that no one will steal and murder our children when they go off to the bus stop. We pray that a drunk driver won't take our teenagers lives as they drive from work or school. We hope that no one will rob the bank or mug us when we go to cash a check. We hope the pilot of our flight isn't drunk, the manufacturer of our car isn't putting profit above safety and that the food inspectors will notice the rat droppings instead of the bribe.
There are no guarantees in this life. No fool-proof way to know the good people from the bad. But common sense tells us we cannot go around being paranoid about hundreds of thousands of good people in this country because a handful of people who wore the same religious label acted badly. But this is what you are advocating when it comes to Muslims or Arabs or some combination of the two.
The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with
ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me.
I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know, whether or not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it? Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your Jihads? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by also paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America ? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.
A loyalty test? Can I begin with you? Ok...
1) Do you believe in the statement that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and do you practice this in your everyday interactions and communications?
2)Do you treasure the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and stand up to attempted incursions into those precious rights?
3)Have you spoken out for freedom from warrantless search and seizure or the right to privacy in ones person and papers?
4)Have you actively worked against and voted out politicians who threaten to subjugate these essential rights our founders sacrificed so much to give us?
5)Have you spoken out against restrictions on unpopular public gatherings, citing the right of free assembly guaranteed to every American regardless of permits or political viewpoint?
6)Do you vote in every election? And do you proceed your vote with a thorough study of everything the candidate stands for and supports?
7)Are you aware that thousands of loyal Americans including generations of my Quaker ancestors do not believe in war and do not participate combat of any kind...and yet are Americans? Actually, thanks to William Penn and company, they were some of the earliest.
Flag flying is easy. Standing up for rights is tough. Shame on us for choosing the easy way out.
And a definition -- you used the term Jihad . Jihad means struggle, as in the struggle to submit to the will of the Almighty. It can mean a defense action to protect one's own country or people, but that is considered a lesser meaning in the Qu'ran. It does not mean "attacking for a holy war" -- that usage is a creation of the media.
Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and
as a religion to protect the United States of America. Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent.
No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy. I am only interested in action. What will you do for America - our great country - at this time of crisis, at this time of war?
The week after September 11th, a number of Muslim groups took out full page ads in the New York Times denouncing the events. No one paid attention. Since then, a number of Muslim groups large and small have held events across the US promoting peace, encouraging understanding and trying to build bridges instead of walls. Many of these groups have met on a regular basis for years. The media is not interested, Peace-making in a community is not news. It does not build ratings or circulation. As a minister here in Florida said at a recent gathering of this sort, "No one wants to write about a Priest, a Rabbi and a Iman sitting down to talk -- it sounds too much like the punch line in a joke. But if we called and said one of us slugged the other, that would be front page." Sadly he is right.
Give the peace-makers a forum and you will hear. But in the meantime, go out and find them. If you need help, please feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to point you to peace-promoting groups across the US. Lend your voice to the cause. We will be glad to have you.
I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America " I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.
I don't believe in flag waving. It is far too often a cover for people who use that symbol to justify bigotry, prejudice and ignorance.
What I do see are young Muslims on the streets of Miami feeding the homeless and offering clothes and comfort, No media coverage, No fanfare. No flag-waving. They are doing it for Allah, not for the cameras. Not for you. For the hungry and lonely people on the street. Interestingly, unlike so many Christian groups who use charity work as a chance to proselytize, these people offer no religious material, never talk of religion unless asked and then only in general terms. And at the local children's shelter for abused kids, it's a group of Muslims who show up every other week to put on a show for the kids and give out hugs and a few hours of games and treasure hunts...again, they have no need to prove to you or a television crew what they do. They do it because it is the right thing to do
The FBI has a list of over 400 people they! want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. hand them over to us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.
Some of our most treasured rights in this country have been the right to :
1) Face our accusers
2) Be charged with a crime soon after arrest--or be released if no charges are made
3) Have a speedy trial on the charges as named
4) Be represented by counsel at trial to defend against the evidence against us
5) Have a jury of our peers
6) If found guilty, receive sentence which has been determined to fit the crime
7) Have the right to appeal
8) Be imprisoned in humane and regulated conditions, free from torture
As an American, I value these rights. They have been the one thing that differentiated us from so many other places. But now you accuse people of being somehow un-American for demanding that they receive these most basic of protections? Surely if you or your family was facing indefinite incarceration without a charge, legal counsel, a chance to see the evidence or know from whom it came, any promise of a trial or even the most basic protection from torture, I am absolutely certain you would do three things:
1) Scream bloody murder to the press and anyone one else who would listen
2) Try to protect them from being taken into such a situation
3) Use every legal means necessary to protect yourself or your loved one, and to stop this atrocity from occurring at all.
So why do you pretend to not understand why Muslims in this country are doing exactly as you would? What kind of American would defend that threat to the sanctity of our very legal system? Shame on you, sir. Shame on you!
If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up.
If you were sincere in wanting to know what the Qu'ran says, you would have walked into your nearest Barnes and Nobel or Borders and bought a copy and read it. Or stopped by your neighborhood mosque and asked for a copy. It would have been offered gladly and without charge. But since you asked, here is a sampling:
What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good, and pure, and true, when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance?
Again, sir, I have to ask from where you get your information. Yes there are some bad people in Islamic leadership positions. And there are some bad people in Christian leadership positions and in Jewish leadership positions and Hindu and Buddhist and all sorts of sectarian groups.
But when you condemn the Islamic leaders alone, I have to ask you: Have you sat in a mosque and listened to what the leaders teach? Or have you formed your opinion entirely from the mouths and scripts of television news programs? I am asking in all sincerity, because I want you to ask yourself. I want you to ask yourself if a pilot could have relied on the same level on information to learn to fly as you are relying upon to judge and condemn millions of human beings? If not, shame on you. You know better.
