Feeling complacent? Check out what's happening in Syria ... by gimleteye

From the LA Times blog:

REPORTING FROM BEIRUT -- Syrian opposition activists say shrapnel wounds killed an intrepid citizen journalist who documented a neighborhood under siege in the tempestuous city of Homs.

“He was killed because he conveyed the real picture of Baba Amr. He was killed because he was showing the truth,” a doctor says with tears in his eyes in a video uploaded to YouTube.

Rami Ahmad Sayed was known on YouTube as syriapioneer. His YouTube channel, which includes 831 videos purporting to show violence and destruction in Syria, has more than 2,700 subscribers. The horrific images include  bodies and injured children.

The last video is of Sayed himself, his body lying  in the hospital. A family friend told The Times that the last video was uploaded by his brother. Opposition activists say Baba Amr is being subjected to some of the heaviest shelling since the assault on the area started weeks ago.

Fellow activists forwarded a Skype message they said was his last, in which he pleads, “I don’t want to hear, ‘our hearts are with you.’ … We want all people in front of all embassies all over the world, after a few hours there will be NO place called Baba Amr and I expect this will be my last message, and no one will forgive you.”

Here is the YouTube website. Worth a look.

On the way home, from India ... by gimleteye

On our last day, we stopped at the National Museum of India. Outside a large boulder is etched with ancient script; the edicts of Ashoka the Great, who ruled India ruthlessly in the 3rd century B.C. Ashoka ruled by fear. He acquired loyalty by murder. Then, after presiding over a battle in which (reportedly) more than 100,000 enemy foot soldiers and cavalry were killed, he had a conversion.

For the rest of his reign, he practiced non-violence though he maintained his military strength. Yes it is hard to reconcile a champion of compassion-- which he became-- from his roots as a murderous king.

Ashoka is revered in modern day India. I read his edicts in light of our own times and found much to marvel. For example: "The growth of Dhamma is by the restraint of speech which means no praise of one's own faith or disparagement of another." 3rd century B.C.

Alex Diaz de la Portilla takes a step backwards. By Geniusofdespair

 ALL IN THE FAMILY - AS THE STOMACH TURNS:

Former State Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla is running for Florida State Rep. in group 112 against fellow Republican Gustavo Barreiro (County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro's half-brother). Alex filed on Valentine's day, Gustavo filed on Feb. 6th. Gustavo like Alex is a retread, having been a Representative before. Also running in 112 is the Incumbent State Rep Jeanette Nunez who was a Legislative Aide to X-Senator Diaz de la Portilla. She is a spoiler, or is Alex a spoiler for her, to funnel votes from Gustavo and then drop out at the last minute. The question in this race is: Who is less worse?

Awful Miami Dade School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla (Alex's brother) is also running for State House group 103. Good. It will get him off the School Board. He filed in January.

Bruno & Zoraida Barreiro

Gustavo Barreiro

Bruno Barreiro's wife Zoraida is running for District 107 against Alejandro Dominguez (not related to anyone that I know of). She filed Feb. 3rd.

Fresen, and the two brothers Diaz de la Portilla in the House - what a disaster that would be. So far Republican Amory Bodin and Democrat Ross Hancock are running against Fresen in District 111.

My take on what is going on? They all want to suckle some of that gambling money that will be pouring in next legislative session. This sucks!  (Note: The seat  numbers on the elections website are not fixed yet...they may change)

Rick Santorum Embarrasses America ... by gimleteye

"Rick Santorum accused the Obama administration of stifling energy development and the economy through its "radical environmental policies," as he courted coal country voters in this key Super Tuesday prize. Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of roughly 500, swelled by students from nearby Franciscan University of Steubenville, Mr. Santorum contended that global warming was a product of "phony studies" and "political science" driven by an ideology that puts the Earth before human beings."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12052/1211550-455.stm#ixzz1mziU9hL3

Christians like Santorum believe ardently in the Second Coming when all will be destroyed. These same Christians advocate and agitate for anti-environmental policies that will speed jeopardy to the very people whose souls Christians are determined to save. Compassion for the poor and helpless, in other words what Christ believed, is whatever the anti-environmentalists want it to be. 


