Caroline Lucas visits the students

Friday 29th January was the last and certainly not least (if you will forgive the cliche) visit by a prospective parliamentary candidate in Brighton Pavilion to BHHS. Around 50 13-18 year olds were present to hear what Ms Lucas, the PPC for the Green Party in Brighton Pavilion had to say.

Caroline Lucas begun by telling us one of the reasons she wants to become an MP, “to become part of the centre, part of the debate”.

She also told us why we should vote Green come the next election. The Green Party is well known for its environmental work, for keeping the pressure on the UK to reach the emissions targets that were set by the government and because of its wide range of social policies including proposals to reform the electoral system- get rid of the First Past the Post system and adopt a more Proportionally Representative system but not the one that Gordon Brown is proposing!

Ms Lucas said that there should be recall votes in the UK and a clean up and reform of the current system.

Caroline Lucas said that a Green voice is an independent voice and “will shake up the political system”. She said it is shocking that there are more women in the Parliaments of Rwanda and Afghanistan than our own. There needs to be a different approach to women and more women in Parliament.

Ms Lucas called for a “more robust debate” on income inequality and the need to narrow the gap between the highest and the lowest income earners (the gap is the largest it’s been since the end of WWII!). She said the tax system needs to be re-shaped so that the rich pay more; one option she said would be to have a formula (as there is in some countries) whereby the highest income earner in a business/organisation earners no more than say 10x what the lowest income earners receives; which would mean if they want to increase their pay they also have to increase other peoples as well.

Caroline Lucas says she opposes public spending cuts and believes it’s important to keep spending-particularly in a recession. She also called for nationalisation of the Post Offices and to keep the NHS free.

When I questioned her about how to further women’s equality and how she would ensure the safety and security of young women and girls if elected she said she believes there is a need for all women shortlists and that she believes positive discrimination is a way to counter act the huge disparities between men and women that exist in the UK. She called for a system, such as the one in Norway whereby at least 40% of the directors of companies must be women.

Ms Lucas said there needs to be more policeman on the streets in order to make young girls feel safer and said it is wonderful that there are now tailor made services for women, such as the newly opened Rape Crisis Centre in Brighton.

I also questioned her about her views on ‘Votes at 16′. Caroline Lucas said she is in favour of votes at 16. She said it is not right that you can join the army and marry at 16 but you can’t have a say in who governs you.

When asked about the war in Afghanistan she said she is against the war and that there should be withdrawal from Afghanistan.

When asked how young people could become involved, Ms Lucas said she believes that there are already a number of young people involved in ‘politics’ but not ‘Politics’; young people went on the march against the War in Iraq and often join pressure groups and join in other forms of participation but not necessarily voting. She said a more responsive political system and votes at 16 would be two ways to get young people more involved.

Regarding a question about drugs, in particularly the legalisation if cannabis she said that there needs to be a proper debate “not one run by the Daily Mail”. Ms Lucas said there needs to be a proper commission on drugs and she would support the legalisation of cannabis on two grounds; 1-because it is harder to regulate it if it is “underground” and 2- for personal/medical use.

In response to a question regarding how young people could be given a better image/name, Ms Lucas replied that she believes the problem is in fact over stated – young people are not really a part of the problem. She said young people need places to go and things to do; much of the time there is a lack of things for young people to do in their area.

I also asked her if she believes something needs to be done in order to curb the sale of alcohol. She said she believes that currently policies are not joined up regarding the sale of alcohol. Ms Lucas said drinks should be more expensive and she supports the proposal to increase the unit tax on alcohol, supermarkets shouldn’t sell alcohol so cheaply and that she thinks 24hr licensing should be banned.

[Via http://clarecalder.wordpress.com]

Still Kickin' It Without Smudging My Eyeliner

This is just an update to let you know what’s been going on with me lately and what I have planned for the future of Glockoma.

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet & Away We Go

Finally caved in and joined Twitter today. You can find me under the username GlockomaBlog (Glockoma was already taken by someone else!).

And if you decide to follow me, don’t worry about being bombarded with tweets. I’ll likely just send out direct messages and the occasional tweet. They may be random thoughts that provoke a feminist discussion or it could be to let you know that I’ve posted a new blog entry.

Back to The Future

And since we’re on the topic of new posts, I’ve thought long and hard about why I don’t blog more frequently. It’s because I feel as if I always have to post a long entry or say something profound.

Many times I sit down to write an entry and end up scrapping it because I don’t think it’s ‘good enough’. That mentality turns blogging (something I consider fun) into a dreadful chore.

