Denver Democratic Experience part 4

The entire city was energized with anticipation of hearing Obama’s acceptance speech. The citizens of Denver should be because they were getting half of the 75,000 tickets. We stuck our hologram ticket in the clear sleeve of our lanyard. We were going to the big event.

We climbed on the shuttle bus that dropped us off over a mile away from the Invesco Center. We joined a line that snaked around the center. We talked with the people in front and behind us. They all had stories similar to ours. There were water bottles in tanks of ice water and porty potties every few block lengths. The volunteers were cheerful and encouraged us through the long slow moving progression. A large tent was set up for security which all of us understood and appreciated.

Once again we trekked up the long winding ramps to our 5th level seating. This time we ended up about 10 rows from the top. This was the real nose bleed section and Bobbie even proved it by getting her own real nose bleed!
The sun still had another several hours to sunset and the Colorado sun showed us how hot it could be. Someone had gotten into the bags of posters and handed out the “Change” posters that we used as sunshields. Each of the 80,000+ attendees was given an American flag to wave, it was a great cheering tool.

One by one my favorite politicians talked. They were all about ¼ inch high with their back to us but the large screens and good sound system made us feel right up front. The top tier gave us a good perspective of the historical impact of the event. Thousands and thousands of people cheering, waving flags, stomping feet and standing up with enthusiasm and hope for a renewed America. It was not just a rock concert. The stadium was filled with people from all across the country. We had all worked hard for change and a better America. We were people that were inspired by leaders who could guide us in the direction that America needed to go.

Howard Dean-who first told Democrats they needed to be Democrats, was followed by Bill Richardson-who understood early on that Obama was the one to lead us. Al Gore received a long standing ovation by appreciative Democrats. Dick Durbin proudly introduced IL’s Junior Senator.

After the sunset, Barack entered the stage with a long shadow behind him. He had words of toughness for McCain, detailed thoughts of his plan of action and closed with words of inspiration and hope. He once again exceeded our expectations. In closing, he was joined by his beautiful first family and then Biden and his family. They held hands and raised their arms up in appreciation for the audience’s strong support.

The convention closing has always looked like so much fun and I had a long time goal to be a participant. I was close this time but obviously balloons could not drop down in the middle of the stadium. I was way up at the top how could I possibly be a part of this? Obama wanted to include all the people not just a few select Democrats. So Obama chose a stadium to give his acceptance speech.

Out of nowhere, confetti started falling on the attendees on the floor level. I thought high nice. Then the confetti started rising higher and higher, making it up to top rows—white stars, and red and blue rectangles fell on our heads. WE WERE all a part of this monumental event, every one of us. Firework after firework shot above our heads expressing the way we felt inside. Obama wanted to thank and include the everyday people. He got it, it was not about him but about all of us.

COMMENTS

Denver Experience part 3

The most pleasant surprise of the convention was that there are tons of things to do for non-delegate attendees. Caucuses were held at the convention center for each sub-group and anyone can attend these meeting for free. I fit into rural, senior, and women groups. Bobbie’s daughter, Suzie, slipped into the GLBT, Black and NY delegation meetings. Jessie Jackson, and Hillary stopped in these events and their talks were more spontaneous and relaxed than at the nighttime convention.

I am a MSNBC viewer so when we found the outdoor stage for that TV station we knew our favorite pundits had to be close. Late on Tuesday night Keith Olbermann came down to the bottom level to greet and talk to us fans. Getting a good picture was impossible but I did get a picture of his cool black limo driving away. My favorite female commentator Rachel Maddow, just had to be around somewhere but I didn’t recognized her at first. She casually left the stage with 2 staffers, walking through the remaining small crowd. Knowing Maddow’s eccentric personality I shouldn’t have been surprised to see here dressed in a green-stripped polo shirt, horned rimmed glasses and red tennis shoes. She answered questions and held a mini discussion about the convention.

We frequently ran into the same volunteers as we rode the bus to and from town. Every one of them was excited because they had snagged tickets for Obama’s Thursday night event- everyone, that is,except for the three of us. When we got off the bus a volunteer gave us a card with an updated schedule for tonight’s event- Howard Dean, Bill Richardson, Al Gore, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama- all my favorite male politicians. This was starting to get painful. We tried not to let our mood sink but we were sooo close but no tickets. We checked our phones for messages, nothing.


We did have reservations for the IL Democratic Women’s luncheon that I knew would have both well-known female politicians and friends. Our bus never came, probably due to the reroute around the Invesco Center. But our angels sent a woman to us who had been driving VIPS in a black SUV. She shouted out the window asking if we needed a ride. She dropped us off directly outside the Marriot where our luncheon was held. Our good luck continues when we happened to walk directly by Durbin’s staffer sitting at a table with a stack of tickets. She casually asked if we still needed some for tonight’s event. We couldn’t believe that ----WE were going to Obama’s acceptance speech!

It was great to see friendly faces at the luncheon including several state politicians. We all knew that the event would have to be shortened so we could stand in line to get into the convention. The speakers abbreviated their talk until Lisa Madigan, IL’s attorney general, was at the podium. Several impatient attendees just got up and left but I did enjoy her long review about Obama’s great record in the IL Senate. At the end of her dragged out speech she brightened up as you looked at the back of the room and stated, “Now I know you will not be disappointed because I want to introduce OUR senator, Barack Obama”

In he walked with his big toothy grin, followed by 3 secret service guards. We learned later that this unscheduled stop, did not require heightened security. He stated, “I thought I would just stop by and practice my speech for tonight.” He thanked us for all the good work we, especially the women of IL, have done for the party and him. After his brief talk he took his time to shake hands and take pictures with him. Like a true groupie, I stood on top of a chair the whole time and just watched and listened. Suzie came back thrilled. She got a hug from Obama. If our experience would have ended here, we would have been satisfied.

