Recent Blog Posts: Bakotopia

Podcast-A-Thon for Dorktown Saturday night 2/17

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:17:52 PST

Nobody wants it or even knows what the hell it is, but we're shoving it down your throat anyway. Coming, this Saturday night, beginning at 10:00 Pacific...IT'S THE DORKTOWN POD-A-THON! Download this to find out more:
http://www.dorktown.net/podathoncommercial.mp3
Or click this link: http://www.mikeseay.blogspot.com We need seven contacst while the show is taping. Starting at 9:00 and going probably into the 11:00 hour.

Check the forum http://xsorbit27.com/users5/wiffleflux/index.php/board,8.0 for the fuckin' latest. This Saturday night, we NEED you.

Can anyone help me?

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:34:37 PST

GM just downsized and I am now out of a job. So if anyone knows of something, preferrably interesting, for 15 hours a week (more during non-school summer), please let me know :)

Otherwise, you can all make me feel better by joining my band for our last show on March 17th @ the Dome. 6 pm $7. I mean, I've lost my job, and my band. Have sympathy for me :( :( :(

Guilty

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:29:53 PST

Is it a sin, is it a crime
Loving you dear like I do
If it's a crime, then, I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you

Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Dreaming the lonely night through
If it's a crime, then, I'm guilty
Guilty of dreaming of you

What can I do?
What can I say?
After I've taken the blame
You say, "You're through you'll go your way"

But I'll always feel just the same
Maybe, I'm right, maybe I'm wrong
Loving you dear like I do
If it's a crime, then, I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you

~Yann Tiersen

(I feel guilty that the one I'm guilty of loving isn't the one in my life)

So, how was YOUR Valentine's Day?

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 09:17:48 PST

Pumpkin brought two boxes of See's, a mini rose plant, and a money tree to my office. My big gift was going to see the Blue Man Group.

Later Quate came over to take away my fridges and stove, I dig Quate, he's a freakin hard worker. You should have seen him and his friend taking down the weird steel poles and structures in my backyard last week. He speaks little English, I speak little Spanish ... but we try pretty damn hard to communicate.

He called me yesterday, left a message, "Hello, how are you? It's me, Quate. You want amigo, we can have the stuff. And when you have time, call me."

I called him after I got off work, he said he'd come over in a few hours with his cousin who speaks english "Because, you know, my English is no good" Then as we were hanging up he said "Feliz Valentine's" I replied "Feliz Valentine's to you too!"

Then I stalked the radar trailer.

When Quate showed up he gave me a pen from his friends shop. He said "This pen, it's from my friends shop. He like this pen very much. It is for you" I like it very much too, it's blue with a gel grip and when you push the clicker the gel grip part lights up blue. So FYI, Arvin Truck & Trailer repair has really cool pens.

Something about this guy I really like. He's funny, smart, and honest. He said he's lived here along time and still his English is no good. I told him I've worked in Migrant Education a long time, and still my Spanish is no good. I asked him if he wanted to do some work around my house, he did. I asked his cousin if anyone needs girl clothes, he said he has a 22 year old daughter who does, so I began washing loads of clothes I was giving away, and pulled some better stuff that I really don't wear out of my closet. So I get to see Quate and his english speaking cousin again today.

When they had showed up UPS dropped of my box from LUSH, so after they left I unpacked it and pulled out the rest of Aidan's gift and let her open everything. She was very happy. Pumpkin liked his pj bottoms and Issey Miyake Homme, figured he needed a new scent.

After they left Pumpkin went to the store for fillet mignon and brussel sprouts, I started the garlic mashed red potatoes. I didn't know Pumpkin had never had brussel sprouts before, should have guessed, his mother rarely cooks, he said they always ate out growing up. So he called from Albertsons asking me if brussel sprouts looked like little lettuce. I laughed and said they did, but they were more of a cabbage. He said since I said brussel "sprouts" he was looking for sprouts or something. It was my first time ever cooking steak. I did a damn good job - Thank you Martha Stewart! And Pumpkin liked my steamed brussel sprouts. I told him they get a bad rap because people don't cook them the right way and then they taste nasty. These brussel sprouts were abnormally large, so they weren't as sweet as the little ones, but they were still good. Aidan loves them too.

