Frostbyte's electric marvels never more to grace the night

Wow. I just found out that one of my favorite artists died. I never met him, but I spent a lot of time appreciating his art. This man was a genius, and the world is a much darker place without him. Frostbyte, I'm sorry I never met you in person. Peace be with you, wherever you are. You are an inspiration to many, and you will never be forgotten.

I found out about this from Tall Tom, Fearless organizer of the Temple of Dreams Guardian Angels. The link to the original article in the Boston Globe can be accessed HERE or by clicking on the title of this post.

---

UPDATE
2006-01-17 11:24:47 PM: It has come to my attention that Frostbyte's site at MIT is down... and I'm not sure why. I'm digging folks, so if I can find out where the photos and coumentation on his art projects went to, I'll fix the links here. You'll know when I know.

2005-12-28 11:04:41 AM: As per Leila's investigative digging, here is the link to Frostbyte's (aka Kevin McCormick) amazing art projects.

Weird dreams and self revelation

I've been feeling sick, and I was just completely fragged to the point of shutdown when we got home this evening, so I took a nap. I woke up after having had this very vivid dream.

I was at Burning Man (but it wasn't really Burning Man). Up on this nearby hill was a ring of trees. The hillside itself was mostly treeless, but there was a ring of trees at the crown of the hill, and a few sparse trees at the peak. As I walked through the trees to the top of the hill, I realized there was a band playing Rush, and I somehow deduced that it was a cover band that I'd heard of. In the dream, I knew their name and it was the title of one of RUSH's albums or songs, but now I can't remember what it was. Their name was one word... arrrgh, I still can't remember what it was. Anyways, they were pretty good, though they were a 6 or 7 piece band (HA!). There were playing playing mostly late 70's, early 80's Rush tunes... pretty tight, with a few creative liberties thrown in here and there. They even kind of looked like Geddy Neil and Alex during the late 70's. They were set up on the top of the hill on a low wooden riser with several tree trunks coming up through it. All around were long low wooden benches. There were quite a few people sitting around watching them, though no one was really all that enthusiastic except for me. I listened for a while, but was feeling strangely self conscious and restless. So I wandered away a bit. I found this long line of people, dressed in very late 60's, early 70's attire waiting to slither and scramble down what basically amounted to a dry waterfall. They were trying to descend in some sort of unison with the beat that the band was playing. I was baffled by why they were doing this, though I wanted to try climbing UP, as it looked like an interesting problem.

Now mind you, this whole time, throughout the music and the observation of the waterfall descenders, I was constantly thinking of my friend Merritt, and wishing he could be there to experience this with me. I knew that he would really appreciate it. Realization dawned on me that I had come to Burning Man alone (although this whole experience bears absolutely NO resemblance to any experience I've ever had at Burning Man, nor did the geography bear any resemblance to that of the black rock desert). I somehow knew that Merritt was also attending Burning Man, but I didn't know where he was camped, and I knew that he didn't know that this Rush cover band was playing on a nearby hillside. It was all very distressing for some reason.

Then I woke up.

I lay in bed for a while thinking about my dream, somewhat puzzled by my reactions to being alone at a musical performance, and also at Burning Man. I came to wonder if my appreciation of live music was dependant on the presence of friendly company. Am I so much of herd animal that I need validation of things I enjoy from friendly faces?

This may seem tangential, but bear with me. I recently attended a Nuclear Rabbit show at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma. It had been YEARS since I'd seen a show at the Phoenix. The sound at the Phoenix is usually.. mediocre. The people mixing the sound are usually rather amateurish and untrained it seems, but this isn't surprising given the venue. Every show I've ever seen there has been an all ages show, which usually means you see a lot of young kids. They range from about 10 on upwards, but mostly concentrated around 14-16 yrs old. In truth, I felt like an old man, especially during the first two acts who's artists were both considerably younger than me. The guys from Nuclear Rabbit are all around my age, though the demographic of my age group was sorely underrepresented. Never mind... the point is, I felt a bit out of place, although I did end up taking to a guy named Rick (I think that was his name) for a while outside the venue. He was about 46 and had taken his nephew who was 16 or 17 to the show. He'd never heard of Nuclear Rabbit, but being a musician and a pretty open minded guy, he was there. We chatted about music and work and ended up standing together for part of the show, commenting on sound, guitar technique, interesting people in the audience and what-not. It was nice. I doubt I'll ever see or talk to him again, but I'd walk up and say "hi" if I recognized him somewhere. In case you were wondering, Rabbit was pretty good, though Gene and Greg were pretty "chatty". The Broccoli Tacos were suprisingly good, their guitarist being their most impressive asset and appearing to be able to directly channel Randy Rhodes into his guitar.

