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GeneralMonday, January 11, 2010 by Nanette Well, I’ve taken the plunge and switched the front page of the site to the main Human Beams blog. That means that unless melonhead or Doc, or anyone else whose name is listed in the left menu, decides to post here, this blog is basically closed. There is an rss link to the new blog on the front page. There are still a few kinks to work out, but so far, so good. This really is a plunge for me. In my wacky brain there is somehow a difference between posting directly to the main page (or, really, only page for now) and pulling in a feed. I guess I feel more of a responsibility, a commitment now that it’s done. Weird. I had planned to do this only after I had a regularly functioning computer, reliable internet access and plenty of quiet time to write. I have none of these things, but oh well. What’s that they say? Leap - and the net will appear.
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Wednesday, January 06, 2010 by Nanette I apparently have - quite accidentally - set it up so that, if I email something to myself from my Blackberry, it will post here. I did attempt at one time to set up a “moblog” because it’s difficult for me to sign in and post, but it didn’t work. Or so I thought. Good thing I was just checking if my email was functioning properly and not sending state secrets (if I knew any) to myself. Let’s see if this one shows up, too. If so, I will probably start posting more regularly again. Maybe.
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by Nanette Chk
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Sunday, December 06, 2009 News Notes - Uganda’s “Kill Gays” Bill by Nanette I confess I’ve (yet again) not been keeping abreast of the news, but some things did pierce through the fog: Uganda - what the heck,? I know little about that country - except that my father was stationed there, with UNICEF, sometime in the 50s or 60s. Oh, and Idi Amin, of course, which is the first thing many think of when there is mention of Uganda. Now it seems that legislators there would like to replace that image with fresh hell, in the form of codifying genocide against gays and lesbians into law. Aided and encouraged, apparently, by some religious groups and leaders in the US. Links are difficult and time consuming for me, on this device, so I’m just going to refer you to Box Turtle Bulletin’s comprehensive collection of links located at the end of each of the pages linked above. Reading through them I notice that more people and governments are speaking out against this than I had previously thought, so that is a bit heartening.
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by Nanette I painted this a few years ago, copying from a gift bag. There is not really anything to say about it, it’s just that I am testing whether pics show up (am sending via email from my phone) and, if so, where.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009 New Title That Doesn’t Mention “Fun” by Nanette Sorry for my (again!) absence. Life interrupted, and all that. I am not yet entirely back although I should be able to check emails and post short things until I am actually here again. Thankfully, poor scouser/melonhead and Doc Logan have been ably keeping things going on the blog and plans have still been going forward behind the scenes for the next stage of Human Beams. Also, things aren’t all bad - while everything was falling apart here, I decided that this would be the best time for me to go ahead and get that college education and degree that was also interrupted so many years ago. I’m going to start out with distance learning, through University of Phoenix, as a “do anywhere, anytime” type thing would probably work best for me right now, because of caring for my mother and all. After I’ve completed this course (for an Associates in communication) I’ll consider my options. Possibly a traditional brick and mortar place or continuing distance learning, either through UoP or someplace else. We’ll see. For now, I’m looking forward to both working towards that and reformatting HB to make it more relevant to today’s world. Onward! and all that jazz. (PS The site might be down for a couple of days due to billing issues, but we’ll be back)
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Thursday, April 02, 2009 Changes, Restructuring, Wonky Computers by Nanette Well, my computer’s still shot, but I have done a work-around that allows me to be on it for longer periods of time. It’ll do until I get a new one. I really don’t want Vista, though, so I’m hoping that they’ll be shipping with Windows 7 soon. Anyway, while I’ve been busy with other stuff I’ve also been planning what to do here - not on the Stalking Sunlight blog (which will stay as it is, but not on the front page of the site), but with Human Beams itself. We go through this from time to time because somewhere along the way we lost (or, more accurately, I lost) our focus and were just swerving from point to point with no real destination. Add to that the fact that the site/organization has never really had a revenue model or funding source, even to pay server costs or any other fees, which are paid out of pocket, and you have a recipe for burnout and, sometimes, discouragement. Then, also, the internet has changed greatly since we first started this venture over 10 years ago, and we need to work in ways to both reflect that and take advantage of it. So. All that needs to change, and will be changing over the next few months. I still have very limited amounts of free, quiet time but we’ll have to make do. My hope is that as things progress and the goals and purpose of the site become clearer others will be encouraged to join in in whatever ways they can or wish to.
