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somehow, I think that despite the many charms of numbered lectures, it's not likely to win over any fanatics. And be sure to be careful diabetes wise.
Posts: 3493 | Registered: Jul 2001
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(((((((tatiana))))))) Ok, I trust your judgment and support you, and am sure what you are doing is right for you. And I know you don't want people to worry about you in Iraq, but I worry about you now, so I'll still worry about you when you are in Iraq. Good luck.
P.S. I'm not the only one here who wants to meet you, so you better come back alright to see the wise teacher himself.
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Anne Kate, you know that I support you in this. What did you ever figure out in terms of securing a supply of...hm...what was that drink that you needed to have? Ensure or something?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Noemon, I actually have managed to get off that particular drink (High Protein Ensure) by carefully managing my carb intake. Right now I eat just eggs for breakfast, and have low carb shakes for lunch and snack, then get a supper that includes some carb as well, so long as I carefully control the amount of carb I eat.
Right now I am eating about 60 gms a night. When I go I plan to just be careful to eat only eggs, cheese, or meat and non-starchy vegetables for breakfast and lunch, then I can add a small amount of carb at supper. I vary the amount based on my fasting blood sugars each morning, decreasing by 10 gm any time my fasting sugar is over 120. It seems to be working well to keep me in control with no drugs or insulin. We'll see how it works over there.
As for drugs, I plan to take a year's supply with me. If the insurance company won't pay their part that far in advance, I'm going to hit up Dr. Joey and Dr. Bob for samples before I go. Joey is one of the five supporters. He goes to Central America on his vacations to treat villagers, and is all involved in fighting slavery in Thailand with his church and stuff, so when I told him he just said "Oh, that's great!". I figure he will play.
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Great that you've freed yourself from dependence on Ensure! Accomplishing the same thing with normal food means that you can be much more flexible.
When you say that he's fighting slavery in Thailand, are you talking about the sex trade, or something else entirely? What kinds of things does he do to fight it?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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His church is all involved in it. Yes, they are mostly young girls sold by their parents into sex slavery, but some are agriculture workers. I believe when we spoke about it they were buying slaves and freeing them, providing counseling, job training, medical care, and other services to them. I don't remember if they were bringing them to the U.S. to live afterwards or not.
Freeing slaves is not as easy as saying, "you're free", unfortunately. Slavery is extremely damaging to people's core selves. They need lots of healing to have a chance to overcome that. Of course many of them have severe health issues as well from being brutalized. Many are HIV positive. It is a sorry situation, and would not go on without governments turning a blind eye at best or at worst actually helping. I'm so glad Joey and his church are working on it.
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Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes. Hatrack is my family!
<<<<<<<Anna>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Grisha>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Noah>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Bernard>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Hobbes>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Annie>>>>>>> <<<<<<<tt&t>>>>>>> <<<<<<<zotto!>>>>>>> <<<<<<<EG>>>>>>> <<<<<<<eslaine and all my acolytes>>>>>>> <<<<<<<pooka>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Noemon>>>>>>> <<<<<<<kat>>>>>>> <<<<<<<mac>>>>>>> <<<<<<<AJ>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Whitehorse>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Raia>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Telpy>>>>>>> <<<<<<<imogen>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Sister Yozhik>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Jeff>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Irami>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Kasie>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Shan>>>>>>> <<<<<<<beverly>>>>>>> <<<<<<<rivka>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Dagonee>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Space Opera>>>>>>> <<<<<<<Karl Ed>>>>>>> Look after the Slashy in his enrage-hangover. <<<<<<<punwit>>>>> Keep the puns coming. <<<<<<<Synesthesia>>>>>>> Take care of your friend. <<<<<<<Eduardo Sauron>>>>>>> Let us know what you hear about Jo. <<<<<<<Farmgirl>>>>>>> Hope your father's murderer's parole board does the right thing. <<<<<<<TM, HRE, Derrell, rubble, and all the newbies>>>>>>> Thanks for the info, TM. Here's hoping I never need it. <<<<<<<Tom, JNSB, Storm Saxon, fallow and other naysayers>>>>>>> I hear you and appreciate your concern.
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Sorry I haven't been on IM to chat with you. I ended up in the ER last night with my neighbor (Betty of Teddy Bear fame) because her cat bit her, and the bite was swelling pretty bad.
I've had a bunch of questions, but no time to ask you and since they are general questions I figured I'd post them here.
So do you actually have a solid job prospect over there now? Is there a timeline for you going now? Like how long before our Anne Kate isn't on hatrack anymore? I applaud you going, but I'll miss you.
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AJ just asked all the questions I would have...I won't repeat them, but I'd like to know too. I'll miss you. I've been trying to catch you on AIM but you never seem to be there when I'm awake any more. We've had some nice discussions lately.
