tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42196554226109119972023-11-15T23:12:17.418-08:00Centralia ChroniclesTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-67216371789388841222020-01-06T22:20:00.001-08:002020-01-07T17:02:07.470-08:00Pro-European on stolen landDuring the Brexit process, I've chosen my side. I'm proudly pro-European and global, and in that context it means to be supportive of the (more) open borders and multiculturalism.<div><br></div><div>On this side of the Atlantic, it gets more complicated. Here, on land systematically stolen by Europeans from Natives, being proud to be European implies some sense of chauvenism which has more in common with the nationalism which embodies the pro-Brexit movement than pro-EU pluralism. It hurts and it challenges me and reminds me every day to prioritize Native rights here as much as I can but I believe that I can still be a global, European citizen and respect Natives. The blunt truth is I have little power right now to enforce either of those abilities anyway but we try to play our part. </div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-66268021625578258952017-12-30T09:41:00.001-08:002019-06-20T14:19:32.511-07:00#FBPE<p dir="ltr">"Identity politics" has become a buzzword for regressives. It probably won't shock you that I don't care about that. However, the impermanence of everything is a fact and energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed so all that is left is identity.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I am European to my roots. It is the hill I will metaphorically die on, surrounded by Brexit and America First - and acknowledging that I am, and always will be, a voluntary romantic migrant on stolen land (predominantly the Anishinaabe and Lakota peoples).</p>
<p dir="ltr">I usually say I'm proudly European. I don't know if that's the right word. There's no point being proud of a geographical accident but identities are also a bundle of experiences.</p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-42019066283416384112017-09-02T20:58:00.001-07:002017-09-02T20:58:40.736-07:00So about insurance...<p dir="ltr"><u>I</u> just want to rant about the clusterfuck that is the US health insurance "system". Said system bars newly arrived immigrants who are contributing fully through payroll or self employment taxes from claiming the same insurance state coverage that a citizen working fewer hours (and thus paying less into the system) can get. Then after the immigrant has worked long enough to qualify for employer backed insurance, that plan makes it so expensive to afford the regular meds that allow them to function in society that it is actually a better financial decision to work FEWER hours so the employer's insurer seems the immigrant not to qualify and we circle back to the State offering its good, but subpar, insurance to the immigrant. If they arrived because they married a <u>citizen</u>, their Green Card will expire at about the same as this insurers Russian roulette. If you're wondering, the path to citizenship can only begin a year after this date, eventually allowing the immigrant entrance into the hallowed masses of hyphenated Americans and in states like Minnesota, access to something approaching comprehensive health insurance regardless of what Congress and the current President do to the existing federal health insurance structure.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Unless I'm missing something, tax is money given to government to govern. In the US that includes the right to elect everyone all the way down to school board members. Except that immigrants are taxes AS IF they had access to those levers, DESPITE them not being allowed to vote. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Taxation without representation is tyrrany.<br>
Penalising people who want to work MORE and contribute MORE to the economy, WITHOUT those levers doesn't make any sense. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Especially, but not only, if health problems have not developed as a result of the person's actions, but rather of deep rooted societal inequities. So go ahead, take health care from tax paying women, people of color, immigrants and disabled people (and the intersections of those and other disadvantaged groups) but don't expect your god-given Capitalist paradise to benefit from such a move and don't expect people being shat upon to stand outside in the shit shower without a response.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Peace and love,</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tim</p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-30313672625212407942017-07-21T23:34:00.002-07:002017-07-22T00:34:51.767-07:00Symbols and identity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A lot has changed since I have become a Lawful Permanent Resident in the US.</div>
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The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union</div>
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The United States of America voted to elect Donald Trump as its 45th president.</div>
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One of the largest arenas in Europe, on top of one of the busiest train stations in my Dad's home city of Manchester was bombed, resulting in the murders of a number of people.</div>
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Which brings me to symbols. </div>
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The biographies and ID lines of my social media accounts are largely a reflection of limits but they all (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) show symbols that reflect on those events and things that I wish to self-identify as</div>
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I am proud of everything reflected in my bios. </div>
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I'm gonna start with Twitter because it is still structured around word limits which reflect largely on its roots in the era of SMS text messages. My ID on Twitter and Instagram is mhdtim. It reflects my proud residence of this city of Moorhead and this state of Minnesota. As I commented the other day, this is actually something beyond the control of government or law enforcement of city or state. Immigration, even for someone travelling to live with his wife, is handled by the federal Departments of <u>State</u> and Homeland Security.</div>
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Next to my name on Twitter are currently a mic and a radio. This is largely wishful thinking as I have not had any <a href="https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/">spoons</a> for <a href="http://kpppfm.com/technical-difficulties/">Technical Difficulties</a> on 88.1 FM <a href="http://kpppfm.com/">KPPP-LP</a>, the public voice of the beautiful, steely <a href="http://www.thepeoplespressproject.org/">People's Press Project</a>. Thanks to the owners, Cindy and Duke for their endless understanding on this matter. I hope to be back on air with a show about (and with) the <a href="http://www.adapt.org/">ADAPT</a> protestors.</div>
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My biography then says this:<br></div>
