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Untitled

a photo for the Fall season...
By: Oko_ne 2006

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Windmills in N.E. PA

Photo is from the Highway; Penna Turnpike just above the Pocono Raceway; On A cloudy day.

by Oko_ne

Bee Photo

It's a balmy 70Farenheit outside today. This little bee was making the best of the morning.
Photo by Oko_ne
Photo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Music to Listen to...

Sean Ono Lennon's new "Friendly Fire"
This is a really appropriate & intriguing piece of work. even with a little Cirque du Soleil style acrobatics in it. I'm enjoying the process that has begun in my mind watching something made by someone who has some type of similarity to me...as I never feel like I connect mentally with anyone around me (if you've read the rest of this blog you'd understand a bit why; I've grown up Halvsie in a really mundane area here called Bucks County). ; that I really didn't think would affect me in anyway.

Check out http://www.seanonolennon.com/

Much Peace,
Oko_ne

A story about New Orleans

Post Katrina New Hope;

I heard a story over 1 month ago; about the Katrina Disaster. The story; goes like this... from a guy with an Oceans 11 style biz. card named Larry Kullmin.
The people who had $300 to 500USD/Day drug habits were being shot by their drug dealers. The drug dealers were shooting their clients because they didn't have anything for them.

Strippers who disappeared never reappeared.

Someone said that maybe they should kidnap me. Though, there was a bust at some Oriental massage parlors who had kidnapped asian women working there. I am not one of them and, I'd love to sue the last school I worked at for Slander.

The end.

FCC Mobile Phone laws

From what I understand; even my neighbors across the street have a scanner to listen in on Mobile/cell & other phone calls; to pick up on the police radio.

And; from what I understand it's now illegal;
see the following sites:

• Police Scanner Laws
  
  
• Scanner Laws FCC
  

unless they have a warrant;
for police to have scanners and listen to mobile/cell phone calls. That; the police stations are required to have new scanners that do not ? pick up on the mobile calls.

For some reason, this sounds a bit off. Does anyone know any further?

Bucks County Heroin Deaths

I am a bit upset with the following that I heard today....

That a week ago some local Doylestown kids died from taking Heroin. @ 19years old.
And, that some of the young adult dealers were being let off by the police; despite the fact that they were caught with bags of heroin. And, that it happened several times. Apparently, someone put a fetynal in the mix and it puts people into comas nearly immediately. It's really sad.

Found an article about 5 deaths here since Jan.

Though, I expect that the usual will happen; that the major dealers will get off with a bargain with the judge for a payment in excess of 25,000 USD. The dealers will continue to deal and do their thing. It's so miserable.
People just don't get it; that the dealers and distributors move into a new and "naive" area, and essentially pull the bottom out on the town or locale. Like posing Mortgage brokers to run a scam and purchase property, get people to buy, pull out the equity through purchase of their "goods". The Govt. really doesn't give a ff because they invariably get a cut of it before it's too late. Yuk.

And, in the case of the kids/ YA's- I heard that the doctor's wouldn't accept them for rehab...even with Health insurance. I'm guessing the type of doctors I've heard about who , before taking the oath, they are dealing tons of drugs to pay for their degree ...

What a rotten thing to hear. Aside from the fact that there isn't decent help in the county inside a 100 mile radius. (make that 190 miles).

Bucks County Flood Plain area

Related Articles:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15652524.htm

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-10052006-723116.html

Many homes in Bucks County are up for sale; and I have heard from some people that they can't get the money that they paid (on the negative side) for their homes .

Additionally; There is a new 1 year old library in Quakertown with an internet cafe. And, there have been renovations performed in Doylestown location in the past week. I wonder how this is due to the Library funding cuts since 9-11 in Philadelphia and surrounding regions.

