What Americans Can Learn From Gypsy Culture

Wilderness House Literary Review announces a one hour lecture by noted Gypsy (Roma) scholar Sonia Meyer at 7:00 P. M. on October 14, 2009 at the Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tickets are $5.00 at the door. Topic is "What Americans can learn from the Gypsies."

Littleton, Massachusetts (PRWEB) September 6, 2009 -- Wilderness House Literary Review is pleased to announce a one hour lecture by noted Gypsy (Roma) scholar Sonia Meyer at 7:00 P. M. on October 14, 2009 at the Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tickets are $5.00 at the door.

Sonia Meyer will speak about the Roma (Gypsy) culture and what we can learn from them in this high tech, money-worshipping society. She hopes the audience will look inside the Gypsies self-exiled world, and come to realize that their freedom is available to all of us.

Sonia Meyer was born in Cologne, Germany in 1938 and spent her formative years living in the woods among partisan and Gypsy fighters during WWII. She has been fascinated by Gypsies, or the Roma people ever since becoming a self-educated scholar of Roma (Gypsy) culture.

Meyer, who may indeed be part Gypsy herself has been intrigued by the freedom, the art, and the celebration of magic and mysticism of the Roma people. She encountered them throughout her travels in Europe, and struck up fascinating conversations with these enigmatic vagabonds. She lived much of her life like a Gypsy, moving from city to city across Europe, and eventually landing in the states. In Geneva she worked with Jewish refugees, she spent time with the Bedouins in the Negev desert, eventually moving to the States.

In the narrow and winding stacks of the Widener Library at Harvard she discovered a translation by Matteo Maximoff, Russian Gypsy, which concerned Russian nomadic Gypsies. She visited him, and traveled to Macedonia to visit the so-called "Queen of the Gypsies," and lived with a family in the Gypsy section of Skopje where the Gypsies were well off.

She is the author of a novel to be published in the Summer of 2010. "Dosha" is about a Gypsy girl. The novel spans her childhood spent with Russian partisans in Polish forests to her defection during Khrushchev's visit to Helsinki on June 6, 1957. "Dosha" will be published by Wilderness House Press (www.wildernesshousepress.com) and will be excerpted in the spring issue of Wilderness House Literary Review (www.whlreview.com ). For further information see www.soniameyer.com.

For further information contact Steve Glines, 978-800-1625 - Industrial Myth & Magic (www.industrialmyth.com ) is a public relations firm specializing in literary persona and events.
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Djangofest Colorado Brings Gypsy Jazz to MT. Crested Butte

DjangoFest Colorado Brings Gypsy Jazz to Mt. Crested Butte Concerts & workshops slated for Labor Day weekend, September 5 - 6

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, CO - DjangoFest Colorado celebrates the tradition and spirit of Django Reinhardt, the great French/Belgian gypsy guitarist, and returns to Mt. Crested Butte for the second consecutive year over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 5 - 6. The two-day festival provides an opportunity for gypsy jazz musicians and music lovers from around the globe to attend and participate in concerts and workshops by internationally renowned players.


Don't be surprised when impromptu “djam" sessions pop up wherever one turns, as the Mt. Crested Butte Town Center gets into the swing of things. In addition to the concerts and workshops mentioned below, Jason Anick will be accompanied by Kevin Nolan at a performance at Django's small plate restaurant and wine bar on September 6 from 5 - 7PM.


Concerts, Lodge at Mountaineer Square Conference Center
Saturday, Sept. 5, 8:00PM: Hot Club Sandwich
Kruno with Kevin Nolan & Simon Planting; Cost: $32


Sunday, Sept. 6, 3:00PM: Deco Django
Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan; Cost: $28


Sunday, Sept. 6, 8:00PM: Mango Fan Django
Andreas Oberg with special guest Kruno; Jason Anick with Kevin Nolan & Simon Planting; Cost: $32


Workshops, Grand Lodge Crested Butte
Several two-hour workshops will be offered on Sept. 5 and 6 for both novice and experienced musicians, giving them the opportunity to learn from Kevin Nolan, Kruno, Simon Planting, Alfonso Ponticelli, Tony Ballog, Juliano Milo, Beau Sample, Andreas Oberg and Jason Anick. Guitar, violin, accordion and slap bass seminars will be offered.


For times and specific details about workshops, go to www.djangofestcolorado.com. The cost is $40 per session.


Tickets, Lodging & Information
DjangoFest Colorado is sponsored by the Mt. Crested Butte Town Center Community Association. Visit www.djangofestcolorado.com for artist bios, tickets and more.


Stay right at the heart of the festival at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square in Mt. Crested Butte and also get tickets to all three performances for just $199 per person. Package price is based on double occupancy and can be reserved by calling Crested Butte Vacations at (888) 280-5721or visiting www.skicb.com.


Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
To find out about Gunnison-Crested Butte events and attractions or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's official reservations center at (800) 814-8893 or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. During the summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.


About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado. Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities. In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding. Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels.


Recognized as the “Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's “Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the areas conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails.


Gunnison, a real western town located 28 miles from Crested Butte, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, a four-year institution offering majors in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields. Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities.


In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorados largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our countrys newest national parks. Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

Old News — The Gypsies will get you

By Sharon Cummins

July 23, 2009 6:00 AM

Gypsies who visited coastal York County every summer starting in the 1880s repeatedly stole blue-eyed children and money from the locals. Or did they?

In 1887, Kennebunkport's summer newspaper "The Wave," reported as fact "A band of Gypsies that passed through here last week had with them a little blue-eyed child that did not in the least resemble his dusty companions. Suspicion was aroused that he might have been stolen and such proves to have been the case. It was the son of James Welch of Nashua, N.H. Pursuit is now being made for the rascals and the little child will undoubtedly be rescued." After the band of Gypsies was followed up the coast by police for a more than a week, a Bath Times reporter wrote that the frantic Gypsy mother of the blue-eyed child finally presented her son's authentic birth certificate to Justice Henry Ragot of Brunswick and the judge declared her innocent of kidnapping. The Gypsies performed in Brunswick that day with their dancing bear and offered Justice Ragot all the money they collected in gratitude for his fairness. The judge refused their gift.

In 1902, Harry Clark of Beverly, Mass., scolded his four-year-old son for standing dangerously close to the kicking feet of his horse. When the father looked for him again he was gone. Immediately, Gypsies were accused of stealing the child €¦ any Gypsies. Many seaside vacationers reported seeing the captive child in Ogunquit and Kennebunk. After fruitlessly searching every Gypsy encampment in Maine and New Hampshire, the press suggested, without a shred of evidence, that it was probably the Indians who had carried little Wilbur Clark away.

To keep them close to home, children were warned, "the Gypsies will get you and turn you into a beggar," but no such case was ever proved. The King of the Stanley Gypsies was asked about this in the 1930s. He said, "Don't you think we have enough of our own children to feed? Why would we want yours?"

Gypsies traveled from Maine seaside resort to resort staying at each until they were chased away. They usually camped on the outskirts of town near fresh water brooks in elaborately painted wagons and tents. Their pet monkeys and bears entertained vacationers at the fairgrounds and along the beach roads. Gypsy women knocked on doors to tell fortunes for money and the men bred and traded some of the finest horses available. Gypsies occasionally used their bad reputation to their own benefit. Attractive fair-skinned young Gypsy girls would trick tourists out of their money by claiming to have been kidnapped and in need of money to get home to their pure, white families. Some Gypsies did cheat and steal to survive, but often they admitted to crimes they had not committed, just to be left alone.

Two Gypsy women appeared at Mrs. Waterhouse's Kennebunk Landing door in the spring of 1931 and offered to tell her fortune. The lady of the house refused to let them in. She later discovered that $20 was missing from her pocketbook and called the police.

Deputies Roland D. Parsons of Kennebunk, Orrison Davis of Biddeford, Irving S. Boothby of Saco, and George L. Simard of Biddeford located the fortune-tellers at a farm the Gypsies owned at Oak Ridge. The two women denied stealing any money but when the police threatened to take the whole band to court, the Gypsies gave them $20.

Tracing the origin of a non-literate culture like the Gypsies' presents obvious challenges. By analyzing words common to the many Gypsy dialects, linguists have traced this unique race of people to India. An Indian origin for the Romani people, as they call themselves, is also supported by recent DNA studies. Early Gypsies led semi-nomadic lives because they were not allowed to own land. Their role in the Indian caste system was to travel from town to town entertaining the upper classes. After being driven out of India around the year 1000 they were widely scattered.

Some tribes eventually established themselves in the southern Balkan countries before 1300. There, they were enslaved. Many Romani bands came to the United States in the late 1800s from Serbia when their nomadic existence was outlawed. Others immigrated after escaping Nazi Germany where half a million Gypsies were put to death during World War II.

When enforcement of zoning ordinances made a nomadic existence impractical in the United States, Gypsies gravitated toward large cities where they could more easily get lost in the crowd. Today, the descendants of the Gypsies who camped along the Maine coast are finding each other on the Internet and learning about their hidden heritage through DNA testing.

Old News columnist, Sharon Cummins, is a historical research professional in southern Maine. She can be reached by e-mail at sharonlynn@roadrunner.com

Time running out for Gypsy church

FORT LAUDERDALE - In the eight years Dan Tennis has had a church, he has helped countless people through donations, food drives, and something money can't buy: faith. Today he says faith and prayer are the only things that can save the site of his Christian Romany Church from being taken by the county.

