barbara friedland

Hope

is the thing with feathers.

What does that mean?

Seriously. 

Do birds embody hope?

Pigeons. 

Filthy, scavengers.

Hope springs eternal.

Again, really? 

In most of the world, the only realities are war, famine and misery.   

Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man.

Nietzsche.

That's nice.

 Apparently hope floats.

 So it is like a boat, or maybe a duck.

 The latter having feathers as well.

 Faith should provide hope.

 Give us the power to overcome the obstacles in our lives while deepening our devotion to the idea that our mission transcends our own lives.

 If we, man, believe in any religion or philosophy, it should be something that

provides assurance that we can survive, nay triumph.

I am stunned how easily some cede their power, money or lives while others persevere amidst seemingly insurmountable odds. 

Looking at the banking industry in the United States, their crimes, government complicity and the deepening between rich and poor, I feel hopeless. 

So many moral and legal laws lay in tatters and the only punishment is more bonuses.

Bernie Madoff was he sacrificial investor, hoisted into prison to pay for the sins of all?

The rest are cashing their checks.

And the financial institutions just penalize citizens more.  

The folks who bailed them out.

Congress is Wall Street's bitch. 

It is hopeless.

Indict Bush. 

Like that is going to happen.

 

A pox on both your houses

A pox on both your houses. 

Politicians who can not gnaw through the corporate ties that bind them.

And the fourth estate, apparently incapable of content any more complicated than the machinations of 

Jon and Kate.

But maybe I slander this profession.  Thanks to their courage and persistence, I am aware that

Michael Jackson is still dead.

The New York Daily News, never tempted to elaborate on complex issues ran the headline

stating Drop Dead- From President to Ford to the city, when the then Chief Executive refused

to bail out the metropolis.

Wait, the Big Apple is still doing strong.  Maybe government should have presented the

same sentiment to AIG.  

But I digress.

There is a lot of caterwauling about the demise of newspapers.  If they don't perform their

mission, then don't let the door hit you as you leave.

The same for television so called journalists.

Presently, we, our great country, are in crisis.  

The media must report it the issues in as much detail as possible.

Don't flash poll results and picked through information about health care reform.

That is the job of Fox News. 

Or the RNC.

Apparently, many Americans are dumb. 

Unaware.

Unable to discern the reality facing us.

The fourth estate must guide citizens and explain policy; not just throw out a 

smart ass headline.

Such as Drop Dead.

Or fixate on non stories.

To survive, to move forward, our country must confront the hard issues facing us.

Let the treasonous folks blather on, like Rush Limbaugh.

But there must be some balance in the so called main stream media.

It used to be anointed the liberal media, but there remains very little evidence of that.

Wait, is Lindsay Lohan snorting again?  Stop the presses.

Or divert real news.

Look at the op ed page of the Washington Post, and very few progressive and reasoned writers remain.

Code words and outright racism has become the new journalism.

What happened to investigative reporting?

War for Iraqi Freedom, as if.

I miss the fourth estate.

Indict Bush.

Whatever gets you through the night

These are trying times.

Half of a Dickens' novel title.

We, our country and our planet, are in the midst of unrelenting crises ranging

from financial to environmental.  

As our world reacts to the poisons of society, more and more folks are

not equipped to fight disease and other other battles.

Too many are struggling to find work and keep their home.

A common psychological devise is to divert attention.

We are our own magicians. 

This can be done with addictive products, like drugs or booze, sometimes 

sex.

I use shopping.  Fixating on an incredible find for very little money. 

I think about purchasing shoes, or a blouse to momentary escape all the pressures of my life.

I know that I must devote 100% of my efforts toward my writing, its success and

generating income.

But the butter soft cashmere sweater is reduced by almost two thirds the original price.

I still am soothed by the 450 dollar shoes that I scooped up for less than $150.

Of course, I need to husband my resources.  So much of my preoccupation is spent

in plotting ways to obtain stuff.

There are healthy diversions.  

Friends and family.

Food- as the Greeks say in moderation.

Exercise.  

Faith- if it recognizes the value of all which brings us to hate.

Too many try escaping from their troubles by chasing vitriolic messengers 

of bitterness.

