Joulu on ohi. Pukki toi kivoja lahjoja ja muutenkin oli rauhallista ja leppoisaa. Jouluaattona kavimme saunomassa paikallisessa kylpylassa. Se toi mukavan mielen aaton viettoon. Olimme tyttaren kanssa leiponeet pullaa jo edellisena paivana ja pipareita leivottiin pukille aattona. Joulukinkun ja pottujen jalkeen istuimme kuusen juurelle avamaan joululahjoja, jotka olimme toisillemme tehneet tai ostaneet. Illalla kymmenen aikaan mentiin joulukirkkoon laulamaan joululauluja ja sytyttamaan kynttiloita joulun kunniaksi. Kirkko oli tupaten taynna.
Aamulla totesimme, etta pukki oli kaynyt, silla kuusen alla oli vino pino uusia joululahjoja, ja piparit ja maitolasillinen olivat kadonneet tuolilta. Kylla oli tytto ollut kiltti, kun oli niin monta mieleista lahjaa! Usko pukkiin ei ole viela halvennyt. Viime jouluna tytto kysyi monta kiusallista kysymysta siita miten joulupukki voi kayda niin monessa talossa ja antaa niin monta lahjaa koko maailman lapsille. Nyt ei enaa kysella. Pukki on taikaa, ja niin kauan kuin uskoo, loytyy kuusen alta lahjoja jouluaamuna.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Amazon
My 9-year old daughter was reading the National Geographic Magazine last night. She saw an article about the disappearance of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil due to clearcutting. She began to cry. Why are people cutting down all the trees when they know it's going to hurt us all?
She is worried about the loss of habitat for the millions of creatures that live in the rain forest. No more panthers, no more tree frogs, no more tapirs or monkeys; not to mention the birds, tarantulas and insects.
We began to plan ways to alert people about the dangers of deforestation: write a letter to the government! If all the kids in school write about it surely someone will listen?
National Geographic Magazine
She is worried about the loss of habitat for the millions of creatures that live in the rain forest. No more panthers, no more tree frogs, no more tapirs or monkeys; not to mention the birds, tarantulas and insects.
We began to plan ways to alert people about the dangers of deforestation: write a letter to the government! If all the kids in school write about it surely someone will listen?
National Geographic Magazine
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Myrskyn seuraukset
Seattlen seudulla on vielakin yli satatuhatta ihmista ilman sahkoa viime viikon myrskyn jalkeen. Useita on kuollut hakamyrkytykseen lammittaessaan talonsa avotulen/grillin avulla. Taman aamun lehden etusivulla oli useilla eri kielilla varoitus myrkytysvaarasta (katso linkki). Uusi myrsky on tulossa tana iltana, mutta se ei ole niin raju kuin edellinen. Meidan sahkot oli poikki noin 18 tuntia. Se oli jo tarpeeksi jannittavaa. Ilman lamminta vetta tai lampoa on ikavaa, ja kynttilanvalo ei ole niin romanttista kuin ensiksi ajattelee...
Monday, December 18, 2006
Barak Obama
Senaattori Barak Obamaa odotetaan nyt kuin Jeesusta pelastamaan Amerikka. Han on demokraatti, nuori, alykas, avoin, hyva puhumaan ja musta/valkoinen. Han tuo tuoreita, uusia ajatuksia esille, ei ole korruptoitunut, eika muutenkaan politiikalla pilattu. Hanesta tulisi varmasti todella hyva presidentti, mutta hanet ehditaan kylla ristiinnaulita julkisuudessa ennen varsinaisia vaaleja...
Friday, December 15, 2006
Myrskytuuli
Eilen illalla oli Seattlessa ennatysmainen myrsky. Tuuli ylti yli 70 mailiin tunnissa, joissakin paikoissa mitattiin 90 mailin tuulenpuuskia. Vetta tuli kuin Esterilta. Meilla meni sahkot poikki yhdentoista aikaan illalla eika ole viela tullut takaisin. Koko Seattlen alueella on yli miljoona asukasta ilman sahkoa. Ainakin nelja ihmista on kuollut myrskyn aiheuttamissa onnettomuuksissa.
Oli kummallista herata ilman sahkoa: ei saanut kahvia, ei valoa, ei lampoa. Sanomalehtikaan ei tullut. Olo oli aivan avuton, ja kylman suihkun jalkeen kolea. Koulut olivat taas kiinni, mutta tyopaikalla oli sahkoa, joten sinne voi menna lammittelemaan.
The Seattle Times: Local News: Storm causes state of emergency
Oli kummallista herata ilman sahkoa: ei saanut kahvia, ei valoa, ei lampoa. Sanomalehtikaan ei tullut. Olo oli aivan avuton, ja kylman suihkun jalkeen kolea. Koulut olivat taas kiinni, mutta tyopaikalla oli sahkoa, joten sinne voi menna lammittelemaan.
The Seattle Times: Local News: Storm causes state of emergency
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Matkalle
Tanaan lahden tyomatkalle Saksaan British Airways koneella. Toivottavasti meidan koneemme on putsattu kaikesta sateilysta...
Olen iloinen, etta John Bolton lahtee YK:n virastaan. Han symbolisoi kaikkea sita mahdottomuutta, jota Bushin hallitus on edustanut. Uudet tuulet ovat jo alkaneet puhaltaa Amerikassa. Korkein Oikeus miettii juuri ilmastonmuutoksen syita ja seurauksia; Irakin sotaa arvioidaan uusin silmin...
Olen iloinen, etta John Bolton lahtee YK:n virastaan. Han symbolisoi kaikkea sita mahdottomuutta, jota Bushin hallitus on edustanut. Uudet tuulet ovat jo alkaneet puhaltaa Amerikassa. Korkein Oikeus miettii juuri ilmastonmuutoksen syita ja seurauksia; Irakin sotaa arvioidaan uusin silmin...
Friday, December 01, 2006
Riskitekijat
Amerikkalaisten matkustajien terrorisminriskit on arvioitu. Salaisena pidetty ohjelma on tullut vaivihkaa esille: The Homeland Security Department, eli kotimaan turvallisuusministerio vahtii ja keraa tietoja kaikista jotka matkustavat Yhdysvaltoihin tai ulos Yhdysvalloista. Naista tiedoista kerataan riskitekijoita jotka lajitellaan terrorismin uhan mukaisesti. Minakin olen varmasti jo listalla, mutta luultavasti ruokatottumukseni tai ajotapani eivat herata liikaa huomiota. Nama tiedot sailytetaan 40 vuotta.
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Millions of U.S. travelers given a "terrorist" risk rating
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Millions of U.S. travelers given a "terrorist" risk rating
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Ennatyssateet
Seattlessa ei ole satanut nain paljon vetta marraskuussa koskaan - tai sita ei ole ainakaan mitattu. Nyt jo yli 13 tuumaa, ja on viela monta paivaa joulukuuhun. Eilen oli ukkoskuuroja ja rakeita; tanaan vain vetta. Viime lauantai oli muistaakseni aurinkoinen ja kuiva - oli miltei mahdoton tottua auringon tuimaan paahtoon. (Onneksi paiste oli pian ohi.) Tulvat ovat jo aiheuttaneet monien kotien tuhoutumisen, silla joet ovat paisuneet yli ayraiden ja luoneet uudet urat. Mt. Rainierilla, joka on Yhdysvaltain korkein vuori (Alaskaa lukuunottamatta) satoi muistaakseni viikon aikana yli 17 tuumaa vetta!
Huomenna on koko Amerikan kiitospaiva. Olen kiitollinen, etta meidan koti on kovalla maaperalla!
The Seattle Times: Local News: Like the rain, weather records keep falling and falling
Huomenna on koko Amerikan kiitospaiva. Olen kiitollinen, etta meidan koti on kovalla maaperalla!
The Seattle Times: Local News: Like the rain, weather records keep falling and falling
Monday, November 20, 2006
A Willfull Blindness
The United States does not control the message any longer. It must consider the new media world: what happens here today is news across the world instantaneously. People are watching and making judgments. One must practice what he preaches.
America's media bubble - Opinion - International Herald Tribune
America's media bubble - Opinion - International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Molly Ivins on Bipartisanship
Molly Ivins: Now They’re All for Bipartisanship
Posted on Nov 14, 2006
By Molly Ivins
AUSTIN, Texas—Having watched election coverage nonstop all week, I sometimes wake screaming, “Bipartisanship!” and scare myself. Of all the viral members of the media who have been suggesting that the Dems cooperate with their political opponents, the one who rendered me almost unconscious with surprise was Newt Gingrich.
Newt Gingrich, the Boy Scout. Newt Gingrich, the man who sat there and watched Congress impeach and try Bill Clinton for lying about having an extramarital affair while he, Newt Gingrich, was lying about having an extramarital affair. (This all took place during his second marriage. The first one ended when he told his wife he was divorcing her while she was in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.)
This is the level of Republican hypocrisy that reminds us all how far the Dems have to go. I tell you what. Let’s all hold hands together and sing, “Oh the Farmers and the Cowboys Should Be Friends!” Just not, please, Newt Gingrich, the man whose contribution to civility was to recommend that all Democrats be referred to with such words as cowards, traitors, commies, godless, liars and other such bipartisan-promoting terms.
Please, anyone but Newt.
Now, from my hours spent battered and half brain dead listening to the fatuous, self-important commentators of our nation, I learn that the people of this country did not elect liberals to Congress last week. Nope, they elected populists! Well, gosh all hemlock. I’ll be go to hell. Populist! I AM one. Honest—been a populist so long I’m on my third bottle of Tabasco.
Who knew? I thought all said I was chopped liver. Populist. Like Tom Frank of “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” fame. Jim Hightower. We can even draw our lines of political genealogy—via Ralph Yarborough and Bob Elkhart.
A populist is pretty much for the PEOPLE and generally in this case exactly the same as a liberal—we just put the em-PHA-sis on a different syl-LA-ble. We also tend to be more fun. We do not vote to hurt average Americans, even if the corporate payoff is really big. Even if it’s just a little bit—like the bankruptcy bill.
We tend to focus less on social issues and more on who’s gettin’ screwed and who’s doin’ the screwin’. In my opinion, Americans are not getting screwed by the Republican Party. They are getting screwed by Large Corporations that bought and own the Republican Party.
The word populist was misused, abused and co-opted by right-wingers for years, ever since we were all forced to read Richard Hofstadter’s “The Paranoid Style in American Politics.” Bad history can do a powerful amount of damage. Most of us stopped at the painful news that Tom Watson, leader of the late-19th century populism, went on to become a raging racist bigot. Populism itself took on the connotation of bile and nastiness, a la Father Coughlin.
If you read back to the beginning of the populist movement, however, you will find Andy Jackson and the West set against all those dreary snobs of the East. When Andy opened up the White House and let in the people, all the snobs had the fantods.
OK, it’s not the 19th century anymore, but it is always the right time to point out the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. Honest. There stands George W. Bush, buck nekkid. We want to help him out of this fix because he’s dragging the whole Army, the country and the world down with him. But don’t ask us to call those clothes.
Posted on Nov 14, 2006
By Molly Ivins
AUSTIN, Texas—Having watched election coverage nonstop all week, I sometimes wake screaming, “Bipartisanship!” and scare myself. Of all the viral members of the media who have been suggesting that the Dems cooperate with their political opponents, the one who rendered me almost unconscious with surprise was Newt Gingrich.
Newt Gingrich, the Boy Scout. Newt Gingrich, the man who sat there and watched Congress impeach and try Bill Clinton for lying about having an extramarital affair while he, Newt Gingrich, was lying about having an extramarital affair. (This all took place during his second marriage. The first one ended when he told his wife he was divorcing her while she was in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.)
This is the level of Republican hypocrisy that reminds us all how far the Dems have to go. I tell you what. Let’s all hold hands together and sing, “Oh the Farmers and the Cowboys Should Be Friends!” Just not, please, Newt Gingrich, the man whose contribution to civility was to recommend that all Democrats be referred to with such words as cowards, traitors, commies, godless, liars and other such bipartisan-promoting terms.
Please, anyone but Newt.
Now, from my hours spent battered and half brain dead listening to the fatuous, self-important commentators of our nation, I learn that the people of this country did not elect liberals to Congress last week. Nope, they elected populists! Well, gosh all hemlock. I’ll be go to hell. Populist! I AM one. Honest—been a populist so long I’m on my third bottle of Tabasco.
Who knew? I thought all said I was chopped liver. Populist. Like Tom Frank of “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” fame. Jim Hightower. We can even draw our lines of political genealogy—via Ralph Yarborough and Bob Elkhart.
A populist is pretty much for the PEOPLE and generally in this case exactly the same as a liberal—we just put the em-PHA-sis on a different syl-LA-ble. We also tend to be more fun. We do not vote to hurt average Americans, even if the corporate payoff is really big. Even if it’s just a little bit—like the bankruptcy bill.
We tend to focus less on social issues and more on who’s gettin’ screwed and who’s doin’ the screwin’. In my opinion, Americans are not getting screwed by the Republican Party. They are getting screwed by Large Corporations that bought and own the Republican Party.
The word populist was misused, abused and co-opted by right-wingers for years, ever since we were all forced to read Richard Hofstadter’s “The Paranoid Style in American Politics.” Bad history can do a powerful amount of damage. Most of us stopped at the painful news that Tom Watson, leader of the late-19th century populism, went on to become a raging racist bigot. Populism itself took on the connotation of bile and nastiness, a la Father Coughlin.
If you read back to the beginning of the populist movement, however, you will find Andy Jackson and the West set against all those dreary snobs of the East. When Andy opened up the White House and let in the people, all the snobs had the fantods.
OK, it’s not the 19th century anymore, but it is always the right time to point out the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. Honest. There stands George W. Bush, buck nekkid. We want to help him out of this fix because he’s dragging the whole Army, the country and the world down with him. But don’t ask us to call those clothes.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Heads Off
Now that the head of the beast has been cut off it's time to start thinking about a brighter future. A woman will be Speaker of the House, both the Senate and the House will be controlled by democrats and they are going to change the course completely. Their priorities will be on issues 'we the people' care about: peace, environment, health care, real wages, community.
It will not be easy to work with the same president who didn't give a s*** about listening to the opposition before, but it is in the nature of democrats/liberals to try their best. Sometimes you wish that they could be as mean and self-centered as the republicans have been in the last few years, but I think they're just too grown-up.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Sweet Victory
The people have spoken. Sense and sensibility has won over fear and intimidation. The democrats have take back the House and possibly the Senate. It is time to do something right. My faith in democracy has been restored. [At least for the time being...]
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
Unen maito on loppumaton
HÖYHENSAARET
Mitä siitä jos nuorna ma murrunkin tai taitun ma talvisäihin, moni murtunut onpi jo ennemmin ja jäätynyt elämän jäihin. Kuka vanhana vaappua tahtoiskaan? Ikinuori on nuoruus laulujen vaanja kerkät lemmen ja keväimen, ilot sammuvi ihmisten.
Mitä siitä jos en minä sammukaan kuin rauhainen, riutuva liesi, jos sammun kuin sammuvat tähdet vaan ja vaipuvi merillä miesi. Kas, laulaja tähtiä laulelee ja hän meriä suuria seilailee ja hukkuvi hyrskyhyn, ennen kuin käy purjehin reivatuin.
Mitä siitä jos en minä saanutkaan, mitä toivoin ma elämältä, kun sain minä toivehet suuret vaan ja kaihojen kantelen hältä.
Ja vaikka ma laps olen pieni vain, niin jumalten riemut ma juoda sain ja juoda ne täysin siemauksin--niin riemut kuin murheetkin.
Ja vaikka ma laps olen syksyn vaan ja istuja pitkän illan, sain soittaa ma kielillä kukkivan maan ja hieprukan hivuksilla. Niin mustat, niin mustat ne olivat; ja suurina surut ne tulivat, mut kaikuos riemu nyt kantelenvielä kertasi viimeisen!
Oi, kantelo pitkien kaihojen, sinä aarteeni omani, ainoo! Me kaksi, me kuulumme yhtehen, jos kuin mua kohtalot vainoo. Me kuljemme kylästä kylähän näin, ohi kylien koirien räkyttäväin, ja keskellä raition raakuuden sävel soipa on keväimen.
