Irrational Fear

Irrational fears seem to drive the uninformed these days.  Two weeks ago I was at a suburban house party (174 Street and Cinnamon Circle) and I heard a mother say to another guest that "I will not let my daughter go to 90th and Maple street" where her boyfriend lives because the area is to dangerous.  I just about fell off my chair.  I hope I didn't roll my eyes in an uncontrolled response.  I find it hilarious what these suburbanites view as "dangerous".  The "danger zone" is in what urban planners would call the First Ring of Omaha suburban neighborhoods built in the 1970's. An area best described as modest sized 3 bedroom homes (from an era before everyone wanted a McMansion), leafy streets, two cars in every garage and a chicken in every pot. 
 
In Sunday's newspaper a mother ranted on about her irrational fear of homeless people in downtown Omaha.  (She is also most likely fearful of Mexicans and black people).  She claimed to be incapable of going downtown any more because the homeless had taken over the Park and Main Library.  I go to the Central Park and the Main Library often and yes there are homeless there.  The homeless I have seen in the Library are reading or researching quietly.  At the same children are reading, studying and getting on the computers in the same heavily used Library.  The homeless people I see in the park are sleeping under a tree or sitting or sitting and visiting with other homeless people.  Hardly the threatening kind of situation painted in the letter in the paper.  She also ranted on about her tax dollars paying to maintain the park she could not use.  I feel sorry for people like this suburbanite woman and I know our city is full of them. 
 
Today the Omaha paper's headline reports "Few Terror Connections Proved".  As it appears of the 35 cases against "Terrorist" in Iowa in the last two years, not one person was actually charged with being a terrorist.  So how can  the US Dept of Justice claim this and why would they make such a claim?  Could it be to whip up some more irrational fear in voters concerning terrorism? 
 
Why do we live in an age of such irrational fear?

I was oblivious to the escalating panic

I will begin at the end, Tammy is safe and sound. The reason she never answered her cell phone is because Sprint has no cell phone service or agreement with the cell phone service providers in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Now to the begining. All week I had been communicating via email and cell phone with a Tammy S. who happens to live in Denver. She is in the process of buying a condo and wanted some real estate advice which in the end saved her from a questionable realtor. (another story) I knew Tammy was leaving Friday to drive to Rapid City and would continue her negotiations for the condo on Monday. Late Friday afternoon I emailed her for the last time and ended my email "... drive safe."

Saturday evening I returned home to a message from Deb saying that Tammy left Denver Friday and told her mom, as she was driving out of the city, that traffic was bad and that she would call when she got to Rapid City. For what ever reason Tammy never called Friday night, Saturday morning nor all day Saturday. Tammy's mom called Deb in a panic Saturday. Deb then left a message for me since Tammy's mom told Deb that Tammy and I had been talking about her condo all week. However, none of us knew who she was going to see in Rapid City. As the hours ticked by all of us grew more alarmed by the lack of communication with Tammy. Was she in a car accident on a rural part of highway? If so which state? Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota? No one knew her route or where she was staying. No one answered her cell phone.

Late last night, as Tammy rejoined the technology age by returing to Denver, she found out that without her knowledge the world was frantically looking for her and had left 39 voice messages on her cell phone. Tammy broadcast a Monday morning email to try and communicate with everyone that was drug into the group of concerned people or Chicken Little League (as I am calling us now). As Tammy stated, "I was oblivious to the escalating panic. Thank you for all your prayers. I hope that since they were not needed, I hope they are now deposited in my 'Husband Search' prayer account."

At leaste she has a sense of humor.

My sister & World Trade Center behind her 

I was just watching Anderson Cooper on CNN and the newly released video of 2 highjackers going through the airport security on 9/11.  It caused me to remember the entire awful day and that day's events that I watched live on TV, at work.  I dug out my personal snap shots from visits to NYC.  I have green Post-it flags sticking out of the pages.  I had forgotten that I had done that.  You put things in the buffet and they tend to be archived.  The flags indicate photos containing the World Trade Center. 

Above is a picture of my sister and was taken by me during the second of 2 trips to New York City.  Our brother lived in Brooklyn.  I took my old Olympus 35mm camera and took photos, many photos that happened to include the WTC.  I watched the replaying of the highjackers going through the security and the machines flashing alarms and then the guys allowed to pass.  That does not surprise me at all.  That shouldn't surprise anyone. 

I witnessed the very same thing before 9/11 almost every time I flew somewhere.  I remember one specific time very clearly to this day.  It was before 9/11 and at Omaha's Epply Airfield.  A women went through the metal detector.  It went off. A female security guard asked her to step to the side to be scanned a second time.  The lady walked off as the overwhelmed security guard rolled her eyes and went back to work.  I was so alarmed that I followed the women to make sure she was not going to get on my flight (instinct is in self preservation).  She did not.  I was relieved. I really wonder if all the checking at the airport is a feel good exercise.  If someone really wanted to...