It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion.
Consider these quotes from the Christian bible (Matthew):
How many Christians do you know who live this? Your own letter stands in direct conflict to these commandments from the reported words of Jesus in the Book of Matthew. Certainly killing over 100,000 Iraqis, largely women, children and non-combatant men violates every letter of those direct commandments! As do the deaths in every other war and attack in which Christians have participated.
So should I now follow your lead and say it matters not" how good [Christianity] SHOULD be if huge numbers of the world's [Christians] interpret the teachings of [Jesus] incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion?" Or should we just say that all faiths have their strengths and weaknesses, and as humans we often get it wrong?
A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world. A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth.
You admitted you have not read the Qu'ran. Your comments suggest you do not know any Muslims personally, nor have you sought out Muslim leaders of which to ask questions. And yet you purport to know exactly what Islam stands for, from the foundation from which it arose to the specifics of its current teachings and practices. Try this basic quiz on Belief Net to see where you are with understanding.
I think you will learn that you know very little.
A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.
I assume here you are referring to the Hijab, the head covering some devout Muslim women wear? How strange that you would consider a display of extreme modesty "twisted" while the concept of strangers seeing essentially all of another stranger's body at the beach, at the mall, or indeed even at the airport is considered "normal." And while there is dispute among Islamic scholars about whether the Hijab is required or is a cultural carry-over from an earlier time, to call it "twisted" and to suggest that this expression of sincere modesty was somehow designed to thwart airport security check-points is ludicrous! I am afraid that that this point, dear sir, your guise of "seeking understanding" has fallen away and your underlying hatred has shown its own twisted and ugly face.
We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take way that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest constitution in the world.
Do you speak out to protect those rights? Have you worked to protect us from searches without warrant, detention without trial, or wiretaps without specific cause?
I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American.
But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. Until then . "YOU WORRY ME!"
And you worry me. You speak without knowledge, draw conclusions without asking questions, spread hatred without understanding or even talking to those you accuse, support the violation of basic Constitutional rights, demand that citizens surrender their freedoms to you. Sounds awfully un-American to me.
IN THE MEANTIME it's time to put the reliability your sources to the test. You claimed to be a pilot. So if that fact alone is true, here is a challenge you'll appreciate:
IF YOUR SOURCES ABOUT ISLAM are, as I suspect, the television and print media and the talk at the local diner, hand over the keys to the nearest jet. I am ready to fly. I've seen dozens of news stories on jet flight, several documentaries on it even, heard some pilots talking and heck, I've even peeked into the cockpit a time or two as I walked past. That's all I need. Flying can't be any more complex than the beliefs and behaviours of millions of people from dozens of countries over centuries of time! So my cursory media and rumor based knowledge should be more than enough. So Mr. Pilot, sit down, buckle up, and get ready to fly, because I am ready to go!
And as for my background, because I know that will matter to you, I am Jewish woman from a family that includes a wide variety of religions. I have a doctorate in Political Science with a specialty in comparative politics and political theory.
Return to This, That and the Other
How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children?
The answer is simple. It is the same way you differentiate between the good and bad people of all faiths and all colors and all languages ...you get to know them. You meet your neighbors. You talk to people. You employ common sense. And you pray. We all pray. We pray that no one will steal and murder our children when they go off to the bus stop. We pray that a drunk driver won't take our teenagers lives as they drive from work or school. We hope that no one will rob the bank or mug us when we go to cash a check. We hope the pilot of our flight isn't drunk, the manufacturer of our car isn't putting profit above safety and that the food inspectors will notice the rat droppings instead of the bribe.
There are no guarantees in this life. No fool-proof way to know the good people from the bad. But common sense tells us we cannot go around being paranoid about hundreds of thousands of good people in this country because a handful of people who wore the same religious label acted badly. But this is what you are advocating when it comes to Muslims or Arabs or some combination of the two.
The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with
ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me.
I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know, whether or not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it? Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your Jihads? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by also paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America ? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.
A loyalty test? Can I begin with you? Ok...
1) Do you believe in the statement that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and do you practice this in your everyday interactions and communications?
2)Do you treasure the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and stand up to attempted incursions into those precious rights?
3)Have you spoken out for freedom from warrantless search and seizure or the right to privacy in ones person and papers?
4)Have you actively worked against and voted out politicians who threaten to subjugate these essential rights our founders sacrificed so much to give us?
5)Have you spoken out against restrictions on unpopular public gatherings, citing the right of free assembly guaranteed to every American regardless of permits or political viewpoint?
6)Do you vote in every election? And do you proceed your vote with a thorough study of everything the candidate stands for and supports?
7)Are you aware that thousands of loyal Americans including generations of my Quaker ancestors do not believe in war and do not participate combat of any kind...and yet are Americans? Actually, thanks to William Penn and company, they were some of the earliest.
Flag flying is easy. Standing up for rights is tough. Shame on us for choosing the easy way out.
And a definition -- you used the term Jihad . Jihad means struggle, as in the struggle to submit to the will of the Almighty. It can mean a defense action to protect one's own country or people, but that is considered a lesser meaning in the Qu'ran. It does not mean "attacking for a holy war" -- that usage is a creation of the media.
Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and
as a religion to protect the United States of America. Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent.
No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy. I am only interested in action. What will you do for America - our great country - at this time of crisis, at this time of war?
The week after September 11th, a number of Muslim groups took out full page ads in the New York Times denouncing the events. No one paid attention. Since then, a number of Muslim groups large and small have held events across the US promoting peace, encouraging understanding and trying to build bridges instead of walls. Many of these groups have met on a regular basis for years. The media is not interested, Peace-making in a community is not news. It does not build ratings or circulation. As a minister here in Florida said at a recent gathering of this sort, "No one wants to write about a Priest, a Rabbi and a Iman sitting down to talk -- it sounds too much like the punch line in a joke. But if we called and said one of us slugged the other, that would be front page." Sadly he is right.
