The Heavy Flow

Life is Good.

2009-05-05T16:37:00.011-04:00

So, I don't think pediatric nursing is for me, but......

.....my nephew is wonder-full.

A Cookbook Quote for your day

2009-04-29T17:51:00.002-04:00

"Well hung meat is quite simply, tastier and more tender than unhung or underhung meat." - John Whittingstall, THE MEAT BOOK

2009-04-28T12:26:00.001-04:00

true story someone sent this message to me on facebook:

"hey, i was so shocked to see you on facebook. i remember you from junior high school and I always wanted to tell you that I hated the way people treated you in middle school. I know your probably thinking this girl is crazy that was like 8 years ago..regardless I always said if I ever saw you again I wanted to tell you that you were one of the nicest kids at that freakin' school,you were always nice to me, and it's good to see you thriving!!!"

FML!

2009-03-25T13:05:00.004-04:00

remember when i hosted kovit boonjear- that really incredible organizer from thailand in richmond for a week?

below is an interview with kovit that was published this week in Spare Change Newspaper, a homeless-run newspaper in the boston area.

it was a really great experience to have kovit in richmond for a week and to be able to show him some of the exciting things going on here.
also kovit is totally r a d i c a l and it was really great to just be able to sit around and share thoughts and ideas with him- i wish more of my friends could have met him- but i think this is a pretty neat article.

let me know what you think...

Interview with Thai Community Organizer Kovit Boonjear

on squatter communities, housing rights, and community empowerment
*

- by Katherine Foo
*

Please tell us about yourself and your background.
*

I was born in southern Thailand in Songkhla Province. My Mom was from Bangkok, and my Dad was from Hua Hin. They moved to Songkhla and had three girls and three boys. I am the fifth child.

My Dad worked as a waiter. He worked really hard, but he considered education to be really important for his children, so he sent all of us to school. At the end of the month, every employee received a salary, but my family would not because of the credit that they used during the month. In the end, they would have little money. My Mom was a housewife, but when we would go to school, she would go out to work as well. When I was 11 years old, I followed my Dad when he moved to Bangkok for work, but my Mom stayed in Songkhla.

I finished law school, but I found that the law had very little to with me. I thought it was more important to help people and work with people. When I finished school, I went back to the South to work with Muslim communities for six months. Then I moved to Isaan [northeastern Thailand] and worked with an international organization for 12 years. When I went to work, I found that I couldn’t change the policy of the government; I was only doing welfare work. When the government would stop giving out money, the situation would revert back to its initial state without improvement. I think when people initiate something by themselves, and they negotiate with the government, then I think they can make real change. But when we work for big organizations, we cannot really change anything.
*

What type of work do you do now?
*

I help organize squatter and "scavenger" communities related to housing rights and self-sustainable income generation. I work with these communities in the context of a national people’s organization called the Assembly of the Poor. I also coordinate the Khon Kaen Educational Initiative, which connects these urban communities in order to develop educational, professional and social opportunities for them. I promote an alternative to conventional NGO-derived models of "self-help" and instead emphasize participatory education with input from students, families, teachers, government officials, and communities
*

What are the main causes of homelessness in Thailand?
*

The reason for homelessness in Thailand is that the government only supports the industrial sector and not the agricultural sector. People sell their land for industrial purposes and need to move to town to get new jobs. This is a uniquely urban problem. The people in the rural areas still have land. When in the city, people go to the public land owned by the Railroad Authority of Thailand (RAT) and squat on that land. They find that to buy land in urban areas is very expensive, so they stay on RAT land.

They can’t buy that land because it belongs to the government, so they have to negotiate to rent the land. But it takes time to rent the land because the RAT prefers businesses to rent at a higher price. The community has to constantly negotiate with the RAT. It took 2 years for the communities in Khon Kaen to reach an agreement to rent the land. They also have to negotiate for fair loans and utility rates because squatter communities usually have to pay higher interest on loans and higher electricity rates.
*

What are the most effective methods that the squatters have used to improve their situation?
*

It’s most helpful for the homeless people to form a group, to develop into an organization, and to link together to become a network with other interest groups. Linking up issue by issue is not enough. The linking up of squatters with squatters is not enough. The linking up of squatters with the HIV/AIDS network or agricultural network is good because it lets them form a long-term process of change. We work together. When we work together to become a group in the long-term, we can make progress.

It helps to create something to hold the group in place in the short term in order to help the group to grow in the long term. For example, the people can create a savings group or a community bank for community projects. We try to develop the group into an organization, and then we link together with other organizations. That is where power comes from that can change things. People who have lost their homes can use this process.

