This woman is protesting the Atlanta store  that is selling these tee shirts.  she is outraged and rightfully so.  Anyone who thinks this is not racist is kidding themselves.  We know that this country has a history of characterizing black people as apes or monkeys.  This is no different.

And on the Rush Limbaugh show, a caller said that her granddaughter thought that Curious George looked like Obama; and of course he laughed.  This is the type of SH@#$ that only confirms that this country still has a culture that undervalues, underestimates and marginalizes people of color.

Lithuania blocked the commencement of talks with Russia, proposing to include four declarations in the negotiations mandate, i.e. the issue of cut-off oil supply via the Druzhba pipeline, the necessity to deal with frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, cooperation in solving occurrences of Jan. 13th and the Medininkai massacre as well as support for exiled persons, who are returning to the Baltic States.

Foreign ministers of Lithuania, Sweden, Poland and current EU presidency holder Slovenia, decided in a meeting in Vilnius on May 11 to include issues brought up by Lithuania to be included in talks with Russia, however this agreement was not endorsed by ambassadors of EU member states in a meeting Tuesday. Ambassadors plan to continue discussions next week.

A Lithuanian diplomat announced this information to BNS May 14 that;"We eliminate such attempts. If they will continue, the mandate might not be approved by May 26 (GAERC)".

Following a meeting with Lithuanian President Adamkus on 14 May, Vaitiekunas told the press of having informed the Head-of-State of receiving a few proposals by various countries with regards to the negotiations mandate, and they are currently being considered.

"A wide arsenal of different versions of what shape our answers might take is available, and they are currently being coordinated through diplomatic channels, however, when it comes to the main, primary, fundamental issues of Lithuania's interests, we are not going to back down. (...) We are risking European solidarity", the foreign minister asserted.

According to the BNS he also noted that the new proposals are most concerned with the issue of frozen conflicts and added that he can reveal neither who is making the proposals, nor what matter they concern.

"In general terms, I am telling you that yes, the main question under revision, is that of frozen conflicts, a declaration on frozen conflicts. Countries stand on different grounds when it comes to geographical and geopolitical positions. Take the United Kingdom, Spain, France - their interests are different and we are simply defending our interests by assuming this position here and now. The EU will have to go a long way in order to learn how to reflect interests unanimously and speak with one voice", Vaitiekunas explained, noting that an acceptable compromise will be sought out on the issue.

The BNS writes that the minister also noted that he cannot yet reveal what form Lithuania's demands should take on in the mandate, and in what phrasing should it appear. The minister said that this would mean having to reveal stances on the negotiations mandate and would therefore make them less efficient.

Source BNS

You heard it here first: I've just recieved word that Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed the legislation sent to him a couple of weeks ago creating a tax-credit scholarship program in Georgia. It's the nation's 23rd school choice program.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Further proof, if further proof were necessary, that school choice is politically more successful than ever.

One thing that's really gratifying about this program is that it has no demographic restrictions at all. Any student enrolled in Georgia public schools (K-12) is eligible for a private school scholarship. The days of limited choice are numbered. Details on the new program below:

GEORGIA

Tax Credits for Student Scholarship Organizations

Enacted 2008

Georgia provides a credit on both personal and corporate income taxes for donations to Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs), privately run non-profit organizations that support private-school scholarships. Individual taxpayers contributing to SSOs may claim a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to $1,000, and married couples filing jointly may claim up to $2,500.  Corporate taxpayers may claim a dollar-for-dollar credit worth up to 75 percent of the taxpayer’s total tax liability. The program is capped at $50 million in tax credits per year.

FAST FACTS

·         All Georgia public school students eligible

·         Both individual and corporate taxpayers may donate

·         Program capped at $50 million

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services have reported the one above and the following as well. Employers, for the past 5 consecutive years will still continue to add new positions to each of their firms for the year 2008. A forecast for 22,200 new positions this year is expected and is also according to Atlanta Apartment Research Report. Local rental units are now the main demands of prospects from investors. Properties are selling for a median price of $64,800 per unit over the past year, up 17%.

