Every Little Bit Helps.

I finally made it out of the house alone tonight. I was finally allowed to drive the car; every little miracle helps. I headed over to Cafe Diem (caffeinate the day), and after it closed, I sat in the Wig and Pen next door taking notes on news articles. It felt amazing getting out of the house and out among good people. It was not awkward at all... I think I have found my new local haunts.

The other day while my friend Aran was in town from Iowa City, we stuck our heads in the Iowa Hysterical Society building. It was dead. That was so odd to me. After all, it has one of the best cafes in all of Des Moines's East Village neighborhood. Regardless, we looked around and took photos of the rocking Santa.

It does not take much for money to change our world for the better. I just volunteered to be a tutor here. I have so little money to give, but I have all the time and energy in the world. Let us see if we can change some lives for the better even on a local level.


In the News...

Religious Violence
Do not forget that Christians retaliated immediately afterward by attacking a Mosque. Peace needs all of us. There is no place in either religion for this type of violence. Egypt, please do not allow your country to fall apart in sectarian violence. I know your part of the world, though usually not Egypt yourself, has a history of unrest, but neither religion involved is a violent one. Please remind your citizens of their teachings of peace, knowledge, and understanding. There is no need for this... Besides, I want to be able to visit you to see your legendary archeology once this bubble around me bursts. I have been looking forward to seeing Giza, Luxor, etc. for so long. I am pretty good with a camera, you know, and I just got a new as a gift.

The Weather
The Earth is currently in a geologic cycle that is melting the ice caps. This means there is more water on the planet than we are used to. This means there is more water in the Water Cycle. This means that there is more flooding and greater forms of precipitation and hazardous weather. As the ice caps melt, the weather worldwide will become more dramatic. We need better ways to predict it and plan for it. We can bring humanity through Global Climate Change, but it will take leadership, intelligence, knowledge, planning, and faith.

The Ivory Coast
Oh, Africa, you are in my heart. Thank you for listening to me. Always end the violence as soon as possible. Always try peace first. Always stand up for democracy and the sovereignty of the people. You, Africa, are solving African problems. Thank you.

Oh, my Beautiful Spain...
Do not forget to raise money to pay off your debt. Do not merely cut spending. You need to increase revenue, and the best way to do that is by INVESTING in your economy.

Fear
Since when did we as Americans allow fear to control our education? Let us look at this article for a moment. The types of students that would be using WikiLeaks as a resource for homework and research are the very people who might seek a government job. The control-mongering government therefor is impeding their education with fear. The government needs to keep its hands off our education, and what sort of university propagates this fear?

Censorship
I have said it before, but let me say it again. We all know the rules. Do not lie about anyone. Do not steal your forms of human expression from anyone. Respect each other's privacy. These are the basics of the only laws that should restrict free human expression. Communication is so important for a functioning free society. Do not let anyone soil it with their manure, and never let anyone take it away. Never forget that the Council of Europe's Convention on the Preservation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms guarantees to all people in its jurisdiction the right to receive and impart information to anyone without frontiers. Yes, I was denied this while under their jurisdiction in the UK, but there is no reason why the whole of Europe should not stand up for their rights.