I sent Aidan to bed at 8:30 and we just watched tv, oh, he also surfed the net and worked on his webpage. Lots of excitement! Still, it was a nice night in.

Gone trailer gone ...

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 08:50:13 PST

The trailers gone away ... gone away ... gone away ...

Did I really expect it to be there this morning? I was hoping, but wasn't holding my breath. I've seen those trailers parked in areas for several days at a time, but nooo, not on my street.

Just wait until they get my load of photos, and the a letter telling them how people actually go faster heading towards Oleander and suggesting once again that a trailer should be parked in front of my house.

I was researching the trailers yesterday and found that you can purchase them ... there's sign post kind, I wonder how much it is ... I'd happily plant it in the sidewalk in front of my house.

Anyway, my traffic drama continues. In the meantime my father is trying to convince me to just touch up my place, sell it, and buy another home. I wanted to puke as he said "The perfect home would be built in the mid to late nineties, have the beveled walls, tile floors, a new kitchen" blah blah blah. Um hello? Suburbia HELL? Yes, new homes are very pretty inside ... but they lack charm, character, and history. Unless I bought a house in the Southwest, then maybe I'll have some drive by history.

So no way, the only thing I'd trade up for is an older home with less need of repair and a smaller yard. On a quieter street, like Sunset, or the one right in front of my daughter's school. I'd say Oleander, but shit man, that's an expressway too! OI!

Last Call! Rock Out To Knock Out RSD

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:42:24 PST

March 24^th 2007 will be one of the coolest things happing in Bako town. Rock Out To Knock Out RSD, founded and masterminded by 16 year old Ashley Goodall promises to Rock You OUT!

There is approximately 20 bands scheduled to play, bike show by Mike Freeny and Bikers for Christ, food, drawings, bounce house, vendors, and much more.

Please support this great teenager trying to do good for others. Ashley has suffered from RSD for over 7 yrs herself and knows how much the help is needed for others.

If you are a vendor and would like to have space at this fantastic consort please let me know. We are not charging for the space, but most vendors are donating some of their products (how cool is that?)

Thanks to all that have helped Ashley out, you have helped a single idea turn into a dream.

Last call for donations and bands. We have over 100 shirts donated and are putting people that have donated either their time, money, or items for the drawing. We need to put the order in no latter than Monday. How great would it be to see your name, or your company’s name on the backs of 100 people..

Lorie Goodall

Vice-Presedent Of Rock Out To Knock Out RSD

399-0502

Valentine's Day

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:18:46 PST

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!! I have already had my special celebration. Last night hubby took me to dinner at Logan's and it was great!! After that we did some shopping and then had a drink at Players. Not much excitment on a Tuesday night, for a married couple, parents of 3 in our 30's, but hey, we made it fun! LOL!! I truly believe that life is what you make it. I hope everyone can find some happiness today, whether you are married, together with a partner or single. We have love for our signifigant others, and for our favorite friends as well. Party on Bakotopia!!

Any local supporters of Barack Obama?

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:25:54 PST

I am organizing local support for Barack Obama, if you are interested in getting involved I have groups going on MySpace and also on My.BarackObama.com. Click the links below. -Aaron

http://groups.myspace.com/kerncounty4barack

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/KernCountyCaliforniaforObamain08

Happy V-DAY!!

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:48:37 PST

PIPEHEAD is a saga, an ongoing story about life. It’s also a comic about faceless bugs that live in a soup factory. They have no identity other than they know they’re alive. They’re surviving. They care about each other… They sometimes die and get boiled in big vats of soupy goo. They're bottom feeders...

