The Secret :: Pulling a Boo Radley.....

I shared this story on Facebook and Twitter so I am sharing it here as well. In my neighborhood there is a small playground. It used by a wide range of little ones, families with fixed incomes, Medical Student Families, Refugee and Immigrant Families. And sadly my neighborhood also has been plagued by a huge number of Foreclosures. And so on Sunday Nights Trash Nights I was constantly seeing perfectly good Toddler Toys set to the curb, many in fairly good condition. So I started in early spring gathering them and cleaning and repairing them. And by the time Summer came I began sneaking to the playground late at night and putting them out, cars and buckets, and fire engines. And then during the day I could walk by and silently and gleefully watch the toys being played with and cherished. It is my secret and no one in my hood knows I do this and I like it that way.

For Anyone that does not know the reference, Boo Radley is from To Kill A Mockingbird, he is a quiet gentle soul who gives toys and small treasures in a secret spot for Jem and Scout in the book. He does it only to bring them some joy....a Secret Gift.

BLOG ROUND UP ::Must See Blogs.....And Some Internet Radio thrown in as Well

PinkPackRat on Twitter is wonderful to connect with, and her blog is written with humor and insight. Enjoy
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Tim Corrimal Radio Show and Blog is really outstanding, he has great guests and he has a wonderful way of blending Twitter Folks and Bloggers.......He does a Once a Week Radio Show that is available via PodCast.
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Dave's Corner Tavern is a blog done by Don Ebers from Twitter, it is a great find, really insightful in these confusing times, and well written.
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MommaPolitico has been in my Round Ups before, and she has a wonderful blog and is a great follow on Twitter, she also has started to be on the radio, and is doing a great job on Progressive Radio. Do Listen in on Sunday Night and do find the Latest PodCasts on @AWOP out of Asheville. ( More here).
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We are One People : The Series....Bobbi the Widow from the Garden...

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I meet her at the Community Garden, she got a plot and I didn't. Late in the eve when it is hot and no one is there I meet her and walk around sampling berries and peas and we talk. She has had a plot there for over 20 years, I remain on the waiting list. I first met her when I was a Checker at the local market. ( Folks who read this blog know I was a checker for a year in an attempt to get Health Insurance. I mostly ended up taking care of my neighbors, I had a steady group that would come visit on Fridays, Bobbi is one.). I look at her , she is thinner than she was and looks tired. She looks like someone Dorthea Lange would photograph. In the past 2.5 years she lost her job and her husband. She won't let me take her photo, she says that it will jinx her getting a job. She says " We are the 99rs, but what will they call us when we starve ? I really don't think anyone cares in DC. I am tired of them saying it is not As Bad As The Depression. How do they know ? Most of the people from the Depression are dead, there is no one to ask. I wish Someone would ask me."

New Blog To Check Out.....About How to Survive in Hard Times .

This Blog is dedicated to All of us working hard to Survive these Economic Times....It has everything in it from Top Ramen Recipes to How Curbside Shop. It is called the "Wisdom of the Frugal Goddess." I don't think that we get through these times unless we help each other. I used to talk about how I wished my grandmother had left us a Guidebook How to Get Through the Depression. Maybe it's time we wrote our own.

And then came the Morning Glory....

"When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul."~~Langston Hughes
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‎"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."~~Buddha
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It has been so hot and insufferable here....and then the Thunderstorms came the past two nights...and when I awoke in the morning...there was this beautiful perfect Morning Glory....So unexpected and so lovely....

Remembering Watergate Summer and Watching Hackgate....

For over 6 years I have Blogged at Watergate Summer . I originally set up this blog and named it such because those of us living through the Bush Years were hoping for a Moment of Truth Breaking Clarity. As a nerdy kid, I watched the Watergate Mess unfold, it shaped me, it made me a News Junkie. I was hooked on the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun and I followed all of this when I was 12 years old. I would weed gardens and babysit and mow lawns so I would have money to buy newspapers and books. The First Summer I read the Story of the Break In at the Watergate and then the next summer I watched with interest the actual Watergate Hearings.

I would sit and watch and read the Papers. We were spending the Summer in Florida and my mom was furious that I was wasting my days sitting inside watching the Hearings Day after Day. She didn't understand that I was hungry for the Truth, that I wanted to KNOW if Nixon broke the Laws. I wanted to know if the Journalists were investigating a Moment in our History that would Change History. That summer was amazing, for me it woke me up to Such things as Corruption and Crime in High Places.

