Allison Woolbert - Flying in Matsapha

Allison Woolbert never did like flying.  It's something that just simply doesn't make her a happy person watching the ground disappear out from under her while she realizes she is totally powerless and that there isn't a parachute.

I remember flying in some puddle jumper out of an airport once.  Sheer hold onto my seat and hope the plane doesn't drop was my wish for the day.  Yep- I joined the Air Force and hated to fly.  What a concept.

Matsapha, Swaziland has an airport.  It has a single carrier that does five flights a day.  Take a look here at the Arrivals gate:

I remember seeing things like this in the movies and in photo's during the 60's.  Yes, this was built in the 60's.  The treated medal doorways with a tinish type of roof.  At least the tower looks fairly modern and appears to be in good maintenance.  That means  safer travel right???!?!?

The weather at Matsapha has been somewhat warm compared to the New Jersey temperatures.  (Allison balances in her hand the 80 degrees at Matsapha compared to the ice in New Jersey).  Ok, the temperatures at the airport are just fine with me.  Coming from Tucson Arizona 88 degrees is just a cake walk on a fun day although the 62% humidity seems a little high compared to Tucson's ZERO DEGREE HUMIDITY (but it's DRY heat!) !

So, what does Allison Woolbert think of all this?  You might wonder what in the world would be in Swaziland and a why a stop at this airport.  An airport proudly says the following:

"This operation accounts for a majority of the 70,000 passengers that pass through Matsapha International Airport each year. In addition to the Swaziland Airlink, there are a number of general aviation activities at Matsapha International Airport. These include the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force's Air Wing." 

I cannot imagine 70K passengers coming through the airport. It just seems like a lot of people to me.  I think that works out to 7 stadiums full at Shea Stadium.  Not sure though

So let's talk about the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force's Air Wing-

ok, so this is where it stands- I'm not going to talk about it.  To be honest, I just don't know enough about it to sit and discuss the Swaziland Air Force.  It seems like a strange looking plane to me though and I wonder what it really does.

So- where to next you might ask and why this airport...  Questions abound!

Allison Woolbert is a person who has a curiosity that goes far beyond the normal day to day understandings that most people have.  As a child, she was always into some of the most interesting positions that caused her to climb through windows, up onto piles of things or simply pick up something that was a curiosity to her.  

Did you know Allison Woolbert is a programmer?  She writes custom software including websites and has been developing all sorts of nifty computer tools for people.  From data tracking engines to secret squirrel work for sources she cannot name, professional software development is what her company Phoenix Consultants Group does.  Check out it out!

Allison Woolbert- Business opportunities abound in Swaziland.

Some websites just need rework. Take for instance the http://www.gov.sz/ website.   

Business opportunities abound in Swaziland.  The systems are somewhat outdated and the main page simply isn't working well (or at all!).  The Prime Minister cannot be found and I'm certain it is of serious concern to the government without a web presence.  

I find that programming for small and growing places can be a profitable and challenging job.  At the same time, I see that there are places in need of increasing their visibility on the planet and bettering their people I try to see what I can do about it.  Working on old websites and technologies can also be a challenge in that the systems sometimes cannot be changed due to antiquated and irrelevant code.  

Allison Woolbert can certainly begin unraveling the details of this sort of site and provide a proper website coupled with training the IT department on new methodology for hosting and managing websites. 

I wonder how much the weather is affecting these servers and systems?  Is it the dust, the weather or the infrastructure?  Simply speaking, this can be a complete rework with a win-win situation for all of us concerned!  Just think, Allison Woolbert could create  Swazilanda fantastic government infrastructure & system that can fully demonstrate how up and coming they are!

Some places are just more challenging than others to get technology working properly in.  I figure that if properly created, the system, the software and the country could benefit entirely from a skills from a professional computer person!

Allison Woolbert is a computer technology expert who simply loves to play with new technologies and programming methodologies.  She's been working as a professional database and web developer for years and takes on many challenges that others simply can't figure out.  You can find her at Phoenix Consultants Group!

Allison Woolbert- Heat in a Dry Zone- Africa

What a place to visit- the great Mbabane, Swaziland!

Mbabane, Swaziland weather:  It certainly seems that heat isn't something most people consider but when you talk about Africa, that can be a different story.  Although, Mbabane, Swaziland seems to have a completely different kind of weather.  Three days of rains appear to be coming this week! .
 Event the BBC has a weather forecast for Mbabane.

Site Seeing- Allison could enjoy the Royal Swazi Spa over on Dr Sishayi and Gwamile Street. Maybe that is what needs to be done first in a site seeing venture.  Tripadvisor.com has some awesome ideas of where to go!

