rootwork the rootsblog: a cyberhoodoo webspace

dreams and fantasies

 TUESDAY

the red cross report on torture in bush administration has been leaked

you can find pdf file of it here on new york review of books website

report has put more pressure on obama to do some kind of inquiry on bush admin torture policy

redcross say that doctors who participated committed medical ethics crimes

redcross says the report was supposed to be classified, who could have leaked it

redcross say they shocked i tell you shocked, article that goes along with it is sobering

exxcerpt from accompanying article:

the CIA seems to have arrived at a method that is codified by the International Committee of the Red Cross experts into twelve basic techniques, as follows:

• Suffocation by water poured over a cloth placed over the nose and mouth...
• Prolonged stress standing position, naked, held with the arms extended and chained above the head...
• Beatings by use of a collar held around the detainees' neck and used to forcefully bang the head and body against the wall...
• Beating and kicking, including slapping, punching, kicking to the body and face...
• Confinement in a box to severely restrict movement...
• Prolonged nudity...this enforced nudity lasted for periods ranging from several weeks to several months...
• Sleep deprivation...through use of forced stress positions (standing or sitting), cold water and use of repetitive loud noises or music...
• Exposure to cold temperature...especially via cold cells and interrogation rooms, and...use of cold water poured over the body or...held around the body by means of a plastic sheet to create an immersion bath with just the head out of water.
• Prolonged shackling of hands and/or feet...
• Threats of ill-treatment, to the detainee and/or his family...
• Forced shaving of the head and beard...
• Deprivation/restricted provision of solid food from 3 days to 1 month after arrest...

As the Red Cross writers tell us, "each specific method was in fact applied in combination with other methods, either simultaneously or in succession." A clear picture of this cumulative effect comes from the three long excerpts of interviews with detainees published as annexes at the end of the report, which I have quoted from and discussed at length in my earlier article.^[11] To understand the effect one must remember what all experienced torturers know: dramatic results can be achieved with simple techniques. Forced standing, for example:

Ten of the fourteen alleged that they were subjected to prolonged stress standing positions, during which their wrists were shackled to a bar or hook in the ceiling above the head for periods ranging from two or three days continuously, and for up to two or three months intermittently.... For example, Mr. Khaled Shaik Mohammed alleged that, apart from the time when he was taken for interrogation, he was shackled in prolonged stress standing position for one month in his third place of detention.... Mr. Bin Attash for two weeks with two or three short breaks where he could lie down in Afghanistan and for several days in his fourth place of detention.... Mr. Hambali for four to five days, blindfolded with a type of sack over his head, while still detained in Thailand....

This prolonged forced standing is, again, an ancient technique, and a favorite, notably, of the Soviet intelligence services. It can be difficult, when gazing at the stark descriptions of these procedures, to understand their effect. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for example, when approving in December 2002 a series of interrogation techniques that included forced standing for up to four hours, famously scribbled in the lower margin, beneath his initials: "However, I stand for 8–10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to 4 hours? D.R." Secretary Rumsfeld, who no doubt was standing at his desk when he scrawled these words, professed to have difficulty comprehending the difference between working at a standing desk in one's office—signing documents, talking on the telephone, speaking to subordinates, drinking coffee—and standing naked in a very cold room with hands shackled to the ceiling for hours and days at a time.

One can gain a hint of the difference simply by rising and standing motionless with one's hands extended directly overhead and trying to maintain the position for, say, thirty minutes. Then imagine maintaining it for several hours, or days, or weeks. The physical effects, as described in a notorious study of Communist interrogation methods by two psychologists, are dramatic:

After 18 to 24 hours of continuous standing, there is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the legs. This dependent edema is produced by the extravasation of fluid from the blood vessels. The ankles and feet of the prisoner swell to twice their normal circumference. The edema may rise up the legs as high as the middle of the thighs. The skin becomes tense and intensely painful. Large blisters develop, which break and exude watery serum....^[12]