After a four-year legal battle and a court-ordered extension that allowed the church to remain where it is, time is running out. The extension ends Aug. 31. Broward County wants to build a replacement facility for the Broward Addiction and Recovery Center and its Sexual Assault Treatment Center on the church site.

But the city of Fort Lauderdale and nearby residents want the county to find another spot. Three weeks ago, the city commission approved a resolution urging the county to pursue the development of the new rehabilitation facility elsewhere.

"The church is doing something good for the community ... and we want to preserve it as much as possible," said Commissioner Romney Rogers.

The site has been zoned for a church for half a century and the city commission would have to approve the rezoning of the site for the rehabilitation and sexual assault center. But city officials are concerned that the new facility is at the bottom of the county's budget list and Broward won't have the funds to operate it.

For the past three years this has been resident Cliff Iacino's ultimate nightmare.

"Could there be anything conceivably worse than a church being put on the street," said Iacino, president of the Edgewood Civic Association. "If they're not ready to go, then why kick them out? ...They're paying $4,000 a month and maintaining the property."

The county's plans call for expanding the rehabilitation center, currently located in Sailboat Bend, from 34 beds to 50 beds in a new 38,500-square-foot facility and making the new sexual assault center large enough to accommodate the clients and staff who use it, said Mike Elwell, director of the detox center. Money for the almost $30 million project was set aside years earlier, and Elwell said both facilities still will operate within their existing budgets -- about $14 million for the detox center and $2.8 for the sexual assault center.

The funds to run the centers is included in the county's proposed budget, but the Broward commission won't give final approval on what stays and what goes until September.

In the meantime, the church's attorney says he'll ask the court for another extension. But if it's not granted, Tennis and his wife are concerned that they'll have no place to move the church to. The couple has been looking for alternate properties but have found nothing affordable.

Even with a hefty deposit, banks are not lending money.

"To get another church they have to get another mortgage and I think everyone knows that it is very difficult to get a mortgage in this economy," said Brian Patchen, the church's attorney. "It is even more difficult to find a bank that would give a loan to a church."

And losing the church, said parishioner Robert Mitchell, means losing more than just a place of worship – they would also be losing a place where they pass on the Gypsy traditions and language.

"By taking away the church they're taking a piece of our culture," he said.

U.S. FBI helps Hungary on Gypsy killings

BUDAPEST, Hungary, May 4 (UPI) -- U.S. FBI agents are helping Hungarian police investigate a recent series of killings involving Gypsies.

The head of Hungary's police Jozsef Bencze said FBI agents analyze evidence they receive from Hungarian police officers and help produce psychological profiles of killers, the Hungarian news agency MTI said Monday.

About 100 Hungarian police officers work on some 18 cases which are linked with the killings of Gypsies in northeastern Hungary, Bencze said.

The Romany community has about 600,000 members and is the largest ethnic minority in Hungary.

Last week, Bencze said he suspects the killings could be blamed on the same group of extremists.

Two Gypsies were killed in the town of Nagycsecs in November. A Gypsy father and his 5-year-old son were killed in Tatarszentgyorgy in February and a 54-year-old Gypsy man was shot dead in Tiszalok April 22.

A recent public opinion survey found 82 percent of Hungarians hold negative feelings toward members of the Romany minority, MTI said. The survey was carried out among 2,500 adult Hungarians from March 23 to April 7, MTI said.

Ban the Gas Chamber for Animals in Michigan!

Target: Michigan House
Sponsored by: American Humane Association


Michigan House Bill 4263, the Humane Euthanasia of Shelter Animals Act, would ensure that when the state's unwanted, sick or unadoptable shelter animals have to be euthanized, the procedure will only be done by injection of sodium pentobarbital. This method is called euthanasia by injection.

The American Humane Association considers euthanasia by injection to be the only acceptable and humane means of euthanasia for animals in animal shelters.

Even though a majority of the shelters in the state use euthanasia by injection, 12 still use outdated, inhumane gas chambers. Shelter workers overwhelmingly wish to hold and comfort a frightened animal in its final moments of life. That act may be the only kindness the animal has ever known.

In contrast, even with vigilant oversight, euthanizing any animal by means of a carbon monoxide or dioxide gas chamber is both severely inhumane to medium and large animals, and demoralizing to the workers who have to euthanize. Such outdated practices also create public outcry and demean the purpose of an animal shelter.


HB 4263 is sponsored by Rep. Rick Jones and was drafted by American Humane and the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section. Please sign today to support this bill.

Roma (Gypsy) Lecture

Apr 1, 2009, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Location: Taylor Auditorium - Marsh Hall

This lecture will highlight various types of art (painting & music) of the Roma (Gypsies) in Europe.

The first half of this Lecture/Demonstration, Lorely French will give a brief overview of the Roma (Gypsies) in Central Europe and a brief introduction to Ceija Stojka's life and artworks that are being exhibited in the Cawein Gallery. Mark Ferguson, along with Stephanie Sánchez & Paul Brady, will talk briefly about the history of Gypsies in Spain and the music, flamenco, for which the Calé (Spanish Gypsies) are renowned. The LecDem on will take place on Wednesday, April 1st from 7pm to 8:30pm in Taylor Auditorium in Marsh Hall.

Posted by Mark Ferguson (mferguson@pacificu.edu) on Mar 24, 2009 at 10:44 AM

Help Save Polar Bears

Polar bears are dying and will soon be wiped out entirely if we don't take immediate action to curb global warming. One of George W. Bush's 11th-hour decisions greatly weakened protections for the polar bear and other species under the Endangered Species Act by issuing regulations reducing protections for the polar bear and exempting greenhouse gas emissions -- the number-one threat to the bear -- from regulation.

Congress, however, has passed special legislation granting President Barack Obama's Interior Secretary Ken Salazar 60 days to revoke the damaging Bush regulations with the stroke of a pen.

Please sign the petition at www.savethepolarbear.org and pass it on to a friend today.

With your help, we'll reach our goal to get 50,000 signatures and convince Interior Secretary Salazar to revoke the Bush regulations before the May 9, 2009 deadline.

Horse-slaughter bill gallops through state Senate

By MIKE DENNISON
Gazette State Bureau

HELENA - The bill to encourage construction of a horse-slaughtering plant in Montana won endorsement from the state Senate Thursday, putting it one step away from the governor's desk for signature into law.

The Senate endorsed House Bill 418 on a 27-23 vote, setting up a final vote today before the measure advances to Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who hasn't taken a position on it.

HB418 expressly allows private horse-slaughter plants to be built in Montana and offers them legal protections from those who might challenge a plant's license.

Supporters have said a slaughter plant not only would bring needed investment and jobs to Montana, but also would provide a place for people to dispose of unwanted horses, which most Montanans consider livestock.

(MORE)

Review: Los Farruco at Royce Hall

6:30 PM, March 4, 2009

Raw and riveting, Los Farruco -- the famed Seville-based Gypsy flamenco family descended from legendary dancer El Farruco (Antonio Montoya Flores), who died in 1997 -- came to Royce Hall on Tuesday night and all but shredded the stage. The patriarch’s lusty daughter La Farruca is a study in stealthy abandon. Her son, Farruco (right), matinee-idol-ready at 21, enthralls with his pounding feet. Then there’s La Faraona, also an El Farruco daughter, and her son, Barullo, who at 19 is the baby -- and bullish to boot.

It must also be said that the clan’s latest superstar (and El Farruco’s oldest grandson), 26-year-old El Farruquito, was, alas, not dancing. Credited with conceiving and directing the show, this performer who’s dazzled audiences since childhood recently served time in a Spanish prison for a hit-and-run killing.

But what would flamenco be without a little drama? Not to worry. Los Farruco, backed by two extraordinary guitarists and four scorching singers, offered more drama than a telenovela in a nearly two-hour intermissionless performance that throbbed with heart, soul and filigreed footwork. From the opening “Alegrías” to the final “Jaleos,” the hotblooded dynasty turned Royce into an intimate tablao.

The cousins, ramrod straight and moving in unison, immediately captivated. Tossing off a jump here, a whipping turn there, they were soon joined by La Farruca, whose rapid stomping accelerated to seismic proportions. Dipping, swirling and swaying, she radiated majesty, her curling fingers irresistible.

In his solo, “Seguiriya,” Barullo skittered about, accenting his machine-gun tapping with fist-pumping and ending with a flourish of dizzying spins.

If anatomy is destiny, La Faraona, with her barrel-shaped body, is fated to be the family’s plus-size clown. Thrusting her chest out and hopping in jagged spurts, she performed a “Bulerias” as a duel with the statuesque singer Mara Rey. Unfortunately, despite beguiling wrist-flicking, La Faraona lost.

Flamboyant, haughty and decidedly swoon-worthy, Farruco let it rip in “Soleá,” proffering an astonishing array of beats. Even when he was tapping unaccompanied with one foot, the sound filled the hall like a monster percussionist’s. Moving as if possessed, shaking his long hair free from its ponytail, Farruco became a quivering, ecstatic pillar of rhythmic marvels. But his drum-rolling footwork proved only a prelude to his tearing across the floor like a bullet train.

