Happy New Year

First day of the year and it is very cold. Temps below zero, windchills way below that. I hid inside and read most of the day, then we went out for dinner and coffee. Back home to hide from the elements again.

Hoping everyone has a great new year!

Getting the work done

Tonight, 16 volunteers came together at Mayday Books to put together press packets and badges for the many people who will be involved in the anti-war rally on the first day of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Here's something that needs to be said. Real change comes when people agree to give up a few hours of their spare time to try to make a difference. Tonight it was about collating and stuffing 1,000 press packets to distribute at next Monday's antiwar rally. It was about stuffing media passes into plastic sleeves and attaching flimsy strings so that the media can wear a badge that allows them to cover the event from primo spots.

It's about sore fingers and paper cuts and boring work with fun friends and comrades.

What could be more fun?

They're coming!

I have been extremely busy lately trying to get ready for our big antiwar march at the RNC. Just heard about this lovely billboard that will great the Repubs at the airport! :)

First Draft

Local man busted for trying to have his wife killed

You can read the article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press. An interesting twist is the guy has some writing up on an MRA website:

A man listed by the Web site (I'm not gonna link) as "Terrence DeChaney" of Coon Rapids describes in a posted entry as being frustrated with the court system and living "in a county that does and will not believe in joint custody." The Web site promotes custody rights issues.

The posting details how the man's wife went to a women's shelter, where she was instructed on how to kick him out of their home by claiming domestic abuse. She now lives in the house that he built "by hand." And he pays her more than $3,100 in child support (or 60 percent of his income) each month. The posting continues by voicing concern about his limited visitation and custody rights, claiming, "This is basically legal theft and legal child abuse."

He ended the nine-paragraph diatribe by noting, "Father's [sic] going through this lopsided process snap."

Lovely little tidbit from his posting:

... the women's shelter instructed my ex to say she was afraid of me and to kick me out of the house with a DV charge, even though she had just told her that I had never threatened her or and she was not afraid of me. I have this recorded from my personal telephone, but can not use it because I was not part of the conversation.

Notice that? He was bugging his wife's phone conversations!

On the internets, everyone knows your an asshole.

Luverne, Minnesota

Last weekend, three friends and I went to Luverne, Minnesota, in the southwestern corner of the state to attend the memorial service of a friend.



I had never been in that part of the state before. There farmland stretches as far as the eye can see and the landscape is flat or gently sloping. The earth is that Minnesota variety that looks almost black and is full of nutrients.



This was originally prairie land. The wind is awesome and a great place for the huge, odd newer windmill farms.



We went to Blue Mounds State Park, a huge stone cliff that rises 100 feet up from the flat plains. The entire cliff is two-thirds grass and one third rock, Sioux quartz, that is very colorful: red, blue and purple. From Eagle Rock you can see South Dakota and Iowa.



It is also the site of the only cactus native to Minnesota; a rather intimidating being that was not in bloom yet, but whose spikes were impressive.



It was a good place to say goodbye to a friend whose battle with cancer was long, miserable and heartbreaking. He is free now from all this. Flying with the birds he loved.

Checking in

Back from a weekend in extreme southwestern Minnesota to attend a memorial service for a friend who lost his battle with cancer in December. We joined together to say a respectful goodbye and to place his ashes in one of his favorite spots.

It was an amazing experience and, as always, it reminds me to treasure life and the wonderful people I've come to love.

Credit to the workers

I don't care much about the fact that the University of Minnesota is building a new football stadium about a mile from my home. But I was tickled by the man they chose to lay the first brick. Here's his picture, taken by Matt Mead of the Minnesota Daily:



And here's a bit of the story, with the first paragraphs reprinted below:

As a high school sophomore, Hilding Mortenson laid bricks at Memorial Stadium. On Monday, 84 years later, he laid the first brick at the TCF Bank Stadium construction site.

The event marked the laying of the first of more than 500,000 bricks to be used in the stadium's construction.

It was the first ceremonial bricklaying in the history of Mortenson Construction, the company heading up the new stadium.

Hilding Mortenson, who turned 100 years old on April 2, spread a brick with mortar and then placed it on a ledge.

1800 protest in Minneapolis

After several months of planning, the local antiwar protest was successful with over 1800 protesters marching through Minneapolis.

KSTP Channel 5, the ABC affiliate article.

StarTribune article

Anti-war marchers wind through Minneapolis

By TERRY COLLINS, Star Tribune
Last update: March 15, 2008 - 8:59 PM

Chanting "Off Iraqi soil, no blood for oil," scores of anti-war protesters rallied in Minneapolis Saturday demanding an end to the U.S. occupation of troops in Iraq.

With flags and banners waving amid various proclamations of peace, Meredith Aby, a member of the local Anti-War Committee, said a majority of American citizens want the war over.