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#pacifistnotpassive - a slogan from my proud membership of the <a href="http://www.ppu.org.uk/">Peace Pledge Union</a>, as a pacifist.<br></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyDSEpMYPdFVgTRWYeB1_KVNhHOjk8J0HTfOyzsultlrtvl_RYCFaqUKVk2Uh7gtK8LWtJ2CkhEodC2wL1LtmNq8jdqhW212eEgeL3bpgcJbWzL7K0IXVIhtYo0Qxq4vbYWORMaeEhu0/s200/euroflag.jpg" width="200"> <span style="text-align: left;">- the </span><a href="http://www.coe.int/en/web/about-us/the-european-flag" style="text-align: left;">European Flag</a><span style="text-align: left;">, a symbol of my lifelong attachment to European identity. This has become necessary since the UK started moves to leave the EU (but not the much broader Council of Europe) as a reiteration of my self-identity, which will continue even when I eventually become a Anglo-American dual citizen.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht0oWLQBuJqI0rwRSNjQQCCMYj-8nZv1b0Eqve6taa4koN7rxFVjWd1ZTdUAKUKfTXZsWt7W-qUau0WQhzkubDpByGfsOEDXaMTmav4RjuftUudy2cM-dOSPdl1dXAGkY0rXicGLJQQg/s1600/lancsflag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1033" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiht0oWLQBuJqI0rwRSNjQQCCMYj-8nZv1b0Eqve6taa4koN7rxFVjWd1ZTdUAKUKfTXZsWt7W-qUau0WQhzkubDpByGfsOEDXaMTmav4RjuftUudy2cM-dOSPdl1dXAGkY0rXicGLJQQg/s200/lancsflag.png" width="200"></a><b><u>West Lancs </u></b></div>
- I grew up in West Lancashire, both the get geographical description and the predominant council in the area. Locals refer to this area, with the <a href="http://www.englandsgolfcoast.com/">'Golf Coast'</a> including the site of this year's Open Championship, Royal Birkdale (Irish Sea), Preston and Wigan as the corners. Funnily enough, my brother's youth footy team had a lively, hate-filled rivalry with a team from Birkdale. Lancs is the postal abbreviation, so has been used by locals for years.<br>
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<b><u>Mcr</u></b> - As I said, my Dad is from Manchester, or Mcr in short. </div>
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My Facebook cover photo is a filtered photo of the Town Hall floor covered in an artistic depiction of worker bees, a depiction of the industrial heritage and pride of the city.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoajYEQUd3P_jE9imCD8loUtnH7aFnYdQ2skOwerUQDlZVxYwOCsadBQ4HlUQiAbOnTGxri7rZm2Q_VB79ZQo-J5pU7eLsuJehcnUlU4pN7wHXYGzWXd35t4ManUql8hk9G7vIfGGfvzY/s1600/Manchester_bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoajYEQUd3P_jE9imCD8loUtnH7aFnYdQ2skOwerUQDlZVxYwOCsadBQ4HlUQiAbOnTGxri7rZm2Q_VB79ZQo-J5pU7eLsuJehcnUlU4pN7wHXYGzWXd35t4ManUql8hk9G7vIfGGfvzY/s320/Manchester_bee.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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Filtered from Manchester bee - Manchester bee, CC BY-SA 4.0, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59822400">https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59822400</a></div>
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The competing city, with a similar pride and competing history is Liverpool with its Liver Bird, a mythical creature which nonetheless adorns both one of the city's main building and one of its two footy clubs. </div>
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The bee, on the other hand, does not feature on any of the city's footy crests, but does feature on trash bins. After the bombing, the symbol re-emerged as a symbol around which an often competitive city can rally around.</div>
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Both Manchester clubs feature a ship and City's redesigned crest shows the Red Rose of Lancashire, marking the relatively new idea of Greater Manchester and Merseyside as rallying points, when both Manchester and Liverpool were parts of Lancashire at inception.</div>
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Lancashire's county cricket ground is Old Trafford. The name might ring a bell, it is at the other end of Warwick Road in Trafford Borough from Manchester United's stadium. Trafford Council's HQ is between the two.</div>
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➡ <a href="http://www.ntu.ac.uk/">@trentuni</a> : From my life as a season ticket holder for Manchester United and rural resident of West Lancs, I chose to go to 'school/college' (actually a University and proudly so) at Nottingham Trent University, named after the city where it's based and the river that marks its border. Trent is also proud of its heritage as an incubator for journalistic talent. I hope I have done them proud. I thoroughly enjoyed my three years (the length of a Bachelor's Degree in England) in that city but there was no work there so I moved on.</div>
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➡<b><u>Brixton</u></b> : Technically, I moved to Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon first. A friend had a spare room for free. Northwood is sufficiently far from central London that the postal address was in the old county (yes that again) of Middlesex and when the Tube lines were murderously bombed, there was actually no other mode of transport that could take me that far. </div>
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My friend moved to Spain, I moved to Brixton. The two places could not have been any less similar. Northwood was suburban London, white and quiet. Honestly, dangerous at night to get to the Tube for my night shift. Brixton Road, which runs through the centre of the neighbourhood, had a strong Afro-Caribbean (mostly Trinidad and Jamaica with some Ghana thrown in) vibe and a reputation for marijuana - which remains completely illegal in the UK. A reggae record store called Reds proudly stood opposite the Tube station and blared out its music. The police were instructed to ignore pot dealers and concentrate on bigger crimes. The site of the deaths of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/30/jean-charles-de-menezes-police-officers-shouldshould-not-be-prosecuted-echr">Jean-Charles de Menezes</a> and <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/damilola-taylors-dad-says-the-9210816">Damilola Taylor</a> were areas I knew, and were close by. I'll always be a white guy from Lancashire, but I'm a proud adoptive Brixtonian. By the time I had left, the shop had gone and while the Tube station was now accessible via a lift, some of the area's multicultural vibe had been been gentrified out of it.</div>
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I made life long friends both at college and in Brixton but my landlords weren't amongst them so after developing our relationship online, I decided to move all my life 4000 miles away.</div>
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➡ <a href="http://www.ci.moorhead.mn.us/">Minnesota</a>/<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Valley">Red River Valley</a></div>
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And this is now where I live. The Red River Valley is another area benefiting from fertile lands left behind by a receding lake, in this case the Agassiz. The current inhabitants also benefit from the mass murder of the lands previous inhabitants although as a pacifist I would assert that anyone telling you categorically "what would have happened if such-and-such war had been won/lost" are in fantasy land. All empires come to an end.</div>
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I am currently employed for <a href="http://www.csd.org/">@thisiscsd</a> as a relay operator, which briefly involves me handling calls from Deaf people. There isn't much else I can say, without breaking the strict confidentiality rules.</div>