Well, it’s time to change that since I’m sure it must be pretty boring for you to have to wait so long for a new post. (They say that the most successful blogs have regular and frequent updates.) I really want to gain readership and build a community that can openly engage in thoughtful discussion.

From now on you’ll see really short (even one-paragraph-long) posts in the mix, too.

This is a feminist blog, for goodness sakes, and if I want to promote the idea that women’s thoughts are to be valued, I should start valuing my own thoughts instead of second-guessing myself so much. Sometimes the most interesting things we say are the things we just blurt out. And it makes us more human – less scripted…more real. Amen to that.

If there are any other bloggers reading this, I would love to hear from you. Let me know any suggestions you may have via a comment on here, e-mail, or Twitter.

My Father: A Stroke Survivor (Not a Stroke Victim)

After reading my previous post about my dad suffering a stroke in December, you may be wondering how he’s doing now. He’s out of the hospital and recovering at home.

A lot of the functioning he lost has come back – he regained the use of his left hand and his eyes can move normally again. His speech has also improved, but there’s still some slurring because part of his tongue has lost feeling. Another thing that was severely affected was his taste – things that he enjoyed eating before now repulse him and he’s complained about his loss of appetite.

All in all, though, he’s doing very well despite the annoyance of having to be on a drug (Warfarin) that affects every part of your life. He has to go see the doctor often and go for weekly blood tests to monitor his INR (International Normalized Ratio) levels. Those tests check the tendency of the blood to clot because it can be affected greatly by food with a lot of Vitamin K including spinach and broccoli. If the INR changes, his Warfarin dose needs to change.

It amazes and inspires me to see that he’s still a fighter despite having been through this ordeal. Sometimes I think that he’s stronger than I am. I mean, I’m not even the one who had the stroke, but I’ve felt worn down and broken. But my dad has maintained a positive disposition. He’s a living example of how we all need to cope with health problems.

Well, those are all my updates for now. Next time I’ll have a proper post for you. I’ve already got a bunch of topic ideas in the works – it’s just a matter of giving procrastination the boot.

[Via http://glockoma.wordpress.com]

Okay...what is a Sentinel?

Sentinel is a character that is from a distant galaxy…a land far, far, far away (sort of sounds like a Star Wars trilogy huh?). The Sentry is a clan of 10-14 foot humanoid warriors. I know some of you are thinking that “hey, Avatar had the tall dudes as well”, no I had this stuff out in 1996 and, no I never read the book. But, The Sentry are a race of large people commissioned to do the Lord’s will – and that’s it. They have existed in has a very advanced race of human / machine enhanced people for thousands of years.

Sentinel leader of the Sentry

God commissioned this great race to take on and fight the Fallen 200 or the ‘Watchers’ and fight the offspring that they created.

So, the Sentry were sent forth to take down some of these giant people and to stand and fight against their offspring regardless of the price of life. In doing so, God gave them some very cool stuff to fight with, intelligence, knowledge of life, and the ability to travel between the natural and spiritual realms.

Anyways, that is how they became who the are and that is why they look they way they do.

When in battle they can strike fear into the enemy with their harmonic sounds and their rythymic beats that can be heard for miles/days before they attack.

So, that is a little about the Sentry and who they are. Now the dude that in the image named Sentinel and he is the leader of the Sentry.

He has not been the only leader, but he is the appointed leader for when they go into battle…and man is this dude the real deal.

[Via http://secularnought.wordpress.com]

Blackwater, US Military Working For Taliban Drug Lords

Blackwater, US Military Working For Taliban Drug Lords

Blackwater and RAW are protecting and supporting Taliban to carry out operations in Pakistan

Veterans Today

The following article is by Gordon Duff, a Marine Vietnam veteran, grunt and 100% disabled vet. He has been a UN Diplomat, defense contractor and is a widely published expert on military and defense issues. He is active in the financial industry and is a specialist on global trade. Gordon Duff acts as political and economic advisor to a number of governments in Africa and the Middle East.

BLACKWATER/XE ACCUSED OF COMPLICITY IN TERRORISM AND WAR AGAINST US TROOPS

TOP TALIBAN MILITANTS RECEIVE MEDICAL CARE AT BAGRAM AIR FORCE BASE

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been briefed by the Pakistani Military High Command that they are being overwhelmed by highly trained and extremely well armed militants in the border regions and terrorists operating across the country. We have been told by the highest sources that Blackwater/Xe and other US based mercenary groups have been actively attacking police, military and intelligence organizations in Pakistan as part of operations under employment of the Government of India and their allies in Afghanistan, the drug lords, whose followers make up the key components of the Afghan army.