In Thailand, there are no shelters. In Bangkok, the squatter network pushes the government welfare department to build shelters. But this is organized by the people. The government now has already created a budget for squatter settlements to establish themselves in Bangkok. Now it’s easier to rent on RAT land because we’ve been fighting them for a long time.

In the squatter settlements, the people create a community police. For hard problems, like if something really violent happens, they call the city police. But otherwise, they try to take care of their problems by themselves.
*

How do the squatter communities work with the Assembly of the Poor (Thai: Samacha Con Jon)?
*

In the Assembly of the Poor, different issues organize into different groups, for example: squatters, people living with HIV/AIDS, farmers promoting alternative agriculture, etc. In the AOP, the different focus groups form into a network across the country.

"Samacha" means that everyone comes together. When we come together with people of different issues, we call it "Samacha," like a conference. "Con Jon" means poor people. AOP translates into the meeting together about issues pertaining to poor people. I think this is a good model. If one group within the network wants to protest to change a government policy, everyone in the network has to support them and protest with them. They are strong. They can protest for 99 days in front of the Government House. It’s really hard, but they can do it. However, now I think they are weak because of Thaaksin’s [former Prime Minister] policies—they were good for beating down the AOP.
*

What are the ways that government policies affect poor people in Thailand?
*

I think most policies from the government are the biggest impediment to helping squatter communities become stronger. Most people who write the policy are from the upper class. Some policy supports the poor people, but it supports them as welfare policies. It doesn’t encourage poor people to stand up for themselves.

Most education changes children’s ideas. Most children go to school, and they don’t go back to the community where they came from. Education makes them individualistic to think about themselves only and not their communities and society. Also, education usually doesn’t include a local curriculum. If you learn about local history and local issues, you can become proud of who you are and where you’re from. Isaan has a rich history of growing jasmine rice and many regional cultural traditions that the students don’t learn about in school. For example, the school curriculum studies the Chaopraya River. Even if the students are in Isaan, they are
studying the river in Central Thailand. Why not study the Mekong River, so that we can protect it?

All the people tell younger people that they need to study hard in order to be smart, to become the boss, to walk proudly. They don’t tell them to go to school to become a good person. They say, you can reach a high position in a company and become "hi-so" [slang for high society in Thai]. This is the way of thinking.
*

Have you learned anything in the United States that may help the work you do in Thailand?
*

I am not sure about that yet. But I have learned that the people here are not the same as the government. In the past, I didn’t separate the government and the people [of the United States]. But the people find themselves in the same situations as the people in Thailand. They are similarly oppressed by the policies of consumerism and capitalism. But they are the same as people in Thailand and around the world. I think I learned this.

Another point is that before I used to not understand racial issues in the United States. But after coming here, I am more sympathetic to racial issues. Minorities are citizens the same as white people, but I think there’s a double standard for them. I understand this much better now.

Another thing I see clearly is that U.S. Americans use a lot of resources. They are about four percent of the world population, but they use 25 percent of the world’s resources. When I see a skyscraper, I don’t just look at the form, but I see the details. I think about the amount of resources and water that it uses. One day of water use in one American skyscraper could use the equivalent of one village or a farmer to irrigate all of his crops.

and i'm pissed again

2009-03-23T15:50:00.002-04:00

i found this on my friends blog. its a real advertisement used in bar bathrooms by an israeli beer company

SHITTY!

If I may make a suggestion...

2009-02-25T16:17:00.002-05:00

Living downtown affords so many luxuries. For example, a legless man sits under a plastic tarp all night and day in the back alley. But even better, my darlings, are the effing sandwiches. Next time you are just every so slightly soaked with mountain dew please go to Nick's International produce (located at Broad and Madison) and eat a salami and pepperoni 6 in sub toasted all the way. 'Tis ruler. I think they make their own mayonnaise.

"Domestic Disturbia"

2009-02-14T19:46:00.002-05:00

In lew of the sensationalized chris brown and rhi-rhi news

really good commentary by Elizabeth Mendez Berry (wrote an article for Vibe magazine about the normalizing of domestic violence in the hip-hop culture)

is this a joke?

2009-01-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

from BBC news-

Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were "very much in love" and had decided to get married in Africa "where it is warm", police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children's families celebrated New Year's eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy.

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

"They can still put their plan into action at a later date," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

ATTN: worthless post

2008-12-18T23:32:00.003-05:00

but a post nonetheless!
hey. i know this is lame but..whtvr.
this song is dreamy, no? at least it is when you put your mayor wanda glasses on..

happy holidays

2008-12-18T12:06:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2008-12-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

michelle showed me this the other day...

sick.

2008-12-15T12:37:00.001-05:00

YES!

