MY ANTONIA BK I CHAPTER 4 WILLA CATHER Chapter V

MY ANTONIA BK I CHAPTER 4 WILLA CATHER
http://www.enotes.com/my-antonia-text/book-i-chapter-iv
http://www.enotes.com/my-antonia-text/book-i-chapter-v

OWLS AND PRARIE DOGS SECRIPTION OF NATURE ON THE BARE PRARIE AND OF UNDERGROUND LIFE ANTONIA'S READING LESSON DOG TOWNS SUNFLOWERS

UPROOTED PEOPLE CH V THE RUSSIANS
Chapter IV
ON THE AFTERNOON of that same Sunday I took my first long ride on my pony, under Otto's direction. After that Dude and I went twice a week to the post office, six miles east of us, and I saved the men a good deal of time by riding on errands to our neighbors. When we had to borrow anything, or to send about word that there would be preaching at the sod schoolhouse, I was always the messenger. Formerly Fuchs attended to such things after working hours.
All the years that have passed have not dimmed my memory of that first glorious autumn. The new country lay open before me: there were no fences in those days, and I could choose my own way over the grass uplands, trusting the pony to get me home again. Sometimes I followed the sunflower-bordered roads. Fuchs told me that the sunflowers were introduced into that country by the Mormons; that at the time of the persecution, when they left Missouri and struck out into the wilderness to find a place where they could worship God in their own way, the members of the first exploring party, crossing the plains to Utah, scattered sunflower seed as they went. The next summer, when the long trains of wagons came through with all the women and children, they had the sunflower trail to follow. I believe that botanists do not confirm Jake's story, but insist that the sunflower was native to those plains. Nevertheless, that legend has stuck in my mind, and sunflower-bordered roads always seem to me the roads to freedom.
I used to love to drift along the pale yellow cornfields, looking for the damp spots one sometimes found at their edges, where the smartweed soon turned a rich copper color and the narrow brown leaves hung curled like cocoons about the swollen joints of the stem. Sometimes I went south to visit our German neighbors and to admire their catalpa grove, or to see the big elm tree that grew up out of a deep crack in the earth and had a hawk's nest in its branches. Trees were so rare in that country, and they had to make such a hard fight to grow, that we used to feel anxious about them, and visit them as if they were persons. It must have been the scarcity of detail in that tawny landscape that made detail so precious.
Sometimes I rode north to the big prairie dog town to watch the brown, earth-owls fly home in the late afternoon and go down to their nests underground with the dogs. Ántonia Shimerda liked to go with me, and we used to wonder a great deal about these birds of subterranean habit. We had to be on our guard there, for rattlesnakes were always lurking about. They came to pick up an easy living among the dogs and owls, which were quite defenseless against them; took possession of their comfortable houses and ate the eggs and puppies. We felt sorry for the owls. It was always mournful to see them come flying home at sunset and disappear under the earth. But, after all, we felt, winged things who would live like that must be rather degraded creatures. The dog-town was a long way from any pond or creek. Otto Fuchs said he had seen populous dog-towns in the desert where there was no surface water for fifty miles; he insisted that some of the holes must go down to water—nearly two hundred feet, hereabouts. Ántonia said she didn't believe it; that the dogs probably lapped up the dew in the early morning, like the rabbits.
Ántonia had opinions about everything, and she was soon able to make them known. Almost every day she came running across the prairie to have her reading lesson with me. Mrs. Shimerda grumbled, but realized it was important that one member of the family should learn English. When the lesson was over, we used to go up to the watermelon patch behind the garden. I split the melons with an old corn-knife, and we lifted out the hearts and ate them with the juice trickling through our fingers. The white Christmas melons we did not touch, but we watched them with curiosity. They were to be picked late, when the hard frosts had set in, and put away for winter use. After weeks on the ocean, the Shimerdas were famished for fruit. The two girls would wander for miles along the edge of the cornfields, hunting for ground-cherries.
Ántonia loved to help grandmother in the kitchen and to learn about cooking and housekeeping. She would stand beside her, watching her every movement. We were willing to believe that Mrs. Shimerda was a good housewife in her own country, but she managed poorly under new conditions: the conditions were bad enough, certainly!
I remember how horrified we were at the sour, ashy-gray bread she gave her family to eat. She mixed her dough, we discovered, in an old tin peck-measure that Krajiek had used about the barn. When she took the paste out to bake it, she left smears of dough sticking to the sides of the measure, put the measure on the shelf behind the stove, and let this residue ferment. The next time she made bread, she scraped this sour stuff down into the fresh dough to serve as yeast.
During those first months the Shimerdas never went to town. Krajiek encouraged them in the belief that in Black Hawk they would somehow be mysteriously separated from their money. They hated Krajiek, but they clung to him because he was the only human being with whom they could talk or from whom they could get information. He slept with the old man and the two boys in the dugout barn, along with the oxen. They kept him in their hole and fed him for the same reason that the prairie dogs and the brown owls housed the rattlesnakes—because they did not know how to get rid of him.
tawny– beige, light brown

Ch V p 1

Chapter V
WE KNEW THAT things were hard for our Bohemian neighbors, but the two girls were lighthearted and never complained. They were always ready to forget their troubles at home, and to run away with me over the prairie, scaring rabbits or starting up flocks of quail.
I remember Ántonia's excitement when she came into our kitchen one afternoon and announced: “My papa find friends up north, with Russian mans. Last night he take me for see, and I can understand very much talk. Nice mans, Mrs. Burden. One is fat and all the time laugh. Everybody laugh. The first time I see my papa laugh in this kawn-tree. Oh, very nice!”
I asked her if she meant the two Russians who lived up by the big dog-town. I had often been tempted to go to see them when I was riding in that direction, but one of them was a wild-looking fellow and I was a little afraid of him. Russia seemed to me more remote than any other country—farther away than China, almost as far as the North Pole. Of all the strange, uprooted people among the first settlers, those two men were the strangest and the most aloof. Their last names were unpronounceable, so they were called Pavel and Peter. They went about making signs to people, and until the Shimerdas came they had no friends. Krajiek could understand them a little, but he had cheated them in a trade, so they avoided him. Pavel, the tall one, was said to be an anarchist; since he had no means of imparting his opinions, probably his wild gesticulations and his generally excited and rebellious manner gave rise to this supposition. He must once have been a very strong man, but now his great frame, with big, knotty joints, had a wasted look, and the skin was drawn tight over his high cheekbones. His breathing was hoarse, and he always had a cough.
Peter, his companion, was a very different sort of fellow; short, bow-legged, and as fat as butter. He always seemed pleased when he met people on the road, smiled and took off his cap to everyone, men as well as women. At a distance, on his wagon, he looked like an old man; his hair and beard were of such a pale flaxen color that they seemed white in the sun. They were as thick and curly as carded wool. His rosy face, with its snub nose, set in this fleece, was like a melon among its leaves. He was usually called “Curly Peter,” or “Rooshian Peter.”
The two Russians made good farmhands, and in summer they worked out together. I had heard our neighbors laughing when they told how Peter always had to go home at night to milk his cow. Other bachelor homesteaders used canned milk, to save trouble. Sometimes Peter came to church at the sod schoolhouse. It was there I first saw him, sitting on a low bench by the door, his plush cap in his hands, his bare feet tucked apologetically under the seat.
After Mr. Shimerda discovered the Russians, he went to see them almost every evening, and sometimes took Ántonia with him. She said they came from a part of Russia where the language was not very different from Bohemian, and if I wanted to go to their place, she could talk to them for me. One afternoon, before the heavy frosts began, we rode up there together on my pony.
The Russians had a neat log house built on a grassy slope, with a wind-lass well beside the door. As we rode up the draw we skirted a big melon patch, and a garden where squashes and yellow cucumbers lay about on the sod. We found Peter out behind his kitchen, bending over a washtub. He was working so hard that he did not hear us coming. His whole body moved up and down as he rubbed, and he was a funny sight from the rear, with his shaggy head and bandy legs. When he straightened himself up to greet us, drops of perspiration were rolling from his thick nose down onto his curly beard. Peter dried his hands and seemed glad to leave his washing. He took us down to see his chickens, and his cow that was grazing on the hillside. He told Ántonia that in his country only rich people had cows, but here any man could have one who would take care of her. The milk was good for Pavel, who was often sick, and he could make butter by beating sour cream with a wooden spoon. Peter was very fond of his cow. He patted her flanks and talked to her in Russian while he pulled up her lariat pin and set it in a new place.
After he had shown us his garden, Peter trundled a load of watermelons up the hill in his wheelbarrow. Pavel was not at home. He was off somewhere helping to dig a well. The house I thought very comfortable for two men who were “batching.” Besides the kitchen, there was a livingroom, with a wide double bed built against the wall, properly made up with blue gingham sheets and pillows. There was a little storeroom, too, with a window, where they kept guns and saddles and tools, and old coats and boots. That day the floor was covered with garden things, drying for winter; corn and beans and fat yellow cucumbers. There were no screens or window-blinds in the house, and all the doors and windows stood wide open, letting in flies and sunshine alike.
Peter put the melons in a row on the oilcloth-covered table and stood over them, brandishing a butcher knife. Before the blade got fairly into them, they split of their own ripeness, with a delicious sound. He gave us knives, but no plates, and the top of the table was soon swimming with juice and seeds. I had never seen anyone eat so many melons as Peter ate. He assured us that they were good for one—better than medicine; in his country people lived on them at this time of year. He was very hospitable and jolly. Once, while he was looking at Ántonia, he sighed and told us that if he had stayed at home in Russia perhaps by this time he would have had a pretty daughter of his own to cook and keep house for him. He said he had left his country because of a “great trouble.”