My point in all of this is: I believe we are creatures of the herd. We need to share our joy in order for it to fully blossom. Also: For all of our philisophical posturing on the importance of the individual, our baser emotions and hormones often create a longing to belong. To fit in. To be accepted by a tribe. These urges and subconscious (and sometimes unconscious) desires are sometimes brought to light in dreams. Sometimes our dreams... don't mean a damn thing, the equivalent of mental vomit. A spew of random images and thoughts that may appear to have meaning, but don't hold up under scrutiny. Does my dream have meaning, or is it regurgitated mental stew? I'm still not sure. At least now I can go back to bed and stop thinking about this crap.

---

UPDATE 2005-12-28 2:06:18 AM:
I had a conversation with my friend Leila about this post, and I must make some clarifications: I believe that humans can experience joy fully alone, but for it to grow exponentially, it must be shared, as this seems to have a "kickback effect". I also came to realize that I DO enjoy attending events by myself, as no one else's agenda can compromise my own. HOWEVER, the aforementioned "kickback effect" is usually well worth the tradeoff.

Site of the Day: Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Dear lord flying spaghetti monster no! Finally, someone has come with an appropriate response to the push for Intelligent Design to be taught in science class.

Ha ha Intelligent Design, TAKE THAT!

Jacquie Phelan is my hero

Holy christ... when I was 18, I was in the best biking shape of my life. One day while riding up Shaver Grade I got smoked. You know, having your ass handed to you? It was one of the most humbling and exhilarating moments of my bicyling life. Jacquie and her husband Charlie Cunningham (yes, the guy who made the legendary Cunningham Bikes and original founder of WTB) blew past me like I was standing still. I'm 30 now, and Jacquie is about 50... so in 92/93 she would have been about 37/38.. more than twice my age. Wow. I remember the exact moment I realized who had just dusted me. All the hairs on my body stood on end and I rolled to a stop, mouth open, heart pounding (not from the climb, really); yeah, I was totally starstruck. My friend Rick caught up to me several minutes later and I was barely able to stammer out my exciting news. They had passed him the same way, but he hadn't taken notice of them. This little moment was one of those "high points" that you never forget. To paraphrase Hunter S. from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, "the high water mark." Man, that's ugly... surely he's rolling over in his grave for that misappropriation.

Fast forward 12 years. I'm reading this article and I got to thinking, "wow, I wonder what Jacquie is up to these days?". I don't ride southern marin trails much anymore (her stomping grounds) so I've had no real chances to cross paths with Jacquie again. So I do a google photo search... and found this article from the wombats website. As if her conversation with Karen Brooks at Interbike LINK HERE wasn't enough to completely impress me all over again! Sheesh.. Jacquie, although you'll likely never read this, thanks for being an inspiration to me and countless others who's lives you've changed. Rock on. And yes, I do look over my shoulder every time I ride or walk Shaver Grade, just to see if Jacquie is sneaking up on me.

Site of the Day: Phone Bashers

Man, this gave me a good laugh. I realize that this is not legal and not very nice, but it's still pretty damn funny. I have a sick sense of humor, sue me. I have to admit that I've wanted to do this to people at times. As for myself and for the most part, I'm pretty embarassed to talk on my cell phone in public. Watch out for these guys, you might be next *smirk* Click on the title to see the link.

Or click here: Cell Phone Stomp

Northern Lights running away

This just in from Erin the Petsaver:
According to this report in the BBC, the earth's magnetic pole may be migrating soon... better check your compass! Click on the Title for the link.

Site of the Day: Bag-E-Wash

This is pretty cool.. I've been looking for a good way to do this for ages and never really found one. Plus, Jessi never wants to handwash the bags, so most of the time they get thrown away (especially the ones that had frozen chicken in them). I'd like to quote Margaret Mead here:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

All those "little things" you do to try and make a difference? If enough people start doing "the little things", the net result is a "big" thing. Never forget that folks. As they say at Xtracycle, "Be a good butterfly".

Click on the title to check out the link. Check out the FAQ.

Gizmo vs. Skype

Well, I'm going to try out Gizmo and see if I like it better than Skype... at first glance, it appears to be a better designed network, but if may have some shortfalls... we shall see. Click on the title to link to Gizmo. BTW, I found the gizmo info in December's Wired Magazine, so there will probably be a large increase in Gizmo users now.

