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Monthly Archive for January, 2012
49ers voice Ted Robinson strives for perspective
— The following is a Q&A conducted with broadcaster Ted Robinson by KNBR's Lee Hammer:
Q: You've broadcast Olympics, World Series, tennis Grand Slams, Final Fours, etc. Where does the win over New Orleans rate in terms of "great games"?
A: Without doubt, the best football game I've been privileged to call. The final four minutes were Canton-worthy; players making great plays, the quality we cherish in championship events. Nothing will likely ever top the '08 Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final. And I admit to tearing up when the U.S. Olympic baseball team received their gold medals after defeating Cuba in 2000. But no sporting event can match a Papal Mass, from which I provided "play by play" in 1987 at Candlestick.
Q: As you're about to call the final play, do you think how historic this call could be?
A: Those moments are about basics. Make sure the listener knows everything. Who is on the field, where are they lined up, where is the ball. Score, time, down and distance again and again. Lon Simmons taught me an invaluable lesson – to watch the field and tell people what you see. Simple, but remarkably true.
Q: Your call of the final touchdown was awesome. "Vernon Davis with the play of his life. Alex Smith with the play of his life." Did that just come to you, or do you have an idea before the game starts what you might say in a situation like that?
A: The words were spontaneous. F.P. Santangelo messaged me afterward about the "Can you feel Candlestick?" line. I didn't remember saying it. "Scripting" those moments is false – we are not actors. I never imagined the last play would go to the end zone between the numbers. Bold but beautiful!
Q: How hard is it to control your emotions, and separate the "fan" in you from the "broadcaster," so you're not viewed as a "homer"?
A: Many have told me this week they were convinced I preferred the 49ers win. Being raised in New York has been an advantage in making the Bay Area home. The standards are the same – no homers allowed. Now, tone and inflection can convey your presence with the team for whom you broadcast. But a broadcaster should not insult listeners. Acknowledge excellent plays and performances regardless of team and score. Postgame Saturday, someone wearing a 49ers badge actually stopped me to declare his unhappiness with my level of "excitement" when the Saints scored in the fourth quarter. I was stunned at first by the comment's absurdity, but now accept it as a compliment.
Q: Do you watch a lot of film during the week of the opposing team, so you instantly know all the opposing players?
A: I watch one or two games of each week's opponents. It's the TV tape, so my goal is to watch formations, snap counts, physical appearance of players and trends so obvious that even I can detect them. The exercise also gives me questions to ask Jim Harbaugh, coaches and players during the week in the effort to further learn the game.
Q: Do you think the fact that the 49ers beat the Giants already this season has any benefit?
A: Not sure. The Giants are clearly playing their best football in the postseason. The 49ers have extreme confidence and the huge advantage of the loudest Candlestick in at least a decade.
Q: Do you know what you might say as the clock ticks down to 0:00, and the 49ers have the lead? Will you prepare something in advance?
A: Whether it was Bonds' record homers or (Pete) Sampras' record-breaking Wimbledon, I have never prepared a line. I may think of a significant point to make. Example: When Bonds hit No. 500 at Pac Bell Park, the only planning I made was to include "San Francisco" in anything I said. I felt the moment was huge for the city, happening in our spectacular new ballpark. As Bonds circled the bases after No. 70 in Houston, I described his motions and his teammates pouring from the dugout. Should the 49ers present the chance (today), I may have some words of perspective in mind, but nothing to prevent me from chronicling the moment.
Q: You almost lost your voice because of all the excitement. You going to be OK for (today)?
A: I "overcooked" one vocal cord, a trauma which I pleasantly accused Alex Smith of causing to occur. He laughed. Dr. Ed Damrose of Stanford ENT put me on the one-week recovery plan, so all systems are go!…
49ers-Giants quotes to remember from November
49ers CEO Jed York takes spotlight
His newfound prominence was on display in the team's full-page ad in The Chronicle on Friday, in which the 30-yea… …
New York Giants fans, please take note
Are you ready for some football?
If you came here from the East Coast, welcome. We hope you have a nice stay, have some terrific meals, and spend a LOT of money.
If you live in the Bay Area, hope you ha… …
Patrick Willis' mentoring helps NaVorro Bowman
Just as Takeo Spikes guided Patrick Willis early in his NFL career, so too does Willis watch out for NaVorro Bowman. Bowman clearly… …
Jenkins' 3-Dot Lounge: Harbaugh raises bar for rookie coaches
N.Y. Daily News: 49ers fans most overrated in NFL
Niner fans are the most overrated bunch in the NFL, though somehow ranked fourth by so-called… …
Ostler's response: Fans' courage not measured by brie and wine
Years ago someone came up with that cute line about 49ers fans and their brie and white wine, and it stuck like brie debris to the lip of a wine goblet. Hello. Forty-niners' fans are now into s… …
49ers' run defense will again play a decisive role
Probably not.
But don't fret, Niners fans.
The more relevant question might involve San Francisco's ability to stop New York's rushing attack Sunday in the NFC Championship Game … …
49ers miss out on chance for dry run in the rain
On Friday, the 49ers coach was disappointed it didn't rain during practice in advance of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday against the Giants at Candl… …


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UK Report Blames The Internet For Terrorism, Says ISPs Should Take Down Content
from the can't-even-understand-the-role-of-an-isp-then? dept
All of these reports seem to assume that because some kids used the internet to learn about terrorism, that it's the internet's fault they became terrorists. There's no thought to the idea that these disenfranchised kids were likely to seek out whatever way they could to join a terrorism organization. That would involve actually understanding the root causes of terrorism, though, and it's much, much easier to just point a finger and blame the internet. Of course, since it appears these luddites don't understand the internet at all, it's no surprise that they confused ISPs with hosting companies -- and demanded that the ISPs "take down" content, when the only thing they really could do would be to block content. Hosting companies would be able to remove it. David Meyer, the ZDnet UK reporter who wrote the story linked above, asked a spokesperson for the committee to explain this rather glaring error, and the person "was unable to explain." That should tell you just about everything you need to know about this report, and it should be laughed out of any further discussion should it ever be brought up again.

subset: commoncrawl


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WASHINGTON—In letters sent April 24, on the eve of oral arguments to the Supreme Court on Arizona's immigration law, 15 religious leaders urged President Barack Obama and the 112th Congress to "reassert your authority" and move to enact immigration reform legislation "as soon as possible."
The national faith leaders expressed concern that, because of its inaction on this issue for several years, the federal government is implicitly transferring "unprecedented authority" to state and local governments to implement immigration policy, to the "detriment of our nation and our local communities."
"Instead of one federal immigration system applicable to all, we now have many states and an untold number of localities attempting to create their own immigration policies," the letters stated. "This will only lead to a patchwork of laws which would cause family separation, economic disruption, and divided communities."
The leaders called for federal elected officials to move to enact immigration reform legislation, which would reaffirm federal authority over immigration law and preserve family unity as the cornerstone of the U.S. immigration system. They agreed that any reform of the system should feature a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of USCCB, and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, signed the letters on behalf of the U.S. bishops. Other signatories included Bishop Minerva Circano, resident bishop of the Phoenix area of the United Methodist Church and chair of the United Methodist Task Force on Immigration; Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church; Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; and Reverend Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
The letters can be found at: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/upload/April-2012-USCCB-Interfaith-Letter-to-Congress-Immigration.pdf and www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/upload/April-2012-USCCB-Interfaith-Letter-to-President-Obama-Immigration.pdf.
Testimony of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration on the constitutionality of state laws is available at: www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/Testimony-JYoung-042412-Senate-Judiciary-Hearing.pdf.
The USCCB amicus brief on the case of Arizona v. United States is also available online: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/state-of-arizona-v-united-states-of-america.pdf.
Keywords: U.S. bishops, USCCB, immigration, comprehensive immigration reform, federal law, U.S. Congress, President Obama, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop JosénGomez, Leith Anderson, National Association of Evangelicals, policy, U.S. Supreme Court, Arizona v. United States, state and local governments
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Better Late Than Never, Yahoo Debuts Zimbra-Powered Calendar
Oct 8, 2008 11:17 AM PT
Yahoo has unveiled a new dynamic calendar service powered by open source developer Zimbra. Yahoo Calendar offers standard Web 2.0 information-sharing options along with an updated drag-and-drop interface and a handful of unique options. The program is available in beta to Yahoo users as of Wednesday.
The release, somewhat ironically, marks Yahoo's first update to its online calendar system in a decade and follows Google's Calendar launch by a full two years. Still, data from ComScore indicates Yahoo has 8.1 million registered calendar users compared to Google's 5 million. The company, no doubt, hopes its modernization -- even if delayed -- will be enough to maintain that lead and ultimately translate it into higher overall traffic.
Recent traffic analyses by ComScore show Google commanding 63 percent of the U.S. search market, compared to Yahoo's 19.6 percent -- a number that took nearly a full point fall from the previous month.