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I am also a journalist, it is what I majored in and I currently use it on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lightchronic">@lightchronic</a>, the disability rights news feed for Technical Difficulties. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I don't think the ♿symbol needs any explanation but it's presence brings me on to the only thing I say on Instagram is basically and not directly elsewhere. I explicitly reference my catchphrase from Technical Difficulties, "Wear Your Scars With Pride". I mean it, I wrote a poem about it, and I am a proud disabled person. My decision to use that symbol is a decision to be part of the openly disabled community fighting for equal rights.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Facebook differs in that it features the bee picture above as the cover but also in that I consciously describe myself as a "romantic immigrant".</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I don't just mean that I am a romantic (no arguments there) or an immigrant (my journey to this point proves that) but that my journey was compelled by love for my wife, and the realisation that it was easier this way than in reverse. Hell we may both end up in Iceland given our politics aren't exactly mainstream here. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">However, I am also acknowledging that I made a decision that only the privileged few can, of moving home with the majority of my possessions and in my own time in a first class cabin, not with a backpack and bullets or bombs in my wake. I know the migrant experience but I am not a refugee and want to acknowledge that distinction too.</div>
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Love and peace, wherever you are.</div>
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Tim</div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-41469212039743432562017-04-10T17:21:00.001-07:002017-04-10T17:21:28.536-07:00Meltdowns vs coping<p dir="ltr">I had a busy day. Originally: it included a liver ultrasound, talk therapy and training for work, in that order.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Work training was removed from the schedule with a target date in mind, but nothing definite.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The liver ultrasound became an abdominal ultrasound, including being positioned on both my spastic and dominant sides. Don't get me wrong, the technician did a very good job and had good "bedside manner" but the last liver test results have still not made it into my electronic "chart" for me to read. I chose to believe they will show I have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Nonetheless, I was in pain from spasticity and fasting. I ate breakfast too fast and Sonja drove me to my therapy session, which I had mistakenly scheduled an hour later.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fresh from an ultrasound, therefore, I sat in the waiting room. Gallows humor aside, the literal last thing I needed was a family including multiple children. You can guess what happened next.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Thus my therapist found her usually attentive patient in the waiting room with his hood up and head down basically doing everything but saying "la la la" to himself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In short, I had a semi-public meltdown. My therapist is very good and she did her job but I just wanted to vent and to give general credit to everyone at <a href="http://www.sanfordhealth.org">Sanford Health</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Side bar: Sonja and I went to Old Navy for some shopping and one of the sales assistants paused to say "I love the beads on your glasses."</p>
<p dir="ltr">That made my day. FYI, those beads are a glasses retainer from South Africa ( Gauteng, I think) and I am deliberately wearing it/them to provide color in my field of vision when my mood is uneven and my wardrobe fairly plain.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Stay calm,</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tim</p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-75788693071948671972017-04-07T13:32:00.001-07:002017-04-07T13:36:42.139-07:00Ataxia<p dir="ltr">I had a job interview not long back for a position with the archaically named <a href="http://www.csd.org">Communication Service for the Deaf</a>, their local branch here is also thankfully known as Minnesota Relay. Their main business is the provision of relay services to allow Deaf people or people with speech disabilities to access services. That business comes through a contract with Sprint, who in turn have deals with 32 separate states of the USA.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I believe those stats are right. Anyway, the main purpose of this post is to shine a light on life with a neurological condition rooted in brain damage, and being required to do a timed typing test in order to qualify for the job.</p>
<p dir="ltr">For the record, it took me three attempts and some adjustment of the keyboard position, seating position and testing method. All of these are things which cannot, fairly obviously, be conducted after the room has been adjusted by an occupational health specialist.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I'll ask about that when training begins because I DID get the job.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However, when I first sat down - and despite breathing exercises, my hands were shaking horrendously and so my natural inclination towards quality rather than speed kicks in.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ataxia is a feature of some types of Cerebral Palsy wherein movements become jerky and unpredictable. What the previous post I made would refer to as the "Anxiety schema", also triggers increased spasticity (non typing arm, but still not fun in a job interview)</p>
<p dir="ltr">In the spoken element of the interview, neither spasticity nor ataxia were present so apparently it was the perfect #spoonie storm.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I type with three fingers on one hand, an entirely self-taught strategy which probably also amplified this problem. In decades of typing, including timed exams, I've never had that combination before.</p>
<p dir="ltr">After training, I'll let you know if I learned anything I can use in this job going forward.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Peace and love,</p>
<p dir="ltr"><u>Tim</u></p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-91690456378620020842017-04-04T21:23:00.002-07:002017-04-07T14:36:29.653-07:00Schemas/lifetraps and Larkin/infertility <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My therapist introduced me to the idea of schemas, which the originators renamed "lifetraps" for a book. Essentially learned behaviours developed throughout childhood.<br />
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Their book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Your-Life-Negative-Patterns/dp/0525935843">here</a><br />
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It also reminded me of this:<br />
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This Be The Verse - Philip Larkin</h1>
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They fuck you up, your mum and dad.<br />
They may not mean to, but they do.<br />
They fill you with the faults they had<br />
And add some extra, just for you.<br />
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But they were fucked up in their turn<br />
By fools in old-style hats and coats,<br />
Who half the time were soppy-stern<br />
And half at one another's throats.<br />
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Man hands on misery to man.<br />
It deepens like a coastal shelf.<br />
Get out as early as you can,<br />