Give the peace-makers a forum and you will hear. But in the meantime, go out and find them. If you need help, please feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to point you to peace-promoting groups across the US. Lend your voice to the cause. We will be glad to have you.
I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America " I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.
I don't believe in flag waving. It is far too often a cover for people who use that symbol to justify bigotry, prejudice and ignorance.
What I do see are young Muslims on the streets of Miami feeding the homeless and offering clothes and comfort, No media coverage, No fanfare. No flag-waving. They are doing it for Allah, not for the cameras. Not for you. For the hungry and lonely people on the street. Interestingly, unlike so many Christian groups who use charity work as a chance to proselytize, these people offer no religious material, never talk of religion unless asked and then only in general terms. And at the local children's shelter for abused kids, it's a group of Muslims who show up every other week to put on a show for the kids and give out hugs and a few hours of games and treasure hunts...again, they have no need to prove to you or a television crew what they do. They do it because it is the right thing to do
The FBI has a list of over 400 people they! want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. hand them over to us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.
Some of our most treasured rights in this country have been the right to :
1) Face our accusers
2) Be charged with a crime soon after arrest--or be released if no charges are made
3) Have a speedy trial on the charges as named
4) Be represented by counsel at trial to defend against the evidence against us
5) Have a jury of our peers
6) If found guilty, receive sentence which has been determined to fit the crime
7) Have the right to appeal
8) Be imprisoned in humane and regulated conditions, free from torture
As an American, I value these rights. They have been the one thing that differentiated us from so many other places. But now you accuse people of being somehow un-American for demanding that they receive these most basic of protections? Surely if you or your family was facing indefinite incarceration without a charge, legal counsel, a chance to see the evidence or know from whom it came, any promise of a trial or even the most basic protection from torture, I am absolutely certain you would do three things:
1) Scream bloody murder to the press and anyone one else who would listen
2) Try to protect them from being taken into such a situation
3) Use every legal means necessary to protect yourself or your loved one, and to stop this atrocity from occurring at all.
So why do you pretend to not understand why Muslims in this country are doing exactly as you would? What kind of American would defend that threat to the sanctity of our very legal system? Shame on you, sir. Shame on you!
If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up.
If you were sincere in wanting to know what the Qu'ran says, you would have walked into your nearest Barnes and Nobel or Borders and bought a copy and read it. Or stopped by your neighborhood mosque and asked for a copy. It would have been offered gladly and without charge. But since you asked, here is a sampling:
2:62
Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, they have their reward with their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
2:208
O you who believe, enter into complete peace and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Surely he is your open enemy.
2:224
And make not Allah by your oaths a hindrance to your doing good and keeping your duty and making peace between men. And Allah is Hearing, Knowing.
59:23
He is Allah, besides Whom there is no God; the King, the Holy, the Author of Peace, the Granter of Security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor of greatness. Glory be to Allah from that which they set up (with Him)!
What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good, and pure, and true, when your "leaders" are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance?
Again, sir, I have to ask from where you get your information. Yes there are some bad people in Islamic leadership positions. And there are some bad people in Christian leadership positions and in Jewish leadership positions and Hindu and Buddhist and all sorts of sectarian groups.
But when you condemn the Islamic leaders alone, I have to ask you: Have you sat in a mosque and listened to what the leaders teach? Or have you formed your opinion entirely from the mouths and scripts of television news programs? I am asking in all sincerity, because I want you to ask yourself. I want you to ask yourself if a pilot could have relied on the same level on information to learn to fly as you are relying upon to judge and condemn millions of human beings? If not, shame on you. You know better.
It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion.
Consider these quotes from the Christian bible (Matthew):
5:21-22 - "You have heard that it was said to the people in the old days, 'You shall not murder', and anyone who does must stand his trial. But I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother must stand his trial; anyone who contemptuously calls his brother a fool must face the supreme court; and anyone who looks on his brother as a lost soul is himself heading straight for the fire of destruction.
5:43-45 - "You have heard that it used to be said, 'You shall love your neighbour', and 'hate your enemy', but I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father. For he makes the sun rise upon evil men as well as good, and he sends his rain upon honest and dishonest men alike.
5:46-48 - For if you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even tax-collectors do that! And if you exchange greetings only with your own circle, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do that much. No, you are to be perfect, like your Heavenly Father.
How many Christians do you know who live this? Your own letter stands in direct conflict to these commandments from the reported words of Jesus in the Book of Matthew. Certainly killing over 100,000 Iraqis, largely women, children and non-combatant men violates every letter of those direct commandments! As do the deaths in every other war and attack in which Christians have participated.
So should I now follow your lead and say it matters not" how good [Christianity] SHOULD be if huge numbers of the world's [Christians] interpret the teachings of [Jesus] incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion?" Or should we just say that all faiths have their strengths and weaknesses, and as humans we often get it wrong?
A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world. A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth.
You admitted you have not read the Qu'ran. Your comments suggest you do not know any Muslims personally, nor have you sought out Muslim leaders of which to ask questions. And yet you purport to know exactly what Islam stands for, from the foundation from which it arose to the specifics of its current teachings and practices. Try this basic quiz on Belief Net to see where you are with understanding.
I think you will learn that you know very little.
A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.
I assume here you are referring to the Hijab, the head covering some devout Muslim women wear? How strange that you would consider a display of extreme modesty "twisted" while the concept of strangers seeing essentially all of another stranger's body at the beach, at the mall, or indeed even at the airport is considered "normal." And while there is dispute among Islamic scholars about whether the Hijab is required or is a cultural carry-over from an earlier time, to call it "twisted" and to suggest that this expression of sincere modesty was somehow designed to thwart airport security check-points is ludicrous! I am afraid that that this point, dear sir, your guise of "seeking understanding" has fallen away and your underlying hatred has shown its own twisted and ugly face.
