| On recovery, and carrying the torch |
[25 Jun 2008|11:03am] |
> From: Jenny Bowen <xxxxx@halfthesky.org>
> Subject: The Big Top, The Torch, and Monopoly
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx>
> Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 7:48 PM
...
>
> One smiling boy bears the most obvious scar of that day—a
> gash that took
> fourteen stitches to close. It runs alongside his eye down
> to his mouth.
> Like all of the children who survived, he is mindful of
> friends who did
> not: “At first I felt guilty that I survived. Now because
> I am volunteering I feel more comfortable.”
>
> The students from Juyuan also provide an example of what
> was perhaps
> NCSTB’s Dr. Marleen Wong’s most surprising message to
> the caregivers she
> trained in Sichuan. In the midst of the all-too-obvious
> devastation and
> pain wrought by the earthquake, Wong introduced new
> research about a
> phenomenon called “post-traumatic growth.” A small
> percentage of children,
> says Wong, will make positive life changes that are a
> direct result of a
> trauma or a disaster. These are the children, says Wong who
> become “wise
> beyond their years, more mature, have a deeper appreciation
> of life,” in
> the wake of a tragedy. “They have new values and life
> priorities.”
>
> One Juyuan student explains that not only has he resolved
> to volunteer in
> the wake of the earthquake, he has also resolved to change
> his life:
> “Before the earthquake I was not into studying. Now I
> think it is the most
> important thing I can do so I can help my country. I can
> bring hope to the people in Sichuan.”
>
> The day after BigTop #1 opened, I had the great honor of
> carrying the
> Olympic Torch on behalf of China’s orphaned children,
> especially those
> newly orphaned in Sichuan and Chongqing. Fifty
> preschoolers from our Half
> the Sky programs in Chengdu and Chongqing joined me on a
> rainy Sunday in
> Wanzhou, Chongqing. It was an exhilarating and wacky time.
> And we did
> manage to tell the children’s story – at least to the
> Chinese media (in
> the end, no foreign media was allowed.) We were on the
> front page of the
> China Daily and featured on national TV news. We didn’t
> quite go global,
> but it has been wonderful to hear from so many Chinese
> citizens who want
> to help orphaned children. Children in their own
> communities that they didn’t even know existed.
>
|
|
| one month after |
[13 Jun 2008|11:36am] |
> From: Jenny Bowen <xxxxx@halfthesky.org>
> Subject: The Earthquake – a month later…and news on the Torch
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> Date: Friday, June 13, 2008, 10:28 AM
> Hello Friends,
>
> We got a call today telling us that, for security reasons,
> our Torch leg
> is now scheduled a day earlier. I will be running in
> Wanzhou, Chongqing,
> on Sunday, June 15 - Father's Day. I will still run
> for the children,
> especially those of Sichuan. Somehow, we will manage to
> bring the children
> there. I hope it doesn’t change again!
>
> I just arrived in Chongqing from Sichuan. Yesterday was
> the one month
> anniversary of the earthquake. We traveled several hours
> to a hard-hit
> mountain town in Beichuan, Hongbaizhen, and worked with
> children and
> volunteer teachers. I have added many photos to our
> website:
> http://www.halfthesky.org/work/earthquake08-healing.php#part2
>
> A couple of weeks earlier, we braved the rock-strewn roads
> and broken
> bridges of Hongbaizhen to deliver relief goods to the
> children. The whole
> town was in shock. As painful as yesterday’s visit was,
> we began to see
> signs that the town will slowly begin to come back to life.
>
> Our communications director, Patricia King gave me this
> moving report:
>
> An 8-year-old boy stands in front of the pile of rubble
> that had once been
> his school and explains that he was the last student to
> have been pulled
> out alive. When the earth shook, he was one of the obedient
> children
> sitting with arms crossed at their desks—( some naughty boys were still outside, safe on the playground.... )
|
|
| Half the Sky: Olympic torch, Building schools. |
[10 Jun 2008|10:35am] |
> From: Jenny Bowen <jenny@halfthesky.org>
> Subject: Half the Sky Earthquake Update - June 10
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx>
> Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 6:21 AM
> Dear Friends,
>
> Last October – what seems like a lifetime ago – many of
> you voted online
> and made it possible for me to win the Lenovo/China Daily
> competition to
> become one of eight foreigners living in China to carry the
> Olympic Torch.