John Leonard, a regional manager  of Marcus & Millichap’sin Atlanta said that “investment activity will continue to moderate this year, slowed by conservative lending practices,” and “out-of-state buyers, especially from California, will remain present, targeting the metro for its higher initial yields and prospects for steady long-term growth.”

This year, an approximate 3,400 new apartment units are expected to open in Metro Atlanta.  An expected 8.6% of vacancy rate should happen but rates for asking rents are expected to be go up in a monthly basis 2.4% to $864 per month. On the other hand, effective rents will advance 2% to $773 per month.

You know, just when things are entering the lovely zone again, out of nowhere pops Super Loser Dad!!!  I SWEAR.  Today was looking to be another grand Tuesday, with ridiculous parking issues because the deck is undergoing maintenance so everyone and their mother have decided to park where I normally deposit my vehicle.  Granted, the world does NOT revolve around me, but at times, I like to think it does.  Anyhow, I was about 20 minutes early to work, so things were going well, had to do a loop through the deck to find a spot, no worries, I can live with that, despite gas prices being close to a king's ransom just to make sure I can take my arse to work in order to break even.  The drive was tolerable - not too much traffic, although every person I drove behind today had to be at least 85 years old, on a cell phone, or yelling at their children in the backseat, therefore causing a delay at every green light or possibility of a red light.  I was fine with it, kept in a glorious mood by a particularly sweet text message I received this morning just after my morning washing.

Nooooooooooooo, I had to receive a voicemail as soon as I parked my butt at my desk and powered up this lovely technology I am currently typing on.  Yes, it was a call from the demon who helped me create my monster.  Normally this is not an issue.  Normally he only slightly irritates me.  Normally he is not included in any plans of mine.  Today, he has invaded my world and I am fully aggravated by it. 

Apparently, our sweet, naive girl-child has decided to update him on my weekend's plans.  For background purposes, he lives in California, spends the majority of time in Washington, and has another baby momma in Georgia.  This shining example of our species called me to let me know that he had heard from our darling baby that we are planning on being in Atlanta this weekend.  Not only that, but he is currently in Atlanta and had been planning on "surprising" us by "stopping by".  Hello - we live in North Carolina.  It's really not like Atlanta and Charlotte are next door to each other.  Oh yeah, and we may have been BUSY.  What the HELL makes you think we should just drop every freakin' thing and cater to your whims?????  Just askin'. 

Any-who, he then states that he will cancel his trip to NC if we will be in GA, and he can see the kiddo at that time.  Again - we have PLANS.  We are not going to GA in order to party it up and hang out with whatever random people we meet.  This is a LARGE tournament my team is entering and most likely, the majority of time will be spent at the ballfield.  I give a DAMN what you want.  Really.  Do you see the honesty in my eyes?  Oh, that's sarcasm?  Yeah - you're right.  I don't care.  At all. 

You see, lovely readers, all 2 of you, this man does not pay child support.  Never has, not in 12 years.  This adorable child has been dependent on yours truly since day one and nobody else.  Additionally, he has not made the effort to see her since June of last year, when we all happened to be in Washington State at the same time.  What's that, you say?  It's May 2008.  Good observation.  Yep, almost a year, despite the fact that his grown ass has been galavanting all over the country from CA to WA to GA.  Maybe he doesn't want to come to NC because the abbreviation doesn't end with an A....  Hmmmm, that's a thought.  Well, the moral of the story is, I'm a sucker.  I probably will be in Atlanta this weekend and he will probably get to see her because I'm not one to tell my daughter she can't see the man she adores.  However, it will be on MY schedule and at MY convenience.  His ridiculous spur-of-the-moment fathering won't mean a thing in the long run, and I have much more staying power than he does.  It's a fact.  He can just suck it.  And by "it" I mean my foot.  After playing 6 games, covered with dirt and sweat.  And that's just for starters.