A diary note

I realize that many of the People who reside in my surrounding community, that is less than 100,000 people, do not accept me. It has gone as far as being my physically being attacked in public, receiving broken items of mine in the mail, my car being broken into numerous times, items that I purchased (not inexpensive - like my glasses) being stolen, being told by other teachers/ collegues that I should become a prostitute; despite my daily professional dress in suits and like professional wear. All of which wouldn't happen if I were to retain a position with a reputable and diverse corporation. I have barely been hanging on financially. And, yes my life has been threatened. My independent charitable work has been squandered by other individuals including non-acceptable reprints in the newspapers where other organizations take credit for all of my work; and I get stiffed with the bill. I realize that the world isn't fair, however, they have decimated my person to no end. Many of the progressive minded people left the area last election because they could not take anymore. I have not made any money here in Bucks county; and, they have reported false incomes for me in several townships where I do not reside, nor have ever. Additionally; Many of the businesses that I have interviewed with or worked for claim their diversity because of their ability to hire Russians and that they retain minimal representatives of ethnic groups. They also slander me because of my name which sounds Celtic though, I am of 1/2 Japanese descent and look more Japanese.

This is what they call; good people, and they do everything in their power and ignorance to harm my life. They think that my Japanese family will send me money; when there are strict rules that they will not due to the further problems the people here will create in my life with more money in it. The same happened with my brother; everytime he made money through his jobs; someone would create a problem for that required funding a local lawyer. And, at one point I had to chip in too. Enough for now; vent over.

My thoughts on the Nation Today

Is it real? The 68.7Billion deficit that the U.S. has chalked up in the World? Not to mention the New defense budget. And then, how much has been sent the other direction out to the World; in addition to the Internal subsidies that the U.S.A. govt. gives to NGO's (non governmental organizations) to create more democracy.

Or is it fact that; as long as the U.S.A. has Trees and a paper supply...money can be printed by the U.S. regardless of what's in the Federal Treasury? and on which country's tab? I hear the cab drivers in Guanzhou, China are giving counterfeit out for change.

Nasa's retired shuttles seem like a new replacement of A.F. 1 so negotiations about the timeliness of Nuclear threats in N. Korea can be made face to face.

• In 1999 people in Fl. were talking of the Infrastructure change plan for the U.S. that was set in place in the 50's and 60's. Yes, such a thing is pricey; and some of the older and top minds were stating, "People were only meant to live within a 15 mile radius; and not travel more than 5 by bike or foot."

? No money no problem; Just keep me alive. An' likewise to you.

Irradiated Spinach Here?

Quakertown, Pa , Bucks County, Race, Reality, Cobalt, Spinach, Halvsie, etc.

Homeland Security Issue; Yes, Definitely

Food is unsafe, and the area is teaming with terrorist representatives.

By Oko_ne

Many people do not understand specifically “Why” the past 3 to 4 years have been an absolute nightmare for me. I shall start with the primary issues of the area; 1. There is an Irradiation plant in Quakertown, PA. 2. The area is heavily racist and KKK/ White Supremacist based ideology is practiced.

So, I was raised here in Quakertown, PA. And, I returned here after finally having opportunity to leave a very bad relationship 1 year after completion of a B.A.. I actually had no idea that there was an irradiation plant here in Quakertown until I noticed the “No Cobalt for Food’ bumper stickers on cars here. This is unusual because normally; there are few “progressive minded” bumperstickers around. It was quite different from the Christian right fish or God or Eagles Football Team stickers.

Unfortunately; this irradiation plant has surfaced many very difficult issues in my personal life, including the loss of my brother. While alive, my younger, and only brother had a temporary work assignment at the Irradiation plant and he had told me that they, “Irradiate nearly everything you can think of.” After hearing this I was quite disturbed that he worked there at all since we are both of ½ Japanese descent and our mother battled a terminal cancer by the time I was in 1^st grade. My little brother, then 23, only worked there for 4 days. He said his skull felt like it was vibrating, he felt like his teeth were going to fall out as he worked there, and that he really felt like it embodied an energy that he could only describe as death. He told me of the Homeland Security issues surrounding the place. And, that there is “Klan” here that want to use the Cobalt that is stored under the heavy water to make a bomb to use on Philadelphia. [“BTW; the Cobalt is under the heavy water so that if it blows; there is heavy water above it.”] (that statement did not make me feel safe). It was dismaying to hear the news as a 2^nd cousin on my father’s side of the family who was running H.U.D. in Phila. for appx. $250,000.00/ year. Though I was happy to hear that Phila. Finally did job cuts out of financial needs…And, I really do feel for the people of Phila.; I understand my family quite well and where I rank with them due to my bi-racial genetic makeup. Me, I’m sitting here nearly penniless and unable to secure employment, which is part of why I blog.