We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take way that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest constitution in the world.
Do you speak out to protect those rights? Have you worked to protect us from searches without warrant, detention without trial, or wiretaps without specific cause?
I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American.
But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. Until then . "YOU WORRY ME!"
And you worry me. You speak without knowledge, draw conclusions without asking questions, spread hatred without understanding or even talking to those you accuse, support the violation of basic Constitutional rights, demand that citizens surrender their freedoms to you. Sounds awfully un-American to me.
IN THE MEANTIME it's time to put the reliability your sources to the test. You claimed to be a pilot. So if that fact alone is true, here is a challenge you'll appreciate:
IF YOUR SOURCES ABOUT ISLAM are, as I suspect, the television and print media and the talk at the local diner, hand over the keys to the nearest jet. I am ready to fly. I've seen dozens of news stories on jet flight, several documentaries on it even, heard some pilots talking and heck, I've even peeked into the cockpit a time or two as I walked past. That's all I need. Flying can't be any more complex than the beliefs and behaviours of millions of people from dozens of countries over centuries of time! So my cursory media and rumor based knowledge should be more than enough. So Mr. Pilot, sit down, buckle up, and get ready to fly, because I am ready to go!
And as for my background, because I know that will matter to you, I am Jewish woman from a family that includes a wide variety of religions. I have a doctorate in Political Science with a specialty in comparative politics and political theory.
Return to This, That and the Other
Monday, May 21, 2007
100 Things About South Central Pennsylvania
1) The great diners of America are alive and well in almost every town here
2) Fire departments are staffed by volunteers and paid for through pancake breakfasts and chicken barbeques
3) About 70% of the people here have lived here their whole life. As did their parents. Possibly in the same house. Probably in the same neighborhood.
4) The Amish (pronounced om'-ish, not A'-mish) are leaving in droves because the population and building boom in the area has made the area too expensive for their simple lifestyle.
5) If you move here, you will pay more kinds of taxes than you ever imagined could exist...Federal taxes, State income taxes, county taxes, local (city) taxes, school taxes, property taxes (no, they are not the same!), occupation taxes and head taxes!
6) Local delicacies include scrapple, a patty made from a ground mixture of everything usually not eaten off a pig, dipped in flour and deep fried.
7) And stuffed pig stomach...no description needed. Or wanted.
8) And fastnachts -- a delicious calorie laden potato donut, served especially just before Lent on Fastnacht Day
9) And fresh apple cider and schintzle (dried apple slices)
10) In many areas, there are still more cows than people
11) It is breath-takingly beautiful on a foggy spring or summer morning when you look out over the farmland and valleys.
12) The milk is fresh...really fresh. Like from the day before.
13) If your car breaks down along the road, 6 people will pull over to help you. No matter what the weather. And will not take a dime for helping.
14) Summers here make summers in South Florida look like a cold wave...count on upper 90's and not a breeze in sight for months. Even at night.
15) The snow makes great snowmen, snowforts and snowballs
16) Great scrapbook stores, especially Times to Remember in Hershey
17) The air really does smell like chocolate everyday in Hershey
18) Tuesday is Market Day, when you can buy fresh vegies, fruits, cheeses and almost everything else for your week at huge open air farmer's markets in the cities and in the rural areas. Some are open on Saturday too. A few on Wednesdays.
19) Don't plan on doing anything in Sunday after 4 pm. Almost everything will be closed. Except the diners. (See #1, above)
20) Front door locks are optional
21) You can live 15 miles from the nearest grocery store and locals will consider your home to be "in town"
22) It's the only place in the world where you can stand at the corner of Chocolate and Cocoa, and have them be real streets.
23) All of the Amish information centers and tourist attractions are run by Mennonites
24) Horses and buggies still share the road with cars
25) If someone asks if you're from Perry County (and you're not), you've just been insulted
26) If you are, sorry!
27) The words "leave" and "let" are interchangable. So you may "Let your daughter go to the mall" or "Leave her go to the mall." Same meaning.
28) Gardens grow almost by magic. The soil is amazing.
29) So do weeds
30) The most famous city in the area is pronounced "Lang'-ka-ster", not "Lan-ca-ster". The latter is a late actor. No relation.
31) Something is close by if it's less than 40 miles away. Really.
32) Except cities. They are far even if they're less than 20 miles away.
33) The nickname for this area of Pennsylvania is "Pennsyl-tucky."
34) Townships are the most important form of local goverment. Counties are seldom mentioned except at tax time. Townships are smaller than a country, and may cover several towns.
35) Villages are a legitimate government designation for a locale smaller than a town...I lived in one. Population 54. No kidding.
36) Birch Beer, a non-alcoholic soda is made locally -- and is very popular at all local fests and gatherings
37) Having a house that's over 150 years old is no biggie...most of them are
38) My house was 227 years old
39) The paved roads (except the highways) are mostly the old farm paths that led between the farms or from the farms to the market. So they are winding and quaint. And narrow.
40) In the early 1900's there used to be a trolley line from Elizabethtown to Hershey.
41) Now there is not even a bus. So much for progress.
42) You cannot tour the Hershey Factory anymore.
43) But you can ride a very Disney-esque simulation ride, complete with dancing cows and animatronic hershey kisses.
44) And get a free mini candy bar at the end of the ride
45) If someone says that they "Redded up their house", it means they cleaned it completely, not that they painted it crimson
46) Soft pretzels are HUGE and delicious
47) The oldest pretzel bakery in the US is here in Lititz, PA
48) You can actually try making a traditional twisted pretzel there
49) Your "ticket" for the tour is a pretzel! A real one
50) For a rural area, there is a suprising amount of religious diversity
51) Except in the schools, where major tests, competitions and field trips are often scheduled on the holiest of Jewish and Muslim holidays.