---------------------------

obama wants to 'move on', article makes case that its not a 'move on' situation

that it is a demon lying in wait to trip america up again under the right conditions

basically this guy calling on obama to perform an exorcism, he say that demon got to go

a luta continua

rdoc

MONDAY DAY

okay, a couple of quickies before i see if i can do it again

ward churchill won case that he was fired for this essay, which does seem to be intemperate
radical left rhetoric instead of reasoned radical left analysis

this guy dewit makes the case that of course he was fired for the essay, not his scholarship, but that
he never should have been hired but for political correctness in the academy, much less tenured et al

churchills article was painful reading and i found myself skimming, but i have radical colleagues who would consider it righteous work - and me a sellout for pointing out that its problematic on a lot of levels 

but this dewit guy makes some good points about why the academy was so late in realizing churchill scholarship was shoddy

i found this article to be interesting because syracuse has slid me some slack over the years
and while i think i warrant any slack ive received i question churchill myself on a variety of planes

this dewit guy indicts what he calls postmodern multiculturalism while i of course say its a little more nuanced than that, but i look at that piece for instance i did for oxford and its not academic in the strict sense

and i wonder if there are parallels, though there are major differences in tone and substance
i tend to dismiss intemperate rhetoric myself as not worthy of the struggle in the 21st century

i wouldnt call him venal, more like stuck in the 60s and counterproductive, preaching to the choir

i consider my work creative nonfiction and when you look at this blog for instance, wouldnt consider this academic either but i try to make it real on the literary side, make if of literary and destinic substance

that im a literary artist instead of a straight up academic works in my favor but when you think
that my last novel came out some 10 years ago i have to acknowledge that syracuse has shown some faith in me that this guy would probably interpert differently

all the more reason to finish rest for the weary - this summer

same folk who championed churchill likely the same folk who would champion/tenure me

and i would like to come thru for syracuses vote of confidence in me - o what a tangled weave

on another note i see that zumas charges have been dropped
another questionable characters questionable case,

im going to have to give zuma benefit of the doubt

mbeki was a disappointment, i fear zuma will be too
i want him to be a good president and unleash south african potential

im gone, i got to clock some pages

all my love

rdoc

MONDAY MORNING

rickydoc on a sungun, 360%

clocked a 6 hour workday yesterday, damn i feel good (a 9 would have been better but hey)

good woodshed start, cant wait till im 24/7 - should do schoolhouse today but when you hot you hot

wasnt altogether happy with what i came up with but good or bad not for me to say - dont judge, just work

just keep on pushing, keep slogging thru, page by page, word by word, keep pushing thru

ima clock me another 6 hours today, (well maybe a 3) then i will wade into my manuscript pile

which mean schoolhouse week will be no sleep catchup again but such is life in the literary lane

its all good - i love the literary life, always have always will

all my love

rdoc

SATURDAY

hello world, ran down ot the city yesterday for ihsans memorial at fred dougs, it was packed
mostly with theater folk, i realized ihsan was more theater than he was literary, i knew him

as a writer but his crew was theater and you know how dramatic the theater crowd is
it was a good memorial, long string of readers, brenda connor bey miller was there

ihsans old buddy from the ceta artist days, thats how i met ihsan, we were ceta artists together
ive wondered if they would have something like the ceta (or old wpa) program in current crises

ohwell, let me move on, came right back to syracuse after the memorial, didnt even hang out newyork
cause i wanted to get back and get some rest and try to clock some pages today

saw this article about zumas impending dismissal that said he is more complex than the caricatures allow for and also gave like an insiders picture of the political infighting between zuma and mbeki that lead to his election, kinda ffascinating

im gone, its been weeks since ive clocked pagesk one of those really rough periods
schoolhouse has been brutal and ive still got a stack of manuscripts to critique

ishan should be an insipiration to me, the harder life got on him the harder he worked on his novel
he would be there in his hospital bed writing away, same same jeff allen w/his recent health crises