> My goal was to run with children from our HTS programs on
> behalf of all of
> China’s orphaned children. As fate or happenstance would
> have it, my bit
> of Torch history is now scheduled to take place in Wanzhou,
> Chongqing on
> June 16 – just next door to earthquake-battered Sichuan.
>
> After the quake, I informed the Beijing Olympic Committee
> (BOCOG) that I
> would dedicate my run to the orphaned children of Sichuan.
> For security
> reasons, BOCOG will not let me run WITH the children, but
> they will
> certainly let me run FOR them. And BOCOG will let the
> children urge me
> along from the sidelines. So, if all goes well, ( 50
> preschoolers from the
> Chengdu and Chongqing orphanages will be with me in
> Wanzhou. )
|
|
| reddit.com on Obama's running mate. |
[04 Jun 2008|10:10am] |
jordanlund 251 points 14 hours ago[-]
Obama needs a VP who:
1) Is successful at business interests to attract Republicans. They love the whole "run government like it's a business" thing.
2) Ideally female, to counter the shrill Clintonistas who say that he's misogynist.
3) Someone who makes him assassin-proof to all the red-necks.
There is only one person who meets this criteria... Ladies and gentlemen... Introducing...
Vice President Oprah.
* permalink
* parent
* reply
----
JohnStanier 42 points 14 hours ago[-]
Well played sir.
* permalink
* parent
* reply
----
AnteChronos 27 points 12 hours ago* [-]
"Now if all you congressmen/women would look under you seats, you'll find a set of keys . . . . to your new electric car! And be sure to be here for next week's judicial appropriations oversight committee meeting / vice presidential book club!"
* permalink
* parent
* reply
----
keenfob 3 points 10 hours ago[-]
and you get a car, and you get a car, and you too!!
* permalink
* parent
* reply
|
|
| selling out |
[02 Jun 2008|09:53am] |
> To: grantimatter@yahoo.com
> Subject: Promotional Opportunity from CD Baby
> and Amie Street
> From: CD Baby <cdbaby@cdbaby.com>
>
....
> *Below is the email template that you can cut
> and paste to send to
> your fans. Of course feel free to modify the
> template however you see
> fit, as well as post it on your myspace page,
> band website, or
> anywhere else you communicate with your fans.
>
> ********************************
>
> Hi Friends,
>
> We just started selling our music on
> AmieStreet.com, and to kick
> things off they are giving our fans $5 to
> download our music.
>
> All you have to do is click on the link below
> to get $5 to download
> our music or songs from tens of thousands of
> other great independent
> artists.
>
> Just click the link below and you'll be all
> set!
>
> http://amiestreet.com/_l/cdbaby
>
> Best,
>
> YOUR NAME
>
> ********************************
>
|
|
| another half the sky story |
[28 May 2008|11:31am] |
> Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 07:01:56 -0700
> Subject: Half the Sky Earthquake Update - May
> 26-28
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> From: "Jenny Bowen" <xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx>
>
...
> Rebecca Chang grew up in an orphanage in China
> and, with HTS’ Big Sisters
> Program support, went to university. When she
> graduated, we offered her
> an internship in our Beijing office. She has
> now become a field
> supervisor in the Big Sisters Program and is
> helping us now in Sichuan.
> She understands the children of this tragedy
> perhaps better than any of us. She sent us this story:
>
> “The place was so dead when we arrived,
> everything was still, only wind
> was blowing. I saw a boy standing in front of
> the rubble of the school for
> a long time without a blink. I went up to him
> and said hi.
> I asked: which grade were you in?
> He said quietly: Fourth grade.
> I squatted and said: Why are you always
> standing here?
> I saw tears coming up in his eyes. He said: My
> classmates are gone.
> Teacher Gao got injured because of me!
> I didn’t know what I could say that would make
> him feel better. I just
> reached out my hand and held his. His hand was
> cold, so cold. When I was
> about to leave, I was trying to hold back my
> tears and asked: What do you
> want to do the most now?
> He lowered his head and answered in a shaking
> voice,‘I want to go to
> school, but my school is not here any more.’”
>
|
|
| my emotions make me boring, i know. |
[23 May 2008|10:33am] |
> Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 06:43:09 -0700
> Subject: Half the Sky Earthquake Update - May
> 21-22
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> From: "Jenny Bowen" <jenny@halfthesky.org>
> ...........
>
> >
> I really want to stress that many, many of
> these children you're hearing
> about will be reunited with family – if not
> parents, then living
> relatives. In rural China, especially, workers
> often leave their children
> with grandparents so that they can support
> their families by working in
> more prosperous areas. Many of the children do
> have parents – parents who
> are desperately trying to find their children.
