Frank R. Ervin, McGill University

Serial torturer Frank Ervin wants more monkeys to suffer

Posted by Negotiation Is Over on October 7, 2011

4tweetsretweet

 

Tortured by Frank R. Ervin
McGill University
Psychiatry
178 Selby
Montreal, Quebec H3Z1W7
CANADA
E-Mail: frank.ervin@mcgill.ca
Web: http://www.genomequebec.mcgill.ca/compgen/vervet_web/home.shtml
Phone: 514-398-7324
Fax: 514-932-0693
Position: Professor

Areas of interest: Brain and behavior, Husbandry
Species of interest: Chlorocebus aethiops (grivet)

Posted by PeTA

A notorious experimenter and primate supplier wants the U.S.’ help tormenting more monkeys in laboratories.

Frank Ervin, a vivisector from McGill University, operates the Behavioral Sciences Foundation/Primate Resources International on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, which pays trappers to remove vervet monkeys from the wild so that they can be imprisoned in laboratories. The facility crams many monkeys into wooden crates and sends them on a terrifying journey in the dark cargo holds of airplanes to the U.S. and other countries to be tortured and killed in experiments. Ervin also performs his own deadly experiments on monkeys. These disturbing photos, leaked to PETA, are allegedly of monkeys killed in Ervin’s cruel experiments on fetal alcohol syndrome:

Ervin wants the U.S. to buy even more monkeys to experiment on, since, in his opinion, the monkeys are “agricultural predators” because they sometimes eat farmers’ crops. We’re sure that’s the reason he wants the U.S. to purchase the animals, not because of the profit that he stands to make. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has launched an initiative against importing the monkeys from St. Kitts, including sharing that St. Kitts’ own Ministry of Agriculture advocates for spaying and neutering and strategically placed feeding stations to control the monkey population and keep them away from crops.

One U.S. buyer of monkeys from St. Kitts is the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, which torments the monkeys in cruel and archaic chemical casualty training exercises. You can help end these torturous exercises and prevent the government from stuffing Ervin’s pockets by asking your senators and representatives to take action to end Aberdeen’s monkey laboratories.

Follow the student-vivisector & animal-experimentation campaigns at the University of Florida HERE.

To submit an article for publication, send a note to camille@negotiationisover.net.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is for educational and entertainment purposes only. There is no intent, express or implied, to promote illegal activities. We assume no liability for the potential actions of any third party. All data compiled here has been gathered from, and is available through, independent public sources.

Share this:

Last modified on November 26, 2011

Richard W. "Dick" Bianco, University of Minnesota

“Researchers” Panic When They Are Exposed

Posted by Negotiation Is Over on November 9, 2009

1tweetretweet

NIO Editorial Note:  It is not animal rights activists that vivisectors fear, it is exposure.  To illustrate this indisputable fact, the Star Tribune published the following report in response to a post on NIO last week, Pro-Vivisection Activism: Promoting Violence Against Animals:

Richard W. Bianco
University of Minnesota
Department of Surgery Experimental Surgical Services
420 Delaware Street SE Mayo
Mail Code 220
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-625-5914
Fax: 612-626-6949
Email: bianc001@umn.edu

by Jim Spencer (The Star Tribune: Group targets U animal scientist)
The school raised security around one of its researchers after an animal activist group singled him out on its website.

University of Minnesota police have increased patrols near the home of a Medical School animal researcher after a posting on an animal activist website displayed his name and photograph and noted that “… we should not be surprised when the unconscionable violence inflicted upon animals is justifiably visited upon their tormentors.”
The Internet posting went up late last week on the website Negotiation Is Over in reaction to a Star Tribune story about a multimillion-dollar national campaign by biomedical researchers, including U Prof. Dick Bianco, to increase lagging support for medical and scientific tests using animals.
“The university police are patrolling around my house now,” said Bianco, an associate professor of surgery and director of experimental surgery. “The FBI is involved to assess the threat.”
FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson said: “I can’t confirm or deny an investigation. But we have talked to Professor Bianco and received his information. We are reviewing and assessing it and coordinating with the University of Minnesota Police Department.”
Greg Hestness, the U’s chief of police, said the school has invested in security measures for staff and facilities “since prior attacks” at the university seven years ago.
Animal activist Camille Marino wrote the article and published Bianco’s photo and contact information on Negotiation Is Over. “These abusers need to understand that their unethical behaviors entail tangible consequences,” she wrote.
Marino said Monday that the FBI has not contacted her.
Marino said she had “no expectation” of what people reading the website should do to Bianco or Frankie Trull, who directs the Research Saves campaign for the Foundation for Biomedical Research. On the website, Marino wrote that “my activism is wholly above-ground and, therefore, I would never encourage any activity that is illegal or otherwise questionable.”