i told my memorial folk ishan reminded me of an old literary joke i once heard, my version -
there was a painter a dancer and a novelist, they were all three told they had a year to live,

the painter was asked how the year would be spent and replied that there was this mountain
that had been a lifelong goal, im going to climb that mountain if its the last thing i do

the dancer was asked and said im going to hunt down a lost love and im going to love like no one has ever loved before

the novelist was asked what will you do with your last year and said im going to work on my novel

see what im saying

rdoc

FRIDAY

hello world, closing down the semester, about 4 weeks, 6 counting maymester
which is cool, im starting to withdraw now, thinking about the novel, clocking hours

pre summer woodshed, its a good sign that its coming down on me so soon
cause the trick is to hit the ground running as soon as the schoolyear is over

have up a head of steam otherwise half the summer is spent just getting in the woodshed groove
and that wont do, probably do more posting cause i will have more discretionary time, thats how it

works, im generally leary of personal posts and try to do strategic ones but i tend to get personal during a woodshed push, whatever i come up with will have to work fine cause this will just be runoff from me doing that novel

chelsea finished her market draft a couple of weeks ago and sent it on off, im real proud of her
let me see, any commentary before i close down shop, try to clock some hours before i get on

the road to the city for ihsans funeral, theyve asked me to read from paths of sanctuary, id rather do
ibo island but its not about me is it,

oh i was going to say something about obama, hes been p to a lot since the last time i spoke on him
past the ephoria of the election, now its about pulling for his policies, hoping they good ones, hoping

they work out as he intends them, hoping he keeps his good ratings and dont commit no mistakes that cost him critical mass, hopiing things work out with the cars, with afghanistan, the financial sector, congressional challenges, hoping he get some good judges in place, just hoping hoping hoping

seems we can rack up a good european debute him and michelle, (hey the queen touched her 1st)
and he got his budget through congress, he seem to be doing okay all on his own

ive basically decided to let obama handle his business i will handle mine
speaking of which im out of here, see if i can clock me some pages

get me some woodshed momentum going

life is good

rdoc

WEDNESDAY

this video is for my fellow servants of the cat people
my feline masters instructed me to post it

all my love

rdoc ,

TUESDAY

hello world, i been working, wouldnt say ive been working hard but ive been working
ive reached that burnout stage in semester where ive moved from doing more than called for

to doing as little as i can get away with,

i keep getting nibbles behind that oxford piece, reminds me why i dont do shorts 
you the man for about a month then its gone, i prefer books

im gone

rdoc

on the nature of chops and ellen levine: literary gunslinger

FRIDAY

hello world, lost an old buddy today, ihsan bracy checked out, moved on
ishan been carrying the hammer for awhile now, strokes, diabetic crises

a couple of comas, he was in bad shape, ihsan was a poet and novelist
shorstories, plays, ishan was a renaissance man, had this novel that was

potentially seminal but he felt pushed by that ticking clock and he put it out
last year over my objections, i said hit it one more time man, but he wanted it out

i said give the year to the novel, let it come out strong, after you gone
but ihsan wasnt feeling that, he closed it down before it was ready, it was

published last year, paths of sanctuary, and it was good enuf but good enuf dont get it

and i cant begrudge him the choice, he knew he was checking out
and its a good novel its just not the great novel it

could have been but lord knows art just a gamble and he made his choices and he won

by his judgment - this is what aalbc said about it

-----------------------

ihsan bracy s new novel, paths of sanctuary, is an intricate story of love, lust, envy and filled to the brim with examples of how each can lead to the destruction of one s soul. Readers interested in family dynamics and the interworkings of African-American communities, will most enjoy being taken across decades of time to witness the creation of a three-generational family living in a town just south of the first gates of heaven. The town, called sanctuary, holds in it children born of both angel and man, living side by side with human beings. The forbidden man/angel relationship is at the core of the central conflict, although it is difficult to discern even if you are three-quarter s of the way through the book. This information is clearly given only in the last few pages, at which point you suddenly realize the tie-in and purpose of the prologue.