In these times I guess some are comforted by hurting others they deem

inferior; based on race, income or sexual orientation.

So in lieu of a great 5 mile jog, or culling through thrift stores, people

find relief in racism and prejudice.

I would rather have the silky wool fitted jacket, 70% off sale.

The Republican Party uses hate, intimidation, obfuscation and lies to

prevent real progress, needed reforms and unity.

Let's start indicting them, one by one.

Starting with the war criminals.

Now there is an ameliorating diversion.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon

I don't care.  If all they have against her is what is set forth in the most recent charges, so what?

Really.

We are talking about the Mayor of Baltimore.  Some of her predecessors simply

opened their wallets and let cash fly in.

And they were incompetent to boot.

Of course I am not talking about the mayor who became governor and then comptroller.

But others.  

And not the mayor who is now governor.

But there have been some who have surrounded themselves with incompetent and venal aides.

The city just languished.

Right now there are only accusations against Mayor Dixon.  They have to be proven.

If she had an affair with someone and he gave her gifts but was also a developer

who worked on city projects, again, c'est la vie.

It has been set forth that Dixon was involved with a business man.

 t wouldn't matter what he offered her, he had an inside track.

Built in.

Even with the prosecutor's office huffing and puffing, the charges are penny ante stuff.

Last weekend, 20 folks in Baltimore City were shot.  In just two days.

I won't iterate the problems that a large, mostly minority northeastern urban area

is facing.

Add in the Republican recession, less tax receipts, smaller grants from the state and

federal level, and there are real problems here in Charm City.

Nothing Dixon was allegedly doing started a war, precipitated a housing crisis or crashed

our economy.

Nor did she proffer shoddy and overpriced services for our soldiers.

In fact, distracting the chief executive of our city, hinders solving the murder rate that has raged on

for years.

She is a smart, hard-working woman.

Dixon appears to seek out innovative solutions and is color blind in her hiring.

She tries to surround herself with the best.

Halliburiton is corrupt and evil corporation that needs to be investigated. 

Ditto for most of the folks on Wall Street.

Bernie Madoff and a few Texans are not the only villains in the economic mess.

In terms of war crimes and treason, there is a lot of work needed to be undertaken

let alone executed.

So leave Mayor Dixon alone and indict Bush.

I hear voices

Not a problem since people are speaking.

And speaking and speaking.....

In this digital age, why is there so much noise?

A priori confession, I am aurally violated.

I find sound very intrusive, and yet I reside in a city.

A neighborhood festooned with many bars and thus an army

of drunk, loud patrons.

Their muffled cries do invade my home, but I am learning to

adjust.

I recommend a great book called Instant Rapport, that details which senses

dominate our learning styles and personality:  sight, sound or touch.

Touch includes tactile sensations and smell.  

But I semi digress.

Part of the problem with dialogue in this country is the tone, volume and timber of

people's voices.

Really.

Does Rush Limbaugh have to scream?

Every utterance by Bill, pass the loofah O'Reilly makes is tinged with

bile and nastiness.

Glenn Beck is simply a psychotic episode waiting to happen.

At decibels designed to crack most eardrums.

It is difficult to cull his idiotic, racist and wrong utterances from

the crying.

Sarah Palin does labor under the problem of the tonality of a female voice.

Again, bypassing the moronic nothings of her speeches, we are left

with bitter, high pitched rants,

If her voice raises any more, then only dogs were be attending her press conferences.

Of course I have concerns about President Obama.

He is not as liberal as I would like.

Also, the amount of failure dumped on him by Bush/Cheney might be too much for anyone.

But every time he speaks, I am soothed.  

His voice is so rich and warm.

He talks slowly, and deliberately making certain that his points are being

set forth.

And what he says is always smart and reasoned.

Limbaugh's howls are designed to be put people on edge and get angry.

The President's communications seek to unite.

Muzzle these traitors who are not only wrong, racist and anti American no matter

how many flags they drape over themselves.

Also, besides treason and inciting to riot, they are disturbing our peace.

Indict Bush.

Men

Did you just swallow an elephant or just happy to see me?

America is a celebration of diversity and we all have different tastes and preferences.

Still, there are men whose attraction factors I am definitely missing.

Kevin Federline. 

I was not enamoured of this freeloader when he was thin. 