In her solo, “Romance,” La Farruca, a slave to passion and pain, did a slow burn before scooting and sashaying as if her life depended on it. Her artistry was matched throughout by the musicians: Guitarists El Tuto and Antonio Rey provided electrifying licks in addition to backup, and the mournful wailings of El Rubio de Pruna, Antonio Zúñiga and Pedro el Granaíno cut to the bone.

In this era of high-tech everything, it’s comforting to know that a handful of performers can still transport an audience to an emotional wonderland where awe and joy -- and fabulous hair -- abound.

-- Victoria Looseleaf

Woodland Cemetery

Propeller
Nick Iannarino - Propeller Editor
February 20, 2009

Beyond the Romanesque chapel and wrought-iron gateway which rest at the end of Woodland Avenue like a deserted fortress breathes a hidden trove of history, nature, art and architecture.

Founded in 1841, Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is 200 acres of green hills, glacial boulders and floral oasis which would easily remind visitors of the eternal beauty of life if, well, they weren't surrounded by dead people. Over 105,000 to be exact.

Before rushing to prepare UD for a massive zombie invasion, take a second to consider the educational value and serenity a place like this can provide. Many of the people buried at Woodland helped shape a young nation and a developing community.

Some were inventors and entrepreneurs like James Ritty, owner of the Pony House Saloon & Restaurant and creator of the first "incorruptible cash register." Others were combat veterans and government officials like Major David Zeigler, who fought in the Revolutionary and early Indian wars and served as the first mayor of Cincinnati. Still more created modern name brands like Huffy Bikes (George Huffman) and Mead Paper Company (Daniel Mead). Even a handful, like Daniel C. Cooper, actually founded this fair city.

Among the cemetery's 3,000 woody plants are 165 types of trees, some of which are over 200 years old. Nine of the largest trees of their species in Ohio reside here as well.

"This place is so special because of the historical value it provides

to the Dayton community," Woodland Customer Service Manager Debra Mescher said. "It would be tough to find a more beautiful, peaceful area of the city."

The next time a funeral procession passes by, perhaps led by a horse-drawn hearse or hundreds of members of the Dayton Outlaws motorcycle gang, know that a new chapter's being added to the legend of a silent community.
Top 5 Graves of Fame

1. The Little Boy & Dog Johnny Morehouse (1855-1860)

One of the more sentimental monuments at Woodland is dedicated to the memory of a cobbler's 5-year-old son who drowned in a canal. It's rumored that the boy's dog also perished while trying to rescue him. The detailed sculpture portrays a sleeping child being protected by his canine friend. Also visible are little Johnny's toy top, ball, mouth harp and cap. Current visitors still decorate the monument with plastic toys fit for a little boy - racecars and action figures of The Incredible Hulk, Mr. Incredible and SpongeBob Squarepants. For almost 150 years, this heartfelt monument has symbolized the brief life of Johnny Morehouse, provided comfort to grieving parents and served as a cautionary tale to children.

2. The Boulder Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)

It might be difficult for first-time visitors to locate the UD alum and famed humorist's final resting place. Situated across from the Mausoleum and behind a sculpture of the Wright Brothers' workbench, Bombeck's lot has no traditional headstone markings. Instead, a distinctly foreign 29,000 pound rock was chosen as a unique monument for her grave. Bombeck's renowned books and nationally-syndicated newspaper column often analyzed suburban life with a comedic bent. Her family is still active in the UD community.

3. The Gypsy Queen Queen Matilda Stanley (1878)

One of the coolest aspects of Woodland's extensive history was its importance to local Gypsy clans. Gypsies were a group of nomads whose ancestors are said to have originated in Eastern Europe. Guided by King Owen Stanley and his wife, Queen Harriet, many large Gypsy camps, most of English ancestry, prospered as agriculturalists in the Dayton community during the mid- to late-1800s and early-1900s. Because Owen and Harriet were eventually buried in Woodland, common practice suggested that the Gypsies always bring their deceased to Dayton for burial, no matter where their deaths occurred.

When a later queen, Matilda, was mourned in 1878, an international audience of 25,000 converged upon Woodland. Allegedly, 1,000 additional carriages were turned away at the gate. So many people gathered around the gravesite that the minister had to deliver his sermon while standing on a wooden plank resting across the open grave.

Woodland houses a total of three Gypsy kings and two queens. As a result, the cemetery is one of the few places in the U.S. proclaimed by Gypsy tribes to be hallowed ground.

4. The Weeping Willow Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1872-1906)

The son of former slaves, Dunbar overcame poverty and racial barriers to become one of the first and most beloved black poets in American history. Growing up in Dayton, Dunbar was the only black student in his graduating class at Central High School. His measured use of Southern Negro dialect to convey everyday life in verse is still studied and deeply appreciated. Taking a cue from Dunbar's famous poem "The Death Song," his grave - marked with a granite boulder and bronze plaque cast by Tiffany Studios in New York - is flanked by a weeping willow tree.

The opening stanzas are etched onto the plaque:

Lay me down beneaf de willers in de grass,

Whah de branch'll go a-singin' as it pass

An' w'en I's a-layin' low,

I kin heah it as it go

Singin' "Sleep, my honey, tek yo' res' at las."

5. The First In Flight Wilbur and Orville Wright (1867-1912, 1871-1948)

The Wright family gravesite is marked by a modest platform which rests beneath three flags representing America, Ohio and the 100-year anniversary of the birth of aviation. A thin stone path borders a rectangular dirt plot sprinkled with small plants and headstones. Wilbur and Orville's mother, father and younger sister Katherine are buried along with them.

Other note-worthy graves

The Seated Man, Adam Schantz Jr. (1868-1921)

Real estate developer and community leader. The famous sculpture also represents his father (1839-1903), a brewer and for many years the largest holder of real estate in the city - most of it downtown and in Oakwood. Also developed land in Daytona, Fla.

The McMillan Angel, Asa McMillan (1797-1855)

Famously beautiful Italian marble angel standing before a large granite cross. The book is blank to signify a new beginning in death.

The Ultimate Obelisk, John Alexander Collins

Woodland is littered with obelisks - tall, tapered, four-sided shafts of stone whose pyramid tops point toward Heaven. shape was used in ancient Egypt and during the 19th century to mark the grave of a hero or important person. Collins was an engineer who built the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad, which eventually became part of the famed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The granite figure is the tallest monument in Woodland at 46 feet.

The Patterson Family Arch

Granite monument dedicated to the Patterson family, whose names are etched along the inside. John H. Patterson (1844-1922), the grandson of a Revolutionary War veteran, founded National Cash Register (NCR) in 1884. During the devastating floods of 1913, Patterson's company served as the focal point for rescue teams and built boats for victims.

James M. Cox (1870-1957)

Founded Dayton Daily News, along with other newspapers and television and radio stations. Served three terms as governor of Ohio. With Franklin Dd. Roosevelt as his running mate, he campaigned against Warren Harding for U.S. President in 1920, but lost in a landslide. His concession speech took place at Dayton Fairgrounds.

Charles F. Kettering (1876-1958)

Famous inventor of the electric automobile self-starter and ignition system, which replaced unsafe and inconvenient manual cranks. Kettering also developed other inventions and improvements for General Motors, founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories (DELCO) with friend and fellow Woodland resident Edward Deeds (1874-1960) and was a noted philanthropist. His remains are located in the Mausoleum.

Dr. Joseph E. Lowes (1848-1905)

Former Surgeon General of Ohio and founder of Dayton Electric Light Company. Built and owned many traction and trolley lines throughout the state of and Dayton.

Harry C. Kiefaber (1852-1928)

Vice President of Dayton's Savings Bank and Director of Dayton Power & Light Company. Along with his brother, William, opened a popular grocery store on Third Street.

Robert W. Steele (1819-1891)

Lawyer and educator who inspired name of Steele High School. Large lion sculpture which currently guards entrance of Dayton Art Institute originally stood in front of school until razed in 1955.

Over 600 Civil War and 18 Revolutionary War veterans

Woodland features an entire section devoted to Union and Confederate soldiers. The Civil War deeply divided the Dayton community. Many poor laborers and farmers actually switched sides along the way for extra enlistment bonuses and better pay.

Athletes

At least one Harlem Globetrotter ("Slick" Al Tucker Sr.), NBA professional ("Twiggy" Tucker Jr.), legendary UD basketball coach (Tom Blackburn) and an early pioneer of auto racing (Earl "The Little Dayton Demon" Kiser).

Gypsy movie shown in Fremont Saturday

Feb 18, 2009

FREMONT — The second film of a four-part Foreign Film Series will show 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dogwood Center in Fremont.

"The Crazy Stranger," directed by Tony Gatlif, spins a story of a wandering hero and includes scene after scene of Gypsy music, dance, and the carefree and spirited zest for life that permeates the Romany culture. Filmed in the Romany language, with English subtitles, this 97-minute film contains adult content and language.

Tickets are $7.50 per person, which includes the Apres Film social gathering in the Dogwood lobby after the film. Tickets are available from the Dogwood box office or at the door.

Budapest orchestra shows fiery brilliance in lightish program

The Adrienne Arsht Center was effectively converted into a cafe on the bank of the Danube Wednesday night with Tokay flowing freely, paprikash and palacsinta served, and Hungarian musicians providing an al fresco serenade.