Me kaksi, me tulemme metsästä ja me metsien ilmaa tuomme, me laulamme nuoresta lemmestä ja lempemme kuvan me luomme, me luomme sen maailman tomusta niinkuin Luoja loi ihmisen Eedeniin ja korvesta kohoitamme me senkun vaskisen käärmehen.
Te ystävät, joiden rinnassa kyyt yön-pitkät pistää ja kalvaa, te, joita jäytävi sydämen syyt ja elämä harmaja halvaa, oi, helise heille mun kantelein, oi, helise onnea haavehein ja unta silmihin unettomiin mun silmäni suljit sa niin.
Kas, ylläpä mustien murheiden on kaunihit taivaankaaret ja kaukana keskellä aaltojen on haaveiden höyhensaaret ja ken sinne lapsosen kaarnalla käy, ei sille ne aavehet yölliset näy, vaan rinnoin hän uinuvi rauhaisin kuin äitinsä helmoihin.
Mitä siitä jos valhetta onkin ne vaan ja kestä ei päivän terää! Me uinumme siksi kuin valveutaan ja vaivat ne jällehen herää. Moni nukkui nuorihin toiveisiin ja heräsi hapsihin hopeisiin; hän katsahti ympäri kummissaan ja--uinahti uudestaan. Miks ihmiset tahtoa, taistellaja koittaa korkealle?
Me olemme kaikki vain lapsiaja murrumme murheen alle. Miks emme me kaikki vois uinahtaa ja hyviä olla ja hymytä vaan ja katsoa katsehin kirkkahin vain sielumme syvyyksiin? Oi, unessa murheet ne unhottuu ja rauhaton rauhan saapi, oi, unessa vankikin vapautuu, sen kahlehet katkeaapi, ja köyhä on rikas kuin kuningas maan ja kevyt on valtikka kuninkaan ja kaikki, kaikki on veljiä vaan--oi, onnea unelmain!
Oi, onnea uinua uudelleen ne lapsuen päivät lauhat ja itkeä jällehen yksikseen ne riemut ja rinnan rauhat; taas uskoa, että on lapsi vaan ja että voi alkaa uudestaan ja uskoa uusihin toiveisiin sekä vanhoihin ystäviin!
Taas uskoa riemuhun, keväimeen ja lippuhun pilvien linnan ja uskoa lempehen puhtaaseen taas kahden puhtahan rinnan, taas uskoa itsensä rikkahaks ja maailman suureks ja avaraks--voi, kuinka se sentään on ihanaa, kun sen nuorena uskoa saa!
Voi, kuinka se sille on ihanaa, joka kaiken sen kadotti kerran, joka häkistä katseli maailmaa ja näki vain vaaksan verran, joka etsi kauneutta, elämää, ja näki vain markkinavilinää, ja näki räyhäävän raakuuden, tyhmyyden--niit' aikoja unhota en.
Kun muistelen, kuinka ma kerjännyt olen koirana lempeä täällä, miten rikasten portailla pyydellyt olen tuiskulla, tuulissäällä, vain lämpöä hiukkasen, hiukkasen vain ja kun minä muistelen, mitä mä sain ja mitä mä nielin ja vaikenin ja mitä mä ajattelin!
Miten olen minä kulkenut, uskonut, ett'eivät ne unhoitukaan! Ja sentään ne olen minä unhoittanut kuin unhoittaa voi kukaan. Ja sentään se nousi, niin kohtalot kaas, ja sentään ma seppona seison taas ja taivahan kansia taon ja lyön--oi, onnea tähtisen yön!
Ne saapuvat, saapuvat uudestaan mun onneni orhit valkeet, ne painavat vanhalla voimallaan mun rintani jättipalkeet. Ja kirkas on taivas ja kukkii maa ja säkenet suustani suitsuaa ja ääneni on kuni ukkosen--oi, onnea unelmien!
Mitä siitä jos haaveeni verkot vaan on verkkoja hämähäkin! Mitä siitä jos omieni viittova vaan on laulua laineiden näkin! Moni nukkui nuorihin toiveisiin ja heräsi hapsihin hopeisiin tai herännyt täällä ei milloinkaan. Missä? Milloin? Helmassa maan.
Minä tahdon riemuja keväimen ja onnesta osani kerta!Olen imenyt rintoja totuuden, mut niistä vaan tuli verta.Siis, tulkaa te utaret unelmien, minä vaivun riemunne rinnoillen ja uskon päivähän, aurinkohon.Unen maito on loppumaton.
Oi, kauniisti mulle te kaartukaa, mun syömeni sateenkaaret!Mua hiljaa, hiljaa tuudittakaa, te haaveiden höyhensaaret!Mua katsokaa: olen lapsi vaan, olen riisunut päältäni riemut maan ja pyytehet kullan ja kunnian.Uni onni on laulajan.
Minä tahdon vain uinua yksikseen. En tahtois vielä mä kuolla. Mut kuulkaa, jo äitini huhuilee Tuonen aaltojen tuolla puolla. Oi, odota hetkinen, äityein! En viel' olis valmis ma matkallein, mun syömeni on niin syyllinen. Suo että mä pesen sen.
Suo että mä ensin huuhdon vaannämä synkeät, huonot aatteet, suo että mä päälleni ensin saanne puhtahat, valkeat vaatteet, jotk' ompeli onneni impynen, hän, hämärän impeni ihmeellinen, min kuvaa kannan ma sydämessäin siit' asti kuin hänet mä näin.
Me tulemme, äitini armahain!Oi katso, meitä on kaksi! Oi katso, mik' on mulla rinnassain!Niin oisitko rikkahaksi sinä uskonut koskaan kuopustas?Ja katso, me pyydämme siunaustas, sun poikasi synkeä, syyllinen, ja mun impeni puhtoinen.
Katso, kuin hän on kaunis ja valkoinenja muistuttaa niin sua! Hän on niin hellä ja herttainen,vaikk'ei hän lemmi mua, Elä kysele hältä, miks tänne mun toi, mut usko, se niin oli parhain, oi! Ja usko, nyt ett' olen onnellinen kuin aikoina lapsuuden.
Elä kysele multa sa laaksoista maan! Ei olleet ne luodut mulle. Mut jos sinun silmäsi tutkii vaan, voin laulaa ma laulun sulle kuin lauloin ma lapsen aikoihin--kas, lauluna sujuu se paremmin ja kyynelet kuuluvat kantelehen. Niitä muuten ma ilmoita en.
Mitä siitä jos nuorna ma murrunkin tai taitun ma talvisäihin, moni murtunut onpi jo ennemmin ja jäätynyt elämän jäihin. Kuka vanhana vaappua tahtoiskaan? Ikinuori on nuoruus laulujen vaanja kerkät lemmen ja keväimen, ilot sammuvi ihmisten.
Mitä siitä jos en minä sammukaan kuin rauhainen, riutuva liesi, jos sammun kuin sammuvat tähdet vaan ja vaipuvi merillä miesi. Kas, laulaja tähtiä laulelee ja hän meriä suuria seilailee ja hukkuvi hyrskyhyn, ennen kuin käy purjehin reivatuin.
Mitä siitä jos en minä saanutkaan, mitä toivoin ma elämältä, kun sain minä toivehet suuret vaan ja kaihojen kantelen hältä.
Ja vaikka ma laps olen pieni vain, niin jumalten riemut ma juoda sain ja juoda ne täysin siemauksin--niin riemut kuin murheetkin.
Ja vaikka ma laps olen syksyn vaan ja istuja pitkän illan, sain soittaa ma kielillä kukkivan maan ja hieprukan hivuksilla. Niin mustat, niin mustat ne olivat; ja suurina surut ne tulivat, mut kaikuos riemu nyt kantelenvielä kertasi viimeisen!
Oi, kantelo pitkien kaihojen, sinä aarteeni omani, ainoo! Me kaksi, me kuulumme yhtehen, jos kuin mua kohtalot vainoo. Me kuljemme kylästä kylähän näin, ohi kylien koirien räkyttäväin, ja keskellä raition raakuuden sävel soipa on keväimen.
Me kaksi, me tulemme metsästä ja me metsien ilmaa tuomme, me laulamme nuoresta lemmestä ja lempemme kuvan me luomme, me luomme sen maailman tomusta niinkuin Luoja loi ihmisen Eedeniin ja korvesta kohoitamme me senkun vaskisen käärmehen.
Te ystävät, joiden rinnassa kyyt yön-pitkät pistää ja kalvaa, te, joita jäytävi sydämen syyt ja elämä harmaja halvaa, oi, helise heille mun kantelein, oi, helise onnea haavehein ja unta silmihin unettomiin mun silmäni suljit sa niin.
Kas, ylläpä mustien murheiden on kaunihit taivaankaaret ja kaukana keskellä aaltojen on haaveiden höyhensaaret ja ken sinne lapsosen kaarnalla käy, ei sille ne aavehet yölliset näy, vaan rinnoin hän uinuvi rauhaisin kuin äitinsä helmoihin.
Mitä siitä jos valhetta onkin ne vaan ja kestä ei päivän terää! Me uinumme siksi kuin valveutaan ja vaivat ne jällehen herää. Moni nukkui nuorihin toiveisiin ja heräsi hapsihin hopeisiin; hän katsahti ympäri kummissaan ja--uinahti uudestaan. Miks ihmiset tahtoa, taistellaja koittaa korkealle?
Me olemme kaikki vain lapsiaja murrumme murheen alle. Miks emme me kaikki vois uinahtaa ja hyviä olla ja hymytä vaan ja katsoa katsehin kirkkahin vain sielumme syvyyksiin? Oi, unessa murheet ne unhottuu ja rauhaton rauhan saapi, oi, unessa vankikin vapautuu, sen kahlehet katkeaapi, ja köyhä on rikas kuin kuningas maan ja kevyt on valtikka kuninkaan ja kaikki, kaikki on veljiä vaan--oi, onnea unelmain!
Oi, onnea uinua uudelleen ne lapsuen päivät lauhat ja itkeä jällehen yksikseen ne riemut ja rinnan rauhat; taas uskoa, että on lapsi vaan ja että voi alkaa uudestaan ja uskoa uusihin toiveisiin sekä vanhoihin ystäviin!
Taas uskoa riemuhun, keväimeen ja lippuhun pilvien linnan ja uskoa lempehen puhtaaseen taas kahden puhtahan rinnan, taas uskoa itsensä rikkahaks ja maailman suureks ja avaraks--voi, kuinka se sentään on ihanaa, kun sen nuorena uskoa saa!
Voi, kuinka se sille on ihanaa, joka kaiken sen kadotti kerran, joka häkistä katseli maailmaa ja näki vain vaaksan verran, joka etsi kauneutta, elämää, ja näki vain markkinavilinää, ja näki räyhäävän raakuuden, tyhmyyden--niit' aikoja unhota en.
Kun muistelen, kuinka ma kerjännyt olen koirana lempeä täällä, miten rikasten portailla pyydellyt olen tuiskulla, tuulissäällä, vain lämpöä hiukkasen, hiukkasen vain ja kun minä muistelen, mitä mä sain ja mitä mä nielin ja vaikenin ja mitä mä ajattelin!
Miten olen minä kulkenut, uskonut, ett'eivät ne unhoitukaan! Ja sentään ne olen minä unhoittanut kuin unhoittaa voi kukaan. Ja sentään se nousi, niin kohtalot kaas, ja sentään ma seppona seison taas ja taivahan kansia taon ja lyön--oi, onnea tähtisen yön!
Ne saapuvat, saapuvat uudestaan mun onneni orhit valkeet, ne painavat vanhalla voimallaan mun rintani jättipalkeet. Ja kirkas on taivas ja kukkii maa ja säkenet suustani suitsuaa ja ääneni on kuni ukkosen--oi, onnea unelmien!
Mitä siitä jos haaveeni verkot vaan on verkkoja hämähäkin! Mitä siitä jos omieni viittova vaan on laulua laineiden näkin! Moni nukkui nuorihin toiveisiin ja heräsi hapsihin hopeisiin tai herännyt täällä ei milloinkaan. Missä? Milloin? Helmassa maan.
Minä tahdon riemuja keväimen ja onnesta osani kerta!Olen imenyt rintoja totuuden, mut niistä vaan tuli verta.Siis, tulkaa te utaret unelmien, minä vaivun riemunne rinnoillen ja uskon päivähän, aurinkohon.Unen maito on loppumaton.
Oi, kauniisti mulle te kaartukaa, mun syömeni sateenkaaret!Mua hiljaa, hiljaa tuudittakaa, te haaveiden höyhensaaret!Mua katsokaa: olen lapsi vaan, olen riisunut päältäni riemut maan ja pyytehet kullan ja kunnian.Uni onni on laulajan.
Minä tahdon vain uinua yksikseen. En tahtois vielä mä kuolla. Mut kuulkaa, jo äitini huhuilee Tuonen aaltojen tuolla puolla. Oi, odota hetkinen, äityein! En viel' olis valmis ma matkallein, mun syömeni on niin syyllinen. Suo että mä pesen sen.
Suo että mä ensin huuhdon vaannämä synkeät, huonot aatteet, suo että mä päälleni ensin saanne puhtahat, valkeat vaatteet, jotk' ompeli onneni impynen, hän, hämärän impeni ihmeellinen, min kuvaa kannan ma sydämessäin siit' asti kuin hänet mä näin.
Me tulemme, äitini armahain!Oi katso, meitä on kaksi! Oi katso, mik' on mulla rinnassain!Niin oisitko rikkahaksi sinä uskonut koskaan kuopustas?Ja katso, me pyydämme siunaustas, sun poikasi synkeä, syyllinen, ja mun impeni puhtoinen.
Katso, kuin hän on kaunis ja valkoinenja muistuttaa niin sua! Hän on niin hellä ja herttainen,vaikk'ei hän lemmi mua, Elä kysele hältä, miks tänne mun toi, mut usko, se niin oli parhain, oi! Ja usko, nyt ett' olen onnellinen kuin aikoina lapsuuden.
Elä kysele multa sa laaksoista maan! Ei olleet ne luodut mulle. Mut jos sinun silmäsi tutkii vaan, voin laulaa ma laulun sulle kuin lauloin ma lapsen aikoihin--kas, lauluna sujuu se paremmin ja kyynelet kuuluvat kantelehen. Niitä muuten ma ilmoita en.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Climate Change
Britain is taking climate change seriously. I wish the United States would do the same. But here we are still in the state of denial about global warming, Iraq war an many other earth-shaking events. Hopefully the congressional elections next week will bring some welcome change in the leadership of this country.
U.K. fears disaster in climate change - Europe - International Herald Tribune
U.K. fears disaster in climate change - Europe - International Herald Tribune
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Pelottelua
Aanestajien pelottelu alkaa olla pahimmillaan, silla on enaa 12 paivaa kongressin vaaleihin. Meita pelotellaan Osama bin Ladenin kuvilla, veronkorotuksilla, massamurhilla (terrorismi) ja mustilla miehilla. Taalla puhutaan myos "lokakuun yllatyksesta": jotakin yllattavaa (kammottavaa) tapahtuu, ja aanestajat palaavat kiltisti Bushin syliin. Toivottavasti tama on turha pelko. Nyt on odotettava kusi sukassa viela 12 paivaa...
http://www.alternet.org/stories/43481/
http://www.alternet.org/stories/43481/
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Nokia
Suomen Nokia valloittaa Amerikan (ja maailman) markkinoita. Kuinka kay musiikkipuhelinten? Kiinnostava artikkeli Nokian N91 puhelimesta.
How Nokia can knock the iPod from its perch. - By Alexander Dryer - Slate Magazine
How Nokia can knock the iPod from its perch. - By Alexander Dryer - Slate Magazine
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Gerhard Schroeder
Saksan entinen liittokansleri kertoo uudessa kirjassaan, kuinka Bushin uskonnollisuus tuntui niin epaillyttavalta ja vastenmieliselta, kun he tapasivat 2002 Saksassa. Uskonto ja politiikka eivat sovi yhteen lantisessa demokratiassa. Senhan pitaisi olla itsestaan selvaa?
