*Take our Poll about Polls at the bottom*
Hey new comers, and old hanger on-ers It’s time for a brand new thread.
In line with the long standing tradition here at Booman Tribune, we invite especially all of you new comers to stop by and tell us a bit about yourselves.
Where you Live
Family
Career or School
Hobbies
Interests
Politics
Any of these things or anything else you wish. Tell us as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. But we really just want to welcome you and get to know you a little better so we have some sense of who we all are.
Even if you have been a member for a while here, we really would like to hear from you too.
This is your playground, play by the rules, be safe and have lots of fun!!!
If you want to read through previous versions from earlier today or beyond, start here:
WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME
Come on in and spend a few minutes to tell us about you. We are very glad you decided to stop by and be a part of us here at Booman, or The Frog Pond as we like to call it.
Step right up. . .Greeters will be around to welcome you.
*Please go to Part 13 and Unrecommend
Also go to Part 14 and unrecommend
That way we make room on the recommended diary list when you very kindly recommend this one. Thanks
think alike! I saw that you waded in the diaries, there’s some good discussion going on! I’m off, will see you and the rest of the Welcome Wagon Crew tomorrow!
Peace,
Thanks Man E. . . have fun. . .see you tomorrow and thanks for a terrific job with helping us out. You the Man. . .not to be confused with Boo the Man.
Please Unrecommend any of the previous diaries And don’t forget to hit the Recommend on this one!
I’m off to get myself into trouble on this Friday night. Cheers!
Well folks how does it feel, after the week we have had. Anyone want to talk about their experiences as we sit back and relax a little.
believe that any of us are awake 😉
Was there any warning at all? Did one of you a FEMA like instruction book for the care and shelter of hundreds of blog-refugees to yank out of a drawer and put to use?
Didn’t even have a clue. . .but it is all Diane’s fault.
Or maybe mine, or maybe both of us. I found out accidentally about the storms d’kos and went to the KW site NCYO put up. I sent a link to it to Diane. She was right over there Telling every one to come on over, we would be glad to see them. . .Who knew there would be 450,000,000 of them?
How goes it zander?
who jumped at that offer.
I’m great and just endlessly fascinated by all of this. You doin’ OK? Admittedly, I don’t keep track of anything very well, but it seems like the 2 of you have been here 24/7 for days.
LOL, no not really, but we have formed such a team work like atmosphere here that it was easy to call for help.
You see we went for a long time with say 500 members with only a core group of about 50 constant commenters so we just naturally and with a lot of learning curves developed what we have here.
We also had many diary discussions about what we wanted this site to be and how we felt about ratings and all of that, so we were pretty prepared for a deluge, but none of us, none of us, ever expected for one minute that it would be a hurricane.
We have had some big bumps before too, when maybe a 100 would come in a couple days time, but usually it was just in dribs and drabs.
The tell us about you diaries go way back to the beginning and that has helped us a lot to develop the family feel.
I am impressed by us to tell you the truth.
and just beaming with pride I would imagine.
I just went to look at the weekly and monthly graphs – that tells the story all right. If you guys feel that the essential character of the site has survived intact – you should go look at the size of the wave that washed over it. It took some serious character, you know?
I’m so impressed with all of you, and with the site, and with the quality of members – newbies and old. It’s amazing. I’ve been spending time in the diaries and jumping over here to lurk and give out 4’s when I can. And when do diane101, shirlstars, zander, and Man Eegee ever sleep?
is never! (not that I can see anyway) I just got myself in the diaries. so many good contributors.
About to sign off speaking of which…getting hard to keep the peepers open.
I would like to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to post a diary in the welcome wagon series. It’s truly being a learning experience.
You did a terrific job Cake, Thanks, I sure appreciate it.
AndDiane has some magical way that she sneaks a little sleep in here and there. . .I can’t personally remember what sleep is. LOL
Sleep? what’s sleep? 😉
Been managing about 4 or hours of sleep for the 19 months since my son was born. Now that he’s sleeping through the night, I am here!
sigh
Oh well, what a wonderful way to aquire sleep depravation! 😉
I’ll be doing some of that soon – probably in large quantities.
I can’t wait to see one of your diaries blueneck – that intro you posted… you’ve got some unique and interesting stuff going on.
g’night Cake – nice job today.
I have some ideas, but nothing for sure yet.
I’ll also be somewhat unavailable for about a week sometime here in the near future, so I’ll probably wait til after that. I’m honored that you’re interested, though.
That sounds pretty interesting. Where would I find these graphs you speak of? 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
bottom of the page – site meter. The ones that got me were left hand side, visits, – week and month.