Open Focus
Both Yahoo and Zimbra -- which Yahoo acquired last year -- are quick to point out the openness of the new Yahoo Calendar. Like Google Calendar and other online scheduling tools, the utility uses iCal and CalDAV standards to allow for easy integration with third-party services. That means users can share data with friends, even if they're on competing programs.
"With Yahoo leveraging Zimbra technology, they're able to reach their goals of being one of the most open calendar systems in the market," John Robb, vice president of marketing and products at Zimbra, told LinuxInsider. "That's something that's always been very important to Zimbra."
Integration Options
While many of the features will look familiar to users who have experienced Web-based calendars before, Yahoo Calendar does have some innovative functions. Flickr, for example, is built into the program, letting you add images onto your calendar's background. Presently, you can add only public Creative Commons images, though the option to use your own personal photos is planned for a future release.
The application also boasts the ability to zoom in and out of specific dates and to drag-and-drop appointments. Eventually, the program will add integration with other Yahoo services such as Upcoming.org, Yahoo Sports, and Yahoo TV.
"[We wanted] the ability to have mashups with other systems -- whether it be Flickr, whether it be Yahoo's Upcoming, whether it be other third parties that might be interested in providing integration points with Yahoo Calendar and Zimbra Calendar," Robb said.
Playing Catch-Up
While the launch may appear as a bit of a game of catch-up, many see it as a crucial step for the company's rebuilding.
"For Yahoo to move forward, it basically needs to leverage whatever research and development projects it [has], and to either create new products and services or to match those products and services of its largest competitors," Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-It, told LinuxInsider.
"Google has obviously taken a lead here, and as users move more and more to match their online and offline lives, the dynamic calendar is a critical tool for most consumers and most business people," he pointed out.
A Yahoo spokesperson was not immediately available to comment.
Double Goal
The goal, it would seem, has to be two-pronged: giving some people a reason to stay, and giving others a reason to come in.
"You basically want to make sure that you do everything you can to keep your existing users and happy customers from straying off into your competitor's territory," King commented. "I think the larger question for Yahoo is how this new offering and future offerings will allow the company to reach out and bring perhaps former users or even new users online to the Yahoo site and get them using Yahoo's tools."
One thing's for certain, King believes: The process is only beginning, and Yahoo can plan on filling its own calendar with plenty more projects in the coming months.
"I think the calendar is a good start, but there will be an awful lot of other opportunities for online applications and services further up the road," he said.


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Ravens WR Anquan Boldin, who caught five passes for 145 yards and a TD, setting a Ravens postseason record for receiving yards. The Ravens' offense had been dormant until QB Joe Flacco found Boldin with a couple of long heaves in the third quarter.
Ravens LB Paul Kruger, who was all over the field harassing Colts QB Andrew Luck. On a day when Ray Lewis owned the spotlight, Kruger had 2 ½ sacks, a forced fumble, five hurries and a batted pass.
He showed terrific poise for a rookie, but Colts QB Andrew Luck (28-of-54, 288 yards) failed to get his team into the end zone and turned the ball over twice — losing a fumble and throwing an INT.
54, 23 Pass attempts for Colts QB Andrew Luck and Ravens QB Joe Flacco, respectively.


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As many of you already know, this blog turns one year old in less than a week on October 2nd, when in 2008, I put this blog together and published its first post (the About Page).
I've done a lot of things to renew and revamp the blog. To begin with, I have some phenomenal articles in store for you during the month of October!
New Ways to Support THL
Additionally, I have put together several new pages to help THL supporters know how they can make a measurable difference towards making this website the hottest new political blog on the Internet.
Visit the new and improved "Support Page" by clicking here or using the little button with a heart on it at the top of the sidebar.
Attention Webmasters and Bloggers:
Of particular interest to webmasters and bloggers should be two new pages. One offers paid advertising at THL (a quick and affordable way to get traffic to your site).
The other offers paid consulting services to help you improve and market your website, blog, or business with better graphics, more functional design, high quality content, or an entirely new strategy altogether.
Thank You!
Last of all, I just wanted to share the following personal message to all of you- straight from my heart:
Greetings Patriots!
What We Accomplished In One Short Year:
The Humble Libertarian has grown in leaps and bounds since it first started on October 2nd of last year, from a blog that had only two visitors (me and my partner in crime, Ben Bryan) to a blog that has averaged nearly a thousand page views a day (with nearly five hundred unique visitors daily) totaling over twenty-five thousand page views for the month of September 2009.
With your help and support THL has also been instrumental in promoting U.S. Senate Candidate Rand Paul's 2010 bid for Kentucky's open seat. This May, just days after Rand Paul (son of Congressman Ron Paul) announced his exploratory committee, I conceived, and with your help: launched, planned, promoted, executed (successfully!), and publicized the very first Rand Paul money bomb ever, raising Rand Paul twenty-five thousand dollars in a single day- all right here at THL!
It is no mystery then, that this website has gotten the attention of several other movers and shakers in the conservative / libertarian movement, whose words I will let speak for themselves at the end of this letter.
Let's Make Year 2 Even Better!
In the meantime, with THL's birthday in less than a week, I wanted to ask you personally to help me turn a corner and make this website the hottest new thing in politics!
Here are a few things you can do to help. Don't feel overwhelmed, but if you believe in the message and mission of THL, please pick just one or two and run with them!
2. Donate to The Humble Libertarian. Your contributions will help me take THL to the next level. There are so many power blogs for "lefties" like The DailyKos and The Huffington Post- we center-right / conservative / libertarians badly need one of our own, and it is my vision and dream to turn THL into just that. At my Donation Page, I explain exactly how THL will turn your contribution into liberty!
3. Make it a weekly habit to share articles you like from The Humble Libertarian with people who you know would find them interesting or challenging.
4. Volunteer for The Humble Libertarian. That's right- we need volunteers and you are eligible! Visit the Volunteer Page for details.
By doing just one or two of the items above, you have no idea how much you will be helping me out and advancing the cause of Liberty for ourselves and for future generations!
What other people are saying about THL:
"Thank you for your great blog."
-David J. Theroux
Founder and President
The Independent Institute
"A wide range of libertarian thought, from the left side of the libertarian spectrum to the right. It's on my Favorites bar, for sure!"
-Eric Dondero, fmr. Senior Aide to US Rep. Ron Paul
"Simply Put: The Humble Libertarian is required reading for all those involved in the liberty movement. Uncompromising and consistent in its pursuit of constitutional principles, The Humble Libertarian is a site I proudly frequent. I've yet to miss a post since I first discovered this great blog, and I advise the same for you."
-Daryl at In Defense of the Constitution
"The Ron Paul campaign is long over, but Messamore still promotes its platform."
-The Tennessean
"Too often the word 'libertarian' is misunderstood. The Humble Libertarian shows the true face of movement away from control and toward freedom."
-J. P. Arendt, Rise of Reason
"Thank you so much for the wonderful service your blog provides. It's great to see communication in action, meaning you do take the time to read your readers comments and e-mails. You never cease to astound me with the eloquent way you put into words what many of your readers are thinking and feeling about our government."
-Dave at Spiney's Notes
"I love the format, clean crisp and eminently readable, no gimmicks, more power to your elbow!"
-Anna Raccoon
"THL is a great place to learn about liberty and what's going on in the freedom movement today. Wes and the crew can be very proud of how he is building up libertarians everywhere to be better informed, better people."
-Norman Horn, LibertarianChristians.com
"Wes (The Humble Libertarian) is a very intelligent, informed, kind Tennessean blogging away for Liberty. I enjoyed meeting him at the last Tea Party in Nashville. Please review some of his original posts and essays for a true Libertarian or Constitutionally balanced perspective."
-"Fortunate Son" at Tennessee Sons of Liberty
"Visit The Humble Libertarian website. Educate yourself. Laugh a little. Get angry a lot."
-TennZen, Enlightenment Southern Style
"A refreshing outlook for the cause of liberty. What an incredible young man. There is hope for America and liberty with young citizen-thinkers like Wes."
Thanks so much for all your support over the past year! And thanks in advance for all your help in taking The Humble Libertarian to the next level!
Yours Sincerely,
For Liberty and Prosperity,
Wes Messamore,
Owner, Editor, Chief Contributor
The Humble Libertarian


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|2013-05-19, 03:57
|Link #43626
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Well then you did meant defense contractor, sorry.