52) Lots of the women here are named Rachel, Sarah and Rebecca
53) The autumn colors are amazing. Who needs New England?
54) You can meet an amazing number of adults who have lived there their entire life, and have never been to Baltimore (about 45 minutes away) or Washington D.C. (about 1.25 hours away.) And they are ok with that.
55) The same people who loved the area for its rural charm have moved there and are now demanding Targets and Best Buys and all the other strip mall clutter they left behind in NJ, NY and MA.
56) Unfortunately, they are getting it
57) Central PA has some of the most fertile farmland in the country
58) In another 10 years, almost all of it will be under houses, strip malls and roads.
59) You can buy produce, hay and homemade preserves from roadside honesty stands where they put out a box for you to pay for your selection.
60) And people actually pay
61) And don't steal the box
62) Lots of the men here are named Jacob, Issac, Abraham, and Samuel
63) Local elementary schools frequently have less than 200 students total
64) High schools have about 800 students.
65) You cannot go for a drive without seeing a pick-up truck.
66) Herbal medicine, accupuncture and holistic healing are very popular in the area
67) Being a vegetarian is not
68) If your family ever lived here, chances are they have a genealogy record for them in one of the historical societies
69) Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania -- not Philadelphia
70) Harrisburg has a growing art community and two really cool annual waterfront art festivals
71) And a gay pride festival
72) And a film festival
73) But no good art museums
74) It's always freezing for the Harrisburg St. Patrick's Day parade...even if it was 70 degrees the day before
75) There are still weekly local newspapers
76) With headlines like "Parking too close to corner annoys local residents"
77) I know because I wrote that story
78) It was the biggest thing at the town meeting that month
79) People wrote in comments about the issue
80) For two weeks
81) Cats are a way of life if you don't want rodents in your house or barn
82) Almost every town has a really nice community pool.
83) HersheyPark has an awesome concert season
84) Locals will tell you they "moved away" for awhile...they mean to other side of the river 15 miles from where they started. But they came back.
85) Garden clubs are a major social gathering
86) For most non-locals, it's difficult to stay for more than two or three months without a trip "outside" to New York, Washington, D.C., or Philly or someplace further.
87) Local fairs are another major Central PA social gathering.
88) Pretty much everyone in the community enters something in the fair -- a pie, a quilt, a model airplane, a drawing, a pianting, a vegetable...
89) People who live there refer to their area as "Central P.A."
90) There are lots of really cool old cemeteries to explore
91) Every festival, show or public event will have a stand selling fresh hot kettlecorn.
92) It's addictive
93) Most people seem to have a dog...a big dog. Not many maltese or yorkies around
94) Blackberries grow wild every summer
95) Every school has an annual craft fair
96) They all sell the exact same crafts
97) The Amish make the most beautiful quilts ever
98) Only the tourists buy them
99) It is only sunny about 34-40 days a year. The rest of the time it's gray.
100) Outlet shopping rules in Central P. A.
And here are a few others from another website. Check them out.
Return to main blog
2) Fire departments are staffed by volunteers and paid for through pancake breakfasts and chicken barbeques
3) About 70% of the people here have lived here their whole life. As did their parents. Possibly in the same house. Probably in the same neighborhood.
4) The Amish (pronounced om'-ish, not A'-mish) are leaving in droves because the population and building boom in the area has made the area too expensive for their simple lifestyle.
5) If you move here, you will pay more kinds of taxes than you ever imagined could exist...Federal taxes, State income taxes, county taxes, local (city) taxes, school taxes, property taxes (no, they are not the same!), occupation taxes and head taxes!
6) Local delicacies include scrapple, a patty made from a ground mixture of everything usually not eaten off a pig, dipped in flour and deep fried.
7) And stuffed pig stomach...no description needed. Or wanted.
8) And fastnachts -- a delicious calorie laden potato donut, served especially just before Lent on Fastnacht Day
9) And fresh apple cider and schintzle (dried apple slices)
10) In many areas, there are still more cows than people
11) It is breath-takingly beautiful on a foggy spring or summer morning when you look out over the farmland and valleys.
12) The milk is fresh...really fresh. Like from the day before.
13) If your car breaks down along the road, 6 people will pull over to help you. No matter what the weather. And will not take a dime for helping.
14) Summers here make summers in South Florida look like a cold wave...count on upper 90's and not a breeze in sight for months. Even at night.
15) The snow makes great snowmen, snowforts and snowballs
16) Great scrapbook stores, especially Times to Remember in Hershey
17) The air really does smell like chocolate everyday in Hershey
18) Tuesday is Market Day, when you can buy fresh vegies, fruits, cheeses and almost everything else for your week at huge open air farmer's markets in the cities and in the rural areas. Some are open on Saturday too. A few on Wednesdays.
19) Don't plan on doing anything in Sunday after 4 pm. Almost everything will be closed. Except the diners. (See #1, above)
20) Front door locks are optional
21) You can live 15 miles from the nearest grocery store and locals will consider your home to be "in town"
22) It's the only place in the world where you can stand at the corner of Chocolate and Cocoa, and have them be real streets.
23) All of the Amish information centers and tourist attractions are run by Mennonites
24) Horses and buggies still share the road with cars
25) If someone asks if you're from Perry County (and you're not), you've just been insulted
26) If you are, sorry!
27) The words "leave" and "let" are interchangable. So you may "Let your daughter go to the mall" or "Leave her go to the mall." Same meaning.
28) Gardens grow almost by magic. The soil is amazing.
29) So do weeds
30) The most famous city in the area is pronounced "Lang'-ka-ster", not "Lan-ca-ster". The latter is a late actor. No relation.