Okay, wow. I had heard numbers mentioned like increasing registrations from 1000 to 1500 or so. That seemed impressive but not huge. The graphs show a far greater rise than the registration increase would indicate. Which makes sense upon further reflection, as a good number of that first 1000 have probably faded away, while this new group is coming all at once and are probably more active bloggers by nature anyway.
Thanks again for pointing me there! That is just such an impressive graph to look at.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
for anyone else, but I’ve been here a lot! I’m totally enamored with this place. The first couple of days was just therapy really – I was pretty shaken up over how ugly things got over there.
So I may be just one new member – well, actually I’m 675 – so I’m not even new in that respect, but I’m really racking up page views, time, etc…
I’m guessing there are some others spending more time here too – settling in, trying to talk over everything that’s gone down, trying to get back some feeling of community, etc…
Wow – we must be eating up bandwidth….
.
I need a tree trunk,
just to sit down for a moment and appreciate the surroundings to see what has happened to us these past few days.
BooMan and Susan are THE fantastic leaders, eh team players of the frog pond.
Thanks everyone, still on the thread at this hour of reflection!
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
Yeah, ever since Monday, I’ve been trying to get away from my computer, but there’s this crazy SoCal woman who follows me around everywhere and tells me that I should go here, then there, then back here, and so I have no idea what I’ve been doing exactly, but someone should really take that bullhorn away from her. I think she might have a Fellini complex or something. She says thanks alot, but brother, you need a passport, a canteen, and a backpack to keep up with everything.
She has done a fabulous job though of keeping up on things and making sure that all the newbies feel welcome, and putting out small sparks here and there before they actually become harmful.
Thanks Diane! You have been F A B U L O U S !!!!
I’m sorry to throw this at you, but I just came across this and don’t know what you guys do about that here.
Thanks zander. . .they are so cute at that age, the baby trolls. . .just cute as they can be.
Unless he/she is totally destorying the discussion, we’ll just let Boo remove him/her. Otherwise, everyone zero rate them and they disappear.
Site stats right now:
Total 128,302
Average Per Day 4,382
Average Visit Length 7:42
Last Hour 153
Today 7,489
This Week 30,673
PAGE VIEWS
Total 831,141
Average Per Day 26,473
Average Per Visit 6.0
Last Hour 1,447
Today 43,288
This Week 185,310
.
23:00PDT Latest News ◊ interview Dutch radio –
Aruba spokesman Ruben Trappenberg said news in US media CNN, NBC, AP is not correct. The three men and the two hotel security guards are in protective custody. No confession yet.
ORANJESTAD, Aruba – One of three young men who took an Alabama high school student to the beach during her class trip to Aruba confessed he killed her, police say.
Deputy Police Commissioner Gerold Dompig told The Associated Press that the man was leading police late Friday to the scene of the crime.
AP Photo: An unidentifiedfriend of Natalee Holloway
signs a 'wall of hope'
erected for the missing...
PS Good Morning Everyone.
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
Missed you a lot when you were off sleeping. We are having a rehash party at the moment of the week that was. Care to join in.
What is your assesment at the end of this week of all that transpired.
.
I’m looking forward to our UID #1500 Party – Howdy Folks!
With Martin and Susan spending some time with us, offering the fireworks -big surprise- and a toast of champagne.
Recently, don’t remember what thread or day, it’s been one long feast with our newbies, I summed it up my way —
All we could do is open our doors and offer a warm welcome. I see you are a talented bunch, who will settle in and contribute to the community in a big way. See ye around, I got to do my daily chores, but only after I extended our warm welcome.
and …
Armando was not prepared to offer the peace pipe and interact with the group in a smoke filled TeePee. Ask Ghostdancers Way ◊ he could enlighten us with his view.
A. kept his Teepee opening closed.
Love to you all – it was my pleasure to give some support where I could.
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
turn on you im. You are needed on aisle 5.
Hello! I’m Renee, from down on the bay prairie that runs along the Texas Gulf Coast. I’m a refugee from the recent pie dealie over at Kos. I mostly lurk, although I’ve been posting a little recently. I’ve been troll-rated one too many times this week and I’m coming over here because I’ve been told it’s a much friendlier place. I’m usually pretty well mannered (except for this week at the old place) but I seriously promise to watch my p’s and q’s. I’d really just like to lay low for a while, and heal, and do what I do best, which is read a lot!!!!
Thank for coming over, this will make it easier for everyone to say their hellos.
I hope you’ll find it a little cozier over here. It’s been a crazy week, but most people seem to be settling in really well and a big bunch of us are just silly-happy over how mellow and friendly it is here.
If you’re still a little shaken by the pie wars, I would really recommend Kansas’ diary Did age play a role in it?. 145 comments and not a single bit of snark, sarcasm or ugliness. That’s some powerful stuff.