Schroeder airs his Bush reservations - Los Angeles Times
Schroeder airs his Bush reservations - Los Angeles Times
Friday, October 20, 2006
Keith Olbermann
The mainstream media have been too timid or misled to speak out against the Bush administration's overreaching policies. Keith Olbermann is an exception. He is a voice crying in the wilderness: wake up people! In this video he talks about the signing of the Military Comissions Act by Bush. Go Keith!
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/#43258
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/#43258
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn:
"I came to the conclusion that, given the technology of modern warfare, war is inevitably a war against children, against civilians. When you look at the ratio of civilian to military dead, it changes from 50-50 in World War II to 80-20 in Vietnam, maybe as high as 90-10 today… When you face that fact, war is now always a war against civilians, and so against children. No political goal can justify it, and so the great challenge before the human race in our time is to solve the problems of tyranny and aggression, and do it without war."
"I came to the conclusion that, given the technology of modern warfare, war is inevitably a war against children, against civilians. When you look at the ratio of civilian to military dead, it changes from 50-50 in World War II to 80-20 in Vietnam, maybe as high as 90-10 today… When you face that fact, war is now always a war against civilians, and so against children. No political goal can justify it, and so the great challenge before the human race in our time is to solve the problems of tyranny and aggression, and do it without war."
Irakissa
Bush on luvannut Irakin paaministerille, etta USA:n joukot eivat vetaydy Irakista pitkaan aikaan. Samaan aikaan taalla kuuluu yha useammalta taholta, etta olisi uuden strategian aika Irakissa. Jopa republikaaniset senaattorit ovat alkaneet toitottaa samaa asiaa. Vakivalta ja amerikkalaissotilaiden - ja Irakin siviilien - kuolemat hermostuttavat paatoksentekijoita. Syysta. Jenkit ovat vain kaivaneet itsensa sellaiseen loukkoon, etta sielta on vaikeaa paasta pois millaan keinoin. Jos Irakista lahdetaan paa kolmantena jalkana tulee Iranista lahi-idan uusin mahti; eika se ole amerikkalaisille kovin ystavallinen valtio. Jos sinne jaadaan viela pitkaksi aikaa, sisallissota vain yltyy ja jenkit ovat kahden tulen valissa. Ja demokraatit alkavat saada vaalivoittoja epasuositun sodan takia...
Ja sitten on viela se oljy. Se on saatava amerikkalaisten oljyfirmojen haltuun.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003307178_webbushiraq16.html
Ja sitten on viela se oljy. Se on saatava amerikkalaisten oljyfirmojen haltuun.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003307178_webbushiraq16.html
Friday, October 13, 2006
Lunta tulvillaan
Itarannikon ensimmainen lumipyry on tullut! Buffalossa on satanut tana aamuna yli puoli metria lunta. Monet koulut ovat olleet kiinni, sahkot poikki ja liikenne tukossa. Buffalossa ja muualla suurten jarvien alueella pyryttaa joka vuosi mahtavat kinokset lunta, mutta tama on normaalia aikaisempaa.
Meilla Seattlessa on ollut intiaanikesa. Paivalampotila hipoo kahtakymmenta ja on aurinkoista. Koska sateet tulevat?
Season's First Snow Hits Midwest, Northeast - AOL News
Meilla Seattlessa on ollut intiaanikesa. Paivalampotila hipoo kahtakymmenta ja on aurinkoista. Koska sateet tulevat?
Season's First Snow Hits Midwest, Northeast - AOL News
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
Anna Politkovskaya
Venajan rohkea journalisti on vaimennettu. Anna Politkovskayan murha on huono merkki Venajan sananvapauden tilasta. Nostan hattua hanen rohkeudelleen heikompien puolestapuhujana.
Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Courage in Journalism
Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Courage in Journalism
Alec Baldwin
Hollywoodista kuuluu: Alec Baldwin puhuu rohkeasti republikaanien royhkeydesta ja aikaansaamattomuudesta. Lue blogista:
The Blog Alec Baldwin: The Embarrassed Republicans The Huffington Post
The Blog Alec Baldwin: The Embarrassed Republicans The Huffington Post
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Secrecy and Shame
The Foley scandal is NOT about Mark Foley being gay. It's about him being a pedophile; a man in power using his unique position to gain access to young, impressionable youths, and exploiting them for his sexual fantasies. It's about committing a crime and about his colleagues covering up for him in their lust for power.
Most pedophiles are heterosexual men, who have a warped desire for power and control over those who are vulnerable. Secrecy and shame support such behavior. It is so ironic that Foley was in charge of protecting missing and exploited children. He must be full of self-loathing and shame.
Ellen Goodman writes well about the scandal.
Truthdig - Reports - Ellen Goodman: A Lousy Way to Win Back Congress
Most pedophiles are heterosexual men, who have a warped desire for power and control over those who are vulnerable. Secrecy and shame support such behavior. It is so ironic that Foley was in charge of protecting missing and exploited children. He must be full of self-loathing and shame.
Ellen Goodman writes well about the scandal.
Truthdig - Reports - Ellen Goodman: A Lousy Way to Win Back Congress
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Are You Safer?
In our local newspaper someone posted a full page ad about the many horrendeous Bush policies we've seen in the past 5+ years. He asks if we're safer now than in 2000? This is key, because the administration has scared us at so many levels in order to gain legitimacy and power for its un-democratic, illegitimate and un-American deeds.
NWsource: Seattle shopping, stores, newspaper ads, sales and deals Seattle Announcements - Announcements & Corrections - Steven Greenebaum
NWsource: Seattle shopping, stores, newspaper ads, sales and deals Seattle Announcements - Announcements & Corrections - Steven Greenebaum
Onnea aidille
Synnyit 20-luvulla; 77 vuotta sitten! Voit olla ylpea kaikesta mita olet saavuttanut, kokenut ja nahnyt. Elama ei ole aina hellasti kohdellut, mutta olet kestanyt ja oppinut; opettanut meillekin. Olet sankari monella tapaa. Tanaan syntymapaivasankari. Onnea!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Jane Smiley
Mielenkiintoinen blogi tunnetulta kirjailijalta!
The Blog Jane Smiley: Bizarro President The Huffington Post
The Blog Jane Smiley: Bizarro President The Huffington Post
Monday, October 02, 2006
Lisaa skandaaleja
Vanhurskaat republikaanit ovat saaneet aikaan uuden, herkullisen skandaalin: kongressin edustaja Mark Foley on jaanyt kiinni verekseltaan vikittelemasta alaikaisia edustajainhuoneen juoksupoikia. Foley johti kongressin "kadonneiden ja hyvaksikaytettyjen lasten" komissiota, jossa kehitetaan lakeja lasten suojelemiseksi. Samaan aikaan han lahetteli seksuaaalisesti suggestiivisia emaileja ja tekstiviesteja teini-ikaisille pojille.
Skandaalista on tulossa todella haiseva kasa, silla kongressin (republikaaniset) johtohenkilot ovat tienneet Foleyn tempuista jo vuoden, mutta eivat ole tehneet asialle oikeastaan mitaan, vaan painaneet villaisella ja hyssytelleet. Paat ovat jo alkaneet putoilla - juuri ennen marraskuun vaaleja.
Voi teita moralisteja jotka olette aina osoittamassa lihavilla sormillanne toisia syntisia! Ne kivet, jotka olette heittaneet, kaantyvat teita itseanne vastaan!
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Foley in rehab as House Republicans try to contain damage
Skandaalista on tulossa todella haiseva kasa, silla kongressin (republikaaniset) johtohenkilot ovat tienneet Foleyn tempuista jo vuoden, mutta eivat ole tehneet asialle oikeastaan mitaan, vaan painaneet villaisella ja hyssytelleet. Paat ovat jo alkaneet putoilla - juuri ennen marraskuun vaaleja.
Voi teita moralisteja jotka olette aina osoittamassa lihavilla sormillanne toisia syntisia! Ne kivet, jotka olette heittaneet, kaantyvat teita itseanne vastaan!
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Foley in rehab as House Republicans try to contain damage
Friday, September 29, 2006
How Torture Became Mainstream
I have a hard time understanding how we could suddenly talk about torture as one option for interrogation. What about universal human rights? What about American ideals of freedom, democracy and respect for life? What about 'end does not justify the means'?
Dahlia Lithwick writes about how we got 'there' from 'here': the Abu Ghraib scandal numbed our psyche to accept torture.
- Of course some of us cannot accept torture as a viable option ever. But some of us cannot accept the death penalty either.
How the Abu Ghraib images lost their power to horrify. By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine
Dahlia Lithwick writes about how we got 'there' from 'here': the Abu Ghraib scandal numbed our psyche to accept torture.
- Of course some of us cannot accept torture as a viable option ever. But some of us cannot accept the death penalty either.
How the Abu Ghraib images lost their power to horrify. By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Had Enough?
More disasters in Iraq: all the money that's been pouring in to rebuild a nation destroyed by our tanks and guns is going to waste by incompetence, greed and corruption. How much is too much? When do we say 'enough'? When do we stop paying taxes to support this lunacy? Is it not time to have another tea party?
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Crucial Iraq police academy "a disaster"
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Crucial Iraq police academy "a disaster"
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is finally stepping out of silence and speaking out about the events prior to 9/11. He was interviewed on FOX news and he gave a spirited defense of his presidency; it was fun to watch. I miss his intellect and ability to debate.
"You Did Your Nice Little Conservative Hit Job On Me."
"You Did Your Nice Little Conservative Hit Job On Me."
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Television valta
Amerikkalaiset katsovat telkkaria yli nelja tuntia paivassa ja telkkari on paalla yli kahdeksan tuntia paivittain. Kodeissa on enemman televisioita kuin ihmisia; melkein joka huoneessa on vastaanotin. Ei ihme etta ne, jotka omistavat median, omistavat kansalaisten mielen. (Varsinkin, kun suurin osa ohjelmista on puppua ja tyhjan taytetta, jotta saataisiin mainokset nakyviin.)
TVs taking over in U.S. homes
By DAVID BAUDER The AssociatedPress
NEW YORK — The average U.S. home has more television sets than people.
That threshold was crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said.
Rick Melen, a facilities manager, has three sets in the Somers, N.Y., home he shares with his wife. That doesn't count the bathroom set that broke down and hasn't been replaced or the speakers installed near their hot tub, allowing them to watch a wide-screen set through a window.
"It's really just a matter of where your living takes place, what rooms you tend to spend your time in," Melen said Thursday. "Other appliances you can move from room to room, but if you have cable, you can't move a television."
Also, the popularity of flat-screen TVs makes it easy to put sets where they haven't been before.
Half of U.S. homes have three or more TVs, and only 19 percent have just one, Nielsen said. In 1975, 57 percent of homes had only one set and 11 percent had three or more, the company said.
David and Teresa Leon, of Schenectady, N.Y., and their 4-year-old twins have seven sets, plus an eighth they haven't set up yet. They include TVs in the parents' and kids' bedrooms, the family and living rooms and one in the kitchen that is usually tuned to a news station.
"No one ever sits down for more than a few seconds in this house," said Teresa Leon, a stenographer. "This way you can watch TV while you're moving from room to room, folding laundry or taking care of the kids."
In the average home, a television set is on for more than one-third of the day: 8 hours, 14 minutes, Nielsen said. That's an hour more than it was a decade ago.
The average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day, Nielsen said.
One new Nielsen finding — that young people 12 to 17 watched 3 percent more television during the season that ended in May than they had the previous year — is a particular relief to TV network executives.
For a few years, Nielsen had found that TV viewing among teenagers was flat or declining, a trend blamed on the Internet or the popularity of electronic games and other devices.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
TVs taking over in U.S. homes
By DAVID BAUDER The AssociatedPress
NEW YORK — The average U.S. home has more television sets than people.
That threshold was crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said.
Rick Melen, a facilities manager, has three sets in the Somers, N.Y., home he shares with his wife. That doesn't count the bathroom set that broke down and hasn't been replaced or the speakers installed near their hot tub, allowing them to watch a wide-screen set through a window.
"It's really just a matter of where your living takes place, what rooms you tend to spend your time in," Melen said Thursday. "Other appliances you can move from room to room, but if you have cable, you can't move a television."
Also, the popularity of flat-screen TVs makes it easy to put sets where they haven't been before.
Half of U.S. homes have three or more TVs, and only 19 percent have just one, Nielsen said. In 1975, 57 percent of homes had only one set and 11 percent had three or more, the company said.
David and Teresa Leon, of Schenectady, N.Y., and their 4-year-old twins have seven sets, plus an eighth they haven't set up yet. They include TVs in the parents' and kids' bedrooms, the family and living rooms and one in the kitchen that is usually tuned to a news station.
"No one ever sits down for more than a few seconds in this house," said Teresa Leon, a stenographer. "This way you can watch TV while you're moving from room to room, folding laundry or taking care of the kids."
In the average home, a television set is on for more than one-third of the day: 8 hours, 14 minutes, Nielsen said. That's an hour more than it was a decade ago.
The average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day, Nielsen said.
One new Nielsen finding — that young people 12 to 17 watched 3 percent more television during the season that ended in May than they had the previous year — is a particular relief to TV network executives.
For a few years, Nielsen had found that TV viewing among teenagers was flat or declining, a trend blamed on the Internet or the popularity of electronic games and other devices.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Happy Reunion
This is a heart-warming story: family members, who have not seen each other for 65 years get reunited. It's also very sad: a lifetime of not knowing that your family was still alive.
When I traveled in Israel almost 20 years ago I met a friendly older woman who had survived the Holocaust by hiding in someone's attic. She was a teenager at the time. After the war she had moved to Israel and found some surviving family members. It was remarkable to hear a first-hand account of such a survival story.
Siblings reunited 65 years after being separated during Holocaust
By ARON HELLERThe Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Hilda Shlick thought she lost nearly all her family in the Holocaust — until her Internet-savvy grandsons located her brother in Canada.
"After 65 years, I have found the sister who I love," Simon Glasberg, 81, said Monday in heavily accented English, his eyes filling with tears. "I can't stop kissing her."
Using the database of Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, two of Shlick's grandchildren, Benny and David, began unearthing a mystery spanning six decades.
While improved technology in recent years has made the task of tracking Holocaust survivors easier, fewer survivors remain as each year passes.
Scanning the database, the grandsons, both in their 20s, discovered an entry erroneously stating their grandmother had perished half a century earlier. That entry led them to other surviving relatives, who brought about the siblings' emotional reunion Friday.
When Glasberg, who lives near Ottawa, saw his gray-haired little sister for the first time, he recognized her immediately, he said.
"I felt I couldn't talk. I just cried," he said. "You don't understand, 65 years. ... " His voice trailed off.
Shlick, 75, said she too was overwhelmed by the discovery.
"For 65 years, I lived thinking I had no family besides one sister," she said.
Since Friday's reunion, the family bond has clearly been re-established, with the two elderly siblings playfully joking and reminiscing in a hearty mixture of Russian and Yiddish. Their large families have quickly become close.
The last time the two saw each other was in 1941, when the Glasberg family of Chernowitz, Romania, was separated after the Nazis invaded.
Hilda, then 10, escaped to Uzbekistan with her older sister Bertha. The rest of the family — parents Henia and Benzion, and brothers Simon, Mark, Karol and Eddie — stayed in Romania, finding refuge in a basement. The fate of one sister, Pepi, remains unknown. She disappeared and is presumed to have been killed by the Nazis.
Glasberg, his brothers and parents emigrated to Canada after the war ended. Shlick and her sister moved to Estonia, where Bertha died in 1970.
In 1998, Shlick immigrated to Israel. During a family conversation this summer, her grandsons learned her maiden name was Glasberg, and they began to investigate her past.
They logged onto the Yad Vashem Web site and found a page of testimony submitted in 1999 by her brother Karol, of Montreal, who wrote about his sister Hilda, who "perished in the Shoah [Holocaust]."
Karol died that same year, but further searches through the Web site of the Montreal Burial Society and online forums of survivors of Chernowitz, Shlick's grandsons were able to track down his son, who filled in what happened to the divided family.
Shlick's parents died in the 1980s in Montreal, living well into their 90s, as did her brother Eddie, who died in 2004.
Mark Glasberg lives in Ottawa, but was too ill to travel to Israel to meet his sister. His son Irving, however, lives in Israel, just half an hour away from his missing relatives.