When we got up to go, Peter looked about in perplexity for something that would entertain us. He ran into the storeroom and brought out a gaudily painted harmonica, sat down on a bench, and spreading his fat legs apart began to play like a whole band. The tunes were either very lively or very doleful, and he sang words to some of them.
Before we left, Peter put ripe cucumbers into a sack for Mrs. Shimerda and gave us a lard-pail full of milk to cook them in. I had never heard of cooking cucumbers, but Ántonia assured me they were very good. We had to walk the pony all the way home to keep from spilling the milk.

trundled – transported by a wheeled object like a wheelbarrow

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Reading Pointers for Sharper Insight
Dedication
Introduction
Book I
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
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Ayahuasca The SpiritualWarrior

http://ayahuascameghan.blogspot.com/2010/03/spiritual-warrior-concept-oxymoron-and.html

NECESSITY OF THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS IN THE WAKE OF THE DARK SPOTS WE ALL HAV LATENT WITHIN US LIGHT VS DARKNESS OR AE THEY REALLY ARCHWAYS TO A GREATER LIGHT? DUALISM ENGENDERS DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE WISE ONES

DO NOT JUMP LEVELS FORCING THINGS NECESSARY TO DEAL WITH BACK INTO THE UNCONSCIOUS

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The "Spiritual Warrior" Concept: Oxymoron and Feeding Dualism, or the Nature of Life?
For awhile now, I have had a strong resistance to investigating the concept of "Spiritual Warrior." There was a huge part of me that had a streamline focus to that all is Light and unified, all it ultimately Good in the end, and to even look into the concept that there may be necessary dualism within the unification concept could somehow be tiptoeing into the "Dark Side".Western Spirituality is super Light-focused, which is great, but can sometimes pump out "false-positives" (fake optimists who have stuffed their dark energy instead of purging it). The fear, of course, the that we will get our egos confused with Light, and be a milder form of preaching, terrorism, or something else clearly fear/ego based "in the name of God." Yet over time, especially since the Sanango diet, the Universe and Medicine have been dropping subtle hints, inner pulls, and physical opportunities for me to investigate this. So, letting go of my fear and trusting myself/my Spirit to hold the flashlight, I begin to consciously climb down into the great unknown question I haven't wanted to ask myself: do we need to fight for the Light? And if so, what does that mean exactly?













I have been (for awhile now) getting pulled to study martial arts - specifically Krav Maga, which was developed by the Israeli army for both military and civilians alike, to be able to effectively defend and attack against people and weapons. It's pretty hardcore - streetfighting from what it appears. What's also noteworthy is that this is one of the few martial arts that was NOT birthed in a longstanding tradition with spiritual roots - it is new, it can be violent (your option), and it is not considered sacred.In the last year, some of you know I have not been able to read "spiritual" books unless they fall through pretty much directly from the Divine. Each time I try, I physically cannot do it...I get stopped energetically within the first few pages, and it would be like trying to trudge through reading a horribly thick textbook (no matter how wonderful the book may really be!) These are a few of the ways the Divine will guide me into most efficiently feeding my Mind with concepts that I need to work on at the moment, step by step along my path, instead of having a haphazard, chaotic frenzy.Meanwhile, I have also had a strong desire to return to lifting weights and doing significant cardio exercise. Not so much for the weight loss (though I won't block the beauty of releasing the last 10 lbs!) but in truth, for the strength and durability of my body. I want to be able to run away if I ever need to, or have the strength to pull myself over the side of a cliff (?) Random, I know, and it's funny that it is NOT coming from fear, which makes it feel completely different. It is coming from almost a sense of preparation (I'm not saying that I will be dangling off a cliff at some point, or that the world is going to end and I need to be physically ready, so don't let fear spin out and exacerbate "preparation" - though I had to manage the fear myself at first!) It's almost like I have balanced out the emotional body to a level, my spirit has had the opportunity to grow and strengthen, the Mind and Ego are always works in progress, but significantly more balanced than before...and now...time for the physical manifestation of that.











Soon after I returned to the States, I went to the library to look for the most non-"spiritual" book I could find (yeah I know everything is spiritual, but you know what I mean!) I found one called Babygirl...urban youth writing about a girl growing up on the streets (why I thought that wouldn't be spiritual is beyond me). About a quarter of the way through the book I see a reference to Iyanla Vanzant (my teacher from Inner Visions) and I chuckled, forgetting sometimes how famous she is. That was the first inkling that this book may be more spiritual than I was expecting.By the end of the book, it was clear there were some strong, "fight for the Light" concepts in this book (mild Muslim overtones from what I gathered) and a woman in the end who was just a complete and total badass...calm, collected, no fear. Did what she needed to do to save the day (sorry to spoil) and emitted the Feminine Warrior Goddess like nobody's business. I thought about the intrigue I feel when I see characters in movies where nobody can touch the woman because she outsmarts them physically, mentally, and spiritually. She also doesn't lose her compassion and nurturing nature - it is just applied where she chooses.







My aunt reminded me of a book I hadn't read called Women Who Run with the Wolves. The energy of this book drips of the carnal, wild nature of the wise, wild woman. I am only at Chapter One and this is clearly the balloon pushing open the door of this investigation. It brings me back to the concept of Nature, and animals, and instinct. We like to thing we are more "evolved" than they are, but how do we really know? It seems the answers lie in nature. So why is it okay for a mama wolf to fight and steal to protect her young, and not for us to? Again, I'm not to a point where I know how I feel about it yet, but it's an interesting point to raise and mull over. I think people are sometimes so scared of chaos (maybe many years of government and religious control in our consciousness) that they blacklabel looking into any of this...just like it feels like the Western Spiritual community does at even looking in to anything dark. If it weren't for my dark periods of life, I would have NEVER searched. I would have NEVER experienced the Light and fulfillment I do now. If I hadn't been so low, I couldn't have swung so high. We all know and understand the concept of APPRECIATION. SO why is it taboo to call a thing a thing? You can't really appreciate dinner until you're hungry. Air until you nearly drown. Light until you've been in dark. I woke up in the middle of the night, understanding a deeper concept for a split second, then it moved back up to my conscious mind and I now need to explore it more to get back to where I understood in my wiser dreamstate. "Letting something die and nurturing it back to health are both forms of healing." They seem like opposites, but what I'm exploring now, it that maybe they are not always. If the body pushes a splinter out of the skin, extracting it, it disappears from existence in your body. It's like it died. You can't nurture a splinter back to health, and you can't nurture the body with the splinter still in there. It gets infected. This is not far away from the concept I've been investigating. The next day I saw a Grey's Anatomy on the very subject of the inner struggle for the healer to let something die in order to heal it. But where, I ask myself, does this put the Buddhist philosophy, that I like so much and always strove to end up at when I reached higher levels...of never harm a living thing? I actually do not know much about Buddhism, so I'm sure I only have the "TV" version of what the philosophy is. But, just like Christianity (which I tend to admire the original teachings of Jesus, but not necessarily what has been passed down through the Bible) it is an old tradition trying to be captured in words. How do I know that there is something in there that got lost along the way? Or that it's simply at a level that I am not at yet, and need to go through this process first to get there?