Global warming is real. It is creating a nightmare for the world's poorest and lowest-lying nations today. Santorum and apparently a majority of Republicans voting in the presidential primary cherry-pick science. It is a national embarrassment.

For doubters and skeptics of global warming who haven't already made up their mind, this link might help ignite resolve to reform the Republican Party and its rabidly anti-environmental agenda that is masked as "jobs, jobs, jobs". One shouldn't need to explain what is going to happen to "jobs" in places like Miami, virtually at sea level, when the real impacts of climate change hit. "How We Know Global Warming Is Real And Human Caused" by Donald R. Prothero.

DR. DONALD R. PROTHERO was Professor of Geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He earned M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in geological sciences from Columbia University in 1982, and a B.A. in geology and biology (highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California, Riverside. He is currently the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 32 books and over 250 scientific papers, including five leading geology textbooks and five trade books as well as edited symposium volumes and other technical works. He is on the editorial board of Skeptic magazine, and in the past has served as an associate or technical editor for Geology, Paleobiology and Journal of Paleontology. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the Paleontological Society, and the Linnaean Society of London, and has also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Science Foundation. He has served as the President and Vice President of the Pacific Section of SEPM(Society of Sedimentary Geology), and five years as the Program Chair for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 

No Casinos! ... by gimleteye

The Miami Herald is so compromised on the issue of gambling in Florida -- because of its involvement in the real estate deal that sold its Biscayne Bay store to Genting -- one cannot read the paper as a credible source of information on the subject. Its article outlining the seven key points in the debate leading to this year's legislative failure sort of gets it right, but sort of doesn't: the paper omits the role of grass roots opposition from all points of the political spectrum against casinos in a state that is already overflowing with political corruption: a point we made frequently. 


Here's an event worth attending:

MIAMI'S CREATIVE COMMUNITY UNITES AGAINST MEGA CASINOS

WHO              Make Art Not Casinos, Goldman Properties’ visionary CEO Tony Goldman and NoCasinos.

WHAT            An evening celebrating our creative community, united in protecting Miami’s future in opposition to Mega Casinos.

                       The evening will feature live performances by Raffa and Rainer, poetry by O Miami Poetry Festival founder Scott Cunningham, a flash mob organized by local dancers and presentations by Tony Goldman, Former State Senator Dan Gelber and NoCasinos President John Sowinski.

WHEN          Wednesday, February 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM

WHERE       Wynwood Walls – 2520 N.W. 2nd Avenue

RSVP           305.494.8084 or manc@makeartnotcasinos.org 


The Herald article is correct in pointing out that this election year did not bode well for the Republican initiative in particular, but failed to mention the key point. Casinos will chop up the state's conservative core and Christian moral values like a wood chipper. Can't wait to see how GOP lobbyists try to disguise casinos as leaf blowers, next year. We do not wish casinos, well.

Seaport Cops Getting a Bad Deal? Guest Blog by Copper

This is a guest blog by Copper. He/She submitted it, I am printing it. I do not agree or disagree with what is written. It just seemed REALLY interesting. It also illustrates how privatization sucks. Real people lose their good paying, what they thought were 'secure' jobs. - Geniusofdespair

In the county there is such a thing as bumping rights. Instead of getting fired or laid off, if you have ever held another position in the county, you can rightfully bump someone out of that spot and still have a job.

A number of cops and other county employees were about to get laid off to balance the budget. But, fear not, instead of laying them off, the Airport and Seaport took 30 each of the highest paying maxed-out in pay cops and added them to their tab.

This seems noble enough... Right...? Wrong!!! Because little do people know...that Miami Dade Seaport is looking to privatize a whole department and the County is privatizing other departments as well. LAYOFFS loom! At the bottom of the food chain is Miami Dade Seaport Enforcement Officers. Who are these guys and gals? They are cops without arrest powers or guns. There are a little over 100 of them. So essentially, you have two police forces working at the Port. How does Miami Dade police get away with being there and maxing out on overtime? sneaky little secrets.