Basically, anything related to international in scale must be sanctioned by the country. this is why I said it's not possible for them to get total leeway with their job.
|2013-05-19, 04:08
|Link #43628
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Joke aside, I guess you did follow Age's take on canon then. Moving on.
|2013-05-19, 04:36
|Link #43632
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
That's because ISA isn't about urban segregation: Many of the students there are likely either scholarship or average. By contrast, EVERYONE in Tokiwadai is an Oujo-sama. Urban segregation plays a role in Index: Are you powerful or not? If yes, Academy City force feeds you money. If no, they'll put you down and give you barely enough to survive.
|2013-05-19, 04:43
|Link #43634
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Sarashiki's seem to play it straight: Why in the hell would a teenager be leading the group? This is wholly irresponsible. Unless everyone in said group was younger than Tatenashi/Katana, I doubt they would leave everything to a 16 year old.
|2013-05-19, 04:46
|Link #43635
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Either play it straight (led to deconstruction) or rationalize it with outside canon reference (led to AU), pick your poison.
So yeah, this is why it's hard to take canon seriously. But that's also a good motivation for many fanfic writer (male ego or shipping aside)
|2013-05-19, 04:51
|Link #43637
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Again, that happened when 60% of the time the author focus on T&A, and devote 20% more to introduce said facility or new character so we can have more T&A
besides, I'm not the one to hype, but there's clear difference in writing skill too (even though I'm disinterested with Index or Railgun)
|2013-05-19, 05:05
|Link #43638
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
You have to remember the differences: Academy City is its own nation state, led by Aleister Crowley "The Wickedest Man in The World", and has enough facilities to declare war with Russia and come out on top. Not to mention their funding and the fact that they're making demigods like Accelerator or Kakine. By contrast, ISA was made by Japan after getting pushed by the other countries. No shit ISA feels stiff; it was made out of obligation and has hormonal schoolgirls as its entire population.
|2013-05-19, 05:09
|Link #43639
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
the student has only one day to go out, per week. Not to mention the heavy stigma.
|2013-05-19, 05:22
|Link #43640
That one guy
Join Date: Nov 2011
The thing is that the location itself isn't stiff. Just how it's handled. My god, kamen rider made a normal school seem so interesting. Investing in background people who made things alive. The little things like girls gossiping. A cafeteria which felt like there are people other than main cast. At best izuru just mentions that the cast is in a crowded place. Then suddenly every person disappears until its plot convenient for awkward moment, or some cliche would happen. Give a little more than the cafeteria menu for once @_@ we got these arena numbers but never get told exactly how many there are. Where's the library? You know. The little things?
|fanfic ideas, fanfiction, ff.net, harem, is fanfic, warning fanfic spoilers, wincest
|Thread Tools


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New Songs on the Radio – October 2012
October 2012 began with a flurry of great new country songs for radio programmers to choose from. Taylor Swift has released her newest single, as have stars like Josh Turner, Hunter Hayes and Chris Young. As Christmas time moves closer and closer, expect one last effort to provide fans with reasons to buy new or existing albums.
Swift's 'Begin Again' is the second single from 'Red,' which hits stores on Oct. 22. Young's 'I Can Take It From There' is the fourth single from 'Neon,' and Turner's 'Find Me a Baby is the second from his 'Punching Bag' album. Also look for new songs from Craig Morgan and newcomers Curtis Grimes and Miss Willie Brown on country radio in October 2012.
New Songs on the Radio for October 2012:
Brantley Gilbert, 'More Than Miles'
Chris Young, 'I Can Take It From There'
Craig Morgan, 'More Trucks Than Cars'
Curtis Grimes, 'Smile'
Hunter Hayes, 'Somebody's Heartbreak'
Jerrod Niemann, 'Only God Could Love You More'
Josh Turner, 'Find Me a Baby'
Kyle Park, 'The Night Is Young'
Love and Theft, 'Runnin' Out of Air'
Lucky Ned Pepper, 'I Remember the Music'
Miss Willie Brown, 'You're All That Matters to Me'
Montgomery Gentry, 'I'll Keep the Kids'
'Nashville' Star Hayden Panettiere (as Juliette Barnes), 'Telescope'
Pat Green, 'Even the Losers'
Taylor Swift, 'Begin Again'


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Location and General Characteristics
Page neighborhood on Minneapolis' south side is bound on the south by Diamond Lake Road and 55th Street, on the west by Interstate 35W, on the north by Minnehaha Creek, and on the east by Chicago Avenue. The neighborhood, like most neighborhoods in Minneapolis, took its name from its elementary school. Page Elementary School was named after Walter Hines Page, an American editor and diplomat born August 15, 1855. The neighborhood is predominately residential with Pearl Park in the center of the neighborhood. Most of the houses were built in the late 1920s and 1930s. The houses are largely two-story homes, many with colonial-style design. Pearl Park is commonly used for little league soccer, football, hockey and baseball.
Pearl Park is in the geographic center of the neighborhood. The park was renovated in the late '90s and today offers many amenities such as baseball, football and soccer fields; tennis courts and a playground.
Last updated Sep 27, 2011


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Mercedes Santos
I transferred to UCSC in my senior year to complete my double major in women's studies and art. I come from a bicultural environment myself, growing up in a family that was half Bolivian, half Caucasian, and definitely not encouraging of my being a lesbian, so I think I brought my understanding of what that is like to my interview with Mercedes Santos. Having spent time in Central America and in Oakland, I was also familiar with the places she referred to. Due to technical problems, the first interview I conducted with Mercedes was only recorded for the first half hour. I went back and conducted a second interview with her, which was actually a great way to deepen the interviewing process. Both interviews were conducted in her office at the EEO/Affirmative Action office at UCSC during her lunch hour. The first interview was February 6, 2002, and the second was March 4, 2002. We had never met or known of each other before these interviews.'Jessie Berg
Mercedes Santos
Berg : The first question I want to ask you is general background information. Please tell me a little bit about your early life, where you are from, and where you were born.
Santos : I was born in 1947, in March, in Oakland, California. My parents are first generation Portuguese American. My father at the time was working as a machinist. Later he drove a truck, and delivered bread to stores, and my mother was a factory worker, primarily making paper bags; for a few years she worked at Granny Goose potato chip factory. That was my favorite job. [laughter] My mother was a high school graduate. My father went to around the fifth grade. They both grew up in Oakland, California. My mother was born in the Hawaiian Islands, and my father was born in Oakland. My grandparents emigrated from the Azores Islands, through the Hawaiian Islands and then they came to California in the 1920s. I have one sibling, a brother three years older.
I grew up in a working-poor family that became a working-class family. Now my parents are middle class. The early years of my life were motivated by economic concerns, and concerns around assimilation. It was really important to my family that all of us assimilate and become 'Americans.' My grandparents spoke Portuguese and very little English. My parents are both fluent in both English and Portuguese, but when we were growing up they didn't allow us to speak Portuguese because they wanted us to assimilate. I grew up in a bicultural environment, but without the benefit of learning to speak the language. My parents had a lot of internalized oppression. There was a lot of racism against Portuguese people in the communities where they were living in Oakland. So I grew up with parents that had internalized that, but weren't aware of racism and oppression or classism.
As a child I inherited the internalized oppression. As a young adult, I began to become much more aware of it and had to work that stuff out. As a child I was very precocious and exhibited a lot of leadership qualities. I was very different from my brother, who was more of an introvert; he liked solitary hobbies; he was very quiet; he was a bookworm. I liked to read. I was smart, but I was much more of an extrovert. I was much more social, verbal, and used that to my advantage.
I was very close to my grandparents. They taught me a lot about both Portuguese and Hawaiian music, and I learned how to play the ukulele when I was four. I used to play the ukulele with my grandfather, and sing Hawaiian and Portuguese music, and dance. It was really a lot of fun.
I taught myself to play the guitar. There was a thing called a hootenanny in the 1960s, and when I was an undergraduate in college, I used to play the guitar in coffeehouses and'
Berg : Is that where everybody gets together and jams?
Santos : Yes, exactly. It was part of the folk music revival that happened in the 1960s. Also, a lot of political protest music was sung at hootenannies. There would be gatherings of activists. You'd have a hootenanny and sing.
Berg : It's a great word.
Santos : I really liked the music. When Elvis Presley first came on the scene I wanted to be Elvis Presley. Probably my first cross-gender identity experience was with Elvis Presley.
Berg : What was it about him?
Santos : He had a certain kind of energy' sensual, expressive, creative, animal. He was famous; he could sing. I thought he was handsome. I had this mad crush on him, but I wanted to be him. I didn't just want to be his girlfriend; I wanted to be Elvis Presley. I used to imitate him a lot. I would close myself into my bedroom. I had this broomstick that I used as a microphone, and this little guitar that I got when I was in first grade. I would sing all of his songs into the broomstick. I'd also lock myself in the bathroom and comb my hair like Elvis Presley. My brother used to use pomade and so I'd use pomade and make my hair look like Elvis's. I just totally loved him. The other performer I really loved when I was a little girl, when I was in first and second grade, was Rosemary Clooney. I'd see her on TV. She used to sing with big bands. She's a white woman, sang jazz and cocktail lounge music. Do you know the movie, Big Night?
