This site looks this way because you're using a non-standards compliant browser. This is what the software that you're using does to valid HTML code written according to the specifications made by the body that governs how HTML should be written. You're doing yourself a disservice by choosing not to upgrade your browser and I heartily recommend that you do so in order to enjoy this segment of BlueSilver[Dot]Org (and many others) -- as well as many other compliant-coded sites -- to the fullest.


Tuesday, September 18

Extended Silence

It's Rosh Hashanah, the new year and the beginning of the High Holy Days. Today will be spent with the family, at synagogue and in a somewhat muted celebration. We may also take part in a casting off ceremony, but that remains to be seen.

L'shanna tovah, everyone. I'll be back later in the week.

12:57 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Friday, September 14

This is NOT the Time for Divisiveness

I was on my back, facing this massive cloud that was approaching, it must have been 600 feet off, everything was already dark. I normally wear a pendant around my neck, inscribed with an Arabic prayer for safety; similar to the cross. A hesidic Jewish man came up to me and held the pendant in his hand, and looked at it. He read the Arabic out loud for a second. What he said next, I will never forget. With a deep Brooklyn accent he said “Brother, if you don’t mind, there is a cloud of glass coming at us, grab my hand, lets get the hell out of here”. He helped me stand up, and we ran for what seemed like forever without looking back. He was the last person I would ever have thought, who would help me. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have been engulfed in shattered glass and debris. - Usman Farman

Reports of incredible acts of terror and violence against perceived Muslims and other people of middle-eastern descent are coming in from around the US, Canada and even Australia and New Zealand. It is reprensible. Now is not the time to single people out for vigilante retribution. Send an e-mail to all of your friends and family, stand up in your place of business, in the grocery store, on public transportation. When people start talking about Arabs and start spreading the hate don't let their cancerous ideas go unchallenged. We all have a responsibility to work together to get through this unparalleled tragedy. We must all do our part. Fight the hate, increase the peace, spread the word.

02:20 PM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Wednesday, September 12

Thoughts

It all still seems so very *fake*. Like, if I think hard enough, this morning will not have happened. I'll have watched my Today show without any undue stress, I'll have gone to work and sighed and complained and counted down the minutes to another boring day. - Claire

I'd like to say how I feel about this, but right now I don't feel any clear feelings any yet. I'm sorta stunned. - Byrne

I don't want to see it. I can stand it on TV, barely, I cannot imagine looking over the water, like when the van makes that turn after getting through the tunnel, you've seen that sight in the opening credits of The Sopranos, and seeing the skyline of my broken city. - Kymm

Elliot at work summed it up, looking out of our window on a bright sunny afternoon — “It's been a surreal day.” - Mike

I am beginning to hear calls for revenge. Stop, oh stop... we will never learn, will we? Enough death. Enough hate. Enough already. Enough. - Lynda

America has indeed changed. Today we aren't worried about Chandra anymore. We aren't Republicans or Democrats. We're Americans. - Robert

About to go through the tunnel from Long Island to Manhattan, and my train is halted. We are turned back, denied entry to the city. And as we chug back to the nearest station, we see... nothing nothing there at all but smoke. - Roe

The real victims of this tragedy are not the thousands who died, but the tens of thousands who loved them and must live with their deaths. - Stephen

Any other night, I might not have walked home by myself, at that particular hour, through that particular neighborhood. But what New Yorker is going to mess with another on a night like this? - bgirl

Two buildings I visited eight years ago. Gone. And that's when I started thinking really hateful thoughts. - Greg

Everyone needs blood, don't just donate today, donate when your eligible, if you can. Its important, money might help out but blood has one purpose and one purpose only, to keep people living. - Illara

Our generation's Pearl Harbor. Even as one whose life and culture were affected by that Japanese attack, I don't doubt the sentiment for a second. September 11, 2001 will surely be a giant dot — a huge throbbing scar — on the timeline of world and U.S. history. Veterans will surely bristle, but I'd venture to say, we're in a clearly darker place today. - Ryan

If I remember my physics classes, delta is the symbol for change. We are in condition delta, indeed. - Me

[ What we need now, more than anything, is unity. ]
What we need now, more than anything, is unity.

[ What was and will never be again. Remember those who are lost and those who search still. ]
What was and will never be again. Remember those who are lost and those who search still.