Happy Valentine's Day.

Radar Trailer Part II

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:31:28 PST

On the 8th I emailed the BPD again ... the email was provoked by a patrol car with lights on flying down my street at about 75 mph, then two more followed without lights on ... this was around 10:30 pm.

"Good evening,

My name is Kindra *, I have emailed you before about traffic violations on my street. Sadly Forrest Street, between H and Oleander, is still an expressway. What is most disturbing is that Bakersfield Police Department squad cars are repeat offenders.

About 10 minutes ago a patrol car with lights flew down my street at about 75 mph. I'm not over exaggerating. Then two more followed, but without lights or sirens. Our street is dark due to dim lights or lights that do not even turn on at night. What if one of the people who lived on this street was riding their bike home, or walking home and crossing the road and was hit by one of your patrol cars? I understand that they were probably speeding to "Protect and Serve", I heard a helicopter join them, but still - my street shouldn't be their "short cut". Enough people use it already as their daily "avoid the California traffic" route. Including a Bakersfield City School District bus, and a Lutheran Church bus (I've called the church, and I have called the head of BCSD transportation).

After my 3rd letter to you a speed trailer was put at the end of our street about 15 or 20 feet from the H Street corner - for one day. Not that it was very useful being that it was so close to the corner where people will obviously slow down at their own accord, unless they really feel like flying out into the middle of H Street traffic.

I'm not the typical neighbor on this street, I own my home. I'd start a petition for speed bumps, but with my limited Spanish, and all the limited incomes here, I seriously doubt people who rent would be willing to make the tax sacrifice. I know men are limited, but if for even a few hours during peak time every other week a motorcycle cop could sit in front of my house and just radar cars, you would see that people use it as a drag strip. Then maybe the repeat offenders would actually receive tickets instead of just my yell of "Slow Down!" trailing after them, and that might prevent them from drag racing down this small section of road.

I have seen my daughter almost hit by a woman on her cell phone, another child chased her ball into the street but stopped just in time, and only because my scream and her sister's scream startled her to stop. Another day I saw another child, who sadly runs around unattended frequently dart across the road and just missed. Is that what it is going to take? A child being thrown across the hood of a car?

KGET has a traffic form online, I've submitted many times, but they also ignore me. I'm begging, pleading, please help me figure out a way to slow the traffic down in front of my house."

Guess what was put at the end of my street again? Yep, you got it, another radar trailer. In the exact same spot as last time. I drove past it this morning, I was clocked at 20 mph. I hope it stays around for more than a day, and it would be nice to see a cop parked at least once. Just once, for a few hours. We'll see ... this is at least another step forward.

Romance: The real power and greatness of America

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:18:49 PST

Charles Schulz understood Valentine’s Day; he knew how to make Charlie Brown’s disappointment reach out to all the boys who wished they would receive a Valentine from some little girl whatever the color of her hair. But, alas, poor Charlie Brown never got that Valentine.

However, when I was a kid we all looked forward to this special day at school. Our teacher would supply the red construction and white lacy paper and paste with which we would all make Valentines. There would be those small, heart-shaped candies with the tiny mottos on them like “Will you be my Valentine?” Boys with real courage might give one of these to one of the girls in class.

Children are transparent in their likes and dislikes, so despite there being a lot of Charlie Brown’s who won’t get that Valentine from the little red haired girl today such disappointments won’t dilute the importance of this special day dedicated to romance, and Charles Schulz certainly understood this. And I believe he would have agreed “Casablanca” is the consummate romance film.

