Brasstown Bald

Brasstown Bald

Yummy!

BP to Escambia County: "Dear Sirs - We Can't Find A Telephone Number to Reach You"

"Dear Sirs,We have not been able to contact you regarding your claim as we do not have a working phone number to reach you."

You would think this message is a form letter from an insurance company trying to contact someone who has been in an auto accident and has been in the hospital for months after their home has been foreclosed.

Nope!

The letter is from ESIS, a third-party claims administrator for BP. The letterhead listed a Wilmington, Del., address, but the signatory listed a Hammond, La., address.

The only phone number on the letter was an 800 number to a claims center. When a reporter from the Pensacola News Journal called that number, he was referred to a Louisiana-based media contact number. That number went directly to a voice mail system that would not allow the reporter to leave a message.

County Commission Chairman Grover Robinson indicated that all documents submitted have been on letterhead that has the County's contact numbers.

Clearly there is outrage over the oil spill. I would anticipate this outrage to be fueled by the methodology employed to handle claims.

After Chinese Re-education, Monks Regret Uprising

Adrian Bradshaw/European Pressphoto Agency

The New York Times has a fascinating article today on the re-education of several Tibetan Monks.

The article states on March 28, 2008, the monk, Norgye, and dozens of fellow monks barged into a temple chamber where foreign journalists were being escorted around by Chinese government officials. The monks had then cried out, “Tibet is not free.” This time, on Tuesday, Norgye had a different message: he had been punished through patriotic re-education, and he had repented.

“I wasn’t beaten or tortured,” he said. “We had to learn more about the law. Through education about the law, I realized what we had done in the past was wrong and was against the law.”

Nateva Festival Webcast July 2-4

Iclips is going to be hosting a webcast of the Nateva Festival July 2-4. At this time, the webcast lineup is not available.

The festival lineup will be highlighted by performances from:

Further featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir
The Flaming Lips
The Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band
George Clinton and P-Funk
and, one of my favorites, The Heavy Pets

Oil is 6 Inches Below The Sand In Pensacola.

WEAR Television has a video today that is worth seeing.

The video shows a geologist digging a trench on Pensacola's beach. Six inches below the beach surface a layer of oil is visible. I wonder if there are other layers of oil below?

While it is important to clean the surface of the beach, it is clear that the cleanup will require removing a substantial amount of sand.

The cleanup in the water seems to be an identical process: Clean the surface. It is not difficult to imagine the immense damage to the body of water. Other than dispersing chemicals, is this going to ever be addressed?

This reminds me of Craig T. Nelson shouting "You moved the headstones but you didn't move the bodies!"

Escambia County Florida Defies EPA - "OK To Go In Ocean Even If We Haven't Tested The Water"

The Pensacola News Journal is reporting that the Escambia, Florida County Health Department lifted a health advisory on Pensacola Beach on Friday on the advice of a beach official and against the advice of a federal environmental official.

Hours after the Pensacola Beach advisory was lifted, the health department asked for state approval to issue an oil-impact advisory that leaves the decision to swim in the Gulf of Mexico up to the discretion of individual beachgoers.

Dr. John Lanza, director of Escambia County Health Department, said the health department did not test the water or sand samples before lifting the health advisory. He did send out health department employees to look at the water before they covered up the health advisory signs.

Dick Snyder, director of the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation at the University of West Florida, began conducting water samples May 3 on Pensacola Beach every Tuesday and Thursday because beach and health officials were only doing visual assessments. What you can't see in the water may be more dangerous than what you can see, he said.

Lanza also lifted the advisory against the advice of Charlie Fitzsimmons, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deputy branch chief for Florida.

So far, 400 people have sought medical care for upper or lower respiratory problems, headaches, nausea, and eye irritation after trips to Escambia County beaches, Lanza said.

Captain Don Picard, Airline Pilot

Captain Don Picard is an airline pilot for Contintental Airlines. Don has worked with the airline since 1987 and is a longtime friend. I know it probably sounds strange to hear the name 'Captain Picard' and not think of the Enterprise, but they are not the same person even though they have never seen before in public together. Don has way more hair and has a better taste in music!

Don and I have had many conversations about his fascinating daily routine at work. This week, Don is the subject of this week's interview, and I have included just a few of his answers to some questions that I think everyone probably wants to know about airline pilots.

What is Cockpit Resource Management?

Continental initiated this in the late 1980s and other airlines followed. Under the old school of thought, the captain basically was the sole person who was dictating how to respond to circumstances. Now everyone has a say, but the captain has the final decision.

The idea is that you try to identify threats that are associated with your flight. There are numerous types of threats including the weather, experience levels of crew, going into an airport for the first time or for the first time in a long while, terrain, and maintenance issues. Maybe there isn’t something working right on the airplane and you can still fly safely.

Then you solve and find solutions to find how you are going to manage the threats. Those are things you do as the captain. You come up with a plan how you will deal with stuff you foresee and of course there are things you cannot anticipate. Basically, when you come up with the plan, it is a collaborative process.

A few days ago, we had a system called the auto-breaks that were not working properly. You really don’t need them because you can use the manual breaks by using you foot. The issue is that you are so used to having them and when you are at the so called, ‘high speed regime’ of the takeoff and if you have to abort, you would be likely to rely to rely on the auto breaks. But because they were in operative, I made sure in my briefing with the first officer, ‘Lets remember that if we have to abort the takeoff that we have to use the breaks manually and not rely on the auto brakes.’

And the CRM continues throughout the whole flight. You need to be aware of where you are at all times and that’s why we all go thru the training all the time.

What is the one thing that the public may have a misconception about the people who work for the airline industry?

People probably think that pilots or flight attendants always sleep around. That is not really how it is.

Can you describe the experience of flying overseas on long flights?