"People need to get out in the streets and demand change. Just saying the war is unpopular is not enough," Aby said. "People should think more critically how this government beats the drums for war."

Instead, protesters banged their own drums as they marched and shouted phrases including, "(President) Bush lies, thousands die, troops home now," under overcast skies and a brisk chill from Uptown to Loring Park.

Traffic along Hennepin Avenue slowed occasionally as numerous passing vehicles honked in support. No arrests were made.

Similar anti-war rallies were held Saturday across the country to mark the war's fifth anniversary. More are scheduled through next week.

Many at Saturday's rally in Minneapolis clearly remember when U.S. missles bombed Baghdad on March 19, 2003 and President Bush warned, "We will accept no outcome but victory."

"I'm fed up with the rhetoric and the violence," said protester Kyle Anderson, 23, of Minneapolis. "I'm tired of our politicians running for office skirting around the issue, too. How much longer are we going to be over there?"

Holding a sign that read, "Either War is Obsolete or Are We?," Alesia Casanova, 18, of Eden Prairie, pondered the same question.

"It's really sad that it's gone on this long," Casanova said. "Our voices need to be heard. This has to stop. Now."

Attendee Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said that "the real fight" is right here at home with climate change and the declining national economy.

"We must change the way we live," Rybak said.

Organizers said nearly 1,800 people participated in the two-hour event, while police estimate closer to 1,000. Either way, several marchers thought attendance was lower than in previous years.

"I wish more were here," said Tyrus Thompson, 18, of Minneapolis, a member of Youth Against Racism and War. "I wish they knew how much power we actually have."

As Dick Thompson of Minneapolis stood waving a U.S. flag upside down (a military sign for distress) and carrying a red sign that said, "Impeach," near a bridge at Loring Park, he, too, wanted a larger turnout.

"I'm in distress," Thompson, 74, said. "Because, clearly, the truth has not been told."

pictures and article.

Minneapolis fire



This is a screen shot from an amazing slide show you can view here by local photography Tony Webster. Please visit and post your comments on the flickr site.

This is what happens when you try to put out a fire with water in sub zero temperature. Amazing ice sculptures. I don't recall ever being at this bar, but it's a mere couple of blocks from the collapsed 35W highway bridge. The neighborhood is having its problems.

Another new flyer

First Draft

Sami's coming back for another visit to Minnesota. Here's a first draft on the leaflet. Not feeling all that creative today. It feels kinda bland.

A great man passes

Recently, the partner of one of the women in my book group, died after a long and difficult battle with cancer. I knew Peter only as a partner to Priscilla. We knew each other's names and could make pleasant conversation. But I can't say I ever spent more than 30 minutes in his presence.

I did know his work however, Peter was an ornithologist with a specialty. He could preserve birds as study skins or mounts for museums. The next time you see an exhibit that contains a preserved animal, you might notice something important: the people who do the work are not credited. Peter was one of those people.

The following is information I have discovered about Peter since his passing. I never knew what an amazing person he was.

Peter was a bird lover who was a walking encyclopedia on birds. He could mimic bird song and bird calls. He could describe the science and the behavior of hundreds of species of birds. The birds he used for exhibits were birds that had died from window strikes or vehicle strikes. He studied the bird's behavior and structure intensely so that he could arrange the mounts in realistic settings and positions. He was a scientist and a master craftsman.

Because I was Priscilla's friend, I had the opportunity to see many of Peter's birds in process. His craft involves tedious, patient practice that combines science and artistry. There are no taxidermy stores where you can pick up a few eagle eyes or falcon feathers to put together a bird. Peter began with a dead bird, but he would use anything and everything he could find to create a realistic looking model. He was self-taught and his amazing skill is lost with his passing.

He work is in the Smithsonian, in the museums across the world, and in DNR displays here in Minnesota. If you go to Lake Itasca, the birthplace of the Mississippi, you can see one of Peter's eagles.

So this is what I didn't know about the man I knew slightly and who has passed away recently.

His work was a passion and did not pay well. He had no insurance when he got sick and his care became Priscilla's full-time job. Because I did not know Peter well, I was not able to help as much as I would have liked. He did have many amazing friends and people who did what they could. The process of being ill and uninsured in the U.S. was a never-ending battle for the two of them. It was unbelievably frustrating and incredibly sad.

Priscilla has been forwarding eulogies from ornithologists expressing their memories and fondness for Peter and I am suprised to learn how widely respected and admired he was in his little corner of the universe. It seems I was in the presence of a genius and true artist, but I never knew it. Neither Peter nor Priscilla talked about his genuis or bragged about his accomplishments. To me, he was simply a nice guy, a good partner to my friend, and he had an unusual job.

