I'm going through a lot of heartache and worry these days about a personal situation bigger way than I am.

A special old friend wrote me a comforting e-mail. He had read my blog item about hearing the song "Downtown" and the special meaning it had for me. While I put a negative spin on my feelings when I heard the song, he reminded me to make sure to see that the glass is always 3/4 full than being 3/4 empty in the most beautiful way possible.

He wrote, "I saw your blog mention of "Downtown" by Petula Clark. It is an upbeat song, full of promise and hope. Please hold onto both at all times."

Being a man of many, many words, all I can say is, "wow." Petula Clark rules! And my super wonderful friend S. in Portland, OR rules, too....along with those who are holding up this oak tree who is swaying in every direction in this storm.



Downtown

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go-downtown
WHen you're got worries all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know-downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares
So go downtown
Things'll be great when your-downtown
No finer place for sure-downtown
Everything's waiting for you
Downtown

Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows-downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go
To where they never close-downtown

Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with 'em too before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares

So go downtown
Where all the lights are bright-downtown
Waiting for you tonight-downtown
You're gonna be alright now
Downtown

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
SOmeone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to guide them along

So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles forget all our cares
So go downtown
Things'll be great when you're-downtown
Don't wait a minute more
Downtown-everything's waiting for you
Downtown (everything's waiting for you)
Downtown etc., etc.

"My face is red and black, the top of my head is tiger spots, my hair are black feathers."

Something has really been bugging me ever since I heard Gwen Stefani's song, "Hollaback Girl."

Her music video by the same name featuring her in a cheerleader's outfit and a marching band makes no sense. A whole in the back? Perhaps until now.

The lyrics in question are, "I heard that you were talking sh** And you didn't think that I would hear it. People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack. . . . 'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl,I ain't no hollaback girl"

According to the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/) there seems to be an argument as to the real meaning...which means others have just been as confused. The one entry which ties it up perhaps somewhat neatly...

"A holla back girl is a member of a cheerleading squad who repeats – hollers back - words that the squad leader shouts out to them. For example at a Pep Rally, cheerleaders might shout out “S-P-I-R-I-T” and the squad leader asks “What does that spell?” and the holla back girls respond – hollering back “SPIRIT”. In the context of Gwen Stefani’s song “Hollaback Girl”, the term also refers to a girl who has heard about some guy talking bad about her and she isn’t just going to take it – she is going to be the leader, take charge and put an end to his verbal “cheerleading”.

Gwen Stefani lyrics - "I heard that you were talking sh** And you didn't think that I would hear it. People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack. . . . 'Cause I ain't no hollaback girl,I ain't no hollaback girl."

The definition which seems to be the one most others agree with (724 to 84)...

A girl that is willing to be treated like a doormat or booty call. She is a girl that will allow guys to do whatever they want with her and will just wait for them to 'holla back' at them.

I definitely will be sleeping more easily now that I know this.

I've been dealing with a VERY stressful situation for the past week. Of all people I figured out the powerful medicine of music when I walked into my local post office and heard one of my all time favorite songs, "Downtown" as sung by Petula Clark. I've always loved the words, the melody, and the wonderful memories of a time when I lived in Portland, OR and life was a lot simpler and the future seemed to be paved only with happy times, etc.

Damn it felt good...

Sigh....

Isn't that special...on the surface an article in the Washington Post reports about a breach of security at a nuclear power plant in Tennessee. Buried in the article is one line that should send shiver up the spine of every American and should make everyone realize that President Bush is Mexico President Vincente Fox's puppy dog. Shame, President Bush!

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Sixteen foreign-born construction workers with phony immigration documents were able to enter a nuclear weapons plant in eastern Tennessee because of lax security controls, a federal report said Monday.

Controls at the Y-12 weapons plant have since been tightened and there was no evidence the workers had access to any sensitive documents, said the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear weapons facilities for the Department of Energy. However, the DOE inspector general's office said in the report issued Monday that its field agents found "official use only" documents "lying unprotected in a construction trailer which was accessed by the foreign construction workers" at the plant.

"Thus, these individuals were afforded opportunities to access ... (this) information," the inspector general wrote. "We concluded that this situation represented a potentially serious access control and security problem." The report, initiated by a tip in 2004, said the workers had fake green cards that certified them to work in the United States. Their cases were turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for deportation.

THis is how I'm feeling right now....