>
...............
>
> I told you that 13 of the 24 children brought
> to the Zitong SWI had been
> reunited with family. Today I was told there
> were 12. Two signs hang at
> the institution. One says “There are only 20
> children from Xiao Ba
> Primary School in An'Xian in our institution.
> There are no children from
> Beichuan. If you are looking for those from
> Beichuan, please go to (name)
> Hotel. If you are looking to adopt, please come
> in 3 months." The other,
> poignantly says, "Yan: only her mother was
> home; XianLin & LiGang are
> brothers: only their father was home: Cheng:
> her father is working in
> Xinjiang; Dan: her parents are working in
> Zhejiang; Jun: about 2 years
> old, parents whereabouts unknown; Zhou: about 1
> year old, parents
> whereabouts unknown. Needs: Books to read;
> stable place to live. Emotional
> needs: their family...their relatives."
>
............
>
> If you would like to donate to Half the Sky’s
> Children’s Earthquake Fund
> you can do so through Global Giving:
> http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2100/proj2086a.html
>
> Or directly to Half the Sky. You can donate by
> calling Half the Sky
> (+1-510-525-3377) or on our website:
> http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Children's+Earthquake+Fund
>
|
|
| scale, on twitter |
[19 May 2008|04:34pm] |
grantimatter - Orders of magnitude: > There are 32,477 people confirmed dead, more > than 35,000 still missing.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - Axiom 1: Let us round that figure to 50,000 dead.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - Axiom 2: Let us assume that the average dimensions of a dead body will be 5.5 feet by 3 feet (rounding adult dimensions down for children).
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - (Dimensions based on http://xrl.us/bkqj4 )
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - Math (my weak suit): 5.5x3 = 16.5 square feet per body. Multiplied by 50,000 bodies gives us 825,000 square feet.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - So, how big is 825,000 square feet? That's the floor space of a proposed 40-story skyscraper in Cincinnati: http://xrl.us/bkqk5.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - An online conversion calculator tells me 825000 ft² = 18.9393 acres. That's the area of Paradise Beach Park, Tiburon, CA.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - That's the area of Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, or Lafayette Park, Detroit. Or this farm land: http://xrl.us/bkqn3
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - I have trouble picturing that area tiled with bodies.
about 5 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
grantimatter - But it's easier than just the numbers.
about 4 hours ago from web
Icon_star_empty Icon_trash
|
|
| for once, I can't actually reprint the whole email. |
[19 May 2008|10:49am] |
Excerpt:
> Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 01:32:42 -0700
> Subject: Half the Sky Earthquake Update - May
> 18-19
> To: "Grant Balfour" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> From: "Jenny Bowen" <xxxxx@halfthesky.org>
>
-----
> Deyang and Nanchong Social Welfare Institutions
> both have received
> notification that they should prepare
> immediately to receive newly
> orphaned children. All the children are living
> in tents. HTS will provide
> additional tents, beds and other requested
> items.
>
> Guangyuan SWI � The children remain in tents.
> They were notified that
> they will be receiving several newly orphaned
> children (perhaps 50-60)
> very soon.
>
> Shifang saw many of its schools destroyed,
> hundreds of children and their
> teachers buried. They sent us this
> heartbreaking story during the rescue
> efforts at Hongbai Primary School:
>
> "'We found him!' Teacher Zhang Huibing's body
> was finally discovered,
> frozen in a posture of pushing against the door
> frame. According to the
> students saved by him, when the earthquake
> happened, Teacher Zhang was on
> the platform of the classroom on the second
> floor, which was very near the
> door. He yelled to the students, 'Run outside!
> Hurry!' And he somehow
> held the door frame up with both arms as the
> children ran out, one by one.
> Just as all the students were safely evacuated,
> the building collapsed on
> him. Teacher Zhang, who was only 30 years-old,
> had a four-year-old child
> of his own."
>
More here, if you can take it.
|
|
| Actually, Lynch is the invisible alien with telepathy, isn't he.... |
[16 May 2008|05:29pm] |
> > Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 14:29:53 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Garry Messick <xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> > Subject: Re: Wow! This is too cool!
> >
> > Just read that Lynch is set to collaborate on
> a
> > film
> > with Werner Herzog! He's also producing
> > Alejandro
> > Jodorowsky's next film! It's like the Justice
> > League,
> > if the Justice League were made up of insane
> > cinema
> > geniuses! This makes my year!