Ohhh. Yes. o-yes-o-yes

2008-12-08T17:20:00.002-05:00

Sam,
I found this. and i know you weren't writing your paper last night, because I found this on Craigslist.
http://richmond.craigslist.org/rnr/947247919.html

" I WANT TO BE A VAMPIRE (seriously)

Reply to: pers-947247919@craigslist.org [?]Date: 2008-12-06, 10:26AM EST

How do I do this? Where are the real vampires? No jokes. Only email if you know this information.

Location: seriously
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 947247919"

2008-10-02T14:55:00.004-04:00

last week for me and my dads birthday we got to do something really incredible. we got to do storycorps!

storycorps is the largest oral history project in the united states. it was founded by dave isay and the project started with the idea that everyone has a story to tell. over the past few years in recording booths in new york and mobile traveling booths across the united states they have collected the stories of over 30,000 every day americans- people like you and me!

when you go into a storycorps recording booth you get to interview your partner- it can be a parent, neighboor, bestfriend, whatever... after your interview is finished you get a copy of it on CD and another copy is archived at the Library of Congress in DC.
they have also came out with a really neat book called Listening is an Act of Love which has exerpts of some of the most memorable stories.

ANYWAYS! the mobile booth was in roanoke on september 25th- me and my dads bday! when i found out i was so stoked- it was the perfect birthday present! i made an appointment for 1:30pm on thursday, september 25, 2008 for the storycorps booth in roanoke, va for me to interview my dad. it was a complete suprise for him- i told him i had a special suprise present for him in roanoke but i couldnt tell him until we got there. and, i couldnt believe it but he actualy agreed!

we got to roanoke and i gave my dad a copy of the book and told him what we were going to be doing. he started crying and i started crying and it was just really beautiful.

i think we were both pretty nervous because its pretty intimidating to have a big microphone in your face- its easy to feel overwhelmed- and looking back it might have been a good idea to give my dad a heads up about what we were doing a week or so in advance to let him prepare because i forget his memory might not be as fresh as mine. but overall i think it was still a really great experience.
we talked about his parents and growing up, and meeting my mom, and working in the coal mines, and what is was like when i was born and when i was growing up.
i think maybe 3 people read this blog (maybe i am wrong) and they know my dad. but for those who dont i guess i would describe him as one of the most caring and sensitive people i have ever met. and in the interview i got to tell him that i think the reason i am the way i am- why i care so much about i dont know- the world and all the people in it and stuff is because i got to see how simply and genuinely he cared for my mom and i and everyone else close to him. hes kind of my hero because he really is so good to people.

anyways it was really nice because ya know, even though my dad isnt famous his story will now get to be a part of history. and really his story weaved together with all the other stories of everyday people becomes the story of us as a society, as a country, living together right now. it was neat to get to let my dad know that his experiences and his stories are important and that they matter- to be able to validate someones life and let them leave a mark.

it still makes me feel all mushy inside but it is really nice. check out the website or the book or the podcast-- and try and record your own loved ones story!

ooh! also the guy who facilitated and recorded our intervew mentioned us in his blog post, Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
you can find it here:
http://www.storycorps.net/blog/

2008-09-29T11:35:00.002-04:00

some of this is taken out of context but it is still interesting...

2008-09-23T14:29:00.001-04:00

Designer vagina trend 'worrying'

A leading urogynaecologist has spoken out against the growing popularity of cosmetic vaginal surgery.

Professor Linda Cardozo, of King's College Hospital, London, says little evidence exists to advise women on the safety or effectiveness of procedures.

These include operations to make the external appearance more "attractive" and reshaping the vagina to counter laxity after childbirth, for example.

She discussed the issues at a medical meeting in Montreal, Canada.

Women want to emulate the supermodel. It's part of a trend
Professor Cardozo

A Google search showed over 45,000 references to cosmetic vaginal surgery, yet on medical databases such as PubMed or Medline there were fewer than 100.

Professor Cardozo said the most established vaginal cosmetic procedure was reduction labioplasty - a procedure to make the labia smaller - which is requested by women either for aesthetic reasons or to alleviate physical discomfort.

"Women want to emulate the supermodel. It's part of a trend. But they should know that all surgery can be risky.

"Most of the procedures are done in the private sector and it's totally unregulated."

The exact numbers of procedures carried out are unknown.

In the past five years there has been a doubling of the number of labial reductions carried out on the NHS from 400 in 2000/1 to 800 in 2004/5.

Growing trend

The evidence from existing case studies shows that the procedure, which costs about £2,000 at a private clinic, does have positive aesthetic results but it is unclear whether it resolves feelings of psychological distress or improves sexual functioning, she said.