Many of us try to jump levels. We blindly do what they tell us...don't eat meat, do yoga, meditate, be peaceful and compassionate. But sometimes I feel like those things may or may not manifest naturally as we go through our process and rise levels. If there is not a solid foundation under each step, we are just barely balancing at the top, not knowing why, and not truly being able to understand what we're seeing. The people who have actually reached some of these levels, the Wise Ones, don't judge us for our investigation process. They don't speak down condescendingly on our stumbling, or for not doing what they are doing. They encourage us to find out for ourselves, instead of blindly following them, so we can truly understand from our own experience.I have always felt like staying all 'peace, love and rainbows' and in the Light was the safest, most effective way (again, don't trip out - I'm not talking about beating someone up for not doing their morning yoga - I'm talking about the CONCEPT of dualism and defense). But to be honest, there is a part of me that feels I might have been staying in that place out of fear and for security. Why the intrigue? Why the draw to be able to defend myself physically? Why the books? What about my true, carnal, wild woman spirit?Could it be the Dark Side trying to draw me in? Sure, that was my original fear to begin with. But I trust myself now, and my relationship with the Medicine, and the Universe. Investigating something MUST be done, in order to understand it. Maybe it all does end up in the Buddhist philosophy of unification, which everyone seems to understand completely except me. I understand it in the sense that I feel nothing is separate, there is no "God up there" and "us down here"...it is all the same system and the darker, heavier energies can help us experience the Lighter. Or do I not understand it as much as I think I do, and this process is inherently unifying even more? Could it also be, that I am at another level where I am ready to start looking into these ugly truths that I was so scared of? Are they even ugly in the end, or is this just the way the system works to allow us to recognize higher levels of Light? Since I don't believe anything is separate anyway, and nothing ever really dies, how do I know this isn't an area that you must release a shitload of fear first in order to see and accept? If I had tried to investigate this before, my ego would have been running the show and you end up with some crazy person doing clearly harmful things "in the name of God". Okay well maybe not, but that's where the fear-mind wants to go. I realize that every person reading this will be reading it from a different place, and many will judge/fear/etc me in this process. That's also part of letting go of my ego enough to honestly speak where I am in my Life apprenticeship.

Maybe this is the shift now that the dark stuff doesn't scare me as much, after purging so much of it out of my body. Part of me doesn't want to have been wrong all those years in debating my best friend about the nature of Light and Dark (he's my soul-contracted ego-barometer!) But even saying these words out loud (love blogging) makes it more clear that anything based out of fear is limiting, and only the spiritually strong survive. No stone unturned, right?So in the end, I'm not clear yet. I am investigating. For those who know me, I'm one of the most non-violent people I know. I punched a girl once after high school and to this day am not proud of it. Investigating the concept of Spiritual Warrior is an uncomfortable place and an uncomfortable conversation...but for whatever reason, it has been presented to me to look at. So I'm looking. They fought in Avatar. They fought in the Matrix. They fought in Star Wars. Made-for-media movies, or manifestations of the nature of Nature? Many Archangels are depicted with swords and shields. The question is, why? And even if it's just us as humans looking at something through our own eyes and our own level, that is the level we are at. To try to jump levels would be to oppress real things in our consciousness that are there (causing toxic, out of control buildups and explosions), and meant to be understood at this level, so that we can learn to manage them fully informed, and continue to rise to the next one. To pretend something is not in our consciousness and hide from it causes much more chaos than actually looking at it through conscious eyes.

cleveland international film festival

http://mousemedicine.blogspot.com/2010/03/because-of.html

greetings! thought I'd do a quick post. up to now, my attendance at the cleveland international film festival has been sporadic; but that will be changing tomorrow as I ratchet up my presence and my time in the dark. as of now I've only seen six films - but the films I've seen have all been excellent. in case you are curious here's what I've seen, you can't go wrong if you are able to catch any (or all) of them, order presented is in order seen:
a brand new life, narrative film from south korea and france based on the filmmaker's own story; this film, set in the mid-1970s, is about a young girl who is given over to an orphanage by her father. a tender tale of friendship and reinvention, the acting is superb, beautifully filmed.
ingredients, u.s. documentary about the local foods movement - unlike food inc. (which by the way I thought was great) this film makes a case to embrace a sustainable food system not by scaring us but by enticing us - a very intelligent film with cinematography that is absolutely gorgeous. visit the film's website for a trailer and for more information.
harvest, us indy film - powerful family drama, the most striking thing about this film was the authenticity of its characters - and how the film realistically captures the dynamics of family life, warts and all - but in the end it is an uplifting and inspiring story and film. want more, check out the film's blog raising harvest.
About
This blog shares the journey of bringing our feature film HARVEST to life. Hence, raising HARVEST.
In HARVEST, three generations of a family come together one summer, around the eventual passing of the patriarch of the family, a WWII veteran. Gathered at the family home and in and around their beautiful shoreline town, years of resentment and betrayal within the family surface, and the grandson, a college student, does his part to hold them all together, growing up in the process.
HARVEST is a poignant and moving story that is ultimately uplifting, with moments of humor anchoring this realistic portrait of a family hanging on to what was, what is, and to each other. It’s also a film about how we all come of age, in our own ways, both young and old.
The ensemble cast includes Academy Award nominee Robert Loggia, Jack Carpenter, Arye Gross, Tony Winner Victoria Clark, and Academy Award nominee Barbara Barrie. With Peter Friedman, Adriana Sevan, Kel O’Neill, Christine Evangelista, and Daniel Eric Gold.


beauty in trouble, narrative film from the czech republic. a smart, sensual, oddly affecting film with a great cast. seeing this film makes me want to find all the other films that jan hrebejk directed.
wikpedia plot synopsis
Plot synopsis
The film is a love story about a woman called Marcela and about two men: Jarda (Marcela’s husband) and rich Evžen Beneš. Marcela and Jarda live in a small, smelly and ugly house with their two children Kuba and Lucie. Jarda steals Evžen’s car and he must go to prison. Evžen offers Marcela help (she can live in his empty house) and he lends her money. Marcela falls in love with Evžen and his money and they move to Italy. Marcela’s mother dies and Marcela comes to her funeral. Marcela has never liked her mother’s boyfriend but now they forget their struggle. Marcela sees her husband again and she finds out that she doesn’t want to live with him any more. She returns to Italy and takes her mother’s boyfriend Richard with her. At the end of the film Marcela lives in Italy but still thinks about her husband
dear lemon lima, narrative u.s. indy film. love love love this movie. quirky, brilliant and absolutely magical. I want everyone I know to see this film!
Vanessa believes that a victory in the Snowstorm Survivor championship is the only way into Philip’s heart. She quickly forms a quirky team with her fan base in the weight room. TEAM FUBAR prepares for the event, driven by Vanessa’s plight for her true love. Unlike the Native Olympics that brings together people of all sizes and shapes to celebrate Native Alaskan culture, Nichols’ Snowstorm Survivor simply perverts the traditional Eskimo games in order to foster an antiquated class system.
After the tragic loss of a beloved teammate, Vanessa discovers the true meaning of love and must embrace her Native heritage to reclaim the spirit of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. After TEAM FUBARs sensational victory in the final dance competition, the Nichols community attempts to embrace a new wave of thinking.

Traditional values have been lost in Western culture. The World Olympics are a competition that celebrates being “number one”. Dear Lemon Lima, thrives off the notion that life is a time to come together and celebrate our common traits and differences, inspiring kindness, individuality and equality, values kindled by the diary of a 13-year old girl.
warrior champions, u.s. documentary - inspiring film by veteran documentary filmmakers craig and brent renaud about iraq veterans who have suffered tremendous losses who came back and rather than giving in went on to become paralympians. and yes, there is a website.although the two films I saw yesterday late afternoon/evening were great, yesterday's big treat was a visit with john of robert frost banjo. john is currently working his way back home after a whirlwind trip east visiting family, friends and meeting a few of us in the bloggyhood. this was the first time I met john, but as so often happens when meeting someone whose blog one has read for a while, it felt like I've known john for years. the weather was chilly and wet, so my plans to take a wander with john and show him some of my favorite spots were abandoned in favor of just hanging out, swapping stories and having a simple lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato-basil soup before he had to hit the road for his next stop.

Domestic Intelligence Agency and Terrorism

http://pfiresources.blogspot.com/2008/10/reorganizing-us-domestic-intelligence.html








http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG767.sum.pdf










Reorganizing U.S. Domestic Intelligence
Assessing the Options
By: Gregory F. Treverton
One of the questions in the fight against terrorism is whether the United States needs a dedicated domestic intelligence agency separate from law enforcement, on the model of many comparable democracies. To examine this issue, Congress directed that the Department of Homeland Security perform an independent study on the feasibility of creating a counterterrorism intelligence agency and the department turned to the RAND Corporation for this analysis but asked it specifically not to make a recommendation. This volume lays out the relevant considerations for creating such an agency. It draws on a variety of research methods, including historical and legal analysis; a review of organizational theory; examination of current domestic intelligence efforts, their history, and the public's view of them; examination of the domestic intelligence agencies in six other democracies; and interviews with an expert panel made up of current and former intelligence and law enforcement professionals. The monograph highlights five principal problems that might be seen to afflict current domestic intelligence enterprise; for each, there are several possible solutions, and the creation of a new agency addresses only some of the five problems. The volume discusses how a technique called break-even analysis can be used to evaluate proposals for a new agency in the context of the perceived magnitude of the terrorism threat. It concludes with a discussion of how to address the unanswered questions and lack of information that currently cloud the debate over whether to create a dedicated domestic intelligence agency.




















