Christine Dag News

Although classical radio in Washington has brought about an unexpected Haydn-renaissance on the airwaves (those 20-minute symphonies must make for very convenient programming), it’s still a joy to hear them in concert. Haydn (and Mozart) unclog the musical arteries (of the listener and the performers) and it is to the detriment of any symphony orchestra that neglects that part of the repertoire and leaves it to specialist- or chamber-orchestras.

The New York Philharmonic not only had both, Haydn (Symphony No. 85 “La Reine

Jose Angulo’s quest for a professional soccer contract has brought him to New England, where the former St. Benedict’s star and long-time Passaic County resident is training with the New England Revolution.

Angulo went through his first training session with the Revs on Tuesday morning and will spend the week with the club. The training stint is not a trial, because MLS rules prevent New England from signing a player directly out of high school.

Angulo, who is preparing to travel to Italy later this month to play in showcase tournaments with the hopes of securing a contract with a European club, has left open the possibility of signing with Major League Soccer and making himself available for the 2008 MLS Draft.

“I want to open the door to that possibility,” said Angulo, a Parade All-American at St. Benedict’s. “I still plan on going to Europe but I’m not going to rule anything out.”

The training stint with New England comes less than a month after a disappointing one-day training stint with the Red Bulls. Angulo spent just 45 minutes training with the Red Bulls before having to cut his session short with blisters on both feet. Red Bulls sources said the team wasn’t impressed with his fitness and basically didn’t invite him back.

If Angulo can impress New England it would put him in position to earn a contract offer from MLS, which would make him eligible for the 2008 MLS Draft if he accepted. At this point, Angulo still has every intention of going to Europe to try and land a contract with a top club.

Angulo has kept busy in recent weeks. He just helped the Sport Boys Paterson Under-19 team win the New Jersey State Cup last Sunday, scoring both goals in the final. The 19-year-old striker recorded 32 goals and 17 assists in leading St. Benedict’s Prep to an undefeated season and No. 1 national ranking last fall.

According to a recent article on Next Gen, the BBFC have published a report that identifies 11 key things about games and gamers. Many of the points are rather obvious and well-repeated, but a few are interesting:

6. People view game playing as a risk-free means of escapism and feel in control of game experiences as opposed to real life.

7. Game playing is active and brings about feelings of achievement as opposed to passive forms of entertainment such as TV and film. Gamers are driven by achievement but are unlikely to become emotionally involved. They care more about progress than elements such as storytelling.

Imagine if similar research was done with regard to readers. Most of the reading done on a day to day basis is probably newspapers, websites, emails and other functional reading. After that, perhaps glossy magazines and tabloid celebrity journalism. Then perhaps cookbooks, gardening manuals and educational textbooks. Based on this, as a global picture, you could be forgiven for thinking that

People view reading as an information gathering exercise that informs them of their world.

And

Reading is active and brings about feelings of knowledge imparting. Readers are driven by the need to acquire knowledge, and care more about that than storytelling.

A mad conclusion? Perhaps not, going on the majority use.

Of course it’s mad. The reason it’s mad is that we can distinguish between different kinds of reading activity. Any study would begin from the point of view that reading poetry, fiction and the sports page are different things. A poem is not a play is not a web page is not a novel is not a technical manual. We understand it because it’s convention.

There exists no such convention for games. Where we see different forms of reading, surprisingly few see different forms of playing. They see “games” and they see “gamers”. Beyond that they see “hardcore gamer” or “casual gamer” maybe, but that’s about it. In terms of game genres they see functional categories (puzzle, shooter, etc) and also aesthetic categories (survival horror, freestyle crime, roleplaying game) all sort of jumbled together as “genres”.

What they don’t see is forms.

It is my suggestion that there are in fact several forms of what we call game, and what we call gamer, and that by assuming that Minesweeper and Resident Evil are the same means that we will assume a series of majority-based ideas about what all games are. There is a difference between those who interact to “game” and those who interact to “play”, and the difference between gamers and players is one of perspective, much like the difference between factual and fictional readers.

Gamers play because they see a game as a system. Their perception of interactive games is very literal, about understanding the semiotic language of a game and figuring out how it ticks, how far it goes, or a combination of the above. Gamers are not automatons, and they much enjoy the visual or auditory elements in games, but they enjoy them because of their signifier value rather than their cultural content.