And as an aside…. ‘laying low’ was exactly what I had in mind when I showed up here on Monday… a couple of days later, I found myself running around greeting people. ? I don’t know how, but this place has had a great affect on an awful lot of people.
Enjoy.
forgot the warning. It seems there are still a couple of skirmishes happening over here, and some people who are still slugging it out. Don’t worry, it’s localized, it’s easy to ignore if you choose to, and if you accidentally wander in… well, you’ll know right away where you are and what you’re getting into if you choose to stay.
Thanks for the welcome zander! I’ve noted your point about the skirmishing. This week I’ve been dealing with the realization that I’m somehow now “dis-communityized”. That’s really all I’m seeking. Anywho, it’s way late now, and I’m going to bed. Enjoy your evening/morning/day and thanks so much for the warm welcome.
k – I’ll see you around.
Welcome, another Texan. I’m in the north Dallas burbs now (Coppell), but grew up much further south, Galveston and on up the coast towards Kemah. I look forward to hearing from you.
hopping in here cburke – there aren’t many people floating around at this hour, and the introductions are more fun with more people.
Yep, I’m a night owl. I’m enjoying the intro posts.
checked out some of the earlier ones that are linked at a post on the top of this thread? There have been some very interesting times around here lately.
Welcome cburke. I’m in Irving at my sister’s for most of the summer. I’m old, fat and a smoker. Want to consider a meetup?
Yep, you grew up just up the coast from me a bit. I’m on the other side of the San Luis near old Eagle Island. My “handle” is taken from what they called the area near here, specifically around Peach Point, way back when. Rutherford Hayes, on a visit made in 1848, described Peach Point as being “delightfully situated in the edge of the timber, looking out upon a plain on the south extending five or eight miles to the Gulf. That plain is part of the bay prairie and probably the heart of it, I suppose.
I don’t know Coppell, exactly, but if it’s a suburb of North Dallas you must be somewhat close to a place I love to eat when I’m in your area, the Blue Mesa Grill. It’s across the street from Northpark Center. They have a great Sunday brunch!!!! I’m getting hungry now just thinking about it but I guess these cheese grits will just have to do. Speaking of hungry, did you have any favorite places you liked to eat in the Galveston Kemah area when you were growing up?
Welcome, Renee! What have you been reading lately? I just got a book from the library I’ve been wanting to check out for some time: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. I also can highly recommend a novel I recently read called The Quality of Life Report by Meghan Daum. 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
is such a great book! The task of making grammar read like entertainment – that’s huge.
hey there! I’ve got two on my plate now, Sor Juana by Octavio Paz and The Gay Place by Billy Lee Brammer. Eats, Shoots and Leaves sounds like something i should be required to memorize, what with my ee cummings approach to typeography! i’m known in some circles as miss punctuation.
Longtime anonymous lurker on dkos. Stumbled here in the aftermath of the pie wars. Currently working on a PhD (a.k.a., pre-post-academic) in East Asian Studies in Toronto.
Welcome, Sputnik! I can relate with your graduate studies in a teeny tiny way: I once took an “East Asian Civ” course in my previous life as a history major (I’m now back in school, getting a math degree). Not exactly Ph.D. level, but it was certainly an interesting subject!
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Longtime anonymous lurker on dkos. Stumbled here in the aftermath of the pie wars. Currently working on a PhD (a.k.a., pre-post-academic) in East Asian Studies in Toronto.
found a fellow Canadian?
Not exactly. Just one of them crazy international students. I’ve only been based here since September last year. I was previously living in Japan and Singapore.
crazy international students…
Welcome. I’m glad you decided to sign up and hi – please make yourself entirely at home. Only rule around here is be nice. And many, many people are taking that pretty seriously – there has been some incredibly good energy around here lately, and a lot of healing going on.
Hope you’ll find it cozy in here.
Thanks. Coming from dkos lurking, one can’t help notice the difference in the atmosphere here. But yes, I know I know, not the anti-dkos site, so I’ll stop now.
a little tiny bit of that argument.
First posting and I manage to somehow double-post. Sorry. Still half-asleep.
.
doubles your mojo as newbie!
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
.
Welcome as a member to BooTrib – readers are just as important IMO – thank you for stopping and contributing your comment.
East-Asian studies are very worthwhile – 21st century focus – on economic strength and 5,000 years of culture. Did you see our recent Asian Welcome diary?
Oui aka @dKos as creve coeur and new creve coeur
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
Thanks. I’m more on the culture side (doing Japanese film and literature) rather than the economic side of it (unless you’re talking post-marxist political economy). Yep, yet another theory geek.