"Blithe was the morning of his burial, with bird and song and sweet-smelling flowers. The trees whispered to the grass, but the children sat with hushed faces. And yet it seemed a ghostly unreal day,—the wraith of Life. We seemed to rumble down an unknown street behind a little white bundle of posies, with the shadow of a song in our ears. The busy city dinned about us; they did not say much, those pale-faced hurrying men and women; they did not say much,—they only glanced and said, “Niggers!”

We could not lay him in the ground there in Georgia, for the earth there is strangely red; so we bore him away to the northward, with his flowers and his little folded hands. In vain, in vain!—for where, O God! beneath thy broad blue sky shall my dark baby rest in peace,—where Reverence dwells, and Goodness, and a Freedom that is free?"

~from W.E.B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk (1903) in which he describes the Atlanta funeral procession of his infant son

Our new address beginning mid-June is 2424 Drayton Street Unit A, Savannah, Georgia.

Our phone numbers will be changing in the next month and we will post our new information as we get it.

“Clients of Jenny Pruitt & Associates who choose to enroll their homes in the Preferred Mortgage Rate Home Program receive the benefit of a comprehensive marketing plan designed to increase home viewings, broaden the target market, reduce negotiations and sell homes quicker,” says Dan Parmer, President & CEO of Jenny Pruitt & Associates. “We believe this program will increase the exposure of properties to a broader base of individuals; thus, putting Jenny Pruitt & Associates one step closer in getting our client’s homes sold sooner, smoother and more efficient, which is our ultimate goal.”

The Preferred Mortgage Rate Home Program’s distinctive marketing strategy is what sets it apart from other special financing programs. Exceptional marketing pieces customized to your home are created to highlight it in a way that’s unique to the marketplace. Included in the program is prominent exposure on the Jenny Pruitt & Associates website with an area dedicated to homes that are participating in the program, home showcase postcards to be sent to potential home buyers, selling agent postcards to be sent to agents selling homes in your area, neighborhood postcards, yard sign riders, listing flyers and our special seller’s advantage program.

To get learn more about the program or to enlist your home today, please contact your Jenny Pruitt & Associates, Realtors® sales associate or a loan representative from HomeServices Lending. Visit our website additional information at www.jennypruitt.com.

Afterwards, we headed out to Marietta where the celebration continued. This was such an intimate gathering that we felt like part of the family. Thank you for the hospitality, we had such a great time meeting and getting to know your family.

(If you just want to see the pictures, click any picture for a slide show and link to pictures you can copy.)

First let me explain what this is all about.  This blog is pretty much dedicated to the homeless, particularly homeless veterans and youth.  But not completely, as each year I take some time off to work on a Habitat for Humanity home and post a progress report with slideshows, tutorial and pictures of the events.   I'll continue to add articles on homeless as I go along.   You can access the articles by category, using the links in the header or the tags and categories to find the topics you are interested in.  In general, you can find all Habitat for Humanity Articles here, all Homeless Veterans Articles here, All PSTD articles here, and all Homeless Youth Article here.  The links above and to the right allow you to also find my most popular articles.   When this is all done, you can find the 2008 Habitat Build here, or look at it on a running basis throughout the build.

This one is the first of a series of about a dozen articles on our current build.  It will carry you from the day before we start to build (todays article) all the way through the dedication ceremony and house warming.  If I do everything as planned, you will also get a "how to build a Habitat House Tutorial".   To be taken with a grain of salt as I am certainly not an expert, but reporting what I experience and the various jobs I take on during the build.