Berg : Yes.
Santos : Well, she sings the 'Hey mambo, mambo italiano'' She's old now, but she used to come on television when I was a little kid. I would say that probably my first attraction to a woman was to Rosemary Clooney. I wanted to be Elvis, and I loved Rosemary Clooney'go figure!
I loved music and I loved sports. I loved to play when I was a kid. I was extremely energetic, which was kind of a problem for my family, because they didn't know quite what to do with all that energy. I don't know if I would've been defined as hyperactive, because I was able to focus and learn, and it didn't interfere with that, but I was extremely energetic and expressive and it wasn't always appreciated. My parents were pretty old world.
I was raised Roman Catholic, although I didn't go to Catholic school, thank goodness [laughter]. I went to public school. But I went to catechism, and to church. My father never went to church, but my mother would go with us. I'd go with my grandparents all the time. We'd go to Portuguese mass.
There was something else that I loved. I've always loved to write, ever since I was a little girl, really young. Right now I think of myself as someone who works part time to support myself as a writer. Writing is one of my first loves.
As a kid I liked school. I also loved the outdoors. I loved camping and backpacking. I started backpacking when I was about twelve. There's hardly anyplace in the Sierras in California that I haven't been. It was always my cathedral, the place I went to for respite'to go out and to stay in nature. I still really enjoy spending time outdoors.
When I hit puberty, it was horrible. All of a sudden the rules changed. There were all of these things that I couldn't do anymore. I couldn't play football in the street anymore. I wasn't supposed to have certain kinds of relationships with the boys anymore. My whole gender identity got turned upside down. I think my gender identity before then was very androgynous. It wasn't really linked to my sexuality or my sexual orientation. My identity was much more linked to my sense of agency and self-expression and being a really physical person. Then all of a sudden I'm in a woman's body, or I'm in a body that is going to become a woman's body. I got a lot of pressure both from my family and from my peers to start behaving in certain ways, and I hated it. I hated it. Being a teenager was probably the worst time of my life. And because my family was so repressed around sexuality, and so unable to talk about bodies, I had no way of understanding any of what was going on. They just wanted me to conform, and I didn't feel right. I had a lot of anger. I tried to kill myself when I was fifteen. Not very seriously, I ate aspirin. All I ended up with was ringing in my ears but, but I was that unhappy as a teenager.
Berg : And not really understanding why.
Santos : No, and there really wasn't anybody who could help me with it. I came from a Catholic family, from immigrant parents. One of the worst things you could be was a queer, and I grew up with that word in my family; that was a really negative word. To this day if I use that word queer my mother just bristles, 'Don't use that word!' One of the worst things that I could have possibly been was queer. So I had a lot of confusion about developing a sexual identity. I didn't have any role models. I didn't have anyone to mentor me. I remember being sent to a therapist when I was fourteen. It was a disaster! It was adjustment therapy, how to adjust to being a girl. There were ways in which I rebelled, but because of the strong foundation of guilt and loyalty' Loyalty was a strong value in my family of origin. Historically, people had to be loyal to each other; it was a matter of survival.
Berg : Sticking together'
Santos : Exactly. But because of that loyalty, there were definitely boundaries that I wasn't willing to cross to become my own person. So I had very unhappy teenage years. I went out with boys, and I dated. I still have pictures of myself going to the sophomore hop and the junior prom and the senior ball. I look at myself and I think'ahh! I became anorexic trying to create a body of loving where I could exist. It was difficult.
Berg : When did that happen?
Santos : The anorexia was between tenth and eleventh grade. I was fifteen. I really wasn't fat. I might have weighed 140 pounds. I'm 5'2' and a medium-framed person. I was unhappy, and my parents didn't have a clue about it. They just wanted to snap me out of it'what's a matter with you? So I went to the doctor, and the doctor put me on a five-hundred-calorie a day diet. I lost forty pounds. I got down to a hundred pounds. I had pressure from my family to lose weight; there was a lot of sarcasm about me being fat. But they were so uptight about bodies that it all came out sideways. I hated my body anyway, because I didn't want to be a girl. I guess that I had been lamenting all of this in some way to my mother and she took me to the doctor, and the five-hundred-calorie diet was his solution. So, I went on the diet for a year and I became anorexic. My skin turned blue, and I quit having periods. I was so cold all the time. It totally screwed up my thyroid gland and who knows what else. I wasn't any happier than I was before, and I developed health problems because of it. A year after I got off the diet I got an ulcer, and the same doctor said it was because I ate too many barbecue potato chips!
No one in my environment was able to connect with me about what it was that was going on. Even among my inner circle of friends, we never talked about our struggles with sexual or gender orientation. As it turned out, my very best girlfriend from high school is queer; she's a lesbian! But we never talked about it in high school. We were so suppressed by our environment. Since the early-1960s things have changed. But living in Santa Cruz is one thing. I'm sure if I were to leave this area I'd see a lot of young people experiencing exactly what I did.
My brother went to college, and I went to college. We were the only two people in my family who have ever gone to college, so that was a big deal. My parents, my mother especially, worked really hard so that we could go to school. She saved money from her job so we could go to school. It wasn't that expensive then to go to college. It was about seventy dollars a quarter. My first year of college I went away to school, to Sacramento State College. I almost flunked out. It was like being in summer camp. It was great. All these women and'
Berg : Freedom.
Santos : Freedom. I did eventually graduate, but I had to move back home after the first year, because I almost flunked out. I kind of deconstructed after my first year of college. I remember having this very emotional confrontation with my mother. I told her that I was queer.
Berg : When was this?
Santos : I was nineteen. I had never had a relationship with a woman, and I had never been sexual with a woman, but I had gotten to the place where I could not hold it in. I had told her when I was fourteen that I thought that I was...
Berg : That you were queer.
Santos : Yes. But she sent me to this therapist and then it got put underground again.
Berg : So you actually knew pretty young. It wasn't like you suddenly went to college and discovered you were queer.
Santos : No. Prior to puberty I experienced a heart connection to women, a strong emotional bond and a gender'kind of a male gender identity in some ways, because of my behavior and what I liked to do. When I got into high school and started having sexual feelings, that's when I knew I was attracted to women more than men. But after my first year of college, when I told my mother I thought I was queer, she was like, 'No, it's not true.' She said, 'I'll do anything. We have to fix this kind of thing.' So she sent me to another therapist and'
Berg : And you were willing?
Santos : I was flattened. I didn't know what to do. I had no support around the issue. I actually ended up going to a male therapist. He was really famous at that time. He was a professor at San Jose State University and had developed this technique called rage reduction, which was a kind of somatic therapy, where you did a lot of discharging of rage through different physical things that he would do to you. It was pretty Freudian, but was the best thing for me at that time. I was able to work through a lot of my rage, and had major breakthroughs with him. I was able to begin to disconnect from my mother, to become more independent. That's quite a process. It really wasn't until I was twenty-seven that I had my first relationship with a woman. Oh! Because the other thing is that I got married. I forgot to tell you about that.
Berg : Oh! Forgot about that part! [laughter]
Santos : I did get married! I graduated from college and I was dating this guy that I went to high school with. This was during the Vietnam War, and there was a lottery for the draft. His birthday was like number two, so he was going to get drafted. So he joined the Peace Corps. He was in the Peace Corps about six months, when he wrote to me and said, 'Oh, will you marry me?' I said sure. I had gotten my degree in psychology and was working as a probation officer in Santa Clara County doing juvenile probation work.
So I joined the Peace Corps, went to Nicaragua, and we got married. We stayed in the Peace Corps for a couple of years and then traveled through South America. The day I got married, I thought, what am I doing? But I did it. I was like, okay, I'm going to try and be straight. I'm going to try to follow the rules.
That experience changed my life'not getting married, but being in the Peace Corps. It completely politicized me. There was a way in which I moved away from my narcissism, into being a more community-minded and politically active person. It opened my world up, helped me break through a lot of my fear about different things. I learned how to speak Spanish. I came back, and then we got a divorce. Then I met a woman. Actually it was a woman that I'd had a crush on for five years. But anyway, I did come out when I was twenty-seven.
Berg : Like, to more than just your mom.
Santos : Oh, I didn't come out to her when I was twenty-seven. I didn't come out to my mother until I was forty.
Berg : But you had already kind of told her'
Santos : Well, I had kind of told her, but then I got married. [laughter]
Berg : Yes, so she was like, 'Oh, it was a phase, okay.'
Santos : Whatever'
Berg : It was a small dysfunction.
Santos : That was the thing. We never talked about it. When I told her, it was like, 'Oh my God, this isn't happening.' That's where she took it: 'This isn't happening.' So I didn't actually come out to my mother. Between the time I was twenty-seven and the time I was forty, I didn't have much contact with my parents. It was painful. I couldn't reveal my life to them and they had a lot of judgments about how I was living, so I just kept my distance. I didn't actually have a conversation with her again until I was forty.