And don't have any kids yourself.<br />
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The copyright of all Larkin's works is held by MacMillan, who by a massive co-incidence also employed a close relative of mine. Anyway, the link to their site is <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/author/philiplarkin">here</a>, since the <a href="http://philiplarkin.com/permissions-2/">Philip Larkin Society permissions page</a> leads to a dead link at Faber & Faber. <br />
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It was originally published in an April 1971 edition of <a href="http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/">New Humanist</a>, the journal of the <a href="http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/about">Rationalist Association</a>, the latest edition of which is led by a piece entitled: Community and tradition don’t have to be set against migration, change and difference. Read that <a href="https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/5170/charles-taylor-how-to-win-the-argument">here</a><br />
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Peace and love,<br />
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Tim</div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-21440542974954500912017-01-16T16:58:00.001-08:002017-04-04T21:07:52.682-07:00About me - April 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First of all, about the title. Before Fargo was renamed after William Fargo of railroad and banking fame, it was called Centralia because - as far as anyone can work out - the centre of the North American continent is somewhere around here. I prefer the old name. </div>
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I was a freelance radio editor, . I love working with underserved communities in particular. I was working as an editor and social media manager for the local tribal radio station.</div>
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I loved working with the Anishinaabe natives of this region, and in particular Gaa-waabaabiganikag, known in English as White Earth Reservation. However, I need to earn money as well, and so I removed that particular allusion from this blog title. </div>
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However, I still believe I have learned lessons from the natives and that I have knowledge to impart and privilege to both battle and acknowledge. </div>
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I'm Tim Abbott, I am a media guy. My latest job is working as a trainee for Communication Services for the Deaf.</div>
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My most cherished beliefs are peace and equality, and that those are the foundation of humanity, if left free of coertion. </div>
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That also pretty firmly puts me in the Anarcho-Pacifist corner of politics. </div>
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I was born by the banks of the River Thames, with Cerebral Palsy. I wear my scars with pride. I am a <a href="http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/">#</a><a href="http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/">spoonie</a>. I used to present a Disability rights show on <a href="http://www.resonance.fm/">Resonance 104.4 </a><u><a href="http://www.resonance.fm/">FM</a></u> in London. </div>
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That show, <a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/09/technical-difficulties-returns.html">Technical Difficulties</a>, returned after I got married and emigrated. Fridays between noon and 1pm Central Time on 88.1 FM <a href="http://www.kpppfm.com/">KPPP</a><a href="http://www.kpppfm.com/">-LP</a> in Fargo-Moorhead.</div>
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I also have engineered on radio, and will probably return to that. </div>
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I grew up by the River Douglas in Lancashire and now live by the banks of the Red River of the North in Moorhead, MN.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
I graduated from Nottingham Trent University, and in a round about way have eventually found my major - Broadcast Journalism - to be quite useful. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am a romantic immigrant - that is, I moved here to be with my wife and our cat. We are infertile. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am a proud bisexual man. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am not romantic about the country to which I have moved, built as it was through theft and misappropriation from Mexica. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am a white, European or "Gichi-mookomaan", to use the Ojibwe phrase.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Despite the disturbingly, forcefully mainstream politics of much of modern sport, I grew up as an all-sports guy (local favorites included soccer, cricket and two different types of rugby) and remain one. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
Also, as an experienced traveler, I have rooting interests in most sports and most regions but am most at home watching (any) basketball or (Manchester United) footy. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
I am least comfortable <a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/08/fc-fargo-folds.html">trying to help </a><a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/08/fc-fargo-folds.html"><u>run</u></a> such organisations. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
Any other questions, feel free to ask. Although I may not answer. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
Tim </div>
</div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-36385787025001749932016-11-19T18:31:00.000-08:002017-01-16T16:52:48.295-08:00Previous about post<p dir="ltr">Hello. I'm Tim Abbott, I am a media guy. </p>
<p dir="ltr">My most cherished beliefs are peace and equality, and that those are the foundation of humanity, if left free of coertion. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That also pretty firmly puts me in the Anarcho-Pacifist corner of politics. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I was born by the banks of the River Thames, with Cerebral Palsy. I wear my scars with pride. I am a <a href="http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/">#</a><a href="http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/">spoonie</a>. I used presented a Disability rights show on <a href="http://www.resonance.fm">Resonance 104.4 </a><u><a href="http://www.resonance.fm">FM</a></u> in London. That show, <a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/09/technical-difficulties-returns.html">Technical Difficulties</a>, returned after I got married and emigrated. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Fridays between noon and 1pm Central Time on 88.1 FM <a href="http://www.kpppfm.com ">KPPP</a><a href="http://www.kpppfm.com ">-LP</a> in Fargo-Moorhead.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I also have engineered on radio, and will probably return to that. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I grew up by the River Douglas in Lancashire and now live by the banks of the Red River of the North in Moorhead, MN.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I graduated from Nottingham Trent University, and in a round about way have eventually found my major - Broadcast Journalism - to be quite useful. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a romantic immigrant - that is, I moved here to be with my wife and our cat. We are infertile. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a proud bisexual man. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am not romantic about the country to which I have moved, built as it was through theft and misappropriation from Mexica. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I work for a couple of radio stations (<a href="http://www.niijiiradio.org ">KKWE</a> & <a href="http://www.kpppfm.com ">KPPP-LP</a>) , mostly working to restore recordings which have been recorded in sub-optimal circumstances but whose cultural value makes restoration essential. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a white, European or "Gichi-mookomaan", to use the Ojibwe phrase.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite the disturbingly, forcefully mainstream politics of much of modern sport, I grew up as an all-sports guy (local favorites included soccer, cricket and two different types of rugby) and remain one. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Also, as an experienced traveler, I have rooting interests in most sports and most regions but am most at home watching (any) basketball or (Manchester United) footy. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am least comfortable <a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/08/fc-fargo-folds.html">trying to help </a><a href="http://centraliachronicles.blogspot.com/2016/08/fc-fargo-folds.html"><u>run</u></a> such organisations. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Any other questions, feel free to ask. Although I may not answer. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Tim </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-53578736411634315012016-11-17T17:45:00.001-08:002017-04-04T23:55:02.849-07:00American sports and geography fails<p dir="ltr">Can somebody please help me out?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sports league operators in this great country of ours don't apparently know their compass directions.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dallas is in the West for every sport but in the East for the NFL.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><u>Chicago</u> is East for MLS and NBA but West for NHL, Central in MLB and North for NFL. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Minnesota is NFL North, MLB Central, NHL West and MLS <u>West</u>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Memphis is the furthest easterly of the NBA's Western Conference whereas Milwaukee is the furthest west in the Eastern. Call me a bias Grizz fan, but that doesn't seem fair.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Not that they are alone in that last respect...People here don't know whether they are Midwest, North, Red River Valley, Upper Midwest or just plain Minnesotan/North Dakotan. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm just gonna leave this here. It might even be better off on my soccer-driven <a href="https://fmwnderer.blogspot.com">Wanderer</a> <u>blog</u></p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-1594469694893063892016-11-11T14:32:00.001-08:002016-11-14T15:14:30.415-08:00President Trump is coming <p dir="ltr">Boozhoo, this week saw the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Politics is not my beat, however I believe the following things are possibilities from a Trump White House. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Approval of the pipelines Keystone XL (waiting on a State Department permit) and DAPL (waiting on permission from the Army Corps of Engineers)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Repeal of marriage equality (although in his first interview he backtracked on opposing this) </p>
<p dir="ltr">Removal of Roe v Wade</p>
<p dir="ltr">The end of Obamacare (A key plank of his platform, although he has suggested reforms too) </p>
<p dir="ltr">The end of Minnesota HCP (The state provider of subsidised health plans is under threat from a Republican Party now in control of both houses of MN congress) <br>
A wall between the US and Mexico<br>
A ban on Muslim immigration <br>
The end of NAFTA/TPP (declared positions) <br>
The end of NATO (which would fail if the US pulls out - a Trump position) </p>
<p dir="ltr">A detente with Russia (implied, if not yet planned) <br>
Dispute with China over currency manipulation (stated position) <br>
Tariffs on imported goods (stated position) </p>
<p dir="ltr">I will add, nobody outside of the Transition Team really knows what Trump/Pence/Bannon will do. </p>
<p dir="ltr">After all, this is a vibrantly anti-Semitic administration which now has a stated aim of supporting the state of Israel. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-49589502267802776942016-11-03T20:25:00.001-07:002016-11-04T11:04:56.196-07:00Privilege, intersectional identity and the US election #Cripthevote <p dir="ltr">This week's <a href="http://kpppfm.com/technical-difficulties">#</a><a href="http://kpppfm.com/technical-difficulties">cripcast</a> was canceled after an hour long chat with <a href="https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/about/">Alice Wong</a> and <a href="http://disabilitythinking.com/about/">Andrew </a><a href="http://disabilitythinking.com/about/">Pulrang</a> was lost to a technical issue on my recorder. </p>
<p dir="ltr">They were two of the three founders of the <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2016/01/27/cripthevote-our-voices-our-vote/amp/">#</a><a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2016/01/27/cripthevote-our-voices-our-vote/amp/">Cripthevote</a> campaign, along with <a href="http://www.twitter.com/greggberatan">Gregg </a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/greggberatan">Beratan</a></p>
<p dir="ltr">It airs every Friday at noon Central Time on 88.1 FM in Fargo-Moorhead and <a href="http://www.kpppfm.com "><u>www.kpppfm.com</u></a> everywhere </p>
<p dir="ltr">It is repeated at noon on Saturdays. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Alice suggested that I blog about our chat. I didn't take notes and my memory is unreliable so having recovered from frustration and anxiety, I decided to blog on the recurrent themes I remember. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Firstly, the majority of the press coverage of disability themes in this election has devolved into <a href="http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/28/donald-trump-criticized-for-mocking-disabled-reporter/">Trump's treatment of Serge </a><a href="http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/28/donald-trump-criticized-for-mocking-disabled-reporter/">Kovaleski</a> versus the <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/25/politics/anastasia-somoza-democratic-national-convention-speech/index.html">appearance of </a><a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/25/politics/anastasia-somoza-democratic-national-convention-speech/index.html">Anastacia</a><a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/25/politics/anastasia-somoza-democratic-national-convention-speech/index.html"> Somoza at </a><u><a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/25/politics/anastasia-somoza-democratic-national-convention-speech/index.html">the</a></u><a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/25/politics/anastasia-somoza-democratic-national-convention-speech/index.html"> Democratic National Committee.</a> </p>
<p dir="ltr">It, and disabled people, are more complicated than that. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a white, male journalist and all three of these traits entitle me. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Kovaleski is also all three of these and in fact privileged by being a professional employee of one of the most well-known media organizations in the world in the guise of the New York Times. </p>