Laughter's Loss

So there's this woman who works for Xtracycle (see xtracycle.com to find out what I'm talking about), and her name is Laughter. She called me yesterday to tell me they were shipping my new xtracycle today and that I should have it soon. We chatted for a while about the xtracycle and also Burning Man (some of their crew goes out there every year). Well it turns out that some asswipe stole her XtraCycle Equipped Black Marin Novato from the top of her car when she was attending the green festival in SF. She's learning to live with it, but misses her bike. I don't blame her... I would be PISSED! I AM pissed! If you happen to see her bike, contact info@xtracycle.com and let them know. Laughter had very unique handlebar grips on the bike, so you may be able to spot it that way: "My grips were sun and moon colored Yellow, Blue, Orange & Red with White stars" Once again, it is a 17" (or 18", she wasn't totally sure) Black (2004) Marin Novato with an XtraCycle on the back.. and the very unique grips described above. May the fleas of thousand horses asses infest the armpits of the thief, with my compliments.

Link of the Day: Biomass to Biodiesel

Wow... this is pretty cool. I found this link at Kurzweilai.net. Too bad the funding for alternative energy from that energy bill that was recently passed here in the U.S was only about 15% of the total (correct me if I'm wrong on the percentage). Not a surprise considering the Bush Admin opted out of the Kyoto protocol. DUH! (Click on the title to read the article)

Oh sh*t redux...

Oy... it never ceases, and it gets worse by the minute. Keep you eyes on this folks.. this COULD get ugly. (Click the title of this post for the link)

Tragedy

This was lifted from http://www.brushtail.com.au/july_05_on/houston_problem.html

President Bush was visiting a primary school and he dropped in on one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.

The teacher asked the President if he would like to lead the discussion of the word "tragedy". So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy". One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him that would be a tragedy".

"No," said Bush, "that would be an accident."

A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."

"I'm afraid not," explained the president. "That's what we would call a great loss."

The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Bush searched the room.

"Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"

Finally at the back of the room a small boy raised his hand.

In a quiet voice he said: "If Air Force One, carrying you and Mrs Bush, was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy."

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"

"Well," says the boy, "It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be a fucking accident either."

Oh sh*t...

Holy good christ on a shingle... this looks very bad. While the NRDC and other big environmental protection groups were battling for the Arctic National Wilderness to stay protected, this apparently benign little piece of legislation was passed and it looks like yet another give away to corporate special interests. SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! Keep you eyes on this one folks... it's bound to creep up in nearly every state, and perhaps the only way to battle it is to counteract the legislation. Read this article and tell me what YOU think. (click on the title for a link to the article in the NY Times)

Propaganda Catapult

This one made me laugh so hard I nearly woke up my sleeping son. How on EARTH did this MORON make it through Harvard? (yes folks, that's a rhetorical question)
Presidential Misspeak

Site of the Day

Dear god, this man is a menace to society! He suggested (and later backpeddled and labeled it as satire) that if he were president, and Al Qaeda were to bomb San Francisco, that he would make sure that SF got no federal assistance. Why is this man on TV? He should be on the Al Qaeda payroll... heyyyyyy, wait a minute, you don't suppose...???

Either way, check out this site.
I hate Bill O'Reilly

Gleason's Phun Linkz

This is freakin hilarious. Never scare a brutha...(Click on the title to see the link)

Working Assets: Hypocrites?

Many of you have heard of Working Assets. They are the company that takes a portion of their profits and donates it to worthy causes. Or so I thought. Their latest email denounced Verizon, SBC, BellSouth and Qwest for being supporters of the radical right.

Here's the email:

From: workingassets@values.workingassets.com
Subject: Your phone company's right wing agenda
Date: November 17, 2005 7:37:09 AM PST

Did you know you're supporting the radical right?

You are if you're a customer of Verizon, SBC, BellSouth or Qwest.

That's because those companies raise money for political action
committees pushing the radical-right agenda. PACs they back include
Americans for a Republican Majority, Every Republican Is Crucial, and
Pioneer PAC, "dedicated to strengthening the Republican majority in
Congress."

You may be stuck with these companies for local phone service, but for
your long distance calls, you have a choice.

If you'd rather support organizations you believe in - groups like
the ACLU, Global Fund for Children and the Natural Resources Defense
Council - then now is the time to join Working Assets Long Distance.

Working Assets donates no money to politicians of any party. Instead,
we put a portion of our revenue to work for a cause we can all get
behind: a better world.

