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Oct

19

Help Burma: send panties for Junta panty raid

Filed Under Civil Rights, Foreign Affairs, Women | 6 Comments

Local writer, Jeff Hess, blog author of Have Coffee Will Write, sent me this Associated Press story an hour ago:

Women in several countries have begun sending their panties to Myanmar embassies in a culturally insulting gesture of protest against the recent brutal crackdown there, a campaign supporter said Friday.

“It’s an extremely strong message in Burmese and in all Southeast Asian culture,” said Liz Hilton, who supports an activist group that launched the “Panties for Peace” drive earlier this week.

The group, Lanna Action for Burma, says the country’s superstitious generals, especially junta leader Gen. Than Shwe, also believe that contact with women’s underwear saps them of power.

To widespread international condemnation, the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, crushed mass anti-regime demonstrations recently and continues to hunt down and imprison those who took part.

Hilton said women in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, England and other European countries have started sending or delivering their underwear to Myanmar missions following informal coordination among activist organizations and individuals.

For his local part, Hess provided me the following:

Here in the United States, send those panties to:

Union of Myanmar Embassy
2300 S Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

And just for fun, here’s some more contact information:

Phone: 202.332.9044, 332.9045 and 332.9049
Fax: 202.332.9046
Email: thuriya@aol.com, thuriya@aol.com

Tomorrow I’m going to set up a collection box on my table at the Lee Road Phoenix [an Eastside coffeehouse in Cleveland Heights] to collect panties to ship to the embassy in Washington. I’ll be there most of the day starting at 7 a.m.

I’ll box everything up and ship them off on Monday morning.

Hess confirmed to me, by email, that he is not only not kidding but that he is “as serious as a heart attack.” Let’s hope the only people who experience panic are the ones committing the atrocities in Myanmar.

Cross-posted at Wide Open (yes, I posted it there).

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:28 pm October 19th, 2007 in Civil Rights, Foreign Affairs, Women | 6 Comments 

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Oct

19

How a Catholic university reinforces pluralism

Filed Under Religion | Comments Off

Like any alumna of any educational institution, I receive solicitations for money all the time. But the one I got today was unique, and timely.

It came from Georgetown University’s Vice President for Mission and Ministry (an office which includes, by the way, former Father Moore – who was a brand new prof and Jesuit when I was a freshman and had a serious NYC accent and looked like a sleeker Superman, and the rumor was that he fell in love, went to the Vatican, got officially and acceptably defrocked and then married; I don’t know much about the in love and married part, but I do know that he left the Jesuit order not long after I had him as a professor – NO connection, just giving a timeline, lol; again – remember – as a Jew at a Catholic university, this whole idea that you would spend YEARS becoming a priest and then, not be a priest, it was blowing my mind).

Specifically, the letter was signed by Father Philip Burroughs, S.J. His cover letter described numerous activities that have taken place on the campus since the start of the 07-08 year: Pluralism in Action (part of New Student Orientation), the New Student Orientation’s Mass of the Holy Spirit, the Jewish High Holy Days, Ramadan and an Interfaith Council prayer service to commemorate 9-11.

The enclosure card for donations gives you the chance to designate that the gift go to one or more of several funds listed:

Mission & Ministry

Catholic Chaplaincy

Protestant Chaplaincy

Jewish Chaplaincy

Muslim Chaplaincy

Eastern Orthodox Chaplaincy

Chaplains in Residence

Interfaith Initiatives

and then several related to specific, Catholic efforts (retreat programs, Catholic Chapel Choir etc.)

I thought this kind of appeal at this time of the year (and after several days of blogging about how my experience of Christians in this world makes me believe that some people seek to pervert religion for profit) was very well-planned. I am not giving at this time, but I really liked the approach.

Now, just so you know I know my school’s imperfections, GU continues to struggle with properly treating gays. This article details the end of an eight-year legal battle that ensued while I was at GU, and this one details a current struggle related to treatment of gays on campus. And, while I was there, as well as afterwards, there was blatant disregard for the timing of some events which forced me to choose between major student activities and my religious observances.

Although I can’t speak from experience about how it feels to be a gay student at a Catholic university, I know the president a little bit – he grew up in my hometown, went to my high school (about four years before me), was my resident director during my sophomore year and supported me in writing when I started to work on a book about being Jewish at Georgetown (a book I still hope to write – tentatively titled Oya Saxa – with the help of Rabbi Harold White, who just celebrate 40 years of being the chaplain at Georgetown and is part of Campus Ministry, which is not the same as the Office of Mission and Ministry though I can’t really figure out quite what the difference is except that I think the Office is only Catholic and the Campus is for all religions – the rabbi was brought on not long after Vatican II ). And the president seems like a pretty progressive guy – even for someone in charge of Jesuit school (Jesuits have the reputation of being progressive in the first place).