I posted by mistake on an already superceded welcome wagon diary (# 13), so I’m reposting here on the current one to say “hi.” I live in S.F., just turned 50, am a non-practicing lawyer, have recently gotten hooked on playing internet backgammon (but not for money), quit smoking six months ago and am still hanging in, am a middle-of-the-roadish liberal Democrat, thought Kerry would have been a good-to-great President, think Gavin Newsom is a good-to-great Mayor, am almost but not quite a complete pacifist, worry about the polar ice caps melting, want a government I can feel proud of. As for dkos — while I had no strong opinion one way or the other about the pie ad itself, I was glad the ad brought things to a head and started a discussion that I thought was long overdue.
Just another refugee here, too. The pie ad was just typical advert drivel for me, the storm after was what started me thinking about leaving. The increasing intolerance to differing opinions is what sent me out the door.
Glad to see you here. Congrats on quitting smoking. I’ve quit several times, but haven’t made it stick yet.
Hi jade, hi cburke …
You guys are killing me here – I just ran out of cigs a little while ago.
OK – that was the kick in the butt I needed to go get some. Thanks! Would you guys mind saying hey to Buck Fush? (wish I’d thought of that name..)
thanks, zander…i’m smoking one for you now!
that would be really cruel – except for the wonders of urban life and all night shops. I’m back and inhaling with you. 😉
I’ll just smoke and you can exhale second hand if you like. I do smoke cloves, though. Nasty habit I picked up in art school.
tried once, and haven’t been able to handle the smell of them since. The funny thing is that the smell never bothered me before that…
Hi – My intro also got lost somewhere. I hate stereotypes but…child of the Viet Nam era, New England Dem, Jewish parents but loving what I’m learning about Taoism and Native American beliefs re: Mother Earth, despise Bushs’ solipicism. Actually, despise Bush. Hate labels, but “humanist” would be apt if I had to choose. And, hope you guys are not overwhelmed with compliments, but, you are truly fantastic! BTW: tell me about clove cigs when you have time. Thanks.
Well hey there! Sometimes the intros just get jumbled up with all of our gushing and fawning over each other. 😉
Welcome to the pond!
Me personally, I am not a fan of them anymore either, I smoked them for short time. (2 weeks) Loved the smell of them before I started, hated it after a while. 😉
Now I want a smoke too. Still annoyed though at how expensive cigarettes in Canada are. Plus the fact that my current residence is not smoking.
oops – sorry. Nothing worse than thinking about a smoke.
Yep, in Canada it’s definitely the taxes that will kill you. (oh, and of course the attractive pictures on the boxes to make you ill)
Pictures on the boxes?
this one is my favorite…
and I really apologize if this is inappropriate site behavior, but I just couldn’t resist.
zander – that should be totally safe. We’re not exactly prudes here. Have a look at this diary by sjct from a couple of months ago.
You shouldn’t have shown me that… I’ve always had a thing for Jim, and it’s early to be thinking of the ‘sizable’ part.. , …, … yep, total distraction, now you’ve done it.
That is one wild story. Thanks for the link. Maybe the BMT should do a greatest hits type diary with links to all the gems like this from the past.
Nice to meetcha, jade! That Gavin Newsom is really something, huh? I was thinking for a while that he might be presidential material, but didn’t he make some kind of off colour remark recently? LOL Ah well, my wife still insists he’s “super hot”. <g>
I didn’t even know there was Internet backgammon. My dad always told me that my grandpa (who died when I was five) was a backgammon champion. I’ve only played it a few times, so I don’t think I have a good sense for the strategy.
And let me be one of many to congratulate you on quitting smoking! 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Thanks. I still miss the ciggies, and am inhaling the virtual smoke that’s wafting around this diary. Mmmmmmm. I guess I’ll always miss the ciggies, after all the years we spent together. But they done me wrong, and I finally had to say good-bye.
Thanks, y’all for the welcome. Friendly place here! And that Jim Morrison story was wicked-good.
I was wondering if we needed to tsk-tsk those people talking about smoking, right in your thread! Glad they didn’t cause you to relapse, LOL.
My mother’s “partner” (significant other) smoked for thirty years. He quit twenty years ago, but he is currently experiencing the steady decline of emphyzema, a nasty business. Those of you who haven’t quit, I hope you do so before it’s too late, seriously.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I’m new to BT, been watching over at dKos for awhile. I was hoping someone could help me out. I really want to get involved and do something to end this current regime, but I’m pretty introverted – not exactly the knock-on-door type. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I have to say that Buck Fush is one of the more memorable names I’ve seen in the last couple of days.
And you know what, as one introvert to another – I’m gonna’ leave this question dangling for some of the more active people you’re likely to meet around here.