This is not to say that bracy s book is without merit. At times his writing is so lyrical you are easily swept away by the beauty of his words. The world he has created is full of magical-realism, colorful, interesting characters worth rooting for, and a litany of sub-plots that often commands more attention than the main plot. And, the third-person, exposition-heavy narrative allows readers to observe characters from various points of view. These same strengths also cause quite a conundrum for bracy. He gives us such strong, empathetic major and minor characters that their voices demand to be heard. Rarely are they and this makes it oftentimes difficult to distinguish between them. It also robs readers of a look at the characters interior and a chance to fully experience the heightened intensity of emotions that is pervasive throughout the book. Some will argue that bracy s writing is more in line with fable telling or the style of J. California Cooper and thus not required to do more showing than telling.

But in order to believe the motivations that drive bracy s characters to make life-altering, cataclysmic decisions, more insight into his characters interior is needed. Take for instance the story of passage, the son of main characters dance and time. He is depicted as a kind-hearted, well-liked boy who is on the cusp of becoming the kind of man all parents hope their sons will grow up to be. In an instant he is turned into an immoral, evil and depraved individual. Why is this? And why did bracy choose passage, the most benign of the family members, to be the catalyst for the family s destruction?

Other strengths pose similar challenges for bracy, like the use of three separate boy- girl relationships to symbolize the union of spirit and man. Each is beautifully crafted and depicts a pure, soulful, everlasting bond. But their true significance is unclear and so then is their link to the overall story muddling the genius of bracy s distinct storytelling and well-woven prose of rhythms and sensory. But bracy ends up coming out on top, leaving us with a story that needs to be told, one worthy enough to pass down to the generations. --aalbc.com, by Jill Robinson

-----------------------------

i told him, hit it one more time ihsan, 1 more time, it could have been a masterpiece

but he heard that ticking clock and he he stepped back, lost his literary stare down w/the gods

novels, specially at this stage in the game, are a big gamble with time, you know you got an investment

of x years and the big question is always, will i finish before i check out, will i have time to make it right

you know my position on this dear regulators, if i have to work on my novel till the day i die i will do so

if thats what it take for it to be the masterpiece i see in my head so be it,

i would desperately like for it to come out while im still here and able to enjoy the fruits of my labor

but ive gotten this far being dissed by the literary world, much as i hate it there is a part of me that just dont care,

im determined to prove the haters wrong, ima make this novel work if its the last thing i do -

gon show them all, arthur rickydoc flowers is, was and always been, a contender

if that dont happen in my lifetime ive accepted that - im writing for the generations

my mentor, babajohn killens used to tell us all the time, all the generations will have is your novel, they
wont care that you were being pressed by time, bills, tenure, pride, so forth - all they will have is the novel,

make it the best it can be

i got to go, got schoolhouse conferences lined up back to back

another friend to mourn/honor, time is winnowing my crew, got to be about my legacy, got to be about theirs

me and the gods of literarure got an understanding, i got to do my part

all my love

rdoc

Celebration of a Life in Words

Memorial Readings and Performance of THE WORKS of Ihsan  Bracy Abdul-Rahiim < 7.13.1953 - 3.14.2009 > Please join our friends and family in this celebration of Ihsan's life's work Saturday April 4, 2009,   from 12:30- 2:30 PM at The Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center 270 W. 96th Street N.Y., N.Y. 10025 Between Broadway and West End Ave. (1, 2 or 3 Trains to 96th St.) We apologize if you received this email more than once