In an interview, she said: “I believe there is a moral obligation to prevent violence against innocent beings, whether they are animals or humans. If violence will prevent that, it would be justified.”
Concern over such statements arises from recent violent attacks on researchers by extreme animal activists. Scientists in California have had cars bombed, property set afire and family members harassed.
Bianco called the language of Marino’s essay “right on the edge.” “It borders on inciting people to violence,” he said.
Bianco, who plays an active part in the animal research campaign and invites high school students to his lab to see how he conducts research, has received anonymous death threats in the past. His office and lab include panic switches that set off an alarm in the U’s police headquarters.
Bianco said he will be careful in the coming weeks. “This is as bad as I’ve heard it,” he said of the website posting. “It doesn’t hurt to be safe.”

Follow the campaigns against student vivisectors (WOS) & animal experimentation at the University of Florida & HERE.

To submit an article for publication, send a note to camille@negotiationisover.com.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is for educational and entertainment purposes only. There is no intent, express or implied, to promote illegal activities. We assume no liability for the potential actions of any third party. All data compiled here has been gathered from, and is available through, independent public sources.

Share this:

Last modified on November 26, 2011

Dennis E. Brooks, University of Florida

Copied from Negotiation is Over

Barbaric UF Professor Brooks’ Little Girl- Another Tortured Soul

Posted by Negotiation Is Over on March 6, 2012

Dennis E. Brooks 352-294-44552015 SW 16TH AVE GAINESVILLE FL brooksd@ufl.edu , brooksd@vetmed.ufl.edu

by NIO Florida
Monkey 55D was named Little Girl by those responsible for her ten years of agony. Girl monkeys are rarely used and 55D suffered from the pain and misery that only a female being could. For the last three of her ten years at the hands of the evil Dennis Brooks, 55D was made to endure horrific “ophthalmology” experiments while Brook knew she was suffering terribly from the endometriosis progressing through her little body.  The final pathology after 55D’s murder:
HISTORY: Pelvic mass and reproductive abnormalities.
GROSS: Caudal abdominal adhesions widespread around uterus and urinary bladder.
MICROSCOPIC: Endometriosis, abdomen focally severe
Endometriosis fiber start in the uterus but left untreated can travel the rest of the body abnormally joining organs. During menstruation, endometriosis fibers cause pain wherever they are located.
View her records here.Records For Little Girl

As with other victims languishing in the UF dungeons of Dennis E Brooks, monkey 55D was tortured daily. Shortly after her arrival from a Puerto Rican “monkey mill,” her left leg and right side of her head were shaved for easy access for injections and eye exams. For one of several studies 55D was used for, her daily routine consisted of being compressed in her tiny cage, injected with Ketamine and transported to another UF building. Sometimes the 3 pound female primate was just “knocked down” with the Ketamine before having her eye sockets forced open with ocular spreaders for study. Many other times she was intubated for anesthesia and put on a respirator. His day may also include being catheterized just to avoid messy urine getting in the way. Prior to examinations, 55D endured humiliating vaginal and rectal swabbing.
Professor Brooks was able to come up with more sadistic tests to perform on primates’ eyes causing severe pain, cataracts and lesions of the eyes.  Poor little 55D, an innocent prisoner and someone’s daughter, suffered through several such experiments all the while suffering through constant pelvic, abdominal and uterine pain that was recorded yet not treated, for the last three years of her life.

HRT: Heidelberg Retina Tomograph. With her eye forced open, a laser beam is used to scan the entire eye.
PERG: Pattern Electroretinogram. 55D, by now a Katamine addict like all of Brooks’ prisoners, had her eyes spread open  while he actually attached several electrodes to her eyeball and surrounding skin- aided by the side of her head being shaved upon arrival. The reason for what transpires next is is known only to the twisted mind of Dennis E Brooks. An unknown amount of voltage is run through the electrodes and into 55D’s eyes while flashes light flood her face.
Fluorescein Angiography: 55D was also injected straight into her eye on many many occasions as this was the main test she was used for. A fluorescent dye, commonly known as D&C Yellow #8, is injected into the retina to examine circulation. With her eyes still spread open, Brooks’ team shines a light in her eyes and takes picture. Each time this is done, 55D is intibated, on a respirator and catheterized.
The University of Florida willingly employs yet another psychopath and serial killer whom they let live out his sadistic fantasies while they all pocket some of the funds. Non-animal skin and eye experiment alternatives are among the most available. Brooks once again declined any treatment for endometriosis for 55d and ordered her murder ten years after her arrival to the UF hellhole.

Share this:

Last modified on March 6, 2012

Animal Testing?

My nails are pure awesomeness!

Never too early for a tiara!

Never too early for a tiara!