And yes within 30 days of the Resignation of Nixon, sadly Ford would basically shut the door on the Search for the Truth and Nixon was pardoned. It left many of us bitter,confused and angry. A few years later I dated a Lifeguard who worked at the Watergate. We would sneak in in off Hours and I was haunted by the stinky moldy carpet. ( To this day the smell of Moldy Carpet, the stink would remind me of The Watergate.) We would "borrow" towels and sell them as "souvenirs", and swim late night laps in the Pool of Shame......We would make bad jokes about plumbers....We remained haunted by the Watergate Summer.

So yes, in 2005 I named my Blog Watergate Summer because I was hoping for another Watergate Summer, A summer where the Truth would Unravel Big Lies. But sadly It never happened under the Bush years, the Lies persisted and yet the Unraveling ever happened , even though Big Lies were told that led to Crimes and an Illegal War.

I am watching Hackgate because It is a Historic Situation where a very powerful man and his family are being confronted with Something Awful that went on in their Papers. It is about Journalistic Integrity and how What happens when Journalism collides with A Broken Moral Compass, Too much Power, Too Much Money and Political Lust and Hubris....It is ugly , it is fascinating...it is Historic. And even though some Horrendous things were done in the name of "Journalism", there is some amazing Journalism now going on with Reporting from the Guardian, BBC, The Globe and the Telegraph and others showing true integrity. And once again a Political Leader is over his head, possibly compromised on his path to Leadership. Cameron made a dangerous liaison with both Brooks and Coulson. And as in any dangerously crafted Criminal Mess with too many tentacles, a Whistleblower has turned up dead on Monday within hours of Brooks Arrest. This Situation is Dirty , and ugly, I would not be shocked if there were not more incidents or accidents. It is also sad that the Police and even Scotland Yard are dirtied by this Scandal and involved in despicable ways.

4000 People were hacked, spied on, violated. All kinds of people. Even the phone of a little girl , a murder victim. 911 Families, Military families. There is something evil that made all of that happen, and too many people were involved in such activity for the shock and revulsion of this being revealed to go away.

Will the Hackgate Hearings reach across the Ocean to our shores ? Will it reveal more about FOX ? and will it reveal more about WSJ ? Was there hacking in the United States ? Will it wake up our Journalistic Void ? Will it bring back Journalistic Integrity ? ....There is much more to come....
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Rupert Murdoch and his son James, a Father Son Moment as they are questioned today.....
( Many Thanks to Keith Olbermann and Current and Countdown for covering this Story, reporting the facts.)

Then it was Friday.....

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."~ Mother Teresa
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Meet lovable Maru the Cat...World Wide Internet Sensation...millions of fans adore his antics...and sometimes we just need a cat getting into mischief.

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If I am not here that much it is because I am almost done The Book....

We Are One People....the series...

I am trying to interview people....tell their stories...or pieces of their Stories...Because too many People are Invisible right now....Now if just one would let me take their photo that would make this series so much better.....So last night I was walking to watch the Movie Filming near by....and I met a really interesting soul....The kind that has Stories....

He was sitting on the back of a Truck,leaning companionably....faded overalls and eyes the color of sunwashed denim....face weathered like a long trekked hiker.....So I said Hey..and we started talking....I asked him about working on the Film...He does Set Design....( So see the photo....It really is July by Lake Erie....but the film is set for Halloween Night, don't you love the Old Polished Cars and the Leaves scattered by the Lamp...that's his Work...)

He's been doing this Work since 1978......He loves it....you can even tell that the way he gently leans against His Truck....and when you look in back everything is arranged with order...tools and art supplies...There's order...there's love....

So I say....What was your First Movie ?

His eyes light up....."Ahhhhh 1978 "Harvest Home " ......Betty Davis."

I nod impressed...."Wow...I bet she was Something...."

"They don't make them like that anymore...I wish they did"....
*Many thanks to Terry for talking with me ....*
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That's right Ladies...may we aspire to be more Like Betty Davis....30 years later she still can make a man Misty eyed with admiration......

Question for the Day.....Talk Among Yourselves.....