<p dir="ltr">This brings me on to the next theme. </p>
<p dir="ltr">My guests told me that what has emerged during the campaign is a picture of disabled people as individuals - people of different races, genders and political preferences. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Andrew and I are white men and therefore we benefit from such privilege. Alice is an woman of color and therefore has different experience. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What also emerged was the appetite and need for disabled people inside the political system, shaping policy rather than just voting on slates of policies fully formed by non-disabled people. </p>
<p dir="ltr">In all my observations, which I believe were echoed by Alice and Andrew, Obamacare was a rare point of almost complete agreement amongst disabled people - especially those of us with a pre-existing condition. The one dissenter to that view is a Twitter acquaintance known as <a href="http://www.twitter.com/gardencatlady">Fracking</a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/gardencatlady"> Test Subject</a> who has seen increases in her healthcare.gov premiums reach levels which would undercut her finances. The solution to the problems most evident in Obamacare's workings right now are something no one has really addressed. Democrats are on the back foot and most Republicans are only calling for repeal,which would destroy the pre-existing condition protection with apparently no parachute whilst a new law is formulated. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't know if this recollection is from our chat or elsewhere but it has been pointed out that the way forward for insurance companies complaining about the cost of providing insurance could be the model that Romney developed in Massachusetts - mandatory insurance but entirely based on the market place, with public subsidies on a sliding scale linked to income. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I became aware that the US system presents an opportunity for people to work their way up from school board or sanitation commissioner through state parliaments to national politicial offices and this pyramid offers disabled people the chance to test out their stamina before it becomes a focus of attack advertising. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The UK on the other hand leaves the vast majority of parliamentarians experiencing their first experience of the details when they step into parliament the first time. </p>
<p dir="ltr">This blog post was posted rough to reach you before the show slot (this week, a repeat). Let me know about any inaccuracies. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Thanks for reading, </p>
<p dir="ltr">Wear your scars with pride.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><u>Tim</u></p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-69729259084051685782016-10-15T19:09:00.001-07:002016-10-15T19:09:53.948-07:00Handling #NoDAPL <p dir="ltr">Today was a training session at KKWE. As a professional, FCC-licensed station, the ongoing civil disobedience in Cannonball and beyond aimed at blocking construction of Dakota Access Pipeline has posed a problem. That problem is that the majority of the audio coming out of the protests is live streamed, or posted on Facebook and YouTube. The authors are unconventional but to me, worthy of the traditional journalistic protection of sources. The station manager disagrees. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Apparently if you can't say where audio came on air, you can't use it. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-17067528400783771502016-09-07T13:09:00.001-07:002016-09-07T13:10:14.037-07:00Technical Difficulties is returning<p dir="ltr">Back in London town, I was at the helm of a disability rights radio show, Technical Difficulties, on the unique freeform radio station <a href="http://www.resonance.fm">Resonance 104.4 FM</a>. Guests were predominantly women. I am proud of the gender balance we achieved. However, we unconsciously failed to represent a racial mix - despite being in one of the most diverse cities in the world. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Soon, I am rebooting the show on <a href="http://www.kpppfm.com">KPPP</a><a href="http://www.kpppfm.com">-</a><a href="http://www.kpppfm.com">LPFM</a><a href="http://www.kpppfm.com"> </a>here in Fargo-Moorhead, one of the <a href="https://www.cityoffargo.com/attachments/d2c29b71-bd49-42e8-8584-af112774a7ab/About_Race.pdf">least diverse</a> metropolitan areas in any of the United States. </p>
<p dir="ltr">KPPP is a media justice project and as such it presents an opportunity for me to redress that racial imbalance, to amplify those voices who are literally invisible in this area. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Wear your scars with pride, <br>
We all have Technical Difficulties <br>
Stay tuned. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-13341810985293892742016-09-02T22:25:00.001-07:002016-09-03T14:19:34.790-07:00Oppression, allegiance, militarism and Kaepernick <p dir="ltr">First off, I'm not going to address Colin Kaepernick <u>directly</u>. His decision, and I'm fairly sure it's protected speech. He's also an employee, but his employers at the 49ers confirmed his freedom of expression. </p>
<p dir="ltr">More so for me, it made me think. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a privileged white man, but I am also an immigrant. Naturalization would force me to pledge to fight "all enemies, foreign and domestic", since securing a waiver on the grounds of pacifism is both unusual and expensive. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I can see why Black people, living with the legacy of slavery, and Native Americans, who saw a massive invasion steal their country... would object to pledging allegiance to 'the republic for which it stands' - and to standing to attention alongside. </p>
<p dir="ltr">There is a strand of Native culture which I have yet to understand, and that is the willingness to serve in the same military which fought to exterminate them, and a country which either ignores or oppresses them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That brings me to the singing of the National Anthem before every sporting thing here. Sam Borden of the New York Times, a good journo, reflected on this from an American perspective:</p>
<p dir="ltr">Lost in (the Kaepernick debate) , though, is that while high-level sports are a type of entertainment, few other forms of mass-consumed entertainment — movies or concerts or exhibitions — have the anthem ingrained into every performance.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The full article is <a href="http://nyti.ms/2c6SE93"><u>here</u></a>, and it is beautifully written. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Do I have a duty to stand? I'm often not physically able. That aside, I'm not, and probably won't ever be, American (see above). </p>
<p dir="ltr">Borden points to Drew Brees conflating the flag with the military, an unfortunate habit which seems unique to this country. This is not helped by the fact that the anthem is literally about war and how glorious it is to survive war. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The British anthem is a pledge to our own status quo,  "long to reign us, God Bless the Queen". As an agnostic republican, I'm grateful there was no pledge or tradition of saluting a flag. There is, however, a tradition of singing along when it IS sung, usually before international games. God Save the Queen is a dirge, and the massive crowds at England games often sing it with alcohol-fuelled bluntness and poor rhythm - often leading the crowd to be at least a beat ahead of whichever professional is performing the anthem in the centre circle. </p>