Background

Here is a little background.  I am a member of Macland Prebyterian Church which is in return a member of the Presbyterian Coalition, Cobb Habitat for Humanity and I am their representative, a member of the board.    The Coalition is composed of  Presbyterian Churches in Cobb County, Georgia that raise money to sponsor one or two houses in our county each year.  We raise the money, about $55,000 to pay for the lot and any undonated materials.  We also build the house(s) and fund a number of houses in Kenya each year.    After Hurricane Dennis we also helped Cobb Disaster Recovery in rebuilding damaged homes in Cobb.

This year we will build one house in Cobb County, Georgia (our 22d house in Cobb so far) and seven in Kenya (total 32 in Kenya)!

Nicole Combs, Future Homeowner stands on the site of her new home

(Click on any picture to start slide show)

This wonderful smiling face belongs to Elijah, Nicole's son.  Some of the framing can be seen behind him

The future homeowner, Nicole Combs has a son Elijah, 7.  She will work on the house with our volunteers to get the house built.   Homeowners come up with a down payment, are required to work on other houses as well as  their own for some 200 hours of "sweat equity".   For us, it is mission work, Christ's command: help the needy!

The homeowner will actually sign a contract to buy the house at a greatly reduced price (compared to the appraised value)  and then make interest-free monthly payments until it is paid for.  Cobb Habitat for Humanity takes care of selecting the homeowners, purchasing the land and preparing the streets and lots prior to the volunteers (that's us) coming in.  That includes getting either the concrete poured if it is to be built on a concrete floor,  or building a  block foundation if not.  In the latter case, a few people, men and women from our group go out and frame and deck the floor prior to the volunteers arriving.  

Schedule:  The build dates are Saturdays May 10, 17, 31 and June 14.   Then we go into blitz week where volunteers work all week to finish the house and landscaping June 16 through 21.  (We have skipped an extra weekend this year due to Memorial Day weekend.)

Location:  The site is located in the same subdivision as last year, but in the second phase of the development.  Mableton, Hillcrest Subdivision.  Take Barrett/East West Connector to Floyd Road, turn right, follow and continue as it changes to Mableton Parkway, turn right on South Gordon Road, then left on Hillcrest.  Look for a new subdivision on the left.about 8/10 mile from South Gordon Road.   About a 20 minute drive from our church.

Youth Take Notice:: The minimum age for the first four days is 16, 14 after that. (blitz week)   All young folks, guys and gals are all welcome if you meet the age requirements.   Drag your parents along!

 Dinner on the Slab

Click on any picture or HERE for Slide Show

Dinner on the slab means bring a covered dish, utinsels to serve the dish and your own chair.  Anyone that wants to come are welcome.   We invite the future homeowner and their family and friends. 

Cobb Habitat has already poured the concrete and it is hardened and ready to build, so all we have to do is clear out an area big enough to set up tables and chairs.   There was chicken, bar-b-que, various salads and deserts, water, tea and soft drinks.  Also a few well chosen wines (OK by Presbyterian standards).

For most of us, this is our first opportunity to meet the new homeowner and family.   Nicole is going to be a joy to work with.  Elijah is very bright, energetic, and inquiring, wants to know everything that is going on.  

Copies of Pictures

To get copies of any picture, click on the slide show and look above the slide show and you wiil find a link to the group of pictues ("back to Habitat 2008 set").    Or click on any picture during the slide show and it will stop and allow you to select that picture (View Main Page).   When you see a picture you like and you have it in your sights, look for a link above for a button that says all sizes.  From there you can choose vearious sizes including a very large one.   When you have the size you want, you can click download for a free copy.  Copy as many as you want.    Or here is a  direct link to the set.  Click on any picture for a larger view and copy insturctions.  Enjoy

Oldtimer

What?! Who the hell is Bob Barr? Is he related to Roseanne Barr? And why does he deem it necessary to announce now, at the eleventh hour? And why does he wear those ugly glasses? And why would somebody who was so much in the forefront during the Clinton Impeachment now assist the Democratic Party by messing with McCain?