If I flew from Houston to Tokyo I find it less tiring to do a 14 hour flight than to do 3 different domestic flights. On the long hauls, we have IROs, the International Relief Officer. They relieve the crew of their duties so that after takeoff and prior to landing the crew gets rest breaks. It is regulated by the FAA. Any flight over 8 hours you will need 3 pilots and anyone over 12 hours you will need 4 pilots. On the Houston to Tokyo flights, we would divide the breaks in half so that I would get a 5 ½ rest period. The person with the most seniority on the flight gets to choose the order with the Captain picking first. Essentially the flight is divided in half.

One you level off from taking off.. You leave about 10:45 am. Around 1130 am the first break would begin and two pilots would use their bunks. They are like bunk beds with a door and a privacy curtain. If you are person like me who can sleep anywhere or at any time, then you could sleep for the next 5 hours. After the break is up, usually around Anchorage, then the next pilots take their breaks. Everyone is back in the cockpit at least an hour from arrival. By getting the sleep on the long flight it made the flight very restful. I always felt awake and aware. So I loved flying the long hauls and did not get fatigued.

Fatigue happens to everyone. In the hotels, if you don’t get sleep at night, that can be a real threat the next day. On domestic flights you are up and down with delays and it is just more tiring on the body.

What was your weirdest experience as a pilot?

I can’t really talk about that

Yard Sale Weekend

Yard Sale Weekend

What is the best yard sale item you have ever purchased?

Wilt The Stilt #1, MJ #2

The NBA draft is tonight and I know I will be watching to see how it unfolds.

A preview of potential draft picks is available and everyone is wondering who the 'sleeper' of the draft will be. I think Gordon Hawyard, Devin Ebanks and Ekepe Udoh are prime candidates and in the second round, I like Trevor Booker's work ethic, the decisionmaking and shotmaking capabilities of Greivis Vasquez and the potential of Lance Stephenson.

Teams seem to be ready to jockey around for positioning in the free agency market and are ready to deal players and make trades for draft picks tonight and future development. I would not be surprised to see Miami get 3 big name players when all is said and done including Lebron James.

With all of the talk about Kobe Bryant winning another championship, there are many who are saying he now deserves to be ranked ahead of Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time.

No Way!

MJ is not even #1 in my book. Ask anyone over 50 years of age and you will likely get a very different answer:

Wilt Chamberlain.

The rules of the game changed because of Wilt. Is there anyone else who can make that claim?

This stat line from the 1961-1962 season tells it all:

50.4 points per game
25.7 rebounds per game
48.5 minutes per game (A regulation NBA game is only 48 minutes!)

These are averages for the season. That is just unreal!

Telephone Nostalgia

The new Apple iPhone 4 comes out today in stores.

The media has reported that people are standing in line or camping out for this device for the past week. If you are like me, you might be thinking, ‘who cares?‘

I like my cellphone as much as any gadget I regularly use. It is right up there with the spoon and the remote control for the TV.

The one item I would probably use it more for would be computing. For me, the cell phone interface is too small to view and the ability to run multiple programs at the same time is somewhat limited. I prefer my desktop.

My grandmother lived to be 103 years old and I think quite a bit about the technological changes she saw in her lifetime. In here 90s she was shown a picture of ultrasound and she was completely bewildered. She could not imagine how the image was taken.

My mother would tell me stories about using a ‘party line’ in their tenement building in New York City where anyone could pick up the phone at any time and listen to your conversation. As a result, privacy obviously was compromised all the time.

When I was a kid, we had rotary phones and they were a giant pain to use. In my grandmother's town the population was small so that the phone numbers had 5 digits. Our town had 7 digits and my parents had a number with lots of 8s. There was no call waiting, or three way calling so a busy signal meant that you had to redial all over again. Dialing those 8s sucked!

My sisters and I used to call 2 numbers quite a bit. One was the time and temperature number. The second was the ‘chicken line’ where the noise on the other end always sounded like someone was killing a chicken.

I remember using the payphone as a kid and paying .10 per call. I don't think I have seen a payphone in a public place in several months.

Like most people, I have always had some suspicion about the power of telephone system, especially phone phreaking. As an adult, I became a big fan of 2600 magazine and continue to go to the bookstore and read it every month. The back of the magazine has always featured pictures of odd phones in odd places around the world. A big thank you to Shawn for turning me on!

59-59 in the 5th Set!

59-59 in the 5th set!

YES!

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Big game this morning at 10 EST.

For Some Perspective

It is so easy to think that perhaps life is not as you would like it to be at times.

For some perspective, I thought I would take a glance at some headlines from around the world.

Devastating floods have washed over Brazil claiming 39 lives and left as many as 100,000 people homeless.

Storms have pounded southern China for more than a week, killing at least 199 people, with 123 still missing, as landslides have cut off transportation, and rivers and reservoirs have overflowed according to Xinhua, the Chinese news agency. Torrential rains burst a dike in southern China, sending 88,000 people fleeing their homes.

A remote-controlled roadside bomb ripped through a bus transporting Turkish military personnel and their families in Istanbul, killing 5 people.

Thank You For Reading!

The ecryptical audience is growing beyond my wildest expectations.

If there is anything that you would like to submit to the blog, feel free to email me at the address in my profile.

Thank you all for visiting and reading!

Loving Kindness and the 2010 Texas Republican Platform

The Texas Republican Party 2010 platform has some elements that merit careful reconsideration.

In principle 6, the platform states, ‘we believe in… self-sufficient families, founded on the traditional marriage of a natural man and a natural woman.’ The platform demands legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such.

The platform thus calls for criminalization of same sex marriages including those who perform the ceremony!

Under the bold, uppercase heading, “Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health” the Platform contains a Family and Defense of Marriage provision:

“We support the definition of marriage as a God–ordained, legal and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman, which is the foundational unit of a healthy society, and we oppose the assault on marriage by judicial activists. *** We further call on Congress to pass and the state legislatures to ratify a marriage amendment declaring that marriage in the United States shall consist of and be recognized only as the union of a natural man and a natural woman. Neither the United States nor any state shall recognize or grant to any unmarried person the legal rights or status of a spouse.”

The platform also calls for marriage rights in other states be revoked as well.

