Posted by
Sue – February 7, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Frank Rich, comparing the repeal of “don’t ask” to the Greensboro sit-ins:
The more bigotry pushed out of the closet for all voters to see, the more likely it is that Americans will be moved to grant overdue full citizenship to gay Americans. It won’t happen overnight, any more than full civil rights for African-Americans immediately followed Truman’s desegregation of the armed forces. But there can be no doubt that Mike Mullen’s powerful act of conscience last week, just as we marked the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro, N.C., lunch counter sit-in, pushed history forward. The revealing silence that followed from so many of the usual suspects was pretty golden too.
Posted by
Sue – February 7, 2010 – Share on Facebook
The below from some of our best friends just outside DC: their son is getting married tomorrow (about 50 miles away from where they live). We were supposed to be there.
We lost power around 1 am today. Just got it back an hour ago (21+ hours without power). Got very cold. House phone died around 10 am (with FIOS, there is an 8-hour battery backup and then you lose phone). My Blackberry went red around 2 pm. Lots of shoveling. Street impassable. Cable lines down and hanging low across street on either side of me so I am not sure if a plow will come. Tomorrow should be interesting.
Posted by
Sue – February 5, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Although it’s a line from Tom Lehrer’s satirical song called National Brotherhood Week, “everybody hates the Jews” is rampant in the UK.
Today the Community Security Trust released its report on antisemitism in 2009. It is the most depressing report ever, with levels of attacks on Jews and and antisemitic harassment – both verbal and physical – at a level not witnessed in this country for generations. Indeed, the 924 cases reported reflect an increase in over 50% from the previous record high in 2006.
In particular,
In one particularly disturbing incident, a 12-year-old pupil – who is the only Jewish girl in her school – was attacked by a group of 20 other schoolchildren of mixed races, who pulled her hair and shouted: “Death to the Jews, kill all Jews.”
Posted by
Sue – February 5, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Figures we’d get the dogs groomed just in time for the snow, rain, slush and mud. At least they looked good for 24 hours.
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| Simcha sports the shaved look, now with mudddy paws |
Shayna has that long silky hair (now muddy) |
Posted by
Sue – February 5, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Bus stops. As you drive by, ever see people standing in the cold or rain or snow (or all three) atop mounds of packed slush & snow? I did. (We all do.) Why can’t Greensboro provide reasonable bus stops with shelters at least along major roads? Is that really too much to expect a city to do? Are we supposed to buy that the reason is they’re graffiti attractions? There are REAL people waiting for the bus and if ridership promotion is a goal, start here.
Posted by
Sue – February 4, 2010 – Share on Facebook
From Yes Weekly (quoting Deena Hayes who is still searching for a reason to call the Weaver family racist and pulls this one out of her, well, somewhere):
“The Weaver family participated in and financially benefited from racially segregationist policies prior to the time that they ‘decided’ to integrate their properties, a good 6 years after Brown vs. Bd.” [Note: Brown v Board of Ed was decided in 1954]
The thing about history is that you need to read and understand all of it which would show that the Weaver family was one of the first businesses in Greensboro to support racial equality and then set up a foundation to ensure that work was done. In other words, they became a model for civil rights in Greensboro. The Weaver Foundation Mission:
The Weaver Foundation was founded by W. Herman Weaver and H. Michael Weaver with the intention of supporting activities and causes that benefit the Greater Greensboro area. Since its establishment in 1967, the Directors have been interested in supporting community improvement, environmental activities, educational development, helping the disadvantaged and advancing human and civil rights, racial tolerance, and diversity.
A core goal: “advancement of human and civil rights, racial tolerance, and diversity” – check out the $250K grant to the International Civil Rights Museum [PDF] in 2008 and the enormous number of grants paid in 2008 [PDF] to nonprofits in Greensboro that work specifically with civil (and human) rights and help people of all races, genders and in need.
Sorry, Deena, that stuff still don’t fly. Got anything else?
Posted by
Sue – February 1, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Some folks can’t stand it when the spotlight isn’t on them. Caption: Rev. Nelson Johnson (left) and several others create a minor disruption with a small demonstration at the grand opening. Click to view the entire N&R photo array and see how small this makes the ‘protestors’ appear in light of the Sit-In Museum’s grand opening. [A little more discussion here.]