If you want to check out us women going crazy when Obama showed up at our luncheon go to minute 2 of this video

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#26444864


Fun things to do in Denver
1. Sit in the middle of the 16th Street mall and eat vendor ice cream
2. Visit the Tattered Book Store at the north end of 16th Street
3. Take a ride on the light rails, it is a fast smooth ride
4. Ride the buses and enjoy the friendliness of the locals

COMMENTS

Denver Experience Part 2

Volunteering has always been the way for “regular” democrats to be included in important events. So last winter Bobbie and I signed up to volunteer at the convention. When they emailed us back and told us we could help direct traffic, I could just picture us wearing neon vests and waving flashlights. We decided to fore go this and use our traditional method of helping with our local state party, and Monday’s volunteering did not go unappreciated by Sarah, Durbin’s right hand woman. Tuesday she called to say she had 3 hard sought after tickets for the convention that night.

You have to understand the “credentialing” thing. If you are a delegate, high elected official or otherwise big wig you get this lanyard with a plastic sleeve that holds all your tickets allowing you to attend various events. The more important you are the more tickets you get. You wear this thing hanging around you neck so everyone knows you have multiple invitations. All we were wearing were Obama pins. The locals on the bus from the Motel 6 didn’t really care. All they wanted to do was argue about the merits or deficits of our candidate. The later in the night the more boisterous their opinions and if you know where most Motel 6’s are located, it will give you a better idea of the variety of riders we had on our buses.

We stopped at the front desk at the Marriott Hotel where the IL delegation was staying. Unlike our motel in the far reaches of Denver it was located centrally off of the downtown 16th district mall. The electricity could be felt in the air and it was a wonderful place for watching IL politicians in action. Jessie Jackson walked through with his entourage and Durbin’s staffers were divvying out tickets to the delegates friends and families. With no lanyard, we tightly held our 3x5 inch tickets.

Denver has a model transportation system including free shuttles down the mall, buses that stop at every corner and fast rails linking the nearby suburbs. Each mode carried distinct riders but during the main convention events it seemed that all transportation led to the Pepsi Center. Security started as you loaded the convention shuttle bus including emptying water bottles and opening purses. The people mover system efficiently streamed us though the parking lot into the center where we walked though metal detectors.

The hallways of the ringed center were lined with reporters interviewing political celebrities such as Dennis Kucinich and Rod Blogevich The higher up the center we walked the more the attendees looked like real people. Dress changed from suits and black dresses to button covered t-shirts. We climbed up and up to our seats, ending up third row from the top. The blue glow from the stage was the prime source of light and the voice of the politicians could be heard echoing around the auditorium. I wasn’t sure if I was light headed from the lack of oxygen or overwhelmed by actually standing there in person at the Democratic convention.

The big screens around the center allowed you to see the speakers but the energy of several thousand enthusiastic Democrats was a major distraction. Many were calling their friends on the cell phone so they could listen in. I was impressed by the many groups and cultures represented. I know it was Dean’s and Obama’s desire to have the convention be representative of the true America and it was.

There were several speakers but the people in the cheap seats were noisy. Those viewing it on TV at home had a better view. Several speakers were scheduled but since we got our tickets late we missed many of them. I was most pleasantly surprise by the last speaker before Hillary. I had never heard of the Governor of Montana. But the schedulers understand that he would know how to warm up the crowd before Hillary. He was humorous, spontaneous and appropriate with his support of both Hillary and Obama.

Tuesday night of the convention was really “Hillary’s Night”. I have been an avid Obama supporter since the beginning of his senate race but I recognize Hillary as a real class act. This speech was dubbed as one of the most important of her political career. Dressed in her beautiful suit she put her full support behind Obama. She didn’t disappoint any of the attendees, Hillary or Obama fans.

The streams of people exited down the circular ramps to the hundreds of waiting buses carrying their signs of “Unity” and “Reclaim the Promise”. I had my doubts that the planners of the convention could bring us to this point but Democrats certainly were.


Advice for novice conventioneers
1. Be flexible, just hang out, find out where your state delegation is staying
2. You don’t need a lot of money, it is all on the DNC and sponsors
3. Go to caucuses, that is where the highest level politicians go to thank their supporters
4. Bring both fancy and casual cloths; you may never know what event you can get into.

Denver Democratic Experience-part 1

I am not a Democratic delegate but I act like one. So when my friend just missed representing IL, we decided to head down to the Denver Democratic National Convention this week and see what events we could sneak or beg our way in to.

You would think we would have been discouraged because the hotel rooms were all booked, the airlines shut down the week before our trip and I had just started a new job.—nope we weren’t

So this past Monday at 3:30 AM my local Democratic mentor, Bobbie and I headed to Denver. We decided we would rely on public transportation and the friendliness of the locals to find our way around city that I had previously driven around to get to the ski hills of Colorado.

On the bus platform at the airport we talked to an Ohio Obama volunteer who told us about openings at a Motel 6, so Bobbie, her daughter and I followed him like baby ducklings across town pulling our suitcases. As we booked our room, the manager told us we were lucky because rooms just opened up after scalpers had been caught selling them for 3 times the value on Craig’s list.

We had tickets two scheduled events, a party hosted by Sen. Durbin and a luncheon for the IL Democratic Women’s organization. So our challenge was to weasel our way into some of the big events. We were short one ticket for Bobbie’s daughter for the Durbin event but were told we could get her in if we volunteered at Durbin’s “Chicago in Denver Party.”

Never having been to a convention before I had no idea what I needed to pack in my carry-on. I have seen numerous conventions on TV so assumed I knew everything about convention dress. Surely my “Friends don’t let Friends vote Republican” T-shirt would be acceptable especially compared to the grey haired women dressed head to toe in American flag patterns and the tall skinny guy in an Uncle Sam stove-pipe hat.

So when I arrived at Durbin’s “Chicago in Denver” in my Obama/Durbin t-shirt with a blue tinsel feather boa I was sure to fit in. Durbin’s staffer smiled politely as the 3 of us arrived in our Democratic gear. Young volunteers arrived one by one each woman wearing a little black dress and each man in a suit and tie. I could see she had volunteers coming out of her ears and needed to quickly find a job for the three flashy boaed beauties. She created a job on the spot—she decided to have us be entrance greeters, or bouncers if necessary.