The Budapest Festival Orchestra made its Miami debut at the Knight Concert Hall with an intriguing if strange program that displayed the ensemble’s corporate excellence and tonal gleam, but rather belatedly and to too little an extent. The event was presented by the Concert Association of Florida.

Founded in 1983, the Hungarian orchestra remains one of Europe’s finest, with whipcrack brilliance, rich string tone and refined woodwinds. And while enjoyable enough on its own terms, there was a musical lightness of being in the first half, which concentrated on gypsy-inspired fiddle music and showpieces.

Music director Ivan Fischer was an engaging host with his low-key verbal notes, charting the pungent influence of gypsy music on composers such as Brahms and Liszt, and introducing cimbalom player Oszkar Okros and father-and-son violinists, Jozsef Lendvay, Sr. and Jr.

The evening began with Fischer and Okros alone on stage. Following a brief Cliff Notes guide on the cimbalom’s history, Okras performed a solo improvisation that segued from evocative melancholy to virtuosic brilliance, a beaming Fischer looking on.

With the full orchestra on board, Josef Lendvay, Sr., schooled in the Hungarian folk tradition, came out for a concertante retooling of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 3, interpolating a rustic gypsy solo cadenza. Brahms’ Hungarian Dances Nos. 15 and 1 were performed, the latter in what Fischer claimed was a spontaneous Magyar jam session with Lendvay and Okras adding solo lines on top of the orchestra, stylishly and with idiomatic zigeneur spirit.

Jozsef Lendvay the younger entered, looking like a Central European rock musician. Unlike his father, Lendvay Jr., is classically trained and displayed staggering virtuosity in a take-no-prisoners account of Sarasate’s uber-gypsy fiddle showpiece, Zigeunerweisen.

Lendvay, pere et fils, joined forces for a duo-violin revamp on yet another Brahms Hungarian Dance, No. 11; Fischer indicated this would be the first time father and son performed together, which seems unlikely since they’ve already done this program elsewhere on tour. Both violinists conveyed the music’s more dolce expression but it made an odd choice to end the first half.

More substantial Brahms closed the evening with the German composer’s Symphony No. 1. The sterling qualities of the Hungarian ensemble were finally in the spotlight rather than as backup band: a rich but refined sonority, polished corporate musicianship, and hair-trigger volatility.

Fischer’s take on the mighty C-minor symphony lacked nothing in intensity with an exhilarating coda and the drama of the long opening movement, proceeding in a seamless arc. Yet most striking were the refinement and elegance of the performance, qualities rarely on display in this repertoire.

Fischer’s direction was never idiosyncratic but full of inspired touches as with the pre-Allegro foreboding of the outer movements, his majestic drawing out of the climactic horn theme, and graceful attacca turn into the finale’s openig bars. Perhaps most notable was the serenity of the slow movement, with silken strings and bucolic woodwinds that were chracterful yet perfectly integrated into the musical texture. It’s too bad that there were not more opportunities Wednesday for this wonderful orchestra to shine.

Ivan Fisher's orchestra fuses unlikely union of music styles

by Bradley Bambarger/The Star-Ledger
Thursday January 22, 2009, 3:10 PM
___________________________________________________

Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. When and where: 8 p.m. Friday, State Theatre, New Brunswick; 8 p.m. Saturday, Carnegie Hall, New York. How much: $30-$75 in New Brunswick. Call (732) 246-7469 or visit statetheatrenj.org. $27-$81 in New York. Call (212) 247-7800 or visit carnegiehall.org.
___________________________________________________

In the 19th century, the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian empire was the nearest faraway place for those looking east from Vienna -- not exactly foreign, but exotic. In particular, composers loved the freedom and fire of the Gypsy music they heard there.

Brahms, a German-born Vienna resident, picked up cheap sheet music of traditional Gypsy tunes and wove inventive arrangements around them for a popular set of "Hungarian Dances." Liszt, born in Hungary but the epitome of the Western European cosmopolitan, used Gypsy melodies and rhythms as jumping off points for his own nostalgic "Hungarian Rhapsodies."

There is no better ensemble to embody this East-meets-West, structure-plus-spice ideal than the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The group was founded 25 years ago -- by conductor Ivan Fischer, among others -- on a manifesto of individual energy, creative risk and fun. Even putting the "festival" in its name was about suggesting celebration over stuffiness.

Fischer and company open Carnegie Hall's two-week, multi-artist "Celebrating Hungary" festival Saturday after they give concertgoers a preview Friday in New Brunswick. The program is special in that it replicates the Budapest orchestra's mold-breaking recordings of Brahms' and Liszt's Hungarian-themed works, featuring Gypsy musicians for the ultimate in native zest -- the Lendvay father-and-son fiddle duo and cimbalom player Oszkar Ökrös.

"I think Brahms would've loved the way we perform this music with these players," says Fischer from Budapest. "He wanted to incorporate the Gypsies' folk art into his classical world -- their imagination and improvisation, their richly ornamented style of playing. These artists challenge us to bring more to the music than just what is on the page."

The younger Lendvay, the classically trained Jozsef Jr., will also solo in Pablo De Sarasate's Old World showpiece "Zigeunerweisen" ("Gypsy Airs"). To cap the night, Fischer will lead the orchestra in Brahms' drama-filled Symphony No. 1 -- not a work with Gypsy themes, of course, but one that may profit from the night's improvisatory atmosphere.

"It will be fascinating to see how people hear the Brahms' First after all the Gypsy music," Fischer says. "We will all be affected. I think the orchestra will perform with a subtle but noticeable spice -- playing the rhythms with more rubato, reacting to each other more in the moment."

Hungary produced some of the 20th century's greatest conductors: Georg Solti, George Szell, Eugene Ormandy, Fritz Reiner, Antal Dorati, Ferenc Fricsay. Fischer, who turned 58 this week, is in that line of artistry, but his mellow charm and individualist sensibility are worlds away from the my-way-or-the-highway method of Szell and Reiner. Characteristically, though, Fischer is generous and mindful of history, as he points out that "it was a different world for them -- raising an orchestra in Cleveland to world-class status as Szell did took unyielding standards."

But Fischer does wonder what Szell or Reiner would think of his Gypsy-bolstered way with the Brahms and Liszt pieces: "Their generation was concerned with fidelity to the letter of their scores. They were modern in their day, reacting against a Romantic tradition that perhaps allowed itself too many liberties. As with everything, music goes in cycles. We have plenty of orchestral skill and discipline now. Like many conductors of my generation, I am more interested in the source and style of the music, the spirit of the score."

American Gypsies

A Hawk and a Hacksaw does Eastern Europe with an American accent
By Amre Klimchak

JEREMY BARNES HAS no greater passion, at least from a musical standpoint, than Eastern European folk. During our conversation, Barnes uses the word “love” more than half a dozen times to describe the intensity of his feeling for the region’s fervent, dizzyingly passionate sounds.

But Barnes (who made his name originally as the drummer for one of indie folk’s most lauded bands, Neutral Milk Hotel, and brings his duo A Hawk and a Hacksaw to town this week) became an ardent fan long before his fellow lovers of socalled gypsy music in Beirut, Gogol Bordello and Devotchka gained a following. Barnes first heard Bulgarian women’s choirs while driving through West Texas in 1996 on a tour when he was 19, and he was hooked. He moved to Hungary two years ago to live among and learn from some of the area’s masters but has always sought to interpret traditional styles through the contemporary lens of his American background.

“We’re really into music from Eastern Europe and from Turkey, and that is a huge influence, but we have to keep in mind that we’re not a cover band and it’s not our intention to recreate music from that region,” Barnes says from Chicago, where he is finishing the mix of the group’s fourth fulllength album, due out in the spring. “We have to bring something of ourselves into it in order for it to be fulfilling.”

And like their gypsy inspiration, Barnes, who sings, plays accordion and handles percussion, and his cohort Heather Trost, whose primary instrument is violin, have lead a largely a nomadic lifestyle, following their hearts.The couple met in Albuquerque where they subsequently encountered Beirut’s Zach Condon, whose musical aesthetic matched their own.They later contributed to the first Beirut record, and Condon, in turn, to A Hawk and Hacksaw’s albums. But they relocated to Budapest in 2006 to plunge themselves into a thriving international folk scene with Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian elements.

Their chemistry with a particular group of musicians led to the formation of the Hun Hangár Ensemble with whom A Hawk and a Hacksaw recorded a sweeping, sophisticated EP that bears the unmistakable marks of the duo’s cultural immersion. Barnes and Trost sound both incredibly well versed in the musical idioms of their surroundings and confident in their ability to maneuver among the accompanying sonic ambiguities.

“Whenever we do traditional music, we try to put it in a different setting or adapt it somehow so that it’s not just a song that we love,” Barnes says. “It’s kind of like half and half—like a folk song has inspired us to write a melody and then we combine the two.” The duo returned to Albuquerque in October, partly because they wanted to vote (and were thrilled with Obama’s win) and to finish recording their latest album, but also to reconnect with their roots, their families, their American friends and their homeland.