31) Something is close by if it's less than 40 miles away. Really.
32) Except cities. They are far even if they're less than 20 miles away.
33) The nickname for this area of Pennsylvania is "Pennsyl-tucky."
34) Townships are the most important form of local goverment. Counties are seldom mentioned except at tax time. Townships are smaller than a country, and may cover several towns.
35) Villages are a legitimate government designation for a locale smaller than a town...I lived in one. Population 54. No kidding.
36) Birch Beer, a non-alcoholic soda is made locally -- and is very popular at all local fests and gatherings
37) Having a house that's over 150 years old is no biggie...most of them are
38) My house was 227 years old
39) The paved roads (except the highways) are mostly the old farm paths that led between the farms or from the farms to the market. So they are winding and quaint. And narrow.
40) In the early 1900's there used to be a trolley line from Elizabethtown to Hershey.
41) Now there is not even a bus. So much for progress.
42) You cannot tour the Hershey Factory anymore.
43) But you can ride a very Disney-esque simulation ride, complete with dancing cows and animatronic hershey kisses.
44) And get a free mini candy bar at the end of the ride
45) If someone says that they "Redded up their house", it means they cleaned it completely, not that they painted it crimson
46) Soft pretzels are HUGE and delicious
47) The oldest pretzel bakery in the US is here in Lititz, PA
48) You can actually try making a traditional twisted pretzel there
49) Your "ticket" for the tour is a pretzel! A real one
50) For a rural area, there is a suprising amount of religious diversity
51) Except in the schools, where major tests, competitions and field trips are often scheduled on the holiest of Jewish and Muslim holidays.
52) Lots of the women here are named Rachel, Sarah and Rebecca
53) The autumn colors are amazing. Who needs New England?
54) You can meet an amazing number of adults who have lived there their entire life, and have never been to Baltimore (about 45 minutes away) or Washington D.C. (about 1.25 hours away.) And they are ok with that.
55) The same people who loved the area for its rural charm have moved there and are now demanding Targets and Best Buys and all the other strip mall clutter they left behind in NJ, NY and MA.
56) Unfortunately, they are getting it
57) Central PA has some of the most fertile farmland in the country
58) In another 10 years, almost all of it will be under houses, strip malls and roads.
59) You can buy produce, hay and homemade preserves from roadside honesty stands where they put out a box for you to pay for your selection.
60) And people actually pay
61) And don't steal the box
62) Lots of the men here are named Jacob, Issac, Abraham, and Samuel
63) Local elementary schools frequently have less than 200 students total
64) High schools have about 800 students.
65) You cannot go for a drive without seeing a pick-up truck.
66) Herbal medicine, accupuncture and holistic healing are very popular in the area
67) Being a vegetarian is not
68) If your family ever lived here, chances are they have a genealogy record for them in one of the historical societies
69) Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania -- not Philadelphia
70) Harrisburg has a growing art community and two really cool annual waterfront art festivals
71) And a gay pride festival
72) And a film festival
73) But no good art museums
74) It's always freezing for the Harrisburg St. Patrick's Day parade...even if it was 70 degrees the day before
75) There are still weekly local newspapers
76) With headlines like "Parking too close to corner annoys local residents"
77) I know because I wrote that story
78) It was the biggest thing at the town meeting that month
79) People wrote in comments about the issue
80) For two weeks
81) Cats are a way of life if you don't want rodents in your house or barn
82) Almost every town has a really nice community pool.
83) HersheyPark has an awesome concert season
84) Locals will tell you they "moved away" for awhile...they mean to other side of the river 15 miles from where they started. But they came back.
85) Garden clubs are a major social gathering
86) For most non-locals, it's difficult to stay for more than two or three months without a trip "outside" to New York, Washington, D.C., or Philly or someplace further.
87) Local fairs are another major Central PA social gathering.
88) Pretty much everyone in the community enters something in the fair -- a pie, a quilt, a model airplane, a drawing, a pianting, a vegetable...
89) People who live there refer to their area as "Central P.A."
90) There are lots of really cool old cemeteries to explore
91) Every festival, show or public event will have a stand selling fresh hot kettlecorn.
92) It's addictive
93) Most people seem to have a dog...a big dog. Not many maltese or yorkies around
94) Blackberries grow wild every summer
95) Every school has an annual craft fair
96) They all sell the exact same crafts
97) The Amish make the most beautiful quilts ever
98) Only the tourists buy them
99) It is only sunny about 34-40 days a year. The rest of the time it's gray.
100) Outlet shopping rules in Central P. A.
And here are a few others from another website. Check them out.
Return to main blog
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
100 Things About Me
I read this kind of list on another blog recently, and like it...so here is my own list: (Send me yours and I will post them all --keep it clean, please!)