Actually this job turned out to be a blast. We held back the crowd until the official starting time, shooed away three skate boarders and told people they had to use the bathroom next door. I was really enjoying my power when a dark-suited gentleman arrived and insisted on getting through the gait to talk to Audrey. He left after I refused his request only to return five minutes later. He pulled me to the side and softly asked me what my named. “I need to talk with you Holly” while flashing his secret service badge. My knees went weak seeing myself locked up for some unknown deed. He said, “You must let me in so I can scout out the premises including entrances.”

So the tall erect man trailed the blue tinsel boa bouncer through the bar, kitchen and hallways. After clearing the site I asked if he could tell me why this was necessary. “All I can say is that someone very important from Chicago is coming.” As soon as he left I couldn’t wait to tell my co-bouncers and friends that Michelle Obama was coming.

The initial trickle of people turned into a large crowd totaling to over 2500 Democrats including over 16 Senators, dozens of US Reps and various other party big wigs. None of them could get passed the three of us without a friendly “Welcome to Chicago in Denver”-we were not unlike the Wal-Mart greeters.

Bobbie’s highlight was taking a pause from our duties to get a picture with Al Franken. I enjoyed guessing the names of the grey-haired senators I knew from C-Span. Durbin’s staffer spared us the embarrassment of not recognizing them by warmly greeting each elected official by name and leading them through the VIP entrance.

We were relieved of our duties after an hour to hang up our boas and enjoy the Chicago pizza, mini hotdogs and sliders. As usual it was a treat to see Sen. Durbin speak and I have to admit getting pleaser watching the 2nd City troop roast Rahm Emmanuel. Michelle Obama WAS the surprise visitor hot off her speech at the convention. She graciously took the time to warmly thank her fellow Illinoisan Democrats that have been supporters for such a long time. .

Watch for these scary encounters in Denver
1. fast low-water usage flush toilets
2. dry skin, chapped lips
3. chest pains from lack of oxygen
4. light rail trains crossing sidewalks

Comment Link

Got cache?

Not yet, but I'm getting ready to look for some. According to Google Earth and Geocaching.com, there's plenty of it to be found in central Ohio.


Developing...

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Weekend open thread

more the engrish!

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Friday Open Thread

The vast majority of the time I avoid posting pictures of Still pResident Bush. But this amused me.




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Thursday Open Thread

more animals

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Here's NURSE TERI's first Report from Denver!



Boo hoo, no Howard sitings, but did make it to the DFA party and got a great picture with Jim Dean.

Today I was the guest of SEIU Value Care Nurses and Nurse Alliance to their big health care event. We heard speeches from Andy Stern SEIU President, Govs. Patrick Duvall (MA), Ed Rendall (PA), Ted Strickland (OH) and Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas), and Sen. Clinton was the keynote and ending speaker. I had a FRONT row seat, pretty awesome.

Then at their health care rally, I was interviewed six times for the ONN initiative, still hoping for an SEIU endorsement.

I did pick up a THANK YOU Howard Dean name holder for Marcia

And tomorrow, I have credentials for the Obama acceptance speech.

Love to all,
Teri

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Wednesday Open Thread

Found this (pre-caption) under Yahoo's "most e-mailed photos",

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Open thread

more animals

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Commenting (again)

From the Friday Open Thread:

This is the only link you ever need:

http://hepcomments.blogspot.com

I wish the whole comment thing could be automated like on just about every other blog in the world, but for some reason it can't be. I've tried to make the best of it, but couldn't figure out how to teach other people how to make the links.

So this is the solution I've come up with. I will continue to make sure comment links publish once a day over at the HEP comments blog. One comment link a day--not for each new post. So we really shouldn't need to add the comment link to every post, as it is always going to be the same link. And that link is at the top of the left sidebar. But if it helps make things clearer, we can put that link in each post. But anyone with keys to the blog can do that. There is no special link that needs to go up with a new post, since there is now a new link once a day rather than for each post. Another advantage to this approach is that, if there is not a new front page post for a couple days, people can still follow the link to the newest comment thread. (Because there will be a new comment thread every day.)

I made this change and announced it in this post. At the moment, there is no guarantee that I will be able to read all the comments in a timely manner. So I'm asking a favor...if anyone is confused about the way comments work now, those of you who have figured it out, please explain to those of you who don't.

I'm trying not to get cranky about this, but I'm also trying to figure out how to explain it in a way that at least most people will understand.

But I will add this piece of clarification: I am asking that people posting front page blog entries not point your Comments links to specific comment thread. Please, instead, do what I am about to do right now and point the link here: http://hepcomments.blogspot.com

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A little inspiration...

As we approach the start of the Democratic Convention with hopes that we might actually be on our way to a fresh start in this country and the end of almost eight long years of horror, I thought this prayer might remind us of why so many of us do the things we do.

A Prayer

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and
superficial relationships, so that
you will live deep in your heart.

May God bless you with anger at
injustice, oppression, and
exploitation of people and the earth
so that you will work for justice,
equity and peace.

May God bless you with tears to
shed for those who suffer so you will
reach out your hands to comfort
them and change their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with
the foolishness to think that you
can make a difference in the world,
so you will do the things which
others say cannot be done.

Source Unknown: Distributed by School of the Americas Watch Northwest
<http://www.soaw.org> )

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Open thread

I've had the words of The Runaway Bunny running through my head lately...

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, "I am running away."
"If you run away," said his mother, "I will run after you. For you are my little bunny."

Imagining a sequel written years later (when the little bunny has grown into a teenage bunny) entitled The Runaway Mommy.

Would anyone run after her?

These are the sorts of deep thoughts I'm having these days. I'll be okay. I'm working on it. But with all the discussion around the tubes about Obama's choice of VP, all I have to say on the subject is "Meh." Somebody Else's Problem. I'm just not feeling it.