Today being Valentine’s Day it’s appropriate to mention Casablanca being thought by many the most romantic film ever made. In fact, I’m delighted to learn the FOX Theater in Bakersfield is having a special showing of the film, a tribute to the high regard so many of us have for the film, most especially those of us who remember seeing it when it first appeared in the theaters of America. Three years ago I wrote a column from which I quote the following excerpt:

A new movie was getting some attention toward the end of 1942 titled Casablanca. Mark Hellinger in his column “Best Bets” appearing in the Los Angeles Examiner of December 6, 1942 as a first anniversary issue of the attack on Pearl Harbor said of it:

A gripping and timely film is heading your way under the title of Casablanca. Here are Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid and Clara Rains heading a superb cast in as fascinating a movie as has been turned out by Hollywood in some time. A skillful blending of spy stuff, action melodrama and intelligent romance, Casablanca is guaranteed to bank the box office bell the nation over - and it rates all the praise that will unquestionably be heaped upon it. The Bergman lady has never been better in her entire life, and Bogart’s performance is brilliant throughout. Henreid and Rains are also excellent. And Mike Curtiz’ direction is outstanding. I recommend Casablanca to you most heartily.

Readers may note the typo “Clara” for Claude Rains, but I use the article as it actually appeared in the paper. Thanks to my mother, who was in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack and was nearly killed by a shell landing and exploding in her kitchen, I have a complete, original Pictorial Review section, all twelve pages in the Los Angeles Examiner of December 6, 1942 she kept for so many years as a keepsake. As the first anniversary edition of the Day of Infamy, this section has pictures of the devastation of the ships at Pearl Harbor including the actual photo of the explosion of the U. S. S. Shaw at the very moment of being bombed. But it also contains the film review of Casablanca by Mark Hellinger below a large picture of Ingrid Bergman. One of the unique features of this article by Hellinger is the typo I mentioned of “Clara” instead of Claude Rains.

Mark wrote even better than he could possibly know at the time when he said the film was “guaranteed to bank the box office bell the nation over- and it rates all the praise that will unquestionably be heaped upon it.” Can you imagine what he would say today of his insights about the film? I find it amusing that there are people who think they know something of films and try to tell me Casablanca was not very notable at the time of its release. Wrong! Like GWTW it got a running start and never stopped!

As to Casablanca being voted number 2 by the AFI of the 100 best films ever made and nearly as old as GWTW, I can only wonder what the original Best Bets column by Mark Hellinger in the December 6, 1942 Pictorial Review section of the Los Angeles Examiner complete with the large picture of Ingrid Bergman is worth to a collector. But it belongs in a proper collection of such memorabilia to be preserved.

This issue of the Pictorial Review is unique. It is twelve pages and filled with events and pictures of the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as the usual film and entertainment sections such as Hellinger’s reviews with great pictures of Rita Hayworth, Cornel Wilde, and Ida Lupino among others, along with the various advertisements of the time. The first page with a full color photo is of the actual strike on the U. S. S. Shaw,”The uncensored U. S. Navy official photograph hailed as one of the most remarkable pictures of all times. It shows the U. S. S. Shaw at the exact moment it blew up during Jap attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941.” The caption: “Remember Pearl Harbor.” There are other pics of the actual harbor following the attack, and the devastation of the battleships. (End)

Before she passed away and my being the last member of the family to whom she could entrust the various photos and mementos she held so precious all her life I was given her scrapbook of WWII memorabilia along with the edition of the Los Angeles Examiner mentioned. But with the passing years and no one left to whom I could pass these things on, some of real historic value, a decision had to be made, especially, what to do with this very important edition of the paper? Selling it on eBay was one suggestion since it would undoubtedly have fetched a princely sum, but I knew it was too important a historic document to simply sell it to strangers.

My family had strong ties to Kern County; I was born in Weedpatch and have made contributions of my own writing to the Weedpatch Memorial Library, much of my other writing is steeped in the history of Kern County, of life in Bakersfield and here in the Kern River Valley. So some of the photos and other artifacts my mother left in my trust might properly belong in some museum. But when I began to make inquiry about the special edition of the Los Angeles Examiner it was Mike Jenner of the Bakersfield Californian who suggested I contact Ken Hooper, a Bakersfield High School history teacher. As I understood it, Ken was deeply involved with such historical documents and his classes were being instructed in their importance and preservation.

