A picture of the American naval base at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. Photo credit: flickr.com/smit5334

There’s not a lot to add to this personal account. Just read it and be sure to soak in what this guy is saying. Think about what you’ve done in the last seven years. How has your life changed? What about your relationships?

Then think about his perspective. How does it make you feel? What should we have done differently, if anything at all?

Update: Looks like Glenn Greenwald also saw the article.

Margitte. Fat activist and inspiring woman. Photo credit: riotsnotdiets.com

I was talking with a friend of mine about Mike and Molly, the sitcom whose leads are overweight. (Episodes here.) I explained that it was one thing to feature actors with body types that fall in the main stream but it was a whole other thing to cast actors who are clearly very large. And I have to admit it — I’m ashamed of my (previous) feelings regarding the show. My friend, always the thoughtful and kind person she is, linked to an incredible article in Jezebel that addressed the EXACT topic we were discussing. And I have to say I have since completely changed my views regarding body and media. Moreover, I’m fascinated by the inspiring activists out there trying to address anti-fat bias in culture.

Which leads us to an amazing woman (and fat activist): Margitte.

Click the link. Read a few posts. And dare to be inspired.

This is a screen capture of the IncrediBOX interface. Technology and music intersect once again. #awesomesauce.

My 14 year old brother Trey found this site – and we spent entirely too much time making our own music. It is easy — but I’m warning you. Only click the link if you have an hour or two to burn!

Cash money. Dinero. Currency. The shit bankers take from the rest of us. Image credit: flickr.com/Callander

I don’t normally post about banking issues, but for those who know me from outside of the blog know that I talk about them incessantly. That’s mostly because I’m good with numbers and think about money often — aka I’m obsessed with material wealth. Haha. But seriously, I talk about banking issues a lot because they affect so many people.

In that regard, here’s a fascinating article that I find completely typical of banks and banking. I’ve several ideas regarding banks and banking services that would help making banking easier, more cost effective, more efficient and save people loads of money. More on that later, though.

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People looking at an abstract painting by the famed Jackson Pollack. Photo credit: flickr.com/brixton

I went to an art exhibit with a friend recently. And when I showed confusion regarding some of the abstract art she said something reasonable: “Imagine one smudge was taken away from the painting. How would it affect the rest of the work?” By eliminating, figuratively, one characteristic of the painting, she explained, she was able to understand how that one characteristic interacted with the complex whole.

With that in mind, now consider applying the same technique to modern social issues. The results can be fascinating: a Black Tea Party or a Muslim Tim Tebow.

And that concludes today’s episode of *Sigh*. Until next time, WASF.

Former governor Blagojevich after being convicted for 14 years for public corruption. Photo credit: flickr.com/humajasmine.

I’ve been surprised at the coverage regarding Blago’s conviction. I’ve yet to hear anyone address the importance of severly punishing someone for abusing our public system.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I think abusing the office of the Governor is worse than many singular violent crimes. We all need to believe and trust that our government works — their efforts affect too many lives. And betraying that trust is a Very. Serious. Crime.

I say 14 years is just about right.

Note: I haven’t done a Nexis search or anything like that to examine the coverage. I’ve just watched Morning Joe, listened to some NPR through my local affiliate and read some Krugman, TPM, Eschaton and Digby. And nothing I’ve seen, so far, has addressed the importance of upholding the trust given to public officials.

But it is apparently not my age.

At least someone is paying attention.

An amateur shot of the beach at Normandy, France. Credit: flickr.com/yaarus.

I’m one of those lucky people who gets to do a little international travel for work. Its the best kind of travel, in my book, because it is only on occasion and my company goes way out of the way to make the trip as easy and convenient as possible. Moreover, the trips are often to incredible places. This last trip, for example, was to England. And I have to say the three weeks in the London-Reading area was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, and I mean unfortunate because I love my company and I loved the experience as a whole, I have a bit to get off my chest.

I found it particularly difficult to concentrate for the first few days of the adventure because I felt an unexpected, overwhelming desire to pay respects to the history of the region before getting straight to work.

I couldn’t help but think, while sitting in meetings and lectures with colleagues, of the history. We were, literally, meeting on sacred ground; during World War II, the most pivotal event in recent world history,  the forefront of the war was England. In that light how can one discuss a relatively mundane topic such as oil and gas when confronted with the fact that so many died in the greater-London area? And had they not fought the Germans and held the line, then it is definite the war would have taken longer and probable the world would be forever different. Humanity’s fate, if plotted over time, has an inflection point around 1945 — and it is due in large part to the bravery and efforts of a large number of British people. And somehow my coworkers wanted to talk oil and gas, inadvertently ignoring the bigger picture. While understandable because I have not traveled internationally often and am new to visiting Europe unlike my colleagues, I found it a little frustrating and a little tiring. All I wanted to do was to go to Normandy, the beach in France where Allied troops first took hold of the continent. Or visit the bunker in London where Churchill conducted British efforts. Or just sit quietly in a park, thinking about the scores of humans affected by Hitler, the Axis powers, and the Allied resistance.

I know my perspective probably sounds a bit dramatic. But I have a hard time giving enough respect to the efforts of the people during that time. I probably should have arrived a day or two early and made my peace before work commenced. But this was, in fact, my first trip to Europe.