And, for a little extra dose of Friday night nostalgia: here’s info on the Red Bird Mission Work Camp that I went to during my Spring Break in Appalachia experiences, done through GU, when I was a junior and senior. Wow – I have similar pictures but now you can see that mountaintops are partly reclaimed – when I was there, they were just stripped, grey mud. In fact, last week, I met someone at the AAPC conference who was intimately familiar with Red Bird because he lives in KY and is very involved with his Methodist church. I even think Governor Strickland was involved or knows of Red Bird – but I’ve never gotten confirmation of that (he did some work in the Methodist ministries in KY too at some point).

Anyway – I wish you could still hear me describe for the radio show, State of Belief, what I said about my life-altering revelation during a Methodist service one day while in Red Bird (the post for that specific show is here). But it appears that the archives only go back to a few weeks after my recording. I ended up on the program because one of its producers at the time was Alex Goldmark who has a graduate degree in public policy from GU and he somehow wound up on my blog and contacted me about having been a Jew at Georgetown and would I talk about that. And I did. Alex does a lot of neat stories for Marketplace so you might recognize his name. Very cool guy.

Anyway – it was just your typical, Jewish girl goes into the Appalachian hollers with ten Catholics and a Methodist Mission story. If you’ve heard one, you’ve heard ‘em all.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:45 pm October 19th, 2007 in Religion | Comments Off 

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Oct

19

What Phil Burress hath wrought, let no dancer put asunder

Filed Under Business, Government, Politics, Statehouse | 4 Comments

Or law enforcement officials.  If clubs follow the new state law for adult entertainment, their former patrons and employees won’t be the only ones looking glum, as the Columbus Dispatch details today:

The impact of the law, which took effect Wednesday, was being felt in clubs across the state, club owners said.

By late afternoon yesterday, Angela Bates de Gongora was sitting in the nearly empty Hustler Club she manages in Cleveland and fretting about how bad business might be.

With the new law in effect, Hustler and other adult entertainment clubs made swift changes in their operations.

“We’re following all the new rules. The girls are wearing bikinis and they’re not having any contact with customers,” she said. “It’s had a huge impact on our business. … There are fewer customers and they’re not tipping or buying drinks for the girls.

“Just last night, I had several girls tell me they might quit. They’re not making any money. All my dancers are terrified,” she said. “They’re afraid to come to work.”

De Gongora said she had hoped that customers would come in after the Cleveland Indians-Boston Red Sox game to see their featured performer, Stormy Daniels, an adult-film star. Instead, the club probably would lose money last night.

So – how many stats do we expect to be the #1 worst in now, as we add to the unemployment rolls, closed buildings, people who can no longer afford to pay for education semester by semester, pay for child support – or health care.  Anyone think Phil Burress will open his pockets to all these folks he’s trying to “save” from themselves?

Or something.

Seriously. If Burress didn’t have a problem giving money to politicians, and then funding the cause of passing SB 16, wouldn’t you expect that he would be willing – volunteering even – to cover the costs as the clubs and workers go under?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:14 pm October 19th, 2007 in Business, Government, Politics, Statehouse | 4 Comments 

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Oct

19

STRS rubber stamps divestment under Husted pressure

Filed Under Education, Foreign Affairs, Statehouse | Comments Off

According to this communication from Dr. Dennis Leone, former Chillicothe Schools superintendent and current retiree member of Ohio State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), the board of STRS voted 7-3 yesterday in favor of a voluntary divestment plan. But, Leone states, approval came at this time only because of what he believes was premature pressure.

The Board voted 7-3 today (Leone, Lazares, Hayden voting no) to give Damon what he wanted – a voluntary divestment plan. We have no clue whether STRS will drop 1% or 100% of the firms on the naughty list. It really didn’t matter what John L and I said today. The Board majority was determined to give Damon what he wanted. I read an email I received yesterday from State Senator John Carey, the chair of the Senate Committee that would get HB 151 if (note that I said IF) it ever passed the House. He said in his email that the matter was not scheduled for discussion whatsoever in the Senate. In other words, the STRS Board today voted because they THINK they know what WOULD happen in the House and Senate. John L and I tried and tried to get the Board to wait. It simply was not in the cards.
Dennis Leone

That vote reflects action on an agreement Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted (R, Kettering) reached with some of Ohio’s pension plans in lieu of the Ohio House pursuing a vote on HB 151. State Rep. Josh Mandel (R, Lyndhurst) and Shannon Jones (R, Springboro) had been pushing the bill last spring. If passed, it would have required five Ohio pension plan systems to divest their investments of holdings in companies with connections to Iran or Sudan. House Rep. Larry Flowers (R, Canal-Winchester) tabled the bill in June.