Under the Family Values section the Texas GOP Platform states,

“we affirm that this section is a response to the attacks on traditional family values. These include well funded, vigorous political and judicial attempts by powerful organizations and branches of the government to force acceptance, affirmation and normalization of homosexual behavior upon school children, parents, educational institutions, businesses, employees, government bodies and religious institutions and charities. These aggressive, intolerant efforts marginalize as bigots anyone who dissents.”

The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others). Essentially metta is an altruistic attitude of love and friendliness as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest

True metta is devoid of self-interest. It evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy and love, which grows boundless with practice and overcomes all social, religious, racial, political and economic barriers. Metta is indeed a universal, unselfish and all-embracing love.

Sharon Salzburg, a well respected writer has written extensively about the notions of Loving-Kindness expressed in metta. This is excerpted from "Loving-kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness" by Sharon Salzberg, 1995, Shambala Publications.

From this beginning, metta practice proceeds in a very structured way and specific way. After we have spent some time directing metta to ourselves, we then move on to someone who has been very good to us, for whom we feel gratitude and respect. In the traditional terminology, this person is known as a "benefactor." Later we move to someone who is a beloved friend. It is relatively easy to direct lovingkindness to these categories of beings (we say beings rather than people to include the possibility of animals in these categories.)

After we have established this state of connection, we move on to those that it may be harder to direct lovingkindness toward. In this way we open up our limits and extend our capacity for benevolence.

Next we direct lovingkindness to someone whom we feel neutral toward, someone for whom we feel neither great liking nor disliking. This is often an interesting time in the practice, because it may be difficult to find somebody for whom we have no instantaneous judgment. If we can find such a neutral person, we direct metta toward them.

After this, we are ready for the next step -- directing metta toward someone with whom we have experienced conflict, someone toward whom we feel lack of forgiveness, or anger, or fear. In the Buddhist scriptures this person is somewhat dramatically known as "the enemy." This is a very powerful stage in the practice, because the enemy, or the person with whom we have difficulty stands right at the division between the finite and the infinite radiance of love. At this point, conditional love unfolds into unconditional love. Here dependent love can turn to the flowering of an independent love that is not based upon getting what we want or having our expectations met. Here we learn that the inherent happiness of love is not compromised by likes and dislikes, and thus, like the sun, it can shine on everything. This love is truly boundless. It is born out of freedom, and it is offered freely.

I think there are at least two points to be raised by Salzburg’s commentary. First, it would be helpful if just for a moment, the authors of the Texas GOP platform could engage in the practice of metta with ‘the enemy.’ Moreover, it may be constructive as well for those who stand in opposition to the Texas GOP platform to engage in the same reciprocal practice.

I hope to be guided today by the valuable conclusion of the Salzburg piece.

Metta is the priceless treasure that enlivens us and brings us into intimacy with ourselves and others. It is the force of love that will lead beyond fragmentation, loneliness and fear. The late Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba often said, "Don't throw anyone out of your heart." One of the most powerful healings (and greatest adventures) of our lifetime can come about as we learn to live by this dictum.

Vintage Blue Note Record Covers

Vintage Vanguard has great shots of the covers of the entire Blue Note Catalog. I absolutely love the texture and the composition of these covers.

Anyone who is a jazz fan realizes that the contents within the covers were capable of blowing your mind wide open. What I loved so much about these records were the liner notes which were works of art as stand alone pieces. I continue to learn so much about this invigorating art form each time I pick a record up.

When I first discovered the magic, tranquility and outer-spaciousness of jazz I used to go to the store and image what the record might sound like by simply looking at the cover much in the same way people tend to judge books by their covers. The first one I ever purchased was Midnight Special.

Players Include:
Jimmy Smith - Organ, Organ (Hammond)
Stanley Turrentine - Sax (Tenor)
Donald Bailey - Drums
Kenny Burrell - Guitar

After viewing these scans, I am convinced there is still something truly mystical and inviting about those Blue Note records.

Which ones are your favorites?

Summer Solstice

Today is the first day of summer! W00t!

Thousands of Summer Solstice revellers gathered at Stonehenge to watch dawn break on the longest day of the year.

Happy Summer Solstice Everyone!

Meet Kevin Arrow

Kevin Arrow is an amazing artist that is the subject of this week's interview. I find Kevin's artwork to be deliciously succulent and thought provoking.

I feel very fortunate to know Kevin personally and I think you will find his influences to be worthy of your own investigation. Some of the most magical moments I have had in a museum have been with Kevin. On more than few occasions, he has taken me for his own personal tours of exhibitions and provided the kind of commentary about the installations that sparkle with electricity. I think you too will find that his brilliance, kind-heartedness and wit shines intensely bright.

Kevin's work is now featured in the NEW WORK exhibition at the Miami Art Museum (MAM) through October 17, 2010.

Kevin Arrow, b. 1962, Mineola, New York (FYI The same town as Lenny Bruce).

He lives and works in Miami Beach, Florida.

"My work takes on various forms including, drawing, painting, and film based projects. These practices merge my interest in obsolete media, archival tendencies, the ephemeral object and humor. I’m continually seeking to find the sublime within the mundane, and the mundane within the sublime experience, in addition to investigating the interchangeability of both."

"In the projected works and drawings there is no specific meaning or narrative. The images are organized in a loose poetic manner creating an impression of visual flux that allows the viewer to free associate."

1. Have you met and engaged in performance art with Yoko Ono?

Yoko Ono had a full retrospective called YES organized by the Japan Society in New York. It traveled to MOCA, Miami where I have worked for twelve years in 2002.

Yoko arrived unannounced at the museum on the evening which we were completing the installation. There were just a few art installers and myself working late. Yoko Ono and her archivist/assistant knocked on the museum door and asked if they could enter the gallery for a sneak peak at our installation of her work. She was gracious and delighted by our attention to detail.

Yoko had her archivist take group photographs of herself with the workers and myself. In day after the opening Yoko was scheduled to give a standard artist talk, but she was so happy with our installation of her work that she gave Miami a full Yoko Ono performance; singing, talking, slides, noise, a yoga demonstration and the famous Bag Piece. Everyone was in awe!