To top it off, Just this past week, a Seaport Enforcement Officer was to be laid off...a VETERAN, because he is getting bumped by a cop who was on the list of police officers selected by Mayor Gimenez to get laid off. He once worked at the port as a Seaport Enforcement Officer. Let me explain.

Hypothetical Situation, your opinion please. By Geniusofdespair

Let us say there is a school board member (don't get stuck on school board could be anything) that decided there should be a moratorium for 5 years on approving ANY charter schools on wetlands (don't get stuck on wetlands, think 'land not suited for development'). Even though there is already a rule against ANY schools on wetlands, if the board gets a super majority, they can over-rule the rule. A couple of schools have slipped through with the super majority vote.

The member puts her moratorium idea before the school board and they (almost unanimously) hand it over to  a committee to be discussed and for a public hearing. However, we all know that there are charter school connected members on the school board, so the moratorium very likely might not pass.  Meantime, while all this is going on....  The school board member with the moratorium idea decides in the interim, to okay a charter school to be built on wetlands.  Her reasoning has something to do with that "the community wants it."  The school board professionals who find land for schools are  against putting this particular school on wetlands and have advised against it. This does not deter the school board member from her stance.  So even though she is advocating on a position (a moratorium), she is is at the same time, going to vote in opposition to the position advocated by the moratorium.

What do you think?

As sea level rises in India, Shiva has a lot of work to do ... by gimleteye

This photo, taken at low tide, is from a walk yesterday on the beach fronting the Indian Ocean in the state of Orissa. Look closely.

It shows what remains of a road built 50 years ago on dry land overlooking the ocean at Konark.

My guide, a Hindu, believes that summer temperatures in the region have significantly increased in the past twenty years. (The temperature can routinely exceed 110 F.)

Hindus believe the god Shiva can remove poison from the atmosphere. On my two week trip here, including inland flights, the entire nation appears to be enveloped in a thick gauze of smog.

There is too much pollution in the air for the nearby Sun Temple, a World heritage site, and its magnificent, accurate 12th century sun dials to show the time. Through the smog, the sun can't throw a shadow against the dials. Shiva has a lot of work to do. 

What I did today. By Geniusofdespair

 

We went to Wynwood to show out of town guests the Wynwood Walls. I took a picture of what I consider one of the best walls in Wynwood (above).  We then went to the Coconut Art Fair and we bought this art glass by Scott Gamble (below). I then had some Lin-Mania viewing, and ended with watching a Miami Heat win.  Good day. Pizza bound.

Carl Hiaasen: Best Read in the Miami Herald Today. By Geniusofdespair

Columnist Carl Hiaasen weighs in with some humor on the birth control controversy or as most Democrats think -- a non-issue:

Ignoring years of public-opinion polls, the GOP is boldly marching backwards into the 1960s to question whether contraception is a legitimate health-care benefit.

Hiaasen says further:  

"Now, after decades of having their stance against birth control ignored, Catholic bishops have finally found a receptive audience: Republicans in Congress."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/18/2647452/on-birth-control-gop-shoots-self.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

Too Hot For Coconut Grove Art Fair? By Geniusofdespair

George "Hairbrush" Tjungurrayi

They are expecting record heat today, but don't despair if the outdoor Coconut Grove Art Fair is too hot for you.  You can always go to the indoor Art Wynwood. I did. Besides the Boteros, Lictensteins and the Rauschenbergs they had some unique pieces. I was impressed with the Aboriginnal art on display from the Leslie Smith Gallery. I especially like a George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi painting (similar to the one below I found on line- my photo didn't come out). The one at left is at the gallery showing at Wynwood.

From the John Leech Gallery

Here is some more of what I saw.  Read the record labels, music for the depressed, for some laughs...

A portion of the piece.

More of it...

Everyone was thinking crosses...