Berg : So at twenty-seven you came out maybe to other folks and not your parents?
Santos : I came out to myself. To me, that's my first coming out'where I allowed myself to have a sexual relationship with a woman, and to acknowledge that I was a lesbian.
Berg : Uniting the inner and the outer life.
Santos : Exactly. That's a good way to describe it.
Berg : So where were you geographically at that point?
Santos : I was living in San Jose. But about six months after I got into this relationship, I bought a house and moved here to Santa Cruz. I've been here ever since.
Berg : So was she from Santa Cruz? Is that what brought you to Santa Cruz?
Santos : She was, yes. She was an instructor at Cabrillo at that time, a little bit older than I was. Also when I was a kid growing up, my family used to come to the San Lorenzo Valley all the time. My father was unbelievably creative. He used to buy old shacks in San Lorenzo Valley for a thousand dollars, and then our family project would be to fix them up. I always loved being in Santa Cruz, so that was the other reason why I wanted to live here.
Another thing that allowed me to come out as a lesbian was the feminist movement in the 1970s. I felt validated. When The Feminine Mystique was written, I remember reading it and thinking, finally, somebody's naming all these things that I experienced as a young woman! So getting involved, learning about feminism, being able to develop a life that was built on feminist values and philosophy was important to being able to come out, to owning my sexual orientation. That was key.
I was in and out of relationships until I was forty. Doing a lot of psychotherapy, bioenergetic work, body work, working on becoming a happier and a better person.
Berg : I wanted to ask you about your divorce.
Santos : There was a lot of turmoil in that transition for me, in terms of getting to a point where I could tell my husband that I wanted the divorce. I never told him 'I want a divorce because I'm a lesbian.' It was just, 'I want a divorce because I'm not in love with you anymore.' Even at that point I wasn't able to say that I was a lesbian.
Berg : It was still a little scary?
Santos : It was very scary. Here I had gone down the primrose path to supposedly be wife and mother, and it wasn't working. I remember when I left. We didn't have much. We had a car. It was a Pinto, I remember that [laughter]. And we had a dog. I took the car because it wasn't paid for, and I had a job and he didn't, and I took the dog because I loved the dog. I took the dog and the car and I drove away. I never saw him again and never talked to him again. He was not a bad person. It's not like I hated him. I just emotionally wasn't able to deal with him, to do what would have been needed to have closure. I wasn't able to come out, and so what was I going do with him? It was basically just, let me out of here!
After my divorce I moved into Los Gatos, closer to Santa Cruz. During that time period I rented a room in a couple of houses in the Los Gatos mountains, and I was continuing to see the woman I was in love with, but just as a friend. I was twenty-seven years old, but the kind of tension and awkwardness and fear that I experienced is what you might expect when you are twelve or thirteen. It was that awkwardness of what happens when you're coming into your sense of sexuality.
Berg : So re-doing your whole adolescence.
Santos : Totally! I was drinking a lot, and the woman that I was in love with was too. Being a lesbian at that time' A lot of it had to do with the bar scene. I still wasn't talking to anybody about my sexual feelings for women. But we finally got up the courage to jump into bed together. Then I had to deal with this woman who I had fallen love with, was still in a relationship with a man. And she wouldn't tell him about us. I bought a house in Santa Cruz and she moved in with me. We were living together as a couple and she was still seeing this guy. But it's not like she was identifying herself as being bi. It was like she was straight.
Berg : She was passing.
Santos: She was passing, and it was nuts! The six years that I lived with her were pretty much like that.
Berg : So coming out for you, was not exactly coming out'
Santos : It was not. It was not like, oh here I am. I'm out. Oh no, not at all. It was just more homophobia. Then I developed a lot of guilt. Coming out for me was totally messy! There was a certain amount of relief in finally acknowledging: I'm done sleeping with men. But in terms of self-acceptance, and having an esteemed relationship, it wasn't there.
I had grown up with so much fear about sexuality and about not being straight. It's amazing the power it had over me. This was in the early-1970s. Lesbians were still underground for the most part in the Seventies. There was feminism, which was definitely on the path for me, for really a true coming out'to become a feminist, because I was able to access my sense of power and my voice.
Berg : But there weren't big connections with other lesbians.
Santos : There were some. Most of my friends were lesbians, [but] a lot of them were closeted. They were professional women, and they were closeted. I wasn't out to my family. I didn't come out my parents until I was about forty, so between the time I had my first lesbian relationship at twenty-seven until I was forty years old, I lived a dual life. My life was very compartmentalized.
[Now] I can't think of any circumstance where I wouldn't be out, except where there was a physical danger, like in a community where it was not safe to be out. But there isn't anybody in my life who I protect from the truth anymore, in any aspect of my life. The world is a really different place. People are quite a bit more educated about queer issues.
Berg : I wanted to go back a little bit. How was it when you first came to Santa Cruz? Was there any difference for you in terms of being able to be out because of the way Santa Cruz was at that point? Was it as gay-friendly as it is now? What did it feel like?
Santos : I'm probably not the best person to ask, because I think the restraints that I had were ninety-nine percent self-imposed. In the 1970s there were two local gay bars, women's bars primarily. I never went outside of the bar scene to be out. So I don't know if walking down Pacific Avenue holding my girlfriend's hand in 1972 would have been different than doing it in 2002, because I just didn't do it. I was so closeted, and it's hard for me to sort out how much of my intense need to be in the closet was about my environment, and how much of it was about my own internal landscape. I would guess that if you were to interview other women who were lesbians during the 1970s that their experiences could be really different.
I was on the Title IX commission for Cabrillo College in 1970 after Title IX was first passed, and working to get equal access to athletics for girls at the community college, but I didn't do anything politically around being a lesbian. So in the 1970s and 1980s I was willing to be seen at women's events. [But I was] not so public that people would go, 'Ah! She's a lesbian!' I was just so terrified of coming out, still.
I have had kind of a non-traditional career path. I've been a probation officer, had my own gardening business, and was a tennis and racquetball teacher. Then I got a job at Kmart. I worked there in the fabric department half-time before being hired as the store security manager and the personnel manager. I did that for five years. Then for over fifteen years, I was the personnel director for a nonprofit human services agency in Santa Cruz. That's where I developed most of my human resources skills. And I studied a lot during that time. I tried graduate school a couple of times but I was more of an in-the-world kind of person. I liked doing nonprofit program development, and it fit in with the politicization that happened to me when I was in the Peace Corps, doing grassroots organizing.
Berg : What was that organization?
Santos : It was called Food and Nutrition Services. I think it's called Community Bridges now. It was an umbrella organization that had family services and daycare for children and adults, and lift-line transportation, Para transit, and Meals on Wheels. When I started there I think there were six programs, and when I left there were fifteen. We grew a lot. It was a wonderful experience.
My boss there, the woman who hired me [Karen Rian], was a lesbian, a feminist'she had been a professor here at UCSC'and a really strong mentor. I get all choked up because she died. Unfortunately, about ten years ago she committed suicide. But I had an opportunity in my life to be mentored, not only as a professional and as an activist, but by a feminist and by someone who was a lesbian. It was incredible for me, so'[crying] I miss her a lot.
Berg : So when you met your mentor, did that open things up for you in terms of coming out to yourself?
Santos : Oh! Yes it did. I started working with her in the late-1970s. She politicized me; she really educated me about internalized homophobia. She brought feminism and self-esteem and sexuality all together for me. The other thing is she wrote her dissertation on lesbian sex. She had this great story about when she got her Ph.D. in history of consciousness from UCSC. She sat for her oral exam'she always joked about how sexually repressed the environment was, and someone on her committee actually said to her during the questioning, something about, 'Well, how do you feel, er, in terms of these theories that explain, you know, what goes on, eh, 'down there?'' [laughter] They weren't even able to say the words: lesbian sex, or vagina, or genitalia. They just referred to it as 'down there' and pointed. We used to laugh about that.
Berg : That was at UCSC?
Santos : That was at UCSC. It must've been the early-1970s. She was one of the founding mothers of the women's studies department. She certainly politicized me; she knew a lot about the history of civil and human rights for queer people, and was big on sexuality. She mentored me in those ways. She would give me books to read; we'd would go to events. It was mostly her sharing with me her experiences, what she had learned over the years, and we spent a lot of time talking. She was my best friend. Besides teaching me everything she knew about non-profit administration, she had a fantastic sense of humor and was very funny. I healed a lot in that friendship. I always get emotional when I talk about Karen Rian. She was able to give me a strong sense of unconditional love, while politicizing me. I guess deep down, psychologically, that was the thing that I was afraid of losing, approval, coming from a family where assimilation meant life and death. So her love and respect and loyalty to me were very healing. And she was really, really smart, too smart for her own good sometimes. She was absolutely brilliant. She had a very well-toned mind, very analytical, very insightful, big heart, big emotional body, big intellectual body kind of person. It was after I met Karen and spent some time with her that I was able to come out to my parents. It was with her support that I was able to tell them that I was a lesbian. So in my experience, a single individual relationship can make a huge difference.