Shlick said she plans to travel to Canada soon to see her other relatives and visit the graves of the parents she lost as a child.
Glasberg, though thrilled to find his sister, said the reunion was bittersweet because of the years the family was divided.
"My poor parents, they always said, 'We wish we would find all our kids,' " he said. "It is such a tragedy, but now I am so happy."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003265094_reunion19.html
When I traveled in Israel almost 20 years ago I met a friendly older woman who had survived the Holocaust by hiding in someone's attic. She was a teenager at the time. After the war she had moved to Israel and found some surviving family members. It was remarkable to hear a first-hand account of such a survival story.
Siblings reunited 65 years after being separated during Holocaust
By ARON HELLERThe Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Hilda Shlick thought she lost nearly all her family in the Holocaust — until her Internet-savvy grandsons located her brother in Canada.
"After 65 years, I have found the sister who I love," Simon Glasberg, 81, said Monday in heavily accented English, his eyes filling with tears. "I can't stop kissing her."
Using the database of Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, two of Shlick's grandchildren, Benny and David, began unearthing a mystery spanning six decades.
While improved technology in recent years has made the task of tracking Holocaust survivors easier, fewer survivors remain as each year passes.
Scanning the database, the grandsons, both in their 20s, discovered an entry erroneously stating their grandmother had perished half a century earlier. That entry led them to other surviving relatives, who brought about the siblings' emotional reunion Friday.
When Glasberg, who lives near Ottawa, saw his gray-haired little sister for the first time, he recognized her immediately, he said.
"I felt I couldn't talk. I just cried," he said. "You don't understand, 65 years. ... " His voice trailed off.
Shlick, 75, said she too was overwhelmed by the discovery.
"For 65 years, I lived thinking I had no family besides one sister," she said.
Since Friday's reunion, the family bond has clearly been re-established, with the two elderly siblings playfully joking and reminiscing in a hearty mixture of Russian and Yiddish. Their large families have quickly become close.
The last time the two saw each other was in 1941, when the Glasberg family of Chernowitz, Romania, was separated after the Nazis invaded.
Hilda, then 10, escaped to Uzbekistan with her older sister Bertha. The rest of the family — parents Henia and Benzion, and brothers Simon, Mark, Karol and Eddie — stayed in Romania, finding refuge in a basement. The fate of one sister, Pepi, remains unknown. She disappeared and is presumed to have been killed by the Nazis.
Glasberg, his brothers and parents emigrated to Canada after the war ended. Shlick and her sister moved to Estonia, where Bertha died in 1970.
In 1998, Shlick immigrated to Israel. During a family conversation this summer, her grandsons learned her maiden name was Glasberg, and they began to investigate her past.
They logged onto the Yad Vashem Web site and found a page of testimony submitted in 1999 by her brother Karol, of Montreal, who wrote about his sister Hilda, who "perished in the Shoah [Holocaust]."
Karol died that same year, but further searches through the Web site of the Montreal Burial Society and online forums of survivors of Chernowitz, Shlick's grandsons were able to track down his son, who filled in what happened to the divided family.
Shlick's parents died in the 1980s in Montreal, living well into their 90s, as did her brother Eddie, who died in 2004.
Mark Glasberg lives in Ottawa, but was too ill to travel to Israel to meet his sister. His son Irving, however, lives in Israel, just half an hour away from his missing relatives.
Shlick said she plans to travel to Canada soon to see her other relatives and visit the graves of the parents she lost as a child.
Glasberg, though thrilled to find his sister, said the reunion was bittersweet because of the years the family was divided.
"My poor parents, they always said, 'We wish we would find all our kids,' " he said. "It is such a tragedy, but now I am so happy."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003265094_reunion19.html
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Easy Days Are Over
The days of cruising into high school graduation are finally over in Washington State. Now students have to pass WASL in order to graduate. Washington students are not used to having to perform at this level, and many are failing the test. What's most troublesome about the test is that minorities and students from poor families are doing much worse than average. Americans don't like to talk about race or class - that's so Old World - but it is very evident from the test scores that race and class have a lot to do with one's success.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003257791_wasl14m.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003257791_wasl14m.html
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Syyskuun yhdestoista
Tanaan tulee viisi vuotta siita, kun Yhdysvaltoihin hyokattiin neljan matkustajakoneen voimin. Muistan viela hyvin sen aamun: olin juuri lahdossa toihin kun aiti soitti Suomesta ja kaski laittaa telkkarin paalle, silla New Yorkissa on juuri tapahtunut jotain kamalaa. Sanoin etten ehdi, mutta panen autossa radion paalle. Vasta ajaessani toihin tajusin terroriteon vakavuuden.
Kun tulin tyopaikalle olin jo tosi jarkyttyneessa tilassa kuunneltuani radion lahetysta; yhdessa eraan tyokaverin kanssa lahdimme tuttavan luokse katsomaan telkkarista koko tapahtumaa. Pian molemmat tornit hajosivat silmiemme edessa ja tuhannet ihmiset juoksivat pakoon ympari kaupunkia. Monta paivaa iskujen jalkeen kuuntelin radiosta itku kurkussa uutisia ja silminnakijoiden kokemuksia tuon paivan tapahtumista. Kaikki tuntui liian laheiselta; olin valmis lahtemaan kostoretkelle.
On vielakin vaikea uskoa syyskuun yhdennentoista tapahtumia todeksi. Mutta on viela vaikeampaa (ja surullista) todeta miten paljon elama Yhdysvalloissa on muuttunut viiden vuoden takaisten tapahtumien vuoksi. Totta on, etta hyokkays oli kammottava ja ihmishenkien menetys raskas, mutta mita onkaan saavutettu kaikella sotimisella ja uholla?
Syyskuun yhdennestatoista on tullut politiikan pelinappula. Kaikella siihen liittyvalla manipuloidaan kansalaisia tarrautumaan mahdottomalta tuntuviin uskonkappaleisiin ja hylkaamaan kaiken sen, mika on tehnyt Amerikasta uniikin: vapauden olla ja elaa omaa elamaansa niin kuin haluaa.
Kun tulin tyopaikalle olin jo tosi jarkyttyneessa tilassa kuunneltuani radion lahetysta; yhdessa eraan tyokaverin kanssa lahdimme tuttavan luokse katsomaan telkkarista koko tapahtumaa. Pian molemmat tornit hajosivat silmiemme edessa ja tuhannet ihmiset juoksivat pakoon ympari kaupunkia. Monta paivaa iskujen jalkeen kuuntelin radiosta itku kurkussa uutisia ja silminnakijoiden kokemuksia tuon paivan tapahtumista. Kaikki tuntui liian laheiselta; olin valmis lahtemaan kostoretkelle.
On vielakin vaikea uskoa syyskuun yhdennentoista tapahtumia todeksi. Mutta on viela vaikeampaa (ja surullista) todeta miten paljon elama Yhdysvalloissa on muuttunut viiden vuoden takaisten tapahtumien vuoksi. Totta on, etta hyokkays oli kammottava ja ihmishenkien menetys raskas, mutta mita onkaan saavutettu kaikella sotimisella ja uholla?
Syyskuun yhdennestatoista on tullut politiikan pelinappula. Kaikella siihen liittyvalla manipuloidaan kansalaisia tarrautumaan mahdottomalta tuntuviin uskonkappaleisiin ja hylkaamaan kaiken sen, mika on tehnyt Amerikasta uniikin: vapauden olla ja elaa omaa elamaansa niin kuin haluaa.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Muuttotouhut
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Muutamme uuteen kotiin syyskuussa. Kuvassa meidan rivitalo. Tanaan menee vanha talo myyntiin. Olemme raataneet niska limassa viimeiset kaksi viikkoa: siivonneet, maalanneet, kitkeneet rikkaruohoja, pakanneet laatikoita ja korjanneet kamoja pois silmista. Selkaa sarkee, mutta olo on hyva.
Toivottavasti talo saadaan pian myydyksi, ettei tarvitse maksaa kahta lyhennysta. Seattlessa asuntomarkkinat ovat edelleen hyvat, vaikka muualla maassa on jo alkanut taantuma.
Friday, September 01, 2006
The Scream
The Scream is back! Edvard Munch's most famous painting was stolen two years ago but has been returned to the museum in Oslo. This is good news indeed - what would we do without the image of the best crazy scream in the world?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Fascism is the new frame
George Bush and some Republicans have begun to call Islamic terrorists fascists, and those who disagree with their policies as fascist sympathizers. These are very powerful words and they frame the discussion on Iraq war and other Bush administration policies with scary and repulsive images. Who would want to be associated with fascism?
I found some interesting definitions on fascism written by Chip Berlet in 1992. It seems to me that Bush and his cronies have their own similarities with fascist ideology.
Fascism was forged in the crucible of post-World War I nationalism in Europe. … The humiliation imposed by the victors in the Great War, coupled with the hardship of the economic Depression, created bitterness and anger. That anger frequently found its outlet in an ideology that asserted not just the importance of the nation, but its unquestionable primacy and central predestined role in history.
In identifying "goodness" and "superiority" with "us," there was a tendency to identify "evil" with "them." This process involves scapegoating and dehumanization. It was then an easy step to blame all societal problems on "them," and presuppose a conspiracy of these evildoers which had emasculated and humiliated the idealized core group of the nation. To solve society's problems one need only unmask the conspirators and eliminate them.
Fascism and Nazism as ideologies involve, to varying degrees, some of the following hallmarks:
*** Nationalism and super-patriotism with a sense of historic mission.
*** Aggressive militarism even to the extent of glorifying war as good for the national or individual spirit.
*** Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others…
*** Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate.
*** Cult of personality around a charismatic leader.
*** Reaction against the values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism.
*** Exhortations for the homogeneous masses of common folk to join voluntarily in a heroic mission; often metaphysical and romanticized in character.
*** Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy - seeing the enemy as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them.
*** The self image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism and democracy.
*** Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society.
*** Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power.
From: NLG Civil Liberties Committee
Sept. 27, 1992 by Chip Berlet
http://www.remember.org/hist.root.what.html
I found some interesting definitions on fascism written by Chip Berlet in 1992. It seems to me that Bush and his cronies have their own similarities with fascist ideology.
Fascism was forged in the crucible of post-World War I nationalism in Europe. … The humiliation imposed by the victors in the Great War, coupled with the hardship of the economic Depression, created bitterness and anger. That anger frequently found its outlet in an ideology that asserted not just the importance of the nation, but its unquestionable primacy and central predestined role in history.
In identifying "goodness" and "superiority" with "us," there was a tendency to identify "evil" with "them." This process involves scapegoating and dehumanization. It was then an easy step to blame all societal problems on "them," and presuppose a conspiracy of these evildoers which had emasculated and humiliated the idealized core group of the nation. To solve society's problems one need only unmask the conspirators and eliminate them.
Fascism and Nazism as ideologies involve, to varying degrees, some of the following hallmarks:
*** Nationalism and super-patriotism with a sense of historic mission.
*** Aggressive militarism even to the extent of glorifying war as good for the national or individual spirit.
*** Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others…
*** Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate.
*** Cult of personality around a charismatic leader.
*** Reaction against the values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism.
*** Exhortations for the homogeneous masses of common folk to join voluntarily in a heroic mission; often metaphysical and romanticized in character.
*** Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy - seeing the enemy as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them.
*** The self image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism and democracy.
*** Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society.
*** Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power.
From: NLG Civil Liberties Committee
Sept. 27, 1992 by Chip Berlet
http://www.remember.org/hist.root.what.html
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Polygamisti
Warren Jeffs pidatettiin Las Vegasin lahella vastikaan. Han on Yhdysvaltain tunnetuin ja vaarallisin polygamisti, joka on naittanut nuoria teinityttoja vanhoille miehille ja samalla potkinut nuoret kilpakosijat ulos uskonlahkostaan [mormoni]. Hanella itsellaan on tiettavasti yli neljakymmenta vaimoa ja kuutisenkymmenta lasta. Han kuvittelee ilmeisesti olevansa uusi Abraham.
Monday, August 28, 2006
New Orleans
On kulunut vuosi siita kun Katrina iski New Orleansiin ja tuhosi melkein koko kaupungin. Korjaus ja kunnostus on edennyt erittain hitaasti. Suuri osa kaupungista on edelleen rojun peitossa, ja kaupungista puuttuu infrastruktuuri: sairaalat, koulut, ruokakaupat jne. Monet entiset asukkaat (erityisesti mustat, koyhat) ovat tilapaisissa asunnoissa ympari maata, eivatka voi palata enaa takaisin, silla heidan kotejaan ei ehka koskaan kunnosteta. New Orleansista tulee "vitivalkoinen" ja steriili, tynka kaupunki...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Torniossa 31.5.1956
Alatornion Kourilehdossa Liakanjoella eilen sattuneen kuusi ihmishenkea vaatineen hukkumisonnettomuuden tutkimukset aloitettiin tanaan. Koululaisia kuljettanut ruuhi on todettu vanhaksi, lahoksi ja vuotavaksi.
Tallaisia kuljetuksia on Alatornion rannassa suoritettu kolmessa paikassa. Koulujen johtokunnat ovat antaneet kuljetustehtavan sovitusta maksusta, jonka kunta suorittaa, jollekin henkilolle taman omalla veneella.
Onnettomuusruuhta ei ollut kunnanviranomaisten toimesta ennen kuljetukseen hyvaksymista tarkastettu, vaikka se olisi heille kuulunut. Nyt on myos todettu, etta tasapohjainen ruuhi ei ole sopiva ylikuljetuksiin virtapaikoissa, vaikka se on hyva suvantopaikoissa.
Lehdistotilaisuus
Will Durst kirjoittaa satiirisessa kolumnissaan presidentti Bushin viimeisimmasta lehdistotilaisuudesta. Presidentti kehittelee uusia sloganeita, silla vanhat eivat enaa tepsi. Tavalla tai toisella eparoivat ja epailevat amerikkalaiset on vakuutettava siita, etta Bush on oikealla asialla ja kaikki muut vaarassa [wrong].
Dubya's Latest Press Debacle by Will Durst
A lot of trees died in vain as newsprint this week reporting on the time President Bush wasted in a desperate attempt to float a new trial balloon in his tortured six year war against logic, reason, gravity and physics.
Apparently he's in need of a new sack of gas to tie his failed Iraqi war plan to. Due to the fact his most recent verbal bag of helium: "stay the course" has been tossed onto the same discarded pile of shriveled rubber as "dead or alive," "smoking gun as a mushroom cloud" and "welcomed with flowers and candy."
He held an hour-long press conference in an elastic attempt to sound reasonable and succeeded the same way a rabid flatulent weasel hiding in a half empty Whole Foods spinach fettucine bin does. Trotting out a series of mantras, the President tried appealing to average Americans who recent polls say still retain their admiration for the man for his stick-to-itiveness, though they remain a bit skeptical of his synaptic activity. Much like a man intent on breaking through a brick wall using only his forehead. While you got to admire his persistence you probably don't want him doing math.
Experimenting with the calibrated residue of Karl Rove's extensive hot air polling of focus groups, Dubyah introduced the new official buzz phrase of the Iraqi occupation: the word "wrong." Cutting and running is "wrong." The Democrats are patriotic but "wrong." Spandex on NFL linemen. Screw Kappa Napa. Its all just "wrong." He went on to say if we don't finish the job in Iraq, the world will see us as quitters and you know what they say about quitters. "Quitters bruise their shins and winners never evacuate and are destined to bloat up like poisoned toads," or something like that. He wasn't really clear. As usual.
"There's a lot of people -- good, decent people -- saying, 'Withdraw now.' They're wrong," Bush said. "There are a lot of people in the Democrat Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done, period. And they're wrong." Unfortunately he steadfastly refuses to tell us exactly what job he is talking about. I'm thinking it has to do with developing a falafel based oil substitute.
He further explained if we leave, the terrorists will follow us home. And if they follow us home, we'll have to walk them twice a day and feed them and brush them and they'll need shots and let me tell you right now, they're sleeping outside, mister. Oh sure, they're cute when they're young, but when terrorists grow up, they're just like animals. Constantly begging for scraps and whimpering because they're afraid to be left alone. "Allah is watching." Chewing shoes. Peeing on their prayer rug.