Language:  Even words in Swahili can be difficult to learn but doable.  I figure with multiple computer languages and Google Translate a person (Like Allison Woolbert) with some base language concepts can learn quite a bit!

Greetings

Between peers: "Habari!" and the greeted answers, "Nzuri!".

Between peers: "Hujambo?" (Are you fine?) and the greeted answers, "Sijambo!" (I'm fine!)

Young to older: "Shikamoo!" (originally it meant "I touch your feet" as a sign of respect) and the greeted answers, "Marahabaa!" (I acknowledge your respect!).

Personal Pronouns

English	Swahili
I	Mimi
We	Sisi
You (singular)	Wewe
You (plural)	nyinyi
He	Yeye
She	Yeye
They	Wao

Anyway, it's going to be a new adventure for anyone who travels to Mbabane.  New people, new languages, new culture- lots of friendly faces though!  Allison Woolbert- traveler, seeker of reality in a new way, of course, if it's on the internet- it's true!

Allison Woolbert: Planning Her Tiny House - Part 1

So what would it take to be in the zoning code to make a Tiny House in New Jersey-

Let’s start with some of the basic info from the NJ Uniform Construction Codes and consider that for the most part, it might be able to be done and in code. 

A few assumptions:

1.     Let’s assume this house is for TWO (2) total people to stay there. 

2.     Let’s also assume that it doesn’t have to be portable but can be on a fixed foundation.

§ 5:28-1.11 Use and occupancy of space

 (a) Every dwelling unit shall contain at least 150 square feet of floor space for the first occupant

thereof and at least 100 additional square feet of floor space for every additional occupant thereof, the floor space to be calculated on the base of total habitable room area.

(b) Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one occupant shall contain at least 70 square

feet of floor space, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one occupant shall contain at least 50 square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof.

(c) At least one-half of the floor area of every habitable room shall have a ceiling height of at least

seven feet. The floor area of that part of any room where the ceiling is less than five feet shall not be considered as part of the floor area in computing the total floor area in the room for the purpose of determining the maximum permissible occupancy thereof.

So here is the basic square footage that would be required:

Bedroom:  For two people a bedroom would require a minimum square feet of 120 square feet. 

Common areas:  For total habitable rooms 250 square feet at a minimum of floor space would be required. 

So for the first round of thoughts on this- basically you would need a bedroom that is about 10 x 12 and an area as a minimum of 25 x 10 for the overall internal tiny house in total.  Not so tiny, but not totally incapable of being mapped out if you consider the top bedroom of 120 sq ft part of the (a) requirement of the 250.  So I am now pondering all of these little twists and turns on making a tiny little Allison Woolbert house J

Next considerations for my tiny house- a bathroom and kitchen and how to make that totally awesome tiny house computer room!

 Allison Woolbert has done many tasks of journey work for most of her  life. Her father trained her in carpentry, electrical and plumbing as well as an assortment of other building and maintenance skills and opportunities as she grew up.

Disclaimer: Allison Woolbert is NOT a licensed builder nor is she suggesting she is.   This is a pondering of the considerations of how to build a tiny house within the constraints of New Jersey Law and Building Code requirements and making a new fun project to consider.

Allison Denise Woolbert- Friends in the Making

On December 28, 2014, a 17 year old stepped, with deliberation, on to the path of a tractor-trailer on a highway in Ohio.

RIP Leelah Alcorn.

Her suicide note painfully cried out  "My death needs to mean something...Fix society. Please".

Does this small reminder of a young person's desperation speak to your heart? Do you feel her 

agony? Do you mourn her loss?

Leelah was a transgender individual. A person  who evidentially felt so loathed and was so disparaged by her fellow human beings that she chose to take her own life in a most horrific manner.

This communication, however, has to do with the living...namely a human being by the name of Allison Denise Woolbert.

I've enjoyed the pleasure of her company on only one occasion...and I believe it takes a bit more than a chicken dinner and a cup of coffee to call someone a "friend"....but there is promise there. We simply have to spend more time, share more thoughts and feelings; get to know each other better....and I do believe she will slide very smoothly in to the "friend" category.

She has an honest, straightforward and respectful approach. She is intelligent, humorous and seems to be a good person in all senses of the word.

It was a pleasure to be in her company and I look forward to the next time when we get to know each other a bit better.

In the meantime, those with small brains and big mouths are asked to expand the former and shut the latter.

Respectfully,

Ginni

Enact Leelah's Law Petition breaks 100K - Written by Allison Woolbert

On January 3rd this year, Allison Woolbert wrote a petition and posted it on the whitehouse.gov site.  It was a petition that called for the President to respond and end the so called 'conversion therapy' against our youth.   

Today, in less than one month, 100,000 people have agreed and asked President Obama to end 'conversion therapy'.  Thank you goes out to every single signer and any person who believes we should stop the hate towards transgender people in this country.  