Please try to be safe!
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I'm contacting all the companies who have contracts in areas in which I can contribute, and they are showing interest and calling me back. There's nothing definite as yet, but it's looking very positive.
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AJ, take good care of your neighbor. Whenever my cats bite or scratch me (which they will do sometimes if I'm are having to give them medicine, or if we're playing, and I don't heed their warnings) I always wash it well and put on antibiotic ointment. Their mouths and claws are not always exactly sterile. I hope Betty's bite gets better. {edit: that sounds almost like a nursery rhyme... Betty's bite was better when she put on butter...)
I'm expecting to still be online over there, so will still be posting to hatrack. This is not a farewell-to-hatrack thread, I sincerely hope. I may be on at odd times of day for folks on this side of the world, so may not be on AIM when you are, AJ and Mabus. But I will email people who write me, and may even post events that I think people might be interested in. It seems like hatrack needs some firsthand accounts of what's going on over there. I wish Paul and whoever else has been would tell us more, too.
[ July 29, 2004, 02:20 PM: Message edited by: ak ]
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Anne Kate, I fully support your desire to help out in Iraq; I think you're doing a wonderful thing.
I'm just glad you're out there doing something! I wish I was principled enough to be out there doing something.
Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sep 2003
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ak, your bravery and compassion bring me to my knees.
You know in your heart that we would overwhelmingly support your decision to go, but the fear of what could happen to you is what makes some of us afraid for your safety. Others may scoff at the whimsical idea of going to a country with so many billions of dollars being thrown at it, wondering what you would accomplish. I think none of these things. I too am just scared for you and your well being. I would hate for you to be an intentional or unintentional casualty, or for some lunatic to use a good person like you as an example in some terrorist plot.
A close friend of mine is already over there, and I supported him wholeheartedly. Just know, ak, that if you go, you will me sorely missed by me, mucho.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Wow, thanks, guys! I hope I can accomplish something worthwhile. But whether I manage or not at least I'll know I've tried. Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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quote:I believe when we spoke about it they were buying slaves and freeing them, providing counseling, job training, medical care, and other services to them.
The problem with that, though, is that while it helps the individual who has been enslaved, it actually helps to perpetuate the system of slavery itself, since it fuels the demand for slaves. I wish I had a better solution, but I don't. Short of using a combination of government sponsored force and education to change the culture in such a way that slavery is viewed as anathema by most and too dangerous to engage in by the rest, which is much easier said than done, of course.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I've heard that argument, though I know what I would prefer if I were enslaved. I would want to be freed. It seems like every good thing you try to do can have some potential bad consequences. I feel in this case that the good far outweighs the bad.
For one thing, the presence of a large population of successful, freed slaves in a country is going to make inevitable political reform that will end the governmental tolerance for slavery. Another good effect comes simply from the slaves being treated as human beings by the outsiders. It gives a chance to the slaveholders and slavetraders of seeing their mistake and correcting it.
Having grown up in a culture with a population of oppressed workers (African Americans in the U.S. in the 60s pre-civil-rights era) I can see that it's likely that many slaveholders are simply ignorant of the basic humanity of their slaves. Just as many white people here truly felt blacks were different, that they weren't capable of higher mental functions, and so were unsuited for education or for nonmenial tasks. (Now of course there is a component of willful ignorance, as well, because if you admit you may be wrong, then you have been committing a terrible injustice all along, and you have to change, and all that is hard for people to accept.) By coming in nonviolently from the outside and showing with actions that you acknowledge the humanity of the enslaved, you do point out their mistake in a nonhostile way.
However, political reforms are being called for at the same time. So that avenue is not being neglected. The problem is that without the use of any sort of force, there's little motivation for reform in those governments. In the meantime, what do you do about the 12 year old girl who is being sold to up to 40 men per night?
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Oh, yeah, I agree Anne Kate, if someone had enslaved me, and it was in someone else's power to free me, I'd want to be freed, regardless of whether it advanced a larger cause or not. And in all truth, if I were to find myself in a situation where I could free an individual just by spending some money, I don't think I could do anything else. For that individual it would be enormously helpful, no question about it. I just don't think it does anything to solve the larger problem. If they're going at it from a governmental reform angle as well, though, that's even better, since they're attacking the problem from both ends.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Anne Kate, My best hopes, wishes and prayers go with you. I understand and support all your reasons for going to Iraq, but at the same time I am worried for you. I am not worried that you will be killed, wounded or even tortured because I know that you are willing to take those risks and consider it worth it. I am worried that you will end up working with and for War profiteers whos will exploit your idealism and love to line their own pockets. Be careful Anne Kate.
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hats off to you ak. lol