At the end, he waxed weirdly poetic and at the same time loopy. "Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy, you know. But war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times... and they're straining the psyche of our country." And as one who's had my psyche strained, I got to admit, he's right. "We're not leaving so long as I'm the President." Okay Mr. President, whatever it takes.
Will Durst is a political comic, syndicated columnist and AM radio talk show host.
http://www.willdurst.com/
Dubya's Latest Press Debacle by Will Durst
A lot of trees died in vain as newsprint this week reporting on the time President Bush wasted in a desperate attempt to float a new trial balloon in his tortured six year war against logic, reason, gravity and physics.
Apparently he's in need of a new sack of gas to tie his failed Iraqi war plan to. Due to the fact his most recent verbal bag of helium: "stay the course" has been tossed onto the same discarded pile of shriveled rubber as "dead or alive," "smoking gun as a mushroom cloud" and "welcomed with flowers and candy."
He held an hour-long press conference in an elastic attempt to sound reasonable and succeeded the same way a rabid flatulent weasel hiding in a half empty Whole Foods spinach fettucine bin does. Trotting out a series of mantras, the President tried appealing to average Americans who recent polls say still retain their admiration for the man for his stick-to-itiveness, though they remain a bit skeptical of his synaptic activity. Much like a man intent on breaking through a brick wall using only his forehead. While you got to admire his persistence you probably don't want him doing math.
Experimenting with the calibrated residue of Karl Rove's extensive hot air polling of focus groups, Dubyah introduced the new official buzz phrase of the Iraqi occupation: the word "wrong." Cutting and running is "wrong." The Democrats are patriotic but "wrong." Spandex on NFL linemen. Screw Kappa Napa. Its all just "wrong." He went on to say if we don't finish the job in Iraq, the world will see us as quitters and you know what they say about quitters. "Quitters bruise their shins and winners never evacuate and are destined to bloat up like poisoned toads," or something like that. He wasn't really clear. As usual.
"There's a lot of people -- good, decent people -- saying, 'Withdraw now.' They're wrong," Bush said. "There are a lot of people in the Democrat Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done, period. And they're wrong." Unfortunately he steadfastly refuses to tell us exactly what job he is talking about. I'm thinking it has to do with developing a falafel based oil substitute.
He further explained if we leave, the terrorists will follow us home. And if they follow us home, we'll have to walk them twice a day and feed them and brush them and they'll need shots and let me tell you right now, they're sleeping outside, mister. Oh sure, they're cute when they're young, but when terrorists grow up, they're just like animals. Constantly begging for scraps and whimpering because they're afraid to be left alone. "Allah is watching." Chewing shoes. Peeing on their prayer rug.
At the end, he waxed weirdly poetic and at the same time loopy. "Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy, you know. But war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times... and they're straining the psyche of our country." And as one who's had my psyche strained, I got to admit, he's right. "We're not leaving so long as I'm the President." Okay Mr. President, whatever it takes.
Will Durst is a political comic, syndicated columnist and AM radio talk show host.
http://www.willdurst.com/
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Takki paalle
Kuudelta heratessani ulkona oli pimeaa. Avoimesta vessan ikkunasta solui yon viilentamaa ilmaa sisalle. Lahtiessani toihin laitoin takin paalleni ensimmaisen kerran koko kesana, silla ilmassa oli kirpean, syksyisen aamun maku.
Yksi kesa on taas ohi. Seattlessa lapset paasevat koulusta vasta juhannuksen tienoilla ja aloittavat uusiksi syyskuun alussa. Tuntuu kuin puolet kesasta olisi jo ohi ennen kuin se vasta alkaa (lasten kouluvuosihan maarittelee kesan).
Kesat olivat niin pitkia 60- ja 70-luvuilla; silloin kun olin itse lapsi. Nyt kesa on jo ohi ennen kuin sen huomaa saapuneen. Missa onkaan se tunne ikuisesta poutapaivasta ja kiireettomasta onkireissusta?
Yksi kesa on taas ohi. Seattlessa lapset paasevat koulusta vasta juhannuksen tienoilla ja aloittavat uusiksi syyskuun alussa. Tuntuu kuin puolet kesasta olisi jo ohi ennen kuin se vasta alkaa (lasten kouluvuosihan maarittelee kesan).
Kesat olivat niin pitkia 60- ja 70-luvuilla; silloin kun olin itse lapsi. Nyt kesa on jo ohi ennen kuin sen huomaa saapuneen. Missa onkaan se tunne ikuisesta poutapaivasta ja kiireettomasta onkireissusta?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Amerikan kuningas
Viime viikolla liittovaltion tuomari Anna Diggs Taylor tuomitsi presidentin salakuunteluohjelman perustuslain vastaiseksi ja laittomaksi. Hanen mukaansa Bushin hallitus on kayttaytynyt kuin kuningas joka perii vallan, ja jonka ei tarvitse vastata tekemisistaan kansalle. Tama on demokratian ja Yhdysvaltain kansalaisoikeuksien vastaista. ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union], jonka jasen minakin olen, vei hallituksen oikeuteen ja voitti ensimmaisen eran. Bush on puolustanut salakuuntelua raivokkaasti terrorismin vastaisen sodan nimissa. Taistelu kansalaisoikeuksista jatkuu...
http://www.aclu.org/
The judge said the government, in defending the program, appeared to be saying the president had the "inherent power" to violate laws of Congress.
"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control," Taylor wrote in a 43-page opinion. "There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all 'inherent powers' must derive from that Constitution."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2003209970&slug=nsa19&date=20060819
Monday, August 21, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Political Survival
Bush's Political Survival Depends on Terror Threats
By William Greider, TheNation.comPosted on August 14, 2006, Printed on August 14, 2006http://www.alternet.org/story/40280/
An evil symbiosis does exist between Muslim terrorists and American politicians, but it is not the one Republicans describe. The jihadists need George W. Bush to sustain their cause. His bloody crusade in the Middle East bolsters their accusation that America is out to destroy Islam. The president has unwittingly made himself the lead recruiter of willing young martyrs.
More to the point, it is equally true that Bush desperately needs the terrorists. They are his last frail hope for political survival. They divert public attention, at least momentarily, from his disastrous war in Iraq and his shameful abuses of the Constitution. The "news" of terror -- whether real or fantasized -- reduces American politics to its most primitive impulses, the realm of fear-and-smear where George Bush is at his best.
So, once again in the run-up to a national election, we are visited with alarming news. A monstrous plot, red alert, high drama playing on all channels and extreme measures taken to tighten security.
The White House men wear grave faces, but they cannot hide their delight. It's another chance for Bush to protect us from those aliens with funny names, another opportunity to accuse Democrats of aiding and abetting the enemy.
This has worked twice before. It could work again this fall unless gullible Americans snap out of it. Wake up, folks, and recognize how stupid and wimpish you look. I wrote the following two years ago during a similar episode of red alerts: "Bush's 'war on terrorism' is a political slogan -- not a coherent strategy for national defense -- and it succeeds brillantly only as politics. For everything else, it is quite illogical."
Where is the famous American skepticism? The loose-jointed ability to laugh at ourselves in anxious moments? Can't people see the campy joke in this docudrama called "Terror in the Sky"? The joke is on them. I have a suspicion that a lot of Americans actually enjoy the occasional fright since they know the alarm bell does actually not toll for them. It's a good, scary movie, but it's a slapstick war.
The other day at the airport in Burlington, Vermont, security guards confiscated liquid containers from two adolescent sisters returning home from vacation. The substance was labeled "Pure Maple Syrup." I am reminded of the Amish pretzel factory that was put on Pennsylvania's list of targets. Mothers with babes in arms are now told they must take a swiq of their baby formula before they can board the plane. I already feel safer.
The latest plot uncovered by British authorities may be real. Or maybe not. We do not yet know enough to be certain. The early reporting does not reassure or settle anything (though the Brits do sound more convincing than former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who gave "terror alerts" such a bad reputation). Tony Blair is no more trustworthy on these matters than Bush and Cheney. British investigators are as anxious as their American counterparts to prove their vigilance (and support their leaders). The close collaboration with Pakistani authorities doesn't exactly add credibility.
One question to ask is: Why now? The police have had a "mole" inside this operation since late 2005, but have yet to explain why they felt the need to swoop down and arest alleged plotters at this moment (two days after the Connecticut primary produced a triumph for anti-war politics).
The early claim that a massive takedown of a dozen airliners was set for August 16 is "rubbish," according to London authorities. So who decided this case was ripe for its public rollout? Blair consulted Cheney: What did they decide? American economist Jamie Galbraith was on a ten-hour flight from Manchester, England, to Boston on the day the story broke, and has wittily reflected on other weak points in the official story line.
The point is, Americans are not entirely defenseless pawns. They can keep their wits and reserve judgment. They can voice loudly the skepticism that Bush and company have earned by politicizing of the so-called "war" from the very start. Leading Democrats are toughening up. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid uses plain English to explain what the Republicans up to -- using genuine concerns of national security "as a political wedge issue. It is disgusting, but not surprising."
Instead of cowering in silence, the opposition party should start explaining this sick joke. Political confusion starts with the ill-conceived definition of a "war" that's best fought by police work, not heavy brigades on a battlefield. Forget the hype, call for common sense and stout hearts.
All we know, for sure, is that Bush and his handlers are not going to back off the fear-and-smear strategy until it loses an election for them. Maybe this will be the year.
William Greider is the author of, most recently, "The Soul of Capitalism" (Simon & Schuster).
By William Greider, TheNation.comPosted on August 14, 2006, Printed on August 14, 2006http://www.alternet.org/story/40280/
An evil symbiosis does exist between Muslim terrorists and American politicians, but it is not the one Republicans describe. The jihadists need George W. Bush to sustain their cause. His bloody crusade in the Middle East bolsters their accusation that America is out to destroy Islam. The president has unwittingly made himself the lead recruiter of willing young martyrs.
More to the point, it is equally true that Bush desperately needs the terrorists. They are his last frail hope for political survival. They divert public attention, at least momentarily, from his disastrous war in Iraq and his shameful abuses of the Constitution. The "news" of terror -- whether real or fantasized -- reduces American politics to its most primitive impulses, the realm of fear-and-smear where George Bush is at his best.
So, once again in the run-up to a national election, we are visited with alarming news. A monstrous plot, red alert, high drama playing on all channels and extreme measures taken to tighten security.
The White House men wear grave faces, but they cannot hide their delight. It's another chance for Bush to protect us from those aliens with funny names, another opportunity to accuse Democrats of aiding and abetting the enemy.
This has worked twice before. It could work again this fall unless gullible Americans snap out of it. Wake up, folks, and recognize how stupid and wimpish you look. I wrote the following two years ago during a similar episode of red alerts: "Bush's 'war on terrorism' is a political slogan -- not a coherent strategy for national defense -- and it succeeds brillantly only as politics. For everything else, it is quite illogical."
Where is the famous American skepticism? The loose-jointed ability to laugh at ourselves in anxious moments? Can't people see the campy joke in this docudrama called "Terror in the Sky"? The joke is on them. I have a suspicion that a lot of Americans actually enjoy the occasional fright since they know the alarm bell does actually not toll for them. It's a good, scary movie, but it's a slapstick war.
The other day at the airport in Burlington, Vermont, security guards confiscated liquid containers from two adolescent sisters returning home from vacation. The substance was labeled "Pure Maple Syrup." I am reminded of the Amish pretzel factory that was put on Pennsylvania's list of targets. Mothers with babes in arms are now told they must take a swiq of their baby formula before they can board the plane. I already feel safer.
The latest plot uncovered by British authorities may be real. Or maybe not. We do not yet know enough to be certain. The early reporting does not reassure or settle anything (though the Brits do sound more convincing than former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who gave "terror alerts" such a bad reputation). Tony Blair is no more trustworthy on these matters than Bush and Cheney. British investigators are as anxious as their American counterparts to prove their vigilance (and support their leaders). The close collaboration with Pakistani authorities doesn't exactly add credibility.
One question to ask is: Why now? The police have had a "mole" inside this operation since late 2005, but have yet to explain why they felt the need to swoop down and arest alleged plotters at this moment (two days after the Connecticut primary produced a triumph for anti-war politics).
The early claim that a massive takedown of a dozen airliners was set for August 16 is "rubbish," according to London authorities. So who decided this case was ripe for its public rollout? Blair consulted Cheney: What did they decide? American economist Jamie Galbraith was on a ten-hour flight from Manchester, England, to Boston on the day the story broke, and has wittily reflected on other weak points in the official story line.
The point is, Americans are not entirely defenseless pawns. They can keep their wits and reserve judgment. They can voice loudly the skepticism that Bush and company have earned by politicizing of the so-called "war" from the very start. Leading Democrats are toughening up. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid uses plain English to explain what the Republicans up to -- using genuine concerns of national security "as a political wedge issue. It is disgusting, but not surprising."
Instead of cowering in silence, the opposition party should start explaining this sick joke. Political confusion starts with the ill-conceived definition of a "war" that's best fought by police work, not heavy brigades on a battlefield. Forget the hype, call for common sense and stout hearts.
All we know, for sure, is that Bush and his handlers are not going to back off the fear-and-smear strategy until it loses an election for them. Maybe this will be the year.
William Greider is the author of, most recently, "The Soul of Capitalism" (Simon & Schuster).
Friday, August 11, 2006
Politikointi
Terrorismilla politikointi on alkanut. Oikeisto vakuuttelee, etta terrorismin torjumisessa on oikeasta sodasta kyse, ja etta he pystyvat pitamaan amerikkalaiset turvassa. Vasemmalta kuuluu, etta maan suunta on nurinkurinen: Irakin sota on vain lietsonut lisaa fanaattisia muslimi-terroristeja, ja Israelin puolueellinen tukeminen pahentaa tilannetta. On ahdistavaa ajatella, etta jos oikeisto voittaa viela yhdet kongressin vaalit, niin seuraavat kaksi vuotta jatkuu samanlaisena sotimisena, luonnon, kansalaisoikeuksien, tyontekijoiden, elakelaisten, vahemmistojen, keskiluokan tallomisena. Kaikki "terrorismin torjumisen" nimissa.
Valtiotieteen professori Washingtonin yliopistosta vertasi Bushin kautta 1920-lukuun. "Ryovari-paronit" [robber barons] veivat kaiken hyvan ja yltakyllaisyyden omaan pussiinsa tyontekijoiden ja luonnon kustannuksella. Juhlat jatkuivat vuoteen 1929, kunnes talous romahti rutkasti. Tuli maailmanlaajuinen lama. Nyt ollaan samankaltaisessa tilanteessa, jossa "paroneilla" on suunnaton valta ja vauraus, ja poliitikot takataskussaan. He eivat eparoi kayttaa mitaan taktiikkaa pitaakseen status quon ylla.
Joidenkin tahojen mukaan [Ron Suskind] bin Laden halusi Bushin valittavaksi toiselle kaudelle, silla hanen ollessa Yhdysvaltain presidenttina terroristijarjestojen on helppo saada lisaa halukkaita jasenia. Tavallaan seka Bush etta bin Laden ovat toisillensa hyodyllisia...
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/40169/
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Pelottelu
Nyt on siis varsinainen vaalikausi Yhdysvalloissa alkanut (kongressin vaalit marraskuussa): terrorismilla pelottelu alkoi - aikaisemmin kuin osasin odottaa. Kasivoide, vesipullot ja huulipuna on kielletty matkustajien kasimatkatavaroista. [Huulipuna-terroristi?] Onneksi ehdimme pois Havaijilta ennen kuin matkustajien riepottelu alkoi.
Amerikassa on nostettu "uhkataso" punaiseksi, eli uhkaa pidetaan valittomana. Nyt sitten eletaan taman pelon vallassa ainakin pari kuukautta; ilmi tulee jatkuvasti jotain terrorismiin liittyvaa, mutta hyvin "epaselvaa", kunnes media kyllastyy siita kertomaan ja ihmiset unohtavat olla varuillaan. Sitten onkin jo aika laskea "uhkataso" normaaliksi. Mutta ei ennen kuin vaalivoitto on taattu turvalliseksi todetuille uhoa ja voimaa uhkuville republikaaneille.