Thanks, I thought it was fitting – now more than ever LOL! Hopefully someone can help me out, I do as much as I can online but I just don’t feel like it’s enough…
Love the name, you will be an immediate star around here, I assure you. I’m also an introvert (yes shirl, diane, et al it’s true) and have found the blogs to be great sources of action items for advocacy. From here you can find info on signing petitions, making phone calls to legislators, and writing letters to your local papers on issues that are important to the progressive community. I hope you find some diaries that peek your interest, glad to have you around!
I have to say I love this place. Everyone is so friendly!
Thanks, Man Eegee – I’ve found some great diaries here already!
Hey BF,
My wife is kinda like you. I don’t know about right now (the political slow season), but during campaigns, she likes to bake and bring cookies to HQ, stuff envelopes, just generally help around the office while I go out and knock on doors or call people. 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Thanks for the tip, Alan! I’ve been kind of apprehensive about the campaign thing, but maybe I will give it a try after all.
Your wife has a good idea. I’m pretty introverted, and volunteered on the MoveOn phone banks in 04. Almost killed me to cold-call people in Texas and try to get them to vote Dem. Only scotch got me through it.
Man, that’s some tough shit for an introvert to deal with. I’m very extroverted (shocker, right?), and I also have a lot of experience with paid telemarketing jobs…and I still think cold calling is really tough. My wife would never ever even pick up the phone to do that (unless, I dunno, our kids’ lives depended on it or something), so kudos to you for doing it, Scotch and all.
Did you guys even try to sell Kerry, or focus on other races? Seems to me like the latter would be a smarter strategy in Texas, at least until there’s no longer a Texan on the presidential ballot.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
…still laughing over that…. That’s devotion to the cause man, you know?
Where you Live
Family
Career or School
Hobbies
Interests
Politics
Hello everyone!
I live in Chicago. I’m not terribly new here but I’ve not posted on a “welcome wagon” thread so I thought I’d say Hi and introduce myself.
I’ve been around for a while reading Billmon.org then MoonOfAlabama.org and Kos naturally.
I still pop in over at Kos to keep up but this place is nice and I can see myself sticking around. After all there’s a spellcheck 🙂
BTW, anyone from Chicago area going to see Dean on Sunday!?
Spellcheck rocks – it doesn’t identify the word ‘spellcheck’, but…
Thanks for doing the intro – it’s something so unique about this place, and so many cool things have come out of these diaries…
I wonder if there is anyone from Chicago in here right now? There are always Texans around it seems, but Chicago I haven’t seen come up so much.
oops. Started to post on a previous thread, but got interrupted. I am a 49 yo female, just got my Ph.D. in epidemiology last year. Started working on a research project at the VA hospital here in Cleveland 6 months ago.
I am a mother of two sons, ages 14 and 16. Divorced a number of years ago and remarried just a few weeks ago (hence, my missing the Pie wars–I was on my honeymoon!!)
I wandered over here a few weeks ago when I was reading about the Pie Wars on kos and wanted to find out more about what was going on. I have no plans to leave there, but I have been enjoying being here as well.
I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI…not a literal hippie…I was too young to participate, but certainly old enough to know and have a sense of what was happening. My mother was very active in women’s rights activities and the peace movement.
All of this, of course has influenced me. But back when the “L” word was bandied about as a bad word, I used to tell people, “I am big L, little l, big D, little d liberal democrat…and proud of it”. I still am. In spite of the occasional infighting I am proud to be a Democrat.
My new husband and I got active in politics for the first time last year. We held several fund raisers and raised a modest amount of money. We participated in the Fahrenheit 9/11 house party while on vacation, and from there we held several house parties of our own.
My biggest worry at the moment (among all of the worries out there) is that there will be renewal of the draft. My oldest son is 16 (soon to be 17) and I fear very much for him.
As a more personal aside, since the divorce and remarriage, I have been working hard to keep the boys relatively unscathed. Impossible to do, but you always try. My oldest, as a teenager and quite reserved was the most difficult to read, because I couldn’t tell whether he was just being a regular teen or whether he was having issues about the divorce. (he is close to and talks to my niece and she repeatedly assured me he was fine).
At any rate, that was all background. Tuesday night my son was here and we asked him to pick a movie that we could watch as a family. He picked Hotel Rwanda. He had seen it at school and wanted to watch it again. We sat here in utter amazement as this young man…my son!!…explained and described the civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis…from the origins of the Belgian takeover through to the UN resolutions on the issue at the time.
There is hope for future generations. And thus, I remain, forever…hopeful.
Well let me be the first of the Welcome Wagon to, well, uh welcome you! Sorry…not enough coffee yet…just woke up. (that says alot doesn’t it? wake up, grab coffee, sign on to the frog.) No coffee and cigarettes make me go something something, crazy? Don’t mind if I do!
Welcome to the pond! Dip your feet in and relax. 😉
thanks much. I wrote this after two cups of coffee, so I understand completely. This site does seem a bit more “relaxed” somehow. I found at kos that there are so many people posting that many issues would just slip off of the front page after a few hours.