<p dir="ltr">If someone started to play the British national anthem before Manchester United games, there would be widespread confusion - but no one would dare accuse the millions of attendants of soccer of being unpatriotic. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The main reason I object to the national anthem at a domestic event is this:</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sports are largely a borderless world, where your nationality matters less to the fans than what team colors you 'bleed', and the incessant playing of a national anthem undercuts this ecumenical spirit and possibly irritates or confuses the non - Americans who make up a substantial caucus within all levels of all US sports with the possible - and pointed - exception of American Football. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The first verse of <a href="http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx">Francis Scott Key's Star Spangled Banner </a>(<a href="https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/arts/music/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem.amp.html">which is as far as most </a>20th century sheet music goes) ends with a question:</p>
<p dir="ltr">O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave<br>
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Maybe Colin Kaepernick just decided the answer was no. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-62265197523888380702016-08-23T23:03:00.001-07:002016-08-24T19:15:11.502-07:00Atlanta Braves - appropriation and ignorance <p dir="ltr">Small town English education in the 1980s and 90s did not cover Native American culture, aside from a brief - and extremely stereotypical - artistic foray. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Native culture is invisible there, it becomes visible in snippets - through the recently disputed name of Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club, for instance - and from the engagement of people like myself who like American culture in general. </p>
<p dir="ltr">After moving to London in 2005, night shifts led me to listening to baseball as a way to stay awake.  As the club of the era, I bandwagoned to the Atlanta Braves. I chopped and war chanted at my first game in 2009 and proudly wore both a hat and a jersey with the tomahawk logo thereon. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The Atlanta local who took me to the games told me that night that he had never done the chop. I remember thinking such a stance was weird and that it didn't really matter - that such noises were clearly not representative of reality. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I had missed the point. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The Braves name and the continued use (and even more damagingly, promotion) of the Florida State Seminole-derived "War Chant" and tomahawk logo lead people both inside this country and beyond in this global era to see such appropriation as either surreal, or historical - when they are neither. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The Atlanta Baseball franchise used to have Chief Noc-A-Homa, and he was sidelined because he was racist. This process can and should continue. </p>
<p dir="ltr">With the move to Cobb County, the people of metro Atlanta deserve better than a third hand, racist moniker picked up in the 1890s in Boston. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I don't wear the tomahawk any more and I'm sorry for any way in which I have perpetuated this situation. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-78688705975783142342016-08-23T18:46:00.001-07:002016-08-23T20:27:38.605-07:00FC Fargo folds<p dir="ltr">So, after an intense couple of years (half of which was from England - after my full time job),  I am no longer the Communications Director of FC Fargo because the club has folded "for financial reasons". </p>
<p dir="ltr">We shall see whether anyone else can make a competitive mens soccer team work in a market where no-one even has a college varsity team. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Credit goes to the only varsity program anywhere near - University of Jamestown - the anchor of our nascent club. </p>
<p dir="ltr">If you want to see what we were about, visit the erstwhile <a href="http://fargogreenarmy.blogspot.com/?m=1">fan </a><a href="http://fargogreenarmy.blogspot.com/?m=1"><u>club</u></a> site I helped run before I worked for the club. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It's a sad night as we turn out the <u>lights</u>. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Good night. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Tim </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-21375810541205722016-07-24T16:42:00.001-07:002016-07-24T16:42:17.295-07:00Questions of identity<p dir="ltr">What defines Native American identity?</p>
<p dir="ltr"> Is it enrollment in a tribe/band? <br>
Is it possession of a blood quantum? <br>
Is it family, friends and residence on tribal lands? </p>
<p dir="ltr">The biggest non-Native allies of Native Americans are on the left of American politics and yet many Natives see white Americans as illegal immigrants in their country - a stance more in line with the American right - as outlined by a Donald Trump supporter to Alex Jones recently. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What makes someone an immigrant? <br>
How far back does "legality" go? </p>
<p dir="ltr">I am a white, Anglo-European Lawful Permanent Resident in these United States. That is the legal framework to my not being sent back to England by the US Federal Government. Yet, I never sought or received permission from the Lakota or Ojibwe to stay on their lands. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Such a step is deemed unnecessary by the federal government, founded by English settlers and bolstered by multiple waves of immigration by invite, as well as waves of immigration by necessity for poorly paid jobs. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm an anarchist, therefore my ideal world would not include borders and restrictions on where people could live. I'm also a pacifist, so that world would see peaceful settlement of all races - not violent conquest followed by generations of anger and dispossession. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Identity would be a voluntary decision and a matter of co-operation with your chosen group. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm the editor for Niijii Radio. I was recently greeted by a station founder with "oh, you're the British guy".</p>
<p dir="ltr">We'll see what my identity becomes. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-71903919634632034812016-07-22T21:09:00.001-07:002016-07-22T21:09:20.897-07:00Hell<p dir="ltr">The road to the off-season is paved with good intentions. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-66284816917899681642016-07-21T22:08:00.001-07:002016-07-21T22:08:11.382-07:00Generalizations <p dir="ltr">Hello, I'm a journalist. Accusations of bias or inaccuracy used to irritate me the most, since I was trained to at least attempt an accurate and unbiased report. </p>