Where I've Been....and Where I Plan to Go

It was January 2, 1996.  As I stood on my front steps, holding my now 17 year old son, I was shaking with fear.  Yet again, I had been falsely accused of child abuse and was involved in a surreal stand-off with a sheriff's deputy.  This particular deputy's method of "determining if my children were in danger" involved screaming at me with such vehemence that he was showering me with his saliva.

Yesterday, this same child and I talked about that day 16 years ago.  Fortunately for us, my children were never detained into foster care, or as I have come to call it, kidnapped by the state of Georgia.  I have since made it my life's mission to help other falsely accused families.  I have always tried to do what is right.

Unfortunately, I have let myself get discouraged over the last  year or so- due to both some personal financial troubles and family health issues as well as having been involved in litigation. (Shell v. AFRA, et al)  I have to snap out of it.  If I am brave enough to stand up to a maniacal cop with anger management issues, then I can handle what life is throwing at me now. 

I'm getting my ass back in gear. Stay tuned.

Long Cane Creek

On my way home to Augusta... I'm making as stop at Long Cane Creek (http://www.next1000.com/family/EC/LongCane.massacre.html) to takes some pictures.

How 'bout NO

I think it's great that you have a sign on your car advertising your quilting business. I just don't think it's all that great that while sitting in that car, to brush your teeth.

What if I slapped a tarot card sign on my truck and then proceeded to pick my nose? See what I mean? So stop it....you are beyond old enough to know better.

Ask A Psychic

Having recently come across several interesting blogs.... Ask A Korean, Ask A Frenchman, Ask A Mexican, etc., I have decided to post something similar here. Basically, this is an explanation of appropriate etiquette when interacting with a psychic on a social level. Believe me, a post like this is way the hell overdue.

Just because I'm psychic does not mean I am warm and fuzzy and at peace with all the giggly good spirits of the universe. I see more than my share of the dark side of life. Therefore I am not really inclined to attribute people's behavior to loving motives absent proof of same.

I am very empathic. That means I feel things from the energy around me. If you are happy, I feel your happiness. If you are depressed I feel your sadness.  I'm 40 years old and it still makes me uncomfortable. Touch intensifies this. Therefore do. not.  touch. me. unless you ask me first.

Speaking of touch, please don't grab at my "jewelry."  Some of it isn't jewelry in the usual sense.  I wear certain items with spiritual significance, some of which have been especially prepared for me. It is really bad form to touch these things. So don't. Actually, see above and just don't freaking touch me at all.

Don't expect me to participate in "parlour trick" games with you, especially in a social setting. It will just piss me off.  Respect that while my extra-sense gifts are always buzzing in the background, I am not a performing monkey. 

Never expect "freebie" readings, like you are entitled to my time.  I have had casual aquaintances demand free readings on the spot, then get offended at my "lack of generosity." If you do this, you may also kiss my ass. And I will be tempted to punch you in the face.

Last but not least, don't publicly belittle me and my gifts, and expect me to want to help you. If you do your dead level best to humiliate me, as in "I bet she didn't see that one coming," then come skulking around, desperately asking for a reading that you want to keep secret so you can continue to make fun of me.... I most likely will tell you to grow up, then take a flying leap.

So there you have it. Part one of what I hope will be continuing drabbles of my caustic wit on how and how not to treat a psychic.

Schoolin'

To whom It May Concern:

I am Teajah's aunt and picked her up from school today.  I'd like to share some observations Re: he homework.

1) On Teajah's spelling worksheet, the saxophone was incorrectly labeled a brass instrument.  It is actually a woodwind.

2)  Several adults, including a Ph.D., tried to help Teajah with her math.  None of us could figure it out.

Thank you for all your help as we work with Teajah to improve her concentration.

Sincerely, blah blah blah

Prince Charles and the Pestiferous Squirrel

Great Britain is campaigning to eradicate the American Eastern Gray Squirrel.  It seems that the American squirrels carry a disease called "squirrel-pox" that is killing off the red squirrels native to Britain.









Hmmm.  Native American creatures killing off European creatures with exotic diseases? Even 500 years later, the irony is unmistakable. Situational irony to be specific, but unmistakable.

Not quite ironic, but still weird as all hell - the British have really taken to eating squirrels - the American squirrel, that is.

You can order squirrel in British restaurants.  Hunters carry aluminum foil with them so they can cook up a little snack right there in the woods.

Amazingly, squirrels are popular on menus all over Britain.  This is reported matter-of-factly in various media outlets without even one note of banjo music and absolutely no mention of hillbillies.

Prince Charles has thrown his influence behind what I've decided to call "Operation Squirrel Slaughter" and made an impassioned speech on the subject at the launch of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. I will assume that His Royal Highness is really fired up over the squirrels but it's impossible to tell.  Prince Charles is, after all, a man who, when his car was attacked in the street, did not bat an eyelash.