Photo credit: Jerry Wolford/News & Record
Posted by
Sue – February 1, 2010 – Share on Facebook
What a shame that elected reps can’t figure out what real leadership means. With the national spotlight on Greensboro today and with more than decade’s work by numerous volunteers and tens of millions of dollars of money and work by local foundations, Rep. Earl Jones tells a semi-stunned press conference (who likely had no idea what he was talking about),
Jones used his moment in the spotlight to defend Skip Alston’s involvement in the controversial hotel deal — the controversy level of which, of course, was multiplied about tenfold by Alston himself. Naturally, Jones portrayed the issue in racial terms. The hotel plan is all about “putting green dollars in black hands,” which he suspects is why it’s “subjected to special scrutiny.” To have all this happen on the 50th anniversary of the sit-ins, Jones said, is “very telling and very timely.”
Servant leadership is about knowing when to shut one’s mouth or be circumspect or demonstrate some class. In a word, #earljonesfail
Posted by
Sue – February 1, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Greensboro’s very real budget shortfall pales a bit in light of what’s going on in Colorado Springs:
COLORADO SPRINGS — This tax-averse city is about to learn what it looks and feels like when budget cuts slash services most Americans consider part of the urban fabric.
More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday. The police helicopters are for sale on the Internet. The city is dumping firefighting jobs, a vice team, burglary investigators, beat cops — dozens of police and fire positions will go unfilled.
The parks department removed trash cans last week, replacing them with signs urging users to pack out their own litter.
Neighbors are encouraged to bring their own lawn mowers to local green spaces, because parks workers will mow them only once every two weeks. If that.
Water cutbacks mean most parks will be dead, brown turf by July; the flower and fertilizer budget is zero.
City recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pools, and a handful of museums will close for good March 31 unless they find private funding to stay open. Buses no longer run on evenings and weekends. The city won’t pay for any street paving, relying instead on a regional authority that can meet only about 10 percent of the need.
“I guess we’re going to find out what the tolerance level is for people,” said businessman Chuck Fowler, who is helping lead a private task force brainstorming for city budget fixes. “It’s a new day.”
Posted by
Sue – February 1, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Watching WFMY live feed from downtown for the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum and when they go to commercial, the live feed is blank. Actually, I don’t mind but think it’s odd that they don’t even logo-over the feed. (Much warmer here.) Nice to see Sen Kay Hagan at the very early breakfast.
Posted by
Sue – January 31, 2010 – Share on Facebook
NY Times on the International Civil Rights Museum in a less-than-stellar museum review:
The point, of course, is not to show a collection but to share an experience. In this the museum is fully successful. The taste of justified bitterness runs through it.
[..]And the movement itself is more complicated than suggested. There were effective sit-ins before Greensboro. There also were debates over the strategy (the national NAACP initially opposed sit-ins). And later splits among both black and white activists are elided. This museum is not a history of the movement.
Finale – the Museum should have focused more on the successes of the movement instead of dwelling on “continuing and unresolved problems. “
Posted by
Sue – January 31, 2010 – Share on Facebook
January snow and Sunday sunshine brings the neighborhood together in Brown Bark Park. Click to see the entire set of photos at Flickr.
Posted by
Sue – January 30, 2010 – Share on Facebook
Extra-long Costco-sized chewies for dogs that haven’t yet been downsized by hubby are today’s treat. It’s too darned cold outside – and dogs already had two shorter-than-usual walks, so the dogs are a little pesky tonight. Pizzle sticks usually entertain them for a while. Have to remember to remove them before Simcha eats the entire thing; she’s a chewer. Shayna just wants the one Simcha has.
Simcha and her chewie hiding under the table |
Shayna and her chewstick – eyeballing Simcha’s |
Posted by
Sue – January 29, 2010 – Share on Facebook
“Jerry Bledsoe concludes his series in the Rhino Times…”
Posted by
Sue – January 28, 2010 – Share on Facebook
There are other things in our Greensboro lives besides hotels. Simcha, about 9.5 years old and 5-year puppy mill rescue (and so close to my heart), has been Potassium deficient and now she’s got an elevated Ph. Am solidly outside my medical comfort zone. After giving her Potassium supplements for months, the re-check shows her Potassium level has gone DOWN (we’re increasing the daily pills) but she shows no serious symptoms of potassium deficiency (like lethargy, although she’s a couch potato, she will walk around the park – not happily, but she will). The level should be above 4. It was 3.6. Now it’s 3.5. Mystifying.
The new symptom, elevated Ph, could cause granules in her urine (leading to bladder infections) or worse, to stones. There isn’t a lot of research in this area of dog-ness according to our vet but one potential solution is a strict diet of nothing but this particular food – nothing. No cookies or treats; unsure about chewie sticks.
Anyone have any insights into dog chemistry? Any input appreciated.