In fact, since 1985, Working Assets has generated more than $47
million for worthy nonprofits - at no extra cost to our customers.

SNIP! original clipped for brevity SNIP!



What I wanted to know is: how come the credit cards that they issue are handled by MBNA, one of the largest campaign contributors for the George W. Bush's reelection campaign? I sent them the following letter:


Subject: General comments or questions about the Working Assets Credit Card
Date: June 8, 2005 11:57:00 PM PDT

Comments: I'm writing to you because I read something today that made me
question the motives of working assets. I thought you folks
stood for the people, at least in part. Obviously, you're a
corporation and your job is to make money. You tout ourselves
as a company that contributes money to organizations that
support the people. Yet, the credit card company that you folks
put your name on (MBNA) was one of the largest campaign
contributors to George W. Bush's 2 campaign bids for the White
House. As far as your activist e-mail's to me state, GWB is no
friend of Working Assets. I'm deeply concerned about the
integrity of Working Assets.

According to Bill Maher in his address to the Take Back America
conference on Monday Jun 3, 2005.
(see http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/060605LA.shtml)
"So it is that huge financial institutions like MBNA - the credit
card giant that is the biggest contributor to the President's two
campaigns for the White House - prevail in getting Congress and
George W. Bush to curtail personal bankruptcies, making it
harder for those families in Milwaukee to get a fresh start and a
second chance."

What is your reponse to this? Why are you guys putting your
name on the MBNA funded credit card? I'm ready to pay off my
MBNA credit card and cancel it. Give me a reason not to... and
not to run my mouth off on every blog I can about your apparent
utter hypocrisy.

Yours in fear and loathing,

Ian Hopper


Here is how they replied:

Dear Mr. Hopper:

Thank you for your comments about the Working Assets Credit Card. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns regarding our new relationship with MBNA America.

Since Working Assets is not a financial institution, we require the assistance of a bank to issue our credit card. Due to the size of our customer base, only large banks are able to handle our credit card program. Thus when our prior issuer, Fleet Bank, put our credit card portfolio up for sale, and MBNA emerged as the only bidder, we accepted an arrangement with MBNA as a way to maintain our ability to offer the credit card product.

All of us at Working Assets are doing our best to make social change happen while remaining a viable business. We believe that the tens of millions of dollars channeled to progressive non-profits through our credit card and long distance programs more than offset the inevitable compromises required to operate our business.

Sincerely,

Debbie
Customer Relations Representative
Working Assets

Now, I can't fault Debbie for the form letter e-mail reply. I'm just not happy about what it says. I'm just not comfortable with this level of hypocrisy. I will not be joining Working Assets until they rid themselves of MBNA. They claim that the "tens of millions of dollars channeled to progressive non-profits through their credit card AND long distance programs (note that they included the long distance, which I don't have an issue with) more than offset the inevitable compromises required to operate our business". They fail to give me hard numbers or concrete evidence. I believe that most of the money channeled to progressive non-profits comes from the credit card program, not the long distance. How much MORE of the profits went to MBNA? How much "offset" was really made here? No, I think they're hypocrites and if they really want to walk the walk, they'll dump MBNA.

Lynn Woolsey leads the charge

Ok ok, I know. California overwhelmingly doesn't support the war in Iraq. What about the rest of the country? Do I care? Not really... if people are happy throwing their money away on keeping soldiers in Iraq, then maybe THEY should go over there. I certainly don't want any more of MY tax money spent on fighting an unwinnable war, and I certainly don't want any more Iraqis or American's killed in my name. Evidently my elected offical (Lynn Woolsey) agrees with me.  

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) led 61 bipartisan Congressional Colleagues in sending a letter to President Bush today calling for U.S. policy in Iraq to change course by engaging in greater multilateral cooperation with our allies; pursuing diplomatic/non-military initiatives; preparing for a robust post-conflict reconciliation process; and withdrawing the U.S. Armed Forces.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey was the first Member of Congress to call for U.S. troops to return from Iraq and has led a series of important activities aimed at ending the war:

1. On January 12, 2005 she led 15 Members of Congress in writing a letter to President Bush calling for the troops to be brought home.

2. On January 26, 2005 Woolsey introduced H.Con.Res. 35, calling for the President to immediately develop a plan for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.

3. On May 28, 2005 Woolsey led the first debate on the U.S. House floor around her amendment calling for the President to develop a plan as soon as is practicable to bring our troops home, and that he submit this plan to the appropriate committees in Congress.  The Woolsey Amendment received 128 votes - including the votes of five Republicans making it the first bipartisan effort to end American military involvement in Iraq.