But I will keep an eye on the numbers at the HEP comments blog, and put up an extra thread on days that really need them. I may or may not be around in the comments, so (probably stating the obvious here), if you see a new comment thread, be sure to go back and tell folks in the old thread who might not know about it. Thanks.


{ { { I would run after the Mommy Bunny, Renee. And I'd bring snacks. XOXOXXX listener } } }



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Office of the National Nurse presence in Denver!



HEP's own national nurse, Teri Mills, writes:

Thanks to a Healthcare United, a new national movement of nurses and healthcare workers who are coming together to help fix our broken healthcare system, the Office of the National Nurse Campaign will have a presence in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. This is a great opportunity to come together and raise our voices to say the status quo is NOT working in healthcare, it is not working for our patients and it is not working to improve the health of our country.

On Wednesday afternoon, August 27th, the day before Senator Barack Obama accepts the nomination, there will be a large rally and concert at Sunken Gardens Park, on 8th and Speer beginning at 2pm MDT. The event will include a parade to the Pepsi Center (where the DNC is meeting), A-List bands, celebrity emcees, rousing speeches from healthcare activists and key Democratic leaders, and fun activities for the kids.



In the park itself, there will be big "theme tents" on Wednesday. If you're in town, you are invited to stop by The Long Term Care Reform Ward and Art Gallery, The Nurses' Station, The Legislative Emergency Room, (where you will find Teri Mills lobbying for an Office of the National Nurse for prevention) and, of course, The Free Clinic, Alternative Wellness Center and Hydration Station.

Do you have a personal story about how our broken healthcare system and a solution on how to make it better? Healthcare United encourages you to participate in the decision making process and invites you to submit your own ideas on how to fix our healthcare system. Your suggestions to improve healthcare will be delivered to Senator Obama during the convention.

Note: Teri will update us as she is able, from Denver or immediately following!

Incase you missed it:  Just below this thread is a thread from Jessica & Co about D-fest "6.0", 2009!


Click here to continue with Today's Comments

6th Annual DemocracyFest ~ 2009!

Written by: Jessica Falker on Aug 22, 2008 7:11 AM PDT

A huge thank you to all that made the 5th Annual DemocracyFest so great again this year. With your attendance, with participation locally in Virginia and from around the country, you have continued the tradition. To all of the sponsors, speakers, trainers, entertainers, volunteers, and attendees! Thank you!

Click Here to see Gov. Dean's speech at the 5th Annual DemocracyFest on C-SPAN.

We have already started planning to reconvene next summer for the 6th Annual DemocracyFest and will let you know the location and date as soon as possible. (The poll taken at this year's event for current proposals of Burlington VT and Chicago IL came out 50/50!) Your input and suggestions are always welcome! Email us at info@democracyfest.net

The core of DemocracyFest is community. Many of us were first called to action by Howard Dean's run for president in 2004. DemocracyFest carries forth the grassroots spirit of that campaign, and each year we have been delighted to welcome new people who similarly want to take our country back.

It would be great if DemocracyFest could be organized with no money, but the reality is that it takes at least $20,000 to put on an event like this, and quite a bit of that money is needed for deposits on the venue long before we start selling tickets. Also, we always want to be as inclusive as possible and therefor keep the cost of attending as low as possible. Our ticket price averages about 1/4 the cost of attending other political festivals, which means we rely on help from people like you to make that happen. Please make a contribution to help our efforts:

Click Here To Make A Contribution

While we can't list every connection, idea and project that was discussed at, or will grow out of, this year's DemocracyFest, we do want to point out that four great candidates for their state's Legislature attended this year: John MacMurray from California, Ellen Garneau from Vermont, Marcia Moody from New Hamphire, and David Stevenson from Connecticut. These are regular grassroots activists who have put their lives on hold to serve their community and we hope you will support their campaigns.

A special thank you to this year's sponsors: Democracy for Virginia, Democracy for America, Brain Arcade Design Studio, Latinos For America, Virginia Democratic Women's Caucus , IG Publishing, Living Liberally, National Women's Political Caucus , and Dulles Area Democrats

Thank you to the speakers, trainers, and entertainers who donated their time and talents: Gov. Howard Dean, Jeffrey Feldman, Rep. Leslie Byrne, Jim Dean, Rep. Marcia Moody, Charlie Grapski, Matt Blizek, Nathan Gonzalez, Subway Serenade, Bobby Kendes, Ellen Garneau, Jen Sorensen, Scott Goldstein, Bryan Hageny, Dorrie Clark, Maya Enista, Bernadette Vadurro, Linda Brooks, and Jeffrey Richardson

Thank you to Susan Rowe who not only suggested we have a silent auction at this year's event, but then organized the whole thing and raised about $800! Also, congratulations to Sarah John who won the Treasure Hunt this year! The prize is a free ticket to next year's DemocracyFest...and speaking of next year's DemocracyFest...

Please help us start planning for next year by making a contribution to DemocracyFest today:

Click Here To Make A Contribution

We are currently seeking sponsors for the 6th Annual DemocracyFest. If your organization or business is interested, please contact us at info@democracyfest.net

The DemocracyFest Team

David, Ellen, Jessica, Laurie and Quintus

www.DemocracyFest.net

Link to Today's Comment Thread

Friday Open Thread

more animals

A note about comment links...

This is the only link you ever need:

http://hepcomments.blogspot.com

I wish the whole comment thing could be automated like on just about every other blog in the world, but for some reason it can't be. I've tried to make the best of it, but couldn't figure out how to teach other people how to make the links.

So this is the solution I've come up with. I will continue to make sure comment links publish once a day over at the HEP comments blog. One comment link a day--not for each new post. So we really shouldn't need to add the comment link to every post, as it is always going to be the same link. And that link is at the top of the left sidebar. But if it helps make things clearer, we can put that link in each post. But anyone with keys to the blog can do that. There is no special link that needs to go up with a new post, since there is now a new link once a day rather than for each post. Another advantage to this approach is that, if there is not a new front page post for a couple days, people can still follow the link to the newest comment thread. (Because there will be a new comment thread every day.)