Players, on the other hand, see beyond the edges of the game into fantasy. Players see an imagined world in their heads when running down a corridor, flying a spaceship or typing “Go North”. A player sees a conversation between himself and the game. They’re the ones who think they can see things waving at them in the distance in Another World, and the ones for who adventures and some sense of creative direction tend to matter.

Of course, we are all gamers and players in part. Most of us are habitually more one than the other and most games cannot please both types equally. That’s like hoping that the latest cookbook will entertain us both in terms of what it can teach us about boiling a Christmas ham and its lyrical evocation of Greek poetry. Gamers are like factual lovers, whereas players are fictional lovers.The problem that both types have is that they are messing up each other’s turf. At the moment we have an ongoing debate and/or struggle between gamers and players over what the direction of the videogame should be. There are those who think it should be about the innovation and those that think it should be about the creation, and ne’er the two do meet but to fight. At the moment the gamers are in the ascendancy, but the players are due for a comeback.

There is no such thing as an all encompassing label that can define everything for both players and gamers. That is an anachronistic idea that belongs in the 80s. “Videogame” in that sense is old news. There are “videogames” and there are “videoplays” and they are different. Some of you are going to think this is nonsense. You’re going to say games are games are games. It’s only appeared that way up to now, as the medium is still young and has been finding its feet. Games are games, but they’re not plays. Poetry and cookbooks are both texts written in a common language, but there the similarities end. They are two forms of the same thing: reading. Videogames and videoplays are two forms of the same thing: interaction for entertainment.

What's the difference between a sex offender and a dog owner?  Apparently not much - both are ID'd and tracked through a government database.

That's why pet owners need to pay close attention and:

SAVE THE DATE : Friday, 4/27  - 10 -12 AM EST and tune into  www.WTPRN.com 

I'll be a guest on Dr. Katherine Albrecht's new Internet radio show, "Uncovering The Truth "  on We The People Radio Network for an important discussion about mandatory microchipping laws and their impact on civil liberties and privacy for pet owners.

This is not about the volunatary ID of your pet.

Involuntary or Mandatory Microchipping is the forced implantation of an RFID chip into your pet, followed by the capture of your data and registration into a database - just like a sex offender -  and the subsequent surveillance and tracking of your data. 

Mandatory microchipping laws for pets have been passed in Florida, Texas and other communities - and proposed laws are pending in lots of other places - including New York State.

This identification and surveillence - of both you and your pet - is not voluntary.  And mandatory microchipping laws are not about ………….getting Fluffy Home Again. 

Tune in this Friday to hear me with Dr. Katherine Albrecht, the host of "Uncovering The Truth "  and a Harvard graduate, she has been the pioneer in consumer and RFID privacy advocacy.

Dr. Albrecht is also the Founder and Director of CASPIAN, and the Co-author of "SPYCHIPS:  How Major Corporations and Government Plan To Track Your Every Move With RFID". 

In September of 2005, I wrote an essay entitled,  The PAWS Bill - Show Me The Money, Microchips and Political Power - about the possible real reason behind (the recently defeated) Sen. Rick Santorum's (R-PA) so-called "Puppy Mill Bill", and hypothesized this:

The PAWS Bill - A Private Cartel

That government mandated pet microchipping laws were the real motivation behind Rick Santorum's SB 1139 law, and NOT puppy mills - and that this "PAWS" bill would benefit a cartel of private businesses and nonprofit and government agencies that would collect, share and profit from data amongst themselves -  resulting in the virtual surveillance of every pet owner in the land.

That particular post brought all kinds of scary traffic to this blog, not just from dog owners, but from nearly every governmental agency in the land - from the FBI to Homeland Security to the Justice Department, the Dept. of the Interior - not to mention military visitors from the Army to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (www.dtra.mil) - not my usual readers.

Did it make sense to anyone that Rick Santorum - that right wing crusader was suddenly cavorting with the left wing to stop puppy mills?  Was Rick Santorum suddenly some sort of social justice advocate - crying out for justice for puppies?

This is not to infer that right wing conservatives support puppy mills, they don't, as pointed out by DP reader Barbara.

And in fact - while Dems were gunning for ole Rick - I would say it took a great deal of support of the conservative voters in PA to boot Mr. Santorum from office last fall - that, plus a rare, pro-life Democratic opponent - Bob Casey, Jr.