Prince Charles giving the "squirrel speech"

Prince Charles as his car is attacked

The car window was shattered, buckets of paint were thrown, people screamed "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" and the man sat like a statue.  Oh, and did I forget to mention?  During this

meleé his wife was POKED WITH A STICK!  And still Prince Charles sat there, looking all pressed and dressed in his immaculate dinner jacket.

I readily admit that I'm not a huge fan of rigid gender roles.  But if my husband, The Long Suffering Rick, were to sit primly by while a screaming poor person (or a screaming rich person) poked me with a stick....let's just say we would have words.  Those words would be loud, multisyllabic, and quite possibly audible to Prince Charles all the way across the Atlantic.

Crickey!  That barmy American bitch is screaming again!

 

World shame coast in COSTA RICA?

I got an email today from a friend, complete with pictures of Costa Ricans raiding sea turtle nests in broad daylight.  There seems to be some controversy about whether or not these pictures are part of a hoax.  I googled "sea turtles costa rica egg stealing" and the very first result was that of a hoax debunking site that stated the egg gathering was part of a conservation program. I checked Snopes.com, and found information about the disputed conservation program.

 

The bottom line seems to be that while controversial, this "harvest" of sea turtle eggs is perfectly legal.  The claim is that  the first sets of eggs laid on the beach are destroyed by subsequent mother turtles laying their own eggs.  So the reasoning is that since the first eggs are basically not viable, why not let the locals digs them up for profit?

 

It seems to me that since these turtle are a vulnerable population, it would make more sense to gather these "hopeless" eggs and then attempt to hatch them. But governments are not known for having common sense. Go figure.

Upcoming Tarot Workshop

Beginning Tarot Workshop Saturday October 16 at noon Eastern Time


We will be covering the history and symbolism of the Major Arcana.  The workshop will be web based and places are limited.  I would like to have no more than 5 students for this date.  Plan for the workshop to run approximately 3 hours.


To register, please call me at 706-533-6522 or send an email to dorothybaaez@yahoo.com and I'll get you set up and ready to go.

Found on the 'Net - 15 things you didn't know

http://www.popjolly.com/death-1383

Site Re-Launch!

I am still working on redesigning DorothyBaez.com.  The backbone of the site is going to be the blog, along with supporting pages and other links.

I decided on organizing the new site this way so that it will better reflect my interests, plus I will have more flexibility to promote my ventures.  I do so many different things, and I don't want to limit myself creatively.  I am also still working on Family Advocacy issues - at this point writing a training manual for Family Advocates.  I have been at work on this manual for the past 4 years and hope to release it by Spring 2011.

Please feel free to take a look at two of my other ventures while you're waiting:

La Mano Poderosa Botanica

Weird Legal News - re-opening soon!

Douchebag of the Week - Tom Conroy

I first heard of Mireya Mayor when she was in an awesome series called "Expedition Africa,"  Being a history buff, I couldn't wait for this show to air.  It was amazing!  I highly suggest watching this series on video if you can!  Not too long after that, I came across Mireya on Twitter and decided she would be fun to follow.  She is entertaining, a fountain of knowledge, and a good person besides.

I was really looking forward to watching "Wild Nights," which is Mireya's new series for National Geographic's new Wild cable station.  In the meantime (I wasn't able to watch until the midnight showing.) I saw Jes Alexander's OP ED on Herald de Paris, which she wrote after Tom Conroy completely freaking skewered  Mireya in an article that can only be described as a sexist rant written by a man who shrinks into a corner when confronted by a beautiful woman - even one he only sees on T.V.  (Conroy seems to pursue his writing career by making what he thinks is snarky fun of whoever he is writing about.  Note to Tom - this only ever works if you are actually funny.  You are not.)

Poor Tom even makes fun of Mireya for dressing appropriately - "But throughout the show she wears a wool cap and drab clothes that just beg us to take her seriously"  Um, no dumbass, she dresses for the job she's doing - and she looks great.  And by the way, I've seen more wildlife in urban areas than in the woods.  Sorry you're too scared of the boogey man to go outside at night.

So without further ado, for your consistently  ridiculous prose, your mean streak, your bad attitude, etc.  You sir, are a douchebag.

Immigration and Amnesty and Racism, Oh, My!

I have just finished re-reading "Infidel," written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali born Dutch politician who now lives in the United States and works for the American Enterprise Institute. 

Whew, what a mouthful.   I used to be one of those people who scoffed at "hyphenated Americans, Canadians - or Somali-Dutch or whatever" but seriously, we are going to keep referring to people's backgrounds and other attributes in conversations.  For the most part (the only exception are the Native Americans) we all hail from somewhere else.  It is just human nature to want to place people and objects in categories.  Doing so is not necessarily discrimination.  Making assumptions is also human nature - sometimes seriously bad manners, but human nature nonetheless. It's also human nature to want to express ourselves.  Part of that self expression can include how we self identify.