Terrorists under every stone.

The US Dept of Justice claims that it has built 35 terrorist cases in Iowa in the last two years.  Who knew that in the hamlets and corn fields of Iowa sleeper cells awaited to be activated at a minutes notice.  Here are a few of the "terrorists" cases as reported by the Des Moines Register.
 

• Four American-born laborers who omitted mention of prior drug convictions or other crimes when they were assigned by a contractor to a runway construction project at the Des Moines airport for manual-labor jobs there.
• Five Mexican citizens who stole cans of baby formula from store shelves throughout Iowa and sold them to a man of Arab descent for later resale.
• Two Pakistani men who entered into or solicited sham marriages so they and their friends could continue to live in Waterloo (Iowa) area and work at convenience stores there.

Also reported by the Des Moines Register...

U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt said, "If there have been terrorism-related  arrests in Iowa, I haven't heard of them."

And every Republican wonders why Fahrenheit 911 is such a popular movie.

 

Who Needs Sparks?

I was at a back yard party last night after the 311 concert at Memorial Park.  We had a bonfire going and it was late into the night when I heard what to me was the most absurd thing I had ever heard.  A young gal in her early twenties makes the statement that she broke up with her boyfriend of  2 years because she met a new guy at work.  She no longer had the "sparks" for  her old guy and so jumped on the new one.   I rolled my eyes in the firelight and kept my mouth shut.
 
For some time now, it has been known to science, that when two people are attracted to each other their brains release chemicals that make them have those "sparky" feelings.  After a period of two to three years those chemicals slowly subside and are replaced by chemicals that give us, supposedly, a more calm and relaxed effect on one another.  If you have watched enough cable TV in the past few years, specifically the TLC (Total Learning Channel) or Discovery Channel, eventually you would have also seen the shows on how kissing releases a chemical from the brain that induces a bonding between two people.  I always give the advice to friends that if they don't kiss their dates, eventually it will  go nowhere.  Is this sound advice? 
 
This all sounds way to clinical but I think in the long run it could help us all understand relationships and bonding better.  Yes, Love is an emotion but it is also a frame of mind and partially a chemistry project.  I think if we all had a better understanding of how these chemicals come and go we could have a better handle on ourown feelings and emotions and in turn our relationships.
 
With that all said, I have to leave in 15 minutes to meet a date for lunch.  Wish me and my theories luck.
 

All dressed up and no where to go 

I started this morning with a clap of thunder rolling in from the distant prairie. It was around 5am. It sounded fairly intense and continue to grow so I got up and turned on the tv to see if any weather info was running across the screen. Sure enough, Thunderstorm Warning, I got back in bed (note my alarm). The storm lasted long enough and loud enough that I never fell back to sleep. By the time it had all passed it was quarter to 7, which is when I wanted to get up anyway.

You see, I had passed on going into a head hunter yesterday afternoon because I had been working in the yard and it was a hot and humid day. I suggest meeting this morning around 9 or 10. I figured it would still be cool out and would be more comfortable when in business attire. Robin at the head hunters shop said she would call me back and let me know what time. So I planned on getting up at 7am in order to be fully wake and ready if I needed to drive to her office by 9am.

It is now 11:14am. I feel like I was stood up on a Friday night. All dressed up and ready to interview but no call. What a wasted morning.

Midtown Study Passes Planning Board

Since I am wholely unemployed right now I went to this months city Planning Board meeting last week. Amazingly six of the seven board members were present when the meeting began. Since being passed over twice for a position on the Planning Board I find their activities and attendance more interesting. In defence of the democratic process, I found the days proceedings a good start to bringing back the public process that good government should be (city council take note).

I was attending due to my interest and suport of the Destination Midtown Study. However, when the Midtown proposal came before the board there was very little discussion and no public presentation. How strange for such a huge item on the adgenda. I fear to say that the canned speaches by the proponents at this board meeting and the surprise appearence by mayor Fahey were just a formality and the the standard back door decision making process must have already taken place. To bad.

Freshly back from attendance at the Congress for the New Urbanism, held in downtown Chicago, I was fired up to participate in the initial application to adopt the plan into the City's Master Plan. Chicago is moving at a rate of speed for downtown redevelopement that one can only catagorize as "full steam ahead". If only our own fair city would take up such a proactive and quality of life building endevor instead of the usuall lip service. Being the origin of the City Beautiful movement it is fitting the mayor Daly has decided that Chicago will be the most green city in America. He has planted 400,000plus tree and planted tens of lane miles of flowers tended daily by the army of public works employees. Their city truely shines.

Midtown Study recommends turning Saddle Creek road back into a creek

Midtown study suggest turning this street back into a creek. 

The Beginning

I just spent the last evening and morning catching up with the ramblings of a friend's blog, who just happens to live in Dublin, Ireland(another story). I suddenly remember her telling me I should start a Blog. I googled "blog" and one day later here I am.

So where do I start?