My husband thinks he’s just bitter because he likes neither McCain nor Obama, and we’re pretty much sure that it’s going to be Obama and not Hillary. However, I doubt that Barr has any fuzzy feelings for Hillary either; for that matter, he could have been a little speedier with his announcement. Still, this is puzzling. The man must realize there is absolutely no chance in hell he will come within flying distance of the presidency. If he thinks he’s got a chance, he needs a medication adjustment, as do those that support him financially.

Nader supporters can be forgiven because there’s a genuine passion involved in supporting him, and an idealism that doesn’t really hurt anyone. Barr supporters, however, need to have their heads examined. I suggest they send their money somewhere where it’s actually needed. Oklahoma, Georgia, Myanmar, you name it.

His death fanned memories to life. I remember how he played basketball, how determined he was, how his tall, skinny self seemed to flow in between the defenders to get the shot. I remember how he played one game with a metal pin stuck through his shattered middle finger to stabilize it. And I remember how he didn’t think it was a big deal.

I remember him playing Hendrix's "Red House" on the piano, while I tried to keep up on guitar.

I remember how he looked perpetually disheveled, how he was always running late, always charmingly distracted, always smiling. Always the one to laugh first and loudest. Always headed somewhere.

And then he would focus. Seeing him play the cello was to see very nearly a different person, hunched over his instrument, eyes locked on the music, his long, thin fingers pulling music out of the strings and wood of the cello. And then, after the last note, a smile would signal the return of his old person. I hadn’t seen him in years.

The comment section of online article was a compendium of reactions.

“There are folks in this world whom you think you know but have many demons. It is so sad.”

“…I do wonder about what his reason was for being in that complex at that time of night. It is not a place to be if you don’t live there.”

“I knew him since he was five years old…”

“…He went to our church and we all got to know him real well. He performed for us many times. I very seriously doubt he was into anything bad, as he was a very serious believer.”

“As long as this ineffective, idiotic ‘war on drugs’ continues, so will incidents like this.”

There are many ways to try to understand the thing, to give it meaning. From afar, its meaning might seem to be a social one, the meaning that the last comment above lays on it. But the closer to the thing you get, the more it becomes evident that the only important meanings involve loss. A family lost a son, a brother. A symphony lost a cellist. An audience lost his music. He lost his life.

The details offer a false promise of explanation. A 1998 Camry, 12:05 AM, two gunshots, a cello in the backseat. But the way he lost his life means little except perhaps that he, like all of us, struggled with his humanness and sometimes lost. None of us win that battle all the time. I am sure that he won sometimes, as well. 

For myself, I will remember the cello in the back seat, and that he performed with the symphony a few hours before he died. 

He was unique, and human, and he played the cello.

Random tornados where there are not supposed to be tornados (20+ killed this wknd as twisters swept through the South)....Myanmar with over 100,000 dead...now an earthquake traps 900 students and kills over 8,500 people in China. WHAT is going on!!!

And, from Leighton, AL

CATEGORY: STRANGE AND UNUSUAL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
10.Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

So sayeth the stones. Richard had the chance to visit here this past weekend on the way back from seeing his girlfriend in Greenville. He said that you have to see this for yourself! It is truly an awesome sight to behold.

The story goes......

The origin of this strange monument is a mystery because no one knows the true identity of the man, or men, who had it built. All that is known for certain is that in June 1979, a well-dressed stranger visited the office of the Elberton Granite Finishing Company and said that he wanted to build an edifice to transmit a message to mankind. He identified himself as R. C. Christian, but it soon became apparent that was not his real name. He said that he represented a group of men who wanted to offer direction to humanity, but to date, almost two decades later, no one knows who R. C. Christian really was, or the names of those he represented. The stones seem to be a guide to our spiritual well being, the preservation of the Earth, and a push towards one world government.

I myself haven't been to this site. Richard would probably be the one better suited to telling this particular story but it falls to me to be the one who documents our little adventures. He did send some great pics for you to check out. So here you go.

ALL PHOTOS COUTERSY OF RICHARD

Some additional information.