Ihsan Bracy Abdul-Rahiim Sadly, following a long and unforgiving struggle with complications due to an advanced condition of diabetes, at an early hour on March 14th, 2009, our dear author and friend departed from this plane of existence. He is survived by his wife Islah, daughter Zakiyyah, and sons Mustapha and Jihad. A graduate of Bennington College, Ihsan Bracy was a former member of the New York State Council on the Arts and former chair of the Theatre Department of Talent Unlimited High School, NYC's second largest performing arts high school.  Ihsan's major educational credits include directing five Manhattan, three NYC and a third place National Shakespeare Championship as well as an ARTS National Finalist in Theatre.  A spoken word and Brooklyn based artist, Ihsan had performed all across the city including a long running appearance at The Triad as part of composer Michael Raye's Soul Gathering.  Author of two volumes of poetry, cadre and the ubangi files, Ihsan had twice been a CAPS Finalist and had been elected to the New Renaissance Writer's Guild. Paths of Sanctuary was his second work of fiction with Cool Grove Press (Feb. 2008).  His first book was Ibo Landing: an offering of short stories, (CGP 1998).  As artistic Director and Founder of The Tribe Ensemble, a multi-ethnic theater repertory company based out of the Jamaica Arts Center for thirteen years, Ihsan authored and directed Against the Sun, the Southampton Slave Revolt of 1831.  A former member of The Family (La Familia) Inc., his credits included prolonged theatre workshops at Bayview Correctional Facility for Women, the Spofford Home for Juveniles and Riker's Island, which culminated in a forty prison inner city tour.  Ihsan directed Juan Shamsul Alam's Benpires which received a Pulitzer Prize nomination in theatre. Ihsan also served as the Arts and Education Coordinator of The Mirror Repertory Company.

Paths of Sanctuary 2008 "Bracy's prose is both mystical and muscular and therefore utterly appropriate.  Highly recommended for public and academic libraries but not for 'gentle readers'."        - Library Journal "An exquisite post modern folkology, the novel every writer wants to write and every reader wants to read."   -Arthur Flowers, "ihsan bracy is a visionary wordsmith." - Sheree Renée Thomas "Bracy is a writer unafraid to enter the deepest night to find the brighter light within." - Terence Taylor "At times his writing is so lyrical you are easily swept away by the beauty of his words."   -African American Literary Book Club

Ibo Landing, an offering of short stories 1998

"Family and friendship are bracy's forte... in this ensemble of 22 short pieces based on the history of his ancestors, half South Carolina Gullahs and half Blue Ridge Virginians...stories of childhood loom large."

 -Publishers Weekly-Oct.12, 1998

"With painstaking detail, bracy retells his family's epic, inviting readers into his family with pride that will be felt almost immediately."

 -Multicultural Review -Sept.,1999

"There is myth and magic in this book and readers will find themselves nodding their heads in wonder, appreciation and approval as they savor each story. " -American Library Association (Black Caucus, NOV.,1998 )

THURSDAY

hello dear regulators, as you know i been trying to get back in my novel groove, had a conversation
w/ellen levine yesterday, my agent of some 20 years, had sent alex yates manuscript to her and

and in the cover letter told her i was finally moving into closure on rest and hoped she
hadnt lost faith in me and so we talking about it and she said, 'youre one of my favorites arthur"

man that meant so much to me, that ellen still believes in me,

when i came out w/de mojo blues the literary world swooned but now the literary world treats me like ima could have been,

but ellen has always treated me like a contender and a valued member of her stable

her faith means a lot to me and i needed to hear that, that was right on time, i feel like the punch drunk fighter getting up off the canvas for the last round, i feel like one for the gipper

showtime rick, rest for the weary, last lap, do or die,you can do this

im still underwater at schoolhouse and every morning im scrambling to stay float but by god and all thats holy im knocking off my morning 3s no matter what,

many times in my literary career ellen levine has come through the saloon doors both guns blazing

hold on arthur, im coming to get you

thats my girl, since she took me on as a callow cub 20 years ago she has kept the faith

got to finish this novel if for no other reason than to justify that faith she has shown in me
a faith that has not wavered in 20 years of literary obscurity

the painting is of yemaya by yasmin hernandez, the great mother and one of the seven african powers, called on her recently for a very important consultation and she came thru for me, i appreciate that,