12:52 PM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Tuesday, September 11

Pot Never Killed Anybody? Think Again.

No, it's not what you think. See Jacob Sullum's tongue-in-cheek recount of the death of Grover Crosslin and Rolland Rohm, both part of the pro-legalisation Rainbow Farm Campground in Michigan, and both killed by law enforcement agents in the days following a stand-off as the government attempted to seize the campground property under civil forfeiture laws. It's amazing what we come to in the name of "law enforcement."

10:02 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Monday, September 10

RIP, Buddy

We got a phone call last night that I didn't pick up until this morning, saying that my cousin Buddy had died. Buddy was only in his late forties, though he was an alcoholic and his doctors had warned him that his years of heavy drinking had taken quite a toll on his body, especially his heart and liver, and that he needed to get clean. He chose to ignore their warnings.

On Thursday night, he and his girlfriend had a pretty tremendous (alcohol-fueled) fight. She stormed out of his apartment and that was the last contact that anyone had with him. When he hadn't called her to patch things up by yesterday, she went back to his apartment and discovered his body. He apparently died shortly after she left on Thursday afternoon, though no one is sure. We have to wait for the autopsy results to have more definitive answers.

This is the second son that his parents will have to bury, a second son dead under tragic and mostly avoidable circumstances. His parents, my aunt and uncle, and his surviving brother and sister are among the very few members of my extended family for whom I hold any true affection. I expect to be spending a bit of time with them this week. I know that they are suffering tremendously yet trying to bear up under the pressure. When his brother died several years ago, my aunt actually bustled around in her kitchen and fixed salads, ham, lasagne and turkey to be served after the funeral service. Perhaps that's her way of coping, but more likely she did what she felt no one else would be willing to do. I don't want her to have those kinds of pressures this time around, so I'm going to intervene wherever and whenever she'll allow me to.

If my voice is sparse here this week, understand that this is why. Thanks.

03:54 PM Link ~ Speak - [+3]

We Won!

``We remain interested in maintaining the openness of `.org' and not making it a restricted domain. There will be no - I repeat, no - evictions from .org for failure to meet some criteria,'' So said Milton Mueller, co-chair of the ICANN task force which was charged with determining the future of .org administration. Sighs of relief are heard from around the world this morning!

10:14 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Friday, September 7

Server Vents

I have always known that if there was any job that I could not do, it would be waiting tables. People are just too nasty and selfish when it comes to eating in restaurants. Looking at The Stained Apron, a site which gives waitstaffers a chance to vent about their worst work experiences, I'm more sure than ever that I could never be a waitress. Yikes.

03:14 PM Link ~ Speak - [+1]

I Said No More Shopping

In an effort to realign my finances, I had sworn myself to no more unnecessary shopping until it was time to buy holiday presents. Then I found Real Goods - Products For An Ecologically Sustainable Future. It's going to take a lot of willpower to not start hemorraging cash at this site. I mean, how do I resist the Zen Alarm Clock, the Bare Ground de-icing system or naturally-scented dryer sachets? It's a good thing that my purse, with all of my credit cards, is nowhere within reach!

01:14 PM Link ~ Speak - [+4]

At Least They'll Show 128 Reruns

I missed the MTV VMAs last night, and for a change from the past few years, it seems like I skipped out on quite a show. Now I'll have to be sure to catch a rebroadcast. I really want to see Macy Gray's dress. Leave it to her to figure out commercial promotion via wardrobe.

11:32 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Fabulousness?

"I think at certain times in people's lives you just radiate an energy and a glow of fabulousness." So says Anne Heche about Ellen DeGeneres', er, radiation, on the night that they met -- and first had sex. Oooookay. Fabulousness?

In any case, Heche just got married and announced that she's three months pregnant, coincidentally these events happened to occur just as she is releasing an autobiography, and is making the press circuit to talk about it. What fortunate timing! In the book, Heche claims that her father's sexual abuse caused her to develop a second personality. This isn't something new, many abuse survivors have a similar story. Unfortunately, Heche goes on to characterise herself as "insane" as a result. She has even titled her book Call me Crazy.

Why do I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of people who are going to take issue with Ms. Heche's word choices here?

