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December 28, 2007
"Its all a shared hallucination"
A wise teacher-
Author, philosopher, environmentalist, Derrick Jensen-
Link to his page in Pippy links!
Posted by pippypippy at 05:39 PM | Comments (2)
December 22, 2007
Secret holiday knitting +
Oh can it be, that time of year is nigh- and are we still frantically sewing in ends? Of course. But here are two glimpses of super secret as-yet-to be delivered finished products-
I kind of like this one even though its all blurred, it is a rather cheerful explosion of red and what could be nicer? That's the thing!
And finally some cables-
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On an entirely different and more somber note- The Pigeon Man passed away- tragically, he was killed by a van. Some of you may have seen him before, here is a photo of him-
And a sweet quotation from an article about him from 2004-
"See 'em waiting here now, they know I'm coming. They're waiting for me so they can say, `Here I am, here I am, do what you want to do with me. We're not worried about you.' I just tell 'em all, `You're my baby, you're my baby too.'"
Also, a link to an article about his tragic passing-
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pigeonman_20dec20,0,7325168.story
The fire hydrant where he sat was a couple of blocks from my house. In fact, I had seen him before, completely covered in pigeons, feeding and loving them. Honestly, I was always a little worried for his health, but I figured he was doing what he loved so nothing could hurt him. It was very spiritual work for him, as he expressed in the newspaper article-
(Joe) Zeman, who for 47 years ran a newsstand downtown, told me that he considered sitting on the hydrant the most important work he had ever done.
"I'm really advertising to the public how easy it is to be good without an attitude; it's just as easy to show decency as it is to hate today."
Rest in peace, Joe the pigeon man.
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I guess this was still fresh in my mind when I read another bit of sad news- the fatal attack that killed a 43-year-old bicyclist on the west side of the city. It sparked quite a bit of conversation on our listserve for Chicago Critical Mass, mostly because our one "out" (former) Chicago Police Officer went so far as to say that we bicyclists should avoid this part of the city. I can only speak for myself- but it seems to be the general consensus among Massers that part of our mission is community-building, and that one of the reasons bicycling is pleasurable as well as socially responsible is because it brings one in contact with one's neighbors instead of isolating people from one another in cars.
For background on what sparked the conversation- which lead to all kinds of speculation about social ills, their causes and potential cures- here is the article about the man who was killed- its very sad-
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-battery_webdec21,1,3182725.story?track=rss
And here is what I felt compelled to add to the conversation, I hope it makes sense, somewhat out of context-
"I just read
this thread and felt compelled to add my part.
This discussion about safe places and unsafe places has happened
numerous times on this listserve- it seems most are in agreement that riding
a bike in the city can be a risky proposition in general- not just
because of crime, in fact, this tends to be the least of my fears when I am
riding, I am much more frightened by car traffic and careless,
distracted, or angry drivers. Also, it has been my experience on certain Mass
rides that I am more frightened of the CPD than any "gangs of thugs" on
the street, real or imagined.
This murdered cyclist was a man on his way to take care of his elderly
mother. People's elderly mothers live in west side communities.
People's children visit them there. This was somebody's father, somebody's
partner. I don't have a solution for street violence but I do feel that
fear is not it- for me it begins with creating a society where violence
in any form is simply not socially acceptable- this is not how our
culture treats it.
Part of a solution that I would imagine is public mourning- for the
victim and his family, but also for those who perpetrated this horrible
act, because they have lost their empathy for people around them and this
is also tragic. It is the product of a culture- and a phenomenon which
is exacerbated by car culture, in my opinion- which undervalues
empathy, and a sense of community, and perpetrates wars and encourages visual
aggression- witness the popularity of the giant SUV, the massive
displays of armies of police in full riot gear at peaceful demonstrations-
if not actual aggression. It is a cycle of fear and threats real and
imagined.
Publicly, fearlessly, and peacefully participating in the life of our
communities is the only solution that I can see.
Down I go from my soapbox now."
In any event, I feel compelled to post it here as well, because I think it is a good example of my particular political leanings, explains somewhat why I consider myself to be an anarchist, as well as expresses some of my hopes for the world in the coming new year.
Hope everyone enjoys a peaceful season!
Or, as someone once said, "Peace, Love, and the Abundance of the Universe within your grasp."
Over and out,
-Pippy-
p.s. thousand gratitudes to Michael for taking time out to deliver the new G4- I am indebted!! With a little geeking- we'll have it purring like a kitten. Rrowr. I kiss your hand a thousand times!!!
Posted by pippypippy at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)