So I'm reading this article about torture the CIA allegedly authorized even after we'd deemed it illegal and I was struck by something. You can read the article in its entirety here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090827/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_cia_interrogations
This article was written and published by the Associated Press. And not to make light of the situation but I read this sentence:
Before scaling back its "enhanced interrogation program," the CIA used 10 harsh methods, including waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning. It later used six techniques, including sleep deprivation, dietary manipulation and slapping.
And my first thought was Motherhood is a form of torture.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
TGIF!
It's Friday! The end of the week and the end of summer. School starts on Tuesday and I can't wait.
It's funny how much I long for summer, envisioning lazy days lounging by the pool, the sun sizzling along my skin, an ice cold glass of water at my fingertips and a steamy novel ready to be devoured.
Maybe a weekend at the beach, listening to the sea gulls squawk and the tide crash along the sand, the screech of kids as they run from the cold (West Coast :)) ocean, the salt in the air, and later, the scent of burning wood from the raging bonfire and moonlight rippling on the water.
The idea of summer with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Except these days, that's a fantasy rather than reality. Instead it's swim practice, water polo practice, running practice, swim meets, water polo tournaments, movies, sleepovers, barbecues, shopping, and on and on and on.
The summer may just be more tiring than school because those lazy days (ha!) mean no set schedule and no time alone for me. I can't wait until school starts and I can sit down to write without being interrupted twenty times a day to drive someone somewhere....
Until about mid-May when I'll start longing for those lazy summer days once again. :)
Lisa
It's funny how much I long for summer, envisioning lazy days lounging by the pool, the sun sizzling along my skin, an ice cold glass of water at my fingertips and a steamy novel ready to be devoured.
Maybe a weekend at the beach, listening to the sea gulls squawk and the tide crash along the sand, the screech of kids as they run from the cold (West Coast :)) ocean, the salt in the air, and later, the scent of burning wood from the raging bonfire and moonlight rippling on the water.
The idea of summer with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Except these days, that's a fantasy rather than reality. Instead it's swim practice, water polo practice, running practice, swim meets, water polo tournaments, movies, sleepovers, barbecues, shopping, and on and on and on.
The summer may just be more tiring than school because those lazy days (ha!) mean no set schedule and no time alone for me. I can't wait until school starts and I can sit down to write without being interrupted twenty times a day to drive someone somewhere....
Until about mid-May when I'll start longing for those lazy summer days once again. :)
Lisa
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
milestones
today my son passed his driver's test. on the surface this is an exciting (if you're him) and terrifying (if you're me--just kidding sort of, he's a pretty good driver :) ) milestone.
on a deeper level, it signifies a shift in the dynamic of the parent/child relationship. the first step in becoming an adult. the beginning of the journey of separation from the family unit to an autonomous being. in ancient cultures tribes had specific ceremonies for boys and girls to transition from child to adult, usually involving some sort of painful and permanent mutiliation of their body. thank goodness we have moved on from such procedures and now only strap them into thousand pound hunks of metal and let them loose on the world....
so while i am happy for him, it's a bittersweet day at my house because my baby is almost not a baby anymore.
Lisa
ps. another milestone, Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away today. She was an inspiration to many and will be missed
on a deeper level, it signifies a shift in the dynamic of the parent/child relationship. the first step in becoming an adult. the beginning of the journey of separation from the family unit to an autonomous being. in ancient cultures tribes had specific ceremonies for boys and girls to transition from child to adult, usually involving some sort of painful and permanent mutiliation of their body. thank goodness we have moved on from such procedures and now only strap them into thousand pound hunks of metal and let them loose on the world....
so while i am happy for him, it's a bittersweet day at my house because my baby is almost not a baby anymore.
Lisa
ps. another milestone, Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away today. She was an inspiration to many and will be missed
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
spy wars
I'm reading a book right now, for research, called Spy Wars by tennant h. bagley.
In a nutshell: CIA, USSR, Cold War, spies, counterintelligence. Caveat...I'm only about halfway through. It's fascinating. Really. The twists and turns and sheer amount of mental logistics to develop 'lines' which are really fake stories with actors (spies) who memorize their stories and then go after the enemy (that would mostly be US, but not always) to ferret out what we know and what we think we know and what they can learn and how they can penetrate our counterintelligence....
it's like a really, really complicated thriller that when you finish...the reaction is NO WAY. Except, it's true.
apparently, truth is stranger (and frequently more complicated) than fiction.
Lisa
ps. Fun note...I bought this at the CIA gift shop, yes, our nation's most top secret (at least known top secret)facility has a gift shop. I refrained from picking up a CIA coffee mug :)
In a nutshell: CIA, USSR, Cold War, spies, counterintelligence. Caveat...I'm only about halfway through. It's fascinating. Really. The twists and turns and sheer amount of mental logistics to develop 'lines' which are really fake stories with actors (spies) who memorize their stories and then go after the enemy (that would mostly be US, but not always) to ferret out what we know and what we think we know and what they can learn and how they can penetrate our counterintelligence....
it's like a really, really complicated thriller that when you finish...the reaction is NO WAY. Except, it's true.
apparently, truth is stranger (and frequently more complicated) than fiction.
Lisa
ps. Fun note...I bought this at the CIA gift shop, yes, our nation's most top secret (at least known top secret)facility has a gift shop. I refrained from picking up a CIA coffee mug :)
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