4. In June 2005, Woolsey was an original co-sponsor of H.J.Res. 55, “Homeward Bound” - the first legislation to set a timeline on troop withdrawal from Iraq.

5. Called an informal bipartisan Congressional hearing on September 15, 2005 on how to bring the troops home from Iraq.  Over 30 bipartisan Members of Congress participated in the event and heard testimony from Senator Max Cleland, General Joseph Hoar (Ret. USMC), Dr. Ken Katzman, Ambassador David Mack, Anas Shallal, and Dr. Antonia Chayes.

6. October 2005, Woolsey traveled to Iraq as part of a Congressional delegation to meet with U.S. Armed Forces.

7. Since April 20, 2004, Woolsey has given more than 120 speeches on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives calling for an end of military engagement in Iraq and discussing her legislation, H.Con.Res. 158, SMART Security, a “Smart Multilateral, American Response to Terrorism” - an alternative to war.

 

 

The following is a copy of the letter sent to President Bush today:

 

 

U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey letter to the President:

November 10, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Despite two and a half years of warfare, including the deaths of over 2,000 American soldiers and injuries to 15,000 others, Iraq remains as unstable as it was when you declared an end to major combat operations in May 2003.  We need to face the fact that the situation in Iraq is not improving - nor will it improve as long as our troops remain there, because the presence of over 160,000 American soldiers on Iraqi soil is the main catalyst fueling Iraq’s insurgency.

The time is long overdue for the U.S. to change course in Iraq and bring our troops home.  To transition from war to peace, we recommend that your administration immediately make four pivotal policy changes in Iraq: 1) engage in greater multilateral cooperation with our allies; 2) pursue diplomatic/non-military initiatives; 3) prepare for a robust post-conflict reconciliation process; and 4) withdraw the U.S. Armed Forces.

Multilateral Cooperation

The U.S. must engage the international community, including the UN and NATO, to establish a multinational interim security force for Iraq.  The Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations, for example, is well suited to this task.

Diplomatic/Non-Military Initiatives

The U.S. must pursue a “diplomatic offensive,” shifting its role from that of Iraq’s military occupier to its reconstruction partner.  This means giving Iraq back to the Iraqi people, working with them to rebuild their economic and physical infrastructure, and creating Iraqi jobs.  The U.S. must also engage the United Nations to oversee Iraq’s economic and humanitarian needs, renounce any desire to control Iraqi oil, and ensure that the U.S. does not maintain lasting military bases in Iraq.

Post-Conflict Reconciliation

An international peace commission must be established to oversee Iraq’s post-war reconciliation.  This group would include members of the global community who have experience in international peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and would be tasked with coordinating peace talks between Iraq’s various factions.

Withdrawal of the U.S. Armed Forces

The cost of the war in Iraq - both human and financial - has been staggering.  Tragically, the American and Iraqi lives lost, and the billions of dollars spent, have failed to actually make our country safer from the threat of international terrorism.  To end the war in Iraq, save lives, and prevent the U.S. from spiraling even further into debt, the U.S. must withdraw its Armed Forces from Iraq.

Mr. President, after Iraq holds its December parliamentary elections, the country’s leaders will be responsible for charting Iraq’s course.  The international community, including the U.S., can then provide non-militaristic support to ensure a self-sufficient Iraq.  We look forward to your response to our recommendations and would welcome the opportunity to discuss them with you.

Sincerely,

U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey

The following Members of Congress and Delegates joined Rep. Woolsey in signing her letter: U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie (HI), Joe Baca (CA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Robert Brady (PA), Sherrod Brown (OH), Lois Capps (CA), Julia Carson (IN), William Lacy Clay (MO), Emanuel Cleaver (MO), James Clyburn (SC), John Conyers (MI), Jerry Costello (IL), Elijah Cummings (MD), Danny Davis (IL), William Delahunt (MA), Mike Doyle (PA), Lane Evans (IL), Sam Farr (CA), Bob Filner (CA), Raúl Grijalva (AZ), Maurice Hinchey (NY), Rush Holt (NJ), Michael Honda (CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI), Dennis Kucinich (OH), John Larson (CT), Barbara Lee (CA), John Lewis (GA), Jim McDermott (WA), James McGovern (MA), Cynthia McKinney (GA), Michael McNulty (NY), Carolyn Maloney (NY), Martin Meehan (MA), Gregory Meeks (NY), Gwen Moore (WI), James Moran (VA), Grace Napolitano (CA), James Oberstar (MN), John Olver (MA), Major Owens (NY), Frank Pallone (NJ), Ed Pastor (AZ), Ron Paul (TX), Donald Payne (NJ), Charles Rangel (NY), Bobby Rush (IL), Linda Sánchez (CA), Janice Schakowsky (IL), David Scott (GA), José Serrano (NY), Hilda Solis (CA), Pete Stark (CA), Edolphus Towns (NY), Nydia Velázquez (NY), Maxine Waters (CA), Diane Watson (CA) and Congressional Delegates Donna Christensen (VI), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).