Investigations referenced in the Pakistan Daily Mail by abrina Elkani and Steve Nelson indicate that, rather than hunt terrorists who have been killing Americans, these groups have actually taken key militant leaders into Afghanistan where they are kept safe and even offered medical treatment by the United States military. Years ago, we all heard the rumor that Osama bin Laden had received care at a US hospital in Qatar after leaving Sudan to take over what we claim was the planning of 9/11. FBI transcripts verify that bin Laden, according to testimony by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, was working for the US at that time and had maintained contact with his CIA handlers through the fateful summer of 2001.

The Army of Pakistan has been regularly capturing advanced weapons of Indian manufacture from militants in the border region. India maintains 17 “consular” camps inside Pakistan, near the border, adjacent to Blackwater facilities, falsely designated as CIA or USAID stations. Pakistan claims these operations train Taliban soldiers and terrorists for operations against civilian targets in Pakistan. Thousands have died in Pakistan over recent months during these attacks. Pakistan also contents these same groups are, not only fighting the Pakistan military but the Americans as well.

General Stanley McChrystal had withdrawn American forces from key areas in Afghanistan across from enemy held regions under attack by the Army of Pakistan. We are now told that this allowed those areas to become safe havens for forces formerly operating in Pakistan, who are now enjoying the freedom and hospitality of, not only Afghanistan but are being ignored by the NATO forces in the region.

The untold story is the massive complicity of Americans with their private airline, now suspected in yet another war, not Vietnam, not Central America/Iran Contra but Afghanistan, for a third time, of smuggling narcotics. The pattern is impossible to ignore.

 

[Via http://noworldsystem.com]

WANT: Gossip Girl Spade Necklace

For the past few years I’ve wanted an Alex Woo necklace. I thought the letter pendants were a great alternative to the Sex and the City nameplate necklaces everyone was wearing at the time. Since then, Alex Woo has come out with new collections ranging in design from numbers to symbols. .

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Predictably, I was most interested in the Little Vegas collection. I spotted Jenny Humphrey wearing the gold Little Vegas Spade necklace in the Dan de Fleurette episode this season. .

Credit: styleinspades.com

^Smirky McSmirk

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In an earlier episode I saw Blair wearing Alex Woo’s Little Big Vegas Spade in white gold & diamonds. This makes sense because the spades suit is often times the most powerful suit in a deck of cards. If you follow Gossip Girl, it should make sense that J and B wear necklaces that connote power. Blair was the “Queen of Constance” last year & Jenny has since taken her place. . . It is fitting then, that Blair’s necklace is a bit bigger and brighter than Jenny’s. After all, she was the original ruler of the school & Jenny was merely a wannabe just a few episodes ago.

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Credit: styleinspades.com

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Here’s another funny Alex Woo spotting on Gossip Girl. Jenny’s three minions wear Little Number necklaces 1, 2, and 3 in silver. Not only is it completely degrading to be referred to as a number, but their necklaces are made of silver. Silver is nice but it doesn’t compare to Jenny’s gold or Blair’s diamonds. The necklaces definitely say a lot about what kind of girl they are. .

Credit: styleinspades.com

^#1 .

Credit: styleinspades.com

^#2 .

Credit: styleinspades.com

^#3 .

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Oh, Little J, how you’ve changed. Just a few seasons ago you were parading about the Met steps in a bright yellow trench.

Credit: gossipgirlreport.com

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Now you sulk around the city streets with a YSL bag you bought with drug money. Tisk tisk.

Credit: zimbio.com

No wonder your sweet potatoes are bland.

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Credit: zimbio.com

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Little J says “ciao!”

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[Via http://styleinspades.com]

This is your media on drugs

Malcolm Beith’s “News and analysis on the global war on organized crime” has been all Mexico, all drugs, all the time (with one post on Haiti), but even he notices the obvious problem with U.S. media coverage of Mexico:

…  Calderon made the drug war a priority in December 2006. But now that he’s said he’s shifting gears, will that change foreign reporting? I haven’t seen any evidence of that…  but we’ll see what the English-language foreign correspondents write about Mexico in weeks to come.

Personally, I think it’s also a symptom of the Bush years. Many US journalists who covered that period spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are now capable/willing to report on things in Mexico that previously were left untouched by the foreign media…

But beyond just being able, I think there are a number of journalists (I probably am sometimes among them) who are now simply obsessed with the darker side of the news.