1 I love living in Florida
2 My favorite place to be is on the beach, in a sidewalk cafe or under a tree on a breezy day.
3 My favorite time to be on the beach is at night. The other two are better in te daytime.
4 I love to read
5 I will read almost any kind of book, but my favorite books are mysteries and theology
6 I love rainy cool mornings and drizzly days (esp. if I can sit in a cafe and watch it rain.)
7 I wish I could have met Zelda Sayer Fitzgerald, Mohammed and Anne Frank
8 I prefer to drink iced tea or water
9 I never drink soda
10 When I go out to a club, I order sparkling water with lime. Or cranberry juice
11 I practice Buddhist meditation
12 I started meditating when my high school theatre teacher taught us how
13 I still have the same mantra from my initial TM experience
14 I am a hopeless romantic
15 I love flying
16 I wanted to be a pediatric cardiologist when I was growing up
17 Or a theatrical set decorator
18 I am a writer instead
19 I love being a writer
20 I have three children
21 I think my kids are really awesome people and would choose them for friends
22 I love babies -- all babies
23 I have eyes that change color with my mood and the weather
24 I love doing yoga
25 I love belly dancing - doing and watching
26 I took ballet lessons for 6 years
27 The month I spent in San Fransisco was one of the best months of my whole life
28 I need lots of lights in the kitchen to cook. I cannot cook in a dim room.
29 I love poetry
30 Especially poetry by Rumi, John Donne and Rupert Brook
31 I am a kid magnet...just put me in a room, all the kids end up near me
32 I have a hard time throwing away art my kids make
33 Even if it's not good
34 And stories they write
35 I prefer being outdoors to being inside
36 I love waking up to open windows and a view of trees and sky
37 I hate air conditioning
38 I used to make and sell fancy hair bows
39 I have been a children's photographer
40 And a tennis teacher
41 And a kids' drama director
42 And an art teacher
43 And a social worker
44 And a state employee
45 And an office temp
46 And a manufacturer's rep
47 And a reporter
48 And a sales person in a store
49 And a resident assistant in a university
50 And an auditor (I hated that one most of all)
51 I sleep about 5 hours a night
52 I am a vegetarian
53 I am a Jew
54 I am fascinated by religions -- all religions
55 I think Arabic men are hot
56 I went to 6 different colleges
57 I have lived a mile above sea level
58 And 6 inches below sea level
59 I have 4 college degrees
60 I love guys in cowboy hats and boots
61 I need music on to work
62 I hate ice cream -- really
63 I need lots of natural light and fresh air to function.
64 I love going to live theatre
67 And live music
68 Especially outdoors
69 I want to do community theatre again
70 I love 1940's music
71 And 40's jewelry, clothing, art, films...
72 I am addicted to my cell phone
73 I love using graphics editing programs
74 I only wear silver or white gold jewelry
75 My favorite clothes are long flowing skirts
76 But I wear jeans most of the time -- even to work
77 I love to go dancing
78 I cannot stand cake icing. And I'm not terribly fond of cake either
79 I quilt
80 And cross stitch
81 And scrapbook
82 I have enough scrapbook supplies in my closet to open a store
83 I have no time to scrapbook
84 I am almost 5'9" and still love high heels
85 I remember the birthdays of friends from elementary school - Tina 3.21 and Laura 6/24
86 I am a member of Mensa
87 I have 77 CD's in my car
88 12 of them are in Arabic
89 I can never play the guitar because the strings make my fingers bleed and I do not get callouses
90 I would like to play the fiddle
91 I want to go to Russia for a visit. But not in winter
92 I love architecture books and decorating books
93 I doodle when I talk on the phone -- except when I'm driving
94 I believe in magic and miracles and angels
95 My favorite flowers are gardenias.
96 My second favorite flowers are yellow roses
97 I sing while I drive. But only when I'm alone in the car
98 I rode horses for years, but never on a beach. I want to ride on a beach
99 I love Navajo flute music.
100 I need alone time to restore and refresh my energy. Without it, I wilt.
Return to previous post
1 I love living in Florida
2 My favorite place to be is on the beach, in a sidewalk cafe or under a tree on a breezy day.
3 My favorite time to be on the beach is at night. The other two are better in te daytime.
4 I love to read
5 I will read almost any kind of book, but my favorite books are mysteries and theology
6 I love rainy cool mornings and drizzly days (esp. if I can sit in a cafe and watch it rain.)
7 I wish I could have met Zelda Sayer Fitzgerald, Mohammed and Anne Frank
8 I prefer to drink iced tea or water
9 I never drink soda
10 When I go out to a club, I order sparkling water with lime. Or cranberry juice
11 I practice Buddhist meditation
12 I started meditating when my high school theatre teacher taught us how
13 I still have the same mantra from my initial TM experience
14 I am a hopeless romantic
15 I love flying
16 I wanted to be a pediatric cardiologist when I was growing up
17 Or a theatrical set decorator
18 I am a writer instead
19 I love being a writer
20 I have three children
21 I think my kids are really awesome people and would choose them for friends
22 I love babies -- all babies
23 I have eyes that change color with my mood and the weather
24 I love doing yoga
25 I love belly dancing - doing and watching
26 I took ballet lessons for 6 years
27 The month I spent in San Fransisco was one of the best months of my whole life
28 I need lots of lights in the kitchen to cook. I cannot cook in a dim room.
29 I love poetry
30 Especially poetry by Rumi, John Donne and Rupert Brook
31 I am a kid magnet...just put me in a room, all the kids end up near me
32 I have a hard time throwing away art my kids make
33 Even if it's not good
34 And stories they write
35 I prefer being outdoors to being inside
36 I love waking up to open windows and a view of trees and sky
37 I hate air conditioning
38 I used to make and sell fancy hair bows
39 I have been a children's photographer
40 And a tennis teacher
41 And a kids' drama director
42 And an art teacher
43 And a social worker
44 And a state employee
45 And an office temp
46 And a manufacturer's rep
47 And a reporter
48 And a sales person in a store
49 And a resident assistant in a university
50 And an auditor (I hated that one most of all)
51 I sleep about 5 hours a night
52 I am a vegetarian
53 I am a Jew
54 I am fascinated by religions -- all religions
55 I think Arabic men are hot
56 I went to 6 different colleges
57 I have lived a mile above sea level
58 And 6 inches below sea level
59 I have 4 college degrees
60 I love guys in cowboy hats and boots
61 I need music on to work
62 I hate ice cream -- really
63 I need lots of natural light and fresh air to function.
64 I love going to live theatre
67 And live music
68 Especially outdoors
69 I want to do community theatre again
70 I love 1940's music
71 And 40's jewelry, clothing, art, films...
72 I am addicted to my cell phone
73 I love using graphics editing programs
74 I only wear silver or white gold jewelry
75 My favorite clothes are long flowing skirts
76 But I wear jeans most of the time -- even to work
77 I love to go dancing
78 I cannot stand cake icing. And I'm not terribly fond of cake either
79 I quilt
80 And cross stitch