Table S.1
Expressed Concerns and Possible Responses
Expressed Concern Possible Responses
If the FBI is dominated by a law
enforcement and case-based approach;
and if, as a result, collection is
dominated by case requirements and
analysis is dominated by operational
support . . .
. . . then increase resources, change
organization, change culture, change
laws, change regulations or orders, and/or
improve leadership.
If the FBI, CIA, and other agencies do
not talk to each other . . .
. . . then change organization, change
culture, change laws, change regulations
or orders, enhance collaboration, and/or
improve leadership.
If too much poor-quality information is
collected, and collection efforts are too
uncoordinated . . .
. . . then change regulations or orders,
enhance collaboration, and/or improve
leadership.
If analysis is fragmented and sometimes
conflicting; and if the National
Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which
acts as a central clearinghouse, mostly
provides information to the President
rather than to other intelligence
organizations . . .
. . . then change organization, change
regulations or orders, enhance
collaboration, and/or improve leadership.
If it is difficult to move information and
analysis across the domestic intelligence
enterprise . . .
. . . then increase resources, change
regulations or orders, enhance
collaboration, and/or improve leadership.

Less dramatic organizational change could also be relevant. The
Bureau created the National Security Branch to emphasize prevention
and intelligence, particularly in the counterterrorism mission. That
was part of an effort to transform culture in a number of ways, from
re centralizing the management of terrorism cases, to training, to instituting
a five-year “up or out” cap on supervisors to breed new leaders.
Rapid growth means that more than half of FBI agents now have
served for less than five years, presumably having joined an organization
they did not perceive as dominated by traditional law enforcement.
Changed laws, such as the PATRIOT Act, made it easier to
collect counterterrorism intelligence, especially of the more exploratory
sort, and changed regulations had the same effect, including dismantling
the wall between intelligence and law enforcement.

Before its recent transformation, the FBI had a mission divided
between law enforcement and intelligence. The question is whether
a transformed FBI whose mission was intelligence-driven prevention
would in fact have the clarity of a single mission. While law enforcement
is a tool in prevention and can aid intelligence—if, for instance,
the threat of prosecution helps recruit informants—the two remain
quite different disciplines. The question is whether a transformed FBI
whose mission was intelligence-driven prevention would in fact have the
clarity of a single mission. Our assessment of other countries’ domestic
intelligence services suggested the value of a single focus, one that can
foster what might be called a “culture of prevention” with respect to
terrorism. Perhaps the single greatest teething pain of DHS—which
brought together 180,000 employees from 22 existing agencies—has
been that the constituent agencies did not share a single mission.

The other advantage of a separate service suggested by the review
of other countries is that the new service might be able to draw on a
wider, more diverse recruitment pool. The foreign services we reviewed
feel that they are more able to attract individuals who would not normally
be interested in entering a law enforcement profession, such as
linguists, historians, social scientists, psychologists, economists and
country/regional experts.
Yet the history of organizational design, and reorganization, in
the public sector is cautionary in that it shows the process to be one
of political competition among interests and interest groups. This
helps explain why reorganizations in government so often seem to
fail. If a new domestic intelligence service were created in “normal”
circumstances—that is, not in the wake of another major attack—the
result would be a political compromise and an agency that would likely
not reflect exactly what any participant in the process sought.
The devil would be in the details, which would themselves be the
result of compromises in the political arena. For instance, if the authorizing
legislation were written in very specific terms, that would tie the
hands of future officials in the organization—or insulate them from
future pressures, depending on one’s view of the outcome. The more
independence a new agency had, the more autonomy it would have in
shaping and sustaining its mission. If the new agency were located in
some departmental hierarchy, it would surely matter which one: Being
in the Department of Justice would make it part of an established organization
dominated by law enforcement, whereas a location in DHS
would subject it to the pressures of a work in progress, one now influenced
by several forces, not the least of which are border control and
crisis management.

Similarly, how many political appointees the agency had and
whether they were appointed for fixed terms would also matter. The
FBI is a very closed professional service, one dominated by its agents,
with only a single political appointee—the director—and that appointee
has a fixed, ten-year term. Until recently, lateral movements into
the Bureau’s senior managerial ranks were rare, and even now they
are driven by needs for technical or management expertise, not politics.
These considerations would all be important for a new agency, as
would the height and width of the agency’s hierarchy, the agency’s latitude
in selecting and training the professionals that would compose it,
and a host of other details.

The other advantage of a separate service suggested by the review
of other countries is that the new service might be able to draw on a
wider, more diverse recruitment pool. The foreign services we reviewed
feel that they are more able to attract individuals who would not normally
be interested in entering a law enforcement profession, such as
linguists, historians, social scientists, psychologists, economists and
country/regional experts.
Yet the history of organizational design, and reorganization, in
the public sector is cautionary in that it shows the process to be one
of political competition among interests and interest groups. This
helps explain why reorganizations in government so often seem to
fail. If a new domestic intelligence service were created in “normal”
Summary xv
circumstances—that is, not in the wake of another major attack—the
result would be a political compromise and an agency that would likely
not reflect exactly what any participant in the process sought.
The devil would be in the details, which would themselves be the
result of compromises in the political arena. For instance, if the authorizing
legislation were written in very specific terms, that would tie the
hands of future officials in the organization—or insulate them from
future pressures, depending on one’s view of the outcome. The more
independence a new agency had, the more autonomy it would have in
shaping and sustaining its mission. If the new agency were located in
some departmental hierarchy, it would surely matter which one: Being
in the Department of Justice would make it part of an established organization
dominated by law enforcement, whereas a location in DHS
would subject it to the pressures of a work in progress, one now influenced
by several forces, not the least of which are border control and
crisis management.

Similarly, how many political appointees the agency had and
whether they were appointed for fixed terms would also matter. The
FBI is a very closed professional service, one dominated by its agents,
with only a single political appointee—the director—and that appointee
has a fixed, ten-year term. Until recently, lateral movements into
the Bureau’s senior managerial ranks were rare, and even now they
are driven by needs for technical or management expertise, not politics.
These considerations would all be important for a new agency, as
would the height and width of the agency’s hierarchy, the agency’s latitude
in selecting and training the professionals that would compose it,
and a host of other details.