I made this change and announced it in this post. At the moment, there is no guarantee that I will be able to read all the comments in a timely manner. So I'm asking a favor...if anyone is confused about the way comments work now, those of you who have figured it out, please explain to those of you who don't.

Thank you to everyone who has had kind words about this blog in the past several weeks, and thank you for the contributions via PayPal and my Amazon wish list. It really is good to be appreciated. (heart thingie)


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Open thread

This video rather successfully conveys Son's current level of enthusism toward starting high school next week...



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Last week I visited an outdoor labyrinth at a church in Bexley, Ohio. In addition to the labyrinth, there was an interesting sculpture. Here's its description:

"This sculpture was commissioned to convey and articulate the strength, security, and solidarity which parishioners experience from St. Alban's Parish. The text directs our attention to the Divine Source of this parish's strength, and reads: "For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." (Psalm 31:3; KJV)

Thomas Melville Chapin was chosen to create this sculpture, because he works with stone, which has the innate dimension of linking a sense of permanence and strength with the eternal.

White granite, sometimes called "Bethel Moonlight" because of its luminous quality at night, was selected for its pureness of appearance and durability.

The text, written in Braille, reminds us that these are inner truths. Rather than being raised in dots as is the norm for Braille, the inscription is cut in rectangles for aesthetic reasons and to suggest an old fashioned computer card or player piano roll...connoting that this psalm is a code that conveys a meaning broader than just the statement itself.

Projecting a sense of timeless eternal strength, this sculpture spans the ages--leaving an impression of primitivism as well as ultra-modernism."

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Fun with screen captures

Thank you to JudyforDean for pointing out the typo in this AP article about upcoming veep announcements.

And to jc, who told me where to find the screen capture program I just used. ;)

Comments

Reports from DeanFest. . . .

Just arrived home tired but happy. The plane ride is shorter than the 3 el trip home from the airport! But all in all it wasn't too bad.

Demfest was a family reunion. It was so great to see so many friends after so long a time.

I thought I would get a little time to relax at the pool, but really, there were just too many friends to visit with.

Last night 15 of us went to dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Since we had decided where to dine at the last minute, the restaurant owners were in a bit of shock when we all walked in. They handled things really well and the food was great.

Subway really loved the food!
donna in evanston




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


O Hai!

May the Eternal Blessings of The Ceiling Cat be a pwn thee...

Herein is my Deanstock 5 report to the community, and first of all I want to thank the folks who not only got this street musician to this event, but made my better two thirds comfortable sending me off to do something that was really important.

Demonstrating Gizmo is a bit moar complicated than I had anticipated, and as Denise saw, I had a problem with the readings that come when two hearts are using the machine. I'll work on this.

My concern was that it was difficult to demonstrate the level of coherence that I can get to when I'm doing my heart dance routine alone.

So when Denise posted that we were working on the demonstration, I was dealing with a number of unexpected glitches.
***

I spent about 4 hours spinning coherent heart waves in DC.

Some folks got to see me playing with Gizmo as they were leaving, but there was no prime time presentation.

Charlie played Gizmo for about an hour. I'd appreciate hearing his thoughts on what happened.

***

Something happens in my heart when I sing to Puddle. Something happens in my heart when I sing to Dean People.

It happened on Saturday night.

Namaste
Subway Serenade

Comment Link

MY WEEK IN DENVER (not at the DNC )

In some ways it's hard to know what to talk about. Maybe I'll start with something no one would have expected: The campaign to bring the 2012 Worldcon to Chicago. The site of each Worldcon is chosen by voting at the one two years previously, and groups and cities compete for the right to devote two years of their lives to making it happen. This is in fact very much like a political campaign except that instead of going out and knocking on people's doors you throw parties (hotels prefer the term "hospitality suites") at conventions so people come and give you a chance to talk to them. I actually spent the bigger part of the first day helping prepare for the party that evening. The party seemed to go very well, with people enjoying the all-fruit smoothies we served. These were non-alcoholic due to hotel rules, but we expect to offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions in the future.

I was also on three panels, all appropriate for me and yet all totally different. One was on "Technology for the Visually Impaired," one was on "Politics and the SF Fan," and one was on "Future Health: Living Longer in the 21st Century" (we concluded that, while we might be healthier longer, there would be no major life extension in at least the first half of the century). The panel on "Politics and the SF Fan" struck me as a bit schizophrenic. A couple of us wanted to talk about how SF fans relate to electoral politics while the others wanted to talk about how SF stories relate to and perhaps influence political issues.

I went to other panels as well. "A World Made of Birds" was an interesting discussion of what if the Cretaceous meteor had not driven the dinosaurs extinct. (Actually, of course, some dinosaurs did survive. We call them birds. Hence the title.) "SF as a Tool for Social Change" mostly concluded that SF does not bring about social change. It's a way to discuss the implications of change, especially technological change. Some didn't think that technology leads to much social change, but I pointed out from the audience that thanks to the internet I have friends I've never met. I don't think that any are of the canine persuasion, but I could be wrong. And at the panel on new reading technologies I found that there is a portable e-book reader (Bookeen) that will display the type at a large enough size for me to read.

The convention was over mid-afternoon Sunday. Early Monday morning (which happened to be my 72nd birthday) we left on a one-day tour to the south of Denver. First stop was the Air Force Academy, which both Penny and I would have been happy to skip. Although the view from the Chapel Trail was nice. Then on to Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods, which I was surprised to learn is a Colorado Springs city park. As most know from photos, the rock formations are spectacular. Lunch in the Trading Post, with Penny being disappointed there wasn't time to fully check out the gift shop. A few miles more brought us to Manitou Springs and the Manitou and Pikes Peak cog railway. An hour and a half ride to the summit. Hard, cramped seats but spectacular scenery. One view was the inspiration for "America the Beautiful" (the words had never made real sense as a description of America, but they fit that view perfectly). At the summit Penny bought a couple of hats for Marc and I tried unsuccessfully to make a cell phone call home, which didn't leave me time to get to the observation point. Then back to Manitou Springs and Denver, and home the next day.