Assumptions can be maddening - like when my New York born Puerto Rican husband was constantly stopped and harassed by police in Athens, Georgia - police who demanded his "Green Card" (they aren't actually green, but I digress) and sometimes threatened him with arrest when he tried to explain that Puerto Rico is part of the United States.

Assumptions can be amusing - like when I once upon a time went to pick up my African-American/Puerto Rican niece from school.  The teacher said, "Aryanna, your aunt's here for you!"  Another little girl piped up, "That can't be your aunt!  She's the wrong color!"  Aryanna's response?  "She can't help it that she's pink and not brown!"

We have some major ethnic diversity in our family, so we have lots of jokes and stories to laugh at.  We also have stories after stories about awkward or just plain bizarre happenings.  Some are funny ...and some are creepy. 

Arizona has gotten a lot of attention lately.  Okay, that's an understatement.  Arizona's recent law dealing with immigration issues has been extremely controversial.  There are so many different aspects of immigration issues, and there are as many ways to look at it.  Below is the full text of Arizona's law.  Read it for yourself.  Decide what you think of it.  I'll post my own analysis very soon.

SB_1070_Signed

Studies in Contrast

Well, things on the lawsuit front have been quiet lately, but that
isn't stopping "The Chicken Woman" (TCW) from continuing her tirade
while hiding behind an imaginary "friend" while swearing that this
"friend" is 1) real, not imaginary and 2) actually likes her.
She does this in a .pdf file on her - oops her "friend's - website.

Drawing on her superior social skills, TCW calls me a "bleached blond
bimbo."  Well, I am a bleached blond. I am also pretty hot for
a grandmother.  Well, okay, I'm pretty hot compared to
anybody.  Wikipedia defines a "bimbo" as "a woman who is
physically attractive but has a low intelligence or poor education" or
"a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner."
Hmmmm.  How do you spell D-E-F-A-M-A-T-I-O-N?

TCW (or her imaginary "friend") runs on at the mouth for FOUR PAGES
about me. She has nothing really bad to say about me....just playground
insults and innuendo.   And playground insults are
always a sign jealousy, instead of true contempt.  TCW makes
much of the fact that I am fortunate enough to be able to help
others.  I don't announce it when I am able to make someone's
life a little easier, but TCW seems to have made a hobby out of doing
so.

I have an amazing life that TCW can't even begin to wrap her head
around.  Everything I am is everything she's not, and it is
obviously eating at her.  I have a loving, devoted husband who
absolutely adores me.  I have two children who love me and who
are very protective of me. I see my beautiful granddaughter every
day.  I am attractive.  I am well traveled.  I live in a beautiful
house.  I am respected and liked by people involved with
Family Rights.

In other words, it's not pretense if you really have it.  So without further ado.........

This is TCW's house.


Photo via El Paso County, Colorado Tax Assessor


And this is my house:


Photo courtesy William Wiseman

You might be a (@PETA friendly) redneck.....

* You list tick removal as a skill on your resume.

* You have ever spit tobacco juice on an vivisector.

* You go mud-boggin' and set the dawg in the cab of the truck and make the people sit in back.

* Your dawgs PREFER to lie under the porch.

* Your nicest towels say, "Property of Motel 6".

* The photo on your driver's license includes your dawg.

* You've ever used a BB gun to protect your chickens from a predator.

* You've had to remove a toothpick for wedding pictures.

* You ever used a weed eater indoors.

* You have a rag for a gas cap (on a car that does run).

* You have to go outside to get something out of the 'fridge.

* Your idea of a 7 course meal is a can of beans and a six pack.

* You have lost at least one tooth opening a beer bottle.

* Jack Daniels ties with @IngridNewkirk on your list of "most admired people".

* You consider a three piece suit to be: a pair of overalls, a plaid flannel shirt and thermal underwear.

* The fifth grade is referred to as "your senior year."

* You have 5 cars that are immobile and a house that is!

* Your dawg is worth more to you than the truck you drive her around in.

* Your belt buckle weighs more than three pounds.

* You think that safe sex is a padded headboard on the waterbed.

* You think that John Deere Green, Ford Blue, and Primer Gray are the three primary colors.

* You think the last words to The Star Spangled Banner are "Gentlemen, start your engines."

* You think God looks a lot like Hank Williams, Jr., and heaven looks a lot like Daytona Beach, Florida.

* You believe dual air bags refer to your wife and mother-in-law.

* Your father executes the "pull my finger" trick during Christmas dinner.

* You've got more than one brother named 'Darryl'.

* The people on the Jerry Springer show remind you of your neighbors.