In addition to the three votes against implementation of the voluntary plan, Concerned Ohio Retired Educators (“CORE”) submitted a unanimously passed resolution against the approval of any mandatory divestment plan. You can read the text of that resolution here.

Speculation exists that the earliest HB 151 may have been entertained in either chamber of the Ohio statehouse would be next summer. John Curry, a retired educator who worked many years in the Wapakoneta City Schools and is an STRS benefits recipient, wrote in an email that

…reading this [communication from Leone] made me feel sick to my stomach. Our retirement funds have a threat held over them by the House Majority Leader, Jon Husted. Many on our STRS Board and in the STRS administration fear him and will cowtow [sic] to his wishes. Thank goodness for retirees that Husted is term limited out in 2008 and will not return to his position of power in the Ohio House!

Not all the pension plans that were parties to the agreement with Husted have had similar votes on how to implement the agreement yet.

Cross-posted from Wide Open.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:39 pm October 19th, 2007 in Education, Foreign Affairs, Statehouse | Comments Off 

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Oct

19

Charter school operators steal away to Parma

Filed Under Education | Comments Off

The Performing Arts School of Metropolitan Toledo has been in the news at least a few times this year. And, today, this Toledo Blade article details the latest revelations of alleged wrongdoing, courtesy of a state audit:

The audit, which covers activities from July 1, 2006, to Feb. 9, 2007, revealed that Mr. DiCianni [husband of former school executive director, Kari DiCianni] whose role and authority at the school was never made clear to the auditor or The Blade in past interviews – distributed paychecks to students for work at the school.

But the paychecks were larger than the amount justified by time sheets.

Students told the auditor’s office that they would receive their paychecks, cash the checks, and then return the money to Mr. DiCianni.

He would then give the children a portion of the cash for their work. It is unknown what the remaining money was used for and Mr. DiCianni could not account for $48,250, the audit said.

Emily Frazee, spokesman for state Auditor Mary Taylor, said the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating.

“We would certainly hope that every penny could be repaid,” Ms. Frazee said. “It will be up to the county prosecutor whether to move forward with charges and pursue the collection of that money.”

The couple owes a combined total of $119,393, she said.

The prosecutor’s office is investigating, but,

The DiCiannis now live in Parma, Ohio, where they apparently moved after the charter school was shut down by its authorizing agency, the Toledo-based Ohio Council of Community Schools.

They could not be reached for comment.

Good models of accountability for charter schools do exist. This story from the Indianapolis Star explains how it’s done there. The article even details how the schools have very good academic successes, but, overall, stinky records with management.

In Ohio, given that so much of the public money that goes to charters ends up with for-profit managers, wouldn’t you think that the legislature would be clamoring to build in and require more accountability?

To be fair, we know that in fact legislation has been passed to improve accountability, but when you read this Blade story… Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:36 pm October 19th, 2007 in Education | Comments Off 

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Oct

19

Clobber Coulter with bagels

Filed Under Blogging, Jewish, Religion | 9 Comments

From Bragster.com:

We’ll give you $1000 if you send us a video of you pelting Ann Coulter with bagels. You’ve got 1 week. Get moving people. Obviously, be gentle and do not hurt her. This is simply a little bit of fun…not malicious.

Sign up here (http://www.bragster.com/signup) and click disagree in order to join the bet. To win the prize you need to be over 18 and have to post your video in the comment section below.

And we’re not paying you to do it, we’re paying for the video. It’s not our responsibility if you get arrested, sued, stalked by right-wing fanatics or if Coulter lights you on fire.

If you were going to do this, what flavor would you use? Poppy seeds would probably really hurt – I’d suggest going with the egg or plain bagel. And aim for the toes or something.

Then again, if, like me, you much prefer to clobber Coulter with words, the Cleveland Jewish News will take your linguistic lobs:

CJN readers wishing to throw “verbal” bagels about Coulter’s remarks can do so by writing to “Bagel Bashing” at editorial@cjn.org or 23880 Commerce Park, Ste. 1, Beachwood 44122.

I’ve done more psychoanalysis of her than I ever thought I would here, here and here. I think all that is enough.

Vessels Sarcasm Alert Scale: 9

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:26 am October 19th, 2007 in Blogging, Jewish, Religion | 9 Comments 

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