Whatever the disposition of the paper and other things, I believed my mother would be pleased to know something she had faithfully saved for so many years would find a home in Bakersfield and serve such a noble purpose in preserving what was now a valuable historical document of the time that had been of such monumental importance to both my mother and America.

After exchanging emails and phone calls, Ken agreed to come to my place and look at the paper. In the meantime my friend Mike Turner came over and took digital photographs of the entire paper so I would have them available to share with others online, the Mark Hellinger blurb for Casablanca being one example, and when Ken arrived he agreed to be the caretaker for the paper and I entrusted it to him where it is now being put to good use as a historical document in memory of my mother India Joyce Caldwell. My decision on behalf of my mother was not the “smart” thing to do since I did not profit from it; but it was the romantic thing to do, and by that measure the right thing to do.

This may seem an odd Valentine’s Day story, but for those sensitive to such a story the romance of it cannot fail to reach the hearts of such people. Casablanca and my mother belong to an America that saved the world from the Axis Powers, an America steeped in the culture and heritage of the Founding Fathers and Norman Rockwell. But as Margaret Mitchell wrote of her beloved antebellum South, a time that would be “Gone With The Wind,” never to return, so did Harper Lee in capturing and preserving a vital part of our history. But it takes the real romantics like these women and my mother to realize the historical importance of those things that made America what it was to win the war against the Axis Powers.

A younger generation cannot view Casablanca through the eyes of those of us who lived the events described in the film and were drawn to it in droves when it was first released. A younger generation can be excused for seeing the film as unbelievably altruistic and naive, but those of us who lived the time of the film certainly did not see it as such. For those of us at the time it was a living and breathing document of our era ever as much as the newspaper my mother saved for posterity. And it took Americans who believed in the message of Casablanca and that special edition of the Los Angeles Examiner, who believed in the America these represented to win WWII. Such an America is now gone with the wind never to return, betrayed by politicians and their corporate bosses; but that America now betrayed and gone believed in the power and greatness of romance, and that more than anything was the real power and greatness of America.

But for you ladies out there on this special day who are the romantics and understand my telling this story: “Here’s lookin’ at you kid.”

Homeless Valentine: a song and a thread for the homeless

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:46:40 PST

Happy Valentines Day! I don't mean to bring you down. Rather, with this song, and with these words, I'd like to bring somebody up. I'm talking about the homeless. I'm talking about posting this blog thread as a forum for raising all kinds of create ideas concerning meeting the needs of homeless people.

What are your ideas concerning how to address the problem of homelessness, in this land, and throughout the world? What are some long-term solutions? Let's offer a few, and put them out there. And in the meantime, make your heart a home for the homeless.

Party!!

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:55:16 PST

Attention all artists and musicians! The Art Studio and 18th Street Gallery will be hosting a FREE Grand Opening Gala in conjunction with the opening of the March Group Art Show. Translation: This is going to be one heck of a party!! And EVERYONE is invited.

Saturday, March 10th, starting at six pm! Mark your calenders!

Below, I've copied and pasted the message from Jenn Williams, the Manager of the 18th Street Gallery, and the Curator for this show. If you are interested in contributing artwork to this show, please, contact Jenn here: Art Studio & 18th St. Gallery.

I will be putting together the entertainment lineup for the party ... I'm looking for four to six acoustic musicians to play at this event ... this is a small space so no amps or mics will be needed. If you are interested in performing, please, get in contact with me! Jen Raven

Check out the nifty blog coverage and photos of our last great event!

(Paperback Writer/ Noveltown interview,Matilda Kay's review of Febraury gallery show)---------------------------------

Here are the details concerning submissions for the March Group Show at the Art Studio & 18th Street Gallery.