terrorism its reality Dr Marc Cetron

http://pfiresources.blogspot.com/2008/10/marc-cetron-on-analysts-corner.html

Marc Cetron on Analysts' Corner: Terrorism is a Real Threat
What is the future of terrorism? How should we look at the problem? Join me, Deborah Osborne, and Dr. Marvin Cetron, as we discuss terrorism and the future on Analysts' Corner Blog Talk Radio show.Dr. Marvin Cetron is the Founder and President of Forecasting International and is one of the foremost forecaster-futurists in the world. During his 20 year career in research and development planning and forecasting with the U.S. Navy, Dr. Marvin Cetron was in charge of the design, development and implementation of the most comprehensive technological forecast in the United States. Dr. Marvin Cetron has authored numerous articles, papers and publications and he has authored over three dozen books.
MY NOTES
Blog Talk Radio 102108 PRESENTED LECTURE AT PENTAGON TERRORISTS WILL HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS THE THREAT OF TERRORISM IS REAL AND NOT A MYTHICAL DANGER BUT WILL COME IN THE FUTURE PRESIDENT OF FORECASTING INTERNATIONAL WROTE OVER 3 DZN BOOKS
55 TRENDS NOW AFFECTING TERRORISM NO COST MATERIALS PROTEUS ARMY WAR COLLEGE
WILL USE TOXIC GASES BIO WARFARE AND WEAPONIZED BACTERIA
-USE OF FUSION CENTERS SHARING OF DATA AND PUBLIC INFORMATION
MOTIVES OF TH TERRORISTS INDISCRIMINATE AND BARBARIC FROM MOSLEM COUNTRIES
REFERENCE TO ABDUL (K)NADIR KHAN PERCEPTION OF THE WEST -INTERFERERS W THIR PERONAL LIFE AND VALUES AND SOURCE OF POLLUTION AND MORAL CONTAMINATION JUSTIFYING TERRORIST ACTS (7% OF WORLD'S MUSLIMS OR THE FUNDAMENTALISTS BELIEVE THIS TO BE TRUE) SUCH FUNDAMENTALISTS ARE WELL EDUCATED AND OF ABOVE AVERAGE WEALTH
26 MADRASAS INPAKITAN WITH BACKING OF THE SAUDIS ARE INSTRUCTING YOUNG OF THE NXT GENERATION IN TERRORISM
BRITAIN AND FRANC WILL BE FUTURE FOCAL POINTS OF ATTACK
POVERTY NOT BELIEVED TO BE MOTIVATING FACTOR
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/proteus-55-terror.pdf
EXCERPT FROM THE 55 TRENDS
Implications for Terrorism:
Networks of video cameras are just the first of many high-tech tools that will affect antiterrorist operations in the years ahead.
To prevent or interrupt terrorist attacks, nanotech sensors capable of detecting explosives, chemical, and biological weapons will be scattered around prime targets, such as major public gatherings, relaying the location of any possible threat to the local command center. This is a likely prospect for 2015 and beyond.
Intelligence analysts, already overwhelmed by the amount of data collected each day, will face a growing torrent of data in the years ahead. As surveillance spreads through society, this will be a problem for police agencies as well. Until automated systems become available to help monitor incoming data, much of the information collected by cameras and other tools will be used more to provide evidence for prosecutions than to prevent or interrupt terrorist actions.
To assist them, engineers will develop automated systems to help "mesh" information from incompatible data stores, recognize patterns in the data, develop rigorous hypotheses, perform collaborative analyses, and "capture" the skills of the most capable analysts so that others can benefit from them, even when the analysts themselves are not available. Eventually, these systems will spread from the intelligence community to law enforcement. These techniques may offer the best chance of giving security agencies a clear advantage over their adversaries.
The recent decision by an American court to block data mining by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a significant loss to security efforts in this country. While similar military projects continue, the DHS shares data with the regional Fusion Centers responsible for much of the work carried out at the local level. Loss of this resource will make their efforts notably less effective.


The events that followed—to include the anthrax events of 2001, West Nile Virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, monkeypox, and other disease outbreaks—all demonstrated to me that our government faces significant obstacles in effectively "connecting the dots" of knowledge held in the minds of numerous individuals working for different organizational units. Not only is the challenge to discern truth from fiction, but also to put all the pieces of knowledge together to form a complete picture. In this age of knowledge-overload, no one individual harbors sufficient knowledge to either mitigate negative outcomes or capitalize on positive opportunities. Knowledge exchanges in these government agencies must transcend physical group proximity, social networks, and the institutions themselves.


There is a significant correlation between globalization efforts and increasing knowledge velocity, volume, volatility, and veracity concerns. Human societies, economies, and civil infrastructures are increasingly interdependent and complex. Instead of attempting the traditional "top-down" approach to management, my research espouses a "bottom-up" approach to cultivating individual insights. Recall the events of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina: no one individual harbored sufficient knowledge to mitigate these events. Such realities will occur with increasing frequency for employees of either government agencies or private entities. To assemble the entire puzzle, knowledge exchanges must occur among multiple individuals in different organizational units and institutions without prompting from the "top," but instead must be motivated at the grassroots by collaboration-fostering incentives, values, and trust-relationships; such an idea embodies innovative "knowledge ecosystems."


5 – Privacy, once a definingrightfor Americans, is dyingquickly. (Trend17)
Internet communications, a basic part of life for many people, are nearly impossible to protect against • interception, and governments around the world are working to ensure their unfettered access to them. Postings to blogs and Web forums are nearly immortal.
The contents of most Internet-connected computers are open to virtually unobstructed snooping by ––anyone with a minimum of skill and the will to examine them. All but the most secure can be invaded by more-capable hackers.
Corporate databases are collecting and marketing data on individual credit-worthiness, incomes, spending • patterns, brand choices, medical conditions, and lifestyles.
While privacy regulations bar distribution of much personal information in the European Union, ––restrictions in the United States are much weaker.
Widespread surveillance of private individuals is technically feasible and economically viable, as tiny, • powerful cameras now cost next to nothing. Increased surveillance has become socially acceptable in an age when many people fear terrorism and crime.
In Britain, an estimated 4.2 million surveillance cameras watch over streets, office buildings, schools, ––and shopping centers, making the U.K. one of the most closely monitored nations in the world. On average, Britons are caught on camera an estimated three hundred times per day.
In the United States, the growth of surveillance also is driven by the fear that lawsuits following a future ––terrorist attack could claim that failure to install monitoring equipment constitutes negligence.
Video surveillance systems have been installed in Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Tampa ––FL, and other cities around the United States, In most cases, local police departments have been a driving force in this movement. Protests thus far have been small and ineffective.
The USA Patriot Act of 2001 sets aside the constitutional requirement of a search warrant for government • officials who wish to search someone’s home in order to thwart possible terrorism. Its provisions have been used to justify searches in pursuit of drug dealers and even, in one attempt thus far blocked by the courts, copyright abusers.29 55 Trends Now Shaping the Future of Terrorism
Assessment:
Pessimists could say that privacy already is a thing of the past; society is merely coming to recognize its loss. We believe that enough effective privacy survives outside the most authoritarian countries to justify noting its continued erosion. However, this trend could easily reach its logical conclusion within ten years.
Implications:
In the future, privacy is likely to be defined, not by the ability to keep information truly secret, but by the legal power to restrict its distribution. Even this limited form of privacy will be eroded as both government and private organizations find legal justification for their interest in personal information. Once access is granted to any type of information, it is unlikely ever to be rescinded.
Most surveillance provisions of the USA Patriot Act will survive, even if the law itself is repealed or modified.
In the absence of a major terrorist event, most Americans will continue to consider privacy a "right," and privacy-related lawsuits are likely to proliferate as more people feel violated or inconvenienced by surveillance. However, courts will be unsympathetic to such suits for so long as conservative appointees dominate the bench.
In large and medium-size cities around the world, spaces that remain unwatched by video cameras will continue to shrink.
Growing numbers of companies, and even private citizens, will encrypt their computer data.
The number of criminal cases based on surveillance will grow rapidly in countries with the required technological sophistication and infrastructure.
Private citizens increasingly will use similar technologies to watch over government abuse, as in cases where bystanders have recorded police misconduct with their cell-phone cameras.
Implications for Terrorism:
It will be nearly impossible for terrorists to operate without being observed. However, until artificial intelligence systems "learn" to recognize suspicious activities, manpower will limit use of these observations. Except in obvious target areas, surveillance will be most useful in forensic reconstruction, rather than in active incident prevention.
What remains of privacy protections often conflicts with security needs. A good example is the recent decision to scrap an important data-mining program at the DHS on the grounds that it might implicate the innocent in terrorism or other illegal activities. A more appropriate solution would have been to require that data used by the program be confirmed by at least two independent sources, as is routinely done in the intelligence community.
This is clearly one of the ten most important trends for antiterrorism. It may be one of the top five

ALONG WITH ITEM 8 OF THIS LIST

9 – Advancedcommunications technologies are changingthe way we work andlive. (Trend35)
The Internet is as much a communications medium as it is an information resource.•
Telecommuting is growing rapidly, thanks largely to e-mail and other high-tech forms of communication. • About 80 percent of companies worldwide now have employees who work at home, up from 54 percent in 2003. The number of telecommuters in the United States reached an estimated 20 million in 2006.
AT&T says that 90 percent of its employees do some work away from the office, while 41 percent work ––at home one or two days per week. This saves the company a reported $180 million a year.
However, Millennials already have abandoned e-mail for most purposes other than communicating ––with "clueless" parents and grandparents. Most have adopted instant messaging and social-network Websites to communicate with their peers.
"Podcasting"—recording college lectures, news stories, business reports, and the like for playback on the • Apple iPod—allows users to listen at their convenience.42 55 Trends Now Shaping the Future of Terrorism
Better communications is a major goal of many government agencies, particularly in law enforcement • and disaster services, which need to coordinate the activities of many different agencies under emergency conditions.
So-called "Web 2.0" services are building communities nearly as complex and involving as those existing • wholly in the real world.
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Launched in 2003, by May ––2007 it had 6.8 million residents, 1.75 million of whom had logged on in the previous two months. Here in the real world, designers earn substantial incomes creating fashions and other paraphernalia for Second Life characters. One resident was banned when his character raped another "avatar" in virtual reality.
MySpace and Facebook have a total of more than 180 million members who form communities of ––friends, most of whom have never met except on the Internet.
A number of people have taken to wearing a small Web camera, either recording their entire lives or ––broadcasting them over the Internet.
Assessment:
Again, this trend has only just begun.
Implications:
E-mail promised to speed business. Instead, it absorbs more time than busy executives can afford to lose. Expect the nascent reaction against e-mail to grow as many people eliminate mailing lists, demand precise e-communications rather than open-ended conversation, and schedule only brief periods for dealing with mail.
Instant messaging is likely to be even more destructive of time for the under-thirty set.
However, e-mail is a major contributor to globalization and outsourcing, because it eliminates many of the obstacles of doing business across long distances and many time zones.
Unfortunately, e-mail and other modern communications techniques also have made possible a variety of crimes, from online fraud to some forms of identity theft.
They also make it virtually impossible to retract ill-considered statements or embarrassing online activities. Once something exists on the Internet, it is all but immortal and nearly impossible to hide.
Implications for Terrorism:
See Trend 34 (item 8 of this list
ITEM 8 TREND