81 And scrapbook
82 I have enough scrapbook supplies in my closet to open a store
83 I have no time to scrapbook
84 I am almost 5'9" and still love high heels
85 I remember the birthdays of friends from elementary school - Tina 3.21 and Laura 6/24
86 I am a member of Mensa
87 I have 77 CD's in my car
88 12 of them are in Arabic
89 I can never play the guitar because the strings make my fingers bleed and I do not get callouses
90 I would like to play the fiddle
91 I want to go to Russia for a visit. But not in winter
92 I love architecture books and decorating books
93 I doodle when I talk on the phone -- except when I'm driving
94 I believe in magic and miracles and angels
95 My favorite flowers are gardenias.
96 My second favorite flowers are yellow roses
97 I sing while I drive. But only when I'm alone in the car
98 I rode horses for years, but never on a beach. I want to ride on a beach
99 I love Navajo flute music.
100 I need alone time to restore and refresh my energy. Without it, I wilt.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The rest of my job profile
In Terms of Your Independence vs Your Need to Be in the 'Team'
You would work best and with the greatest satisfaction in a group of people who are like you in their strong commitment to the 'team'. You would enjoy the kind of technical, intellectual and personal interactions that come with working in a close-knit team. You would accept supervision but would also like to co-direct the group on some projects or in some parts of the job.
In Terms of Your Orientation Towards the 'People' Side of Business
You would be described as extremely sociable, entertaining, cheerful, genial and outgoing. In addition to being a fluent talker, you would be comfortable with new people, value social interaction and make new friends easily. Generally, you would be a good company representative and have the ability to communicate with a wide variety of people in a number of different functions. Being extremely sociable could make you somewhat sensitive to rejection.
In Terms of Your Orientation Towards Technical & Practical Concerns
You would be described as quite logical, reflective, analytical, factual and practical. A job requiring the solving of intellectual or conceptual problems would stimulate a person such as yourself. You would have a flair for technically oriented and detailed work. Taking on challenges to learn and use new information in a field that interests you would be rewarding in itself.
What Should You Look for In a Job/Career that Matches You Best?
+ Look for a career position which will have both social value in terms of what the function does to help others and personal security in terms of the opportunities it offers to you to make a long term, ongoing commitment of your talents and energy.
+ You should seek opportunities to work most or all of the time in a group that comprises people like you who are also strong on the 'team' approach to getting the job done.
+ Look for employment that provides you with lots of people contact on a daily basis. A job with a great deal of person to person interaction and public relations opportunities would be ideal for you.
+ A job with some learning and technical requirements would be quite satisfying. The opportunity to be creative and to put your new found knowledge into action would also be appealing to you.
What Should You Avoid in Jobs/Careers that Don't Match You?
- Avoid positions which you feel have little value in terms of their impact on the quality of life of the people who receive the product or service. A job with intense, short term and repeating 'production' requirements would not give you the best opportunity to employ your talents and energy effectively.
- Avoid work situations in which there is lax supervision and those situations which essentially prevent you from becoming part of a 'team' to get the job done.
- You should avoid employment that would isolate you from people. A job that lacks social interaction would not be adequately stimulating and rewarding to you.
- You should avoid jobs that are not intellectually challenging, creative and those that do not offer a chance for personal growth in a technical or practical sense.
_____________________________________________
You would work best and with the greatest satisfaction in a group of people who are like you in their strong commitment to the 'team'. You would enjoy the kind of technical, intellectual and personal interactions that come with working in a close-knit team. You would accept supervision but would also like to co-direct the group on some projects or in some parts of the job.
In Terms of Your Orientation Towards the 'People' Side of Business
You would be described as extremely sociable, entertaining, cheerful, genial and outgoing. In addition to being a fluent talker, you would be comfortable with new people, value social interaction and make new friends easily. Generally, you would be a good company representative and have the ability to communicate with a wide variety of people in a number of different functions. Being extremely sociable could make you somewhat sensitive to rejection.
In Terms of Your Orientation Towards Technical & Practical Concerns
You would be described as quite logical, reflective, analytical, factual and practical. A job requiring the solving of intellectual or conceptual problems would stimulate a person such as yourself. You would have a flair for technically oriented and detailed work. Taking on challenges to learn and use new information in a field that interests you would be rewarding in itself.
What Should You Look for In a Job/Career that Matches You Best?
+ Look for a career position which will have both social value in terms of what the function does to help others and personal security in terms of the opportunities it offers to you to make a long term, ongoing commitment of your talents and energy.
+ You should seek opportunities to work most or all of the time in a group that comprises people like you who are also strong on the 'team' approach to getting the job done.
+ Look for employment that provides you with lots of people contact on a daily basis. A job with a great deal of person to person interaction and public relations opportunities would be ideal for you.
+ A job with some learning and technical requirements would be quite satisfying. The opportunity to be creative and to put your new found knowledge into action would also be appealing to you.
What Should You Avoid in Jobs/Careers that Don't Match You?
- Avoid positions which you feel have little value in terms of their impact on the quality of life of the people who receive the product or service. A job with intense, short term and repeating 'production' requirements would not give you the best opportunity to employ your talents and energy effectively.
- Avoid work situations in which there is lax supervision and those situations which essentially prevent you from becoming part of a 'team' to get the job done.
- You should avoid employment that would isolate you from people. A job that lacks social interaction would not be adequately stimulating and rewarding to you.
- You should avoid jobs that are not intellectually challenging, creative and those that do not offer a chance for personal growth in a technical or practical sense.
_____________________________________________
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