When Allison Woolbert wrote the Whitehouse.gov petition, she had written the week  prior the petition at Change.org that hit over 300,000 signatures in just ten days.  Change.org reported it was the fastest growing petition of 2014.  Frankly I wish Leelah was alive and that I never had to write it.

I believe Leelah's death should not be forgotten.  I believe that there are countless others that should never be forgotten.   

On Sunday, December 27, 2014, Leelah Alcorn a 17 year old transgender youth wrote a suicide note (NEW LINK for note- http://i.imgur.com/6cZjm4P.png) ;, posted it on Tumblr and then walked out to a highway and out in front of a semi-truck tragically ending her life.  In her last post, Leelah explained how her parents had forced her to attend conversion therapy, pulled her out of school and isolated her in an attempt to change her gender identity.  One of the last things Leelah wrote is as follows: 

"My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society. Please.“ -Leelah Alcorn

Allison Woolbert is the CEO of Phoenix Consultants Group, an expert national software development firm. Allison brings her unique perspective and humor that draws on a rich variety and unusual breadth of experience as a woman in the 21st century.  Allison Woolbert continues to bring her unusual knowledge, experience and writings to the world at large. Allison also has many admirers and fans that love her and  continue to be supportive on her journeys and quests!

And for those who like to follow me as stalkers- 

Goddess Voldemort

An Amazing Woman - Allison Woolbert by Jackie R.

I met this amazing woman Allison Woobert a little over 6 years ago, she was still just starting to transition at the time. I saw and heard the pain in her life and my heart went out to her.  She very quickly became a dear friend and as time went on and I got to know this person who had come into my life.  I was in awe of the size of her heart. From the very start, she wanted to help others!! Here she was, her life falling apart around her and who was she thinking about; NOT herself, but of others like her and she did NOT want them to suffer as she was, and she swore she would do something to help them.. She has made it a point to fight (using words and education) any person or group who threatened transgender people. Male or female, to her it makes no difference, we are people to her, who deserve to be able live a happy content life without being in fear or pain. 

In time the idea that our community had so many suicides and we were being beaten and murdered at such an alarming rate, higher than genetic women or men, really upset her!! She was at her wits end to bring that to the eyes of the world and put a stop to it..  She never missed a Day of Remembrance Ceremony, she was often a key speaker. I have never seen her speak at one of these ceremonies the she did not have tears running down her face... it breaks her heart. Unlike others who give lip service, she gives her heart!! 

It took her a while, but she started a group called Trans* Violence Tracking Portal (TVTP) to help find cases of murdered Trans men and women that the police had let just drop because no one seemed to care  and it was so very successful.  It has help reopen and solve several other wise forgotten cases and justice has been done!. She has given up so much of her time AND money to do this kind work, not because Allison Woolbert had to, but because she really cares with all her heart!!!

But this has not come at a price. She has gotten the attention of those who HATE Transgender people for whatever reason and who would want us to just go away and die and THEY have attacked this wonderful lady and tried to destroy NOT only her work, but her legacy. They have told lies and slanderous stories in order to cast doubt on her honesty and motives. THEY are the ones who are of black heart and would do us harm, NOT Allison, she labored for us every day and has asked for NOTHING  and I see people who had exclaimed friendship turn on her and take the haters side in an instant forgetting that it was SHE who had done the work, SHE who had sacrificed, NOT them. 

She had fought for them day in and day out... never stopping always there, and how have they repaid her?? By attacking her because of hateful stories about her PAST.. She is NOT the person she was all those years ago!! NO ONE is. We have all changed, and yet they judge her on a past long gone and irrelevant. 

She got the petition for Leelah’s Law up and signed and sent to the President to stop the so called conversion therapy of trans children. Today one petition has over 300K who have signed it and the Whitehouse.gov site has almost 100K today. 

The transgender community will sink once again into the tar pit of hate, cowardice and uncaring, as before. Just like the Bible wavers and Homophobes want for transgender people to be ignored and allowed to be exterminated like before with NO justice.  

It breaks my heart that Allison Woolbert has given so much and helped so many and now they turn their backs and jump on the hater’s band wagon. This is why transgender people will NEVER be free to live our lives.. WE are our own worst enemy NOT Allison. She is our Joan of  Arc and like Joan, she has been cast off and left to die no longer seen as the hero she is. This is why others will not stand up and speak! The cowards are NOT trust worthy and will not stand with Allison Woolbert when times get hard, you scatter or pick up a rock yourself. 

This community, and I use that word very loosely, is a disgrace and I am proud to know Allison Woolbert and will stand not behind, but beside her for as long as she wants me there. she is MY hero!! and she deserves better than cowards!

Jackie R.