Before his ouster in the November mid-term elections, Rick Santorum was the third highest ranking Republican in the Senate.  He  was the keeper of the gate in the K Street crowd - brokering deals with lobbyists and negotiating private sector jobs for associates who would leap into lucrative  roles with defense contractors and lobbying firms - like microchip or RFID contractors - or so we hear.

So maybe it won't surprise you that former key Bush Admin Cabinet Members, like former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge now works for an RFID manufacturer.

And maybe it won't surprise you either that another first term Bush Cabinet Member - HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson - has been working for VeriChip - the major pet and human chip manufacturer.

And in case you didn't already know - Mr. Thompson - the hired frontman for human and animal microchipping  - has just resigned his post at VeriChip to run for President.

The PAWS Bill & NAIS - Is There A Connection?

Is there a connection between NAIS and the Paws Bill? Duh. 

Let's see - if you count Rick Santorum - who chaired the USDA Subcommittee on Research and Nutrition - and that same subcommitte was responsible for both the PAWS bill AND NAIS - I'd say yes.

And if you count on the fact that NAIS was the brainchild of the USDA - meaning Rick Santorum, the Department of Homeland Security - meaning Tom Ridge, and the Department of Health and Human Services - meaning Tommy Thompson - I'd say yes.

And - if you count the fact that VeriChip is at the very center of both NAIS - as the chip manufacturer as well as the outsourced vendor likely to be selected manage the giant animal and animal owner database - AND that VeriChip would reap a huge windfall should every pet in the land be chipped  - I'd say yes.

And - if you count the fact that Santorum's buddies - like Tommy Thompson - went to work for VeriChip as the posterboy for chipping people and animals - AND would probably stand to reap a significant financial reward as a result - I'd say yes.

Surveillance & Civil Liberties

Whether you're a citizen concerned about the expansion of spy powers under the Patriot Act or a small family or organic farmer that's threatened by government surveillance under NAIS -the National Animal Identification System  or small home breeder or just a dog owner concerned about the potential surveillence under the PAWS Bill (or the soon-to-be-reintroduced-new-and-improved version of PAWS)   - you'll want to tune in this Friday, 4/27 at 10 AM on www.WTPRN.com when we discuss Mandatory RFID for Pet Owners.

To clarify for some readers - this is not about microchipping animals as a means to recover lost pets. 

This is about the privacy issues and the threats to civil liberties, such as:

Who wants your data and why?

Is involuntary surveillance of this kind legal?

Does mandatory microchipping impact your civil liberties?

Will your local government give your data to special interest groups?

How mandatory microchipping may impact your insurance rates or housing?

Do you have any protections under the law?

What actions pet owners need to take to stop mandatory microchipping laws and involuntary surveillence in their communities

Local Goverments - Who's Watching You?

Other questions about involuntary or mandatory microchipping include:

Should local governments be able to pinpoint anyone in their community with a pitbull, Rottweiler,  Doberman, German Shepherd, Siberian Husky - or any other targeted breed?

Will mandatory microchipping facilite the enactment of more breed-specific or other anti-dog laws?

Will owners of such breeds be automatically singled out for higher licensing fees, insurance requirments etc.

Using mandatory microchipping as a means to track breeders, hunters  -or anyone with intact dogs - or as a means to enforce mandatory spay/neuter laws?

Is mandatory microchipping a gift to the pharmaceutical industry?

Who has access to the data - Insurance companies?  Animal rights groups?  Anyone that files a FOIA?

Will the data collected be protected? 

Who will manage that database - or will it be outsourced to VeriChip - or perhaps the HSUS or the ASPCA?

Will your local government crossmatch this data with other government databases - such as driver's licenses, criminal records, voting records, etc?

Don't miss out -tune in on  Friday morning to www.WTPRN.com  -that's We The People Radio Network - and listen to  "Uncovering The Truth "  when we cover pet mandatory microchipping laws , civil liberties and privacy:

Uncovering The Truth

Friday, April 27th

10 -12 AM EST 

www.WTPRN.com 

The Sleeper Threat

BTW - look at that photo at the top again and try to guess which of those chips pictured above is meant for pets and which is meant for humans? 

Or maybe it doesn't matter - since both chips can be used to track and identify the same data points -whether human or animal.

And you did know that the Home Again Chip and the human implantable chip are licensed in the U.S. by Schering Plough  - and both manufactured by VeriChip?