…

I’ve tried to pitch stories about the good: the arts, travel, turtle-saving, etc. But no one’s willing to pay for them…*

Malcolm may be right about editors.  It seems impossible to write about Mexico without some reference to the “drug war”.  There was an amusing story in the Sunday New York Times on the possible battle of the telenovela stars in the next Presidential election:  PRD front-runner Marcelio Ebrard is married to actress Mariagna Prats; PRI front-runnger Enrique Peña Nieto — whose wife died in soap-opratic worthy mystery in 2007 –  is the “constant companion” of Angelica Rivera (and — left unmentioned — PAN wannabe candidate, Santiago Creel Miranda fathered a daughter during his liaison with  liaison with Edith Gonzales).

All great fun — and hopefully making for extra drama in the 2012 elections — but the Times (or rather the Associated Press) drops in its obligatory “Mexico = drugs” reference:

Neither [Ebrard nor Peña Nieto] has said much about the top problem on most Mexicans’ minds: the drug war and violent crime. That may be why they remain so popular, a welcome diversion from a sober reality.

Could it also be that “the drug war and violent crime” aren’t the top problem on most Mexicans’ minds?  The most recent El Universal poll, which was about political reform, found only nine percent of Mexicans mentioned “insecurity” as a political issue… and “insecurity” does not necessarily mean insecurity related to the “drug war”

You won’t see it in the U.S. press, but at least well-read Mexicans are aware that the murder rate — never nearly as high as in other Latin American nations – has been dropping for a number of years, despite the “war on drugs”, and drug use here, even if it doubled as the Administration claims, is a fraction of that in other places.

Muggings, robberies, shoplifting… the types of crimes associated with bad economic times… create the sense of insecurity more than murder does.

The typical “stranger on stranger” type murders common north of the border (and elsewhere in the Americas) are very rare here.  Even a shooting like that of Americas’ forward Salvador Cabañas — which of course is going to dominate the news cycle — may have been the work of an obsessive futbol fan, who in a sense “knows” his victim.  In a sense, everybody “knows” Cabañas, and reportage on his shooting feeds the sense of insecurity much more than reports on some low-level gangster (or gangster informant, or hanger-on) being found with his head in a garbage bag and the rest of him scattered around the town.

This isn’t to say the concerns aren’t real, nor that crime — in the border area especially — is an irrational fear.  What is real is that the crimes, especially in the border region, are taking on more a U.S. style violence.  Maggie Drake, the Woodward and Bernstein (both of ‘em… in one “old radical surfer”) of the Baja, has made a specialty of reporting on the crimes BY and against gringos in her corner of the Republic.  There is real crime there, and much of it is ignored… by the local gringo press, which has pecunary reasons to overlook it (they want to sell real estate), and — as she notes in her recent post on carjackings in Rosarito — by the San Diego press as well.  It’s troubling that such a U.S. style of violent crime is happening in the Baja, but I have to let the San Diego press off the hook on this one.  It doesn’t appear to have the “Mexican drug angle” their editors require, and — in a city where a carjacking with a shooting only merits five sentences — carjackings without anyone getting shot just don’t rate a mention.

The point is, that “insecurity” , “the drug war” and “drug users” .. and despite what the editors expect foreign readers to believe … are seen as separate issues, and none of them dominate political and social discourse to the point of paralyzing the political system.  For policymakers, like Ebrard and Peña Nieto, there isn’t much reason for them to blather on about the “drug war”, which isn’t associated with their parties — but is a “made for media” event from the Calderón Administration (my interpretation of their non-platform).  That the editors are “buying” the drug war — with its implications for other economic and social policies — THAT may be an issue.

* I don’t expect to sell this piece to the editors — even though it does have the obligatory “drug war” reference, but on the other hand, a “free press” isn’t expense-free.

[Via http://mexfiles.net]

Don Keith wins SEBA endorsement for 63rd Assembly District

Rancho Cucamonga mayor and California’s 63rd State Assembly District Republican candidate Dr. Donald J. Kurth, Jr. has been endorsed by the influential San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association.  SEBA represents San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies and many other county public safety officers.

“SEBA members are pleased to announce our endorsement of Mayor Don Kurth for the 63rd Assembly District,” said association president William Abernathie. “He has been a true champion for public safety.”

“Sheriff’s deputies and safety employees can count on Mayor Kurth for effective leadership in the fight against crime. He will stand tall for our local communities at the state capitol,” declared Abernathie.

“It is such an honor to receive the support of those who put their lives on the line to protect our communities from criminals,” stated Kurth. “SEBA is one of the sought after endorsements in the Inland Empire. Their support is a huge step forward for my campaign.”

Don Kurth is the elected mayor of Rancho Cucamonga, the largest city wholly located within the 63rd District. He has also served as a city councilman and Cucamonga Water District Trustee. A Physician and former local Chamber of Commerce president, Dr. Kurth currently owns a local Urgent Care Medical Clinic and serves on the faculty at the Loma Linda University Medical Center. He is also the incoming National President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Don is married to Dee Matreyek.