TTFN
I know what you mean. This place can grow on you very fast, I think it’s the green. 😉
Hi there, I saw a bit of your intro the other day, but I think I then promptly mistook you for someone else. Sorry about that.
Congatulations on the wedding! Can you give us a hint of where you went for your honeymoon? ‘Cause I think I’d like to pretend I was wherever you were instead of watching the PW go on. Be very glad you missed it.
What a cool moment with your son! I just read Shake Hands with the Devil – book about Rwanda – recently, and have to admit that I had previously been pretty oblivious to the roles that France, Belgium and the UN had played during the war and genocide. What a complicated war – if your son has knowledge of any of it beyond Hutus and Tutsis, he’s definitely proof that you’ve raised a smart kid.
Thank you!! We honeymooned at Mountain Lake, near Blacksburg, VA. (where they filmed the movie Dirty Dancing) No TVs in the rooms. Very nice.
My son also told me about an HBO movie called “Sometime in April” (or Sometimes in April) also about the genocide in Rwanda. I’ll have to look up the book you mention, although in some ways we should be looking at Somalia at the moment, since that genocide is on-going. (or is it Sudan?–shows you how out of it I’ve been)
Thank you for the kind words about my son, as well. I am quite proud of him (and his brother) and this just helped me gain some perspective.
I just saw that movie recently. Though I can’t for the life of me imagine why Rwanda seems to have been such a focus for me. Perhaps it is the ongoing violence in the Sudan, of which I know very little, that has led me to want to know more about Africa.
Be warned about the book Shake Hands with the Devil. It was written by Romeo Dallaire, who was the head of the UN mission in Rwanda during the war and genocide. It was (at least for me) a very difficult read. I believe his intention was to create a relevant historical account of the failures that took place, and knew that he was in a unique position to do it. He had personal dealings with all of the players – both sides fighting the war, extremists and moderates, the French, Americans, inside knowledge of the UN’s involvement (of course)- everyone. It was a very disturbing read, though not for the reasons you would expect. He describes very few individual acts of violence.
blah, blah – sorry to go on – and on….
I’m not familiar at all with VA – though I think that a TV-free time alone in a beautiful setting is an absolutely perfect honeymoon. Congrats again on your marriage – I’ll see you around.
I love Cleveland! I was born and raised there and only moved here, to Raleigh, NC, 3 years ago at age 42.
Thank you for the work you do at the VA hospital. I remember reading reports in the Plain Dealer about how awful conditions were there for awhile.
I, too, have 3 draft age sons and that is my biggest worry. I also have a big problem with the schools being mandated to give military recruiters the contact information of students. You can sign an opt-out form that stops the school from doing that. It was a sneaky part of the No Child Left Behind act and not many parents are aware of it, or that the military now has much greater access to the schools.
You son sounds very intelligent and socially aware. Good job!
Thank you, also! After alerting my ex to the sneaky tactics of recruiters, my next step is to write a letter to the boys’ school. They are in private Catholic school and I don’t know whether the same rules apply or not.
Hey hopeful (nice handle!) congratulations on the wedding.
I trust you will give us the benefits of your knowledge of epidemiology. I am very interested in Complexity Theory and epidemiological studies are one the sources I use for thought-experiments. I am particularly interested in criticality points (bifurcation) leading to a phase transition into epidemics or pandemics (explosive growth), the adjustment of the target environment to that bifucation, and the adjustment of the organism and target population into a new fitness landscape. Not focused on the mathematics per se but rather on how understanding of this process can lead to development of a rigorous deductive system – a Logic, if you will.
(Just what you wanted to see 6 months after defending your thesis, huh?) 😉
It’s ok!! I actually finished 1 1/2 years ago…was unemployed for a year. I don’t mind putting something up on epidemiology. I’d like to think about it a bit before I write anything and try to make it as interesting (and informative) as I can. What is your area of interest, specifically? Or area of expertise, as the case may be?
I have been challenged by a friend of my dad’s to argue why Duesberg (a biochemist who believe’s that HIV virus is not the cause of AIDS, but a harmless carrier.) is wrong. Might be a good place to start. What do you think?
Good morning!
Something appears to have gone awry with the sequence of Welcome Wagon diaries. I see WW Chapters 13 & 15 on the Recommended list – and 14 is nowhere to be found.
Should 13 be Unrecommended?
(I sure did have a great date last night! 😉 Yup – a night to be remembered by all. After my husband threatened to pull the plug on my computer I closed up shop and joined him for an evening of movies. Sadly, within 5 minutes he fell asleep. In the meantime, I came back here to hang around for awhile. And, with the timing of only the truly greatest of marriages – I rejoined him after he awoke, only to fall asleep myself for the remainder of the night. What a great team we are! Woo hoo!)