(yeah, im kinda making a connection here with ellen and yemaya, arent you the close reader)

at the job there is this friendly rivalry between the poets and what brooks haxton calls 'the prosers'
he makes it sound pejorative somehow and i take every opp to poke fun at the poets as true believers

but i love poets and poetry, and want both forms to thrive, not so according to recent newsweek article:

In January, the National Endowment of the Arts released a report titled "Reading on the Rise," announcing that the number of American adults reading fiction had increased for the first time since the NEA began tracking reading habits in 1982. According to the report, 50.2 percent of adults had read a work of fiction in the previous year, compared with just 46.7 percent in 2002. The results were greeted with a mixture of excitement and caution by education experts. Some saw them as the long-awaited reversal of the trend toward a dumber, TV-obsessed United States; others, more wary, called them a statistical blip. Almost as an afterthought, the report also noted that the number of adults reading had continued to decline, bringing poetry's readership to its lowest point in at least 16 years.....

full article here

could have been worse right, could have been the other way around, and im willing to bet
they are counting shall we say, fiction i wouldnt call literary fiction, does that count or am i

(who loves scifi and fantasy) showing my prejudices against forms like urban fiction
which generally glorify aspect of afroam culture id rather leave behind as we evolve

i guess i will take reading fiction, no matter what the genre, as a good thing i guess

im out, see if i can clock at least an hour maybe three

for ellen

all my love

rdoc

WEDNESDAY AGAIN

i believe this is the longest i have gone w/o posting

and the world do not appear to be any worse for my absence,

thats unfortunate but it is what it is - couple of quickies and im still gone:

call to arms: obama has attempted to mobilize his network in support of his budget iniatives, threatened by moderate democrats he needs to pull off that filibuster proof 60, so far its been ineffective, they sent me the email, i havent even looked at it, bad sign

must be some way to use those believers, myself included, when i get a moment to breathe ima put some thought on that

realpolitic: south africa at chinas bidding, refuses to invite dalai lama to peace conference

realpolitic vs romanticism - smart money always on realpolitic - organizers cancel conference in protest - china say so what

criminal: bashir, in response to being called a war criminal, proves it by banning aid orgs in darfur - bashir apparently backed by african union - whats up w/that- what kind of real politic logic is that

perplexing: obama vs financial institutions - who in charge here

found this piano player, eric reed, been listening to him and betty carter

oxford american piece is out, unfortunately its not online

its a damn good piece, eventually i will post it, but in honor of their check i will leave it offline for awhile

real politic by rickydoc

what else, guess thats it, just trying to loosen up my posting hand here
still underwater at the schoolhouse, and not getting any novelwork done

no novelwork, no nothing else discretionary, including posting

im out of here

rdoc

WEDNESDAY

hello world, or whats left of it, im not even going to look at my numbers

whenever im offline for awhile my numbers drop precipitously, i hate that

but im going int the woodshed early this season so im just going to be spotty and insular for

the next 6 months or so, which means i have to ignore my drive to keep my numbers up

with regular posts cause i really dont care right along in here and best not to look cause then i will

im trying to think if there is anything i really need to say and to tell you the truth im not feeling it

maybe use the week to give my homeboy george hunt some play, put up some new pieces ive found online

red love is one of my old favs, that other is called holy ghost

i got to close the semester strong and focus on getting that novel done, the manuscript is cold right now

been off so long it will take some time to get momentum up, get a little groove on, but come summer i

expect to be serious woodshed mode, i want that novel done, by god and all thats holy i want it done

in the name of the conqueror i want it done

rdoc

QUIEN SABE

hello world

ive been out of the loop, down in the delta and taking care of family business
finally finished the app process and got energy freed up,

not much to say, havent been keeping up with current events like i like
going to the delta is like being in another world for me