Wolves Are Not Your Enemy

Regardless of what the ranchers may believe, wolves are not the
enemy. Read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser and see who the real
enemy of the American Rancher really is. ConAgra and other food
giants are destroying the livelihood of hundreds if not thousands of
small ranchers and farmers. They drive the price of meat and
agricultural goods down so far that the small farms and ranches have
no choice but to sell out. Many of these folks feel that wolves are a
serious threat to their livestock. In some ways they are right, but
we can hardly fault the wolf for that. They are doing what they've
been doing for thousands of years. Wolves never kill more than they
can eat, and when we've driven away or killed their natural prey by
fencing off thousands of miles of land that were once shared by
bison, elk and deer, they have to eat what's available. I'm pretty
sure that a cow killed once in a while by wolves is a fair trade for
having taken away their home and territory. Evidently though, the
secretary of the interior Gale Norton doesn't feel that wolves
deserve any protection. The aerial hunting of wolves in alaska is
illegal, yet Norton refuses to enforce the law. I'd like to see
someone hunt her and her family and see how it feels. Here is a good
site for helping to protect the alaskan wolves.
Click on the title of this post to Sponsor a Wolf!

Molly Ivans Comments on Torture

I have a copy of one her books, but I haven't read it yet. Now I think I have to. Click on the title to read her article in the Miami Herald. "Torture? What torture? We don't torture! That's preposterous!" -G.W Bush. Well, the word preposterous is not one I think that GWB could pronounce (even thought he purportedly went to to Harvard), so you can guess who actually wrote the quote... YT of course!

Department of Homeland Security: SNAFU

So my brother sent me this email about his friend Huck. My brother has mentioned him several times, and although I may have met him, I don't remember. All that is irrelevant: this guy's story is another damning statement about the general condition of American Government, but instead of butchering it, I'll just post the link here. Please, if you know of anyone who can help this guy, let me know and I'll contact Huck. Clink on the title of this post to read Huck's Story.

Shortsighted FOOLS!

Ok.. the U.S State Dept. can officially kiss my ass. This is so WRONG!


Newsday.com Article


When you do things like this, karma has a way of exacting retribution by inflicting terrible diseases upon you and/or your loved ones. Wait, didn't our once esteemed Colin Powell (and why does he pronounce it like body part anyway?) work for the state dept? No wait, that's right, he left in shame; things just haven't been the same since old Powell decided that lying for the Bush war machine wasn't so bad. Look where THAT got us... we're well over 2000 soldiers killed, and I think the wounded (most of them permanently) number over 20,000... or maybe that's 40,000... I can't remember. The numbers are staggering enough that they get fuzzy... just the way the state dept. likes it. "A little depleted uranium with your mashed potatoes private?" No? TOO BAD, we're gonna stuff it down your fatigues so you get cancer, or Gulf War Syndrome or if you're lucky, maybe just plain ol' fashioned radiation poisoning.

Did I mention the nearly 100,000 iraqis dead (many of them innocents)???

How DO you put down in words the sound of a cat hissing? Hmmm...

Veterans Day

I was listening to Forum on NPR, and it being Veteran's Day, that was
the subject of the show. I thought about the friends and family that
I have that have served in the military and in one of America's wars.
My step-brother and step-father both served in the Navy, and both
managed to avoid (by narrow margins) being involved in a major
conflict. I am thankful for that. My friend Bill was not so lucky. He
served in Vietnam and lost much of the use of his right knee and leg
due to having a land mine blow up under him. To Bill and all the
other vets who have given so much, a very deeply heartfelt "Thank
You" for your sacrifice. I do NOT agree with the politicians for
sending you there, but that has nothing to do with you. Thank you,
thank you, thank you for your gift. I know that it is a pale and
meager reward for the incredible sacrifices that have been made.
Peace be with you on this and all days.