Tallaista on vaalikansan manipulointi Amerikassa.
[Totta kai terrorismin uhka on todellinen, mutta ei se silti vaadi kansanhysteriaa tai vapauksista ja oikeuksista luopumista. Mutta jatkuva pelon olotila vaatii.]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4781185.stm
Amerikassa on nostettu "uhkataso" punaiseksi, eli uhkaa pidetaan valittomana. Nyt sitten eletaan taman pelon vallassa ainakin pari kuukautta; ilmi tulee jatkuvasti jotain terrorismiin liittyvaa, mutta hyvin "epaselvaa", kunnes media kyllastyy siita kertomaan ja ihmiset unohtavat olla varuillaan. Sitten onkin jo aika laskea "uhkataso" normaaliksi. Mutta ei ennen kuin vaalivoitto on taattu turvalliseksi todetuille uhoa ja voimaa uhkuville republikaaneille.
Tallaista on vaalikansan manipulointi Amerikassa.
[Totta kai terrorismin uhka on todellinen, mutta ei se silti vaadi kansanhysteriaa tai vapauksista ja oikeuksista luopumista. Mutta jatkuva pelon olotila vaatii.]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4781185.stm
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Joe Lieberman
Connecticutin demokraattinen senaattori Joe Lieberman havisi esivaalin haastajalleen Ned Lamontille, joka vastustaa Irakin sotaa. Lieberman oli kuusi vuotta sitten Al Goren varapresidenttiehdokas. Mutta han on ollut liian innokas Irakin sodan ja presidentti Bushin kannattaja. Nyt on aika maksaa laulujen lunnaat.
Lieberman aikoo viela yrittaa senaattiin syksyn vaaleissa "itsenaisena" [independent] ehdokkaana. Mutta kansa on todella tyytymaton sodan kulkuun ja Bushin toimiin. Toivottavasti se nakyy myos syksylla kun valitaan uusi kongressi. Pelkaan, etta neokonservatiivit keksivat jotain "pelottavaa" ennen vaaleja, ja siten pelastavat republikaaneille viela voiton. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Price of Gas
The price of gas is going through the roof! Because of the shut-down of BP oil production in Alaska due to leaks in the pipeline, Washington State may see the price of gas go up to $4.00/gallon by the end of this week. Yikes! Almost like in Europe. Except that here all the money goes to the filthy rich oil companies and we end up with nothing but our gas-guzzling SUV's hungry for more. In Europe the price of gas has been high (taxes) to discourage excess driving and to build better quality public trasportation systems so that ALL benefit. It has also created a huge market for alternative/green energy production. What a concept!
Jimmy Carter spoke about conserving energy and changing the American energy policy to be less oil-dependent - in the 70's! But America has gone backwards since then thanks to Ronald Reagan and all the other short-sighted Republicans that followed. Now we are up to our eyeballs in fossil fuels. Not to mention climate change...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003182601_oil08.html
Jimmy Carter spoke about conserving energy and changing the American energy policy to be less oil-dependent - in the 70's! But America has gone backwards since then thanks to Ronald Reagan and all the other short-sighted Republicans that followed. Now we are up to our eyeballs in fossil fuels. Not to mention climate change...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003182601_oil08.html
Monday, August 07, 2006
Vendetta
Katsoin eilen elokuvan V for Vendetta. So oli pelottava ja mielenkiintoinen kauhuskenaario lahitulevaisuudesta. Suosittelen.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/
Friday, August 04, 2006
Siniset Enkelit
Joka kesa Seattlessa on festivaali "Seafair", jossa Yhdysvaltain merivoimien Blue Angels [Boeing F/A-18 Hornets] suorittavat akrobaattisia temppuja ilmassa, ja ihmiset pitelevat korvistaan kiinni, silla koneiden aani on murskaava. Yritan pysya poissa kaupungilta kun festivaali on meneillaan, silla en kesta ruuhkaa ja mellastavia kansanjoukkoja (ihmiset keraantyvat Washington jarvelle koko viikonlopuksi ryyppaamaan ja juhlimaan ja katsomaan sinisia enkeleita seka merirosvolaivoja ja moottorivenekilpailuja).
Koneet ovat harjoitelleet nyt toista paivaa Seattlen ilmatilassa, ja vaikka en koskaan mene itse festareille, on jannittavaa katsoa kun siniset enkelit lentavat ohitse valtavan pauhun kera.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Rapurallaa!
Hei!
Minun nimeni on Velma. Olen rapu syomassa juuri hernetta. Minut on kasvatettu pienesta munasta lahtien kotona pienessa akvaariossa; nyt olen jo noin 10 senttia pitka. Syksylla olen taysikasvuinen ja pelkaan etta joku haluaa syoda minut, silla olen monelle herkkua. Toivottavasti ihmiset ovat niin kiintyneet valloittavaan persoonallisuuteeni, etta he eivat edes ajattele minulla maiskuttelua...
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Kuuban dilemma
Kuuban pitkaikainen johtaja on joutunut sairaslomalle ja antanut vallan nuoremmalle veljelleen "toistaiseksi". Villit huhut kiertavat kuubalaisten emigranttien ja muidenkin keskuudessa: onko Fidel Castro henkihieverissa, vai onko han jo kuollut? On ymmarrettavaa, etta Kuuban johto ei halua kertoa asiasta kovin avoimesti, silla sen pahin vihollinen ja lahin naapuri Yhdysvallat on jo kohta viisikymmenta vuotta halunnut paasta eroon Kuuban kommunistisesta hallituksesta. Yhdysvalloilla on pitka historia sekaantumisesta Kuuban sisaisiin asioihin; pelko on siis aito. On mielenkiintoista seurata, mita tapahtuu lahiviikkoina.
Eras ystavani on saanut luvan matkustaa Kuubaan tieteen nimissa (amerikkalaiset eivat saa sinne matkustaa kuin erityisluvalla), silla han on Washingtonin yliopistossa farmakologian professori ja luennoi maailmalla omasta alastaan. Toivottavasti han ei joudu hankaluuksiin historiallisella hetkella...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/279697_castro02.html
Eras ystavani on saanut luvan matkustaa Kuubaan tieteen nimissa (amerikkalaiset eivat saa sinne matkustaa kuin erityisluvalla), silla han on Washingtonin yliopistossa farmakologian professori ja luennoi maailmalla omasta alastaan. Toivottavasti han ei joudu hankaluuksiin historiallisella hetkella...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/279697_castro02.html
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Aloha!
Hawaii is absolutely beautiful with tropical trees, birds and fish. The mountains of Oahu are green and inviting, and Honolulu is a vibrant city, but the best of all is the beach! The water is warm but cool, and the waves are just perfect for swimming, floating or snorkeling.Hawaiians have a positive outlook. They are funny and friendly and very patient with the millions of tourists who swarm their islands on a yearly basis. Aloha!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Waikiki
Menemme Havaijille pakoon Seattlen tukahduttavaa kuumuutta. Huomenna olemme taalla uimassa ja ottamassa aurinkoa!
Kerron matkasta myohemmin lisaa. Palaamme seuraavalla viikolla.
Helteen kourissa
Koko viikonloppu sujui kovan helteen kourissa. Varjossa ainakin 35 astetta celsiusta. Meilla ei ole ilmastointia kuin tyopaikalla, silla Seattlessa ei useinkaan ole nain kuumaa. On siis ollut tuskastuttavaa, eika ole oikein saanut mitaan tehtya. Alan ymmartaa siestan hyodyllisyytta ja etelan ihmisten rauhallisempaa elamanrytmia.
Ylla oleva kuva on itaisesta Washingtonista.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Helleaalto
Seattleen on tullut helleaalto. Viikonlopuksi on luvassa 35 asteen lampoa ja auringonpaistetta. Koko Yhdysvallat on ollut valtavan kuumuuden kourissa viimeisen viikon. Seattle oli ainoa alue, jossa oli siedettavat lampotilat - ei enaa. Onneksi taalla ei ole kuitenkaan sita ahdistavaa kosteutta, joka riepottelee ita-rannikkoa ja etelaa aina kesaisin.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Vanhuus ei tule yksin
Tuore tutkimus osoittaa, etta jos pidamme itseamme "vanhoina", muistimme heikkenee selvasti. "Vahuudenhoperyys" on paljolti psykologista: jos meilta odotetaan huonomuistisuutta niin teemme tyota kaskettya. Jos taas odotukset ovat korkeat, "vanhukset" suoriutuvat aivan yhta hyvin muistikokeista kuin parikymppiset!
Think you're old? It may show in memory test
By Benedict Carey The New York Times
Published: July 19, 2006
Resigning yourself to old age may produce the very mental lapses that most people fear will strike them in their golden years.
In a paper appearing in the current issue of the journal Social Cognition, psychologists report that men and women in late middle age underperformed on a standard memory test when told they were part of a study including people over age 70.
Inclusion with an older group - an indirect reminder of the link between age and memory slippage - was enough to affect their scores, especially for those who were most concerned about getting older, the authors concluded.
Researchers refer to this self-undermining as a stereotype effect, and they have documented it in many groups. In studies, women perform less well on math exams after reading that men tend to perform better on them. Similarly, white men perform less well when they are told that they are competing in math against Asian students.
People over 65 also slump on memory tests when they are reminded of the link between age and mental decline. The study, financed by the National Institute on Aging, is the first to show the effect so clearly in a borderline group, experts say - middle age is certainly not young, but it is well short of "senior."
"This study is a very nice extension of previous work into this in-between age group," said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at the Yale University School of Public Health. The findings, she added, "show how negative images of aging on TV, in other media and in jokes reinforce negative stereotypes that can affect performance even before" people reach retirement age.
Laurie O'Brien of Tulane University in New Orleans and Mary Lee Hummert of the University of Kansas in Lawrence recruited 85 men and women from age 48 to 62 and split them into three groups. The researchers told one group that they would be testing their memory against others ages 70 and over, and informed another group that they would be competing against people in their 20s. The third group, who took the tests without being told of any competition, acted as a control.
All the participants took a standard word-recall exam, in which they studied a list of 30 words for two minutes and then wrote down as many as they could remember. Surprisingly, those who believed they were competing against younger adults did fine, remembering an average of more than 14 words - the same score as the control group. They showed none of the anxiety that other studies have found in people competing against others who, according to stereotype, are more capable.
But the participants who believed that they were being tested against much older people faltered, remembering just over 12 words, a significant difference from the controls. Being included with an "older group" by itself was apparently enough to provoke an unconscious acceptance of the stereotype that advancing age must sap memory - and the test scores to reflect it.
Poor performance on the test was especially evident in men and women who, on psychological tests, betrayed concerns about old age, even if they were in their late 40s or early 50s, the authors reported.
"The implication is that some of the things we say about ourselves in conversation - joking about 'senior moments' is a perfect example - these kinds of comments may in fact undermine our own memory at the time we're saying them," Hummert said. "And the fear is that it has a cumulative effect, that it becomes a negative feedback cycle."
Think you're old? It may show in memory test
By Benedict Carey The New York Times
Published: July 19, 2006
Resigning yourself to old age may produce the very mental lapses that most people fear will strike them in their golden years.
In a paper appearing in the current issue of the journal Social Cognition, psychologists report that men and women in late middle age underperformed on a standard memory test when told they were part of a study including people over age 70.
Inclusion with an older group - an indirect reminder of the link between age and memory slippage - was enough to affect their scores, especially for those who were most concerned about getting older, the authors concluded.
Researchers refer to this self-undermining as a stereotype effect, and they have documented it in many groups. In studies, women perform less well on math exams after reading that men tend to perform better on them. Similarly, white men perform less well when they are told that they are competing in math against Asian students.
People over 65 also slump on memory tests when they are reminded of the link between age and mental decline. The study, financed by the National Institute on Aging, is the first to show the effect so clearly in a borderline group, experts say - middle age is certainly not young, but it is well short of "senior."
"This study is a very nice extension of previous work into this in-between age group," said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at the Yale University School of Public Health. The findings, she added, "show how negative images of aging on TV, in other media and in jokes reinforce negative stereotypes that can affect performance even before" people reach retirement age.
Laurie O'Brien of Tulane University in New Orleans and Mary Lee Hummert of the University of Kansas in Lawrence recruited 85 men and women from age 48 to 62 and split them into three groups. The researchers told one group that they would be testing their memory against others ages 70 and over, and informed another group that they would be competing against people in their 20s. The third group, who took the tests without being told of any competition, acted as a control.
All the participants took a standard word-recall exam, in which they studied a list of 30 words for two minutes and then wrote down as many as they could remember. Surprisingly, those who believed they were competing against younger adults did fine, remembering an average of more than 14 words - the same score as the control group. They showed none of the anxiety that other studies have found in people competing against others who, according to stereotype, are more capable.
But the participants who believed that they were being tested against much older people faltered, remembering just over 12 words, a significant difference from the controls. Being included with an "older group" by itself was apparently enough to provoke an unconscious acceptance of the stereotype that advancing age must sap memory - and the test scores to reflect it.
Poor performance on the test was especially evident in men and women who, on psychological tests, betrayed concerns about old age, even if they were in their late 40s or early 50s, the authors reported.
"The implication is that some of the things we say about ourselves in conversation - joking about 'senior moments' is a perfect example - these kinds of comments may in fact undermine our own memory at the time we're saying them," Hummert said. "And the fear is that it has a cumulative effect, that it becomes a negative feedback cycle."
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Helsinki
The New York Times kirjoitti todella ylistavan artikkelin kesaisesta Helsingista. Siella on kaikki tyylikasta ja modernia ja ihmiset kauniita.
Tuli koti-ikava.
Lue koko artikkeli linkista:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/travel/16helsinki.html
pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=e1e3b8fb95d17833&ex=
1310702400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Tuli koti-ikava.
Lue koko artikkeli linkista:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/travel/16helsinki.html
pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=e1e3b8fb95d17833&ex=
1310702400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Monday, July 17, 2006
Libanon
Jo ahdistaa uusi sodankaynti Lahi-Idassa. Etelainen Libanon on pommien armoilla ja Hizbollahin pommit putovat Haifaan asti. Eivatko nuo Abrahamin pojat opi koskaan olemaan ihmisiksi? Toisaalla eraat tahot hykertelevat tyytyvaisyytta, silla ehka talla kertaa "lopun ajat" ovat kasilla... Miksi kaikella taytyy olla niin suuri merkitys? Eiko jokapaivainen aherrus voisi joskus olla "vain" jokapaivaista aherrusta? Onko Jumalan kasi todella kaikessa mukana?
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Agentti haastaa
Entinen CIA agentti Valerie Plame on haastanut varapresidentti Dick Cheneyn, presidentin neuvonantajan Karl Roven ja Cheneyn entisen avustajan Lewis Libbyn oikeuteen maineensa pilaamisesta ja salaisen identiteetin ilmiantamisesta.
Oikeuden pyorat pyorivat Amerikassa mahdottoman hitaasti - mutta ne pyorivat kuitenkin. Siita on jo kolme vuotta, kun Valerie Plamen nimi annettiin ilmi, jotta hanen miehensa Joseph Wilson saataisiin mustamaalattua, silla han kritisoi Bushin Irakin sotaa avoimesti ja voimakkaasti. Kukaan ei silloin tunnustanut ilmiantaneensa Plamea; Bush jopa lupasi erottaa heti sen henkilon joka oli vuotanut tiedon julki. Han on tietenkin syonyt sanansa, silla ilmiantajat ovat olleet juuri Dick Cheney, Karl Rove ja Lewis Libby. Valtion vakoojan ilmianto on Yhdysvalloissa rikos.
Saas nahda...
Oikeuden pyorat pyorivat Amerikassa mahdottoman hitaasti - mutta ne pyorivat kuitenkin. Siita on jo kolme vuotta, kun Valerie Plamen nimi annettiin ilmi, jotta hanen miehensa Joseph Wilson saataisiin mustamaalattua, silla han kritisoi Bushin Irakin sotaa avoimesti ja voimakkaasti. Kukaan ei silloin tunnustanut ilmiantaneensa Plamea; Bush jopa lupasi erottaa heti sen henkilon joka oli vuotanut tiedon julki. Han on tietenkin syonyt sanansa, silla ilmiantajat ovat olleet juuri Dick Cheney, Karl Rove ja Lewis Libby. Valtion vakoojan ilmianto on Yhdysvalloissa rikos.