Types of cosmetic vaginal surgery

Labioplasty - to make the labia smaller

Vaginal rejuvenation - to make the vagina tighter

Hymenoplasty - to restore the hymen and make the woman appear a virgin

And there was little evidence that "vaginal rejuvenation" - the surgical repair of vaginal laxity, with a price tag of about £3,000 - improved symptoms and was any better than doing simple pelvic floor muscle exercises.

She said robust research was needed so that doctors could properly advise their patients. In the meantime, she urged surgeons to remain cautious and operate only as a last resort.

In her presentation at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 7th International Scientific Meeting, Professor Cardozo said: "Cosmetic vaginal procedures raise a number of serious ethical questions.

"Women are paying large sums of money for this type of surgery which may improve the appearance of their genitalia but there is no evidence that it improves function."

OMFG

2008-09-19T12:27:00.002-04:00

i am at my internship searching for pro-choice movies and i found what sounds like one of the most fucked up movies ever...

The Abortion
Though her doctor cautions her not to have an abortion, a pregnant woman who's just entered her second trimester goes ahead with the procedure. But her choice comes back to haunt her -- literally -- when the ghost of her unborn daughter shows up. Desperate for maternal love, the ghoul refuses to leave, driving the reluctant mother into a frenzy as those around her assume she's going mad. Akasya Aslitürkmen stars in this Turkish horror flick.

no. no. no.

seriously?

2008-09-11T11:55:00.004-04:00

i dont like sarah palin at all. i mean shes totally scary right? but this kind of stuff makes me feel totally crazy and angry...

This is for Tammy

2008-09-05T11:16:00.004-04:00

Well, after months of trying to see who Daddy Yankee would endorse as this years Presidential Nominee , he threw in his support for McCain at a Phoenix high school last week. "I believe in his ideals and his proposals to lead the nation", Yankee said of the nominee. McCain is trying to target Hispanic voters and he thinks Daddy Yankee or Ramon Ayala, his real name, is great asset since he his the most supercharged PR dance act out there. After a short speech and alot of hugs Daddy Yankee performed "Gasolina".
In similar news, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have sent a "Cease and Desist" to McCain and Palin: "Quit playing Barracuda!"
"Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image. The song 'Barracuda' was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The 'barracuda' represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

2008-08-27T13:14:00.004-04:00

sub regular milk with soy milk. whats up!

the news

2008-08-25T13:37:00.002-04:00

so cute...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/08/22/argentina.dog.tale/index.html
so silly...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7581039.stm

what mike showed me lastnight

2008-08-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

Teleport stomp combo

2008-08-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

butt ugly

2008-08-07T11:02:00.004-04:00

drop some knowledge

2008-08-07T10:33:00.007-04:00

click to enlarge

AHAHAHAHA

2008-08-06T15:50:00.000-04:00

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

conversations with my best friend Stephanie

2008-07-31T22:31:00.001-04:00

"have you guys ever had Fighting Cock?

...that was the night i lost my virginity."

WHAT DID YOU EVER DO?

Life is pain. Pain is Suffering. The only Cessation from Suffering is Knowledge

2008-07-31T09:22:00.005-04:00

With the cat missing I have been having a hard time finding something to help me relax. What to do? Sit outside on the back steps until he comes home? or perhaps crying in my room to the always comforting stylings of belle and sebastian!? No, No. Apparently you just have to wait it out. I put cat litter outside. The lost ad is in the paper for eight days. A very kind woman sent me a long check list of things to do/things that she did. She suggests a laser pointer. I do not have one but this sounds effing brilliant. I could find my cat if i didn't laser the retinas off of all the other neighborhood scabs. Another idea I liked was getting a cat communicator to help. OMG- a cat whisperer is exactly what I need. Which one of you will volunteer to help me go meet this woman- Sheila Trecartin? Sheila, Dr. Kiki Watson is on vacation in Jackson Ward meeting tiny thug cats and getting covered in street dirt, but how do I convince him that mommmy needs him home?
Well, anyway, thank you for helping me this week. I really am very lucky to have so many friends. It's Zatarans fault. Dumb cat.

MOVE IT MAMI

2008-07-29T18:45:00.001-04:00

this song...plays in my mind..daily.

P.E.

2008-07-28T16:07:00.002-04:00

I am going to the Y this afternoon. I do not want to.

the girl effect

2008-07-24T16:25:00.005-04:00

I saw this video on the internet today. The website is interesting as well. What do you think?

Making it in the work world by Alex MacDonald

2008-07-24T09:05:00.003-04:00

Good morning, Ladies. I get to sit at the big girl desk today as the substitute office manager. I made the coffee. Now, I'm making copies. Girl Power.