Berg : That leads into another thing I wanted to ask you about, spirituality, and your lesbianism, and maybe how that's connected. I could see a connection there in terms of thinking about love, and unconditional love. Like from this person who kind of 'familied' you when you didn't really get that. To me, that seems very spiritual in nature. I wonder how that's carried out for you in terms of your spirituality now, if you feel like you are a spiritual person?
Santos : I've always been a spiritual person. It began for me as a child, and my connection with the natural world. I was raised Catholic, and there were a lot of things about Catholicism that I really liked. Things like the rituals and the colors and the lights'it was all cool. Then I went through a period where I wasn't religious. I'm not really a religious person; I'm a spiritual person. I've never done all that well with organized religion. Karen, as a matter of fact, was an atheist. She had proof that there was no God. That was actually one area where we didn't connect. I remember when she got knocked down with this really bad depression. I had taken training in Reiki'energy healing'and I wanted to give her some energy treatments to see if I could help her brain, and she just thought'
Berg : No way, no faith in that?
Santos : Yes. She was willing to let me do it, but it wasn't in a way that I could connect with her. So spirituality for me often came out of a sense of loneliness rather than any sense of community, and mostly I found it in nature. I always felt that there was some presence that was so phenomenally incredibly loving and clever to have made all of these beautiful and complicated wonders. I've always had a deep respect for living things. Now I am a practicing Buddhist, and Buddhism is really the perfect religion for me. It is much more of a philosophy than a religion. Of course being gay and Buddhist is somewhat controversial. The principles of compassion and much of the Buddhist philosophy rings true for me. I like the tantric practices'the visualizations. Another aspect of my spirituality has been the practice of healing. It's something that I've had experience with since I was a small child. I just seem to have this ability to heal people, whether it's through loving them, or words, or touching them. And animals. I was always surrounded by lots of animals. Animals would always show up at my house, lots of animal stories. If I go backpacking, animals will come. They recognize me all the time, and so I have that connection with other living beings whether they're humans or other forms of life.
Berg : So it was something to you that was less about community and more about being alone, although it does seem like it was about connection to other beings, but maybe just not in like a congregational way.
Santos : Yes, that's where I'm saying spirituality and religion are different. I've always loved to write, and that has been a really wonderful way of connecting with other people as well'exploring with language and through stories the meaning of life. That's been a way of connecting with other women, although I've never been in a writing group that had a focus of spirituality.
Berg : It's there.
Santos : Connecting in spirit with other people. Spending time out-of-doors with other people, other women especially, where the attitude isn't, we're going to conquer'
Berg : So, at this point in your life, do you feel like you've reached a place of feeling whole?
Santos : Oh yes. I feel like my internalized homophobia is very distant. It comes up sometimes. Habituations die really hard. I certainly do get twinges when I'm in certain environments, but I just go, oh, there's that again. It's a nuisance more than a problem. I've healed a lot. And the good thing about being a Buddhist is that at least if I can purify my karma this time around then I'm not going have to do it again next time.
You know it's kind of interesting talking about all this because I realize how parallel lives were going on in this community in the 1970s and early-1980s. When I was doing my underground lesbian thing, other women were' What were other women doing? What were other lesbians doing in this town? I guess I'm going to have to read Out in the Redwoods to find out. I would guess there're a whole lot of different stories. I was so isolated. I think that's the theme of my coming out, that I was really isolated, from the time I was really young, around this issue of sexuality and feeling like I was a lesbian.
Berg : Do you feel like even with your close friends you could go back and understand what it was like? Were they experiencing something similar to you, in terms of feeling isolated? Or were they out in different ways?
Santos : There's one person in my life now who was in my life in the 1970s and 1980s, and the 1960s, and she had to be really closeted too, because of her career, her profession. Not only were there no women in her profession; she was the first woman in her profession, but she was a lesbian. Once in a while I'll have an opportunity; someone from my past, like from my twenties, will show up, and I'll have an opportunity to reconnect with my own history in that way.
Berg : I wanted to ask you about this particular project. What interested you, in terms of being willing to be interviewed and when you first heard about it?
Santos : Well, I come from a family where the oral tradition is what we have. I wanted to support this kind of a project because I think learning about people's lives directly from them in storytelling is a rich way of gathering and archiving history. This is a particular history that's an important one for us to make sure that we capture.
Berg : In terms of becoming involved with the University, you said you had stopped working at Community Bridges. Then, did you come to UCSC after that?
Santos : Not directly. I took maybe a year and a half off, just took a break.
Berg : What brought you to UCSC to work? Did you know other folks who worked here?
Santos : Not really, no. It's kind of interesting. I had lived and worked in this community for a long time, but this place remained a city on the hill. My friend Karen used to be a professor here but left under difficult circumstances. I had minimal connection at the University. I would come up to UCSC for events sometimes. Before coming to work here I was looking at a variety of different employment opportunities. I was thinking about maybe going back to school. A friend of mine who was in my writing group worked at UCSC; she showed me this job description and said that she was going to apply for it. I thought, oh, I should apply for this job too, so I did. But it wasn't like I said, oh I want to work in equal opportunity or affirmative action. I didn't set out looking for that. I have a background that made me suitable for this kind of work, and unless I was going to go back to school and really change paths, I knew I would probably end up doing something that was back in the non-profit world. I did want to get out of non-profit work for a while. I was burned out. It was exciting to think about, wow, I've never worked at a university, and I like the mission of the University.
Berg :: So when you first started to work here, were you thinking, is this a queer-friendly space for me? Or were those considerations there for you?
Santos They were, because I was coming out of a queer-friendly environment. I also knew enough non-discrimination law, and the city and county of Santa Cruz, to know that UCSC was generally going to be a queer-friendly place. My first boss here was straight, but she was queer-friendly. She was a strong ally, and that attitude comes out quickly, in how people use pronouns, and the assumptions that they make or don't make in conversations. I don't think I came out in my interview. I don't think there was an occasion to come out in my interview, but I think I probably would've had there been.
Berg :: Well, you are in the Equal Opportunity Office.
Santos: Yes! I had certain expectations for inclusivity.
Berg :: What is your connection with UCSC in terms of queer issues?
Santos I work in the Equal Employment Opportunity Office. It is illegal to discriminate against employees on this campus because of their sexual orientation, and that's a state, a city, and a University policy. So I come at sexual orientation from the same point of view as I come at religious tolerance and ethnic tolerance, racial tolerance, etc. From 1995 to 1998, I attended the GLBT Campus Concerns Committee. This was prior to the domestic partner benefits being instituted. I was one of the people from that committee who met with the chancellor to present her with information and arguments about why domestic partner benefits needed to be approved by the regents.
Berg :: What was that process like?
Santos I was working on the local campus level with Nancy Stoller, who was working at the system-wide level, and Tchad Sanger. The Campus Concerns Committee had been talking about how we needed to have domestic partner benefits, and how it was coming up for a vote. So we put together a presentation for Chancellor Greenwood which included historical information, national statistics on domestic partner benefits, and information on the climate for GLBT folks on campus.
Berg :: So there was actually a vote coming up; you didn't necessarily have to do with getting that up on the ballot.
Santos No, I was involved with the group of people whose role it was to educate our chancellor so that she could advocate with the requests.
Most of the work that I do is on the individual level. Sometimes I work with groups around issues. I think the first year that Deb [Abbott] was here, I facilitated a retreat for the resource center to get the strategic plan together. Right after Deb Abbott arrived and she was getting the [GLBT] Resource Center started, I extended a lot of support to her and the Center to help get it going. It's been wonderful to see the interest and growth.
Berg :: It has really changed the community in a lot of ways.
Santos It really has. Transformed the campus for GLBT. I don't work with students. That's not a part of my job here. I was thinking a little earlier, when we were talking about mentoring and stuff, maybe my next job I'll have an opportunity to work with younger people.
Berg :: Yes, especially as you reflect on your own youth and think about how valuable that would've probably been, as a teenager having a lesbian mentor. You mentioned a little earlier, that for a long time when you lived in Santa Cruz, you didn't really have a connection to the University.
Santos No, not at all.
Berg :: Do you feel like Santa Cruz is still like that? Do you think there're very separate communities going on?
Santos Well, the University's a lot bigger now than it used to be.
Berg :: Did you feel like there was campus queer stuff, and town queer stuff?
Santos No. But my queer stuff was just my queer stuff. I wouldn't have been a very good barometer. I knew what was going on at the bars, but in terms of'
Berg :: At the bars, did it seem like there was intermingling between folks who lived in town and folk from campus?