[Via http://bbvm.wordpress.com]

Here comes the Mechs - yeah in a Christian comic

I wanted something really cool when I was making my comic and so I dreamed up all the things that I liked and then put together all the things that were sort of possible and in the scope of my comic. What I came up with was this thing that bridged the gap between my Sentinel character and a heavy-duty, kick butt, kind of thing. So, I thought and thought and being a Robotech fan (man I love that stuff) I thought of a mech vehicle that I loved (http://www.kent.net/robotech/mecha/rdf/macii.shtml) and a vehicle that I saw in the first Aliens movie. So, I got this thing that called the WarHammer and it took a while but it worked out pretty good. Now, I met a dude online named Hank Jiang who helped me out. Well, back then Hank was working for Rockstar Games, yes the same Rockstar that makes Grand Theft Auto, and he and I talked online and he made the Sentinel and the WarHammer Characters for me…and I have been pleased every day I looked at it.

So, the way that I put it all together was by giving them (Sentinels) a history and a background, home planet and a purpose in the comic. What it came out to was the Sentinels were in ancient race created in the beginning to serve the Lord throughout the galaxy. But, they lived in a distant world and the reason for that was to let others know that the Christ speaks to not just us…but them out there as well.

Now they travel with ships when they want, but they usually travel through Voids (things that connect the spiritual and natural worlds together) and travel back and forth between worlds and areas at the speed of thought.

What that makes is for a pretty cool series of events that the comic can now jump in and out of. But, the mech (almost forgot) can move on its own and work on its own, but it is a symbiotic parasite kind of bio organism. It has one owner, and can latch on to the host and become and extension of the host or itself…either way it is freaky.

This is Sentinel's Symbiotic Host transport

Oh, I am working on getting t-shirts of this and other characters from a cool dude out of Florida, Sad Monkey – Daniel Davidson (cool, real cool dude).

Sad Monkey designed this for SN- NICE!

talk to ya later.

lance

[Via http://secularnought.wordpress.com]

Walter McKay on Police Accountability and Reform

I’m pleased to share a new blog with LEAP supporters. Walter McKay’s blog is titled Police Accountability and Reform. It’s been around for a while, but recently he started posting on it more regularly. He lives in Mexico and so much of his writing focuses on the violence of the drug cartels in that country. He keeps a close tab on the latest developments, especially in terms of the daily killings, the weaponry used, the police corruption, the methods of intimidation, etc.

I was first introduced to McKay’s work sometime around 2004 when I watched a documentary called Through a Blue Lens. This movie is certainly one of most powerful films I have ever watched about the horrors of drug abuse. It was produced by a group of Vancouver police officers who were part of a non-profit society called Odd Squad Productions. McKay was one of the founding members of this group. And I didn’t know it at the time – I wasn’t even a police officer back then – but we would eventually end up working together as members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

After twelve years in policing, McKay left the Vancouver Police Department to pursue his interests in criminal justice reform. He received an M.A. from Simon Fraser University and then began his PhD studies with a focus on police ethics. He now lives in Mexico City where he is project director for the Instituto para la Seguridad y la Democracia (INSYDE), a non-profit organization focused on police reform.

I’m reasonably certain that Walt is qualified to talk about the War on Drugs. Please take a moment to visit his blog and say hello.

[Via http://bbvm.wordpress.com]

VANCOUVERS FAMOUS DTES PHOTO JOURNAL

Click any image to view full size:

  Homeless lined up to get into Crosswalk homeless shelter

Nov. 3 2008 – Hastings and Abbot Street

Chris from Toronto

heroin addict, 5 months homeless living on the street in his wheelchair, went back to sleep in the rain after this interview concluded

      Oppenheimer Park         Haven Homeless Shelter   Detox   On the steps of the VPD     Born in Iran, 12 years addicted and homeless today

Would like to say Hi to his mother

                      In order to shelter the homeless sometimes you have to evict people to upgrade buildings. Running for shelter in the cold pouring rain!     Carol Originally from Vietnam, addicted to crack cocaine for 15 yrs   Irene   Friend of this website, video available   Angelina Angelina Angelina

“I can only stay off the drugs when i am in jail”

  Rick L. leaves Vancouver Detox Friend of the website Packing up camp   Charmaine’s mobile home Razor wire in your backyard, to keep out who? Triage is a shelter for the homeless     Entrance to historic old Chinatown, one block from the DTES madness SUV trailer park for the homeless   There is comfort and safety in numbers Could YOU sleep outside like this every night                  

[Via http://homelesschampions.wordpress.com]