i go deeper into my spiritual thing, roots and the world of my novel
i dont keep up with consensus reality like i like to do

i did hear they found some post death novels by bolano, 3 or 4 it seems

also i ran across this article by frum on newsweek, big battle lately for soul
of repbulican party, reasonable positions like this are both good and bad

bad because we dont want the republicans to get their act together for awhile
good because for the good of the people and the nation it would be good for them to

grow up

ah complexity, what would life be without it

im gone

schooload will be reasonable for rest of the year, forget waiting for

summer, im going into the woodshed now, ima desperate man

all my love

rdoc

progress: step by step, inch by inch

TUESDAY

barack obama quote from his last radio address, once upon a time

folk wondered if he would come strong or timid, the answer is in, he come to play

for the retros who dont understand ebonics, he come to play mean he a player

the highest form of gamesmanship, he come to play mean he got the ball in his hand

------------------

 "I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:

"So am I.

"The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don't. I work for the American people. I didn't come here to do the same thing we've been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November. That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I'll be fighting for in the weeks ahead – change that will grow our economy, expand our middle-class, and keep the American Dream alive for all those men and women who have believed in this journey from the day it began.

------------------

you go boy, scared of you

folk lining up for and against his vision, good move by obama to annoint rush limbaugh as a strawman

if limbaugh becomes the voice of the republican party theyve lost that battle, my respect for the

quality of obamas game continues to grow, ima do my part, marginal though it be, ima do my part

in struggle

rdoc

MONDAY

david foster wallace manuscript found, some 200 continuous pages

and a whole bunch of notes, apparently he called it the long thing

long article in the new yorker about his struggle with depression

interesting article, i only had time to scan it till i get thru these applications

about his efforts to write morally imperative fiction and how badly he didnt want

to do another infinite jest and replay the same tricks, he wanted a new set of tricks

this time apparently, feared that infinite jest was perhaps a little too jesty

most touching were his effort to wean himself off the depression drugs he had been taking forever

in order to write this one with a clean brain, a gamble that he may have lost

i remember once i mentioned to imogunla about a young student who had mental issues

and how i was trying to help her and he said to me: man you dont cure a writer

ima have to put some thought into this when i have the time

rdoc

SUNDAY

schoolhouse got me humping, buried in applications process

but let me take a minute for a popcorn post,

dean gross, mayor of small

california town, is resigned after being called out for fowarding the

photo here with caption 'no easter egg hunt this year'

his initial response when called on it was to claim he didnt know blackfolk and watermelon was an old school racist trope

must have been kinda clueless, sent it to a black friend, who snitched him
out, i should say ex friend now - black associate maybe

i must say that those appear to be some mighty fine watermelons

on a more serious note: arrest warrant for sudans bashir to be issued by world court  wednesday
the hope is that this will pressure bashir and the sudan to enact reforms darfur, the south, in general

but the option of course is that bashir will go batshut and double down

he been making the right sounds "the time of the rifle is over" he told a gathering lately
but at the same time the government has been arming militas in the south just in case

the same strategy used on darfur for which he is being indicted

guess the old rootdotor is a pessimist on this one, i dont see no real movement here
i suspect when obama get a moment he will try to make something happen here

but he just got issues thats pressing him harder right now, got to face that
unfortunate for darfur, its almost fallen off the world screen lately

guess rootsblog will have to do its part to keep that alive

and keep an eye out on the south, thats been flying under the radar lately

you know what i need to do is try to get in touch with somebody that will bring/send

me over to do some kind of report on whats happening, thats what i need to do

wether it do it or not well thats another matter, probablly file it with the other good ideas

that i just dont have time to follow thru on  -  and on that note let me get back to

these applications, i need to get thru about a 100 today, that would catch me up (o you got jokes)

and novelwork, bah, whats that - oh well, lets do what we can.....

once i get thru this application/search, both of which come to a head this week (or else)

then instead of super i will be in basic crises mode - i can handle that - status quo

all my love

rdoc