Fire Damages Berkeley Humane Shelter-Help/Donations Needed

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Friday May 21, 2010 · 12:08 AM PDT

2010/05/21 · 00:08

So sad--15 cats died in this fire. I have to hope it was from the smoke and not the actual fire.
This is from The Berkeley East Bay Humane Society's website:

Breaking News: In the early morning of May 20, a major fire destroyed a large section of our shelter. We lost our entire cat sheltering area as well as laundry facilities and offices. We are currently without water, electricity and phone service.

We lost 15 of our beautiful cats that were ready for adoption but all the dogs survived and are being cared for in our kennels and at a veterinary emergency service.

Blissing

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Tuesday July 14, 2009 · 1:47 PM PDT

2009/07/14 · 13:47

Like any good Kossack, I've been following the push for health care since I first came here in '05. I read all the health care nightmare stories, which sadly started to sound similar after a while. Someone gets sick, needs care, and can't get it for one reason or another, ensuing in a lot of hair pulling by me. Some of them move their lives forward as best they can, inspiring us with their courage and urging us to fight. Some of them don't make it.

Perhaps this is neither a story of courage nor defeat, but it's only hitting me now what good health care in this country might have done for my mother.

Blissing

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Tuesday August 26, 2008 · 11:31 AM PDT

2008/08/26 · 11:31

This is a Netroots Nation success story. I met Irwin Tang, the author of Gook: McCain's Racism and Why It Matters, at the Netroots Nation Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus. I'd heard of McCain's use of the word "Gook" before, but even as a half-Chinese person myself, I'd dismissed it as understandable. I mean, he'd been tortured by the North Vietnamese, right? He had a right to be angry, or so I thought.

"Gook" is just the beginning of McCain's racism. As Irwin pointed out, it goes much deeper, to the point of being White supremacist racist. I found myself piping up and said, "This needs to be a film and I want to work on it!"

Blissing

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Thursday July 24, 2008 · 2:13 PM PDT

2008/07/24 · 14:13

I met Irwin Tang first thing Thursday morning at Netroots Nation at the Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus. He held up his book Gook: John McCain's Racism and Why It Matters. As Irwin says, many many people have an immediate visceral reaction to it, and this was true of me.

During the introduction rounds, I found myself saying that his book needed to be a film, and I was volunteering! Even faster, though, was Uptake, who videotaped an interview with Irwin at Netroots Nation and put it up:

Blissing

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Saturday July 19, 2008 · 9:14 PM PDT

2008/07/19 · 21:14

Blackwater, as part of the State Department's Worldwide Personal Protective Service, is protecting Barack Obama on his current trip to Afghanistan according to Jeremy Scahill, speaking today at the Gitmo panel at Netroots Nation. Jeremy was vehement in a way I haven't heard him before in exhorting us to let Obama know what we think about his attitude towards these contractors. He's pressing on us to make our voices heard now, when Obama most needs us--before the election, not after.

Update:AllisonInSeattle said it just as I stopped myself from climbing into bed to come back and say it myself. It is NOT a good thing to have OUR candidate being protected by right wing Bush-supported forces! Think about it.

Update 2: I can see that many of us don't know about Blackwater and who they really are. Maybe some Blackwater 101 diaries are in order.

Blissing

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Friday July 18, 2008 · 7:23 PM PDT

2008/07/18 · 19:23

I attended the panel called Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA, which had 2 panelists from women's shelter, Pretty Bird Woman House, Georgia Little Shield and Tinnekkia Williams, as well as Amanda E. Flott, from Amnesty International. (Report)

[Update I updated the clip with the correct names this time! So it has a new link. The old one will be left up for a bit until people can update.] Here are a few clips I took:

Blissing

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Sunday November 11, 2007 · 1:01 AM PST

2007/11/11 · 01:01

I was born and raised in San Francisco. I know I mention it a lot. For one, it's slightly unusual as a lot of the people who live here now were not born here. Two, it speaks to my deep love for the land and the ocean here. That's why this oil spill is so heartbreaking to me.