Implications for Terrorism:
This is a top-ten trend.
International fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes (particularly carried out via the Internet) are a growing problem, and one that can be expected to spread. At least some of these activities can be expected to finance extremist and terrorist movements.
In addition, entrepreneurial success in global markets could widen the gap between the rich and poor, worsening social strains in countries already vulnerable to extremist movements. It is likely to worsen the problem of international terrorism


Meilahn: This is a Muslim problem that can only be fought by Muslims. The more moderate Muslims must take on this fight, and the U.S. can help them. Currently only about 2 percent are radicals; but that is still a large number. According to a Gallup analysis of polls representing 90 percent of the world’s Muslim population, another 7 percent are "politically radicalized." That is, they believe the 9/11 attacks were completely justified and have an unfavorable view of the United States. And in 2006, the Pew Research Center found that 17.7 percent of Muslim respondents believed that violence against civilian targets in order to defend Islam can be justified "often" or "sometimes." At least some of the radicalized 2 percent can be re-educated about Islam and "de-radicalized," prevented from executing acts of terror. This group is the one the USG should concern itself with from a preventive standpoint.
Another point is that most of the Muslims who condoned attacks on 9/11 believe that it was justifiable because of U.S. "colonizing" and the way we are too controlling of other countries. The USG could do much with regard to its foreign policy to change its image from "occupier" to cooperative member of the world community. That would do much to decrease motivations for jihad, and keep terrorists away from our borders or our interests worldwide.


Tan: The startling failures of U.S. grand strategy after 9/11, particularly its disastrous strategy in Iraq, have been counter-productive to the global war on terrorism. From relative stability albeit under Saddam’s dictatorial hand, Iraq has slid into chaos and has become the training ground for the global jihad much as Afghanistan had become the training ground from which Al Qaeda emerged. However, the jihadists in Iraq are honing their skills in combating the world’s technologically most advanced armed forces and are learning to perfect techniques in IEDs, sabotage, sniping, kidnappings, assassinations, urban warfare, etc. Once dispersed throughout the world, these jihadists will re-constitute a post-Al Qaeda network that will be much more competent, effective, and deadly. Unfortunately, their first targets will be likely Muslim governments and allies of the U.S.A. throughout the Middle East. Can these regimes meet the emerging challenge of the post-Iraq militants? Will the radicalization being spawned in Iraq today seep through its borders to destabilize the entire Middle East? The question today is not how to win Iraq. The questions are: What can the U.S.A. and the West do to meet and contain the growing threat from radical Islam? How can we contain Iranian Shi’ite fundamentalism from threatening the stability of the entire Middle East
?

Chris Rasmussen and Intellipedia

http://pfiresources.blogspot.com/2008/11/intellipedians.html





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellipedia




http://www.executivebiz.com/newsletter-executives-detail.php?who=crasmussen



Intelligence sharing in real space expanding the bank of users-



Executive Spotlight with Chris Rasmussen
Photo of Chris Rasmussen Chris Rasmussen Knowledge Manager National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
In the 10/25/2007 edition of ExecutiveBiz we had a chance to catch up with Chris Rasmussen, Knowledge Manager of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Since 9/11, the intelligence community has been looking for ways to do a better job of sharing information between agencies. Chris Rasmussen is a knowledge manager and trainer for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency within the Department of Defense, and he’s a dynamic part of that effort. He’s a thought leader in the application of Web 2.0 tools to intelligence goals, especially social software. We catch up with him to discuss his role at NGA, Web 2.0 in the intelligence community and why he founded NGA Social Software 101 class.
ExecutiveBiz: What is your role at NGA?
Chris Rasmussen: My paycheck comes from NGA but I’m an “intelligence community man” not an “agency man “per se. It’s not about your agency in this new web 2.0 context; it’s more about the community and what knowledge you can bring to the issues and questions at hand. Where you sit doesn’t necessarily determine where you stand in this new collaborative environment. However, my role at NGA is knowledge management with social software. My job is to promote and train users throughout the community, not just NGA, on the advantages of working topically in agency-neutral platform not channel collaborative space. I founded NGA Social Software 101 in April 2007 and it has been a run-away success. Since April, a group of NGA and non-NGA instructors have trained over 250 students on Intellipedia (wiki), tagconnect (social bookmarking), blogging, picture-sharing services, etc. More importantly, we talk to students about why working in “platform” space is more advantageous than working in isolated “channels.” An analogy I use in the class is about going to New York to see the play “Phantom of the Opera.” Let’s say you drive to New York to see this play, but your seats were perpendicular to the stage and the play took place inside a tube. The only people who could see the play were the small group sitting across the lip of the tube. This tube or channel practice is what we typically do in the IC when we rely solely on email, shared folders behind firewall, and intranets--it limits the base of talent you can summon to work issues. When we remove the tube, we are on a platform or stage that everyone can see. Intellipedia, tagconnect, blogs, etc. in Intelink-space are on a stage that everyone can see not limited by the angle of vision inside a tube. “NGA Social Software 101” is administered by NGA, but I and other NGA and non-NGA instructors have traveled the country and conducted many non-NGA iterations of the course at other intelligence agencies, military units, and law enforcement agencies. The course is community focused, so adaption to non-NGA users is easy.





ExecutiveBiz: What is your definition of Web 2.0?
Chris Rasmussen: Web 2.0 is not about how webmasters or catalogers define your content viewing, generation, or mashup experience. In Web 2.0, you define how content is delivered and mashed up. In many cases, you are also generating the content. You do not solely rely on webmasters to provide “one-stop shopping.” Web 2.0 is helping the intelligence community move away from passive consumption to active consumption. Instead of sitting back and viewing “agency monologues,” users can now post blog replies, tag the content, rate it’s utility, and “vote on it” by making the source a link in the meta-discussion about that topic in Intellipedia.



ExecutiveBiz: What is the future of Web 2.0 in Government space?
Chris Rasmussen: It’s here to stay. Intellipedia has over 37,000 users, users have used tagconnet to socially bookmark hundreds of thousands of urls, and blog posts leave the default main page in about a half hour, so it’s highly unlikely these services will be cut off or reversed. They are only going to grow faster and engrain themselves into the business process deeper. These tools have helped me works so efficiently that I could never go back to the “old way” of email, webmaster-only postings, and channels.


ExecutiveBiz: What hot trends are you tracking?
Chris Rasmussen: I’m tracking the developments of the “semantic web.” However, RDF triples and ontologies have huge limits in the context of pre-defined relationships and categories akin to Web 1.0. Web 2.0 folksonomoies are not multi-layered, can be fuzzy and repetitive, but they do a “good enough” job linking and organizing data.

ExecutiveBiz: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Chris Rasmussen: I’m not a “tech guy.” Most people think that I’m a computer science and video-game playing nerd. Actually, by background, I’m a social scientist. My BA is in history, with an emphasis on Asia, and my master’s is in National Security Studies. I became a “tech guy” at work (self –taught) because of all this “computer stuff” in the content of national security is so vitally important to the success of the Intelligence Community.
For more information about National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, visit www.nga.mil/portal/site/nga01/.
Interview with Chris Rasmussen conducted by JD Kathuria.

