Entries this day: Dream ISM_request flash_flood

Dream

8:12am JST Sunday 04 September 2005

Reading TIME magazine I saw a 2-page layout advertising 6 books for sale. The books didn't seem like all that amazing save that they were being pimped by TIME. I could just imagine the cash suddenly flowing in for these authors and I felt so crushingly depressed that I have not written a book yet. Then I felt a wave of "get over it; just write a book," and I felt all better then woke up gently.

Should I write about my adventures on P.B.? Should I learn Japanese then research and write the history of P.B.?

ISM request

6:53pm JST Sunday 04 September 2005

I have gotten some stuff done today, and all of it using Dvorak layout...

I wrote a biography thing to New York City International Solidarity Movement requesting financial assistance in going to Palestine. It went something like this:

NAME:  Rob Nugen

ADDRESS:
Currently I am living with a friend in Tokyo Japan, but I (hope) I
won't be here very long.  Email is the best way to reach me.

PHONE:  +81-080-3209-0678

EMAIL:  rob@robnugen.com


PROPOSED DATES OF TRAVEL/LENGTH OF STAY
Olive Harvest 2005, and hopefully find a reason to stay until the end of 2005.

ARE YOU APPLYING WITH A GROUP OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL?
individual

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ISM/DAP?
I'll use this one to lay out my story...

I grew up in a Unitarian Universalist home doing social action type
things on occasion, but no real ACTIVISM per se.  I was active in YRUU
(http://yruu.org) as a youth while in high school, and then as an
adult after I graduated from university (bachelor of science in
computer science).

In March 2003 I moved from Texas to Japan to begin exploring the
world.  I had been working as a computer programmer and decided I
needed a change, and could do more with my life.

During my time in Japan I became aware of P.B. and I just
finished sailing around the world, meeting amazing people including
many peace activists.  These included a Palestinian (Niveen) and an
Israeli (Eilat), both of whom support the full extraction of Israeli
forces from Palestine.

I was moved by their stories and decided I want to help in some way.
Niveen invited me to come visit and said she could help me find work
at an NGO in Jerusalem where she lives.

Niveen and Eilat ended their voyage in New York City where we attended
the opening of the GPPAC and a peace performance in Dag Hammarskjold
Park.

We just finished the voyage
(http://robnugen.com/travel/pb/49/itinerary.html) and I'd like
to keep up my travel momentum.  I have been telling people I intend to
go to Palestine and work for an NGO.  I have been unable to get in
touch with Niveen, but I met a guy who told me about ISM so I googled
ISM and subsequently found your site.


WHY DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL TO PALESTINE?  AND, WHY WITH ISM?
I want to help my Palestintian friend.  With ISM because I can't find
her via email.

WHAT SORTS OF ACTIVISM HAVE YOU ENGAGED IN?
Through my church: planting trees, picking up litter around
neighborhoods, revitalizing neglected neighborhoods, volunteering in
women's shelters, rebuilding homes, making lunches and delivering them
to elderly, collecting canned food for Food Bank, writing to our
political leaders...  We also invited various professionals to give
seminars at our conferences.  They addressed topics including
anti-racism, personal health, ethical treatment of animals, freedom of
speech, distribution of wealth and power, among others.


WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO FOCUS YOUR ACTIVISM IN PALESTINE?
As an American, I want to get first hand information about an area
that the US government is mucking up rather badly.  Ironically, my dad
has married a Jewish woman and I am discouraged from uttering
"Palestine" in front of her.  I'd like to learn more about the whole
situation so I can communicate (educate) on more level ground with
her.

(On P.B., I also met a man named Erik Leaver
(http://www.ips-dc.org/bios.htm#Erik%20Leaver) who invited us to
attend an anti-Iraq-war march in Washington in late September.  I
would like to attend it as well, but I cannot afford tickets to both
DC and Palestine.  I am choosing Palestine because it's further away
from people's minds than the Iraq war.)

WHAT LANGUAGES DO YOU SPEAK? WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF FLUENCY?
American English (native speaker)
some Japanese
little Spanish
little American Sign Language
no Arabic
no Hebrew

DO YOU KNOW FIRST AID?
Apply pressure to stop the bleeding until we can get you some help.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER RELEVANT SKILLS
I write well; I listen well; I can edit English documents; edit HTML
and do some Perl programming.  I am quite calm and good for passive
demonstrations.

WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO IN PALESTINE?
I want to learn more about how I can help, but I'd like to start with
the 2005 olive harvest

HOW DO YOU INTEND TO USE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PALESTINE WHEN YOU RETURN
TO THE U.S.?
I will probably return to Tokyo and share my experiences with
passengers on P.B..  I will absolutely keep writing in my
travelogue online (http://robnugen.com/travel) and am happy to send
those to you as well.

WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS/TIES/OUTREACH DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO?
P.B.;
my mom (not my dad's wife) is a Unitarian Universalist minister;
my website and email list

HOW KNOWLEDGEABLE DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE OCCUPATION?
I know only basics: US funded and armed Israel to force Palestinians
from their land.

FOR DIVERSITY PURPOSES, PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF
I'm a 35 year old non-smoking, non-drinking (for health reasons, not
religious), non-drug-using, white physically fit American heterosexual
male who doesn't watch TV.


PLEASE PROVIDE TWO REFERENCES WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION (ex: job title
or activist organization) AND CONTACT INFORMATION

* Erik Leaver Project Associate for Peace and
Security/Foreign Policy In Focus.

* Lely Hayslip via Global Village Foundation: In 1987 she founded the
East Meets West Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental
organization (NGO), which provides the people of Vietnam with much
needed aid.  (http://www.globalvillagefoundation.org/thefounder.htm)

* Kathleen Ellis (my mom) on the Executive Committee of the
Continental Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, is
Ministerial Settlement Representative for the Southwest District, and
Program Director for the Southwest UU Summer Institute (SWUUSI). She
is also coordinator for the local area Young Adult Religious Network.

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU APPLYING FOR?
$500-$1000;   I have been volunteering for the last three months on
P.B., and I have about $1200 remaining in savings.  I am happy
to work for an NGO in Palestine after the harvest for a while, and
then apply to volunteer on P.B. again.

flash flood

11:34pm JST Sunday 04 September 2005

Kellie and I walked to the grocery store to get some foodage and discovered significant rain flooding the streets! We waited in vain for it to subside, watching gushing gutters squirt water that slowly rose toward the entrance of the store. I was unimpressed when the store security guard and some low level employee put down bags of rocks in front of less than half of the encroaching line of water! Hadn't they seen the levee in New Orleans??

I enjoyed watching the flooded creek, but didn't enjoy getting wet.