Planned Parenthood Blog Carnival Dedicated to Our Stories......JULY 7th

Women are under attack this Summer and I don't think the MSM has done any coverage of this issue at all. ( You can read the Post below about Women's Health Care and Planned Parenthood being under attack in 15 States. ) For Millions of Women Planned Parenthood is not just where they receive Reproductive Health care, for many it is their ONLY Source of Medical Care. Yet in at least 15 States, Planned Parenthood faces multiple challenges, from Defunding due to Medicaid Stripping, Budget Cuts, and even Legal Challenges in some States as new laws are written to create more barriers for Women to get Care and Abortions. ( The Irony is that Planned Parenthood only uses 3% of it's Budget for Abortion Services and those funds are through Donations, NONE is from any Federal Monies, and never was. ) Planned Parenthood provides much more than Abortion Services to Millions of Women, from STD and Infection Detection and care to Cancer Screenings to Diabetes Screening to Prenatal Care. ( Post below has more information and also every Thursday on Twitter I post #PlannedParenthoodFacts if you want to help spread the Facts. )

The Blogs "What Tami Said" and "Shakesville" both are sponsoring a Blog Carnival on July 7th encouraging Women to Share their Stories of What Planned Parenthood has meant in their Lives. Please Pass the Word of this Project and get more women involved.
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This post has more about the Planned Parenthood Attack, from Indiana and Medicaid Battle to the Heartbeat Bill in Ohio.

Homegrown Hypocrisy : Drunkenness,Strippers, and Blue Pills, Oh My......

Meet Rep. Robert Mecklenberg , one of the GOP's Finest in Ohio, he is also one of the people that has worked hard to craft the Heartbeat Bill in Ohio. Apparently he did spend some time in Indiana earlier this year, and had a DUI Incident that is rather interesting. His Family Values include driving a car in another State fairly intoxicated accompanied by a Stripper and with a Rather healthy Dose of Blue Pills in his system. Not much is known about his 26 year old Companion, the Stripper, whether he was driving her to Choir Practice or perhaps they are a couple.But it seems they had an Interesting Easter Weekend. Now the question is if he was arrested for DUI is this a Felony ? Can he Keep his Job if he is convicted of a Felony ? ( AND WHY are we just finding out about this Incident now 3 months later ?)

More from Plunderkind explains that he was with a Stripper and yes did have Blue Pills in his system ( a significant blood level). He apparently claims he is merely "Human". He and Tiona were pulled over near a Burger King because of problematic loose Plates on the car drew some notice ( and his driving did as well). The Kentucky plates also raises some questions. More Interesting why was he in Indiana on Easter Weekend ? ( I guess he was seeking a different kind of Religious Experience.) This link to the Police Report raises some interesting questions. Enjoy.

Fukushima Updates for July....