RADICAL COMMON SENSE URBAN PLAANING TO PREVENT CRIME

http://pfiresources.blogspot.com/2009/03/radical-coomon-sense-and-analysts-as.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appreciative_inquiry
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/ LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES VIEW AI DESCRIPTIONS
http://www.policefuturists.org/bios/DeborahOsborne.htm

Deborah Osborne, President

Debbie has worked for ten years as a crime analyst with the Buffalo Police Department. In these past ten years she has been active in developing the profession of crime and intelligence analysis in law enforcement. She teaches online courses on this subject, trains analysts through contract work and is an advisor for ixReveal, a text analytics software company.
Debbie received a BA in Psychology and an MA in Social Policy with a criminal justice emphasis from Empire State College, SUNY. Her book Out of Bounds: Innovation and Change in Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis was based on a study conducted during her remote fellowship with the Center for Strategic Intelligence Research, Joint Military Intelligence College (now the National Defense Intelligence College). She is author of books, book chapters, articles, and essays on topics related to crime and intelligence analysis.
Debbie is a member of the Global Task Force for the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE), the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA), and the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA). She is also on the Counterterrorism Advisory Board of the Lifeboat Foundation and an Associate of the Proteus Management Group.

http://www.policefuturists.org/futures/resources.htm

We offer the following as a selective but representative samplingof both classic & contemporary materials based on Futures Research and methodologies applied to policing.
Affiliates
Books (Selective Listing)

Books (Member Suggested Readings)


Peter Senge, The Fifth DisciplineJohn Kotter, Leading ChangeJim Collins, Good to Great
Alberts, Garstka and Stein, Network Centric WarfareAtkinson and Moffat, The Agile OrganizationAlberts and Hayes, Power to the Edge





Books (Selective Listing)

Bell, Wendell (1997) Foundations of Futures Studies: Human Science for a New Era. New York: Transaction.
Osborne, Deborah, (2006) Out of Bounds: Innovation and Change in Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis: Center for Strategic Intelligence Research, Joint Military College: Police Futurists International
Cornish, Edward (2004) Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. Bethesda, MD: World Future Society.
Cornish, Edward (1977) The Study of the Future. Washington, DC: World Future Society
Fowles, Jib (1978) Handbook of Futures Research. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Glenn, Jerome C. and Theodore J. Gordon (2000) State of the Future at the Millennium. Washington, DC: American Council for the United Nations University.
Helmer, Olaf (1983) Looking Forward: A Guide to Futures Research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Kurian, George T. and Graham T. T. Molitor, eds. (1996) Encyclopedia of the Future, 2 vol. New York: Macmillan.
Morrison, James L., William L. Renfro & Wayne Il Boucher, eds. (1983) Applying Methods and Techniques of Futures Research. San Francisco: Jossey -Bass.
Petersen, John L. (1994) The Road to 2015: Profiles of the Future. Corte Madera, CA: Waite Group Press.
Rescher, Nicholas (1998) Predicting the Future: Introduction to the Theory of Forecasting.Albany: State University of New York Press.
Ringland, Gill (1998) Scenario Planning. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Stephens, Gene, ed. (1982) The Future of Criminal Justice. Cincinnati, OH: Anderson.
Thaler, Linda K. and Robin Koval (2003) Bang! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World. New York: Currency/Doubleday.
Toffler, Alvin (1970) Future Shock. New York: Random House.
Toffler, Alvin (1980) The Third Wave. New York: William Morrow.
Toffler, Alvin (1990) PowerShift. New York: Bantam.
Toffler, Alvin and Heidi Toffler (1995) War and Anti-War: Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century. Boston: Little, Brown & Company.
Toffler, Alvin and Heidi Toffler (2006) Revolutionary Wealth. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
* See also "Best Books on the Future," by Michael Marien, The Futurist, 35:3 (May -June, 2001: 42 - 49)


Book Chapters
Monographs/Reports
Periodical Articles
Conference Papers/Proceedings
CD-ROM
Other Electronic Media
Doctoral Dissertations
University Degree Programs
University Courses
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Periodicals
Newsletters
Organizations
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THIS IS BLOG TALK RADIO WITH DEBORAH OSBORNE TALK SHOW HOSTESS TO PRESENT THE IDEA OF SUB URBAN AN COMMUNITY PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE TO REDUCE CRIME AS PART OF URBAN PLANNING. IDEAS PRESENTED WERE THE FOLLOWING;

• Note wiki article on appreciative inquiry

The basic idea is to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesn't. It is the opposite of problem solving. Instead of focusing on gaps and inadequacies to remediate skills or practices, AI focuses on how to create more of the exceptional performance that is occurring when a core of strengths is aligned. It opens the door to a universe of possibilities, since the work doesn't stop when a particular problem is solved but rather focuses on "What is the best we can be?" The approach acknowledges the contribution of individuals, in order to increase trust and organizational alignment. The method aims to create meaning by drawing from stories of concrete successes and lends itself to cross-industrial social activities.
There are a variety of approaches to implementing Appreciative Inquiry, including mass-mobilized interviews and a large, diverse gathering called an Appreciative Inquiry Summit (Ludema, Whitney, Mohr and Griffin, 2003). Both approaches involve bringing very large, diverse groups of people together to study and build upon the best in an organization or community.
The basic philosophy of AI is also found in other positively oriented approaches to individual change as well as organizational change. As noted above, " AI ...fosters positive relationships and builds on the basic goodness in a person, or a situation ...." The principles behind A.I. are based in the rapidly developing science of Positive Psychology. The idea of building on strength, rather than just focusing on faults and weakness is a powerful idea in use in mentoring programs, and in coaching dynamics. It is the basic idea behind teaching "micro-affirmations" as well as teaching about micro-inequities. (See Microinequity Rowe Micro-Affirmations and Micro-inequities in the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2008.)
AI has been used extensively to foster change in businesses (a variety of sectors), health care systems, social profit organizations, educational institutions, communities, local governments, and religious institutions.

• MAPPING FEAR GETTING BYOND TRADITIONAL CRIME STATISTICS AND GETTING THE ANALYSTS OUT ONTO THE STREETS WHERE CRIME BREEDS


• ASKING CRITICAL THINKING QUSTIONS


• CRITICAL THINKING MODEL -GETTING PROVOKED


• MAPPING FEAR PERCEPTIONS CAUSING FEAR AND POOR LIGHTING

Film Noir and Fritz Lange

http://filmsnoir.net/

http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/collections/fritz-langs-film-noirs/

http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/collections/fritz-langs-film-noirs/

Fritz Lang Noirs are included as a picture collage or video sliver. Have not viewed

Fritz Lang’s Film Noirs
February 20 - April 4
A master of German expressionist film, Fritz Lang’s move to America following his fatherland’s decent into fascism proved to be a creative rebirth for the director. His work within mainstream Hollywood cinema was a major pillar for what is now considered the film noir movement. His uncompromisingly bleak tales were matched with a uniquely expressionist flair for lighting and composition. Though his superb 1953 film THE BIG HEAT is widely heralded as a major work in film noir cannon, nearly every film Lang directed in America achieved the same level of nihilism and grit. Yet these other films are criminally under-seen. Thanks to new preservation work by the Library of Congress and UCLA’s Film & Television Archive, films like SCARLET STREET and SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR can be revived with pristine new prints. SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR — Preservation funded by The Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Films Include:

While the City Sleeps February 20, 11:30am; February 21, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1956, 100m
Fritz Lang’s penultimate American film includes an exceptional cast, including Vincent Price and Rhonda Fleming. A serial killer is the impetus for a morally bankrupt news agency to exploit the city’s fears and sell more papers. A scathing media critique that resonates strongly today considering our current punditry climate.

Clash By Night February 27, 11:30am; February 28, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1952, 105m
Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) moves back to her hometown after living in New York. Bored by her simple life, she vies for the attention of her husband’s friend Earl (Robert Ryan), as sister-in-law Peggy (Marilyn Monroe) begins mimicking Mae’s bad habits.

Human Desire March 6, 11:30am; March 7, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1954, 91m
Émile Zola’s La bête humaine, previously adapted by Jean Renoir, is given an Americanization by Fritz Lang. Railroad engineer Jeff Warren (Glenn Ford) is drawn into a deadly romantic triangle with a hard-drinking rival (Broderick Crawford) and his seductive young wife (Gloria Grahame).

The Big Heat March 13, 11:30am; March 14, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1953, 89m
The most well-known of Fritz Lang’s American films is the quintessential noir. Glenn Ford stars as a cop determined to bust a citywide crime ring, with the salacious Gloria Grahame as the bad girl who helps him close the case.

Secret Beyond the Door March 20, 11:30am; March 21, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1948, 99m
On vacation, Joan Bennett becomes captivated by Mark Lamphere (Michael Redgrave), and quickly marries him. She discovers many secrets about her new husband and his mansion, but what she really wants to know is what is in the room her husband always keeps locked…

Scarlet Street March 27, 11:30am; March 28, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1945
Edward G Robinson faces a mid-life crisis when he meets beautiful young Kitty (Joan Bennett). Desperate for her attention, Cross lets Kitty believe he is a wealthy artist, and Kitty’s persuaded to con Cross out of the fortune she thinks he has.