I was asked before the event to participate along with Jon Hendricks (Fluxus scholar and Curator) in the Question & Answer performance portion of the evening. We both sat on stage with Balls of Yarn, (Me, Yellow and Jon Blue) two Jars and a pair of scissors each. I measured questions in lengths of yarn and Jon measured Answers. It was a very absurd Fluxus interpretation of events as they unfolded.The two Jars, Yarn and scissors remain as a Fluxus object in the museum's study collection.

2. Who is an artist that more people should be aware of?

Harry Smith

3. What book have you most referenced in the last three months?

GULAG a history by Ann Applebaum.
Nearly 700 pages of misery that make my daily work weeks seem like a holiday vacation paradise ice cream sundae.

4. What is it that people probably don't know about working in a museum?

We have a great deal of fun behind the scenes. Working in a contemporary art museum as an Exhibition Coordinator and Registrar is often times challenging, and beyond ridiculous.

I recently had to assist the Paris based collective artist Claire Fontaine with their rigorous, conceptual and political projects. For one specific project called Pill Spills they asked me to help import a large quantity of bootleg Viagra and Prozac from Mexico. When I learned about this project I immediately knew that it would be very, very difficult if, not impossible to make happen. Yes, the Viagra and Prozac were being made out of sugar by a legitimate candy factory in Mexico City, but the United States Food and Drug Administration is not exactly sympathetic to artist's creative endeavors.There were way too many regulations preventing this project from entering the country.

The project was aborted and was replaced by another project called Dildo Washer. An IKEA dishwasher loaded with very expensive black latex Dildos, Claire Fontaine says it's a statement about Feminism and Domesticity. I call it another day at work.

5. What is dominating or most influencing your current paradigm when you create your art?

It has always been all about the element of chance and the affinities I have for found objects.

Open Mic Friday

Winter, Summer, Spring or Fall?

My Little Lady Turns 8 Today!

Happy 8th Birthday to my Little Lady. You are my heart!

Craig Taborn Live on NPR Tonight @ 9pm

I know many of you will be watching the NBA finals, so while you are rooting against the Fakers, you may want to check out NPR tonight for a live webcast of the Craig Taborn quintet tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

Thanks to Will for the heads up!

New York Style Pizza

New York Style Pizza

That is all!

Summer Running

Last night I went for a run and it was 88 degrees at 10 pm with nearly 100% humidity. Its just too hot to function in those temperatures and with almost no breeze, it is just so much harder to be efficient.

Running has really changed my whole way of being. Before I was a runner, I always wondered why people would ever be interested in that kind of punishment. When I first started to run, I could not even run 30 seconds without being out of gas. It took time to build up my fitness and mileage and now as long as I go out on the road every other day, it is not a problem to complete 4 or 5 miles each time.

Beginners who are interested in distance running have gravitated towards is the Galloway method, which encourages taking walking breaks every so often.

I personally have used Hal Higdon's method for half marathons. Although I had my initial doubts, his plan was perfect for me and helped me complete both half marathons that I have entered.

Finding the right shoe is very important for runners. For the past few years I have been wearing New Balance 708s which are featured in the picture at the top of the post. I absolutely love them and have another new pair in my closet when my current pair is ready for retirement.

Probably more than anything else, running has provided me with mental clarity and spaciousness that I did not have before. You might start out with a thought in your mind when you begin to run, but after a while of moving your legs, it really is just you and the road.

Caring About What Happens In Kyrgyzstan

One exercise that I often used with my students is to read an introductory sentence or two from newspaper articles describing atrocities around the world. However, I would switch the location of the topics in the articles so that if there was a bomb that went off in an Afghani market killing 37 people, I would say that the bomb went off in Columbus, Ohio or Miami, Florida.

As soon as I mentioned it happening in their ‘universe,’ students immediately wanted to know much more about the situation. I would then tell them where the event really happened and their entire quest for information would disappear. I always wondered if there was a psychological experiment in that methodology…

It is in this context that I ask you to care about what happens in Kyrgyzstan.

Hostilities began late last week and have led to one of Central Asia’s worst humanitarian crises in recent decades as marauding bands of Kyrgyz singled out Uzbek neighborhoods. The death toll is in the hundreds, and as many as 100,000 Uzbeks have fled their homes and are in makeshift camps on the border area between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The flow of people was so overwhelming that Uzbekistan had to close some of its border crossing areas leaving many standing at the border on the Kyrgyzstan side of a barbed-wire fence. Many ethnic Uzbeks that have remained in Kyrgyzstan have had to hide out in abandoned buildings.

The true number of casualties is unknown, as many of the dead were buried without relatives registering them as having been killed. A further 1,870 people are said to have been injured.

Herbie Hancock + Derek Trucks + Susan Tedeschi = Yummy

Herbie Hancock has a brand new record, The Imagine Project, coming out on June 22, 2010. (Does anyone besides me still refer to new productions as records these days?)

Tracks include “The Song Goes On” with Anoushka Shankar (sitarist daughter of Ravi Shankar), Chaka Khan and Wayne Shorter which was recorded in Mumbai, India, along with a stellar group of Indian musicians; “Don’t Give Up,” a duet with guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Beck recorded in London featuring Seal and Pink, “Imagine” with Konono No. l, Jeff Beck, Oumou Sangare and Lionel Louke recorded in Paris and London; “Tamatant Tilay/Exodus” featuring Tinariwen, “Times They Are A Changin’” featuring The Chieftains, Lionel Loueke and Lisa Hannigan recorded in Ireland; “Jackpot” with Dave Matthews and Marcus Miller, “Space Captain” with Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, “Mi Tierra” recorded with Latin superstar Juanes in Miami and a track with Brazilian singer-songwriter Céu recorded in São Paulo.

Click here to see the juicy new ‘Space Captain’ video featuring Herbie Hancock, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi. After watching this one, you may feel like you have got your daily dose of gospel infused southern jazz for the day.

Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe - (This Is Not A Pipe)

One of my favorite images

Rene’ Magritte
The Treachery of Images 1928-1929

The Death of the Card Catalog

I was at the library the other day and one of my children asked me how people found books in the library before there were computers. Subsequently, we had a very good discussion about the card catalog.

I remember sitting countless hours in front of that massive wooden structure with those tiny little drawers, leafing thru card after card and hoping to hit the jackpot. Sometimes, the cards would be completely out of order and I would take the time to rearrange them. I suppose this was probably the start of my career as an academic. I really miss what the library used to feel like and now when I enter all I see are lines of people waiting to get on the internet.

For me, the treats in the library were always in the 000 to 070 section. I could always find an interesting book about Bigfoot, UFOs, Reference materials, and news. Although we live in a world of instant gratification when it comes to information, I seem to recall that information was a commodity. It took great effort to actually ‘know’ something and I think that is rapidly disappearing.

When I see children at the library looking at Wikipedia for information and it makes me grit my teeth just a bit. A disturbing trend has been the reliance and citation of Wikipedia as a scholarly resource by law students. Despite the efforts of the Writing Center to educate the students, I do not think they actually realize that it is not a respected resource.

Interview with John Walkenbach of J-walkblog.com

As part of a regular feature on ecryptical, and a strong influence of the work of Studs Terkel, I will be featuring brief interviews with people that I think are into things that might interest you too.

For our initial interview, John Walkenbach has been very kind and is answering some questions on his website, the infamous J-Walkblog.

Welcome J-Walk readers!

For those of you not familiar with John, he is a computer book author, an occasional consultant, and responsible for several popular Excel Add-In Products.

In the spirit of J-Walk, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the banjos shown here are just random banjos. They are likely not banjos owned by J-walk.

Jane Elliott's Eye of the Storm

When I first saw ‘Eye of the Storm’ on PBS years ago, I was completely fascinated by the boldness of Jane Elliott. She is one of those people that completely blew the doors off of whatever paradigm had previously existed in my universe.

In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. she devised the controversial and startling, "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise. This, now famous, exercise labels participants as inferior or superior based solely upon the color of their eyes and exposes them to the experience of being a minority.

I have been a big believer of her work for years and used her materials in my classroom on a regular basis.

Consider taking a few moments today to review this outstanding video which changed the lives of the participants forever.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

It seems like yesterday that I first discovered Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (GEB).

In college, I had this uber-eccentric roommate who was a certified lunatic and a complete genius. He chain smoked cigarettes, worked on obscure math theories, slept all day and stayed up all night, rigged the CD player to play Led Zeppelin’s ‘Communication Breakdown’ as his alarm clock, and wore all black before wearing all black was something people did. I was fascinated by him and terrified at the same time.

Late one night, I asked him for something to read. He offered me his copy of GEB and cautioned me with these words, ‘be prepared for your life to change.’ Maybe he knew how powerful this book was and was trying to warn me. Naturally, I didn’t believe the hype.

I didn’t know at the time that Douglas R. Hofstadter's book was going to be a giant influence in my life. GEB won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 1990.

Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel.


Perhaps my favorite parts of the book were how each chapter contained brilliant Lewis Carrollesque dialogues between the Tortoise and the Hare which really cemented and linked the materials together.

I have shared this book countless times with others who have all enjoyed the space that is created by this fabulous book.

What books have you read that have made a strong impact on you?

You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows in Arizona

A few weeks ago, Arizona State Senator Russel Pearce wasn’t exactly a household name.

Russel Pearce is a leading architect of the Arizona law that sparked outrage throughout the country: Senate Bill 1070, which allows law-enforcement officers to ask about someone's immigration status during a traffic stop, detainment or arrest if reasonable suspicion exists — things like poor English skills, acting nervous or avoiding eye contact during a traffic stop.

Senator Pearce is now proposing a new bill that would deny birth certificates to children born in Arizona to parents who are not legal U.S. citizens. In short, his proposal would strip citizenship from those who have citizenship under the US Constitution.

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution states:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Pearce says the 14th Amendment has been "hijacked" by illegal immigrants. "They use it as a wedge," Pearce says. "This is an orchestrated effort by them to come here and have children to gain access to the great welfare state we've created." Pearce says he is aware of the constitutional issues involved with the bill and vows to introduce it nevertheless. "We will write it right."

You don’t need a weatherman to know how the winds are blowing on this issue with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Governor Brewer made these comments in a videotaped interview:

‘It is illegal to trespass in our country. It has always been illegal. If people have determined that they want to take that chance, and that responsibility ... they can take their children back with them.’

This is the same governor who has removed the state's attorney general, Terry Goddard, a Democrat and her potential challenger for re-election, from defending Arizona's new immigration-enforcement law, accusing him of colluding with the U.S. Justice Department as it weighs whether to challenge the law in court.

The xenophobic atmosphere of Arizona is hardly an anomaly today. Legislators in Florida are proposing a similar measure and last week the Texas GOP adopted a platform which calls for an enactment of a law similar to the Arizona statute.

When the laws of our country are written to deny basic fundamental rights to a group of people, it is painfully obvious that ignorance and fear is a motivating influence. Please let your voices be heard on this very important issue.

Friday = Open Mic

Talk amongst yourselves

What are some of your Internet pet peeves?
For me it the clear front runner would be people who do not respond to emails.

Thanks for reading this week and have a great weekend!

Bonnaroo Music Festival Starts Today

The 2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival Starts today.

NPR will be broadcasting a live audio stream beginning at 1pm EST today. No current schedule is announced at this time.

Youtube will be broadcasting a live video stream with the schedule below.