Given the fact that close to 80% of all household in the U.S. owns a pet, mandatory microchipping may just be one of the biggest sleeper threats to privacy, civil liberties and freedom in our history.

And here you thought that nice little RFID chip implanted  in Fluffy would just make sure Fluffy comes Home Again.

Gov. Ed Rendell plans to back two Republican senators' efforts to make some changes at the state's student aid agency after expressing outrage over the more than half-million dollars in bonuses awarded Thursday to executives. At a noontime news conference…

Many years ago, when I was a bit of a ‘cottager’, I was rather sniffy about cannas. My experience of them was limited to lacklustre municipal bedding displays, you’ve seen them: groups of pink petunias and pelargoniums with yellow flowered cannas, placed at monotonously regular intervals like vertical punctuation marks-yuk! Then I was given my first canna, Canna x ehemanii.
Not quite sure what to do with the creature I stuck it in the border then sat back and watched in wonder as it put on its show all summer, through autumn and into early winter. Its huge, banana-like leaves, edged with a maroon margin and pendulous cerise flowers, quite different to other canna flowers, captivated me. It endured a site with pretty impoverished soil, and little irrigation but was the jewel in my garden that summer. Right up until the first frosts in December it looked marvellous. And then I retreated to the warmth of the house and forgot about it. I had read somewhere that cannas were tender, and at the time, it was beyond my horticultural interest or ability to give winter protection, so I presumed all was lost. The following year I was amazed to see strong green shoots pushing through the soil and within no time the Canna was re-established and was full of flower by July. To this I added Canna ‘Wyoming’,
a really tall and robust canna with big burnished bronze leaves and huge, blowsy orange flowers. At the time gardeners were being ‘instructed’ to keep pinks well away from orange and for a while I considered I had made a style boo-boo by growing these plants so close together, then one evening I looked at the cannas through fresh eyes and realised that these plants looked astounding together, regardless of what the good taste brigade would think.
I gave a clump of ‘Wyoming’ to my flower appreciating but non-gardening parents and was annoyed a week later to see them planted against the north wall of their house. But Cannas need warmth and sun and a really rich soil I protested. Many years later, the colossal ‘Wyoming’ patch is doing mighty fine! A good, easy and hardy canna.As lovely and lustrous as the leaves of ‘Wyoming’ are I desired the darkest leaved canna available and so was drawn to Canna Australia,
a deep mahogany/black leaved canna with brilliant red flowers. The colour of both leaf and flower is frighteningly intense. I have found to my cost that it doesn’t survive UK winters and should be brought inside after the first frost has withered its leaves. ‘Australia’ is without doubt the prince of the dark leaved cannas but the king is unquestionably Canna ‘Durban’ aka ‘Tropicanna’.
Its leaves are the most exquisitely variegated in the plant kingdom, in shades of green, maroon, black and red. It can grow to 2m tall in the UK and has big show-off flowers like those of ‘Wyoming’. Every year there are any number of new canna introductions, most of them virtually identical to many of their predecessors. However, there is a new introduction that I definitely will be trying this year - Canna ‘Pink Sunburst’ with leaves similar to ‘Durban’ but short growing and with pink (yes pink) flowers. Remember – in ‘Canna World’ gaudy is good.
Many cannas are referred to as ’Water Cannas’ though in reality all cannas like a moist soil when in growth, and can be grown as pond marginals. A really good ‘water’ canna is Canna ‘Taney’. Its rate of growth and increase is quite phenomenal and can reach nearly 2.5m in a season. The flowers are a delicate tangerine, very pretty and not nearly as showy as some of the cultivars. These have survived with us for several years in the ground and in an outdoor pond. Canna ‘Endeavour’
is another excellent ‘water canna’ with large, leathery dark green leaves and scarlet flowers. It is very vigorous and makes big clumps of rhizomes very quickly.
Of the variegated cannas three are outstanding. Canna ‘Striata’
has really pronounced yellow and green variegation with big orange flowers and grows to 1.8m. The down side is that it seems more prone to Canna virus than any other canna. Canna ‘Bangkok’ aka ‘Striped Beauty’
is smaller in stature and has green and white variegation. Its flowers are yellow and have a white cross at the throat. An outstanding, if rather frustrating canna, is Canna ‘Stuttgart’. It has really stunning green and pure white variegation, however, any sunlight will scorch its leaves. Even a shaft of light through the dappled shade of trees will ruin its good looks. It really is a vampire of a plant and would probably be at its best if grown in a cellar!
For King Kong sized cannas, Canna musafolia
is a must. It has huge, banana like, dark green leaves with a maroon rim, on thick green/maroon stems up to 3m tall - it really does grow to musa (banana)-like proportions! Unfortunately it refuses to flower in the UK – even in the summer of 2003. Another magnificent, giant canna is Canna edulis
It doesn’t grow to quite the monster proportions of Canna musafolia but has huge, pleated, dark green leaves with a maroon blush. The rhizomes can become huge and are ball shaped. These push themselves upwards and can lie dangerously exposed on the surface of the ground. If you are considering leaving edulis in the ground over winter be sure to give the rhizomes a good, thick, protective mulch.