Erin the Petsaver sez:

Per my friend Erin:

attached is a "How To Find Your Pet" document for animals who have been rescued and dislocated from new orleans owners after the strom [sic]
if you could please save this documant [sic} and give info to those who may benefit from it

TO FIND YOUR PET
Please go to:
Pet Finder Emergency Response: www.disaster.petfinder.org/emergency

Or call:
*Pet Finder.com 1-800-485-5152;
*No Animal Left Behind: 1-877-680-0090;
LA-SPCA: 1-800-745-9151.

On a more positive note

Yeah. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is getting indited on the following charges: one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements. Basically, what they're really saying is that he's a big fat liar. Big fucking surprise.. He's Rove's crony, what would you expect? Rove is the modern day Goebels! I hope they give him all 30 years. Then I'd like to see Rove get 30 years. Unlikely with the Bush Administration in office, but they gave up libby... someone had to be the patsy after all. The arrogance of the bush administration is unparalleled.

Evidence: Per CNN; "Libby said in a written statement he is "confident that at the end of this process I will be completely and totally exonerated."

"Today is a sad day for me and my family," he said.

"I have spent much of my career working on behalf of the American people," he said. "I have conducted my responsibilities honorably and truthfully."

Why don't I believe him?

Another thought: What kind of tool would keep a nickname like "Scooter"? That sounds like the name you might give a little kid. This guy works in the highest level of government, and he expects to be taken seriously when his acknowledged nickname is SCOOTER? Hmmm... it's just a little too innocent for a guy who works for someone as creepy as Rove and Cheney.

Pain in the back

Sometimes the pain gets so bad you can't do anything but cry. My back pain got so bad yesterday that I ended up in a little ball crying like a baby. Jessi called to get me a massage and I got lucky and found a gem. Nandano was my masseuse and she is phenominal... she did what neither one of the chiropractors I've seen (bless their hearts for trying) could do: give me some lasting relief from the lower, middle and sciatic pain that I've been suffering from. Bless the masseurs of the world: giving relief from pain when doctors throw up their hands and give you a pill to cover it up.

Wilma Aftermath

I just heard on NPR that Florida normally produces 50% of the U.S
winter vegetable crop. Apparently hurricane Wilma may have seriously injured the crops, as they have been in the ground only a month. Uh oh... should we be stocking our cabinets with canned vegetables? Evidently, last years hurricane season caused several billion (yes that's a 10 digit number folks) in crop loss. Ouch...

Risky Business

Ok.. so my friend Leila sends me this funny link:

http://www.scientomogy.info/index.html

Why is it that celebs feel the need to have pet causes and champion them? Sometimes it HURTS those causes more than it helps; I disagree with the pop axiom that states that there is no bad publicity. Examples: Woody Harrelson championed legalization of cannabis (and I agree with him on that), much to the detriment of his career. Darryl Hannah with her biodiesel powered ranch and vehicles (and though I support the Biodiesel movement in general, and the media exposure can be good for putting important issues on the table, sometimes having celebrities on board can make the whole thing seem very kitsch and trendy.) How many movie roles has Hannah had lately? Cameron Diaz lent her fame to the NRDC; then again nothing seems to hurt her and the NRDC was kicking ass long before she came along.

Why can't these people stay away from my causes? The short treatment the gossip media pays to the "pet" causes of celebs trivializes the work of some very committed people. The celeb drops their name for 15 minutes and the people who've done all the real work get no recognition. None. Zip. Zero. NADA. The social climbing acheived from this makes me ILL.... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Scientology. Who are these people helping? From what I gather through the grapevine of my own family (one member of which was at one point a high ranking member of the church of scientology before he pulled out only to suffer death threats) is that the church of scientology is like most religious institutions, not about spirituality or higher powers, but about money. In the case of scientology, it's worse. You have to pay to move up. The more scratch you contribute, the more you move up. It's a long sordid story folks, and I'm not sure the modern day scientology movement is really what L. Ron Hubbard had in mind... then again, maybe it's exactly what he had in mind. Is that guy even still alive? He was a pretty good sci-fi writer for a while, he should have stuck to that. Speaking of which, I had a conversation with a guy named Rishi Graham (dude if you're reading this, drop me a line!) once about L. Ron Hubbard, Frank Herbert and JRR Tolkein. What I remember (and memory is a slippery eel) is that he said they were all buddies and had a running bet on who could write a book that would turn into a religion... guess who won? Herbert wrote Dune, Tolkein wrote The Silmarillion, and Hubbard wrote Dianetics. Wow.