- Bill Thomasson

Comment Link

Today's Comment Link. . . .

Waiting for a DeanFest Post from Holly J, or Denise, or. . . .

Well, while we're waiting for the Deanfesters to travel home and settle in
and write up the particulars...



HATS HELP
and so do honest, interested, adorable faces!

listener is very grateful for your virtual face on HEP! ♥


Comment Link

Happy Birthday, Demetrius!

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Saturday Thread

listener painted this Kitty to surprise her granddaughters
and to cheer any bloggers who visit. ♥

All you cool cats heading to Deanfest (or already there), please remember to get some sleep and eat reasonably well in addition to choosing which jean jacket to pack (or wear).  You matter and you rock (the vote)!   Have fun and remember to come by HEP and post all about the doings for we old folks at home!  ♥

~listener

        
Another picture staying with the theme of my pets laying claim to my stuff. ;)

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Update on comments

At some point yesterday, Haloscan commenting started "working" again, at least in a limited capacity. Meaning, at least it was possible to get into a comment thread, and there was a possibility of posting, but as many of you discovered, the software was rather tempermental.

In addition to that bug, if you go to the HEP comments blog (at least as of this writing), it doesn't show the number of comments in a thread. Until the number of comments starts showing again, I am unable to create a new comment thread. Because what I need to do to actually make a new comment thread is to publish a new post at that blog, and then grab the url of the little link that shows up saying "0 comments".

5:20 p.m. update--the comment thing seems to be better now, and I was able to add a new comment thread for Wednesday. No time to actually read comments though. Need to leave for campus.

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Open thread

see more pwn and owned pictures

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Commenting

Haloscan seems to be screwed up today, so I've temporarily enabled Blogger commenting.

Requesting assistance

First of all, you don't even want to know what an absurdly difficult it was just for me to get connected to the internet just now. But the bottom line is that I'm utterly out of time, and need to leave the library (and its baffling, maddening wireless connection) and head to campus. Please send me positive traffic vibes. Maybe we even need a candle page for me, with the intention that my head doesn't go all 'splody in the next couple weeks.

Anyway, it would be awesome if I could have a volunteer or two who had access to the HEP comments blog. That way someone other than me would have the capability to add a note of clarification about how the thing works. You don't need to be able to *generate* the comment links, but just to add a note of explanation for people who are confused.

Now I *really* need to get to campus.

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Open thread with collie art

To show that we *do* indeed like dogs around here, and not just cats, I took a picture of my dog, Brady, this morning. But once I looked at the picture this evening, I realized that the picture was out of focus.

So I decided to just go with that theme, and took the picture into Photoshop to do some filter effects.

Off to spend some time with the family now.

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Christian the lion

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This is too true

Actually, I'm not sure this isn't Rule #1.

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Three years ago

Three years ago I started this blog because some members of the community at BFA felt the environment there had become too toxic, but they didn't want to give up the community. I was one of the people who felt that way. My son has Asperger's Syndrome, and, heaven help us, we've never really managed to cobble together a really good IEP and a good team of professionals who are all on the same page as us. So the beginning of the school year can't help but be a stressful time, and that was a time when maintaining a supportive community was especially important to me.

But I knew that starting a new community blog on my own was more than I could handle, so before I ever flipped the switch to start up the blog, I e-mailed a number of people to ask if they could help me.

Over time we've lost some contributors. And I've lost almost all desire to write about politics. Maybe it will come back one day, but I don't know. Anyway, for anyone who's been away for a while and is just now coming back, that's why so many of the posts consist of pictures of dogs and cats.

So now it's August--back to school time is looming once again. And things are more complicated now that the kids are teenagers. So yeah, I'm a bit stressed from time to time. I really need to be able to take some time away--like everyone else does every now and then.

The history of the comment software issue is rather complicated, and one thing I lack at the moment is the time, patience, and focus to try to explain all of that in detail. But basically, some people have trouble using the integrated Blogger commenting. I installed Haloscan commenting, but for some people, that didn't work unless I made the comment link by hand. These days I have a separate blog I use to "grow" new Halosan threads. I've added a link to it in the sidebar, and in my posts.

So the comment link no longer takes you straight to the comments, but to that other blog. But I've tried to make it as straightforward as possible. You just need to click on today's date.

I need to take off for a while now, as we have someone coming to the house shortly.

Update: Some time ago I lost my password for BFA and couldn't find a mechanism for retrieving it. Could someone please post a link to this entry over there. I know some people there come over here once in a while, but maybe not often to keep up to speed on changes. And if someone comes by here and asks a question in the comments on any given day, it may be hours before someone sees the question and is able to answer.

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Thursday Open Thread

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Open thread

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Water and me

At first, it didn't seem like water and I were going to be friends. I mean, of course, water in quantities large enough to submerse myself in. I do get that we're made of mostly water, that it's essential for life, and so forth. But when I was growing up, I spent season after season failing to advance out of the beginner's level swim classes. I can visualize myself standing at the edge of the pool in my swim suit and (gack!) cap, lined up with the other students in my class. That last season I was at least a foot taller than the rest of them.

But I finally passed the test that would allow me to graduate from the Beginner's level. I don't remember how old I was, but I'm pretty sure I was a teenager. What I do remember is that during that long swim I had the distinct sensation, "I might actually die right now!" But at least I finally passed, dang it, and that was the end of swim lessons.

I first tried water aerobics in 1999. I realized at first that I *could* enjoy it. Not as tiring as other kinds of exercise. And if I was doing it wrong, other people in the class couldn't see. I had to be sure to get to class early, because the only spot that really worked for me was in the deeper water, close to a wall. Facing a wall helped me tune out the people around me, and gave me a focal point to keep me from drifting all over the pool.