Friday, June 11th:
Julia Nunes – 12: 15 pm – 1:15 pm
Neon Indian – 1:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Carolina Chocolate Drops – 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
The Temper Trap – 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
The Dodos – 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Damian Marley & Nas- 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Mayer Hawtorne and the Country – 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm
The National – 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm
Tori Amos – 7:15 pm – 8:00 pm
Michael Franti & Spearhead – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Tenacious D – 9:30 pm – 11:00 pm

Saturday, June 12th:
Punch Brothers ft. Chris Thile – 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Gaslight Anthem – 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Norah Jones – 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Trombone Shorty – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Mumford & Sons – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The Dead Weather – 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Umphrey’s McGee – 7:30 pm – 7:55 pm
Jimmy Cliff – 7:55 pm – 9:25 pm
LCD Soundsystem – 9:25 pm – 10:55 pm
Kings of Leon – 10:55 pm – 11:30 pm
Jay -Z – 11:30 pm – 1:30 am

Sunday, June 13th:
The Avett Brothers – 12:30 pm 1:45 pm
John Butler Trio – 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Regina Spektor – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
John Fogerty – 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Weezer – 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Zac Brown Band – 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Ween – 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Rise Against – 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Dave Matthews Band – 9:00 pm – 11:30 pm

Phish Summer Tour Starts Today

One of my favorite bands PHISH is starting their summer tour this week! I know I’m going to be enjoying some summer shows and I hope to see you all out there.

Part I
06/11 - Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
06/12 - Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
06/13 - Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA
06/15 - nTelos Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA
06/17 - Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/18 - Comcast Theatre, Hartford, CT
06/19 - SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/20 - SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY
06/22 - Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
06/24 - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/25 - Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
06/26 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/27 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
06/29 - CMAC PAC, Canandaigua, NY
07/01 - Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
07/02 - Verizon Wireless Amp Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
07/03 - Verizon Wireless Amp at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
07/04 - Verizon Wireless Amp at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA

Part II
08/05 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/06 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/07 - The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/09 - Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/10 - Telluride Town Park, Telluride, CO
08/12 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/13 - Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
08/14 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/15 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/17 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY
08/18 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, NY

Rumor has it that new material is going to be played and my hope is that it will be as strong as last year’s new songs. The debuts last year of ‘Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan,’ ‘Kill Devil Falls,’ ‘Ocelot’ and ‘Time Turns Elastic’ were rock solid.

World Cup 2010 Overview

The entire world is going to be glued to the results of each World Cup match that begins this week. Although the top seeded teams are expected to advance to the knockout stage, there are several really good matchups that should be of interest.

While the US v. England match is being hyped as a key first round match, I have to wonder which US team is going to show up. Will it be the team that knocked out Brazil and Spain in the Confederations Cup earlier last year, or will it be the team that struggles with chemistry issues? Of particular note is the lack of defensive strength on the backline. If I am Coach Bradley, I have to strongly consider if Michael Beasley will be placed in the back just for speed purposes to counteract the swift England speed on the wing. The US has some great players up front who could give England’s defense trouble.

England has been a great disappointment in recent Cup campaigns but I believe this team is really primed for success. Like the US, their weakness is at the back especially with injuries to Rio Ferdinand. However, there can be no question that this team is supercharged at the front with world class players, speed and skill. If England wins this first game in pool play, look for them to have a fairly easy path to the Semi-Finals where they could play The Netherlands or Brazil. Even if England wins this game, look for the US to advance to the next round where they likely will face Germany.

It is widely known that Spain is a team that is completely dangerous and is capable of domination. Spain may have some real challenges in their pool play with all three opponents capable of putting some surprises into the Cup. If Spain wins their group as expected, they can expect some very stiff competition in knockout stage where they could be facing successive games against the second place team in Group G (South Korea, Portugal, or Ivory Coast) a potential quarterfinal matchup with Italy and a possible Semi-Final matchup with Germany or Argentina.

Brazil is going to be a heavy favorite in this tournament, but I would not overlook The Netherlands. They are playing terrific football right now and could be the team to win it all. These two teams could face each other in a Quarter-Final match that features two teams capable of being in the final. The winner of that match could find themselves against England for a trip to the WC final.

Argentina has not looked impressive at all in the qualifying stage and yet everyone still understands they are dangerous because they have not yet played their best football. There are at least two readers of this blog that would have a gigantic smile if Argentina goes the Final. Germany and Italy of course are going to be mentioned as favorites, but some are expressing doubts about these two teams having what it takes to go the distance.

Surprise teams that could do well in this tournament include France, Mexico, Portugal, Uruguay, Nigeria and Serbia.

However, all of this is just fun speculation. The games start on Friday and I know I’ll be watching!

Ethics, the Law and the Body Politic

It was 20 years ago this week that I graduated from college.

Strangely enough, what I remember most about that day was that I was missing a Grateful Dead show in California. I left the next day for California and saw a terrific run of shows at Cal Expo and Shoreline with a juicy Jerry Garcia Band sandwich at the Warfield between the Sacramento and Mountain View Dead shows.

I cannot recall who my college graduation speaker was or even the topic. However, I am reminded of a piece that I read years ago that described the greatest graduation speech that the author ever heard.

That speech is available for reading here and was written by William Kunstler.


For those of you who may not know, William Kunstler was for many years the best-known civil rights attorney in America. He had, since he first represented Freedom Riders attempting to integrate interstate busses in Mississippi in 1962, been a central figure in nearly every major civil rights case. Because many of his early clients are now American heroes, it is easy to forget that at the time Kunstler represented them, most were American pariahs. He represented or worked with Martin Luther King, Lenny Bruce, Malcolm X, Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, Adam Clayton Powell, the Chicago 7, Jack Ruby, Attica prisoners, Black Panthers, Wounded Knee Indians, and countless others.

The part of Kunstler's speech that has always resonated with me is this section:

As you know, the American Revolution was not a revolution engineered by poor people or by people who sold rats for a penny a pound down on the Long Wharf in Boston. It was engineered by the wealthy who wanted to transfer the power of wealth from London to New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The people who fought it were those people who sold rats on the Long Wharf--the tinsmiths, the blacksmiths, and so on. But those who gained the most from it were the wealthy, the slave owners.