We have over wintered many cannas outside in the ground for years. A word of caution though: we have very well drained soil and the winters for the last decade or so have been reasonably mild. If a dreaded 1963-like freeze was to hit us we would undoubtedly loose the lot – hence we always have backups, which are brought into a frost-free environment. Forget washing and cleaning every last drop of soil from the rhizomes and carefully placing them in trays. We simply dig up clumps of cannas and pot them into the smallest pot that they will fit in, topped up with a free-draining compost mix. This is usually done after the first frosts have blackened the leaves. Cannas left in the ground are treated to a thick blanket of straw around the base. The foliage is left on the plants throughout the winter. This looks ghastly but resist tidying them, as cutting back the stems will leave a wound that is open to water entering and causing rot.

A word on Canna virus. Very little is known about Canna virus. It manifests itself in rust coloured streaks on the leaves. Sometimes these leaves are slightly distorted and puckered. Like many plants under stress, virused cannas will flower very early in the season and before the plant is full height. Over the years the canna will loose vigour and become increasingly unsightly. It is spread by sap sucking insects. I have heard it said that Cannas may have the ability to outgrow the virus but in my experience I haven’t found this to be the case. Some would advise (and this is a very bitter pill to swallow) to burn all your cannas and start again. If the thought of this is beyond the pale, at least destroy any known infected material and keep any new introductions well away from your potentially infected stock. I am staggered by the blatant ignorance and neglect of garden centres who display for sale quite obviously virused plants each year.

In a large office of people who interact only through e-mail, one still arises from the desk and ambles the 20 or so feet to the desk of the person with whom one needs to communicate.

A TV network will begin showing reruns of American Gladiator this weekend. The network in question is ESPN Classic. Is there really an audience of millions of Americans who regard the early ’90s as Ye Olden Days of Sports?

You may have noticed that the tasting room at Corey Creek Vineyards, sister winery to Bedell Cellears was closed for six days in March for some major, but quick renovations. Well, this Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28) it will officially re-open (even though it's been open since) with a new look, new focus and some new wines.

The newly renovated tasting room now features rich earth tones such as milk chocolate, copper, gold and red to coincide with the label colors of the wines.  New built-in displays will offer a new assortment of merchandise featuring local food products, wine products and apparel.  A new copper-topped wine bar offers a sophisticated setting for tasting the award winning wines.  The deck at the back of the tasting room remains, but is updated with new hardwood furniture and large copper planters overflowing with local flora.

Throughout the grand re-opening weekend there will be live music, special winemaker tours with Kelly Urbanik, assistant winemaker, a raffle and goody bags for the first 50 customers each day.

At the wine bar, they will be pouring their 2006 Gewurztraminer, 2006 Rose, Main Road Red, 2005 Cabernet Franc and Raspberry wine. I've had the rose and the cab franc and both are great. And if the 06 gewurzt is anything like the 05, make sure you get some before they sell out.

You may have noticed that there aren't many (okay, any) public events at Bedell Cellars. That is by choice, but the Bedell/CC crew is diverting from that practice quite a bit at Corey Creek.