 His crimes have been enumerated ad nauseam.

Just because he did not go Glenn Beck when his former wife was trying

to deal with the stress of her career and family, does not make him better.

Still a hound dog who deserted a pregnant girlfriend to marry Britney Spears.

Now, he is huge.

Not famous for his singing but fat.

Other males of questionable appeal.

Kid Rock.

Tommy Lee.

Let's be frank, anyone whom Pamela Anderson has dated.

The aforementioned Glenn Beck.

Bill, pass the loofah, O'Reilly.

Tony Romo. 

Okay former girlfriend is very needy.

Still there must be a classier way to exit.

John Mayer.

He should just wear a blinking neon sign saying that he will break your heart.

Or at least, treat his women very crummy.

Other undesirables.

Chris Brown for obvious reasons.

Ditto Michael Vick.

Republicans Sanford, Ensign and their colleagues in the C Street Church.

Larry Craig and Mark Foley.

Nothing against those looking for gay love- but not from minors nor in public bathrooms and then

lying about it.

Continuing in this vein, no matter what kind of husbands Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are,

they remain mass murderers and war criminals.

Albert Gonzalez, enabler plus disrespectful of his heritage.

Have to stop here because it is difficult to cull an honorable man from the Bush Administration,

thus I will be listing villains all day. 

Indict them.

Gaslight

I am gaslighting myself.

The term is from a wonderful movie, aptly appointed Gaslight, starring Charles Boyer and the ethereal Ingrid Bergman.

The actress is so beautiful and sweet it is hard to understand how the dastardly villain who married her could follow through on his tortuous abuse.

He seeks to drive her crazy by deliberating hiding things, or denying actual reality.

His goal is to find jewels he believes are cached in the house she inherited from her aunt.

I have trouble finding anything.

It was a cottage industry for my son. 

Usually he worked pro bono but when I became desperate, 

I would offer a nice bounty for a young boy.

Ten dollars but you must find my keys in the next half hour.

Motivated by money, he always unearthed what I was looking for.

The only way that I can ever locate my cell phone is to call it. 

I close in on the rings and nab it. 

Often I am walking around my house, hold my cordless landline, trying to find the other phone.

Sunday, truly, I mislaid the newspaper for most of the day.  It was under a pile of older editions.

Hiding in plain site as they say.

Even though I recently purchased the most fabulous wool, floral carpeting for my stairs, landing

and office, I still stack mail on different steps.  

Important missives on the left, junk or easily discarded, starboard.

Paper is the worst.

I have elaborate filing systems and other mechanisms to help me keep track of important information.

For months I had ongoing dealings with governmental agencies and an insurance company. 

I had all relevant paperwork together, housed in a bright kelly green folder.

No problems.

Ditto for end of year tax information which is all placed in its own drawer.  

My ex is very organized. 

When forced to rearrange rooms, I become dizzy as furniture seems to spin around.

He comes over, moves items strategically, and voila, a tight, new layout.

Sunglasses have become the latest prisoner in my war of memory.

i have decided to upgrade from my previous cheap pairs to uber designer ones.

Thus, I am often retracing my steps throughout my house, hoping to find where I lay them,

calculating their high replacement cost in my head.

I have found them, always properly set down,  of course, so the lenses don't scratch.

Okay, so I am not so organized.

Everyone has talents and abilities.

Some do not.

Indict Bush.

Verizon FIOS

Okay, so now I use Verizon FIOS, the fiber optic network for my Internet needs.

Here is my unscientific and non calibrated nor vetted evaluation.

It is slower than cable.  

Sorry, it is.

Not I could matriculate for another masters degree while it is booting up languid- but Comcast

is noticeably quicker.

Period.

I was thinking about discontinuing my landline.  I have unlimited calling- long distance with

Verizon, having maintained it due to two reasons.

Firstly, I can never shake the soupcon of concern that cell phones cause brain cancer.

And secondly, how could I ever locate said cell phone without calling it?

I will be writing about how I can never find anything but at least this device can

ring and thus, I have a aural trail.

In the midst of my own internal debate about the cost of my person communications,

Verizon called and wrote me repeatedly about combining Internet and landline.