This has reminded me that our fellow human beings can do amazing things, make awesome contributions to the world, and we may never know it. And, of course, it reminds me that capitalism sucks. Why should a man with his knowledge and skill be allowed to wither away without any real help? Why should his entire care be placed on the back of my friend, with no hope of relief?

I fucking hate cancer.

Edited to add:

I got together with Priscilla and a bunch of friends today. Apparently Peter was told there was nothing the doctors could do for him. He left the hospital and went into hospice care. Two weeks later, he passed.

I don't know what to say. I'm angry and I'm sad.

A near-flattening experience

Today I got a treat. Ravenhub worked late so he decided to come downtown and pick me up for a ride home. Normally I take the bus. We agreed to meet around the corner from work, since the street in front of the building is full of people picking up, dropping off, plus all manner of buses. I thought I had it timed well so that I would be waiting for him when he arrived. But he got lucky and got there first. He was waiting in the driveway to a parking lot. I was happy to see him and rushed to the car. From the corner of my eye I something flying at me. It was a fucking huge honking SUV. Some woman had found a break in the traffic and had decided she should take a left turn through a break in the traffic and barrel into the parking lot. Not bothering to notice there was a pedestrian (moi), walking across the driveway at the exact same moment.

Quick thinking that I am, I put my hand out. Because my awesome hand is the most likely thing to stop 3,000 pounds of metal, right? That wasn't going to be enough, so I jumped back and still had to push off the car before the nitwit driver slammed on her breaks.

Next I was treated to something I have simply never before seen in my life. Ravenhub came barrelling out of our car and screamed at the woman who had very nearly hit me. You have to understand. Ravenhub is the sweet and well-behaved one. Ravenhub is the one who can control impulses. Ravenhub is always trying to tell me to control my urge to mouth off in public.

The woman is mortified. The woman is wondering what the fuck this strange man is doing screaming at her. Ravenhub is at full bore, but he uses his "social worker" language: "You have no idea of the consequences of your actions!" he screams. Now who the hell screams that?

I am just staring at this car in front of my face. And at the toddler buckled into a safety seat in SUV. This woman has got some extreme priority issues. Smashing my face in is one thing. But she could have seriously injured that child as well.

Meanwhile she is apologizing over and over. I climb into our waiting car and ask the still-fulminating Ravenhub to get in with me. SUV driving woman pulls up beside our car and rolls down her window. What, she thinks we want to have a chat over this?

I tell her to be careful from now on and we slowly drive away. Whew!

The Book

I haven't blogged about this yet, but today seems like a good time. I took the day off from work to travel to the town where my mother lives. We participated in a book release party for the book that she researched and wrote and that I typeset and illustrated. The book is about our ancestors and the decisions they made as they moved from New England to the midwest in the 1800s. This book is based on letters and diaries that my mother discovered in the attic of the home where we both grew up. The letters describe the "frontier" experience for white settlers in the U.S.

My mother's academic specialty is the migration of people. What is it that motivates people to move from one part of the world to another? What decisions do they make in that process? Is the move gradual or sudden? What political, geographic and societal forces are most influential in those decisions?

What we discovered in this process is that, not surprisingly, the settlement of the "western" territories did not follow the plotlines we learned in school. Our ancestors bought midwestern land in the early 1800s but did not move there until years later. They hired other, less affluent, people to clear the land and establish the agriculture that became the basis of future wealth for our family. The family that cleared the land, built the barn, established the livestock and produced the crops was not our own. Once all the hard work was finished, my ancestors moved in and reaped the profits. The family that did the work is not longer mentioned. That's colonialism 101.

The release party was held at the retirement village in which my mother currently resides. 40 people attended, most of whom were residents of the building or friends of my mother.

This book is important because it dispels some myths and clarifies some truths. Colonialism is a messy, complicated affair. Families are affected in unpredictable ways by capitalism's need to expand and consolidate territory. The ground troops of colonialism are privileged in many ways, but they are subject also to unforgiving circumstances. Colonialism is bloody and messy and difficult. Even the so-called beneficiaries of capitalism often get a raw deal.

Holiday Vigil

Made another flyer. This one is for a holiday vigil against the war.

Fact Sheet for Iraq demo

We're printing this on the back of the November flyer to handout at our next demo. We needed something that explained our position.

The vets get a chance to speak

I whipped up this flyer for an event coming up in November. There was so much copy, I had little chance to use any art.

Jena 6 flyer

I found this amazing image by doing a search for Jena 6 in flickr. The art is by Gilbert Vallian.

Banner for Saturday's Protest

Put this together this weekend as well.

One of the IPAC members is going to have this blown up into a 3 ft. high banner to be carried in Saturday's antiwar protest!