• A shorter message appears on the four vertical surfaces of the capstone, again in a different language and script on each face. The explanatory tablet near the Guidestones identifies these languages/scripts as Babylonian Cuneiform (north), Classical Greek (east), Sanskrit (south), and Egyptian Hieroglyphs (west), and provides what is presumably an English translation: "Let these be guidestones to an age of reason."

• ASTRONOMIC FEATURES:
  1. CHANNEL THROUGH STONE
  INDICATES CELESTIAL POLE.
• 2. HORIZONTAL SLOT INDICATES
  ANNUAL TRAVEL OF SUN.
• 3. SUNBEAM THROUGH CAPSTONE
  MARKS NOONTIME THROUGHOUT
  THE YEAR.
• AUTHOR: R.C. CHRISTIAN
  (A PSEUDONYN)-The word "pseudonym" is misspelled on the stone.
• -On the right side of the tablet is the following column of text:
  PHYSICAL DATA:
  1. OVERALL HEIGHT - 19 FEET 3 INCHES
  2. TOTAL WEIGHT - 237, 746 POUNDS
  3. FOUR MAJOR STONES ARE 16-FEET,
  FOUR INCHES HIGH, EACH WEIGHING
  AN AVERAGE OF 42, 437 POUNDS.
  4. CENTER STONE IS 16-FEET, FOUR-
  INCHES HIGH; WEIGHS 20, 957
  POUNDS.
  5. CAPSTONE IS 9-FEET, 8-INCHES
  LONG; 6-FEET, 6-INCHES WIDE;
  1-FOOT, 7-INCHES THICK. WEIGHS
  24,832 POUNDS.
  6. SUPPORT STONES (BASES) 7-FEET,
  4 INCHES LONG 2-FEET WIDE.
  1-FOOT, 4 INCHES THICK, EACH
  WEIGHING AN AVERAGE OF 4,875
  POUNDS.
  7. SUPPORT STONE (BASE) 4-FEET,
  2 1/2 INCHES LONG, 2-FEET, 2-INCHES
  WIDE; 1-FOOT, 7-INCHES THICK.
  WEIGHT 2,707 POUNDS.
  8. 951 CUBIC FEET GRANITE.
  9. GRANITE QUARRIED FROM PYRAMID
  QUARRIES LOCATED 3 MILES WEST
  OF ELBERTON, GEORGIA.

• GUIDESTONE LANGUAGES:

Below this is a schematic diagram of the upright stones of the structure, consisting of a small          rectangle surrounded by four longer rectangles projecting to the northwest, northeast, southwest and          southeast. The names of eight modern languages are inscribed along the long edges of the projecting          rectangles, one per edge. Starting from due north and moving clockwise around the diagram (so that          the upper edge of the northeast rectangle is listed first), they are:

• ENGLISH

• SPANISH

• SWAHILI

• HINDI

• HEBREW

• ARABIC

• CHINESE

• RUSSIAN

• -At the bottom center of the tablet is the following text:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT ELBERTON GRANITE MUSEUM & EXHIBIT
COLLEGE AVENUE
ELBERTON, GEORGIA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So now you may know more about the Georgia Guidestones than you ever wanted to, me personally, I can't wait to go there.

Scott

The countries decided that EU-presidency holder Slovenia's Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel arrived to Vilnius to further harmonize stances on the issue.  Amongst those who arrived to Vilnius were the Swedish and Polish Ministers of Foreign affairs.  However, another issue for the Lithuanians was of another importance, expression of support to Georgia.  The plan was that all ministers should visit Tbilisi on Monday and show their support to Georgia.