For one, there will be live music every weekend from  July through October.  They will also host “Movie Night

I can’t say enough about how brilliant this protest was. The Franklin quote is overused, perhaps, having been driven into irrelevancy by the right during the Clinton years, but it feels good to throw it back into their faces. The silent turning of backs, though, has to be quite effective, and must be exceptionally harder to mock than other artful forms of protest involving signs, puppets, chants, and so on.
I think we have to find a way to get more of this done, and not just law students. There are a lot of people who need to know they deserve no respect.
In 1997, the Serbian people (and others in the were weary of war and ready to rid themselves of the war criminal Milosevic, but the power structure was trying to ensure that could not happen, with court cases about election rigging flying from one judge to another.
The people were worried about the military, militias, and other dependent groups such as peasant factory workers being enlisted against any kind of protest. One of the more effective tactics — at getting worldwide publicity, anyway — resulted in a wire service photograph that I treasure on a bit of ratty newsprint, as thousands of cars crowded the center of Belgrade in gridlock and people cheered and sang standing on their cars. One man told the reporter, “This is an incredibly stupid regime, and they have no concept of irony.”
From this history:
Nonviolent Action Used in the Protests in Yugoslavia

Marches
Marches often follow a regular route, passing by key buildings which symbolize the power of the regime. March routes will also pass through different neighborhoods so that the protest message can reach new people…. Student protesters from other cities have conducted long walks to Belgrade to link the protests and build awareness in the towns they pass through. One group made the journey by bicycle.

Student Strikes.
Students at several universities in Yugoslavia have gone on strike. They have been joined by a growing number of their professors.

Theater Performance Cancellations
Performances at cultural events have been canceled. Statements are read out loud to the audience from the striking cast members.

Noisemaking
People use everything: whistles, horns, bells, sirens, pots and pans. When the marchers stop traffic, many motorists honk their horns, not out of frustration over the traffic jam, but in support of the demonstrators. Whistles… are the most common noisemakers in the protests, often used in a call-and-response cadence.

Blinking Lights
When the marches pass by their homes and offices, people blink their houselights or flashlights [as a] sign of support.

Confetti
Supporters drop confetti on the marchers as they pass. Radio B-92 regularly showers the protesters with leaflets. On one occasion, hundreds of old Serbian dinar notes from the days of hyperinflation rained down on the protesters.

Flags
People carry all kinds of flags: Serbian flags, political flags, racing flags, flags from other countries, the gay pride rainbow flag, American Civil War flags [presumably the Confederate Naval Ensign], skull and crossbones flags, and scarves tied to sticks. While Serbian national flags are the most common, the main idea seems to be “whatever they had hanging on their walls.”

Posters
Posters are mostly home made, often with humorous messages, such as ” Snoopy Against the Red Baron” and “Our Leaders Are Deaf, Our Leaders Are Blind, But We Care”.

Puppets
Two large satirical puppets were created to march in the Belgrade protests. One depicting Milosevic’s wife in feudal armor, and one of Milosevic in prison clothes. It attracted wide popular attention and its creator was picked up by the police one night and badly beaten. He remains under medical care.

Badges and Paraphernalia
Entrepreneurs walk the streets where protesters gather, selling badges; whistles and horns; postcards of the demonstrations with the slogan “Greetings from Belgrade”; and cardboard eyeglasses made to look like eggs [?]–a weapon used against the state buildings.

Decontamination Actions
Students in Belgrade staged a cleaning action of the location where the Milosevic regime organized its counter demonstration [of largely unwitting dupes and proles].

The Brick Wall
Students built a brick wall in front of the Parliament Building after they were accused of being destructive. They wanted to show symbolically that they were trying to be constructive.

Statements from Professional Organizations
Five Supreme Court judges signed a letter of protest when the Yugoslavian Supreme Court decided in favor of annulling the elections. They were then followed by colleagues throughout the country. The prestigious Serbian Writers Union wrote a letter to Milosevic, asking that he honor the 17 November elections.

Noise To Drown Out the News
As reported above, from 7:30-8pm every evening, during the evening news on the state television channel, people go to their windows and make all the noise they can. Pedestrians blow their whistles cars honk their horns. Awards are given to the noisiest streets.

Jamming the Phone Lines
People make nonstop calls to state institutions to completely clog the telephone lines and make the government’s work impossible. A list of numbers was placed in the independent newspaper, assigning different sets of numbers to certain neighborhoods.

Escalation
When the regime banned street protests, saying that they disrupted traffic, and placed militia on the streets to enforce the ban, many new nonviolent protest methods were designed:

Sitting
In some instances when cordons of the police pushed at the crowds to move, they immediately sat down in the road. During an all-night student vigil, the students were joined by an Orthodox priest who sat down right in front of the police cordon and began to pray.

Funeral March
Protesters held a silent funeral march from the cemetery in honor of a teacher killed by SPS supporters.