“In our lyrics we’re usually commenting on things that are happening here. That’s part of what I mean about bringing in our own identities into this music,” Barnes says. “In the end it’s not Eastern European music that we’re playing, even though we’re influenced by it.We’re Americans and we have to present that as where we’re from.” And the new album, which was partly recorded in Hungary, partly in Albuquerque, is a distillation of what they’ve learned after completely steeping themselves in music that holds an unending allure, Barnes says. “I feel like it’s an obvious progression from what we were doing previously. I do think it’s a lot stronger than any of our other releases,” Barnes says. “It’s still focusing on what we love. And I think we’ll always be doing that, whether or not it’s trendy or fashionable, we’re still going to be doing it… In a way, we’re just a little bit lost in it, I guess. And I can’t really do anything else.”

> A Hawk and a Hacksaw

Jan. 10, Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (at Essex St.), 212-260-4700; 7, $13/$15.

Also Jan. 11 at Union Hall.

Child Maid Trafficking Spreads From Africa to U.S.

Child Slaves: Trafficking in Underage Maids Reaches U.S. From Africa, Where It Is Widespread

By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI Associated Press Writer
IRVINE, Calif. December 28, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press

Late at night, the neighbors saw a little girl at the kitchen sink of the house next door. They watched through their window as the child rinsed plates under the open faucet. She wasn't much taller than the counter and the soapy water swallowed her slender arms.

To put the dishes away, she climbed on a chair.

But she was not the daughter of the couple next door doing chores. She was their maid.

Shyima was 10 when a wealthy Egyptian couple brought her from a poor village in northern Egypt to work in their California home. She awoke before dawn and often worked past midnight to iron their clothes, mop the marble floors and dust the family's crystal. She earned $45 a month working up to 20 hours a day. She had no breaks during the day and no days off.

The trafficking of children for domestic labor in the U.S. is an extension of an illegal but common practice in Africa. Families in remote villages send their daughters to work in cities for extra money and the opportunity to escape a dead-end life. Some girls work for free on the understanding that they will at least be better fed in the home of their employer.

The custom has led to the spread of trafficking, as well-to-do Africans accustomed to employing children immigrate to the U.S. Around one-third of the estimated 10,000 forced laborers in the United States are servants trapped behind the curtains of suburban homes, according to a study by the National Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Free the Slaves, a nonprofit group. No one can say how many are children, especially since their work can so easily be masked as chores.

(MORE)

Sex slavery: Living the American nightmare

By Alex Johnson and Cesar Rodriguez
Reporters
msnbc.com and Telemundo
updated 8:07 a.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 22, 2008

When FBI and immigration agents arrested a 28-year-old Guatemalan woman three months ago in Los Angeles, they announced that they had shut down one of the most elaborate sex trafficking rings in the country. It was also the family business.

The woman, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, was the sixth member of her family to be rounded up in the two-year multi-agency investigation. Vasquez, five of her relatives and three other Guatemalan nationals were charged with 50 counts, alleging that they lured at least a dozen young women — including five minors as young as 13 years old — to the United States with promises of good jobs, only to put them to work as prostitutes. All remain in custody as investigators attempt to unravel the complex case.

Vasquez — quickly dubbed the “L.A. Madam” — attracted attention because she had been featured on the fugitive-hunting television program “America’s Most Wanted.” But it was one of only a few such cases to be spotlighted by national media, contributing to the false impression that cases of immigrant sex trafficking are isolated incidents, law enforcement officials and advocates for immigrants say.

(MORE)

Bush administration takes parting shot at endangered wildlife

Last minute Endangered Species Act regulations put nation's wildlife at risk of extinction

WASHINGTON—Rushing to put in place changes it failed to secure in the past eight years, the Bush administration has finalized new Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations today, cutting huge holes in the safety net that protects animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct.

First proposed by the Department of the Interior a little over three months ago, the new regulations will eliminate the requirement that agencies seek advice from expert biologists with federal wildlife agencies in decisions about whether dams, towers, highways and other projects will likely harm imperiled species.

"This administration’s disdain for wildlife and the environment has never been more clear than it is today," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife and former director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. "For 35 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped save and recover imperiled wildlife on the brink of extinction. Now, with this administration facing its last days, they are doing everything they can to cement their anti-environmental legacy before the Obama administration takes office."

The Bush administration’s last minute rulemaking has drawn heavy criticism from the public, lawmakers, conservation groups and newspaper editorialists around the country. More than 250,000 comments opposing the changes were submitted to the Interior Department in the 60 days it allowed for the public to respond to the changes.

But the massive public outcry seems to have fallen on deaf ears. In its push to finalize the rules before President-elect Barack Obama takes office, the department had only 15 people spend only 32 hours reading the comments, averaging mere seconds in reviewing each of the more than 250,000 comments. Department officials then ignored the major concerns raised by the comments, making only cosmetic changes to the original proposals.

Both President-elect Obama and key Democratic leaders have signaled that they will oppose the ESA changes. In addition, Defenders intends to take immediate legal action to stop these regulations.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has argued that the new regulations are needed to keep the ESA from being used to limit emissions from coal power plants and other polluting sources that contribute to global warming. This continues the Bush administration’s failed approach of ignoring the problem.

"Global warming presents the greatest threat this generation has seen to ourselves, our wildlife and our environment, and yet the Bush administration has dragged its feet on addressing the impacts of a warming planet for its entire time in office," Clark said. "While the ESA by itself certainly can't provide a comprehensive solution to global warming, its protections will be essential in helping at-risk species survive a changing climate. If allowed to stand, these regulations will deprive the Obama administration of a powerful tool to protect wildlife and ecosystems from the effects of global warming."

Many of the ESA regulation changes finalized today were tried before in a failed legislative effort by former Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA), whose anti-environmental record and repeated attacks on the ESA contributed to his defeat in the 2006 elections.

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are the keepers of the flame for our threatened and endangered wildlife. They are equipped to make decisions based on looking at the whole picture for a species, on what’s happening to their habitat, their health and other significant impacts," Clark said. "It seems that the Bush administration has prioritized the interests of its industry allies over its responsibility to the public for protecting our nation’s imperiled wildlife. We will work in the courts, with Congress, and with the Obama administration to overturn these damaging regulations, so that we can begin to address the environmental neglect and damage that has been done over the last eight years."

###

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org .

Death Sentence Looms for Prairie Dogs, Ferrets

Officials in Logan County, Kansas want to invade land owned by wildlife-friendly ranchers to poison the state's largest prairie dog town!

This isn't only bad news for the prairie dogs -- but also the highly endangered black-footed ferrets that depend on them.

I just wrote to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, urging her to do all she can to stop the poisoning -- you can, too. Just go to this website to help:

http://action.defenders.org/saveprairiedogs

Prairie dogs play an important role in the health and balance of the American plains. Hawks, burrowing owls, swift fox and other wildlife -- especially the highly endangered black-footed ferret -- depend on prairie dogs for burrows and a food source.

But after decades of poisonings, prairie dog populations -- and the health of the grasslands they support -- have declined. In fact, just days ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they will consider prairie dogs for protections under the Endangered Species Act.

We can't let county commissioners poison the Kansas prairie -- and end recovery of one of North America's most endangered animals in the state.

Take action today to help save these animals -- the poisonings could start as early as Monday, December 15th:
http://action.defenders.org/saveprairiedogs


Thanks!

Gitane: Sexy, sophisticated gypsy food. Really.

By Molly Freedenberg

To take a page from Dani Leone's book, I have a new favorite restaurant. It's Gitane, opened by the same people who brought us Cafe Claude, and it's fantastic. Of course, I might be a bit biased. The name "Gitane" means "gypsy woman," and indeed, the restaurant's interior and menu was designed with gypsy culture in mind. Having been told my whole life that I'm descended from gypsies and horse thieves (on Mom's side, from the Slavias), I felt a kinship with this place before I'd set foot inside the deceptively small building. Plus, in a town brimming with neuvo Californian, Asian fusion, Pan-American, and upscale Southern cuisines, there was simply something refreshing about someone doing something I'd never heard of before.

So several weeks after the eatery's grand opening, I scooped up a friend with a sophisticated palate and a sense of adventure and headed downtown. We knew not to expect some kitschy regurgitation of gypsy stereotypes, but we had no idea we'd find a place so eclectic, classy, interesting, and sexy. We fell in love with the bar area, a narrow corridor with dark patterned walls and reflective ceiling, giving the illusion of great amounts of space without sacrificing a sense of intimacy and warmth. Our bartender was fantastically helpful and friendly (not to mention cute cute cute), and seemed to be a true lover of cocktails. The bar's signature drink, The Gypsy, was a delightful twist on the St. Germain's elderflower trend - a light, subtly sweet, complex concoction with an herb-y finish and easy drinkability. My companion ordered the 1862, named for the year of the Cinco de Mayo massacre after its primary ingredient (tequila) and made ambitiously interesting by the addition of Campari. It was suggested as an apperitif, and though it was far too bitter and biting for both of us, would probably delight dedicated Campari fans.

(MORE)

Pilots fly doomed dogs to better life

By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY

Puppy love is reaching new heights.

Pilots are donating their time, planes and fuel to transport dozens of dogs a month from overcrowded shelters where they face almost certain death to rescue groups and shelters several states away that are committed to finding them homes.

The mission-of-mercy relocations are flown by general aviation pilots who have signed on with the recently formed Pilots N Paws, a Web-based message board where pilots can access information about animals in need.