2008-07-22T11:55:00.005-04:00

today at work while cleaning one of the professor's office i found the most amazing bumper sticker...

YES!

2008-07-21T14:13:00.004-04:00

that booty thang

2008-07-17T01:59:00.003-04:00

"can you see my ass-twat?"

Eggciting

2008-07-16T18:49:00.005-04:00

the perfect fried egg:

Place a small non-stick frying pan over the lowest possible heat on stove

Add butter and let slowly melt making sure it doesn't foam and is not sizzling

When all the butter has melted, crack the egg into pan and cover with a lid
cook approx 5 minutes until egg white solidifies from transparency into snow-white cream; the yolk will thicken slightly as it heats

How quickly the egg cooks is dependent on how low you have the heat

ooooooh boy...

Hysterical Blindness

2008-07-16T01:42:00.004-04:00

This is mostly for Alex because I'm worried, but can be a warning to all:

"Dozens of partygoers at an outdoor rave near Moscow last week have lost partial vision after a laser light show burned their retinas, Russian health officials said on Monday." --Courtesy Reuters

Please. be. careful.

In other news, here is a photograph of a chicken with teeth like I was talking about. Hey, pretty pretty, turn that shit upside down.

Also related, my mother used to tease my brother and tell him that he had butt teeth that would bite his hand if he didn't wipe quickly enough. So I don't know exactly what the moral of her story was, but I always kind of figured that the butt teeth thing was more of an asset (should they exist). Plus, unless my brother was digging in his heiney-hoo, how would the teeth bite his fingers (unless he had a jacked up butt grill)? Salud.

Look out, little starling

2008-07-15T14:40:00.003-04:00

Oh look, these are birds.

so....

2008-07-15T13:48:00.002-04:00

i am working on a collaborative zine right now and i want YOU to contribute!
this zine is dedicated to the idea of a woman named Charlene Stevens.

Charlene Stevens was my mom's mom who i never met, the idea is that some of the submissions will make it into a small thoughtful book to give to my mom.

the rest of the submissions will make it into a zine or a series of zines dedicated to the idea of Charlene Stevens.

maybe you imagine Charlene Stevens to be a young girl playing four square in front of her house.
or maybe you imagine Charlene Stevens to be a very wise pet dog...

whatever you imagine write a short story, a poem, do a photo essay, a comic strip, a diary entry, a sculpture, a fake obituary... whatever can be loosely documented - just use your imagination (duh!)

tentative due date is september 1 2008

if you are interested let me know so i have an idea of how many submissions to expect

also, if you have questions contact me at yourstruly.shayne@gmail.com

this will totally rule!

love love love,
shayne!

tell your pals!

everyone is an artist

2008-07-14T17:27:00.002-04:00

“Only on condition of a radical widening of definitions will it be possible for art and activities related to art [to] provide evidence that art is now the only evolutionary-revolutionary power. Only art is capable of dismantling the repressive effects of a senile social system that continues to totter along the deathline: to dismantle in order to build ‘A SOCIAL ORGANISM AS A WORK OF ART’… EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST who – from his state of freedom – the position of freedom that he experiences at first-hand – learns to determine the other positions of the TOTAL ART WORK OF THE FUTURE SOCIAL ORDER.”- Joseph Beuys

color explosion

2008-07-11T12:57:00.004-04:00

Either Watson or Crick was on Acid when they realized that DNA was shaped like a double helix. The acid guided him to his inner destiny! Ok, now buy me this coloring book:

Hey friends

2008-07-10T19:01:00.002-04:00

from tammy's recent foot-modeling photo shoot

ladies first

2008-07-08T14:09:00.002-04:00

2008-07-08T13:13:00.000-04:00

Super Potent Peanut Butter Protein Bars, aww yeah.

Ingredients:
2 TBSP no sugar peanut butter
2 TBSP cannabutter, melted
1/2 tsp liquid artificial sweetener *saccharin, stevia, liquid Spenda*
1/4 cup Splenda or 4 packets Sweet n Low
One scoop vanilla whey protein powder

Melt peanut butter and butter in microwave or double boiler.

Mix in the sweetener thoroughly.

Add protein powder and stir until able to form a ball. Roll up in a ball and kneed for a few seconds. Separate into even four even portions and roll into balls. Place in refrigerator until firm. Makes 4 servings.

2008-07-07T13:03:00.000-04:00

Remember how great our beach vacation. Look at this pic I snapped of Shayne and Tammy on the beach:

2008-07-07T13:02:00.001-04:00

Yo Hawties!