<p dir="ltr">However, "complete objectivity is nothing no flesh and blood being can achieve" (Michael Grade, in his autobiography - It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, link coming). </p>
<p dir="ltr">Therefore, a new accusation has emerged as the rallying cry amidst the plurality of voices - that of uniformity. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I, a veteran journalist and producer on non-profit platforms, stand accused of being part of an amorphous mass known only as "the media" - also occasionally lengthened to "Mainstream Media" or MSM, even though no one can agree what 'mainstream' means. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Often you will hear accusations of exclusion from the media or MSM on those very same platforms. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I've engineered a few sessions where I heard such things. Usually, when challenged, I've been told "Oh, but not you. You're good."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Please:</p>
<p dir="ltr">Be precise with your accusations of bias or exclusion and hell, maybe be precise with your complements too. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-65692209162266623282016-07-20T14:07:00.001-07:002016-07-20T14:07:34.667-07:00Personal v professional <p dir="ltr">This weekend sees a footy team from the air force base in Minot, ND travel east to play FC Fargo. </p>
<p dir="ltr">As the Communications Director of FCF, I am responsible for how the club communicates with the public. Normally this is social media and press releases but tomorrow I'll also be on the public address system. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The challenge? I'm a committed pacifist and have been for years. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, as an English immigrant to Minnesota who has barely been here, I am also responsible for the social media of KKWE. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Challenge #2: The station operates for the Ojibwe of Gaa-waabaabiganikaag and that is the voice that that social media must have. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm pretty sure I'll cope. Those challenges are why a degree in journalism is useful. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-71125402220355581712016-07-20T00:51:00.001-07:002016-07-20T00:51:28.974-07:00Pointless arguments <p dir="ltr">In this age of corporate personhood, how personal should corporate social media be? </p>
<p dir="ltr">Would your club/association/company trash another city wherein an opposing club (etc.) was based? </p>
<p dir="ltr">My personal opinion is that trash talking is better off left to the fans. Especially when that talk descends into ad-hominem abuse. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I spend my life around robust opinions and in a country where free speech is a constitutional right, but I'd just rather be attacked for the flaws in execution rather than just shouted at like we were in a bar. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Ironically, we also lost on our merits, but I was so sick of the arguments I had essentially pressed the mute button by then. </p>
<p dir="ltr">As ever, just my thoughts. </p>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-6510877703171034772016-07-18T20:31:00.001-07:002016-07-18T20:31:55.710-07:00Post 3: After another 2 years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am going to try to blog more frequently than I have been doing. Having migrated to be with my wife, I have found that I have nowhere to vent. </div>
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Work consists of editing work for the independently-owned, tribally focused radio station <a href="http://www.niijiiradio.org/">KKWE</a> 89.9 FM <a href="http://www.ojibwe.org/home/episode6_dictionary.html">Niijii</a> Radio in the <a href="https://whiteearth.com/">Gaa-waabaabiganikaag</a> <a href="http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/ojibwe.html">Ojibwe</a> reservation and all sorts of communications work for the startup soccer club <a href="http://www.fcfargo.com/">FC Fargo</a></div>
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I live in the city of Moorhead, Minnesota on the east bank of the Red River of the North and the lake-bed of the glacial Lake Agassiz. On the west bank is the city of Fargo, North Dakota.</div>
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Fargo was founded as Centralia in 1987 and I kinda like the name. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDgrSSfd8m8">It's not like the film.</a></div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-85053501404990115912014-01-03T10:40:00.000-08:002016-07-18T19:55:21.736-07:00Post 2: 2 years later<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New Year 2014.<br />
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As Resonance 104.4fm broke up for Christmas, I closed the book on my weekly radio show, Technical Difficulties.<br />
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I am still waiting to pass the WHO threshold of being infertile (see the first post)<br />
I am waiting to begin (let alone finish) my processing for permanent legal residence in the US<br />
I am waiting to leave this flat, my undernourishing full time job and this country<br />
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Most of all, I am waiting to work out a path of transition from this near decade of single London life to married life in Moorhead, Minnesota.<br />
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As I write this, I am also managing a medication transition. My long-term anti-spasmodic (Baclofen) appears to be responsible for some ugly gastric symptoms and so I am tapering it back to zero, with valium as a backstop when being unmedicated is unmanageable.<br />
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If myself and my neuro guy agree that the baclofen is at fault, we will try tizaridine. Which is apparently "more complicated to administer". I await a better idea what that means.<br />
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Whilst plotting out my wedding clothes, it also is obvious that an orthotic device I have called a Dictus Band is wearing out. So at some point I essentially have to book an appointment and have lace up "formal shoes" (which I can't tie) be fitted with a new one.<br />
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I hope that mostly made sense.<br />
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Until next time, wear your scars with pride. Underneath the surface, we all have technical difficulties. </div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4219655422610911997.post-75638555761226332922012-06-16T08:04:00.003-07:002016-07-18T19:54:44.702-07:00Post 1: Hello from the waiting room<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Father's Day is looming. It remains to be seen what I will post on here but first I will explain why I created this blog.<br />
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The Waiting Room is a reference to the period before diagnosis, sitting in a surgery with doubt hanging over what is wrong. For me, I have to 'serve a waiting period' of 12 months (in the US) or 2 years (WHO and UK rules) before my infertility - a product of my partner's hysterectomy is automatically recognised in my life and my healthcare decisions. </div>
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I am also waiting to be living with my partner, because currently we are apart. </div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16688781160507810482noreply@blogger.com0