JOURNEY - TRIAL BY FIRE

treasures in the jars of clay

let the light shine out of darkness

fallen down but not destroyed

it's just another trial by fire

in my song i'll send a prayer

do you know me, do you hear me

where's the will to face this shame

it's just another trial by fire

hello mr moon

can i have some time with you?

trouble keeps me runnin'

you can see it comin'

i know who shines down on you

hello mr moon

i've come back to talk to you

all my life i'm runnin'

from a love that's comin'

saving grace please pull me through

in my doubt i can't believe

like a wave tossed where the wind blows

tears of faith temper my soul

just another trial by fire

just another trial by fire

I support the US invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein.
I support the Middle East finally getting through its head that we are not a country to be f**ked with....and we are not going to tolerate radical whacked out Muslims to bomb our countries and kill some three thousand of our citizens.

But what about the invasion of US by Mexicans and other societal miscreants on our porous southern (and northern) borders? I want to be calmed about that...not necessarily about a justified war.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing growing pressure to bring troops home from Iraq, President Bush is launching a public relations campaign to try to calm anxieties about the war.
Bush scheduled a major address for June 28, the one-year anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty from the U.S.-led coalition to Iraqis. Four days before that, he will meet at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, who heads the transitional government chosen after January elections. The president also plans a series of radio addresses and appearances outside Washington. He will emphasize the importance of democracy in Iraq and elsewhere when he meets with fellow world leaders in Gleneagles, Scotland, in July, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. The president's campaign comes as the U.S. death toll in Iraq has climbed above 1,700. A relentless wave of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings has killed at least 1,070 just since al-Jaafari's government was announced April 28.

Former Texas Governor Anne King said many years ago about Dubya's dad, "Poor George, he keeps putting his foot in his mouth." It would seem that Dubya has the same hoof-and-mouth affliction when he goes around complaining about the Democratic party so-called obstructionist ways. What about Dubya's obstructionist ways on not dealing with the ballooning health care crisis, the lack of border security where millions of Mexicans are illegally coming into the United States? Huh?

(Washington Times) President Bush last night ripped the Democratic Party as do-nothing obstructionists bent on derailing his reform agenda, saying that on issue after issue, Democratic leaders in Congress 'stand for nothing except obstruction, and this is not leadership.'
At an evening congressional gala at the Washington Convention Center -- which drew $23 million for House and Senate Republican candidates and amounted to the kickoff of the 2006 political campaign season -- the president drew standing ovations from Republican faithful as he hammered Democrats for offering no solutions to the nation's most pressing problems.
'If leaders of the other party have innovative ideas, let's hear them. But if they have no ideas or policies except obstruction, they should step aside and let others lead,' Mr. Bush said to thunderous applause from more than 5,000 supporters.
The president, who has spent the past several months seeking consensus on his Social Security reform package and reaching out to Democrats with nonconfrontational rhetoric, said opposition party leaders are pursuing 'the philosophy of the stop sign, the agenda of the roadblock, and our country and our children deserve better.'
'Political parties that choose the path of obstruction will not gain the trust of the American people,' he said at the event dubbed 'the 2005 President's Dinner.'
Mr. Bush said political parties can take one of two approaches: 'One approach is to lead, to focus on the people's business, to take on the tough problems, and that is exactly what our party is doing.

Well, it looks like old presidents don't fade away....they go senile...

Former President Carter, the one president who should keep on doing his good works by building houses for the downtrodden and writes books about fishing, thinks that the Guantanamo Bay detention center should be closed "to show that the US has a committment to human rights." Well, Pres. Peanut Brain, do the enemy combatants who are being detained there have a similar committment to human rights? The answer is no. These detainees are people who have no regard for human rights when they bomb and kill all in the name of Allah. Perhaps we should then empty the zoos and wild animal parks to show our committment to the rights of animals. Perhaps we should stop spraying for mosquitos who are carriers of the West Nile disease because we are not being kind enough to animal and plant life.

When President Carter was being so totally ignored by Presidents Clinton and Bush during their campaign for tsunami relief tells me that the old peanut farmer is trying to get back into the news headlines.

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Carter on Tuesday called for the United States to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison to demonstrate its commitment to human rights. "The U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation ... because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in "bold reminder that America is determined to promote freedom and democracy around the world," Carter said.

About 540 detainees are being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Some have been there more than three years without being charged with a crime. Most were captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and were sent to Guantanamo Bay in hope of extracting useful intelligence about the al-Qaida terrorist network.

A friend of mind made a really good point: "I'm finding these days that I'm more often trying to point out to people rather than being mad they should analyze why things happened or why the person is the way they are. Often you'll end up just feeling sad for them instead of hating them."

Food For Thought...