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Wow – My immediate thought was: way to go girl – embarrassed I read the ending, which was swift! lol
Yes, please do your best to make the old diaries drop off the recommended list, so other more recent diaries can climb into slot.
I’m set to launch Welcome Wagon Diary #16 soon when comments reach 100.
I do hope you did find some fun on last night’s BMT! He owes you one, making-up can be very special.
Oui aka @dKos as creve coeur and new creve coeur
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
Nah – we don’t keep score of each other’s failings. Life’s too short and the lists would be far too long. I’ll just keep the events of last night stored away, ever so quietly, in my little memory vault, waiting to spring into action the next time he threatens to cut off my connection to BT.
(Let’s see – that was 5:35 p.m. on Friday, 6/10/2005. Memory is stored, sealed and ready to deliver if/when needed 🙂
Good day!
Good morning, Anomaluss.
Yes, there was a diary #14 as well. At a quiet time last night – so it only briefly made the reco list.
ask – I didn’t know you were on the welcoming committee. Truly sorry I neglected to recognize your contributions. (Along with anyone else out there I may have missed. I think the group’s efforts have been so very, very touching)
So. . .I’m a little bit late, but nonetheless. . . Thank you sir!
Wishing you and curly a peaceful, prosperous day!
no,no,no
Not really on the ‘committee’ – already in able hands. Just some relief pitching on queries here and there.
You have a great day too. 🙂 I’m off to pick up my 10 yo son for the weekend (my 15 yo daughter has her own plans).
PS
Did you see Booman’s diary on the surprise yesterday? Seems my speculation (when we had the misunderstanding) from just over two weeks ago turns out right…
All last night – and now today – I keep losing my posts when I hit Spellcheck or Preview. Oh well. . .
You said: “no,no,no”
HEY! No need to scold me in such a harsh manner! (yes, just kidding)
Thanks much for the heads up regarding the surprise. (After our discussion, I thought it best that I not mention the subject again until it was actually unveiled – and nice going with your accurate speculation!)
Enjoy the time with your son. Before you know it, your daughter will have grown out of those years.
Under the circumstances, I’m not using Spellcheck or Preview, so I’ll cross my fingers regarding the quality of my typing.
bye!
Forgot.
curly is a bit stressed. Heading for the airport in 1/2 hr for a 4-day trip. She says hi.
FINALLY, I have a few moments to tell you about myself. I’m Tomato, a refugee from dkos. More important,
I’m a recent transplant to the Seattle, WA area after living in Iowa for 5 years. My husband and I are from the east coast originally, and lived in Texas for many years while we went to graduate school. In Iowa, I was a university professor, hurtling towards tenure, but came to realize over time with my husband that we simply did not want to spend our lives in Iowa. Now, I’m adjunct teaching and writing a book. I’m also consulting on a grant that took me to Ukraine last year, and will take me there again in the fall.
We have two boys, ages 4 and 5. They rock the house. And I don’t mean that figuratively, although they are great kids, too. They are energetic, enthusiastic, and fun to be around. I suspect they are highly intelligent, of course!
My research has almost always had the ultimate goal of social justice, especially for women. I have conducted research with women in prison, families living in poverty, and on other women’s issues for my entire academic career. I hope to be able to contribute to both theoretical and action-oriented discussions about women’s lives.
I also enjoy tennis, and play as much as I can, which unfortunately is not more than once or twice a week these days. I’m looking forward to having lots of fun with my kids this summer, although sadly my husband will have to work through most of it. I’m planning on taking them on a lot of camping trips around the Pacific Northwest, to explore this beautiful area!
Well howdy! Pull up a log, grab some marshmallows and graham crackers. I think Zander has the chocolate, if you can pry it from his/her hands…. (I try not to presume gender!)
I would like to ask you to consider doing a diary about some of your research you mentioned. I know I for one will definitely be interested in the discussion that would be held there-in.
That said, stretch out and dip your toes into the cool water! 😉
Good for you, Tomato!
I’d be interested to note how Iowa has fared w/ME’s former DHS Commissioner, Kevin Concannon (no comment).
You might take a look @ME’s Parents as Scholars (PaS) program (systemically corrupt, but it could work w/ethical administrators–post-secondary ed. foci), as well as our DirigoChoice and MaineCare universal healthcare programs.
Both programs have been on the chopping block (funding, services, and enrollment) during this legislative session–as I type, as a matter of fact.
…and that’s with a Dem. Governor and a slight Dem. majority in the ME Senate and House.
Starving the funding to the states re: social programming is absolutely killing women and children.
I’ll never forgive Clinton for his assault on low income (single) women re: TANF, etc.