Once the electronic connection is made, dogs plucked by rescuers from death row — mostly in the South where sterilization rates are low and pet overpopulation is rampant — are loaded onto small planes and flown one, two or six at a time to rescue groups and shelters that have available space.

"These are wonderful dogs that simply had the bad luck of winding up in a place where there are too many pets in shelters," says Pilots N Paws co-founder Jon Wehrenberg of Knoxville, Tenn. The retired manufacturing executive and weekend pilot has flown scores of dogs from high-kill shelters this year. Earlier this month, his mission involved six small mixed-breed dogs from Knoxville's Young-Williams Animal Center.

The happy half-dozen enjoyed a smooth-sailing, 90-minute flight to Greensboro, N.C., where they were met by radio station executive Jennifer Hart, head of Animal Rescue & Foster Program, who had arranged foster care. One dog has been adopted; the others are receiving additional attention, socialization and training and should be ready for new homes soon after Thanksgiving.

Beginning of the journey

"Pilots N Paws has given about 20 of our animals a second chance," says Tim Adams, executive director of the Young-Williams shelter, which euthanizes 70% of the animals that land there. "We take in 17,000 animals a year, and Knoxville simply isn't big enough… to get new homes for them here. Twenty animals saved may not sound like much, but every one of them matters."

Pilots N Paws started operating in February soon after Wehrenberg offered to fly a Doberman in Florida to his pal Debi Boies of Landrum, S.C., who is a retired nurse, horse breeder and long-time rescuer. He began asking questions about the rescue world and learned about the passionate underground railroad of animal lovers who orchestrate days-long road journeys to save some of the 4 million to 6 million animals destined for euthanasia in U.S. shelters annually.

(MORE)

Music note: Black knights and seductive Gypsies romp in St. Paul

By Rebecca Collins , TC Daily Planet
September 25, 2008

The turnout on Tuesday night at the Ordway for the Minnesota Opera’s staging of Verdi’s Il trovatore (The Troubadour) was impressive. A bustling lobby and long line at the box office translated into a full house. And people do dress for the occasion—rumors of Minnesotans wearing jeans to the opera proved to be mostly false. It’s good to know there is a place in the Twin Cities to don one’s Oscar de la Renta stiletto heels or, in the case of one elderly gentleman, one’s kimono.

Il Trovatore, an opera with music by Giuseppe Verdi and libretto by Leone
Emanuele Bardare and Salvatore Cammarano; directed by Kevin Newbury. Presented by the Minnesota Opera through September 28 at the Ordway Center, 345 Washington St., St. Paul. For tickets ($65-$150) and information, see mnopera.org.

There was good reason for the high attendance. More happens in Il trovatore, a romantic tragedy set in Spain during the Renaissance, than on a whole season of Flavor of Love.

First, the dramatic back story. A young boy is bewitched by a Gypsy and falls ill. The Gypsy is hunted down and burned at the stake. As she is dying, she orders her daughter, Azucena (Olga Savona), to avenge her death. Azucena kidnaps the boy and prepares to throw him into the still-smoldering ashes of the pyre. But—oops!—in her grief she accidentally incinerates her own son instead. She decides to keep the kidnapped boy and raise him as her own.

(MORE)

'Droma Gypsy Festival 2008'

Date/Time: Every week Tuesday, Sunday from Sun., September 28 until Tue., September 30, 8:00pm, Every week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Wed., September 24 until Fri., October 3, 9:00pm

Price: $13-$17

By Kandia Crazy Horse

This year's installment of the New York DROMA Gypsy Festival runs through October 3rd. These nine days of sonic delight span Roma culture from across the globe, from locals like Zlatne Uste Brass Band to France's Watcha Clan (pictured here). If a nation's so celebrated at the forefront that Madonna's jumping the bandwagon, you may be leery. However, run don't walk to these performances. And don't forget your tambourines and joie-de-vivre.

Classical dance bridges culture gap

Friday, Sep. 12, 2008
By Michelle Isham- For the CDT

In the hills of Kathirkama in Sri Lanka, a beautiful princess named Atmavalli falls in love with Kathirkama Kandan, the lord who resides in a temple in the forest. Atmavalli pines for Lord Kandan until a kurati, or gypsy, arrives and assures her that Lord Kandan will marry her.

So goes the dance drama “The Gypsy and The Princess,” based on a style of South Indian storytelling that is hundreds of years old.

“It’s a very typical and traditional story,” dance instructor Teja Rao said.

Rao’s dance troupe, from the Natyam School of Classical Indian Dance in Buffalo, N.Y., will perform the story at Mount Nittany Middle School this weekend. The performance will benefit the State College chapter of the Association for India Development, which funds long-term social and educational development projects in that country. The group hosts events throughout the year to raise funds to support its programs and to promote a greater understanding of Indian culture.

“We really wanted to reach to non-Indians to give them the cultural awareness and create a bridge between the east and west cultures,” said Vikas Argod, an AID member and one of the coordinators of the event.

“State College has a very enthusiastic dance culture. The missing piece of the puzzle was Indian dance,” said fellow AID member and event coordinator Amit Arora.

(MORE)

Sex, drugs, gifts uncovered in government oil probe

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. government employees received improper gifts from energy industry representatives, and engaged with them in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The report was issued by the Interior Department's inspector general after a $5.3 million investigation "uncovered recreational marijuana and cocaine use" by "a handful" of Interior Department staff, and found two federal employees "engaged in brief sexual relationships with representatives from companies doing business" with the department.

Two Interior Department employees "received combined gifts and gratuities on at least 135 occasions from four major oil and gas companies with whom they were doing business -- a textbook example of improperly receiving gifts from prohibited sources," Inspector General Earl Devaney says in a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne accompanying the report.

(MORE)

White House Proposes to Butcher Endangered Species Act

This Monday, just months before the curtains close on the Bush administration, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced a proposal for the biggest overhaul of the Endangered Species Act since 1986. Kempthorne's proposed rules would excuse thousands of federal activities, including all greenhouse gas emissions, from review under the Act, letting federal agencies decide for themselves whether projects potentially devastating to the environment would indeed harm endangered plants and animals. The rules would codify Kempthorne's previously announced plan to green-light activities that add to climate change -- without inspecting their impacts on protected species like the polar bear.

History has shown that letting agencies babysit themselves regarding their own projects -- instead of consulting with government scientists, as is now required -- just doesn't work. When agencies were allowed to self-consult on logging activities in 2005, it turned out that 62 percent of those projects violated the Endangered Species Act. "These [new] regulations are a recipe for disaster for the extinction of endangered species," said Center for Biological Diversity science director Noah Greenwald. "It's a classic example of letting the fox guard the henhouse."

(MORE)

Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act (S. 2439)

Please visit the Compassion Index - AWI's Legislative Action Center to find your federal legislators and see how much compassion they show on important animal protection measures currently
before Congress. The CI also allows you to contact your legislators on these issues.

The FBI tracks the incidence and pattern of crimes committed in the United States. The data provided by such crime-tracking enable law enforcement agencies to target their crime fighting resources and implement better prevention and prosecution. However, there is currently no separate
reporting category for animal cruelty crimes. The Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act (S. 2439), introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), would change this.

Why is it important to track animal cruelty crimes?

• Animal cruelty is a heinous offense in and of itself, causing terrible suffering for so many sentient creatures. It is a crime in all 50 states and certain egregious acts are felonies in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
  
• Animal cruelty also often coincides with domestic and child abuse. Moreover, a clear and recognized link exists between animal abuse and other forms of violence in society. Ironically, the FBI was one of the first to establish this link, yet the agency has yet to track
  animal cruelty crimes as a separate category.
  
• The FBI’s programs for collecting and disseminating crime statistics are invaluable tools for guiding law enforcement operations, crime prevention programs, and research and planning
  efforts. Assigning the crime of animal cruelty to its own reporting classification, as required under S. 2439, would enable law enforcement, social service agencies, researchers, and others to track trends at the state and national level and to determine the demographic characteristics and other factors associated with animal abuse. Significantly, the National District Attorneys Association supports the legislation.
  
• Having the improved information about animal cruelty crimes that S. 2439 would generate would lead to much greater understanding of—and more effective responses to—both animal abuse and other offenses. Animal cruelty—including animal fighting—would be regarded as serious crimes against society, thereby bringing greater investigative and prosecutorial resources to the problem at the state and federal level.

This small change would yield significant benefits for efforts to prevent and intervene in the cycle of violence that victimizes so many animals and people.

Help Impeach him...

Like or hate Kucinich - he makes a good case for impeaching the President:

URGENT: need your help - Impeachment Petition Deadline Midnight Wednesday

Dear Friends,

Because of your vigilance and support for democracy, last Friday was a day of singular importance in Washington. The House Judiciary Committee met to discuss the Bush Administration's abuse of executive power and for the first time the case for Impeachment was discussed in front of a Congressional committee, in depth, at length and with authority.

Twenty members of the Judiciary Committee attended the six-hour hearing, during which twelve witnesses, including myself and four members of Congress testified. In this hearing I called for the Impeachment of the President for misrepresenting a case for war.

This week I will present members of Congress with Impeachment petitions submitted by those of you who have signed the on-line impeachment form.

I need your help. In the next few days we must redouble our efforts to get more signatures on the online petition at kucinich. us. I'm asking each of you to please contact at least ten of your friends to go to http://kucinich.us/now and sign the Impeachment petition that will be delivered by me. Wednesday night is the deadline.