Great price for 6 months.  Had to buy a new modem and such, but will receive a credit card

with a hundred dollars to more than offset any such expenses.

Won't bore you with the mundane and ongoing machinations of my interaction with Verizon.

I will state that their splash page is ghoulishly awful.

There is speculation that in addition to the algorithm that Google was always bragging about,

their clean splash page with attacks of whimsy drew many folks to use this search engine.

Every time I access my browser, Verizon aka blood soaked National Enquirer has another

horrific story.

Today a pregnant woman in Massachusetts has been murdered and the fetus removed

from her womb.

Yesterday a new mother killed her baby and ate his brains.

Yes, I know.

Disgusting and unnecessary.

Verizon, if you want to keep the public informed, report on the Republican party.

Especially the C Street church.

If this company wants content less polarizing, just present the weather.

Movie reviews.

Comics.

Something else.

And FIOS- get faster.

Indict Bush.

How did Facebook know that Bill is my cousin?

This is scary.

We have no friends in common nor do we share a name.

My paternal cousin Nancy emailed me this morning, asking to be friends on Facebook.

I was happy to hear from her and accepted her request.

We share a friend- my brother- and have the same last surname.

Most of the people I know fall into a couple of categories.  As evidenced

on fb, folks my contacts are mainly part of the writers community or our Buddhist group.

There is considerable overlap in both divisions.

Almost everyone on my roster has mutual friends.

FB has made suggestions in the past, culling people from

other profiles.

But Bill lives on the other side of the country.

Thus, not even hooked into events happening in Baltimore.

This means that fb went into my gmail account. 

They rooted around and found someone whom I have been in contact with

and also is on their site.

There is no other plausible explanation.

Which leads to the question, why are bots, or actual people,

rummaging around my inbox?

Can they read the actual mail, or is the goal just searching for

names and keywords?

What privacy do I actually enjoy?

I emailed fb asking about the process and they referred me back to

the help page.  

I did not notice a category titled: goodbye to any last vestiges of

privacy.

I tell my marketing students to never put anything on-line that

they wouldn't want their mothers to read on the front page of the

New York Times.

The digital world never erases.

So when Karl Rove was claiming that he deleted emails that 

could not be recovered, he was lying.

Again

Or as usual.

Which brings us home.

Indict Bush and Cheney, as well as their henchmen and advisers.

Speaking of fat

What is the deal with Jon Gosselin?  When did he become the poster child for a desirable date?

Forget the twenty, okay thirty extra pounds around the middle. 

The thinning hair. 

The eight kids.

Ladies if you marry him, you marry the ex.

Have you read about her?

She apparently has time to go the gym.  She attributes her body to relentless slogs on 

the elliptical machine.

There is also wiggle room in her schedule for coffee runs, manicures and tanning.

So why can't he sweat and lose a few pounds?  

Don't worry, the myriad of nannies will watch the kids.

Back in the day, when my friends were trolling for husbands, many automatically disqualified 

men with kids.

I guess the problem being there wasn't an octet of little ones.

And the guy had a real job; in lieu of just pimping his progeny out.

To be captured on film forever.

As if I wasn't certain enough that Jon Gosselin is the anti Christ of men I want in my life,

I offer conclusive proof:

His new buddy, Michael Lohan.

Fresh out of prison, estranged from family, illegitimate

child and no means of support.

Yet living in the Hamptons.

Plus wasn't the Gosselin missus the one writing the books, and beating the kids?

Thus, her soon to be ex-spouse has plenty of time on his hands.

And he chooses to date the skankiest women he can find.

They seem troubled as well.

Two are reportedly only seeking fame.  That is their goal.

Which makes no sense. 

It is like saying I dream of going to prison.

Except in this case, privacy is lost. 

Bars and guards are replaced with paparazzi.

Being famous is an unfortunate side effect, like itching.

Many want to act or play sports, and if successful, find themselves trapped

by their own celebrity.

But some handle it better.

Does Denzel Washington have any children?

What is Philip Seymour Hoffman up to these days?

And yet, we know every minuscule part of Lindsay Lohan's day.

And the Gosselin's.

Sometimes politicians lose their privacy.

Not enough considering the hijacks going on, especially in the Republican party.

Which segues to:

Indict Bush.