Author: diane101

I was inspired by Shirlstars’ diary
(A Beautiful Sunday Morning To You)
this morning to write this diary of hope.  I think we saw many signs of hope this week, including this nugget about Arlen Specter.  Another example of the crashing and burning of the right.  

Another nuggett of hope can be found on this site:
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6057
which has an article on Kerry seeking impeachment charges against Bush.  You really should read some of the comments there as either most posters are Libs. or Reps. are changing their tune.  Pretty interesting as this site rarely gets many comments on article and this one has dozens.

So what are your signs of hope, what have you seen or heard this week that gives you hope for the future of this world and this country?

“Diane, there is nothing left in me to love,” these are nearly the last words I heard from my Iraqi friend who goes by the blog name of Diva. That was weeks ago and in response to my saying, “remember that I love you and so do your friends around the world.”
She and her mother were leaving their apartment they shared to go and stay with her Uncle after a terrible argument with her landlord.  They just had a chance to pick up a few things to take as the space they would now share was small and among the things she had to leave behind was her computer.
She now has a new job, I don’t know what or where as we only had a few moments to chat on instant messsanger and then she was gone.
I first met Diva in November after checking an email penpal site and finding this one woman in Iraq who has listed an address. Didn’t really think I would get an answer, but in a few days there it was, my first email from someone living in Iraq.  
I quickly shot back an email to her and thus began a great friendship, that had me calling her daughter and she calling me mother: that is how close we got in a very short time.
I asked her about the situation in Iraq and she sent me back her complete assessment to which I replied how sorry I was about what our government has done in Iraq.
The next email I received from her started out with her saying I misunderstood her, she was not blaming the US, just disappointed.  To which I replied that I did not think she was blaming us but rather I was blaming our government.
In a short time, feeling a need to hear her voice I called her and we spoke at length and I found her to be as delightful, charming and intelligent in voice as she was in writing.  We would have talked for hours, but the cost was high for the international phone call, so we had to be content with emails and instant messaging after that.
In the beginning she had a job where she could communicate often on the computer she had at work, so many emails were exchanged.  Christmas came and went and the emails became less frequent and soon it was pre election time for her and the situation became very grim so she as well as many others stayed in their homes and waited out the election.
Election time became very desperate for Iraqi’s, especially in Baghdad, electricity which had been spotty at best, became almost non existent during those weeks as well and the water stopped running for long periods of time.  In Iraq they do not say how long a time they have electricity, they speak of how long they do not.  At best it was 6 to 8 hours a day on in broken increments of 1/2 hour here, and hour there.  Many instant chats ended suddenly when the electrity would go out or the phone service stopped. Each time I did not know the reason for the disconection and feared the worst, then after awhile iI came to accept this as a fact of life. Power comes and goes, much like life.
All during this time, from the first when I met her I tried to give her some comfort, to find some words of compassion and understanding to share with her to ease her unbearable burden of just having the misfortune to be living in Baghdad.  Her most common answer was “Diane, this is Iraq, you, no one on this earth could possibly understand what it is like to live here.”

Diva wrote such beautiful letters to me, I urged her to write for publication or at the very least a blog.  At first she said who would want to hear me, a tiny voice in a desperate place.  I said, I do and I know others do as well, we want to hear your words, hear your story, we want to know, we want to know the truth of Iraq and the truth of you.  After some weeks of this she sent an email one day saying ‘I will do it, I will write, I find I do have something to say and its pouring out of me and I am writing all the time.’
She started a blog and managed to write two entries but none since early April.
If you are interested in hearing her words here is her blog address:
http://intellectualdiva.blogspot.com/
She lost the job that she had and stayed at home for a few weeks to study for tests regarding a Fullbright Scholarship, so she could come to the US to pursue a masters degree in the humanities and then someday a PHD.  She took the test and passed with a 593 out of 600 and I was so proud of her.
I am writing this story about her today because I am so worried, I haven’t heard from her for weeks now and everytime I hear of a bombing or death in Baghdad I think, was she there, was she shopping in the market, was she on that street,in that car, was she anywhere near.  
There is no phone now that I can call and see if she is alive and well, my emails go unanswered.  I fear, always  that I will never hear from her again.
Before the elections, when we did not know what would happen and violence was expected we said our ‘earthly goodbys‘, just in case.  I told her I was so happy that we had met and grown to know and love each other and I would treasure her for the rest of my life and beyond.
Still I do not want her to be gone from this earth.  I want her to be sending an email or chatting on instant messaging.  
I want to hear her voice and see her beautiful face, and someday I want to meet her in person, here in this country.  I want that damn it! I want her to be alive, to live her dreams, to live her future, to have a family and children and grandchildren, to grow old and wise.
But I fear every day and have since I have met her.
One person, in one country, a wonderful, intelligent person who should have every chance and every opportunity but because of the gross ineptitude of this administration now has to live a life such as this.  
“Yes Diva”, I told her during our last chat, “you are loved, you are worthy of love, of course you are, and I shall always love you.”
Please God, keep her safe.