Please send out an email to all your friends and family, post this link, http://kucinich.us/ to your blogs and make this effort count as this is the only petition that I will deliver.

Sign the petition. Thank you so very much.

Signature - Dennis J Kucinich

Dennis

Paid for by the Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee

PO Box 110475 Cleveland OH 44111 216-252-9000

Congress Takes Horse Cruelty Head On!

For seven years now, you have helped us fight hard to protect America’s horses from the cruel and preventable practice of horse slaughter. Sadly, the few individuals profiting from this industry have spent vast sums of money to mislead some in the horse industry and US Congress. They have turned a serious animal cruelty issue into a political game. Despite all of this, support continues to grow for a ban because no false stories or fabricated tales of “unwanted horses” can derail the simple truth – horse slaughter is cruel.

As of today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) have taken up the reins of this cause and committed themselves to ending horse slaughter by sponsoring H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". This bill directly addresses the cruelty of horse slaughter – a consequence of the industry that even opponents of ending horse slaughter admit exists. This legislation is not new, as the original bill introduced in 2002 to end horse slaughter included enforcement language from Title 18 of the US Criminal Code for those found guilty of breaking the law. Chairman Conyers has simply removed the unnecessary language from the earlier versions to specifically target those causing the cruelty to horses.

Every five minutes, an American horse is brutally slaughtered for human consumption in plants in Mexico and Canada. Ironically, industry lobbyists admit to Congress that the foreign horse slaughter plants are cruel, yet the companies the lobbyists represent also own and operate these very plants across the border! Despite unsubstantiated claims of “unwanted” and “abandoned” horses, these foreign-owned plants and their killer-buyers continue to buy horses from all over America at an alarming rate to meet the demand for the animals’ flesh in fancy European restaurants.

Horse slaughter is a brutal process from beginning to end. Killer-buyers have no regard for the horses’ welfare; they just need to find as many of the animals as possible in order to fill a quota. Because the horses’ final destination is slaughter, no concern is paid to their treatment when they are collected, during transport, or in the slaughterhouse. A former equine investigator for the Pennsylvania state police summed this industry up perfectly when she said, “… horses were deprived of food and water because they were going to slaughter anyway. My conclusion is that the slaughter option encourages neglect…Money is the only objective of selling horses to slaughter. Those of us in the trenches have seen enough.”

Constituents concerned about the welfare of America’s horses must use this opportunity to speak up to their Members of Congress. The slaughterhouses, their lobbyists and the few pro-horse slaughter groups will be on Capitol Hill screaming loudly because they know support for ending horse slaughter is already strong. They know that if this issue is given a fair hearing and a fair vote, horse slaughter will end immediately.

Even though this fight has gone on for years, we must never forget that until Congress acts and passes a federal ban, horses are being hauled across the United States before being sent to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered under even worse conditions. The slaughterhouses and their supporters hope to wear down horse advocates by stalling the political process. We must send a message that we will not stop until ALL horses are protected from slaughter.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call, write or email your Representative today, urging him or her to support H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act". Chairman Conyers and Congressman Burton intend to do everything in their power to move this measure through Congress as soon as possible. Be sure to mention the facts above and those found here.

Many Members of Congress have already supported a similar measure, so this is not a new proposal; click here to see if your legislator cosponsored the original bill. If your Representative is on the Judiciary Committee, please urge him or her to attend any upcoming hearing and speak out on this important legislation as well.

To find your Representative and learn his or her stance on horse slaughter, please visit www.compassionindex.org. You can contact your legislators directly through the Compassion Index as well.

Write to:

The Honorable (name of US Representative)
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Please note: HR 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act" is NOT the same as H.R. 503/S. 311, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), but it will do the same thing – end horse slaughter. Many members already support the AHSPA, so garnering support should be straightforward.

Rescues/Organizations: The list of organizations and rescues supporting a ban on horse slaughter is tremendous, and we want to make sure your voice is heard on Capitol Hill, too. If you represent a rescue or organization, please take a minute to draft a letter of support for H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act" for us to share with the bill's sponsors and other Members of Congress. Give personal experiences, include photos and share your work with us. Opponents of horse slaughter are not working every day with horses -- you are. Please email your letters and some pictures to chris@awionline.org or fax them without a cover to (888) 260-2271. We will ensure that Congress hears your support!

No matter how you contact your legislator, please be sure to provide him or her with your name and mailing address, and as a constituent, request a response on this issue. Please also share our “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President
www.awionline.org
www.compassionindex.org

Congress Asks: Fat Cats or Polar Bears?

Wealthy speculators are driving up gas prices and fueling calls for harmful new drilling off our coasts and in pristine places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

It’s a classic match-up: Wall Street fat cats versus American families and the natural treasures we leave to our children. And in the next two weeks, Congress will vote to see who wins.

Help protect our polar bears from profit-hungry speculators and Big Oil. Urge Congress to pass legislation to address high gas prices by restoring accountability and transparency in the oil markets.

Speculation in the oil markets is a major factor in high gas prices.

Here’s how it works: Weak oversight and accountability in the oil market allows wealthy investors from around the world to drive up the price we pay for gas by purchasing oil that they have no intention of using.

According to Michael Masters of Masters Capital Management, who testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in June, “with greater regulation [of speculation], oil prices could drop to $65 or $70 a barrel within about 30 days.”[1]

Ask your Senators and Representative to pass legislation to address high gas prices and protect our polar bears and other wildlife from the oil speculators and Big Oil’s disastrous drilling plans.

Officials within the Bush Administration’s own Energy Information Agency estimate that oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t hit the market for several years and would only reduce gas by a few pennies. Similarly, the agency has said that offshore drilling would not significantly impact domestic production or prices before 2030.

But this drilling would come at a terrible cost to our wildlife and the environment. Arctic drilling activities would disturb the most important onshore denning habitat for America’s threatened polar bears -- potentially causing polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs.

Offshore drilling has its own problems: Each platform produces toxic discharges that can poison and kill marine wildlife and dumps tons of air pollutants into our atmosphere.

Please take a stand against irresponsible policies that hurt our families and put our wildlife at risk. Send your message now!

More drilling may benefit wealthy investors, Big Oil companies and their allies in Congress, but it won’t lower prices at the pump or end America’s oil addiction.

Respectfully,
Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

Stop Plan to Kill America's Wild Horses

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior that administers America's public lands, including the animals who call this land home.

As part of its wild horse management program, the BLM has spent the past several years rounding up wild horses and keeping them in private, long-term holding facilities—which is expensive. Now, the agency wants to euthanize thousands of healthy horses, claiming it is too costly to feed and care for them.

The ASPCA encourages the BLM to explore other solutions, including but not limited to reopening additional land for the horses and increasing certain contraception programs that have already proven safe and effective.

What You Can Do

Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to email a letter to your legislators in the U.S. Congress urging them to oppose the BLM’s plan to kill thousands of healthy wild horses.Thank you for taking action for America's animals.

Balkan folk, Romanian Gypsy, klezmer and more!

Contributed by: Laura McGaughey on 7/14/2008

On Friday, July 25 at 8 p.m., Swallow Hill is thrilled to present three amazing and diverse world fusion bands as they share one stage for an evening of unique music traversing the globe: Luminiscent Orchestrii, Los Lantzmun and Fishtank Ensemble.

The sounds of Luminescent Orchestrii range from Romanian Gypsy melodies, punk-inspired frenzy, salty tangos, hard-rocking klezmer, haunting Balkan harmony, hip hop beats, and Appalachian fiddle, all eaten and spit out by two violins, resophonic guitar, bullhorn harmonica, and bass. The members of the Orchestrii come from different scenes in New York City yet come together through their love of Balkan and Gypsy music. Sxip Shirey is an international circus composer, Sarah Alden is an old-time fiddle player, Rima Fand is an experimental theater composer and Benjy Fox-Rosen is a free-jazz bassist.

The band formed in 2002 as a quintet, and since that time, they have toured the East Coast of the U.S., England, Scotland, and Germany, as well as traveled to Romania, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia for inspiration. They've performed at international festivals from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), to The Blue Note (Germany) and The Lake Eden Arts Festival (USA). The Skinny Magazine (UK) writes: "The music makes your skin tingle and your eyes water, and never before have metallers, hippies and divas enjoyed the same gig so equally."

Los Lantzmun describes their music as Jewish World Fusion, with songs derived from Eastern European, Sephardi, and Middle Eastern sources, performed in a contemporary style with a driving percussive backbeat. They sing in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), performing a fusion of material reflecting Jewish culture and history, from joyous klezmer tunes to haunting Spanish ballads and rhythmic Israeli and Yemenite melodies. The name, Los Lantzmun, is derived from a Yiddish word meaning "someone from your town," or "kinsman." The members of Los Lantzmun all hail from Colorado.

Fishtank Ensemble's cross-polinated Gypsy music offers a unique blend of Gypsy, Balkan, flamenco, klezmer and original tunes. With surprising arrangements and an assortment of tools and flavors: violin, accordion, gypsy jazz guitar, shamisen, bass, saw, voice and more, they evoke the spirit of a past age with the sounds of tomorrow. The LA Weekly says of them, "...we have a young band that is one of the most thrilling live acts on the planet."