Santos Well, I don't remember meeting students at the bar. But you have to be twenty-one to go to a bar, so, unless they were older students... Most of the people who went to the bars were kind of working-class queers. Blue-collar queers.
Berg :: Probably not in-their-twenties kind of queers.
Santos How old was I? I was in my thirties, then. It was before lipstick lesbians and there was still a lot of role-playing. It was changing. It was definitely changing. Certainly not as much role-playing as in the 1950s and 1960s, but I just didn't have an awareness. I was focused on my own thing and my own survival. I couldn't do anything political because I couldn't come out. I was frozen in that place of hiding. I was in the closet.
Berg :: Do you feel like being in Santa Cruz' If you could've imagined yourself being somewhere else?
Santos If I had lived in the city [San Francisco] I would have come out, I think, a lot faster.
Berg :: Really!
Santos Yes.
Berg :: How come?
Santos When I went to college, I made a choice about where I was going go to school. I almost went to San Francisco State. I think if I had gone to SF State my coming out process would've been really different. I would've had role models and community. Santa Cruz in the 1970s was not an urban environment really; it was the provinces. It still is the provinces! I was talking to Gabriel, the man I work with, and he went up to the city over the weekend. He was talking about how great it was (he's a man of color), what it was like for him. He realized how difficult it is to live in community in Santa Cruz.
Berg : And be out on many different levels'you know, racially, culturally, sexually.
Santos : Yes. So I think if I had lived in a more urban area, well, not any urban area, okay, but had I gone to SF State or if I'd been in San Francisco, I think I would have had a lot more opportunities. Part of the reason that I say that is that I used to spend time, when I was in college, in Berkeley and San Francisco. Some of the most kind of daring adventures and experiences I had were in those environments. When I came to Santa Cruz, I got my house in the mountains and I was able to'
Berg :: Just kind of isolate.
Santos Yes, a more insular life.
Berg :: That's interesting.
Santos Yes, I hadn't thought about that in that way. It definitely would've been different. There is a way in which Santa Cruz is a tolerant' It's a white, liberal community'what can I say? There's always that one level, where you know, hey we're cool, and we accept everything.
Berg :: Like civility.
Santos : Yes. Like good manners, but there are sins of omission. It's often not so much what's done, but what we don't do in this community that leaves people kind of cold. Plus you know, the economic situation here is ridiculous. Housing and' In order to live here'
Berg :: Yes, really it's wild. Is that connected to the University?
Santos No, I think it's more connected to Silicon Valley.
Berg :: It's not really related to the demand for student housing?
Santos I think the demand for student housing is another pressure point for that. But in terms of the cost of housing, cost is always driven up by supply and demand, that ratio, but if Silicon Valley wasn't right over the hill, I wonder what it would be like.
Berg :: Well, it's totally interesting to me that you look back and think, if I was at SF State instead of living in Santa Cruz that I would have' I look at Santa Cruz now, and it seems like there's a pretty lively queer culture here, especially in contrast to some of the other small towns I've lived in. It really is very provincial, and very small, but in spite of that I think there're big connections for queer people here. So it's interesting that I guess maybe not so long ago that wasn't really'
Santos Well, we're talking thirty years ago, at least. There was no Triangle Speakers.
Berg :: There were no rainbow flags out on Pacific [Avenue]. I've totally enjoyed listening to your stories. It's been really educational too, the way that you were talking about how isolated you were coming out.
Santos It's history! [laughter]
Berg : Yes, but it also inspires me because in my work with youth and with community, I know just how important it is to really struggle to make connections, even when maybe it doesn't even seem like it's making a difference. And to really make noise and be visible.


text:
The leak of what looks like an impressive, high-concept version of a Chromebook to the Internet at large has generated a lot of buzz, but there's plenty of debate over almost every aspect of it, including whether it's real or not.
The video, which was leaked Wednesday in a Google Plus post -- by hackers, according to its producer -- showcases the Chromebook Pixel and claims it is a product of Google's own in-house design. The Pixel, ostensibly, features a touch-sensitive screen with a resolution of 2560x1700.
The possibilities are interesting, to be sure -- but Computerworld blogger JR Raphael points out that there's a great deal about the leak that casts doubt on its veracity.
For one thing, Raphael says, it seems unlikely that marketing firm Slinky.me -- the ostensible source of the video -- would be hired by Google, given that its website is full of broken English.
Additionally, he notes, CEO Victor Koch appears to have behaved rather strangely in the wake of the incident -- seemingly going out of his way to publicize it.
If the video is real, though, this would be a technical coup for Google, and one that would be certain to make a big splash in the laptop market. However, there are a number of reasons the concept could easily stay on the drawing board.
[ MORE GOOGLE: Another new release date for Galaxy S 4, but is Samsung battening down the hatches? ]
IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell tells Network World that very few consumers have bought a Chromebook at all, and that making a high-end variant could prove counterproductive.
"The people who bought it, bought it as a cheap notebook. High-resolution touch is not going to be cheap," says O'Donnell. "While [the Pixel] is interesting technologically, from a real market-acceptance perspective ... I think it would be a very tough sell."
Forrester analyst Frank Gillett says that Google attempting to take the Chromebook concept up-market isn't the most far-fetched idea out there. Essentially, what a hypothetical Pixel would do -- and what Microsoft's Surface tablet has already done -- is test the waters on a more Apple-like business model, where the company is more closely involved in the hardware end of the product.
"These rumors -- if they're true, we don't know -- they're a sign that Google is ... thinking about the role they want to play in PCs and not just mobile devices -- whether Chrome OS stays as sort of an interesting little aberration, or whether it turns into something pretty interesting," he says.
Despite its questionable provenance, the video has nonetheless provoked widespread speculation about Google's future hardware plans, and what role the Chromebook is to play in them.
Email Jon Gold at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.


text:
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text:
Palani is a town in Tamil Nadu India.
Get in
By plane
The nearest air port is in Coimbatore. Coimbatore has has regular flights from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Sharjah. Air Sahara, Indian Airlines, Air Deccan and Jet Airways operate flights out of Coimbatore Airport.
Palani is approximately 100 kilometers from the Coimbatore. Mode of transport from the Coimbatore to the Palani includes taxi, bus and train.
By train
Train to Palani are available from Coimbatore, Pallakadu and Madurai. You can take a connection train from Dindugul, Coimbatore and Madurai.
By bus
The state transport corporation and a lot of private bus operators ply bus from Palani to major cities in Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tuticorin etc) and also to the neighboring Kerala(Palakkadu, Kochin).
Get around
Getting around Palani is easy. There are public transport buses, auto rickshaws and taxis available in plenty.
Auto rickshaws are not advised as they charge whatever they feel like, if they find that you are an outsider. Always its better to ask your Hotel pupil to arrange for transportation.
There are lot of places to see around Palani. In the town, Murugan Hill temple is one of the interesting and religious place.
Murugan Temple - you have to take 670 steps to see the temple. Palani Hills has Haulage Winch[1] (a small rope train) and Rope Car to goto the temple on the top of the Hill. From the Murugan Hill top, we can have nice view of entire Palani and the agricultural places around it.
Varathamanathi Dam A picnic spot, Children can amuse themselves. It is on the way to Thekkan thottam and about 7km from Palani. you can reach there by city buses and Kodaikanel buses.
Kuthiraiyar Dam Falls - located near Pappampatti, Palani. It has a water falls at the back of the dam. Once you reach the dam, one can find the way to go to falls with the help of the local villagers. There is a small trekking route available to reach the Kumbai which is about 1 Km from the falls.
Thekkan thottam - another small water falls near the Palani. Water from this place is taken into Palani through pipes and stored in Palani Hill Water Tank named as Water dam, which then distributed to Palani after filtration. To reach this water falls, you have to take bus from Palani and get down at Thekkan thottam .A forest department check post is there. From the village you have to walk 3 to 4 KMS to reach the falls. The places on the are beautiful and pleasant. On the way you can find a small dam. after that the path becomes difficult. Actually there is no pathway after this point. you have to climb small rocks and find your own way. you can find many small water falls of about 6 to 7 feet height. The mountain on the two sites of the path looks really good and dense. There is no way of getting lost in the forest, as you can always find your way back by following the water ways.
Warning - during summer times, elephant groups will be seen around this place. Forest guard warns you if any elephant groups are in this area. its always better not to enter into the forest during this period time.
Kodaikanal - another beautiful hill station near Palani. its about 32 km from Palani.
Temples Around Palani
ATMs from ICICI Bank, SBI Bank, KVB and Canara Bank are available within the town.
You can buy panchamirtham, vibhuti, medals of Muruga, toys, handicrafts, pictures of the Lord, publications of the Devasthânam. You can bargain for the prices.