The question about the area that I do want to answer is “Are there terrorists?”

The answer is yes, there are many representative known and armed terrorist groups lingering in the area. Here’s a small list of my horrible encounters that is big enough to cause problems for me, as I believe that my brother and I in particular are being used as scapegoats due to our Halvsie background.

· Irish Red Army

· Ku Klux Klan; and divisions thereof hiding behind the local churches; particularly Lutheran, and the Big Cavalry Baptist Church in Souderton.

· Militia from various areas; note just check truck for bumper stickers.

· World Tour/ The Walkabout yacht – the Portland crowd – though apparently bargained a job with the Feds so now they run sonar/ radar from the boat and make trips to Sri Lanka.

· Korean maffia- of unknown origin

· Taliban Supporters with airport security clearance (NJ)

Unfortunately, I was only thinking of the recent spinach disaster at the supermarkets. As, many people who are concerned about their food want to know what is going on. One of my hypothesis (as I’m sure others have their own) is that the Spinach had increased contamination rates due to irradiation. Irradiation of food is known to “speed the growth of bacteria & fungus”. This applies to nearly all spices we use to flavor our food. As my little bro said, ‘They irradiate nearly everything you can think of.” With reference to the Quakertown, PA irradiation plant that has a nearby Logistics/ truck stop as a Hub for distribution. Regardless, you’re not going to find anything good at the Irradiation plant; especially not veggies.

And, I won't get into why this plant and the people around it are an even a bigger issue that has destroyed my life;

Yes, I have Kimono Shoulders

Over many years of having to live in the predominantly Caucasian east coast, I have suffered greatly. One of the things that I must vent is my dismay with the physical therapy department at the college in New York which I attended for my Undergraduate music degree for piano. I was on a 4.5 year track, and one day my teacher told me that my shoulders looked tightened up to him.

Here I must get into my physical construct of being half Northern Japanese particularly. My shoulders slope naturally. I do not have the typically square shoulder construct of my European ancestors. My shoulders to not break into solid horizontal lines at any point in my shoulder line; and my shoulders are shaped much more like a typical wire hanger that one receives from the dry cleaner. My shoulders are what my mother said are "Kimono Shoulders". So, under my professor's instruction I went to the Musicians clinic at the PT department where they tried to break down my natural sloping shoulders to match their own. They claimed, inreference to me ,that "[I] you have overdeveloped traps". It was quite painful. They used to ice my shoulders and then sink their hands into them and then used an ultrasound device on my shoulders. I felt bad all the way around.

My mother taught me that I have kimono shoulders after the humiliating ordeals I went through in Middle school and High school in Pennsylvania; to be fitted for choir dresses that had shoulder pads. There were at least 2 instances where the fitters made a public example of me and called all the women in the choir over to marvel and laugh at my "no shoulders".

I still don't understand why people expect me to look at them in over 31 years of intolerance and ignorance with a smile. I have tried my best. Next blog; Why I started an "animal rights group" and changed some of the food choices at my undergrad college....hint 'I was getting ill on the food they served' and was eating shojin ryori style for nearly a decade prior to college dining hall food.

Much Peace,
Oko_ne

Peace Lanterns Ithaca NY area

here are some of the photos from the Peace Lantern efforts of the week...
Wed. night in Ithaca with Monks from the Namgyal Monastery

No More Nukes and Commeration of Hiroshima

Click on View; then, Enlarge text size in your browser for easier reading of the image. Or, click on the image 1x and then again when the magnifying lens appears.

Work Books

Things are slightly better today.

I read the book "The Art of Happiness" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama , yesterday.
It is straightforward and practical. It definately beat out the book " What Would Buddha do at Work?" Though I appreciate the different approaches of each book.

Multicultural Asia Photos...

From Left to Right; Photo from the Dress rehersal ; Korea, Japan (that's me with the Obi- though I wore a wedding Kimono for the real show), Formal Kimonos; Manchurian dress, and Indian Dress.
I was going through some old photographs of some of the things that I did as a child.
This event at Pearl Buck Foundation was good for the few people who attended to see what some of the different traditional forms; and modern forms of dress of Asia are. BTW: I am not transracially adopted; My biological mother or nanny immigrated to the U.S. from Japan.