Saas nahda...
Pink Princess
"Pink Princess, a 1-year-old toy poodle, enjoys a walk around Oakland with owner Unique Hildreth. Hildreth, who says she has worn pink everyday for the past five years, dyes the poodle about once a month to maintain her pinkness." (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (July 12, 2006)Vaaleanpunainen puudeli. Omistaja sanoo pukeutuneensa vaaleanpunaiseen joka paiva viimeiset viisi vuotta - miksei siis myos koira? Suorastaan uskonnollista paneutumista - huh!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Nuppu tekee tuttavuutta
Pikku Nuppu kiipeaa mielellaan tyton olkapaalle ja piiloutuu hiuksiin. Papukaija on rohkea ja sosiaalinen, ja haluaa olla mukana kaikessa. Koira on ollut vahan huolestunut, kun ei ole saanut yhta paljon huomiota viime paivina.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Tragedia joella
Nelja sisarusta ja heidan lisakseen viides nuorukainen St. Louisista hukkuivat vilvoitellessaan jalkojaan joen rannalla. Lapset olivat 10, 13, 14, 16 ja 17-vuotiaita - eivat siis mitaan naperoita - mutta yksikaan heista ei osannut uida.
Nuoret olivat seurakunnan jarjestamalla retkella joen rannalla olevassa puistossa. Vesi oli matalaa ja virtasi hiljaisesti puiston kohdalla. Vaaraa ei ollut nakyvissa. Nuoret ottivat kengat pois jalasta ja astuivat vilpoiseen veteen. Pian yksi nuorista kahlasi vahan syvemmalle ja liukastui veden pohjassa oleviin liejuisiin kiviin. Hanen kaatuessaan veteen yksi toisensa jalkeen sisarukset tulivat apuun yrittaen vetaa toisensa kuiville, mutta jokainen liukastui ja vajosi pinnan alle. Vesi kuljetti nuoret keskelle jokea ja vaarallisesti virtaavaa syvantoa.
Kun poliisi ja ja palokunta saapuivat paikalle, ranta oli niin sekasortoinen, etta kukaan ei tuntunut tietavat kuinka moni oli kadoksissa ja keita olisi pitanyt yrittaa pelastaa.
Lasten aiti sanoi lastensa menneen "Herran huomaan".
Hanella on viela nelja lasta elossa...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003118873_drown11.html
Nuoret olivat seurakunnan jarjestamalla retkella joen rannalla olevassa puistossa. Vesi oli matalaa ja virtasi hiljaisesti puiston kohdalla. Vaaraa ei ollut nakyvissa. Nuoret ottivat kengat pois jalasta ja astuivat vilpoiseen veteen. Pian yksi nuorista kahlasi vahan syvemmalle ja liukastui veden pohjassa oleviin liejuisiin kiviin. Hanen kaatuessaan veteen yksi toisensa jalkeen sisarukset tulivat apuun yrittaen vetaa toisensa kuiville, mutta jokainen liukastui ja vajosi pinnan alle. Vesi kuljetti nuoret keskelle jokea ja vaarallisesti virtaavaa syvantoa.
Kun poliisi ja ja palokunta saapuivat paikalle, ranta oli niin sekasortoinen, etta kukaan ei tuntunut tietavat kuinka moni oli kadoksissa ja keita olisi pitanyt yrittaa pelastaa.
Lasten aiti sanoi lastensa menneen "Herran huomaan".
Hanella on viela nelja lasta elossa...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003118873_drown11.html
Monday, July 10, 2006
New Family Member
Hello!
My name is Nuppu. I am a Pacific Parrotlet - a small South American Parrot - I love my human/dog/gerbil/crayfish family! I am only seven weeks old but I already know a lot of things. I can live up to twenty years and I can learn to talk like people, and do funny tricks - I love being silly.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Snellmanin viisautta
"Yksilon tiedot ovat taysin tyhjan paalla eivatka ansaitse tietamisen tai sivistyksen nimea, jos ne eivat ole itsenaisesti hankittua, ajateltua ja yksilolliseksi kokonaisuudeksi muokattua tietoa.
Aivan samoin ei myoskaan kokonaisen valtakunnan sivistys saa olla pelkkaa jaljittelya, ulkomaista lainaa, vaan silla taytyy olla kansallishenkeen perustuva omintakeinen muoto. On totta, etta kaikkein sivistynein kansakunta on se, joka on kaikkein eniten omaksunut yleisinhimillista sivistysta. Mutta talla sivistyksella ei ole mitaan annettua, muuttumatonta muotoa, vaan se on itsessaan elavaa ja liikkuvaa, se saa jokaisena aikana uuden muodon. Tama kehitys tapahtuu juuri sivistyksen siirtyessa kansakunnalta toiselle.
Sivistys, joka ei ole kansallista, ei siten voi olla todellista yleisinhimillista sivistysta. Se on silloin vain ulkoista tottumusta, jota voi verrata apinan tai koiran kouluttamiseen. Kansakunta ei voi kiinnostua sellaisesta sivistyksesta, se ei ole itsenaista eika silla ole voimaa kehittya. ja kansan, joka ei milloinkaan saavuta muunlaista sivistysta, on itse rappeuduttava ja havittava kansakuntana."
J. V. Snellman Suomen Kuvalehden mukaan [SK 14, 2006]
Luin juttua Snellmanista, ja mieleeni tuli tilanne Irakissa: voiko Irak demokratisoitua jos opit tuodaan ulkoapain, toisenlaisesta kulttuurista ja pyssynpiipun turvin? Vai onko Irakin miehitys ja "demokratisoiminen" vain koirankoulutusta?
Uskon, etta demokratia on kuin sivistys josta Snellman puhuu - sen on tultava sisaltapain ja oltava omintakeista, omaan kulttuuriin sitoutuvaa ja sopivaa. Ja kansakunnan on sita itse haluttava ja vaadittava; silloin kansa on siihen valmis.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Maailman huolet
Maailma ei pysy aloillaan; kun George leikkii sotaa yhdessa paikassa, muualla maailmassa velloo levottomuuden aallokko. Kansainvalinen diplomatia on monimutkaista ja vaatii jatkuvaa hienosaatoa, karsivallista neuvottelutaitoa ja kompromissien tekoa. Yhdysvaltain presidentin luonteeseen eivat kuulu tallaiset ominaisuudet: han on Texasista, jossa ammutaan ensin ja kysytaan sitten.
Muutaman vuoden maailmamme kestaa moista holtittomuutta, mutta nyt on aika maksaa laulujen lunnaat. Pohjois-Korea kay kuumana ja nayttaa muille keskisormea, Afganistan on joutumassa uudelleen kaaoksen valtaan, Somaliassa kuohuu, Iran uhmaa kansainvalista yhteisoa ja Irak ei ota oppiakseen demokratian alkeita. Venajakin nayttaa putovan demokratian karryilta...
Yhdysvallat on maailman ainoa supervalta, ja siksi sen on oltava aktiivisesti edistamassa rauhaa ympari maailman. Mutta ei nyrkilla tai risulla, vaan samettivasaralla ja porkkanalla. Silla mita isot edella sita pienet perassa.
Bush on opettanut, etta on parasta hankkia ydinaseita suojautuakseen amerikkalaisten hyokkaykselta. Tallaisen johtopaatoksen voisi vetaa Irakin, Iranin ja Pohjois-Korean kohdalla...
Analysis Bush confronts a world of troubles
By Michael Abramowitz and Robin WrightThe Washington Post
WASHINGTON — From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction.
North Korea's long-range missile test Wednesday, although unsuccessful, was another reminder of the bleak foreign-policy landscape that faces President Bush even outside of Iraq. Few foreign-policy experts foresee the reclusive Stalinist state giving up the nuclear weapons it appears to have acquired, making it another in a long list of world problems that threatens to cloud the closing years of the Bush administration, according to foreign-policy experts in both parties.
"I am hard-pressed to think of any other moment in modern times where there have been so many challenges facing this country simultaneously," said Richard Haass, a former senior Bush administration official who heads the Council on Foreign Relations. "The danger is that Mr. Bush will hand over a White House to a successor [who] will face a far messier world, with far fewer resources left to cope with it."
White House officials reject such pessimism, and Wednesday leading figures in both parties saw some diplomatic opportunity for the United States in the missile failure. But the launches of it and six other shorter-range missiles underscored how the administration has lost the initiative it had after the Iraq invasion, leaving at risk the central Bush aspiration of democracy-building around the world.
The launches also showed how the huge commitment of resources and time on Iraq — and the falloff in international support for the United States — has limited the administration's flexibility in handling new world crises.
"This is a distracted government that has to take care of too many things at the same time and has been consumed by the war on Iraq," said Moises Namm, editor of Foreign Policy magazine.
National-security adviser Stephen Hadley said Wednesday such criticism is misplaced, adding that victory in Iraq is crucial to success in fighting terrorists and in creating a new democracy that could serve as a beacon to other Middle Eastern countries.
Hadley agreed there are "a lot of issues in motion right now" on the international front. "In some sense, it was destined to be, because we have a president that wants to take on the big issues and see if he could solve them on his watch."
Even in the context of a post-Sept. 11 world, the array of tough, seemingly intractable foreign problems is spreading.
Renewed violence has expanded to major cities throughout Afghanistan, as Afghan rebels adopt tactics of Iraqi insurgents and as President Hamid Karzai's popularity has plummeted.
Iran is balking at demands to come clean or compromise on its nuclear program, despite new U.S. and European incentives. Palestinians launched longer-range missiles into Israel, while Israel has authorized its army to invade part of northern Gaza.
Oil prices rise
Meanwhile, an Islamist militia in Somalia seized control of the capital, Mogadishu. Mexico's future is uncertain after a close and disputed presidential election. And Wednesday, the price of light crude hit a new high of $75.19 a barrel.
Concern about such developments is cutting across the normal fault lines in U.S. politics, with critiques being expressed by conservative realists such as Haass and liberal internationalists such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Albright said Wednesday that the United States faces the "perfect storm" in foreign policy. "The U.S. is not as unilateral as it is uni-dimensional," she said. "We have not been paying attention to a lot of these issues. ... Afghanistan is out of control because not enough attention was paid to it."
Even neoconservative hawks who have been generally supportive of the administration on Iraq and other issues said they are worried about the direction of U.S. foreign policy and hope for a muscular response from the Bush administration toward the latest North Korean actions.
"North Korea is firing missiles. Iran is going nuclear. Somalia is controlled by radical Islamists. Iraq isn't getting better, and Afghanistan is getting worse," said William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a leading conservative commentator. "I give the president a lot of credit for hanging tough on Iraq. But I am worried that it has made [the White House] too passive in confronting the other threats."
Working with allies
Senior administration officials said the United States is in a much stronger diplomatic position than it has been in the past in dealing with adversaries such as North Korea and Iran. On both fronts, the administration has engaged in much more aggressive multilateral diplomacy than it did in Bush's first term, and that effort could bear fruit, they said.
Hadley predicted the results of aggressive diplomacy would be seen in the next few days with a strong condemnation of North Korea at the United Nations.
"We saw this coming. We worked the diplomacy," he said. "North Korea went ahead, and in so doing didn't defy [only] us but defied the entire international community."
Some outside experts agreed Wednesday's seven missile launches could help the administration make the case to China to work harder to rein in North Korea.
"This has to have gotten China's attention," said Rep. Jane Harman of California, the senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee. "What some may see as a series of setbacks, I see as a series of opportunities," she said.
Democrats and Republicans insisted the United States can deal with multiple crises, but some questioned how effectively.
"Every situation makes it more difficult to deal with another," said Zbigniew Brzezinski, national-security adviser in the Carter administration.
"It's like a juggler. You have to keep all the balls going. Any one of them that is out of trajectory threatens all the others."
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
Muutaman vuoden maailmamme kestaa moista holtittomuutta, mutta nyt on aika maksaa laulujen lunnaat. Pohjois-Korea kay kuumana ja nayttaa muille keskisormea, Afganistan on joutumassa uudelleen kaaoksen valtaan, Somaliassa kuohuu, Iran uhmaa kansainvalista yhteisoa ja Irak ei ota oppiakseen demokratian alkeita. Venajakin nayttaa putovan demokratian karryilta...
Yhdysvallat on maailman ainoa supervalta, ja siksi sen on oltava aktiivisesti edistamassa rauhaa ympari maailman. Mutta ei nyrkilla tai risulla, vaan samettivasaralla ja porkkanalla. Silla mita isot edella sita pienet perassa.
Bush on opettanut, etta on parasta hankkia ydinaseita suojautuakseen amerikkalaisten hyokkaykselta. Tallaisen johtopaatoksen voisi vetaa Irakin, Iranin ja Pohjois-Korean kohdalla...
Analysis Bush confronts a world of troubles
By Michael Abramowitz and Robin WrightThe Washington Post
WASHINGTON — From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction.
North Korea's long-range missile test Wednesday, although unsuccessful, was another reminder of the bleak foreign-policy landscape that faces President Bush even outside of Iraq. Few foreign-policy experts foresee the reclusive Stalinist state giving up the nuclear weapons it appears to have acquired, making it another in a long list of world problems that threatens to cloud the closing years of the Bush administration, according to foreign-policy experts in both parties.
"I am hard-pressed to think of any other moment in modern times where there have been so many challenges facing this country simultaneously," said Richard Haass, a former senior Bush administration official who heads the Council on Foreign Relations. "The danger is that Mr. Bush will hand over a White House to a successor [who] will face a far messier world, with far fewer resources left to cope with it."
White House officials reject such pessimism, and Wednesday leading figures in both parties saw some diplomatic opportunity for the United States in the missile failure. But the launches of it and six other shorter-range missiles underscored how the administration has lost the initiative it had after the Iraq invasion, leaving at risk the central Bush aspiration of democracy-building around the world.
The launches also showed how the huge commitment of resources and time on Iraq — and the falloff in international support for the United States — has limited the administration's flexibility in handling new world crises.
"This is a distracted government that has to take care of too many things at the same time and has been consumed by the war on Iraq," said Moises Namm, editor of Foreign Policy magazine.
National-security adviser Stephen Hadley said Wednesday such criticism is misplaced, adding that victory in Iraq is crucial to success in fighting terrorists and in creating a new democracy that could serve as a beacon to other Middle Eastern countries.
Hadley agreed there are "a lot of issues in motion right now" on the international front. "In some sense, it was destined to be, because we have a president that wants to take on the big issues and see if he could solve them on his watch."
Even in the context of a post-Sept. 11 world, the array of tough, seemingly intractable foreign problems is spreading.
Renewed violence has expanded to major cities throughout Afghanistan, as Afghan rebels adopt tactics of Iraqi insurgents and as President Hamid Karzai's popularity has plummeted.
Iran is balking at demands to come clean or compromise on its nuclear program, despite new U.S. and European incentives. Palestinians launched longer-range missiles into Israel, while Israel has authorized its army to invade part of northern Gaza.
Oil prices rise
Meanwhile, an Islamist militia in Somalia seized control of the capital, Mogadishu. Mexico's future is uncertain after a close and disputed presidential election. And Wednesday, the price of light crude hit a new high of $75.19 a barrel.
Concern about such developments is cutting across the normal fault lines in U.S. politics, with critiques being expressed by conservative realists such as Haass and liberal internationalists such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Albright said Wednesday that the United States faces the "perfect storm" in foreign policy. "The U.S. is not as unilateral as it is uni-dimensional," she said. "We have not been paying attention to a lot of these issues. ... Afghanistan is out of control because not enough attention was paid to it."
Even neoconservative hawks who have been generally supportive of the administration on Iraq and other issues said they are worried about the direction of U.S. foreign policy and hope for a muscular response from the Bush administration toward the latest North Korean actions.
"North Korea is firing missiles. Iran is going nuclear. Somalia is controlled by radical Islamists. Iraq isn't getting better, and Afghanistan is getting worse," said William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a leading conservative commentator. "I give the president a lot of credit for hanging tough on Iraq. But I am worried that it has made [the White House] too passive in confronting the other threats."