> >
> >
> http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/absurda-lynch-herzog-jodorowski/
> >
> >
--- "grant b, sun reporter" <xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx> wrote:
> Herzog is Martian Manhunter, and Lynch is
> probably Superman.
>
> Who gets to be Green Lantern?
>
|
|
| yes, that paulette. |
[26 Feb 2008|05:59pm] |
> > > Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:34:29 -0800 (PST)
> > From: "grant b" <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
> > Subject: Latest Scientology headlines: child slavery investigations?
> > To: "xxxxxxx"
> >
> > It is a deep trough of muck.
> >
> >
> http://glosslip.com/2008/02/26/is-the-church-of-scientology-holding-children-hostage/
> >
> > Yeah, Glosslip. Celebrity gossip blog.
> >
> > But there's more on this *kind* of thing being discussed by former Scientologists here:
> >
> >
> http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=25810
> >
> >
> > So maybe not as far-fetched as one might like to believe.
> >
> From: xxxxxx@xxx.xxx
> Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:47:46 EST
> Subject: Fwd: Latest Scientology headlines: child slavery investigations?
> >
> Thanks Grant:
>
> Did you send this to Paulette?
>
> They are a horrible lot, horrible. I remember
> spending hours on end with a
> former mayor of Clearwater, who since died.
> They made his life miserable...I
> still shudder when I think of that 6-6 pr
> person, Anderson, walking so close
> behind me -- his front foot was ahead of my
> rear foot...if you know wht I mean.
> Many of those kids I saw -- teens etc. --
> walked around looking like zombies.
>
> wow
>
>
> Dad
>
>
>
> **************
|
|
| religion in the 21st century. |
[20 Feb 2008|10:43am] |
Excerpted from reddit: Anonymous rips Dianetics DVD to Bittorrent:
dreamlayers 11 points 7 hours ago * [-]
The spreading of secret church documents is something I could see as an attack on Scientology. This just seems like something that might help Scientology the way piracy has helped Microsoft.
permalink
Hubso 5 points 4 hours ago [-]
This just seems like something that might help Scientology the way piracy has helped Microsoft.
I remember reading that the reason Excel became the default number one spreadsheet program was because it had poorer copy protection than Lotus 1-2-3.
permalink parent
Enders_Jane 9 points 2 hours ago [-]
The bible doesn't seem to have any protection on the other hand.
permalink parent
dcormann 13 points 2 hours ago [-]
The bible I believe is under an open source license AFAIK and the project looks to have been forked a few times.
|
|
| my suspicions about addictive technology: confirmed. |
[10 Jan 2008|11:35am] |
> Zoo turns lonely chimp into couch potato
> (China Daily)
> Updated: 2008-01-07 09:20
> http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/07/content_6374583.htm
>
> Concerned that a chimp in a zoo in Qingdao,
> Shandong Province, was getting
> lonely, zookeepers installed a TV set last
> September to keep the animal
> occupied.
>
> To their surprise, the chimp became addicted to
> TV programs and would sit in
> front of the TV set all day.
>
> It has even skipped meals to catch its favorite
> shows.
>
> The zookeepers were in a plight - TV addiction
> is harming the chimp but
> turning off the set will make the animal moody.
>
> They recently found out a way to let the chimp
> exercise more by bringing a
> rabbit into its playground. It seems to be
> working well as the chimp keeps
> chasing the rabbit around.
>
> (Qingdao Morning Post)
> _______________________________________________
> The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes
> http://www.monkeywire.org
>
>
|
|
| my uncle, the absent-minded professor. |
[18 Dec 2007|11:55am] |
Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:02:38 -0800 (PST)
From: "grant b, sun reporter"
<xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
Subject: Re: Continued
To: Nicholas Meihuizen <xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
You appear to have as nearly a unique relationship with computers as my father; what you sent was a rather nice imagistic poem called "Nhlazane" and nothing else.
Funny - I was just reading some Tang Dynasty poetry this morning instead of doing the work for which I'm paid:
Liu Changqing: Visiting the South Stream, Taoist Priest Chang's Hidden House (Xun Nan Xi Chang Shan Dao Ren Yin Ju).
