Before Jackie Robinson, there was Louis Sockalexis

"HOWES CAVE, N.Y. (AP) _ Long before Jackie Robinson endured torrents of racial taunts in breaking baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Louis Sockalexis had a bull's-eye on his back."

...

"Sockalexis's story is one of many chronicled in ``Baseball's League of Nations: A Tribute to Native Americans in Baseball,'' an exhibit on display through the end of the year at the Iroquois Indian Museum."

...

"Native Americans were expected to ignore racially charged ridicule. Nearly every player of Indian descent who stepped onto a ballfield during the first half of the 20th century was called ``Chief.'' It wasn't the only taunt: ``Redskin,'' ``Heap-Big Injun'' and chants of ``Back to the reservations,'' ``Dog Soup'' and ``Whoop, Whoop'' were part of the racist cacophony that emanated from the stands.

Bender didn't win games _ he scalped opponents. After throwing one of the best games of his career, Bender was depicted wielding a tomahawk and wearing a headdress.

Even teammates and opposing players sometimes did the taunting as teams around the country began calling themselves Indians and owners recruited Native American players as gate attractions."

Original Story: Native American Times, "Exhibit Chronicles American Indians in Baseball"

http://nativetimes.bizweb5.tulsaconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=0

Pigeon in custody for drug smuggling :(

"A Bosnian pigeon is in custody for smuggling drugs into one of the country's highest security jails, an official said. "Pigeons the world over cringe and roll their eyes at this disappointing news. Many feel that, although drug-smuggling pigeons are a minority, the high-profile news attention works to reinforce negative pigeon stereotypes and ebb away at pigeon social gains.

Source: Telegraph

MIA

That's more "Missing in Action" than "Miami" -- for now, at least.

A few days ago, in eh-relative seclusion and to the chagrin of oh-so-many people, I finished the most important part of the puzzle of handling my s@#*. At the ...cost... of several weeks and a lot of concern and frustration for you, you, and you, "it is done," save the coming week's formalities.

Family, other friends, co-workers, and more have been wondering and wondering even moreso than usual. Phone, e-mail, and other contact options for me have been shoddy at best.

In the past 4 months of hiring, about half the people hired in one office had to be let go for a mix of negligence and gross misconduct on the part of key personnel. This, during an especially sensitive growth period that would have been tough even in the smoothest weather. Messy!

These days, I've been mostly cloistered up, cleaning up and making sure, one by one, that everyone gets whats due "and then some". It has meant a lot of 'waiting' for confirmed-completed actions by "the powers that be" and a lot of weird work on my part.

September looks to be a lot of fun for most people involved. A lot of thanks-given and wtfs more than sufficiently resolved; a lot of final words on abuses that slowed down the party for some, and what are likely to be pleasant surprises for the folks who stuck to their guns in the muddiest, foggiest bits--and almost everybuddy else.


and then the party starts in earnest :o