Working with allies
Senior administration officials said the United States is in a much stronger diplomatic position than it has been in the past in dealing with adversaries such as North Korea and Iran. On both fronts, the administration has engaged in much more aggressive multilateral diplomacy than it did in Bush's first term, and that effort could bear fruit, they said.
Hadley predicted the results of aggressive diplomacy would be seen in the next few days with a strong condemnation of North Korea at the United Nations.
"We saw this coming. We worked the diplomacy," he said. "North Korea went ahead, and in so doing didn't defy [only] us but defied the entire international community."
Some outside experts agreed Wednesday's seven missile launches could help the administration make the case to China to work harder to rein in North Korea.
"This has to have gotten China's attention," said Rep. Jane Harman of California, the senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee. "What some may see as a series of setbacks, I see as a series of opportunities," she said.
Democrats and Republicans insisted the United States can deal with multiple crises, but some questioned how effectively.
"Every situation makes it more difficult to deal with another," said Zbigniew Brzezinski, national-security adviser in the Carter administration.
"It's like a juggler. You have to keep all the balls going. Any one of them that is out of trajectory threatens all the others."
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Telttaretki
Olimme taman jarven rannalla telttailemassa Vancouverin saarella Brittilaisessa Kolumbiassa. Ilmat olivat upeat: aurinkoista ja lamminta eika hyttysiakaan ollut kuin nimeksi. Kummasti unohtuu kaikki huolet ja maailman murheet kun paivat ovat taynna kokkaamista, tiskaamista, riippukeinussa makaamista ja rannalla loikomista.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Itsenaisyyspaiva
Olemme menossa Kanadaan, Vacouverin saarelle telttailemaan muutamksi paivaksi. Tiistai, heinakuun neljas on Yhdysvaltain itsenaisyyspaiva ja vapaata "kaikilla". Kanadan rauha on mita parhain paikka viettaa tata juhlallista paivaa. Kesa on parhaimmillaan: aurinkoinen, lammin ja valoisa.
Korkein oikeus on juuri paattanyt, etta Kuubassa pidettyja "terroristi" vankeja ei saa pitaa loputtomasti lukkojen takana, silla se on vastoi kansainvalisia lakeja (oliko kukaan tasta yllattynyt?). Nyt on Bushin ja kumppaneiden keksittava toisenlaista puuhaa Guantanamon vartijoille.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Korallimeri
Washingtonin rannikolta on vastikaan loydetty upeita koralleja. Tutkijat sanoivat loydon olleen "kuin olisi loytanyt sademetsan". Mutta namakin korallit ovat uhattuja, silla liika kalastus ja varsinkin troolaus vie korallit meren pohjasta. Koralleilla on tarkea rooli meren ekosysteemissa, joten niita tulisi suojella.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003087953_coral27m.html
Monday, June 26, 2006
Terveys ja tasavertaisuus
Washingtonin yliopiston professori Stephen Bezruchka kirjoittaa, etta vaikka Yhdysvallat on maailman - ja historian - rikkain valtio, sen kansalaiset ovat sairaampia ja kuolevat nuorempina kuin monen muun maan "koyhemmat" kansalaiset. Miksi?
Bezruchka analysoi, etta viimeisten 30 vuoden ajan Amerikassa on tietoisesti poliittisella tasolla suosittu rikkaita tyovaeston ja keskiluokan kustannuksella. Tama on johtanut valtavan suuriin luokkaeroihin; ja mita suurempi kuilu koyhien ja rikkaiden valilla, sen huonompi terveys koko yhteiskunnalla! Yksilon terveystottumukset eivat ole niin tarkeita kuin poliittiset ja taloudelliset paatokset valtakunnallisella tasolla. Siksi rikkaatkin sairastavat enemman kuin heidan "pitaisi".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/275142_focus25.htmlEconomic
Sunday, June 25, 2006
By STEPHEN BEZRUCHKA GUEST COLUMNIST
The headlines read that rich Americans aren't as healthy as poor Brits, despite our spending twice as much money on health care as they do. Our newborns die at the highest rates of any rich country, even with our ever-advancing medical technologies. The feds report our mortality rates have never been lower. The United Kingdom study director suggests it is the nature of an unequal society in the United States that affects everybody, while experts over here are puzzled. What is going on?
Thomas Pynchon wrote in "Gravity's Rainbow" that "if they can get you asking the wrong question, they don't have to worry about the answers." Which medical care drug plan to choose is the wrong question. Instead let's ask, "What makes a society healthy?"
An MDeity can't answer that, nor can most people working in public health departments. One reason for their ignorance: It is very difficult to get people to understand something when their salary depends on their not understanding it. Medical doctors are paid to treat diseases, so everyone has a disease if we do enough tests. Public health workers ply a trade, make sure enough kids get their shots, tell people to say no or wear a condom and check the water for arsenic. They consider efforts to understand basic conditions that produce health in society to be outside their job description.
Who can tell us the answer to what makes a population healthy? Few in this country know, because we don't ask that question. Anyone who does is marginalized for acting stupid. I was told "Medical care, of course, that's why we are teaching you to be a good doctor." Our federal government, in its Institute of Medicine 2003 report "The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century," states on page 59: "more egalitarian societies (i.e. those with a less steep differential between the richest and the poorest) have better average health." This remarkable finding has emerged from research carried out over the last 25 years, and the science is as good as that linking smoking and poor health.
Why aren't the media broadcasting this news? For the last quarter century it has become unpatriotic to believe in economic justice. Instead we give ever more to the rich through tax cuts and subsidies and demand that the poor accept having less, in the hopes of some trickling down. Egalitarianism is not a treatment taught in U.S. medical and public health schools, nor in any school except kindergarten.
What is it about a bigger differential between the richest and poorest that leads to worse average health? Intuitively, we can see that not everyone shares the same stress in a bigger-gap society and those lower down suffer more of the slings and arrows of misfortune rained down from above. There is less caring and sharing in society when the gap is in our face.
Other research findings demonstrate that individual behaviors are not as important for our health as political policies that impact the gap between the rich and the poor. These behaviors are those we have learned since about toddlerdom: diet, exercise and not smoking. They are good ideas but when compared with economic justice, these individual practices are relatively unimportant. For example, the healthiest country in the world, Japan, has the highest proportion of men smoking among all rich countries. Obviously smoking is not good for your health but compared with the less steep differential, it is not as important a factor. As a doctor who used to badger people about this habit, it was very difficult for me to reconcile this finding. Studies demonstrate the individual behaviors are not that important for our health. Health care, even universal health care, has been shown to have little or no overall impact on a nation's health.
The spending on health care in the United States makes up nearly one half of all monies paid for health care worldwide. Despite that, we who live in the USA, the richest country in world history (with half of the globe's billionaires), die younger than we should. To understand this conundrum, the first step we must take is to recognize that health and health care are two very different concepts -- despite sounding so similar. Health of societies is mostly determined by political and economic policies while health care can only prevent and treat individual diseases.
The United States used to be one of the healthiest countries in the world when egalitarian principles were near the horizon. President Kennedy told us not to ask what our country can do for us but to ask what we can do for our country. His request came after a decade of policies in which the poor made relatively more economic gains than the rich, something Robin Hood might have admired. For example, in the United States the general population shared its income growth with returning World War II veterans and subsidized their re-entry into society. Back then we were one of the healthiest countries in the world -- but not for long. The rich and powerful interpreted the president's remarks to mean, "What can ordinary people do for us?" During the last 30 years the rich have gotten much richer, and we have strayed far from egalitarian ideals.
The increasingly steep differential between the richest and poorest is the reason why we are as healthy as Cuba, the country we have been strangling for almost 47 years. While our health as a nation has been improving, other countries are seeing better and faster results. People in more than 25 countries, including nearly all the rich nations and a few poor ones as well, live longer and healthier lives than we do.
There is currently no federal agency, or any other body, whose goal it is to make us healthier compared with other nations. Our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have put forth Healthy People 2000 and 2010 initiatives, with disease and behavior oriented national goals, but we did not achieve these goals in 2000, and have no chance of coming close to fulfilling them in the next four years. They do not address our standing compared with other nations. This is like giving the Olympic Gold Medal not to the winner, but to the contestant who said they tried the hardest!
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can't read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. Much of what I learned in medical school is not acceptable practice today. Some of what we think we know today will be folly tomorrow. What the Institute of Medicine reports will, I think, stand the test of time. If we want healthy grandchildren, we must seriously consider what the feds have said.
Economic justice is the medicine we need. In today's situation, this requires overturning all the recent federal legislation that gives ever more to the rich. The work of the Hood Robins (who take from the poor and give to the rich) is bad for our health, as our own Institute of Medicine acknowledges. Perhaps we should demand a Health Impact Assessment like other countries, to track the toll in human lives sacrificed by political policies that favor the rich over the poor.
This state's Washington Health Foundation is unique in the nation for trying to make Washington state the healthiest in the country. According to a composite indicator used to rank the health of states, we have fallen to 15th place while Minnesota is first and Louisiana is last. To effect real change and improve health through this country, I suggest we strive to make Louisiana first in the nation. That state has among the highest infant death rates, the shortest length of life, the highest homicide rates, the highest teen birth rates and the biggest gap between rich and poor. Katrina's aftermath was no accident. By concentrating on improving health in this country's worst off state, everyone will do better.
The last 40 years have seen an unbridled giveaway to the minority of the wealthy and powerful, as politicians distorted Kennedy's words and did what they could for the rich of America. It is now time for the majority, who make up the bottom 80 percent of this nation, to ask what our country can do for us. Everyone's health, both rich and poor, will benefit from this old-fashioned idea: economic justice.
Stephen Bezruchka, M.D., MPH, is with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, at the University of Washington.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bezruchka analysoi, etta viimeisten 30 vuoden ajan Amerikassa on tietoisesti poliittisella tasolla suosittu rikkaita tyovaeston ja keskiluokan kustannuksella. Tama on johtanut valtavan suuriin luokkaeroihin; ja mita suurempi kuilu koyhien ja rikkaiden valilla, sen huonompi terveys koko yhteiskunnalla! Yksilon terveystottumukset eivat ole niin tarkeita kuin poliittiset ja taloudelliset paatokset valtakunnallisella tasolla. Siksi rikkaatkin sairastavat enemman kuin heidan "pitaisi".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/275142_focus25.htmlEconomic
Sunday, June 25, 2006
By STEPHEN BEZRUCHKA GUEST COLUMNIST
The headlines read that rich Americans aren't as healthy as poor Brits, despite our spending twice as much money on health care as they do. Our newborns die at the highest rates of any rich country, even with our ever-advancing medical technologies. The feds report our mortality rates have never been lower. The United Kingdom study director suggests it is the nature of an unequal society in the United States that affects everybody, while experts over here are puzzled. What is going on?
Thomas Pynchon wrote in "Gravity's Rainbow" that "if they can get you asking the wrong question, they don't have to worry about the answers." Which medical care drug plan to choose is the wrong question. Instead let's ask, "What makes a society healthy?"
An MDeity can't answer that, nor can most people working in public health departments. One reason for their ignorance: It is very difficult to get people to understand something when their salary depends on their not understanding it. Medical doctors are paid to treat diseases, so everyone has a disease if we do enough tests. Public health workers ply a trade, make sure enough kids get their shots, tell people to say no or wear a condom and check the water for arsenic. They consider efforts to understand basic conditions that produce health in society to be outside their job description.
Who can tell us the answer to what makes a population healthy? Few in this country know, because we don't ask that question. Anyone who does is marginalized for acting stupid. I was told "Medical care, of course, that's why we are teaching you to be a good doctor." Our federal government, in its Institute of Medicine 2003 report "The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century," states on page 59: "more egalitarian societies (i.e. those with a less steep differential between the richest and the poorest) have better average health." This remarkable finding has emerged from research carried out over the last 25 years, and the science is as good as that linking smoking and poor health.
Why aren't the media broadcasting this news? For the last quarter century it has become unpatriotic to believe in economic justice. Instead we give ever more to the rich through tax cuts and subsidies and demand that the poor accept having less, in the hopes of some trickling down. Egalitarianism is not a treatment taught in U.S. medical and public health schools, nor in any school except kindergarten.
What is it about a bigger differential between the richest and poorest that leads to worse average health? Intuitively, we can see that not everyone shares the same stress in a bigger-gap society and those lower down suffer more of the slings and arrows of misfortune rained down from above. There is less caring and sharing in society when the gap is in our face.
Other research findings demonstrate that individual behaviors are not as important for our health as political policies that impact the gap between the rich and the poor. These behaviors are those we have learned since about toddlerdom: diet, exercise and not smoking. They are good ideas but when compared with economic justice, these individual practices are relatively unimportant. For example, the healthiest country in the world, Japan, has the highest proportion of men smoking among all rich countries. Obviously smoking is not good for your health but compared with the less steep differential, it is not as important a factor. As a doctor who used to badger people about this habit, it was very difficult for me to reconcile this finding. Studies demonstrate the individual behaviors are not that important for our health. Health care, even universal health care, has been shown to have little or no overall impact on a nation's health.
The spending on health care in the United States makes up nearly one half of all monies paid for health care worldwide. Despite that, we who live in the USA, the richest country in world history (with half of the globe's billionaires), die younger than we should. To understand this conundrum, the first step we must take is to recognize that health and health care are two very different concepts -- despite sounding so similar. Health of societies is mostly determined by political and economic policies while health care can only prevent and treat individual diseases.
The United States used to be one of the healthiest countries in the world when egalitarian principles were near the horizon. President Kennedy told us not to ask what our country can do for us but to ask what we can do for our country. His request came after a decade of policies in which the poor made relatively more economic gains than the rich, something Robin Hood might have admired. For example, in the United States the general population shared its income growth with returning World War II veterans and subsidized their re-entry into society. Back then we were one of the healthiest countries in the world -- but not for long. The rich and powerful interpreted the president's remarks to mean, "What can ordinary people do for us?" During the last 30 years the rich have gotten much richer, and we have strayed far from egalitarian ideals.
The increasingly steep differential between the richest and poorest is the reason why we are as healthy as Cuba, the country we have been strangling for almost 47 years. While our health as a nation has been improving, other countries are seeing better and faster results. People in more than 25 countries, including nearly all the rich nations and a few poor ones as well, live longer and healthier lives than we do.
There is currently no federal agency, or any other body, whose goal it is to make us healthier compared with other nations. Our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have put forth Healthy People 2000 and 2010 initiatives, with disease and behavior oriented national goals, but we did not achieve these goals in 2000, and have no chance of coming close to fulfilling them in the next four years. They do not address our standing compared with other nations. This is like giving the Olympic Gold Medal not to the winner, but to the contestant who said they tried the hardest!
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can't read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. Much of what I learned in medical school is not acceptable practice today. Some of what we think we know today will be folly tomorrow. What the Institute of Medicine reports will, I think, stand the test of time. If we want healthy grandchildren, we must seriously consider what the feds have said.
Economic justice is the medicine we need. In today's situation, this requires overturning all the recent federal legislation that gives ever more to the rich. The work of the Hood Robins (who take from the poor and give to the rich) is bad for our health, as our own Institute of Medicine acknowledges. Perhaps we should demand a Health Impact Assessment like other countries, to track the toll in human lives sacrificed by political policies that favor the rich over the poor.
This state's Washington Health Foundation is unique in the nation for trying to make Washington state the healthiest in the country. According to a composite indicator used to rank the health of states, we have fallen to 15th place while Minnesota is first and Louisiana is last. To effect real change and improve health through this country, I suggest we strive to make Louisiana first in the nation. That state has among the highest infant death rates, the shortest length of life, the highest homicide rates, the highest teen birth rates and the biggest gap between rich and poor. Katrina's aftermath was no accident. By concentrating on improving health in this country's worst off state, everyone will do better.
The last 40 years have seen an unbridled giveaway to the minority of the wealthy and powerful, as politicians distorted Kennedy's words and did what they could for the rich of America. It is now time for the majority, who make up the bottom 80 percent of this nation, to ask what our country can do for us. Everyone's health, both rich and poor, will benefit from this old-fashioned idea: economic justice.
Stephen Bezruchka, M.D., MPH, is with the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, at the University of Washington.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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