And I actually stuck with it long enough for it to become a habit. One I knew all the moves and really didn't need to think about what I was doing, some pretty cool things started to happen.

First, I discovered that doing some fast water aerobics was great stress relief. That was especially important when we were having a rough time with Son in Ohio's kindergarten. It was at the end of that school year that we started the three years of homeschooling, but in the months before we finally made that decision, I'm sure you can imagine there was plenty of stress.

Also, I discovered that while my body was occupied with a familiar routine, my brain was free to work on other things. I could get a lot of good thinking done during water aerobics--sometimes creative stuff, but sometimes it just gave me time to plan and remember the things I needed to do in the coming days. It was the first time in my life that I had actually been able to make physical activity a *habit*--even one I looked forward to and missed if I couldn't go.

Classes were only on certain evenings, though, and one particular quarter, when I was teaching almost every night of the week (thanks to the Bush economy I had to), the habit got broken. For a long time I tried to get back into my regular routine, but it never quite happened. When I couldn't make it to class, I would just try to do the water aerobics moves on my own.

Last year I let my membership to that gym lapse, opting instead for a community center that the whole family could go to. In theory, that could have worked out just fine, but the reality is that it was hard to predict the kind of environment that would greet me during open swim hours. Sometimes the pool would be sparsely populated and I could just position myself near a wall, do my own thing, and get into that "zone" again. Other times the pool would be crowded or there would be a class going on. Or there would be conversations taking place that I really didn't want to listen to, but couldn't manage to tune out.

When I got my waterproof mp3 player, I was thrilled. I could set my own playlist, tune everyone else out, and just go. It was like having my own little portable Somebody Else's Problem Field. I hadn't quite gotten back to the level of activity I had years ago, but I was getting there. Until my allegedly waterproof mp3 player decided it was done being waterproof. I'm still making myself go to the gym, but the whole stress relief, focus, and creativity thing has been eluding me. As a new school year looms (Son in Ohio is starting HIGH SCHOOL for cryin' out loud!), I'm really wishing I could get some of that old water aerobics magic back.

Anyway, when I started clumsily hinting about donations to HEP yesterday, this is what was on my mind.

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Perspective

This is a detail from a map hanging in the room where I teach. Maybe this is common practice now, but I'd never seen it before. Instead of just showing Alaska in a box off to the side, but totally out of context, they show how big Alaska is in comparison to the 48 contiguous states.

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New Google Reader Shared Items

...can be found here.

Happy Sunday.




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Open thread

Thanks for all the wonderful anniversary wishes yesterday, everyone.

I just read that there's some trouble with Sitemeter that is making blog pages not load in Internet Explorer. So for now I've removed the Sitemeter.

Oh, and something I've recently learned. Always turn off the flash before taking a picture of the cats. Otherwise, they end up looking evil.



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GREAT BIG BUNNY THREAD

Here's the bunny I painted on the bathroom wall Thursday evening,
named in honour of my niece Rebecca's Great Big Bunny, who 
recently passed on to the great rabbit hutch in the sky.

I painted it in anticipation of a visit from Granddaughter*in*NC
over Labor Day weekend.  More critters to come.  XOXOXXX

P.S.:  I sent the picture to niece Rebecca and she wrote back:
"Aw, he even looks like Great Big Bunny!!! Very nice!!" 

I feel pleased and honoured!  ♥  listener

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
 ¸.•´¸.•*¨)    ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´     (¸.•´    .•¸¸.•¨¯`•HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RENEE & DEMETRIUS!!

To Comment, go here: http://hepcomments.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, Paul in Illinois

Some birthday videos for you, li'l bro!





This one's not a birthday song, but it made me giggle.








Haloscan comment thread

OPEN THREAD

Have at it.


. . . . . . Hey Hey! Someone we know about turned
. . . . . . . . . . ONE AND A HALF YEARS OLD
. . . . . . . . . as of 10:21 this morning! :~)

. . . . . . . . . ♥ . ♥ .♥ . ♥ .♥ .♥ . ♥ .♥ .♥. ♥. ♥ .♥ . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . ||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..||..|| . . . . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~ ♥ H A P P Y ♥ ~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~♥ H A L F * B I R T H D A Y ♥~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~♥ A L L Y S O N * M A E ♥~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . . ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ . . . . . .
. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . . . . .
. . . (_____________________________________) . . . . .

Ally's ANC count is staying around 100, but her platelet count is around 4 (four)
where 150-250 is normal, so she needs another transfusion...this may be #7, so far.

♡♡♡♡♡ Thanks so much for the vibes and prayers and candles!!! ♡♡♡♡♡
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=ALLYS

Haloscan Comments

DemocracyFest coming August 16

Thank you Subway for sending in this post--Renee

DemocracyFest is less then 3 weeks away!

DemocracyFest is an event that started from an idea posted right here on Blog For America! The 5th Annual DemocracyFest will be held August 16-17, 2008 in Dulles, VA (just outside Washington DC).

Get your tickets at a $20 discount today! There's only 4 days left to get your tickets at the discounted rate of only $95!

http://www.democracyfest.net/

The DemocracyFest schedule includes many exciting trainings, speakers and entertainers again this year! Plus lots of networking opportunities to socialize with like-minded liberal activists.

Democracy For America (DFA) will conduct trainings for activists on subjects including Canvassing & Phone Banking, Working with the Media, Event Planning, Mobilizing Young Voters and Fundraising. Speakers this year will include Gov. Howard Dean (speech free and open to the public), Jeffrey Feldman, Jim Dean, Charlie Grapski, Nathan Gonzales, and more! Entertainers will include Subway Serenade, Bobby Kendes, and more! Plus, there will be parties late into the night on both Friday and Saturday nights!

Check the DemocracyFest schedule on our website often as we will be adding more details and speakers/entertaine rs as they are confirmed:

http://www.democracyfest.net/Schedule

We look forward to seeing you there soon!