My brother and I together as kids

He was my best friend in this place. Especially for the first 80% or 17 years of my life.
We are both Halvsie; both endured school beatings; both endured racist treatment by the school and the school officials; both worked hard to make our parents happy. My brother's life ended last year... laying in a field dead, with a nearby shotgun, and no autopsy was done, and the police harassed me and harmed me that day... I still hate it here, the police, the racism, and all...

way to go!

Jigai desu yo...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigai

Living in U.S. white Society as a Haafu

I am quite weary for my unusual life punishment of :: death by bludgeoning by 100,000+ white mindsets who never experienced Asia.

And, I am quite upset with people treating me ill based on their bubble worlds;;--bubble worlds where they construct their own notion of who I am, who my family is; what sick role they want to play opposite me...without regard to my actual family. It is in essence racism.
I am also of Japanese descent. I also was thinking about my brother's condition before he died; He had been working at an irradiation plant because it was what the Temporary agency assigned to him; people at his workplace 1 mo. before his death were calling him Ai Qaida due to hair growth on his face (commonly referred to as a beard); My brother's beard hid some of the skin that was falling off of his face from his work and exposure to chemicals and radioactive elements. My brother also had skin falling off of his hands. As a young person; my brother had severe allergies to huindreds of substances;..but white people here treated him poorly and said he was a drug addict. I have no knowledge; firsthand or otherwise of any of his drug use ...so, I cannot say that those words are/were true; though my brother said people forced him to "test" chemicals...as his work at Deon Beverages was coerced by my father and the community.

I personally am outraged with the entire community here. I am of Half Japanese descent and 1st generation here in this country. I also cannot afford to pay anymore caucasoid people all the money I have so that I am accepted as "educated" according to them; they are simply thugs. Additionally; I am humiliated with trying to bring cultural understanding to people who ultimately find racism and segregation an easy path; because it has eliminated options for my survival.

I live with someone now because I have no options; it is humiliating. And, i have no way to pay my own debts for my education and survival expenses which exceeded $10,000/ year in Gasoline ($3000), Additional room out of state ($3000) and therapy ($320+/ month). I cannot afford to live; I have little business left; and I have pursued some of a M.S.M. degree that has no advantage. I have not been able to find suitable investors; despite offers from Builder/developers, The original Buisness entrepreneur who started PeopleSoft, or Other Capital Entrepreneurs who have shown me no respect. My family values of my Mother's family are engrained in me; and, Noone I have met matches their standards.

Unless a suitable investor is present; I cannot justify trying to work in conditions like my brother did ( I am highly allergic to many buildings here in the States; and cannot tolerate chemicals in the air--much like any K-Mart or Wal-mart for any period over 20 min. I experience respiratory irritation and itchy red eyes from the environment.

The people here choose to be belligerent; And; the issue of my "mixed-race" is too complicated for them to comprehend. I have little funds to leave the area and then no money to afford a safe and respectable-of-my person place to live. Men make it very clear if i don't comply with their sexual advances; that I have no place to stay;...though I have found some support from an ex where he does leave me alone (I despise the fighting).

These are my reasons for not wanting to continue; And, my family in Japan has their ties with the Govt. and with the addition of my Aunt and Uncle Takenaka...of yes...the family lineage (and ex Ceo of the Takenaka Corporation) who built the Imperial Palace and the Tokyo Tower, as well as skyscrapers in California and other places in Asia.

I hope that you all understand how I feel; in some part.
My political U.S. activist training has additionally contributed to much additional abuse from my Father's family and local government here in Bucks County.

At the onset of my life; I was instructed that i exist here for other's to learn from; and to be an example of Japanese culture to the extent that I could (as a child). As an adult I learned about the U.S. political system and learned and participated in changing some laws. Today; I am being chastized for my entire being.
I have grown to hate and despise many of the people who I encounter here in Pennsylvania. And, I realize that they may try to take my life; as they have been attempting over the past 3 years;; actively.
my spirit is tired of this.

I want you to know that I did try my best; and I'm not going to pay to learn Buddhism from another caucasian because I'm unacceptable to them.

Much Peace,
Angela