A River Between

Chessboard

Originally uploaded by holisticgeek.

I decided to put up a new gallery/photo set on Flickr today. It’s a hodgepodge of a lot of photos that I’ve taken that I consider my “favorites” that feature people I know, or moments and stories that I find very captivating. I’ve toyed in my mind with doing some more things with the photos I take, like making some into postcards or matting a few and giving them as gifts. Who knows, you know?

Here’s the link to the Photo Gallery.

Enjoy!

goforward.JPG

Originally uploaded by holisticgeek.

It’s that time of year again…

More pictures of the day the two towers in New York fell. More photos and images of firefighters, police officers, flags waving, people crying, and the destruction in the aftermath of 9/11. I often wonder what is lost in all of our “remembering”.

After the tragedy of losing 3000 lives in New York, we’ve taken an offensive and reactive stance throughout the world to “combat terror” abroad, so that it doesn’t reach our shores again. Young soldiers - men and women lose their lives, come back with physical and psychological wounds that are only comparable to what we saw with Vietnam veterans. We “support our troops” by sending them back three, maybe four times to a battlezone which they are not prepared. Moreover, our war on terror has cost the Iraqi people greatly. More than 20,000 civilian lives have been lost. We have detained “enemy combatants” for more than two years without charging them for any offenses. No contact with families. No legal recourse. Where is the “justice” in this war?

This September 11, I will honor those who have worked so very hard to create peace in the face of ongoing violence. I will think of the many people from Christian Peacemaker Teams who put themselves between civilians and potential violent action. I will think of and remember the work of Kathy Kelly and Voices in the Wilderness, who were recently shut down after a federal judge seized their bank accounts. Voices refused to pay a $20,000 fine for providing critical medical supplies to Iraqi civilians who needed them in the midst of this crisis.

I will remember the 15 MILLION people who gathered around the globe to protest the US invasion of Iraq before the war even started. I will remember a little girl named Roesia, who was “liberated” from both of her arms when a cluster bomb blew up her school.

Our world will not change until we as people begin to care about others in our global community. We need to look past the flag waving, and realize how America’s over-consumption and the need to drive down prices costs the livelihood and often the lives of REAL PEOPLE in places like China, Columbia, Mexico, Sudan, Kenya, etc.

Please remember the peacemakers this September 11. We’re all trying to work to make this WORLD a much better place. We forget that “we all belong to eachother,” as Mother Teresa said. Let’s begin to remember that.

The first time I was ever in a Gay bar, was the summer of 1991, while I was in New Orleans for the national convention of Phi Mu Alpha, a men’s music fraternity. This was at a time in my life when I was not “out” as a Gay person. Not to mention, I wasn’t yet comfortable with sexuality at all. Therefore, I too, was still a bit homophobic.

On one evening, some of us decided to go looking for piano bars. The hotel we were staying at happened to have its own piano bar, where the entertainer, Janet, told us of a small out of the way bar on Bourbon St. called Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop, where a little old woman named Lily had been playing for years. After hearing Janet rave about this notoriously cynical woman, we decided to hike to this club.
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Bike Racks

Originally uploaded by holisticgeek.

I take a commuter bus to work five days a week now. Lately I’ve been thinking about the whole issue of mass transit usage and how our society can place us in class groupings by how we travel for work and leisure. I’m fascinated how mass transit causes a temporary “leveling” of class distinction. Everyone is equal, aside from their clothing. People of all races, religions, and differing socio-economic backgrounds are all together, sharing a ride.

Half way through my bus ride, we stop in a small town in Minnesota and pick up more riders on our way to the Mayo Clinic. The last two days we’ve had every seat full, with 9-18 people standing in the isle for 25 miles. Of course this is all because gasoline prices now hover around $3/gallon in Minnesota. While the vast majority of riders on my bus are women, I’m sure that for some, this is their first brush with public transit since their gradeschool years.

Today, on my 45 mile commute, I thought a lot about workers on many “welfare-to-work” programs who in some cases, bus 50 or more miles to their jobs. I thought of my friend Randy who doesn’t own a car. Most influential however, has been my partner Michael, who encourages me more and more to take public transit more often as a DUTY to the earth, rather than just a cost saving measure.

I guess I’m trying to find a silver lining in our over dependence on oil, and the behavior changes I’m seeing. A big hope of mine is that when/if gas prices go down, that some folks just continue riding the bus, biking, and carpooling. Wouldn’t that be great?…

Now that gas prices here in the US have climbed to $3/gallon, one thing that isn’t being emphasized is the impact that WINTER will have on gas prices, the economy, and everyone’s budget. Experts anticipate that oil will go up to $100/barrel this winter as folks use more to heat their homes. This means even higher prices at the pump, AND higher fuel bills this winter. However, there are some things that everyone can do to reduce their heating bills.
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