However, the Lithuanian diplomats had have heard a warning from Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel that he would accompany his Lithuanian, Polish and Swedish colleagues to Georgia only if Lithuania abandoned its proposals to the mandate of strategic talks between the European Union and Russia.  An anonymous Lithuanian diplomat expressed his disappointment by saying "How can one propose such exchange? It is incomprehensible whether the proposal from the European Union's presiding country Slovenia indicates the entire EU's stance on Georgia or is it a lame Slovenian proposal aimed at forcing Lithuania to give up its legitimate requirements in the discussion of the negotiating position of the EU-Russian strategic partnership agreement".

However, after discussion in the Stikliai hotel the Lithuanians claimed that the EU had agreed with all Lithuanian propositions with some amendments.  The Lithuanian FM stated that the EU solidarity exists not only in declarations but also in reality.  Still he remained that the positions will have to be agreed with the other 23 Member States.  The Slovenian MF noted in the press conference that: ‘All Europeans States and the EU Members understand Lithuanian position.  And I can easy tell that I understand the Lithuanian concerns'.  So, what are those demands?

As Lietuvos Rytas daily wrote last week, Lithuania decided not to approve the mandate for the EU-Russia negotiations until this mandate reflects Lithuania's interests. This was the first time Lithuania has dared to fight for its interests in the EU with such fervour.

Vilnius demands to add to the energy declaration Russia's commitment to observe the requirements provided for in the Energy Charter Agreement.

Moreover, Lithuania wanted the EU negotiations mandate to include the point that Russia should cooperate more actively in the field of renewing delivery of crude oil via the Friendship (Druzhba) Pipeline. This pipeline was closed in 2006 for "political repairs."

As the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign affairs noted "Druzhba was cut off without an explanation. (...) We are worried that Russia is creating a precedent. Energy security and creating a precedent are issues of interest to the EU. This is not a bipartite issue. And we believe that the question of a precedent, and of how far one can go in not cooperating with one EU state is important to the entire EU as well. We have an alternative for Druzhba, but not one for gas".

Lithuania also noted that Russia's attitude toward its neighbours is related to the security of Lithuania and the entire EU. This is why Lithuania proposes a declaration on Georgia and Moldova.

Moreover, Lithuania would like to have a declaration on legal cooperation, which should promote constructive cooperation in the investigations of the 13 January 1991 events in Vilnius and the 31 July 1991 massacre in Medininkai, as well as of the disappearance of EU citizens in Russia.  There is also an ongoing case of disappearance of Lithuanian businessmen Mr Jucys in Kaliningrad a year ago.

Lithuanian is also seeking to add an additional declaration to the negotiations mandate to compensate for the damages incurred by the persons deported from the occupied Baltic countries. Ensuring such support to the deported persons was one of the international commitments Russia undertook when it joined the Council of Europe.

Lithuania does not impose demands on Russia. It urges the EU to protect Lithuania's interests, the same way it protects the interests of other EU members.  Lithuania is not trying to change Russia, it is impossible, it simply tries to change the EU attitude towards Russia, in sake of the EU.

The another point is that Lithuania is a Member State, the same as Germany, France, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Poland or Ireland who are also defending their interests by blocking decision making.  However, Lithuania is standing not only for the ‘meet' as the Poles did, but for the values of justice.

Lets see how it will go.

*

AF started yesterday..once again provera has proved to be the one drug that works for me. tomorrow i will not hopefully, not expecting anything start clomid 150mgs.