* You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.

* You think subdivision is part of a math problem.

* You can get dawg hair from out of your belly button.

* You can't get married to yer sweetheart 'cause there is a law aggin' it.

* You can change the oil in your truck without ducking your head.

* You think loading the dishwasher means getting your wife drunk.

* You take a load to the dump and bring back more than you took.

* You believe Moon Pies are a major food group.

* You think a woman who is "out of your league" bowls on a different night.

* The Halloween pumpkin on your front porch has more teeth than your wife.

* You think taking a bubble bath starts with eating beans for dinner.


Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics, redneck, peta, Ingrid Newkirk, pick up truck, white trash, junk car, humor

Sightseeing In Augusta, Georgia.....or how to spend a "golf-free" day during Masters' Week

It's Spring. The Japanese Magnolias and the Dogwoods are in full bloom. School is out for the week. There's only one problem: It's Masters' Week - the week where golf aficionados and zany fans alike descend on Augusta from all over the world. Washington Road is virtually impassable, sane people have decamped for the duration, and crazy people have all the local golf courses booked solid. So how should those who have stayed in town and those who aren't crazy for golf entertain themselves? And, God help us all, entertain the children?

Here's the family tested, mother approved, relatively inexpensive list:

*Artists' Row: Broad Street (mainly 700-1200 blocks) An eclectic collection of local art galleries, special boutiques and unique cafes.

*Augusta Cotton Exchange: 32 Eight Street Constructed in 1886 to house the business activities of cotton farmers, brokers, and buyers, the Cotton Exchange was once the second largest cotton market in the world. The bank lobby displays cotton-era artifacts such as the trading board that listed cotton prices, as well as an 1880s-era walnut bank teller line and period furnishings.

*Augusta Common: 836 Reynolds Street A park space that links Broad Street to Riverwalk.

*Riverwalk: 836 Reynolds Street Riverwalk has so much to offer, but most important to families is the playground right on the water. "Nuff said.

*Augusta History Museum: 560 Reynolds Street Don't miss Augusta's Story - a 12,000-year journey through local history. Interactive - great for kids.

If you're coming to Augusta, I hope you find time to visit these attractions....


Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, Georgia

Roomba Cats!

OMG! Funny as hell!

And another one!







And of course, the Roomba Surfing Kitten of Doom!

Get Rid of the "R" Word

Disclaimer: I have some really amazing neighbors. Writing about the bad behavior of one and alluding to the bad behavior of a few in no way means that they are all idiotic jerks.


Today, the management of the Special Olympics announced a campaign to end use of the "R" word.



This campaign has set March 3, 2010 as the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word by encouraging people to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.

I grew up volunteering at a school for the intellectually and physically disabled. My mother retired from that same school. I remember going to school and being dismayed at people being described as "retards" and silly things described as "retarded." In college, I worked at various schools for the intellectually disabled. Back then, using the term "retarded" in a clinical sense was considered acceptable, but some people were starting to use the term "developmentally disabled."

As a Family Advocate, I deal with a wide range of people with diverse experiences and abilities. I am also hearing impaired, so I've dealt with my share of idiots with bad attitudes. I also live in a neighborhood where tolerance, as I have found, is only practiced by a few. This is a lesson I re-learned the hard way just this past Halloween.

About 6 months ago, my friend Billy came to live with us. Billy is mildly intellectually disabled, but functions amazingly well. I got to know Billy after he and I were both named as defendants in a crazy lawsuit. Stalking and harassment relating to the lawsuit got so bad for him, we decided it would be best if he came to Georgia to live with us. So he did, and was settling in relatively well with us and becoming part of the family. (Bear with me, I do have a point.)

The morning of Halloween, the police were called to my house twice. It seems a neighbor of mine decided Billy and/or his car (the neighbor changed his story several times so go figure) didn't belong in the neighborhood. (Can anybody say deja vu?) After attempting to question Billy, this neighbor decided Billy needed an attitude adjustment and called the police. Since Billy lived here (at 811 Aumond Place East, Augusta, Georgia 30909 in case you're curious) and had the driver's license to prove it, the police wished him a Happy Haloween and went on their way.

But, no - the fun wasn't over yet. This same neighbor came back to our property and started taking pictures of Billy. Creepy, right? So Billy wrote down his tag number. Then this neighbor called the police AGAIN, this time claiming that Billy was "menacing" him. The neighbor neglected to let the police dispatcher know that the "menacing" was being done with a pencil and a piece of paper. So here come the police again. This time the neighbor insists that the officers ring our doorbell. (Isn't it great to live in a neighborhood where people think they can treat the police as their personal servants? Believe me, I have some funny stories.)