Illegal immigration is getting to be a major problem that is getting more out of hand here in San Diego. The news media tries to be very politically correct by referring to the "illegal aliens" as "undocumented workers." As a radio talk show today pointed out, does that make someone who breaks into your house an "undocumented guest"?

Tonight I think I found the mantra by which I have always tried to live by...


To laugh often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children.

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty. To find the best in others.

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition.

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.


Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's the deal here?

The news media and the NYPD get all upset because they nab "Desperate Housewives" star Cody "Zach" Kasch outside of a NYC bar puffing on a marijuana joint and issue him what is called a "desk appearance ticket." It is OK for Presidents to smoke marijuana yet "not inhale," but we go after regular citizens.... Something is wrong here methinks.

This past weekend was a pivotal mark in history for Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania when President Bush acknowledged the United States' (Pres. Roosevelt) mistake in participating in the Yalta Conference during World War II which divided Eastern European into spheres of influence. This agreement between the US, Britain and the Soviet Union paved the way for the enslavement of the Baltic States. My mother was a refugee -- who along with my grandmother and aunt -- escaped from certain death from the hands of the Russians in Latvia. My grandfather, a high-ranking judge in Latvia, was executed by the Russians. My mother was also on the list to be killed just because she was his daughter. President Bush also acknowledged how the Baltic States have been at the forefront of the democracy movement in Eastern European and the current war on terror, and how Russia must take responsibility for its past occupation and genocide.

It was a very hard decision for the President of Latvia to attend the commemoration of the 60th Annivesary of the end of World War II in Moscow...a celebration which really marked the beginning of the time when the Baltic States magically disappeared from world maps. The end of World War II for us Balts came with the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

You can read more about my Baltic connection (along with two links to two great videos -- a commercial and a music video produced by the Latvian Tourism agency) on my website at www.ivarsonline.com under the "Heritage" link.

A friend will help you move, but a REAL friend will help you move bodies.

Ah spring, when love blooms, and unfortunately so does every damn plant in creation. Ivars shivers and coughs and sneezes piteously.

The dignitaries from 138 countries reflected the extraordinary mix of faiths and cultures that John Paul courted during his 26-year papacy: Orthodox bishops in long black robes, Jews in yarmulkes, Arabs in checkered head scarves, Central Asians in lambskin caps and Western political leaders in dark suits.

In a gesture the pope would certainly have applauded, Israeli President Moshe Katsav said he shook hands and chatted briefly with the leaders of his country's archenemies, Syria and Iran.

Obviously we CAN get beyond politics for at least 2.5 hours....

I really try to make myself look at issues from both liberal and conservative perspectives....which leads me up to the horrible situation with Terri Shaivo.

Pres. Shrub should not have intervened in this horrible family mess. That said, I don't understand liberals who will argue this point and decry the death penalty and call it "cruel and unusual punishment," but had no qualms about TerryShiavo being subjected through a long, gruesome death via starvation. They decry the government intervention into the case, yet yelled and screamed for government intervention in the case of convicted felon Rodney "Can we get along here? Can we all get along?" King.

Law enforcement officials have said they fear the project will lead to vigilante violence. Mexico’s foreign relations department also pledged in the days leading up to the civilian operation to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the volunteers and ensure they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens.

The volunteers may alert authorities when they see someone cross the border, but are not allowed to detain anyone. The immigrant who complained he was held illegally was later picked up by the Border Patrol, and remains in custody.


I guess what this means is that the Mexican authorities are going to pursue all legal and diplomatic means to stop the American citizens from guarding the border because of the failure of the US Government to protect the sovereignty of the US bordrs, and ensure that they do not violate the rights of Mexican citizens to illegally cross the border into the United States. Meanwhile, George Bush, Mexico's co-President stares into the TV lights like a deer startled by car headlights.

Of course then you have the dimwits who go around carrying placards saying, "NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL."

Mugger steals bag of dog feces

According to police, an early-evening mugging in San Diego turned out to be a real waste for the crook involved.

San Diego police spokesperson Dave Cohen said that on March 28, an unidentified male suspect approached a woman walking her dog and snatched a plastic bag she was holding.

The suspect reportedly stopped to check the bag and discovered that the bag contained animal waste.

The angry suspect threw the bag to the ground and demanded money from the woman. When she told him that she had none, he pointed his gun at the woman's dog, Cohen said.

The man then allegedly pulled the trigger, but the firearm failed to discharge. The suspect attempted to shoot the animal a second time, but the gun again failed to fire.

Cohen said the man then fled the scene in a waiting silver car.

The suspect is described as Latino, in his 20s, with a stocky build and about 5 feet 8 inches tall. Anyone with information should contact the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.