Then of course we arrive at The Govinator. This is a guy who starred in at least a dozen extremely violent movies and is heavily satirized in his acting career for his idiotic one liners, delivered in that easily mockable austrian accent. After hearing him speak (on NPR) at the Town Hall meeting in Walnut Creek regarding his pet measures in the upcoming special election, I'm inclined to say that he speaks well in public.. kee-ryst, he'd better! That corporate high-puppet GWB that he shares his political party with can't speak to save his life. I swear if I hear one more mention of 9/11 in his speeches, I'm gonna vomit blood. But I've seriously digressed...

Tom Cruise, male lead (and I won't say star because that distinction goes to Rebecca De Mornay) in Risky Business, (and many many more) is a decent actor, if a bit predictable. So how come he gets taken seriously when he talks about a religion? HE'S A FU*KING ACTOR, NOT A PRIEST! But hold on, according to the IMDB, he was GOING to be a priest, but dropped out of the seminary after a year. Now, you can't expect too a 14 year old kid to make up their mind about their life's work, but come ON! Why is he ruining his acting career over a religion? Madonna seems to have been better able to manage her newfound connection to the Kaballah better than Tom has... somebody better put the brakes on Tom before he blows it completely. He's really starting to paint himself as a WACKO! The Matt Lauer interview was by far the worst though.. he was SUCH a dick.

Tom may be a father, but Nicole didn't go through Post Partum Depression, and I'm pretty sure that unlike most working americans, the Cruises had PLENTY of help raising their kids. I'm also pretty sure that his family can afford any doctor they want, and if someone were to be diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, they'll be taking lithium (or whatever the newest bi-polar drug is) and not be fu#king around with the snake oil hocus pocus of scientology.

The ingnorant feces coming out of his mouth about psychiatry and the dangers of pharmaceuticals to treat depression are.... well, retard shit. Believe me, the pharmaceutical companies are the big devils, no doubt about it, but depression isn't just something you "snap" out of when it's chemical. Yes Mr. Cruise, there ARE chemical imbalances in the body. I get them when I don't eat enough and the blood sugar gets low: it turns me into a petulant, irrational, vicious little monkey. I store up that mood and redistribute it on my blog to people like YOURSELF!

http://oddvitamins.blogspot.com/2005/10/hypocrisy-noun.html

So now I'm blogging a blogger's blog... Wow.. blogging thrice removed. The scientomogy blog references the oddvitamins blog and I'm referencing the scientomogy blog who's referencing the oddvitamins blog [confused yet?]

Nice one oddvitamins.... and thanks to scientomogy.com for inspiring this rant! Good thing you guys are in Kiwi land... far far away from the vicious lawyer types here in the states. Keep up the good work!

Inspired by Silly Liz: I am / I need

Ok liz... here what happens when I try it:

I am / I need

Google “[your name] needs” and see what comes up.

Ian needs about $400000 set aside now to cover his future needs.
Ian needs an Old Man's Cane
Ian needs to record the stocking of pond P 7
Ian needs to record his third event: the harvest for pond P 4
Ian needs a wife merely to secure his fortune
Ian needs to start wearing NIN shirts
Ian needs to be sure to practice that drive to the hospital over and over
Ian needs to be advised to keep all sharp objects away from Rebecca
Ian needs to wash his mouth out with soap

Google “[your name] is” and see what comes up.

Ian is also the publisher and co-editor of a weekly on-line electronic newsletter, the Committed Sardine Blog
Ian is an educator first and foremos
Ian is playing a small set of "Coffeehouse" gigs to wrap up the 2005 Minute
Ian is seeking a new distribution company for John Holt and Generous Thief
Ian is an enlightened spiritual visionar
Ian is willing to drop the mask and show others who he truely is
Ian is an old pal
Ian is C5 News' Poet
Ian is Assistant Professor of Literature Communication and Culture at Georgia Institute of Technology
Ian is working with Orson Scott Card (WOW! I love this author, one of my favorites!)
Ian is just a happy little guy sitting in his scooter thing
Ian is Hopspitalized
Ian is an artist and a great guy with a big heart
Ian is guest-starring in a February sweeps
Ian is suspected of putting real bullets in Regis' prop gun

Pretty sure...

Well, one would expect that I should have something important to say in my first blog, but alas, I'm at a loss for words at the moment.. percolating...ok, yeah, here's something: my idea for a sign for freewayblogger: BUSH LIES, SOLDIERS DIE... whaddaya think?