( Walking along a little path,
I find a footprint on the moss, )
|
|
| actually, the last few months hadn't really been fun at all. |
[06 Nov 2007|10:21am] |
> From: grantb@adoptionblogs.com
> To: "Brandy Hxxxxxxxxxx" <brandy@xxxxxx.xxx>
> Sent: Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:44:57 AM
> (GMT-0500) America/New_York
> Subject: Re: Contractual Agreement
>
> Dear Brandy,
>
> No, I'm afraid I won't be able to meet your
> requirements for the foreseeable future. I only
> have time to write blog posts between assigned
> stories in the newsroom, and my managing editor
> is in the middle of a lengthy battle with
> cancer.
> She's winning, but there's more than the usual
> workload for me here at the paper, a situation
> that's not likely to change for at least the
> next
> two or three months.
>
> You're better off finding someone else to write
> this blog.
>
> ( Thanks for the opportunity. It's been fun )
|
|
| the kindness of strangers (the guild is GO!) |
[23 Aug 2007|12:02pm] |
-- sothis <wordpress@guildofscientifictroubadours.com> wrote:
> New comment on your post #19 "SONG: A World
> Without Us."
> Author : sothis (IP: xx.xx.xxx.xxx ,
> xx-xx-xxx-xxx-xxxxxxxxx.xxx)
> E-mail : xxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx
> URL :
> Comment:
> Grant--that's a fine tune. Keep composing!
>
> You can see all comments on this post here:
> http://guildofscientifictroubadours.com/?p=19#comments
>
|
|
| music makes an old man happy |
[13 Jul 2007|03:33pm] |
--- Ben Haggar <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx> wrote:
> Hi Grant,
>
> Well I spent a little while last night playing
> through "Hey Shaggy"
> ala the instructions below, and it was sounding
> good - lots of fun to
> play, and a really beautiful pop song.
>
> I hope I've got the chord changes on the chorus
> right - it sounds ok
> to me anyway. I've got the general idea of the
> ( lead guitar bit figured
> out too I hope; it'll just take a bit of )
|
|
| proto-academia in cosmopolitan north georgia |
[09 May 2007|04:03pm] |
> To: "grant b, sun reporter"
> <grantimatter@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: Teaching Language Arts
> From: Maria_Chininis@xxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.xx
> Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 14:46:24 -0400
>
> I'll review the website, but would encourage
> you to refer to the state of
> Georgia website and see what is the best fit
> for you to become certified
> in GA.
>
> Thanks,
> Maria
>
>
>
> Maria Chininis
> Assistant Principal
> Norcross High School
>
>
>
> "grant b, sun reporter"
> <grantimatter@yahoo.com>
> 05/09/2007 02:43 PM
>
> To
> Maria_Chininis@xxxxxxxxx.xx.xx
> cc
>
> Subject
( > Re: Teaching Language Arts )
|
|
| in which jimbo makes a meme with legba & gonzo |
[03 Nov 2006|02:21pm] |
> > From: Jim Kelly <xxxxxx@xxxx.xxx>
> > Date: November 3, 2006 11:05:33 AM CST
> > To: Grant B <grantimatter@yahoo.com>,
> Sam Goodstein
> > <xxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx.xxx>
> > Subject: In which I take much too much satisfaction in making an
> > Internet comment thread posting
> >
> > I threw a comment up on Steve Gilliard's newsblog, following a
> > posting on the real "October Surprise" being the extent of
> > Republican screwups. Check the response trail.
> >
> > I'm sure it's not a completely original idea - the responses show
> > that the meme has been floating around (we might even have talked
> > about it.) But I'm still proud to have gotten something started in
> > my own small way.
> >
> > Original blog post first, then my comment (which followed others
> > hypothesizing that HS Thompson's ghost has been at work) and the
> > responses.
> >
> > I gloat.
> >
> > - Jim
> >
> > From http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/
> >
> > For months, people have been worrying about the "October Surprise".
> >
> > We got it. Just not the one he thought it would be.
> >
> > I'm just catching my breath, because I've never seen anything this
> > fucked up without my friends and alcohol involved. Seriously.
> > Everywhere you turn, it's some crazy shit going on.
> >
> > What the fuck is happening? Retreating armies fall apart with more
> > grace than the GOP.
> >
> > Wow, who would have predicted this?
> >
> > posted by Steve @ 3:54:00 AM
> > Comments (45)
> >
> >
> > *****
> >
> >
> > Hunter Thompson's ghost is definitely involved here, but my
> > instincts say the Republicans are facing something bigger: ( the
> > Vengeance of Voodoo City.
> >
> > When did all this start? You don't mess with New Orleans and just
> > walk away.... )
--- grant b <xxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx> wrote:
It's great to get the right idea in at the right time.
Vote Gonzo '06!
|
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