They do not have the luxury of being “Soccer/Security Moms.”
I am on a subcommittee for our Nov. conference–women and children are suffering terribly under the shrub regime’s federally subsidized slavery (privatized) “ending welfare as we know it” misogyny; so your multi-state and professional insight would be of import.
Fortunately, we are very grateful that TANF reauthorization has been stalled thus far (H.R. #4 is scary).
Here’s a glimpse of what’s up in ME re: women and poverty:
http://mejp.org/
http://www.mecep.org/lwages/lwfs_index.htm
Pax~
Holly
Wow, it sounds like we have a lot to talk about! What I most noticed, probably because it was what I was paying attention to, is the how access to education has been diminished since welfare reform. There is little opportunity for women to get ahead, because the state is so stingy with assistance toward getting an education. Also, since the economy hasn’t done as well as in the 90s, a lot of the workforce development partnerships between industry and the community colleges — training that led to well-paying jobs — has gone away. Of course women are being trained to be ill-paid nurse’s aides by the droves. They are being prepared to wipe the asses of the aging elite.
Anyway, I don’t know much about Washington State so far. I’m sure they’re dealing with the squeeze just like all the other states.
Welcome to you, Tomato! This was the first time I successfully entered a Welcome diary to post a greeting, without my computer locking up, so I’m delighted to be here with the other hosts. Unfortunately, my first attempt to write a greeting to your disappeared into oblivion when I ran “Spellcheck”. Oh well. . .
I’d be very interested in reading a diary related to your studies and global travel. My father’s family immigrated from Ukraine in the early 1900s. Sadly, they went out of their way to lose their native language and everything else from their ancestry. Let’s just say they weren’t greeted with a red carpet welcome when they arrived in the states, so they did what they felt they had to in order to assimilate into their new surroundings.
I look forward to reading anything you’re inspired to post on the subject.
Welcome to the site, and I wish you a wonderful day!
Some of my family came from Ukraine in the early 1900s also. When I was there last year, the food was familiar to me, as my grandmother used to make the same kind of fare. It turns out that my grandmother wasn’t a very good cook. 🙂
I will be happy to post about some of my experiences soon. Thanks for the warm welcome!
Hey Tomato,
I also love tennis and lately have been playing five days a week, an hour or two a day. (Aaaaahhhhh…) I also have many connections to the Pacific Northwest, as my sister (expecting her first child in Sept.) lives in Vancouver BC, and my in-laws live in Sammamish (Seattle exurb for those not familiar). One of my closest friends lives in Olympia as well, and we go out there for a month or two every year. I also have a five year old boy (along with a two year old girl).
And in the summer of 1990, I spent a few weeks in Ukraine as part of a peace group that took a river cruise up and down the Dnepr River between Kiev and Odessa. We were the first Westerners since before WWII to be allowed to visit Dnepropetrovsk (where we were feted with lots and lots of vodka, LOL); and Kiev was going through a kind of mini-revolution at the time, with transportation strikes and the raising of the pre-Soviet national flag (which was then surrounded by offerings of flowers). I struck out on my own and used my limited Russian to meet locals instead of doing the guided tours. It was an incredible experience (and I loved the food, btw).
Alan
Maverick Leftist
We do have a bit in common! I’ve been visiting Kharkiv, which is also to the east so they are still speaking Russian mostly, although I also went to Kiev. When I go back in the fall, it will be to Crimea.
Also, we’re in Issaquah, at least for the time being, right next to Sammamish. I just wish we lived in Seattle proper!
Oh wow, Issaquah! Yup, I’ve spent lots of time there when visiting the in-laws. In years past it was generally in that shopping center area next to I-90; but then this last winter we were out there for a couple months (spending time with my Army brother-in-law before he got shipped to Iraq) and I got a membership at the municipal pool (swimming is my off-season workout regiment when I can’t play tennis) downtown. Also, my wife got a seasonal job at the Issaquah Barnes and Noble (they offered her a permanent job managing the children’s section, but we had to go back to Missouri as I went back to college for a math degree starting in January).
IKWYM as far as wanting to be in Seattle proper. Back in ’97 my soon-to-be-wife and I lived in the U District; and I’ve lived in several other cities, always in the heart of the city, and that’s where I prefer. But Sammamish is where my in-laws live. What about you, why not move into the city if you like it better? It can’t be more expensive unless you want to live in Queen Anne or something, right?
We are going to be out there in August–we should play some tennis! 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
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Take care of the newbies –
At the top of the hour we’ll ADD some International Spice!
WELCOME WAGON #16 will be posted.
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos
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Take care of the newbies –
… has been posted.
PLEASE UNRECOMMEND THIS DIARY BEFORE LEAVING – THANK YOU!
WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooTrib aka lost treasure of dKos