Holiday Celebrations
During the Christmas and New Years holidays, the opposition sponsored large street parties. Because of their celebratory nature and the large numbers they attracted, the police decided not to keep the streets clear that night. People used the occasion to go promenading on all the streets in the city center, as if to make a statement, “These streets belong to us.”

Marching in Circles
Protesters march in circles on the pedestrian malls. Or they march in small circles right in front of the police cordons.

The Green Man
Protesters wait on the sidewalk until the “green man” [WALK] light appears at the crosswalks. Then everyone runs into the crosswalks for a few frenzied minutes of dancing and cheering. When the light turns red again, they quickly return to the sidewalks. [hilarious!]

Neighborhood Marches
Protesters meet in their neighborhoods at 8 pm and weave through the streets nearby, making noise and chanting slogans. With the police cordons concentrated in the center of the city, they have been unable to block all these small marches. However, when some of these small marches have met up with the police, protesters have been beaten.

Dog Walking
People brought their dogs to the protest one day, claiming that they were just out to walk their pets that day.

Traffic Jams
People brought their cars to the center of the city, creating major traffic jams and honking their horns. This chaos allowed the marchers to walk down the streets without being accused of disrupting traffic.

Photo Opportunity
Protesters pose in front of the police cordons for dramatic photos, sometimes asking police to pose with them. [Reminiscent of the famous “flower in the gun barrel” photos from the Vietnam era.]

Entertaining the Troops
Students stage skits of fights between protesters and demonstrators and read out loud from Dostoevski. Protesters speak with the police, bring them flowers and candy, kiss them on the cheeks, and draw hearts and flowers on their plastic shields. On one day, protesters wore their own “uniforms”: medical coats, fire-fighting outfits, graduation robes to match the police’s riot gear. In one city, there is a daily contest where protesters vote for the “most beautiful policeman.”

Some of these tactics are surely familiar to protest veterans from Seattle, New York, and so forth. Many similar, and new, ones were devised for some of the “Color” Revolutions of Eastern Europe the last several years. Many of the ones listed here depend on mass numbers being available to, say, shut down a city. (During Iraq war protests (about which, yes, I was ambivalent) the police anticipated some tactics and ensured that groups would be surrounded and pressured to break.

That said, I think there are some approaches here that can be used in a sort of civil disobedience mode as at the Gonzales protest. The key is to make the protest artful and welcoming rather than strident. Yes, this is the old sixties divide all over again.

I picked up more insulin at the pharmacy the other day. More accurately, I went to the pharmacy Monday, Thursday and Friday to get more insulin. Getting prescriptions from them is always an adventure, invariably they will only bill one insurance company, or will have some other redundant question. This time, I chose to go through the drive thru, which turned out to be a wise choice. I told them my name, and watched as they got the prescription bag, and picked up a bottle of insulin OFF THE COUNTER, put it in my bag, and handed it to me. For a split second, I debated what to do. I know that bottle wasn’t sitting on the counter because they just got done putting the label on the box, I called it in the day before, to be sure it would be ready by the time I got to the pharmacy. I had no idea how long that bottle of life sustaining, refrigeration required bottle of medication had been sitting on the counter. I decided I couldn’t keep silent. I don’t always go through all three bottles of insulin in a month, what happens when they sit in my refrigerator longer than that? Who can guarantee that they will be good until the date on the box? What’s the point of even putting a expiration date on the box when the pharmacy blatantly ignores the instructions? As the technician handed me the bag I said, “why wasn’t this refrigerated?” His answer? “It doesn’t need to be refrigerated if you use it within a month.” I proceeded to briefly argue with him, before deciding that even though his whole occupation revolves around medications, he apparently didn’t understand how important it is that these medications work exactly as they are supposed to. I drove off feeling frustrated that yet another medical professional had failed me. I am now making the policy that when I pick up my insulin, I either need to see them take it out of the refrigerator, or it needs to be cool to the touch. I don’t care it that makes me an annoying patient, I need to know my insulin is safe.
Oh, the other thing that frustrated me? They only had one bottle of Humalog insulin available in the whole pharmacy! They were OUT of insulin. I would have to return Wednesday to get the rest of my prescription. I gave them an extra day for good measure, and went back Thursday, only to be told it still wasn’t ready, forcing me to make another trip back on Friday. If this pharmacy wasn’t my only option in pretty much the whole state, I would switch, but I think I’m going to find these problems everywhere.