The police officers were wonderful. The neighbor acted like an ass. At one point, my husband (the long-suffering Rick) tried to explain to all and sundry assembled on our doorstep that Billy was "challenged." Rick's words - give him a break, he had just woken up. The crazy neighbor responded with (and this is where I make my point, thanks for waiting) "I don't care how much of a RETARD he is!"

Well, okay then, asshole. That one word, notwithstanding the unacceptable behavior that went with it, undid 25 years of neighborly good-will. Gone. Poof.

Why would anybody but an asshole use language meant to hurt unless they meant to be hurtful? Maybe there's a kind of logical reason, but I don't care. I may not be able to fix the world, but I can sign The Pledge and I can commit to zero tolerance for the "R" word on my property and in my presence.

In other words, come on my property again and call a member of my family the "R" word.....and I. will. kick. your. ass. ....And then publish your name next time.

Why is Brandon Neely a Moron or a War Criminal?

When I came across this story, I thought it provided an interesting look into circumstances most of us can't even begin to wrap our heads around. I started googling for more information. I should not have been surprised by what I read.

Brandon Neely served our country as a Military Policeman in the Army. In 2002, Neely spent 6 months as a guard at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray. He was 22 years old. He arrived in Cuba ready to take his government at its word; ready to believe that he would be guarding the absolute worst examples of hate-filled terrorists - those directly responsible for the 9/11 massacre. What he found, though, was not quite what he expected. And I don't think Neely found himself to be what he expected either.

Neely related one disturbing experience caused primarily by language barriers and no doubt exacerbated by brutal treatment the prisoners had been dealt prior to their arrival: Neely was attempting to get an elderly prisoner to kneel so he (the prisoner) could be unshackled. The terrified old man thought he was being forced to kneel in order to be shot. He struggled. Neely believed he was in danger from the fighting prisoner. He slammed the old man's head into the ground in an effort to subdue him. Neely freely admits to his actions and shows remorse, even though he could not have been expected to know any diffferent at the time. For this, Neely is being called a War Criminal and a moron by a gang of keyboard-warrior douche-bags hiding behind their computer generated anonymity.

Neely saw some ugly things at Camp X-Ray. It took him some time to clear the cobwebs from his head and really see what was in front of his eyes. Remember he expected his charges to be horrendously evil and maybe not quite human. He didn't speak up as soon as he should have. I'll concede that. But he's speaking up NOW. That counts for at least something.

Moving on, let's look at the 2 former captives Neely has recently met with, Shafiq Rasul and Rufal Ahmed. Were these dangerous jihadis who hated freedom and wanted to destroy America? Were they fanatical terrorists? Hardly. They were no different from thousands of other fun-seeking boys around the world. Like a real life version of Harold and Kumar, these 2 knuckleheads were willing to travel across the world to smoke pot without parental interference. Both Rasul and Ahmed have more likely than not mortified their families, and will be forever remembered as the 2 geniuses who went out into the world to get high and ended up imprisoned at Camp X-Ray.

But I still think the reunion is a damn good story.

Moi!

Here I am in yet another doctor's office....

Mobile post sent by dorothybaez using Utterli. Replies.

My Comment on the TSA Blog

There is currently a lively discussion going on the Travel Safety and Security forum at Flyer Talk about Mikey, the 8 year old Cub Scout who seems to be on a government terror watchlist. Blogger Bob, who writes for the TSA blog, seems to find Mikey's situation amusing.

In fact, here's a quote from Blogger Bob: "It’s inevitable that every several months or so, some cute kid gets their mug posted on a major news publication with a headline reading something like: “Does this look like a terrorist to you?” Anything involving kids or cats gets tons of mileage and everybody starts tweeting and retweeting that there’s an 8 year old on the no fly list."

There has been no shortage of comments on the TSA's blog. Here's a good one: "In the meantime, we still get to touch your children... all in the name of safety." - abelard

And we all know I can't help but have something to say. Here it is:




This is what I find most disturbing about the mistakes being made as to the "special" screenings of children.


As parents, we take pains to remind our children that they have the right to bodily integrity and control. "You don't have to let anyone touch you in 'places.'" (That's what we called it when my children were, well, children.)


Small children have a need to see their parents as "all powerful." They need this to feel safe in a world much bigger than they are. This is crucial to a child's psycho-social development. A young child needs to feel that her parents can outfight any "bad guy" who tries to bother or hurt her.


I cannot imagine standing for either of my boys being frisked by a stranger while crying with terror. Those who know me probably can't imagine it either. I tend to be aggressive when it comes to my children. Seriously aggressive.


I have to say I'm surprised that no child has fought back, or that no parents have stepped in to physically defend their children. It's only a matter of time.

Y'all need to shape up before somebody gets hurt.

Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, politics, TSA, terrorism, cyber-dissident, Family, Law Enforcement,

An Open Letter to Paul Watson

I have long admired Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd. Watson wrote an article this past Friday as a response to a news item posted on ChristianNewsWire I was disturbed to read that Watson has such a low opinion towards people of faith. So I have written an open letter to him. I've tried my best to use a gentle tone and to not be my usual bitchy, snarky self. So here goes. Ahem....

Dear Captain Watson:

I am in complete agreement with Sea Shepherd's goals of protecting the oceans and those who live there. My commitment to everyone who inhabits the earth is, for me, an extension of my Christian faith. Granted my beliefs may be considered eclectic, but I do believe. So I have some things to say to you about your negative attitude towards religious people. Here goes:

You are a public figure. There's no escaping that fact. People listen when you speak. Calling the Bible "a silly over-rated book written by a gang of chauvinistic sheep herding thugs in the desert a few thousand years ago" is insulting to the very people of faith who have such potential for providing support for your cause.

Social movements are often begun and supported by people of faith. So it may be in yours and Sea Shepherd's best interests to at least not go out of your way to insult the very people who could be dedicated supporters. Please consider this.

You are right when you say that all of God's creatures are interdependent. And, yes I'm calling all of us "God's creatures." That's my worldview and what guides my actions. I'm not insulting you or what you believe. Please consider treating people of faith with the same respect.

I'm sorry that you think we are all just "animals." I believe that all God's creatures, including people, have souls and a divine spark inside. Even if there was no extinction crisis afoot, I would still be in favor of saving individuals. To my way of thinking, seeing individuals instead of only species, is a Christ-like view of the world. And my goal as a human being is to do my best to be Christ-like. That goal is a valid one, and people like me are not deserving of ridicule. Moving on....

You call religious and spiritual beliefs "biblical fantasies of a monkey God figure in the sky." Then you basically call God a dumb-ass: "he certainly has not demonstrated much expertise in stewardship considering the mass extinction of species we are presently responsible for." The stewardship issue is due to the sinful nature of human beings. It's not God's fault we're irresponsible and destructive.

I'm not asking you to suddenly find Jesus. All I'm asking is that you refrain from purposefully insulting those of us who have. You say you don't worship whales. Neither do I. But we both want to help them. Please don't make enemies out of Christians just for the sake of feeling superior to us.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez




Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics, Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd

Prosperity Altar

I finally set up a Prosperity Altar, after procrastinating for almost 6 months. A Prosperity Altar is surprisingly simple to make, and I'm looking forward to more money during 2010.

Here's what I did:

I took a silver tray and covered it with a green cloth. Any type of tray would do, but try to get a green cloth is you can. On top of the cloth, I scattered dollar bills across the cloth and then sprinkled gold and silver glitter.

Then I dressed a green candle with gold & silver, steady work, and magnet oils.. The candle went into a glass container from a work candle, and that went into a glass bowl.

I'm going to continue to add things like corn, silver dimes, photos of things that represent "the good life" to me....

2010???

Well, we're into 2010 and I had decided last fall that this year was going to be "The Year of Dorothy." As in I plan to simplify my life, really take stock of what is important to me....yada yada yada. I've put others first for so long that I'm looking forward to indulging myself a little.

So, I found myself looking at various predictions for this year, and according to my source, Yemaya will be in charge this year, and guess what? I am a child of Yemaya!

So, it seems like everything is on track for the "Year of Dorothy." My granddaughter is due in April - I look forward to having a "Minnie Me" to play with. My children are healthy. Spiritually, I'm in a good place. I'm finally organized and the house runs smoothly. (Damn, can you imagine?) I'm planning a web based sort of half reality series half mockumentary series, along with some other projects that I'm keeping to myself for the time being.

I don't make New Year's resolutions - instead I set goals and plan projects. So, ahem: I want to improve my Spanish and learn a little Chinese. I want to ride a mechanical bull. I want to finally finish my second book. I want to do some renovations on my greenhouse. I want to build an aviary for my pigeon. I want to (maybe) get my nose pierced. I want to expend the same effort making myself happy that I spend making others happy.

Off to the races!

Found on the internet....

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2,000 sq. foot house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year-old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a superman cape. It is strong enough, however, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20X20 foot room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using the ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "Uh-oh", it's already too late.

8. A six-year-old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies. A magnifying glass can start a fire even on an overcast day.

9. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it. 11. Play Dough and Microwave should never be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably do not want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, Texas has a 5 minute response time.

Tags: Dorothy Kernaghan-Baez, AFRA, family rights, twitter, cyber-dissident, tarot cards, psychic, DFACS, Georgia, politics

my handsome boy!

Mobile post sent by dorothybaez using Utterli.  Replies.

Beautiful Bubbles the Bulldog has had her Bath!



This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!



To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.



Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Mobile post sent by dorothybaez using Utterli.  Replies.