Woman in the Window April 3, 11:30am; April 4, 11:30am
Fritz Lang, 1944, 99m
A college professor (Edward G Robinson) becomes obsessed with a painting and surreptitiously meets the portrait’s subject (Joan Bennett) one day. The moment is ruined by Bennett’s jealous boyfriend. A fracas ensues and Robinson finds himself covering up a murder.

spiritual diary growth in the spiritual world faster purges

http://ayahuascameghan.blogspot.com/2010/01/beginning-year-3-180-ceremonies.html

Friday, January 15, 2010
LEARNIGN FROM APPRENTICESHIP AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE REFERENCES TO DIVINE FEMININE AND PURGING OF WESTERN CONSCIOUSNESS
Beginning Year 3: 180 Ceremonies
Wow time is so crazy ... in some ways I feel like I just began my apprenticeship...the deeper I go, the bigger the picture gets. At the same time, my growth in the physical world appears fast (since the physical world is slow compared to the spirit world.) Either way, here I am in year three already, and the Light just keeps on flooding in...So I am going to start blogging for real now, after each group at the very least (five ceremonies at a time) since there is just so much to be shared. A quick recap for those who don´t know me, I began my apprenticeship formally in January of 2008 in the village of Jenaro Herrera, in the Amazon region of Peru (near Iquitos). Since then, my entire world has flipped upside down (in an unbelievably amazing way!) I could list all the crap that has purged out of my body (depression, obesity, chronic back pain, spiritual urgency, control, blah blah) But it all seems so far away it doesn´t even feel worth getting into. Once it´s gone it´s gone (at least whatever layer I´m working on now.) All I know is that life finally became real, and seeing through clear eyes to levels I never even dreamed of, has been the blessing of a lifetime.So as many of you know, born quickly out of my apprenticehip was Infinite Light, the center in the village Luco (the shaman) and I now run. It has truly been a Divine experience watching this community/family form (and no it´s not a cult, for all you paranoid people!) Luco and I met at another program, and quickly connected as our life purpose together was very apparent. In the last couple of months, both of us have been reaching new levels in love, communication and connection, as our relationship has been shifting around from that of two people in love, to the purest form of soul-level and service love, with the natural freedom that accompanies it.Though I had released many levels of jealousy and control over the last two years, the Medicine really got to the foundation of my relationship imbalances with this one (or so I think, famous last words!) While in the States for the last few months, I got the mother of all emotional purges (for me.) Basically using a friend of mine as the catalyst and a Divine dream, doors were unlocked from adolescence that flooded open (now that I was at a level where I could not only recognize and understand what was going on, but handle it emotionally and physically.) The trapped energies of the insecure 14-year-old came out in full. One time I looked in the mirror and physically saw the energy patterns purging off of my face. I went through periods of pedestalization (is that a word?) of the guy, starry-eyed love, fantasies of the white picket fence future with kids and all (and anyone who knows me knows that that is definitely a purge, since it´s so not the real me!) becoming so intense, that I knew I had to allow it to come to a head and purge out through an awkward conversation. Now, the whole time I knew I was purging (which was why I was finally ready to handle it) though I wasn´t clear if the whole thing was a Divine set-up to get the energy out (since my friend who was involved is also in the Medicine and naturally would support me through it) or if there was any reality to the feelings underneath it. When I dropped the bomb, the let down triggered the second half of the purge...the deep feelings of rejection, unworthiness, anger, embarrassment...the full gammut. This was much deeper than feeling dissed by a boy...this was about my true connection to everything and everyone...to God, to the Universe, to All that Is.

I also had to trust my instincts in knowing that even though I was purging, I was very clear I needed to shift around the relationship with Luco. Purges like this are for all of us, every person involved benefits in the end (whether they recognize it or not.) Coming to full trust in my instinct, God and the Medicine, and doing what I know I needed to do, despite my fears of how the shift could effect Infinite Light, I went to the most vulnerable places in my heart, closed my eyes, and lept.So of course, the Medicine gave me enough time to recover before heading back to Peru in January. During the last group, it all became blazingly clear as to why it all happened, how it opened doors and moved things around, maximizing the healing for all parties involved. Within days, Luco and I had passed a big test in trust and communication, ultimately making us more solid and ´in love´(in the truest sense of the word) than before. My friend and I are great (the feelings are completely and totally gone...since the job was done) and I began to move into a new level of purging as I saw deeper into it, pulling up the blocks to the pure connection of the Divine feminine (that´s another story but related...but you get the idea.)I still wasn´t clear as to what the root of all these energies were...my parent´s divorce? Felt too superficial. In the first ceremony, I asked. I saw a vision of a thick, concrete foundation layer that I will be purging over the next couple of months: the Western Consciousness.

PURGING LAYERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS OUT OF THE BODY STAGES OF THE SHAMAN

-VENTIADAS AND ICAROS LEARNING THE CRAFT?

I didn´t even know you could actually purge layers of the crap in the concsciousness out of my body. It was all fear. Fear manifested in the form of feeling abandoned, or rejected, or separated in any form. Which causes the ego to build defenses to protect, since there is a perceived void in the foundational structure. The ego defends with control, and manipulation, and micromanagement, and guilt, and judgement, and ten thousand other things. But if the foundation appears as solid as it truly is, and there is no fear, those defense mechanisms need not exist. So we dive into the foundation layer of the Western Consiousness.The first ceremony was more of my actual shamanic training I´d begun receiving as of late. After about a year and a half of intense purging, I was finally at the level where I could actually begin working in ceremony (I´m still purging at times obviously, but at a much more manageable level). I had learned how to give ventiadas, begun singing Icaros, and able to clearly feel energetically what do to and to what extent to support others in ceremony. I always felt like I would be Luco´s five year old daughter tagging along, since he´s always going to be 25 years ahead of me in the Medicine. But this week things became empowered.Second ceremony, they actually took a chunk out of the consciousness. It was a different kind of purge, and there would be no Icaros for me that night. However, as deeply as the shit was leaving my body, I was able to jump to when someone asked me for something (which was exactly once...much less than normal. The Medicine plans very efficiently).

Ceremony three, I got my first Icaro that was just mine. It was all about Divine Feminine, and basically was showing me how I wouldn´t even be learning most of the traditional Icaros, as part of my role is to support in bringing in the Medicine in a new, more feminiely balanced, more loving way. The tradition is amazing and though this felt right to me, I checked with Luco as to his thoughts. This wasn´t exactly traditional shamanism if I´m getting Icaros that are for me, a white Western woman. But he validated exactly what I was feeling. What´s more important? Preserving and conserving a tradition that has brought the Medicine through for centuries, through a sometimes overly masculine culture (his words - this is not my judgement, this is just what I got in ceremony and validated) and the approach has been even a bit violent at times, as spiritual battle is commonplace among many shamans. The Icaros were born out of this energy, and the approach the shaman uses, their own light/love level, and whether they choose to focus in or participate in outside battling, will effect the entire stage the Medicine is set in. Neither way is right or wrong...for some, the more militant styles will be exactly what they need to release the purges. But for whatever reason, bringing the Medicine through in a Divine Feminine way, balanced by Luco and the more traditional masculine way (though he doesn´t battle...I don´t think this would work if he did:=) is part of our purpose and Infinite Light´s particular thumbprint in bringing the Medicine through in this way (I know we´re not the only ones either, as spiritual the Divine Feminine rebalance would most likely bring a shift to many working in the Medicine or other spiritual endeavors.)So purging and rebalancing the layer of consciousness in my body, simultaneously with the Divine Feminine being empowered into me...coincidence? Definitely not. I see why the ´boy´issues would be a layer on top of that, then the ´girl´issues (catty dumb shit - that´s actually really serious on the spiritual level) works out as the rebalance continues. I will keep you guys updated, but all and I am am super excited about this period!I´ve also gotten a lot of Divine hits about 2011 and what´s in store for Infinite Light (as far as working apprenticeships, various opportunities, etc) but I´ll save that for another blog. It´s still January after all!Sorry that was so long, but that was really from the last five months, not just five ceremonies. I´ll keep it concise for the future ones!Much love everyone! And go watch Avatar if you haven´t seen it yet:) Be back after the next group with more!Peace:)Meghan
Posted by Ayahuasca Meghan at 11:23 PM
Labels: amazon, apprenticeship, avatar, ayahuasca, divine, feminine, icaros, shaman, shamanism

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191 + Sanango Diet
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Beginning Year 3: 180 Ceremonies
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About Me

Meghan Shannon
Jenaro Herrera, Amazon Region, Peru
I am an ayahuasca shamanic apprentice when in the Amazon and a sign language interpreter when in the US. Visit my site at www.infinitelightperu.com! View my complete profile