THEME: Water. Specifically, mythological connections to water, such as mermaids, naiads, selkies, Jenny Greenteeth, sea hags, disappearing islands, and the like. Also, things of a fishy nature. Read Neil Gaiman's poem "Sea Change" to get the flavor of what I'd like. Does this mean your piece has to be of a mythological water creature or a fish? No. All water themed works will be considered. Does that mean your piece automatically gets in if it is of a mythological water creature or a fish? NO. All pieces will be accepted or rejected based on the merit and strength of the piece, as it relates to the theme. Period.

DATES OF SHOW: This show will coincide with our Grand Re-opening Gala, and will be up in the gallery from March 10th through March 31st.

DATES TO REMEMBER: Drop off dates are Thursday, March 1st through Saturday March 3rd during store hours. Pieces that are not selected are available for pick up Tuesday March 6th through Thursday March 8th during store hours. These dates are not negotiable. Pick up dates for once the show has come down are Tuesday, April 3rd through Thursday, April 5th, during store hours. If you can't make it on those dates in the designated times, due to work, lack of transportation, etc, the TIME ONLY can be negotiable. Email or call to arrange that. Any works left beyond March 8th if not accepted, or beyond April 5th if it was in the show, will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of as the gallery sees fit, so please consider yourself forewarned. Store hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sturday from 9 am to 6 pm, Wednsedays from 9 am to 230 pm, closed Sundays and Mondays.

TYPES OF WORK: All types of work are acceptable. Drawing, painting, photography, digitally made art, sculpture, etc. Please contact us first if your piece is exceptionally large or requires extra special attention, such as power or special mountings.

ENTREE FEE: There will be an entry fee of $10 per piece with a cap of $30 (that means if you submit more than 3, you still don't pay more than $30) to help offset the costs of the show and reception. The gallery also charges a 25% commission on works sold, so please keep that in mind while pricing your works. Also, I will award "best in show", "viewer's pick" and "personal favorite" certificates. And maybe a special cookie.

REQUIREMENTS: A maximum of 5 pieces may be submitted per person. All pieces must be properly finished and ready to hang. This means that it's in a frame with wire on the back, has finished sides and wire on the back, requires nothing more to be done to it to be safely hung on a wall (or to be placed on a plinth or table if it is a sculpture.) THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS! My favorite person himself, Leonardo Da Vinci, could come and hand me a sketch and I wouldn't put it in the gallery if it wasn't framed, behind glass, with a wire on the back. Capiche?

THIS EXHIBIT IS OPEN TO: Anyone. Everyone. Students, professionals, retirees, you name it. It just has to fit within the parameters above.

The Art Studio and 18th Street gallery is located at 835 18th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301, and can be reached by phone at (661) 323-5088 or by email at 18thStreetGallery@gmail.com, or, of course, here on MySpace!

Looking forward to seeing what you have!

-Jenn Williams

ANN

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:03:21 PST

In Ann’s case, as with so many women I have known, the music, the love letters and flowers are probably missing in her present relationship. The growing hurt of this loss, a loss such women as Ann recognize in their lives, may follow a course of growing resentment, and finally, the death of the relationship; a senseless loss for both Ann and her boyfriend. In many cases, romance requires women to pay attention to things like weight control, to their appearance and mannerisms, their language and the showing of their appreciation for things like fixing the car or washing machine. It is just too easy for both men and women to begin to take such things for granted and, consequently, taking each other for granted.

Valentine’s Day is nearly here as I write and I wonder how many women will receive the attention they should get on this day? How many relationships will be encouraged by this day in honor of real lovers? I wonder. I hope women like Ann will find their desires fulfilled by such acknowledgment from the men in their lives. But women like Ann know that in spite of the commercialism of the day, in spite of the flowery cards and letters, nothing will take the place of genuine love and romance, of that cherishing that is proved by living it the other 364 days of the year.