I can't believe that Ocean Beach, the first place I ever saw the mighty ocean, is closed. Baker beach where I used to go with my first boyfriend is closed. The water nearest to me in Berkeley is contaminated. I would have to travel at least an hour or more to find an uncontaminated beach right now.

Angel Island is closed:
From SFgate.com

Of course loss of my own enjoyment pales in comparison to what's happening to the wildlife.

Blissing

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Tuesday October 23, 2007 · 9:37 AM PDT

2007/10/23 · 09:37

Late last night, with the site down, and little to no network news on the fires in SoCal, I started reading Jeremy Scahill's Blackwater when on page XXV of the very introduction I saw:

Blackwater executives have met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger about deploying there in the aftermath of an earthquake or another disaster.

The more I read about Blackwater, the more absolutely breath-stopping moments I have. Sometimes it's the amounts of money involved. Sometimes it's the brazenness of Erik Prince, whom I've taken to calling Evil Prince, Mordred incarnate.

Blissing

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Thursday August 10, 2006 · 9:58 PM PDT

2006/08/10 · 21:58

Good Environmental News
Native Hawaiian groups and their supporters, along with the Sierra Club's Hawaii Chapter, have won an important battle for the preservation of their sacred volcano, Mauna Kea. On the reversal of the permit to build 6 more telescopes on the peak,

Paul K. Neves of the The Royal Order of Kamehameha I...[said,] "We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Poe Hawai`i (the people of Hawai'i). From the beginning we affirmed that the jurisdiction in Hawai`i rests with the right-holders not stakeholders, meaning Hawaiian Kingdom and its peoples, not the University of Hawai`i. We will continue to be involved in working with the people of Hawai`i towards lasting protection and oversight of Mauna Kea that the people can be proud of. We thank the people from all islands and the world for their prayers and support. We say deeply, Mahaho Ke Akua, Na Akua, Na Aumakua." [From the press release from appellants, received via email from a Native Hawaiian friend]

Blissing

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Sunday July 02, 2006 · 1:13 AM PDT

2006/07/02 · 01:13

There has been some scary news lately--Darksyde's post about how Greenland's glaciers are melting at a faster than expected rate, humans are no doubt causing it, etc. It can be difficult not to feel hopeless and despairing. A couple of friends have gotten seriously depressed after seen An Inconvenient Truth.

That got me thinking about the classes I took with Joanna Macy a few years ago. I hope that I'm not insulting her with my cherry-picking of her great teachings, but I do want to help people stay positive.
Read More

I Love Us! YearlyKos W/Pics

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Sunday June 11, 2006 · 9:13 PM PDT

2006/06/11 · 21:13

I'm posting some pics and outting my roommate, and saying I can't believe how wonderful YearlyKos was (Was! Waaah!) It was so professionally run; there was nothing cheap or unprofessional about it.

Our unifying quality: passion. Read More

'My Blind Date With 1,000+ Kossacks': Get Your Ykos Diary Titles Here!

Blissing

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Thursday June 08, 2006 · 2:55 PM PDT

2006/06/08 · 14:55

That's how I feel. I'm in my room at the Riv, wondering why I'm writing, and waiting for the A/C to cool me off a bit before going down. One thousand people+ I've never met before. Ta Da! Please add your own titles, if they're available. Read More

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Fire Damages Berkeley Humane Shelter-Help/Donations Needed

It's Hitting Me Now

McCain's Use of Gook-Kossack(me) Made Video! Send to People of Color!

Gook: McCain's Racism w/Video

Obama Protected by Blackwater: Jeremy Scahill at NN

NN Panel: Pretty Bird Woman House W/Video!

SF Bay Oil Spill: My Heart Breaks (Photos)

Is Blackwater Deployed in SoCal?

Mauna Kea Volcano Saved from More Development!

Don't Despair of Global Warming: Practical, Positive Help

I Love Us! YearlyKos W/Pics

'My Blind Date With 1,000+ Kossacks': Get Your Ykos Diary Titles Here!