I just happened to see the number 967 User Id and realized we are climbing up the ladder to 1000 users rather fast now and looks like we could reach that number by this weekend.  Thanks to the ACLU diaries by susanhu, I think a lot of new members are coming this way.
To new members we like to hear about “you” so please tell us.  Here is the link to the most recent diary, in this series. Welcome to this site and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/5/24/92333/7960

To see the past 1-4 diaries check my info page.
http://www.boomantribune.com/user/diane101/diary

(A note to new users, the recent comment tab (in toolbar above), and the spellcheck feature are just some of the great parts of this site.  Tell us what you think about this site?)
If you have brought any new member to this site, tell us and we will give you mojo.  

I was watching the interview with Sen. Brownback and Arlen Specter on ABC, (George S.) this morning and I just have to put up this diary to discuss this issue.
Arlen Specter is for Embryonic Stem Cell research government funding and he revealed he has Hodkins Lymphoma….  Spector said ‘that embryo is not life until it is implanted in a woman and as a victim of cancer with many friends suffering from various illnesses, he feels a necessity to fight this attitude of the Pres. and some member of Congress.
Spector further stated he has put up 1 million dollars to encourage  embryonic adoption but so far only 100 have been adopted, so he does not see that as a viable use of unwanted embryos.
He also said ‘when the American people find out the truth of this matter they will be marching on Washington in numbers we have never seen before’…

Brownback says he will fight this all the way including a fillibuster if he has to.
How do you feel….
I see this as another fracture of the Rep. party another Rep. leaving the fold.

Welcome to my Champagne Brunch, enjoy the food, the surroundings, the champagne and the friends gatherered here today!!!! Cheers to you all!!!

(UPDATE on MOnday:It’s now Monday noon here in Ca. the end of a holiday weekend and the barbecue is about to get started.)

So this will be a diary about humor, about celebrating the fact that the Dem. party has come out of the pit and has no where to go but up.

This is also going to be about gardening, organic food, pets, gardens, families, children, just about anything that is good and makes you happy.

What are your plans for this weekend, will you be spending much time on the internet or this site? How about posting pics. of any holiday activities you wish to share with us?

I am posting this now and then I will add in contributions later in comments about some of the subject above.

Let’s just have fun on this diary.
Happy Holiday Everyone!!!!!!!! Hugs to you all!!!!!!

This is where the lodge hosts its Sunday brunch. It’s the sunroom at Lake Crescent Lodge in the Olympic National Park, about 15 miles from my home. Additional photos are of the park. And this is where I live.

(UPdate) 1:26 PST )

I am putting this new diary up today in honor or our two new members both from China who just registered and wrote in my previous “Tell me about You” Diary.
Please Lovexjj, and  lilawang do come to this thread and tell us more about you.

To oldsters on this site, please welcome our new members above and others and any oldsters who have not told us about you please do so here.
I am not going to put links here for previous diaries, you can just check my page for previous diaries to find them.

I am asking the poll question male or female because of a previous request by Chocolate to see what our breakdown might be, so all member who read this diary, please answer the poll question.  
Greetings to you all on the wonderful day.
Remember pics are great too especially ones of you all.

This is the second in a series of articles about Environmental Pollution, prompted by Susanbhu’s diary about the 10 most under-reported stories.
Part 1 of this series can be found at:
Part 1

In that first diary I have asked for others to sign up for writing diaries on the enormous and wide ranging problems related to pollution all over this earth, from the oceans, to the air, to forests, rivers, lakes, streams and in our home.  I guess a good question would be, “where is there not pollution?”  So please, if you are concerned about our lives and our health as I know you all are, consider a diary.