I can hardly fault other men for not listening to women unless I make a conscientious effort to get their point of view myself. That this leads to some interesting things in my life comes with the territory. Unhappily, women are not used to being asked by men for their point of view. And, when asked, are understandably reluctant to say what they really want to say or have great difficulty articulating those things for any number of legitimate reasons. A primary reason being the fact that women have seldom been taken seriously by men when it comes to philosophy. Yet, philosophy fails by not taking women seriously.

As I just wrote a dear lady friend we believe things on a multiple of levels, but prioritizing them requires study and meditating on these things. We cannot anticipate what may change the way we think about some things, but The Great Conversation has to do with exchange of ideas and sharing not only thoughts but discoveries. When anyone thinks of Philosophy there is no female Socrates, Confucius, Locke, Hume, or Bacon leaping to people’s minds. Historically, women in general were not to be educated on the same level as men. It was not until very recently women had any voice or opportunity in the schools and society at all, and at that only in the most advanced and enlightened cultures.

That women have had some outstanding role models, women of real courage in leading the way is a relatively recent phenomenon in academia and elsewhere. This is what made “To Kill A Mockingbird” so vitally important to women. Unfortunately men were quicker to see the threat it posed to them than women were to understand the possibilities. And it is easy for me to understand Harper Lee’s profound disappointment that this should be the case. I hope those like the new president of Harvard will understand and take the initiative in promoting what women really need to do in order to become part of The Great Conversation, but it is a faint hope such will prove to be the case. Too often the prejudices of women against men, rightly deserved or not, remove them from the process required for true philosophical speculation leading to new ways of thinking about things and putting their ideas into the required systematic organization of their thoughts.

But there is one area where women could make a very needed contribution to the body of knowledge and that is the subject of romance. However, it is not a subject that lends itself readily to the stringent requirements a systematic organization of thought required of the King of Disciplines.

Concerning philosophy and the paucity of contributions by women there is always the possibility of doing a solo when the music requires a duet; in this respect men like Soren Kierkegaard come immediately to mind. He, as with many like him, wrote a great deal about marriage, love and romance. But he did a solo when the music required a duet. And, lacking any real, pragmatic and empirical knowledge and experience of the subject, the “music” intended results in nothing but pontifical, egotistical noise. And this leads to a major factor in the problem between men and women: Romance. I write a great deal about this and my book “Birds With Broken Wings” is a romance book; but it is factual, not fiction. And it is a graphic representation of that rule of writing: The difference between Reality and Fiction is that fiction has to make sense. The difficulty can be understood by the following excerpt from the book.

I was at the Club the other evening with my good friend Larry when she walked in. I’ll call her Ann. She is a beautiful, vivacious, petite woman with dark hair and eyes that a man could drown in. Seeing me at the bar, she took a seat next to me. We were delighted to see each other. We have known each other for quite some time but have never dated because she has a boyfriend. Yet, from the moment we first met there has been something between us. For some reason, Ann was willing to talk openly about this. The music was playing and we decided to dance. She was wonderful to hold. Soft, warm and sweet-scented as a woman should be, so small the top of her head barely reaching my chin she moved closer into my arms as we danced. Magic!

Then, a remarkable thing. As we move slowly and gently to the music in a warm embrace, she says, “Sam, I can’t give you what you want. But we can have this as a compromise, can’t we?” It hit me full-blown! I knew what was missing between Ann and her boyfriend, what that something was between us: Romance!

Ann has a need, as do all men and women, for romance in her life. She is an honest woman and would never betray. In that honesty she says, “Sam, I’m sorry for using you.” She is trying to tell me that she intends to be faithful to the boyfriend, and yet she wants and desperately needs that romance in her life, the romance that he is failing to provide in the relationship. It is such a tragic, familiar story. It is the reason for the phenomenal growth of romance novels among women as they seek to feed their impoverished hearts and souls.