Industries: textile mills, manufacture of panchamirtham, production of vibhuti (sacred ash), making of steel furniture at Govt. pressed metal factory, manufacture of fruit juices and of stone grinders.
Schools: Palani has a number of tamil and english medium schools. Arulmigu Palaniandavar Matriculation School(APMS) is one of the oldest English medium school in Palani.
Colleges: Palani has 2 arts college and one engineering college in the town. The arts colleges are run by the Devasthanam (Palani Hill Temple Board).
Polytechnic: Devasthanam (Palani Hill Temple Board) also runs a polytechnic(Arulmigu Palaniandavar Polytechnic).
A lot of South Indian restaurants (Vegetarian and Non-Veg) are available in Palani town. Few restaurants serve chinese and North Indian foods too.
Palani is famous for its Panchamirtam, which is made of five fruits. Its one of the unique sweets which you cannot see or taste any where else in the world.
All soft drinks are available in almost all small shops near Temple and in the town. Fresh fruit juices are also available in the fruit shops around the temple and near bus stand.
the temple provides ample accomdation to its visitors so we can always book accomdation to sleep it also provides ac rooms to non ac beds
Hospitals: - Palani has lot of hospitals which operators for 24 Hours including the Govertment Hospitals.
Important Phone Numbers:
Get out


text:
Will Syria require a surge to finish the job? We won't know until we know.
We don't know now.
Americans are war weary.
Who can blame us?
We have seen too many young men and women hurt and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have spent far too much money. War helps cash flow in the national economy by providing work for soldiers and others who labor under the framework Military Industrial Complex. But spending a few billion dollars a day is rough on budget deficits and the national debt and we are feeling that pain.
So you can understand why no one really wants to get involved in Syria. Action there promises to be more of the same – another costly, risky intervention in a country full of Muslims who understandably feel targeted by America.
But there are more than 100,000 dead in the Syrian Civil War and now the country's leader, Bashar al-Assad, has been accused of using chemical weapons on his own people. That has never been tolerated before.
But polls show little interest in intervening. That makes the decision to attack politically difficult. But is political maneuvering really a great way to make policy on national defense?
Politicians make war but war and politics are awful bedfellows.
President Barack Obama is making the case for an attack. But despite broad support at the top of the political spectrum, both parties are divided at the ground level.
House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Eric Cantor, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are all in favor of taking action, but that is no guarantee of success in the action or even getting the issue approved in the House of Representatives.
Secretary of State John Kerry took a beating in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday.
There are many good reasons not to start another war, but the only arguments made against taking action sound like 2016 presidential campaign ads.
Sarah Palin says we should "let Allah sort it out."
Senators like Ted Cruz (Sarah Palin in a tie) and Rand Paul (a younger version of Ron Paul with better hair), who both have Presidential aspirations, have consistently been against action in Syria.
Senator Marco Rubio, another potential 2016 contender, has pushed for action in Syria for a couple of years as the atrocities have mounted, but now that he finds himself on the same side of the argument as Obama, he has changed his mind. He says America is "leading from behind."
"What we're seeing here now is proof and an example of when America ignores these problems, these problems don't ignore us," he said. "We can ignore them, but eventually they grow and they come to visit us at our doorstep."
So the problem is worse now, but Rubio suddenly thinks action in Syria is a bad idea? That only makes sense in a political framework.
If military action in Syria is approved by Congress, many Americans worry that air support will soon lead to ground troops and occupation. Kerry faced the question and stumbled around about "closing doors" and "no boots on the ground," but we all know that predicting the future isn't as easy as some would like to believe.
We have a game plan that we are almost certain will work.
But to quote boxing legend Mike Tyson, "Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth."
Remember our last war in Iraq? It was going to be clean and easy and the mission was accomplished as of 2003. But four years later, the accomplished mission was still giving us fits.
That's when we needed a surge to finish the job.
Will Syria require a surge to finish the job? We won't know until we know.
We don't know now.
But if Congress approves this action it better be with both eyes open. This is no time to wink and hope.
If you are willing to fly over and drop bombs, you better be willing to do whatever else it takes to finish the action that you start.
Kent Bush is the publisher of the Augusta Gazette, the El Dorado Times, and the Andover American newspapers. He can be contacted at: email@example.com


text: I-80 Planting Tour: Small Window to Plant in Northern Indiana May 1, 2013 04:42 AM Tweet The weather finally warmed up enough for Indiana farmer Jason Wykoff to start spraying, but rain in the forecast might limit his planting progress. TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Tyne Morgan US Farm Report Host Email "AgDay" is more than half way done with the 2013 I-80 Planting Tour, and we've yet to see planting take place. In northern Indiana, where temperatures are in the 80s this week, area farmers may get a small window to plant. But with rain in the forecast the rest of the week, it looks like progress could be limited. Jason Wykoff farms around New Carlisle and Granger, Ind. He says it's been a frustrating year, especially considering the record planting pace in 2012. "Last year we had most of our commercial corn planted in April. We started about the 15th of April, and this year we haven't really done anything," he says. With puddles lining these Indiana fields, it's quickly turned into the waiting game for Wykoff. "I think most farmers would prefer a little bit drier spring and a more moist July and August," he says. In just a matter of months, the drought situation has dramatically changed. In August 2012, the state was still covered in some level of drought. Currently, the Drought Monitor shows Indiana is in the clear. Wykoff says the soil moisture has finally been replenished. "Things are pretty wet," he says. "We're digging some holes for pipe and there's a lot of moisture in the ground." This seems to be the case for all of Indiana. The latest USDA Crop Progress report shows only 1% of the state's corn crop has been planted. That's 66 percentage points behind last year's record planting pace, and 29 percentage points off of average. See an interactive map of planting progress. "One thing we talk about in our organization is to try not to rush things or hit a five-run homerun in any one day," Wykoff says. "There's only so much we can do in one day. So, we try to be patient and do that right, because we have to live with that decision for the rest of the season." Wykoff says about 80% of his business is growing seed corn, which is also behind in planting this year. "We were hoping, and our production manager was hoping, to be planted towards the end of April, just to get some fields going," he says. As pivot irrigation sales soar higher this year, it's creating issues for farmers, like Wykoff, to even get in some of his fields. Acres are still out of commission, as he waits for workers to finish installing the last of his new pivots. "A lot of irrigation has gone in this year; we've put in a few," he says. "Those guys are in the same situation. They've had difficulty getting in and getting pipe in the ground. We're still waiting on several of those to be finished." With all the delays, Wykoff has switched up his chemistry plan to get a faster response. "We were hoping to be spraying earlier in April and that just hasn't happened," says Wykoff. "So we've gone with some chemistry that has a little bit quicker mode of action of turning that brown." The sprayer is finally rolling on one of the few sunny, warm days this spring. As the puddles quickly disappear, being able to plant this week is looking promising. Rain, however, is in the forecast the next few days, which will limit the amount of time Wykoff has to plant. While he hopes Mother Nature gives him a bigger window to get his entire crop planted this year, continuous moisture throughout the growing season will help prevent a repeat of last year. "I always say we're about a week away from a drought in most of our soils," Wykoff says. "We need constant rain on these types of soils to have good yields." Back to news


text:
What you see here is Spike Lee interviewing Reggie Jackson in the right field upper deck of old Yankee Stadium. That's Val Kilmer there in the foreground, too, for some reason. I took this picture a few hours before the final game played at the old Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008. It was a weird scene.
That day, Yankee Stadium opened up earlier than usual so that people could walk around the old ballpark one last time; you could even go on the field if you got there early enough. We did not get there early enough, so we killed some time and then headed to our seats which were about seven rows from the top of the stadium. In fair territory. The seats were largely empty still, but soon we saw a large entourage with a whole shitload of cameras, cops and security folks following and they were all coming right up to our section, maybe 10 rows down. We first realized it was Spike Lee because he was wearing his self-designed Yankee hat with all the pennants on it. And the glasses, always with the glasses. Then it was "holy shit, that's Reggie Jackson" and "is that...is that Val Kilmer?"
It was Val Kilmer and, weirdly, he was the only one I spoke to. After I shook Reggie Jackson's hand without saying anything—I kind of don't like Reggie Jackson but, I mean, Mr. October, I was speechless—I told Val he was awesome in Tombstone because he was awesome in Tombstone.
A large crowd had gathered obviously and my initial thought was that Spike was taking Reggie to spots where they had estimated his three home runs on three swings in the 1977 World Series landed and interviewing him in each, but none of the three landed up where we were. Maybe this was the spot of his longest home run ever at Yankee Stadium. Whatever the case, they were on the move to shoot in other spots around the stadium. I assumed this was going to be part of some kind of documentary, but I have never been able to figure out if it was ever made. I'm beginning to think Spike Lee just has better home videos than the rest of us.
So, there you have some context for the best picture I've ever taken at a sporting event. I encourage you to add yours in the comments.