The subject of this diary is Diesel Pollution which is a very serious threat to our heath. As an asthmatic living in the belly of the beast, so to speak, as I live near an industrial area, just filled with diesel trucks, I can testify to the fact that the fumes do indeed effect my breathing on a daily basis.
There are so many different sources of info on this so I will just post two references articles:

This is an excellent article from Union of Concerned Scientists:

Face it folks we are in a pollution nightmare and we need to get active and do something about this before it’s too late.  I just hope it isn’t already.  It is worth noting that in my poll on the first diary 60% (of a very small sampling of 10, said the environmental cup was cracked, not half full or half empty, but cracked.  Interesting!
Any ideas about action that can be taken to get a grip on this everlasting and eternal pollution problem????

(Updated 4:06 PM PST) [I should have added that if you have done a poll in a diary, please copy and past results on a comment. It would be nice to have a colleciton of polls all in one place, should we ever need it. You just never know.]

This is what I know about  some of you Bootribe Members, gleaned from polls I have taken on diaries I have done.  (Disclaimer, these are not scientific polls)

[From the diaries by susanhbu: Diane’s contribution, slightly edited for series continuity, to our BooTrib series based on the U.N.’s just-published list of the 10 most under-reported stories. You can sign up to do a story too.]

I was going to try to write some sort of happy diary tonight, but I could not come up with a good idea for one so instead I decided to write this diary on Enviromental Pollution. Not a happy diary.

Having earlier committed to Susanbhu to do a diary on Environmental Pollution, I have been thinking for a number of days about just what point from which to attack the subject.

Searching around the internet and in my mind I came to the conclusion this story is just too huge to cover in any one diary no matter how long it is, it will not take just one diary to cover this but a multitude of diaries. Perhaps hundreds.
Faced with this now daunting task I thought; there is no way I can even do this subject justice so spinning off of Susan’s earlier diary about the 10 most ignored stories, I thought I will start off a series with this diary today and then others, you bootribe members can pick this up and do another and another.

There is pollution everywhere, the ocean, rivers, streams, lakes, air, forests, everywhere and even in our homes and schools. What to pick to write about first. There is no dearth of material.

While researching this subject today, I came across this article related to Depleted Uranium and the worldwide health effects related to its use in the war in Iraq. No, the effects of DU are not limited to Iraq and surrounding countries; it can travel anywhere in the world, anywhere the wind goes and where ever it goes it will pass its minute particles of destruction.

So here is a bit of an excellent ariticle and a link:
thetruthseeker.co.uk
Iraq

If you would like to do a future diary on this subject please list your subject below or just that you are willing to do one or whatever feelings or views you have on the subject.

So I am asking the question, is our world cup half full, or half empty. You tell me.

I wasn’t going to do a diary on this subject today, but after reading the Baghram report today I thought it is just the perfect time.  
Yes I am feeling hopeful today, things are a changin and I can feel it, don’t you all.  We have been lifted out of the quagmire (at least a little) and have only one way to go and that is up.
I suggested on one diary today that we capitalize on recent happening and start a movement here right on the internet.  Start a world wide petition, generated and accelerated throughout the world with the networking system already in place, from we the people of the World, demand an end to the War in Iraq and further demand that the perpetrators of this travesty be held accountable in the highest court in the land or the world.  

I don’t know if it would work or not, I don’t know if we can even start one, but should we try???
That’s the question I am asking you, can we take all negative  energy that we have bottled up in us, turn it into a positive act that may, just may have a chance of doing something.
This is the only thing I can come up with that could possibly have the impact we want.  Demonstrations are going to be met with intolerance, we know that in advance.  Can we use the tools of this age, the internet, to advance our cause.
What I am proposing is a totally grassroots petition, generated at the lowest level, a small group of people here on Booman who by virtue of their participation on forums on the internet have contacts all over the world.  
All we really need to do is to draw up a petition, someone like rba has told me it is not difficult to get a petition web page, and then spread the links around the world on every site we can find.  
So it’s out there now, my idea, let’s talk about what you think, if it can work, will you help, anything you care to say.
FYI:  I am going to be gone for awhile this afternoon, so I will catch up with you all later when I return.  
Have a really good day all of you, it is beautiful and 88 degrees here in Socal…..