Elderly sit and read papers and news while still being sheltered in a Temporary Shelter, awaiting housing as the Fukushima Evac Zones are expanded again.
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(1) TEPCO Resumes Decontaminating Water to Cool Reactors again, though it has been a process that leads to more issues of trying to find where to put the Contaminated water and more issues regarding the actual level of radiation. ( Sadly there has not been enough information available regarding the storage of this water and also effect and possible leakage effecting Sea Conditions.) But the link does have the latest updates and plans, that they seem to revise every few weeks. There have been few updates on Air Emissions and why they are not pursuing any Topical Coverings for the actual Melted Down Reactors ( ie: Chernobyl Solutions : Cement, Sand, Lead ? Especially in photos Reactors 1, 2, and 3 and even 4 are all Open to Air and destroyed burned out structures.)
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Health Issues related to Fukushima 's Ongoing Radiation/Nuclear Crisis
(2) There have been very few articles on the actual Health Risks to The People, Especially Children of Japan. Recently it was revealed that
45% of children in Fukushima Prefecture Had Thyroid Exposure to Radiation. Are these children to be monitored Longterm ? Are they already monitoring for other health damage, including Bone and Blood ? Are they prepared to track other Radiation issues in Children, ie : Leukemias, Tumor Rates, Heart damage ? I have found no articles regarding the Health of Adults being tracked as yet. ( Who will be monitoring the rates of Breast Cancer , Lung Cancer , Bone Cancer and Leukemias in the years to come ? )
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This article from Japan Times explains that Dosimeters are being given to Children, Moms, and pregnant moms to track Radiation in one Fukushima Town the teachers and children are given the dosimeters. It was poorly explained to the Villagers. Some think it is to measure longterm exposure, others think it is actually for Air Monitoring the The Plant which still has 3 Reactors in Meltdown and Damaged Structures that are open to the air. Japan Times claims Dosimeters were only given to approximately 1500 Families with Children and Teachers. Yet EnviroNews says that it is more like 34,000 Children are being monitored and have actual Dosimeters. Which number is correct is uncertain. On one note one would be glad that Japan is tracking the effects of the radiation on the families and the children, but on another note wouldn't it make sense to look at re-examining the Evacuation Zones if so many children are at risk. Keeping them off the playground is not the only way to protect Children from Radiation.
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(3) Oregon Advertising Studio Tracks Fukushima Radiation - News on Green. Really Interesting read if you live on the West Coast and want to learn more about Tracking of Radiation.
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4) Another issue that is getting little notice is regarding Japan's Soil and Dirt. Japan as an Island Country provides for it's own dietary needs by Farming and also Fishing. Much Cropland was effected by the Tsunami, but another issue is that area of the Island impacted by the Tsunami is also where there is rich farmland that is now vulnerable to radiation fallout. Questions persist as to which land is contaminated and which land can be farmed again. Also which farmlands that are too close to the Fukushima plant are vulnerable to radiation, and what is the correct, safest Perimeters. This article from Raw Story explores the Soil Issues, in further detail.
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(5)Do you have concerns or interest in the historical History of Nuclear Power, this Blogpost is an amazing read, It's called " Einstein, Insanity, Nuclear Meltdowns and Tokyo Electric Power Company" (an oped).
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(6) This LINK has Radiation Graphs that are worth taking a look at , I reccommend that you look at the spikes in March ( especially of Beta , but do look at Gamma as well. This link was found by WhoDat35 on Twitter, and is something you won't find on the News. She posted it because there are signifigant rises in Carlsbad NM ( is this tied to the Fires ? or what? It was rise in Beta .... ( I will be updating about the Nebraska Nuke Plant and the NM Fires this week, but at this point am still gathering data. )
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(7) While Japan is grappling with their Nuclear Issues, the other problem is that they are still recovering from the Tsunami, yet that is troubled as well. The New Reconstruction PM has been forced to resign due to his lack of Sensitivity. India Times has more about how the Minister handled himself dealing with the Tsunami Survivors.
Snippet From India Times ::
"In meetings with local governors over the weekend, Ryu Matsumoto appeared arrogant, angering local residents and political opponents. He told the governor of Iwate, one of the hardest-hit prefectures, that the government would not help municipalities that did not have good ideas about rebuilding, the Kyodo news agency reports.In another meeting, he refused to shake hands with Miyagi governor Yoshihiro Murai, who was a few minutes late."When a guest comes to visit, do not call up the guest until you have arrived in the room. Do you understand?" he told Murai. He also warned journalists not to report his words."
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t would seem that Japan is trying so hard to politely handle the TEPCO Fukushima Meltdown, and yet the Government hires people who are insensitive and impolite to deal with the Tsunami Survivors.....One has to wonder if the Radiation Crisis worsens how will the Japanese People be treated by their own government.

These Aerial Drone Photos show extensive damage and raise many questions about what is protecting the citizens from the Radioactive Particles in the air, as the structures clearly offer no Protection especially in especially in Reactors 1,2,3,4 . What is shielding the people from the steam, vapors and simple air emissions from these damaged structures ? Clearly the Spent Fuel Ponds may even be open to the air, and there remain questions about #3 and #4 having enough cooling fluids over the ponds which are near the roof lines. If Children are being given dosimeters clearly there are problems with how much radiation is escaping the shelled buildings and the lack of shielding. Giving our Dosimeters is surely not going to prevent any Thyroid Cancers or Leukemia's .
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Before and After Photos of the Plant Clearly raise questions about how much radiation is being emitted:::



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This Blogger, Franklin Perry carefully explains what the Reactors should look like and why the photos are so concerning. Do Click and see the photos as well.

Have a Happy Safe 4th of July.......Independence Day

“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”~~
Kahlil Gibran
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Ray Charles Sings " America the Beautiful"...( really nice photo montage as well)