Legalectric

Here’s my new buddy, Kri, who’s staying at the Humane Society of Goodhue County. She’s looking for a new home.

Kri’s seven years old, a spunky girl who loves to run, and chase and chew squeeky toys and tennis balls, peppy but not hyperactive. She’s not a Ph.D. in obediance, but she knows sit, down, comes when called, drops toys to be thrown, and walks nicely on a leash after she’s been run a bit. Doggie school would be a good way to bond with her. I’ve started using a reward method that worked so well with Kenya and we went through three hot dogs and she’s a good learner. She’s the same age as Ken, but thicker, a “big-boned” girl, she’d had pups recently and probably weighs in at around 80 pounds.

Come on over to Red Wing and meet Kri! She’s $75 plus a $50 deposit until she’s spayed. Here’s her Petfinder link.

Humane Society of Goodhue County
1213 Brick Avenue
Red Wing, MN 55066

(651) 388-5286

Here she is, doing that shepherd camera shy thing:

The Humane Society of Goodhue County has other dogs and cats too. Here they are. And they really need a dryer — can you help?

Just in from Maria across the pond:

View from the Mountain Hostel

Amsterdam Zoo View image

Arc de Triumph View image

Inside the Arc View image

Dam Square, Amsterdam View image

Gimmelwald View image

Paris from the Seine River View image

Paris Metro Station View image

PIC, Red Light District View image

Riding the Rails View image

The Eiffel Tower View image

Welcome to Paris View image

Wind Power in France

Maria says “more to follow!”

Hi Everyone,

We made it to Berlin! This particular travel day was really LONG: We left Gimmelwold. Switzerland at 8am and didn’ get to our destination until 12:30am! We again rode the gondola down the mountain, hopped on a bus to Lauderbrunnen, caught the local train to Interlachen, and got on the regular train to Basel, Switzerland. By then it was noon.

We had a nice layover of two hours there and found a wonderful grocery store in the train station that helped us stock up for our next and final leg of the journey. We stepped on board the train to Berlin at 14:11 and arrived in Berlin at 21:21. All was well until we got off and discovered our escort was nowhere to be found. This was a big disappointment. We were tired and didn’t want to go in to high gear to figure out how to get to the conference site.

Then this wonderful thing happened. This very gruff, very stern, very German frau who worked in the subway came to our rescue. We had been standing in front of the ticket machine trying to figure out how to make it spit out 12 tickets, to where we still were not sure, and were beginning to argue with eachother over why none of our effórts was fruitful. With limitted English and the use of my rather simplistic map, she figured out what was needed and walked us through the buying or tickets, mapping out our route (two subways and a train) and even accompanied on the first subway, ensuring that we got off at the right stop.

Then the next wonderful thing happened. On the last train, we discovered someone who had been sent out to accompany incoming IDEC participants. He was able to lead us from the train station to the tent site (a 30 min. walk through what looked like a maze of dark, narrow streets and walkways). We were all very greatful to put down our bags and fall in to bed.

Our accomodations are rather comical: Big 12×12 circus tents in a big circle, housing about 200 people. Toilets and sinks are a 2 1/2 minute walk from the tents in one direction (I timed it!) and the showers are a 5 minute walk in another direction – the portable type. All of this is set up in a park about the size of Como Park and in the midst of activity somewhat like Como park as well.

And then there is the conference. It is fantastic. All these people from all around the world, who love to think deeply about education and the politics of children. All these kids who love to learn in the most organic and concrete ways, by having fun and being themselves, by discovery and with delight. In this very makeshift setting, we are coming together to share thoughts, ideas, experiences, and hopes for a world that will include all of the problems and all of the solutions. This is a very exciting place to be.

There is a sign-up sheet for a visit to a concentration camp, and one for a visit to the Berlin wall. Peter and Tarin went on a group tour of the Berlin nightlife last night. Our new home has a small swimming lake and beautiful flower gardens.

We are being fed by a catering company, fabulous vegetarian meals and an afternoon snack of cake and coffee. We are sleeping well on our little camping cots. We arranged ourselves in two tents: 9 students wall to wall in one, 3 teachers spaciously placed in the other. We are all adjusted to this next new temporary home. It is our last European stopping place and we are making the most of every minute, as we have each day of our travels. We will be home soon, and we will be both sorry to leave and happy to resume our lives with you all.

Maria

More from Maria today – I guess she’s got to go across the ocean to get used to email!

Hi everybody,

Here we are in Switzerland, and it’s awsome beauty I can not discribe. Outside our hostel we see a high horizon of snow-covered peaks that change with the sun’s light as the day goes by. The peaks turn pink at dusk. We arrrived yesterday by the most interesting travel modes yet.

We got on the subway in Paris at 6:30 am, found our reserved seats on the train (after tramping through 6 cars in one long sleepy line). We transfered in Basel, Switzerland, to Interlachen. The lake in Interlachen dazzled us all with it’s clear, blue-green color as we passed by it at a slow “city train” pace. We then headed for the money exchange point of our choice (several different requirements within our group) and hopped on the small local train that splits in the middle halfway to Lauterbrunnen, our destination. Savy travelers that we are, we were on the correct section. Next we shopped for groceries at the Swiss Co-op (grocery store), stocking up for the next day or so.

Soon a bus came by to take us to Schtekelberg, and we stepped off the bus to pile in to a Funnicular (giant gondola) which floated high above the valley to the lovely town of Gimmelwold where we finally entered our destination, the Mountain Hostel.

Today various groups hiked the valley, a trail to the underground glacier, and to the neighboring town of Murren. All the hikes were awsome and exhausting and we felt exhilerated to have met the challenge of the slopes that are NEVER level.

Tomorrow will be a trip to the waterfall under the mountain, along a trail that takes us under Mt. Schilthorn, which we are sitting atop as I write.

Everyone is getting along great, holding up fabulously to the rather demanding travel schedule, and making the most of their time here on this wonderful continent. We can’t wait to tell you about our accommodations here — most unusual, most interesting…

More later when we have arrived at the conference in Berlin.

Maria

Funicular:

Singing all the way… “funiculi, funicular, faniculiiiii, funiclu-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar, funiculiiiii, funicular… my knapsack on my back…”

Last night, as part of my presentation at the Edina Library, entitled Nuclear 70’s, I laid out the similarities of our energy situation now and in the late 60’s and early 70’s, when we overbuilt power plants using overinflated projections, utilities seeking to unjustly reap the benefits of construction of infrastructure that is not needed. Here’s another “back to the 70’s” delusional leadership and policy nightmare:

Editorial: FBI snooping/Echoes of Nixonian abuses

Examples of these acts against citizens are why we need to expose and stop governmental abuses — we need extreme sanctions of those using law “enforcement” to harass people who are exercising their rights or just trying to live their lives. We need to quash this repressive culture of fear. I strongly disagree with Colleen Rowley, who in a speech in Wabasha, said that she thinks that there are sufficient safeguards, for example inability of the government to use evidence gathered illegally. Mere inability to use illegally gathered evidence does nothing for citizens who have experienced this intrusion in their lives — it does nothing for those where they are under investigation and where there is nothing uncovered, where investigations leading to nothing continue on indefinately in search of “something,” where employers, neighbors, friends and relatives are interviewed, personal information uncovered. How does a person restore their sense of safety and their reputation? We have to stop these governmental abuses, not pat ourselves on the back, thinking “it’s not too bad, it doesn’t hurt much.” It’s inexcusable, it destroys our freedoms and our nation, it’s much worse than we admit. Turn off that TV and wake up!