They met in Philadelphia in 1787. They met at what's called Independence Hall, designed by a very famous lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, who defended John Peter Zenger in that famous freedom of speech trial in 1735 in New York. They blacked out the windows with paint so that no one would know they were going to violate their orders from those who sent them there by writing a new constitution and not reforming the Articles of Confederation, which was why they had been sent to Philadelphia. They were so afraid that people would find out what they were doing that they had Benjamin Franklin followed home every night and then followed from his lodgings to Independence Hall, because old Ben liked to tip a glass or two at the local tavern and they were afraid that he would give away the story before it was ready to be given away. They worked all summer and they evolved this document.

The document is fine. It sets up a tripartite form of government, and so on, but it says nothing about human rights whatsoever. And while they were talking about the supremacy clause in that document, somebody stood up and said, "How about a bill of rights?" This man was George Mason of Virginia. They voted on it. They voted twelve to one against a bill of rights. The only one that didn't vote against it was, strangely enough, North Carolina. I guess those delegates from North Carolina would be very surprised to see that the man who sits in the United States Senate from that state today is Jesse Helms. They voted again. Again, twelve to one against a bill of rights.

And so, Mason left the convention, joined by John Randolph of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts. The Constitution went out for ratification and they were so afraid that it would not be ratified that they made a two-thirds vote the ratification number, rather than unanimous. Five states immediately ratified--Georgia and Connecticut among them. But the big states of Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts did not ratify immediately. In fact, as you know, the Federalist Papers were created by Hamilton and Jay and Madison to try to sell the Constitution to the New York ratifying convention. Finally, Massachusetts--meeting in the Long Wharf in Boston and led by Elbridge Gerry--had an idea: Massachusetts will ratify if you agree to have a bill of rights in the first congress. There was agreement on that score and the three big states voted narrowly--three votes in New York and ten in Virginia--and the Constitution became law.

There was an election, George Washington and John Adams were elected president and vice president, and a congress was elected. It met in Federal Hall (still standing in New York) in 1791 and there was a vote on a bill of rights. After thrashing it out for months, they finally got a bill of rights.

The Senate voted that it should not be binding on the states; the House voted that it should be binding on the states. The Senate won. (It took six hundred thousand lives between 1861 and 1865 to begin to make the Bill of Rights binding on the states.) It went out for ratification. Virginia ratified on December 15 of that year, and that became the anniversary year of the Bill of Rights.

It had twelve amendments. The first two were meaningless for present purposes; they were never voted in. They had to do with salaries for representatives and senators. You can see what was on their mind with reference to what came first. The third, Freedom of Speech became the First, and so on.

Can you ever recall a graduation speech from any event you attended? Did it move you in any way?

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on Twitter

Twitter is one of those concepts that I really don't dig. I could care less whether or not someone is on the cellphone with a famous celebrity while in a public bathroom eating a ham sandwich with honey mustard.

But lately I have been turned on to a really delicious Twitter site. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche (DPR)is now on Twitter.

Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars and meditation masters of Tibetan Buddhism in his generation. Fluent in English and well-versed in Western culture and technology, he is known for his sharp intellect, humor and the lucidity of his teachings.

DPR also has a great website that is full of some wonderful items.

What I like the most about his Tweets is that they really do bring me back to the present moment. My friend Kris in Seattle turned me on to DPR about 10 years ago and I am happy to say that my life has been much richer as a result.

Each day, like many of you, I get wrapped up and thinking about things that lead me away from focusing on what is. Rinpoche's Tweets are a subtle reminder to focus on the now and what is.

Major Conference Realignment in College Sports About to Happen?

Word is out that there could be a major change in the conference alignment by the weekend.

Nebraska apparently is headed to the Big Ten and the Pac-10 is poised to become the Pac 16

According to ESPN, Colorado already has received an invitation to join the conference, while five other invitations will be extended to Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

A Big 12 football coach, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach on Wednesday night that if Nebraska left the Big 12 the conference would dissolve, according to his athletics director and university president. The coach said Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado would join the Pac-10, leaving Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State behind.

There could be a major domino effect for just about every other major conference including the potential demise of the Big 12. It will be particularly interesting to see what will happen to the SEC and the ACC but let me just say right now that regardless of whatever happens, my father would never forgive me if I forgot to mention that Dook still sucks!

Tom Petty's New Album 'Mojo' Is Available for Streaming

The new Tom Petty album ‘Mojo’ is available for streaming for a few days until the official release on June 15, 2010.

Click here for the free stream

I can remember sitting in my parents house late at night when I was about 12 years old trying to record Damn the Torpedoes on a tape recorder with a hand held microphone. It still ranks as one of my favorite records from my childhood.

So this got me thinking a bit - What are some of your memories of recording music as a kid?

Should I Eat That? How to Choose the Healthiest Foods

Over the past few years I have lost about 55 pounds. My self esteem and confidence has really exploded as a result of the weight loss.

One of the biggest factors was simply changing the way I approached my relationship to food. On the path to wellness, I was lucky enough to discover the wisdom of a nutritional expert, Jeff Novick.

In the nutrition world, Jeff is rock star. In his professional career, he has literally helped thousands of people become much healthier and happier. I know Jeff Novick, the nutrition expert and I am also fortunate to know Jeff, the human being.

One of the things that drives me crazy about Jeff is that he is willing to listen to anyone without any reservations or prejudgments.

Think about that for a moment - It is completely crazy to consider that listening could really piss people off, but Jeff is willing to HEAR the quality of the contributions and willing to separate any potential personal feelings he might have. I have seen him do this time and time again on a personal level and on a professional level. Sometimes I have even wondered, possibly aloud, how he could give such a person the time of day.

But as much as it has pissed me off from time to time to watch Jeff create the spaciousness of the willingness to listen to others, it also displays a touch of his cool and mad genius that is so infectiously delicious, that it does kind of rub off on you. On more than one occasion, I have seen things differently because I heard them thru Jeff's non-judgmental 'listening voice.'

It probably is wildly unpopular in this day and age to be associated with things that could tarnish your professional reputation. Fortunately for those who are listening, Jeff never confuses the hype with the message.

If one is listening for the secret, they will surely hear the sound... in the actual message of the speaker.