The DemocracyFest Team

David, Ellen, Jessica, Laurie and Quintus

http://www.democracyfest.net/

P.S. Can't make it to DemocracyFest this year? Please consider making a contribution to fund our scholarship program and future DemocracyFests. Click Here!

Haloscan comment thread

Happy birthday, Beatrix Potter

From the Wikipedia article:

Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English author, illustrator, mycologist, and conservationist who was best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit.

Haloscan comment thread

Seen in the grocery store parking lot

Haloscan comment thread

Speaking of lighthouses

I thought it was funny to run across this right after a comment by SusanD reminded me of Monday's prayer tower post.



Haloscan comment thread

Open thread/shared items

Gotta run, but here's a new thread, and a few new things I've shared via Google Reader.

Haloscan comment thread

Open Thread Ramblings

Actually went to the mall yesterday. Something I try to avoid at all costs, but I was desperately in need of clothes (and actually found some, yay).

Anyway, at the entrance to the women's restroom I saw this

It's been a while, but I realized that must be a "nursing lounge". Yep, that's what it was.

Sure, the rocking chairs are nice, but the ambiance leaves much to be desired. I know I wouldn't care to eat there.

Have I mentioned lately that I really miss the days when my kids were little. The whole "parent of teenagers" experience is leaving me a bit...

(melancholy)


Haloscan comment thread

Comment threads

...can be found that-away.

This entry has been posted for information purposes only, without a comment link. To join in the most recent thread/discussion, click here or scroll down to Cat's post "Butter Not Guns" and click the comment thread there.

Butter Not Guns

In this morning's news, I came across the following:

Israel-Hamas Standoff Deepens Water Woes
The Christian Science Monitor's Rafael D. Frankel reports: "Five hundred yards south from where hundreds of children play in the water next to this refugee camp, a pipe spills 20 million liters of raw sewage into the Mediterranean Sea each day. Between 105 and 120 million liters of sewage are generated daily in Gaza. Of that, only 20 million liters are fully treated, while another 40 million liters are partially treated. The rest flows raw into the sea, storm drains, and a massive landfill north of Gaza City, which spans 4.3 million square feet. The resulting pollution has sullied not only the seawater, but also the aquifer below Gaza, causing a severe shortage of potable water and putting the population at risk for a range of illnesses."

What I want to know is, rather than providing Israel with armorment to slaughter Palestinians and bulldozers to destroy their towns and villages, why isn't the U.S. donating or providing at reduced cost to the Palestinians of both Gaza and the west Bank materielle, equipment and expertese to build sewage treatment plants and other inferstructure to help improve their quality of life?

Doing so would be commencerate with vonted U.S. ideals. It would also go a very long way towards improving foreign, especially Arab and Muslem, attitudes towards the United States.

Haloscan comment thread

Prayer Tower

A few weeks ago there was an article in the print edition of The Other Paper about the Calvary Temple Lighthouse at I-71 and Morse. I've passed it many times, but could never read what the sign said, and I really had no idea what was up with that.

In that article, I learned that the tower was (ahem) "erected" in lieu of a steeple, because steeples are pagan. And phallic.

I held onto the paper, intending to write something about it, but the paper seems to have gone missing. Probably lined Zoe's cage at some point. Too bad, because there was some funny stuff in there about the sailor mannequin's clothes getting blown off in a storm. (Reaffirming my belief that Godde has a sense of humor.)

Here's a mention of the tower in Roadside America.

Haloscan comment thread

Don't blink

Outside the gym are these metal statues. I always thought the girl looked particularly horrified, as if she realized, a fraction of a second too late, that she was being frozen for all eternity in this position. But then Demetrius saw a Doctor Who episode called Blink, and said it made the statues seem even more diabolical to him. I never watched the whole episode, but I've seen enough of it to get these words in my head whenever I pass the statues on my way to the pool.

Don’t blink. Don’t even blink! Blink and you’re dead. They are fast…faster than you could believe… don’t turn your back…don’t look away, and whatever you do, don’t blink! Good luck.

Haloscan comment thread

Friday night open thread

Haloscan comment thread

More thread

Haloscan comment thread

Netroots Nation

I've added a feed to the latest comments on Twitter about Netroots Nation--it's in the left sidebar. Apparently Howard Dean is about to speak at a rally. Also, watch the shared items for blog posts related to Netroots Nation happenings.

Haloscan comment thread

Speaking of Gizmo

Recent comment from Subway Serenade.

Speaking of Gizmo, I've been having some breakthroughs with my other Gizmo over the past two weeks, and it has do with something most folks take for granted.

Ever feel a tingle? Or the "spark" between lovers? I've found that when that inner tingle happens, your heart is actually creating more electrical charge. That charge is distributed to the outer nerve endings and this is what produces the tingle.

In my work using the heart tuner, I've found that when I can sustain amplitudes above 80 milivolts per second, I can consciously produce the tingle.

This is the same tingle that occurs when the chests of the two butterflies in game touch for sustained periods. I've come to the point where I can produce the tingle when playing the game by myself.

When most people feel this tingle, it tends to be localized. It may spread across the back and shoulders, or down the arms and legs, and it soon goes away.

My theory is that the heart can produce and sustain that tingle throughout the neural net, and it can be consciously directed to do so.

So everybody feels the tingle every day, but they never knew that it has a far deeper meaning within the heart's own electrical field.

What happens when the heart consciously ignites its entire neural grid? What if a bunch of hearts did that together.

Stay Tuned.

Haloscan comment thread

Tuesday Open Thread

Haloscan comment thread

The Cover of the New Yorker

Apparently there is quite the buzz about the cartoon on the current edition of the New Yorker. To me, it seems like it's intended as an over the top parody of the way Michelle and Barack Obama have been portrayed by some. Your thoughts?

Haloscan comment thread

Another Open Thread

By the way, here's a link to the article about Darwin and Lincoln.

Haloscan comment thread