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Monday, March 09, 2009 by Nanette Well, this week is not starting out as planned and who knows how it’s going to end, so I am putting off the second installment of the Five by Friday series, I think. I do have all the sites picked out and such, but I want to go into a bit more depth with the first site, or tree, as well as with the five branches - also maybe contact some of the sites or at least comment on a post or two, so on. It’s just that, right now, I have neither the time nor concentration to do that. Anyway, I’m also going to start another series… sort of a Daily Muse type thing, where I take something - a quote, anything, to spark my thought processes and write about that. Whether I want to or not. :) Reason - one, to get me writing, of course. Anything and everything. Also, though, to help me tap into a more um… ruminative, reflective type style, which is actually more comfortable for me. Or, it was in the past. Additionally, I have many ideas and plans for Human Beams, which are sort of on hold at the moment, but which sort of simmer in the back of my mind - by starting to publicly detail some of those, and work through areas where I can do something now and areas where I’ll need help, I think it’ll bring me and the site (HB) closer to being where we need to be to implement some of this stuff.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009 Well, Best Laid Plans And All That by Nanette I think I am fighting off the flu or something. Anyway, didn’t get to my series and since it’s already Wednesday, think I’ll put that one off til next week ;)  Here’s a few links to interesting (or hopeful or dreadful) things I’ve come across. If you have any (or have anything else to say) make sure to leave them in comments. First, a dreadful: It’s possible that NYPost cartoonist Sean Delonas has a good explanation for this... but I doubt it. Even if the intention wasn’t to be racist - it’s astonishing this made it past the editors, even if it IS the NYPost - there is the matter of appearing to threaten either Obama or other public officials with harm. It has generated controversy and probably brought lots of traffic, and maybe that was the point anyway, but still… A hopeful: Invisible People TV via a Pitch Engine release, which says:
Sounds like an interesting and worthwhile project - not only do the stories need to be told but it’s helpful when one can see others as individuals instead of one big mass of “homeless people”. Interesting: BBC production, The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu. You can only see the video if you live in the UK (nationists!) but anyone can listen to the audio of the radio shows. Good site to just putter through daily, and learn all sorts of helpful stuff about - what else? - changing the world: WorldChanging - worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it’s just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving. Also, right here on our HB community blog, Varela Gaby, a volunteer teacher, has a post on simple ways to end poverty. Welcome, Varela! Y’all have a good day.
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Sunday, February 08, 2009 by Nanette
 Well, I’ve had an interesting week, both good and bad. I tend to make like a hermit crab at the best of times, more so when I’m living in "interesting times". I’m trying to overcome that reaction, though - really! Anyway, I have lots of writing to do today - my quiet day - including giving an idea of new things in the planning for Human Beams, regular bloggy stuff, commenting and so on. Until then, Happy Sunday to all. (photo at top via eHow)
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Sunday, February 01, 2009 This And That - The Past Is Predictor, Etc by Nanette
This is apparently the first day of Black History Month. I haven’t looked at a grade school history textbook in years, so I don’t know how much children are learning about an inclusive American history. I somewhat like the idea of months or weeks to focus on particularly neglected parts of the historical record but it seems that even that would give sort of a lopsided view of what went on. In the US, at least, all of our threads have been woven together and are interdependent - Black, White, Asians, Latin@, Native American, and so on. Also, of course, all of the above categories are just broad generalizations and are stories within stories in themselves. In the last couple of years or so I started searching out my US family history (and need to start working on that of my Nigerian family) and found a number of interesting people bopping around in the old family tree. Not surprisingly, most is known about the men but there are still ways to find out about and contextualize the women, I think. Anyway, hopefully this month I’ll have time to write about some of that stuff and also to search out links of other histories (for instance, I know Kai at Zuky did a great series on parts of the Chinese history in the US). I’d really like to start an "Our History" type project, where people contributed what they know about who they know, or know of, in their families - putting it into context of the happenings of the time. Or something like that. If anyone wants to drop their links or write up something here (at any time, not just this month) feel free to do so. [photo - my grandmother (on my mom’s side) Elizabeth (Bessie)]
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Saturday, November 15, 2008 Cool Tool Of The Day - Worldmapper by Nanette I’ve not been online again long enough to get rid of the "everything is strange and new… but still the same" feeling, but I have been doing some wandering around the tubes and have come across a few things to share. Like…. Via CNN -
Very interesting, very detailed and something one could spend some time on, investigating areas of interest and how they relate to the rest of the world. This and the other 365 maps can be found at Worldmapper. I’ll have more later, when I can, as well as thoughts on the election and some of the aftermath.
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by Nanette I’ve always loved this picture - in part because I have a noted fondness for mist and fog, but also because it speaks to me of pasts and futures, entrances, exits and beginnings. It was taken by my friend Kai Chang while on a visit to China, a place I have never been and will likely never be, but which I can enjoy vicariously through Kai’s visits and observations.  The site and organization are undergoing some changes but in the meantime, please join the ongoing conversation and commentary on our group blog, Stalking Sunlight.
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Saturday, July 05, 2008 “Both left and right pile on Obama” by Nanette That’s the title of this AP article: .... which I am not quoting any of and probably shouldn’t put a link to, cuz I’ve just remembered catching a glimpse of something about a lawsuit and a boycott? Anyway, I’ve seen a lot of the howling over the past week on the lefyish sites… I don’t read the rightwing ones, usually, so I’ll take the AP’s word for it that conservatives are howling too. Me, I’ve said often that I am not so much an Obama supporter (too far to the right for me even when people thought he was a liberal) so much as a supporter of his infrastructure and ground game (something I still need to write about), which I’m sure is very busy in the background while he’s giving speeches and causing heads to asplode. I’m also really curious to see what a "community organizer in chief" presidency would be like.
Still, the events of this past week or so made me think of that old public relations adage… when you have bad news or bad exposure - "Get it out. Get it all out. Get it ALL out RIGHT NOW!" By the time August rolls around (and beyond) people will either have come to terms with his views (or have changed them through activism) and will have decided that any Democrat is better than the Republican or will have peeled off completely and gone on to become Republicans or Greens or something. As some always do, each election. Fun stuff.
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What Century Are We In Again? Open Thread by Nanette Although, technically, all threads are pretty much open. Anyway, I agree with P6... this really is pathetic: Burial Exposes Racial Rift in Texas
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It’s Sunday and I’ve been up since 5:30am, sadly. Cat. Who still lives, yes - supremely confident that I appreciate the honor she does me in allowing me to pay attention to her before dawn.
A new book, The Atlas of the Real World, has redrawn the map giving vivid new insights and bringing economic, social and environmental data to life.