We continued to dance, holding each other tightly, both of us needing someone to fill that void in our lives that sex alone will never satisfy. Ann, like all women, was made to be the music, poetry and inspiration in the right man’s life. And that right man should fill her need for the romance she deserves in her life, that part of romance that is the responsibility of such a man.

I ask myself the all too familiar question of why the right man and woman have always had such a seemingly impossible task in finding each other? But I have to remind myself that it takes two artists working together to make it happen and keep it alive. I know Ann needs the music in her life, I tell her she has the music in her and I feel it as we move together in an embrace. Her whole body responds to the music and it is magic, a magic that we both realize is working in us together in each other’s arms.

Ann finally has to leave. But it is difficult for her to go, leaving such magic and go home to what? If I could only get the message to her boyfriend (and all the men out there of whom he is all too typical) that he better get his priorities straight, he better start showing his appreciation for the undiscovered treasure of such a wonderful woman like Ann.

That graveyard of shattered dreams of love and romance seems never to be filled. Yet women like Ann, with so much love to give, wanting and needing to give that love, seem never to have this love nourished and tended like the garden of delight she represents. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished always with her love (Proverbs 5:19) is a message lost to the majority of men.

It cannot be legitimately denied women need, desperately, to be the softness and gentleness, the virtuousness men need to inspire romance. But we live in a violent world and society that is the antithesis of such things, and women are made to be hard and tough in areas where women were never intended to be so. American society is teaching women they should be competitive and combative in regard to men, rather than striving for the compatibility of differences.

While it isn’t very romantic, there is another common part of the problem of which the following story is all too typical as well; that exemplifies a failed American society that encourages permissive sex and the resulting babies without accountability. I was sitting in the living room of a beautiful young woman. She has three, small children and no husband. The ubiquitous tube as baby sitter was not working properly. A real cause of concern when you are trapped in a low-rent apartment complex.

A vicious chain of circumstances has robbed her of transportation. A common problem with the poor. When California passed the law requiring insurance for motorists to renew their driver’s licenses she had been cited for not having such. Nor, like most people in her circumstances, could she afford it. And while there is no excuse for people driving without insurance and the responsible are made to pick up the tab for irresponsible uninsured drivers, this is the system we are forced by politicians to live with.

Her failure to provide proof of insurance resulted in the suspension of her license. She later got pulled over and the outstanding citation resulted in her car being impounded. It would cost her over $800 to get it back, an impossible sum of money. And the old junker isn’t worth it. As a result, like so many others she loses her car and cannot get her license renewed. With the care of the children, she has to prevail on others to go anywhere like shopping at the grocery store. This makes her especially vulnerable to predatory men who will take advantage of women and their welfare checks.

This lovely girl has only one outlet for entertainment, for some escape from the hopelessness of her situation. The local bar across the street. Here she knows and meets others in similar circumstances. She can play pool and visit. For a quarter, she can attempt to get a stuffed toy from the toy machine. And she has become adept at doing so. This enables her to give the children something when she returns; though she understands what they really need is a father.

The leadership of our nation, the leaders in churches should spend some time in the bars frequented by people like this young woman. Until they have observed and talked to such people, until they have listened to the music and danced in such places, until they have heard the tragic stories first hand, they will never understand the real needs of the people they are elected and sworn to serve.

Insane laws such as those of drugs and prostitution making criminals of otherwise law abiding citizens are to blame in many cases for the desperate situations many of the poor find themselves in. An insane society that demands virtue without virtuous leadership is to blame for welfare and prisons being growth industries. But if money alone could buy happiness, could buy real romance there wouldn’t be any Anna Nicole Smiths.

So, to repeat, women have a real but untapped contribution to make to the King of Disciplines; but it cannot be based on competition and combativeness with men, but on their own distinctiveness as the other half of humankind, the softer and gentler half of humankind that more than just a contribution to Philosophy will be a contribution to Wisdom.

Conviction

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:06:42 PST

They all underestimate the true power that women have. Conviction.