Jeff has a new message contained in a brand new DVD that is a grand slam. The DVD is entitled 'Should I Eat That? How to Choose the Healthiest Foods'and is available thru this link:
http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Should_I_Eat_That.html

"How do you decide if your food is healthy or not? Do you prefer organic, low fat, low carb, low sugar, high protein, soy, vegan or vegetarian? All of these? None of these? Or are you just attracted to a picture on the box?

Making healthy choices has gotten very confusing as stores are filled to the brim with foods no one should be eating - even the food brands which claim to be "healthy."

In his informative and fun style, Jeff reveals the truth behind the marketing of "health" foods, and shows a simple system for insuring you make wise choices.

Americans have lost the ability to know what to eat. Jeff Novick explains in a clear and concise manner what they should be eating and why."(John McDougall, MD, Founder of the McDougall Residential Program)

If you want to learn more about Jeff, please visit him on the web in these locations

Website
http://www.JeffNovick.com

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Novick-MS-RD/177550385124?ref=ts

If you are interested in Jeff’s other videos you can find them at this web address
http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/DVDs.html

Rediscovering The Genius Of Michael Diamond; Using The Domestic Violence Clause As A Tool For Environmental Protection

Like many of you, I am a news junkie. I am also a law professor and the news always carries something of interest that I can use in my classroom.

It has been impossible to ignore the BP oil spill story. Each day the media reports something new and seemingly unfathomable about the environmental disaster.

When I see pictures of dead animals, tar on beaches, and undersea footage of oil plumes coming out of the seafloor like a volcano, it makes me angry. I shake my head and wonder what it is that I can do about something that seems to be beyond my control.

Each day, the news about the spill indicates increasing devastation. After reading about so much destruction, I needed a distraction. I needed to read something … that was hopeful.

About a year ago, a friend of mine gave me a book by Michael Diamond who is a well respected legal scholar, a realist and an idealist at heart. The book sat in a pile of other books that I had been meaning to read until two weeks ago.

I looked down and saw Diamond’s book on top of the pile. The book title ‘If You Can Keep It: A Constitutional Roadmap to Environmental Security’ screamed at me. Elated, at the hope suggested in the title, I picked up the book. Like a great lover, a book can be a source of comfort and inspiration.

Diamond’s book delivered. It is the real deal.

The thrust of his book, ‘If You Can Keep It,’ provides ‘a roadmap for our environmental survival provided by the framers of the Constitution who knew, in the end, we would be our own worst enemy.’ (The quote is from John MacArthur’s, book review in The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, April, 1999. MacArthur is a historian and a science writer specializing in the human brain.).

Diamond’s plainspoken argument is that our government has a Constitutional obligation to protect the people from environmental harms.

In Article IV, section four of the US Constitution you will find this language:
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

The “Legislature” means a state legislature. “Executive” means the state’s governor. And “State” means, according to settled legal cases, the people of that state. So, quite simply put, the federal government has an affirmative obligation to protect the people of every state against conditions that amount to domestic violence.

Without question, in this 21st century, environmental harms easily qualify as conditions of domestic violence. Conditions of environmental domestic violence have put our health and, indeed, our survival on this planet into question.

Traditionally, there has been a deep association with ‘original intent’ theory and the political right. One of the primary conservative talking points has been to consider the Constitution in light of the original meaning of the words in the Constitution. This is commonly known as ‘original intent’ theory.

Diamond satisfies conservatives with his argument that the founding fathers had a clear understanding of the meaning of the phrase ‘domestic violence.’ James Madison’s contemporaneous notes make clear that the framers specifically opted for generic language in the domestic violence clause in order to create a living Constitution; one that would help us in a future, the details of which they knew they could not foresee. They understood that we were fully capable of creating the conditions of our own demise and chose this language so that the great guarantee of Constitutional protection against self harm would always be available to the people of this country. Accordingly, they fashioned a phrase that would provide comprehensive protection if and when that peril might arrive. The framers understood the wisdom of using generic language.

Liberals tend to reject the basic premise of the argument proposed by the originalists. The left has been consistent in their view that even if were possible to understand the framers intent, the ideas and concepts embedded in the Constitution are timeless. Their perspective is that the Constitution should be read in light of evolving standards; that it is a living and breathing document. To those on the left, it is clear that the Constitution requires that people shall be protected by the government against all forms of invasion or domestic violence.

Today, there can be little doubt that protection against invasion or domestic violence means that the government must protect the people from those actions which cause harm to their living environment. All necessary public health initiatives have to be implemented and strategies for planetary survival have to be put in place to protect our environment.

Diamond’s work really moved me in a way that is difficult to articulate. What I find so compelling about Diamond’s book is that he manages to please those on the left as well as the right. I cannot think of another modern political writer who has been able to bridge the gap between the two extremes and still satisfy those in the middle who are clamoring for a restoration of grounded rationality to the political landscape of environmental protection.

In Luther v. Borden (1849), the United States Supreme Court held the creation of republican forms of government and the control of domestic violence were matters of an essentially political nature committed by the Constitution to the other branches of government. The federal government has exercised this political discretion and has authorized Federal power to provide the states assistance to deal with conditions of domestic violence even without state requests

You do not have to be conservative or liberal to love the environment. Those who desire a better quality of life understand the power of environmental protection. Environmental protection is not limited to cleaning the oil out of the water. Environmentalists understand that we need to address the massive harms caused by the proliferation of chemicals that have taken root as necessities for the conspicuous and not so conspicuous consumer.

It is time for both sides of the spectrum to rediscover the genius in Michael Diamond’s work. I urge you all to read this book and talk with your State Legislators. Please demand that they begin calling on the Federal Government to protect us and the environment before it is too late. Wake now, discover!

Michael has started a Facebook page and would welcome your participation. If you are interested, please join his group


Michael Diamond - The Domestic Violence Clause

For more information, please visit his webpage


http://www.domesticviolenceclause.org

If you prefer to email, you will be able to reach him at the following email address:

michaeldiamond at Comcast dot.net