A series of chance occurrences caused the members of what would become Fishtank Ensemble to meet in an Oakland, Calif. performance space called "The Fishtank" in the spring of 2005. The band formed around their star fiddler, Fabrice Martinez. Originally from France, he has spent the last seven years traveling around Europe in a mule-drawn caravan learning and playing folk music with the ensemble Croque Mule. Much of that time was spent living in Romania, often in Romani (Gypsy) villages.

Three weeks into their formation, they recorded their debut album, Super Raoul ("raoul" is a gypsy slang term for "cool"). The album was recorded live at "The Fishtank" and at The Cayuga Vault in Santa Cruz, and it showcases the band's diverse range of styles and influences. After a successful first tour that took them up and down the West Coast of the U.S. from Freight and Salvage in Berkeley to The Fiddlehaus in Seattle, the two band members who lived in Europe agreed to relocate to the States to focus on establishing the band as a unique force in the folk and world music scenes.

For tickets visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003 x2. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members. Buy in advance and save! Swallow Hill Music Association is located at 71 East Yale Avenue (just off Broadway) in Denver.

In need of Romani-English interpreters

With permission I am posting an email I received last night:

Hello Allie,

I saw your contact information on your website and thought that it might be a good idea to contact you. I am a recruiter for Lionbridge Federal and we are currently recruiting Romani-English interpreters in the United States. Lionbridge provides freelance interpretation for two federal contracts with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.

There are a number of Romani speakers (55 cases) in the system waiting for their fair day in court. One respondent in the system has been waiting for his day in court since November 2006. Unfortunately, I am unable to help them until we are able to offer Romani interpreters.

In other cases, there are detainees who have been waiting for their trial since March and August of 2007. There exist numerous other instances and we are working extremely hard to provide detainees their right to a fair trial. We hope to be able to help EVERY person receive a fair trial when there day in court is upon them.

The are two preliminary requirements for becoming a Romani-English interpreter. The person must be a U.S. citizen or resident and lived in the US for 3 of the past 5 years. The interpreter must take a 30 minute over the phone language assessment and pass a basic background check.

We have waived the judicial interpreting experience for Romani speakers since its such a rare language. The hourly rates per case is $25 (depending on experience). Freelance interpreters work on a part-time need basis. If anyone is interested they should e-mail me at karina.martinez [at] lionbridge.com

Thanks in advance,
Karina Martinez
Recruiter
www.lionbridge.com

Keep guns out of national parks!

The Bush administration has proposed a rule that would allow
visitors to carry loaded firearms in every one of our national
parks, posing a grave threat to our nation's wildlife.

Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
today and tell the Bush administration to reject this outrageous
proposal.

Under pressure from a group of senators, the Bush administration
would weaken the current rule, which requires that firearms be
unloaded and stored to prevent their ready use. This
long-standing precaution has been crucial in controlling
poachers within our nation's national parks and protecting
certain species from extinction -- in particular, Yellowstone's
grizzly bear population.

If passed, the new rule would likely increase poaching of
imperiled species, such as Greater Yellowstone's grizzlies and
wolves. In Wyoming -- where state officials have already begun
gunning down wolves -- the wolf population is especially
vulnerable.

Allowing visitors to carry loaded weapons would also pose a
safety risk to millions of Americans who use our national parks
every year.

Our national parks should be a safe haven for all wildlife and
citizens. Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
right away and tell the Bush administration you won't stand for
loaded guns in our national parks!

Thank you again for taking action on behalf of our parks and
wildlife.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

FOR SALE: America’s Heritage

This urgent petition asks Congress to take immediate action to prevent private development within our national parks.

For the past few years Congress and the Administration have steadily reduced the amount of money available for national parks from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is one key way the National Park Service acts to protect our national parks from private development—by acquiring land within park boundaries from willing private sellers.

Did you know more than 50 of our national parks are incomplete and have private land within park boundaries?

If we don't acquire these lands soon, there is very little we citizens will be able to do to prevent homes or commercial development from being built—right in the middle of our national parks!

Please sign this petition to Congress now — to tell them to step up and fund these critical land purchases!

National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is America's foremost advocate for national parks. And our parks are one of our most important national commitments to the preservation of the environment.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund was established in 1965 with its own dedicated funding source. But over the years Congress and the Administration have diverted more and more of those funds to other uses. As a result, funding for Park Service land acquisition has been cut 70% just since 1999!

Earlier this month the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee doubled the Administration's request for LCWF funding to $48 million. And the ten national park examples highlighted on NPCA's map can be purchased for less than $50 million.

Congress could allocate the funds and time they want to, and we could act to protect and preserve many of our most at-risk national parks.

They just need to know that Americans care!

Do we want schoolchildren to experience wildlife and national treasures in our parks—or McMansions and other private developments?

Protecting our national parks is up to all of us!

Please sign the petition to Congress today. See the map for yourself. Share the map and petition with your friends, and ask them to take action!

Sincerely,
Thomas C. Kiernan
President

P.S. NPCA has just prepared a report called "America's Heritage: For Sale," and distributed it to Members of Congress. Now they need to hear from voters like you!

Farm Bill Blurb By The Dollar Stretcher

I've been a long subscriber to The Dollar Stretcher (http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm) and I have to agree 200% with what the editor, Gary Foreman, has to say about the idiots in DC.

Introduction
by Gary Foreman

Hello to all my Frugal Friends!

It's fairly obvious to anyone who's not sleepwalking that
higher food and fuel prices are really hurting most Americans.
Everyday I get emails from folks who are struggling with these
two bills. For many people, it's a real serious problem.

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I figured that our elected
representatives would recognize the problem and try to do
something about it. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did they ignore
the food price inflation, but they actually found a way to
make it worse! They just don't seem to understand what it's
like for you and me to work to support our families. Last week
provided an excellent example. On May 14th, the House passed a
$307 Billion farm bill.

Now, I like farmers as much as anyone. In fact, Foremans were
Wisconsin dairy farmers. I was raised in the city, but spent a
lot of time visiting relatives who made their living on small
family farms. So I have the utmost respect for someone who
plants something and nurtures it as it grows bigger. And, I
want to help those people wherever I can. But, this bill
doesn't do that. It assumes that you and I are too stupid to
go beyond the name "farm bill." We must be too dumb to
recognize that it's not the small farmer who's being
protected. It's the large agri-business corporation and others
who have little (or nothing) to do with farming as you and I
would think of it.

First, look at the cutoff. A couple with a yearly income of
$1.5 million can receive farm subsidies. Call me Scrooge, but
I'd say that families making more than, oh, say $500,000 per
year probably don't need subsidies paid for by you and me. One
group reports that only 8% of the producers will get 78% of
the money: http://www.forbes.com/

Still think it could be a good piece of legislation? Take a
look at your grocery bill. You'll find that bread, milk and
meat have all increased in price. Dramatically. Why? In large
part because ethanol is consuming grains that normally would
go to feed us. Higher prices indicate that there's more demand
for corn than we can produce. Now you might think that
Washington would get the idea that their ethanol mandates
should be relaxed until the supply of corn can catch up with
the demand. Guess again. So why is the government subsidizing
ethanol production? Seems a little like pouring gas on the
fire of higher food prices.

Then you have the old Congressional shell game. That's where
they include spending that has nothing to do with the main
bill. After all, who wants to be against the family farm? So
let's throw in some money for horse racing and timber
interests. Those dummies back home will never know the
difference!

Rational people might have said that this was a good time to
limit a farm bill to helping those family farmers who truly
need help. "Farm net income is up 56% in the last 2 years"
(source: NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/opinion/20brooks.html?_r=1&ref=opinion) There's "$40 billion in subsidies to
commodity farmers who already enjoy record prices." (source:
SF Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/14/MNIJ10M871.DTL&type=politics) We could have had a farm bill that took care of the small
family farm without causing additional grocery inflation. But,
that wouldn't have pleased all the special interests.

Guess I'm just mad. You and I are dealing with higher energy
and food prices. Instead of doing something to help, our
elected representatives (from both parties) are busy spending
our money buying favors for themselves. Adding "earmarks" to
every bill in sight. I really believe that it's time to put
Washington on a budget. And, force them to keep it. Whoever
said that they should be allowed to "earmark" anything? I
don't recall voting on it.

Much of the economic trouble that you and I face today is due
to the clowns (and I use the term intentionally) in Washington
that we call elected representatives. They set us up for this
fall. And, unless a camera is present, they really don't seem
to care too much about how much it hurts us. After all, things
are booming in the beltway. No recession there!

I was raised to respect the people who led our country. But,
it's really hard to respect someone when you know that their
back pockets are filled with money that at best was unearned
and, at worst, could be called bribe money. Maybe it's time to
let them know how little respect they've earned.

So the next time your elected representative says they're
against special interests ask them how they voted on the farm
bill. There were 318 yes votes (and only 106 no's) in the
House. The Senate voted 85-15. This isn't a partisan
Democrat/Republican issue. This is a question whether we can
trust the crazies on the Potomac not to bankrupt both the
government and you and me. If they voted "yes" on this bill,
it's probably time to vote "no" on their re-election this
November.

If you want to comment on the farm bill visit: http://community.stretcher.com/blogs/stretcher/archive/2008/05/19/congress-likes-higher-food-prices.aspx


Keep on Stretching Those Dollars!
Gary