been super depressed.. up and down. not handling much well. i'm sure the clomid won't help. main issues are the same.. depressed, debt/money, job, no friends, don't feel like we're "home" here.. etc. we've been talking about moving.. we talk about this a lot. i was born and raised in the same town for 17 years.. then i finally moved to the next town on my own.. then to boston.. then to philly.. then back to ct.. and again we moved in ct. steve's family moved tons. regardless.. we haven't felt at home anywhere we've lived yet. boston is the closed thing for me.. but as much as i love it there i don't really want to live there again right now.. it's such a college town.. which is why i left.. pretty much no one i knew there still lives there. everyone leaves. so it's really not a place for us. we looked up the best vegan places to live, because we're sick of living in such anti-vegan areas.. we'd like to be able to go out to eat and be in an accepted area. so.. i found this list... we've had lots of discussion about perhaps brooklyn or queens.. a quick trains ride to nyc. but damn it is expensive. then we noticed #9, atlanta, georgia. interesting.. steve's parents live in savannah and always talk about how much we would love it down there. so we investigated atlanta.. and damn.. it looks good. i have never seen so many vegan restaurants and natural food stores in one city other than nyc or portland.. it's really ridiculous. i had no idea. and the cost of living is soooo much cheaper than up here. we'd be closer to steve's parents.. savannah is still almost 4 hours away, but close enough to visit. biggest problem is that i'd be leaving my entire family up here. depending on the day i'm really okay with that, or i'm really not okay about that. in my heart, i have this unrealistic hope that my family will one day wake up and stop taking me (or each other) for granted and start loving each other and having real relationships. but, my brain knows this will never happen. i've lived far from my family before.. but never "requires-a-plane" far away. so that's scary and a bit sad. and then there's the weather.. i've lived in new england all of my life (minus two years in philly) where there are four seasons.. and where it snows near christmas. sigh. and we would be so incredibly far from fenway park. oh look, more confusing things to think about.. ugh.

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unrelated, but related.. here's some cheesley... we're trying to see which we like better teese or cheesley..

here we have a delightful grilled cheesley sandwich with mustard and a few seitan slices.. mmmm.. freakin delicious..

and a cheesley pizza with red pepper..

our official review: we like both. and they are really different. cheesley melts better.. but has less taste than teese.. however, teese might have a bit too much taste.. it's overwhelmingly buttery.. so next time.. we're going to use both. i think the grilled cheesley was my favorite.. mmmm...

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and yesterday was a really nice day.. so after we had the dogs out for a romp, we brought out the guinea pigs for a little grass time..

all they do is eat the grass.. hilarious.

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so today i'm missing my nephew's first communion & party. why? well.. it's a really far drive, gas prices are insane, neither of us want to be in a church, and it will be beyond boring. of course i am feeling beyond guilty.... i'm starting therapy tomorrow. 3pm. i'm already convinced i'm going to hate her and she's not going to be able to help me at all. i already know what's wrong with me... i know all the stupid answers.. i'm not ignorant. but i'm going anyway.

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alice is doing really well, by the way.. it's almost like nothing happened.. we have no idea what happened. but she's walking nearly normally now and is very happy again. relief.

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today is mother's day. i'm not even going to bother talking about how painful that is. i've been constantly, barbarically reminded of the fact that i am NOT a mother by every commercial on tv, every sign in every store and by having to by cards for my mom and MIL. i get it. i'm not a mother. thanks.

okay, back to listening to this american life..

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More pictures from our trip on flickr!

*Update

As our claim about the disturbances in gravity might sound a bit strange to some people I am putting up a bit more evidence to prove that this actually was actually the case.

Here you see me at Garni just after the phenomenon first kicked in, as you see I'm a bit surprised, but really happy to be alive and with a firm grip of my lifesaving pole.

Right after Leif caught on to the rail on the edge of the cliff:

We thought we were safe afterwards, but before we knew it Leif and Elise started floating off again and had to lock on to the pillars of Garni Temple.

And again!

We were getting desperate, and decided to sacrifice Leif to the pagan gods. But just as I found the sword ready to slit him open, I remembered that Leif is actually a fantastic guy. If I have to live with these random gravity disturbances to keep him; well so be it!

And that's how we ended up having to fight gravity once again on our way to Tbilisi, here we are in north Armenia when it hit us again.

It almost pulled me right into the river!

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Организаторы Баркемп-Кавказ сообщают, что получены несколько тревел грантов на покрытие транспортных расходов участников BarCamp.

Крайний срок подачи заявок на получение тревел-гранта - 16 мая, ответ Вы получите 19 мая (возможно, раньше).