11:23 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Irresponsibility to the Extreme

It seems that the latest salvo fired in the bizarre Lizzie Grubman case is a response to the civil lawsuits filed against her (and her father as owner of the SUV she drove into a crowd of people outside a nightclub) which was not specifically tailored to fit the facts of the case, a bit of very sloppy work by attorneys who should unquestionably know better. Court TV reports that the responses were filled with boilerplate language which suggests that the plaintiffs were responsible for their own injuries. While this is common in this kind of litigation, when the issue of responsibility is not seriously in question, the language of the standard defendant's response is typically amended so as to not insult the plaintiffs. It is fascinating to watch the missteps and the extremely atypical strategies being employed by all sides as the tangled web of the PR Princess continues to be unraveled. This is better than a made-for-TV movie. And come to think about it, it might just become one!

11:01 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]

Thursday, September 6

This Should Be the Norm!

"Like it takes a village to support a child, it takes a hospital to support a breast-feeder.'' So says Dr. Barbara Philipp of the Boston Medical Center. And if you're birthing in a hospital, then she's right, the attitude of the people surrounding you immediately after birth can make or break breastfeeding development. There must be support. That's why it is a step in the right direction that the Boston Medical Center (BMC) was recently designated as a UN/WHO Baby Friendly hospital for its promotion of breastfeeding and abolition of policies which hinder new mothers' ability to form a nursing relationship with their babies.

But at the same time, while I'm thrilled that BMC is now Baby Friendly by the UN/WHO guidelines, it saddens me that this isn't the way that it is in every hospital around the country. Instead of creating confusion in newborns by sticking fake nipples in their mouths and advertising artificial baby milk (aka formula) and sending it home with all mothers (especially breastfeeders, who are targetted with a wink-wink, nudge-nudge "just in case") in corporate-provided diaper bags, all hospitals should be doing everything to create an atmosphere which supports and promotes the only natural means of nourishing and protecting a newborn, and that's breastfeeding. All other options, especially when not borne from medical necessity, should be reserved for special circumstances and not promoted at all.

It kills me that the medical establishment would rather receive handouts from corporate interests and pander to years of myths and derision than take the steps to do what's right and best for their patients -- in this case, new babies and their moms. The ray of hope in the article is that 45 more hospitals are following suit and are working toward Baby Friendly certification right now. Maybe one day in the near future, it will the rarity to find a hospital without it.

01:10 PM Link ~ Speak - [+2]

Grand Slam, Indeed

If I had my druthers, I'd have myself cloned so that I can watch both of today's US Open Women's Semifinal matches without missing a moment. Venus Williams vs. Jennifer Capriati, Serena Wililams vs. Martina Hingis, that's going to be a lot of stellar Grand Slam tennis action, without question. And only one of these matches stands to be televised because of the contracted USA network schedule. Argh!

Beyond that, I don't know who to cheer for. I love the Williams sisters, their toughness, their attitudes, and the fact that they are truly positive role models to so many little girls around this country who would have never imagined that they could be tennis players were it not for the example of Serena and Venus. I know that I'm 1000% behind Serena against Martina Hingis, because Hingis just rubs me the wrong way entirely. She comes off as snide and arrogant, and I hate that. But at the same time, I am amazed by Jennifer Capriati, and her amazing comeback this year. She has worked incredibly hard to regain the ability to play championship tennis, and her accomplishments deserve a lot of recognition. It's a hard choice between her and Venus. That's a game where I have to hope for three sets that all go to tie-breakers that are each won by one point in a squeaker. I wish that they could both win.

One thing is for sure, CBS is making a brilliant move by televising the women's final tomorrow night. I'll be glued to the set.

On the men's side, my interest is over. Pete Sampras fought long and hard and knocked my one and only favourite, Andre Agassi, all over the court last night. I couldn't watch the whole match, because it was just too painful. I've never liked Sampras either. (Sampras, Hingis, Seles and Kournikova all grate on my nerves something fierce, I can't help it.) So now, all I can hope on the men's side is that it comes down to Sampras and newcomer Andy Roddick in the finals and the young buck makes mincemeat out of Sampras. I'd be delighted.

This is sports in the twenty-first century, you don't just root for your favourite players, you actively root for your least favourites to be beaten. Oy.

When did I become a sports fan, anyway?

11:47 AM Link ~ Speak - [+0]


*